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Friday, May 16
 
Deep defensive line will serve Jets well

By Len Pasquarelli
ESPN.com

There are very few commodities more ardently sought, and less often achieved, in the NFL than defensive line depth.

Sure, everyone wants a franchise quarterback, and filling that job description is akin to hunting for hen's teeth. The pure shut-down cornerback is near the top of every team's wish list. A tailback who can tote the load 20-25 times a game, rush for 1,200 yards and avoid injuries, is the dream of every head coach.

But given the historic difficulty of unearthing viable defensive line candidates, guys who can line up and make a difference, a well-stocked front four is a rarity. And that's why, in an offseason when the New York Jets front office has come under frequent fire, the club deserves a tip of the cap for assembling a line unit that could be among the NFL's best in terms of both quantity and quality.

Dewayne Robertson
The Jets drafted Dewayne Robertson with the No. 4 pick in the draft.
"From what I can tell," said first-round defensive tackle Dewayne Robertson after the Jets' recent minicamp, "we've got a lot of (linemen) who can play. I don't see why the line can't be the strength of this football team. It's probably not my place, just being a rookie, to say that. But that's just how I feel."

Securing the former University of Kentucky standout, a player who became the hottest prospect in the draft in the days directly preceding the lottery, was a key for general manager Terry Bradway and coach Herm Edwards. The franchise made a daring move, coupling its pair of first-round selections to move up the board, getting the fourth overall choice from the Bears, having targeted Robertson as a priority.

If he is as dominant as most talent scouts feel he can be, Robertson will provide the Jets not only as an inside anchor, but also a tackle capable of wreaking havoc in the interior, and of compressing the pocket from the inside. He would rotate with incumbents Josh Evans and Jason Ferguson to give New York a tackle trio few teams could match.

On the outside, John Abraham has already reached the point, after just three seasons in the league, where he has become a Pro Bowl fixture. And after struggling early on in his career, and bouncing back and forth between tackle and end, Shaun Ellis, like Abraham a first-round choice in the 2000 draft, has found a home at the latter spot. With his weight under control, and his confidence soaring, Ellis had a quiet but standout season in 2002.

The key to improvement at end, to creating a three-player rotation there similar to the Jets now possess at tackle, is the team's 2002 first-round selection. Bryan Thomas, a pick panned from the second New York made it and surprised observers leaguewide, suffered through a horrendous rookie campaign. Drafted to afford the Jets another "edge" rusher, he totaled just one-half sack.

Thomas found it hard to retain weight, largely because of dental and dietary deficiencies, and had to battle an off-field incident that hinted of domestic abuse but turned out to be more benign than originally reported. The Jets hooked up Thomas with a diet specialist and feel that he will make a quantum leap this season. It is a sentiment he shares.

"Everything was so new to me last year, and the expectations were high, and I wasn't really ready for the pace of the game," Thomas said recently. "I feel like I know the ropes now. I'm not the new guy anymore. Of course, the new guy now (Robertson) is supposed to be pretty good and that will make us all better."

Clearly, this has been, with the free agency defections of Laveranues Coles and Chad Morton, and of the perceived faux pas in dealing with an offer sheet in the latter case, an uneven offseason for Jets officials. But there is no denying that Edwards can coach, that New York figures to win 10 games and that the Jets should be a playoff contender.

If defensive coordinator Ted Cottrell and line assistant Rubin Carter have the luxury of six top-shelf front four players, though, the Jets are a team capable of making some noise. And at least on paper, it seems, the defensive line depth is there.

Said the loquacious Evans: "We've got some (linemen) who can play. A lot of teams are scrambling to find starters on the front four. We're going to be fighting among ourselves to get playing time. We could be a pretty loaded (unit)."

Around the league

  • Future of Wally Williams? It is both laughable and, at the same time, admirable, to read the comments from officials who have suggested their teams might have an interest before training camp in signing veteran guard Wally Williams, released by the New Orleans Saints last month. Laughable, because most general managers and personnel directors know, at least via the NFL grapevine, that Williams probably won't play ever again, certainly not in 2003. And admirable because the same general managers and personnel directors are at least making an effort of sorts to adhere to the league's confidentiality guidelines regarding players who are suspended. The truth in the Williams case: The 10-year veteran was released by New Orleans only after being suspended by the league, ESPN.com confirmed, for a repeat violation of the substance abuse policy. Facing a one-year league sanction after the quiet suspension, Williams, 32, has all but decided to retire. There's a chance, given their depth on the offensive line, that the Saints would have released Williams anyway. After all, he lost his starting job at left guard to Kendyl Jacox last summer, never even came close to regaining it, and ended up playing in four games, with no starts. Williams was suspended for four games last November for a repeat violation of the substance abuse policy. The earliest he could return is next spring, when he would be 33 years old, and Williams is not planning a comeback.

    Safety last
    The acquisition of Sammy Knight earlier this week by the Miami Dolphins, who signed the six-year veteran to a two-year contract worth $2.38 million, rescued another safety from the unrestricted free agent market. But it also refocused attention on the fact there remains a glut of veteran safeties still scrambling for jobs. In fact, the unemployment rolls still include 13 safeties who have started at least 40 games each, and who have an aggregate 1,205 starts. Here is a look at those safeties, all of whom played in the league in 2002, ranked according to starts:
    Name Exp. Starts
    Marcus Robertson 12 144
    Jason Belser 11 134
    Henry Jones 11 134
    Blaine Bishop 10 120
    Victor Green 10 114
    Keith Lyle 9 95
    Chad Cota 8 82
    Sam Shade 8 78
    Lee Flowers 8 74
    Devin Bush 8 71
    Kwamie Lassiter 8 71
    Billy Jenkins 6 48
    Anthony Dorsett Jr. 7 40
    -- Len Pasquarelli

  • Not so fast Red: While there are fresh reports that Tampa Bay owner Malcolm Glazer is closing in on a deal to take the "For Sale" sign off the Los Angeles Dodgers, probably for a purchase fee of about $400 million, the rumblings that he might attempt to wrangle a deal in which he also owns a football team in the nation's second-largest market have ceased. What should also desist are the rumors that Minnesota Vikings owner Red McCombs, frustrated in his attempts to sell his NFL franchise to a local buyer, could pack the moving vans and head to the Left Coast. Not that McCombs hasn't considered it, of course, even hinting broadly this week that it remains an option. But the strong indications are that, in a recent huddle with commissioner Paul Tagliabue, the Red Man was basically told he's staying put, in part because of his tightly-written lease and in part because the league has its own designs for filling the Los Angeles market. The not-so-subtle message delivered to McCombs: There will eventually be a team in Los Angeles, but it won't be the Vikings.

  • Trouble in Seattle: The Seattle Seahawks could be facing a crisis situation with second-year veteran Jerramy Stevens and the young tight end, the team's first-round choice in the '02 draft, might see his career jeopardized. Published reports now indicate that Stevens, the 28th player chosen overall in 2002 following a college career plagued by offseason incidents and character concerns, was arrested six weeks ago for an alleged DUI. If those charges are filed, Stevens could be forced, by contract, to reimburse the Seahawks all or part of the $2.3 million signing bonus he banked last summer. Because of his background, and the fact he had three major legal incidents at the University of Washington, the team included contractual incentives for staying out of trouble. Only if he is convicted of an offense will Seattle likely attempt to recover signing bonus money. But it was hardly a secret to NFL scouts last year that Stevens was a character risk. And the Seahawks and the player, who had 26 catches and three touchdowns as a rookie, can only hope that this latest incident is either benign or blown out of proportion.

  • What's the deal? A lot of eyebrows raised leaguewide at the reports last Friday that the Vikings had signed quarterback Daunte Culpepper to a 10-year extension worth $102 million, and that Red McCombs had laid out $16 million in guaranteed compensation. In fact, there were some published reports that referred to the alleged $16 million in guarantees as a signing bonus. Well, eyebrows at ease, folks, because the $102 million is a fantasy. And the $16 million in guarantees is just as much a pipe dream.

    In truth, Culpepper, who has thrown more interceptions (36) than touchdown passes (32) over the last two seasons, and has seemed to regress, received an $8 million signing bonus. But he received just $2 million of that when the contract was executed, and will get payments of $3 million each in March '04 and March '05. His scheduled base salary for this season, $1.54 million, is unchanged. In 2004, his base salary is $1.535 million and in '05 it is $1.54 million. In those two years, $1.5 million each of the base salaries is guaranteed. And that, friends, is where all of the guarantees stop. Grand total in guaranteed money: $11 million. There are non-guaranteed roster bonuses of $2.5 million each in 2005 and 2006 and then the base salaries for the remaining years of the deal are $2.5 million (for 2006), $5.5 million (2007), $6 million (2008), $6 million (2009), $7 million (2010), $8 million (2011), $9 million (2012) and $10 million (2013). There are escalators that could enhance the base salaries in the latter years of the contract but, by then, Culpepper will either be gone or the deal will have long since been renegotiated. Culpepper can also earn considerable money in incentives but, given the benchmark levels, that isn't likely.

    The best part of the inflated deal is a section in which Culpepper can earn $900,000 if he participates in 75 percent of the Vikings' special teams plays. Hey, the guy is big enough to actually go out and block for placement kicks, we agree. But the Minnesota coaches aren't going to put a franchise quarterback on the field to cover punts or, in all likelihood, even to serve as holder for field goals. It was maybe 20 years ago, when yours truly was still a pup in this business, instead of an old dog, that Leigh Steinberg noted that you can make numbers do just about anything you need them to do. Steinberg has spent the ensuing couple decades proving that, but there certainly are a lot of people out there following his example.

    Peyton Manning
    Manning

  • New deal for Peyton: The mother of all contracts, the megadeal that will eventually wed Peyton Manning to the Indianapolis Colts for the rest of his career, is hardly imminent. But the negotiations on Manning's contract could commence soon. Earlier this week, Colts officials phoned IMG Football, which represents Manning, to talk about starting substantive discussions. There aren't any meetings set yet but Colts owner Jim Irsay, who would gain a little bit of leverage with city officials in negotiations for a new stadium if he had Manning secured for the long-term, is anxious to get things going.

  • Marc it down: For all the talk about how the St. Louis Rams want to retain quarterback Marc Bulger for the long-term, there have been no discussions about a deal that would be more than the one-year qualifying tender of $375,000 he is due as an "exclusive rights" player. The feeling had been that Rams officials might approach Bulger, so successful in his seven starts in 2002 when he replaced the injured an ineffective Kurt Warner, about a contract that would pay him for bypassing his free agency year. But the Rams hold all the cards at this point and, given their salary cap structure and concerns about keeping other players like wide receiver Torry Holt around, probably can't afford such a deal.

    Bulger, who rang up a passer rating of 101.5 last season, will be eligible for restricted free agency after this season. But even then, the Rams can scare off most potential suitors, especially if they make him a qualifying offer that would force another team to ante up first- and third-round draft choices as compensation for signing Bulger to an offer sheet. It won't be until the spring of 2005, after his fourth accrued season, that Bulger can be an unrestricted free agent. And until then, it appears, there isn't much he can do to force the team's hand, in a financial sense.

  • Interest in Antonio: Interest in unrestricted free agent wide receiver Antonio Freeman has quietly picked up in the last couple weeks and look for the bidding for the veteran pass catcher to become pretty hot. Freeman, 30, played for Philadelphia in 2002 and, even with the addition of the impressive Billy McMullen of Virginia in the third round of the draft, the Eagles would like to have him back again. But the Jacksonville Jaguars and the San Francisco 49ers also are chasing Freeman, and with good reason. The eight-year veteran displayed in Philadelphia last season that he still has something left in the tank. Freeman posted 46 catches for 600 yards and four touchdowns, played well out of the slot on third down, and was an effective possession receiver. Only four No. 3 wide receivers -- Ron Dugans (Cincinnati), Quincy Morgan (Cleveland), Antwaan Randle El (Pittsburgh) and Bobby Engram (Seattle) -- had more catches than Freeman in 2002.

    In fact, Freeman had more receptions than 12 players regarded as No. 2 receivers. His 46 catches were better than the top wide receivers for three franchises. The Jaguars certainly need a No. 2 wideout to pair with the aging Jimmy Smith. None of the team's youngsters has jumped out in minicamp practices and, while Smith had 80 catches in 2002, the rest of the wideouts on the roster totaled just 58 receptions. San Francisco will jettison J.J. Stokes (who could be headed to Jacksonville as well) as its No. 3 receiver next month and is seeking a veteran to play behind starters Terrell Owens and Tai Streets. The 49ers might also take a look at Willie Jackson, a player they pursued last spring, but who eventually signed with Atlanta and then was released because of a questionable attitude.

    Mo Collins
    Collins

  • No position for Stinchcomb: The re-signing of guard Mo Collins by the Oakland Raiders probably bumps former first-round lineman Matt Stinchcomb back into the "swing" backup role. The team had used Stinchcomb at center at the outset of offseason workouts, to guard against the possibility that Barret Robbins might not return, and he demonstrated that he could make the switch to the hub position. Then when it appeared Collins might not return, coaches moved Stinchcomb to guard, and he acquitted himself well there, too. But entering his fifth season, and with the starting quintet from last season seemingly intact now, there is no place for Stinchcomb to crack the lineup. So this nudge to Raiders brass: It might be time to put the 1999 first-rounder on the trade market and get some value for him. There are at least two teams in need of a starting left tackle who are carefully monitoring the Stinchcomb situation and who would jump at the chance to acquire him. The Raiders wouldn't recoup the first-round pick they invested in the former Georgia standout, but they could get a third-round pick, minimum, for him.

  • Cornerback reigns: In the days leading up to the draft, we offered a story about how many teams were seeking prospects who had cornerback skills, but might also be able to line up and play safety. The theme was that, with the current trend, every club now coveted a safety with strong coverage abilities. That is still the case and, during the draft, teams concentrated on securing hybrid-type secondary players. But in the minicamps that followed the draft, one NFL truism was born out, and that is that cornerback remains the secondary position of dominance. Virtually every one of the hybrid defenders selected in the lottery lined up for their respective teams at cornerback during the minicamps. It reinforced the notion that the bigger cornerback -- and all of these prospects are blessed with prototype size -- certainly remains in vogue.

    The Jacksonville coaches, for instance, worked second-round choice Rashean Mathis of Bethune-Cookman, who had 14 interceptions while playing free safety in 2002, exclusively at cornerback during their minicamp. "We know what he can do at safety and we can always move him back there if that is warranted," allowed first-year coach Jack Del Rio. "Right now, we want to see how he looks at cornerback." Mathis looked very good, according to reports, and probably will go to camp listed, at least temporarily, as a corner.

    Many of the other hybrid secondary players -- like Nnamdi Asomugha (Oakland), Bryan Scott (Atlanta), Chris Crocker (Cleveland), Julian Battle (Kansas City) and Drayton Florence (San Diego) -- worked principally at cornerback during minicamps. Fact is, Falcons officials were quick to insist that Scott, who played both positions at Penn State, was selected as a corner. "I think size is maybe the biggest determinant," Scott said. "People want bigger corners to go up against all the bigger wide receivers now. In my mind, I'm a cornerback." In the minds of the Atlanta coaches, he is a cornerback, too, and won't be switched to safety unless he struggles at the outside spot.

  • Cardinals close to injury agreement with first-rounders: Finally, it seems, the light-bulb went on in the Arizona Cardinals front offices. The team, ESPN.com has confirmed, has reached a tacit understanding with its pair of first-round draft choices, Penn State wide receiver Bryant Johnson and defensive end Calvin Pace of Wake Forest, on injury protection letters that should allow them to participate in a June minicamp.

    Johnson and Pace attended a minicamp two weeks ago but they did not take part in any on-field drills. Agents for the two, Joel Segal for Johnson and Pat Dye Jr. for Pace, said they could not in good conscience allow participation until the club adequately addressed the injury protection issue. The same issue kept the team's 2002 top pick, defensive tackle Wendell Bryant, away from minicamps, and ultimately soured the negotiations so much that he became the final player in the first round to sign a contract. Reaching a compromise with this year's first-rounders doesn't quite signal the advent of an age of enlightenment in the Valley of the Sun, but it certainly is a step in the right direction for change.

    The Cardinals sorely need both players to contribute as rookies, given the positions they play, and the club's holes at those spots. Pace is expected to bolster a pass rush that has generated a paltry 65 sacks the last three years. Johnson could start on one of the NFL's worst receiving units, a group that features 12 players whose career average is 0.5 touchdown catches. An injury protection letter essentially stipulates that a team will pay a player should he sustain a football-related injury before he signs his contract. Most teams' injury protection letter offers a slotted signing bonus if the player is hurt. The one used by Arizona in the past guaranteed a far more modest amount. There is no standard language leaguewide for injury protection guarantees.

  • Seconday concerns in St. Louis: A hyperextended knee suffered by first-round defensive tackle Jimmy Kennedy, occurring on the first snap of his first drill as an NFL player, was the injury that generated most of the interest in the St. Louis rookie minicamp last weekend. But the nagging hurts that might be more meaningful, in the long run, were the hamstring strains suffered by rookie cornerbacks DeJuan Groce (No. 4) and Shane Walton (No. 5b).

    Kennedy is slated to get back on the field for this weekend's full-squad minicamp, but Walton and Groce, two of the three cornerbacks chosen by the Rams in the draft, won't participate in any of the drills. That is significant because, it seems, St. Louis needs at least one of its rookie corners to emerge as a viable contributor in 2003. The Rams are thin at the corner and, while the team hasn't said much about it, St. Louis suffered a setback recently when second-year veteran James Whitley broke his foot during the conditioning program. The injury is a so-called "Lisfranc" separation, required surgical screws to repair, and will keep Whitley out of action for at least four months. Whitley surprised people by emerging as a solid player in '02 and the former undrafted free agent figured prominently in plans for this year. It wasn't all that long ago that the Rams could boast of a corner threesome that included potential future Hall of Fame member Aeneas Williams and youngsters Dexter McCleon and Dre Bly.

    But free agency defections took Bly and McCleon and Williams, who re-signed with St. Louis after being released earlier in the spring for cap reasons, is 35 years old, coming off an injury-marred campaign, and definitely slipping. Third-year pro Jeremetrius Butler is an emerging young corner but the Rams need to start building quality and quantity alongside him. The hamstring strains to Groce and Walton will afford rookie Kevin Garrett (No. 5c) more repetitions at minicamp this weekend. But one of the three, it's clear, has to step up at camp and show he can play as a rookie.

  • Interest in Wedderburn growing: There isn't much remaining in the unrestricted free agent pool in the way of offensive line help. But one player several teams are now beginning to consider is former Seattle starter Floyd Wedderburn, a four-year veteran who can line up at guard or tackle, and who still is just 27 years old. A fifth-round choice of the Seahawks in the 1999 draft, the former Penn State star has 26 starting assignments on his resume. That includes 10 starts in 2002. The likely reason Wedderburn is still unsigned is a shoulder injury that ended his '02 campaign prematurely. But he has rehabilitated the injury diligently, is close to 100 percent now, and has been contacted recently by Tampa Bay, Chicago, Jacksonville, Oakland and Texas, among others.

  • Salary cap numbers: On face, it would appear most teams are in pretty good salary cap shape heading into the annual lull that comes after minicamps, with the average franchise having $4.436 million of spending room. But the figures are a bit misleading, since only nine teams currently are more than $5 million under the cap, and eight teams have less than $1 million remaining in available room. Five franchises -- the Arizona Cardinals ($16.41 million), Minnesota Vikings ($13.103 million), New Orleans Saints ($10.8 million), Houston Texans ($10.5 million), and Philadelphia Eagles ($10.002 million) -- account for 42.8 percent of the cap room remaining leaguewide. Bringing up the rear: Indianapolis ($58,122), Tampa Bay ($316,547), Denver ($627,317), San Francisco ($711,223), Atlanta ($727,654), Pittsburgh ($791,819), Cleveland ($852,542) and Tennessee ($906,326).

  • Tennessee two-step: It is termed, thanks to the Watergate tandem of Woodward and Bernstein, the non-denial denial, and Tennessee Titans general manager Floyd Reese demonstrated last week that he is adept at the verbal gymnastics event. Responding to a "Tip Sheet" report that the Titans had offered some veterans in trade talks right before the draft, Reese basically tap-danced around the issue, but never really denied it. There was the usual rhetoric about how there is always trade talk at draft time, how teams offer high-profile players, how there are inquiries about what it might take to land a certain veteran. All of that, of course, is true. But the fact remains the Titans initiated phone calls to other teams and dangled veterans like tight ends Frank Wycheck and Erron Kinney, middle linebacker Randall Godfrey and center Tom Ackerman. They picked up the phone and called some teams asking if they would be interested. And there is no denying that.

  • Ellis takes $2.7 million cut: For once and for all, let's settle the stories about the salary reduction to which Detroit Lions defensive tackle Luther Elliss agreed this week, a cut that has been erroneously reported as a slash of $3.7 million. Yes, the Lions did reduce Elliss' scheduled base salary from $4.7 million to $1 million. But as ESPN.com first reported on Wednesday, the club also added a roster bonus of $1 million, payable this week. So, in essence, the reduction was for $2.7 million, and that is the amount of rebate Detroit realized on its salary cap. The veteran will pocket $2 million this year, between the roster bonus and base salary, and not the $1 million inaccurately cited elsewhere. The deal, as reported probably means that Elliss will not be a post-June 1 cap casualty. He likely would have been sliced from the roster without the contract restructuring.

  • More agent games: An addendum to last week's agent draft awards: In the 11 drafts under the current collective bargaining agreement, just seven player representatives have averaged at least one first-round choice per year. They are IMG Football; Eugene Parker/Roosevelt Barnes; Leigh Steinberg; Gary Wichard; the Ethan Lock/Eric Metz/Vance Malinovic constortium; Marvin Demoff; and Drew Rosenhaus.

  • Punts: Congratulations to former St. Louis public relations director Rick Smith, who last week announced his retirement, on a great career. Smith was a pro's pro, a guy who often took writers he trusted into his confidence, who often made sure a story was accurate. It was impossible to call Smith with a query without him rattling off a couple quick jokes. Outside of the tap dance he made you do every Super Bowl week to secure a extra ticket to the commissioner's party on Friday night, a routine that became a ritual for veteran scribes, Smith will be sorely missed. . . . Now that the New York Giants have locked up standout young left guard Rich Seubert with a new four-year contract extension, look for the club to pursue a similar deal with center Chris Bober. . . . The clock is ticking on the NFL career of quarterback Cade McNown, the 1999 first-rounder, and a guy about to soon be released by the San Francisco 49ers. . . . Washington coaches are excited by the bulk safety David Terrell has added in the offseason. Terrell is in a three-way battle for the starting spot opposite newcomer Matt Bowen and coaches feel his newfound strength has made him more explosive to the ball. . . . Former standout kickoff and punt return ace Dave Meggett, a longtime favorite of Bill Parcells, will serve as a minority intern this summer in the Dallas Cowboys camp. . . . New England is close to a contract agreement with free agent linebacker Don Davis, released by the Rams earlier this spring. . . . The San Diego Chargers invested a league-high $177,500 in signing bonuses for undrafted college free agents last month. . . . Free agent quarterback Bobby Hoying is all but fully recovered from elbow surgery and hopes someone will give him a tryout before camps open in two months. . . . Offensive tackle James "Big Cat" Williams, the longtime starter for the Chicago Bears on the strong side, is starting to get some interest in the market. Williams was released early in the signing period.

    Len Pasquarelli is a senior NFL writer for ESPN.com.





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