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Seems that Tampa Bay coach Tony Dungy, through agent Ray Anderson, very
quietly approached Buccaneers ownership this summer about a contract
extension. And seems their efforts to gain a longer deal for the classy
coach were rebuffed by ownership, which apparently will wait now until the
end of the '01 campaign to assess Dungy's future.
Dungy's current contract runs through the 2002 season but it is rare, indeed,
that an NFL head coach enters a season essentially in lame-duck
limbo. At least one who, despite the disappointments of the previous
postseasons and this year in the regular season, has achieved so much
success.
For reversing the fortunes of the once-moribund franchise, Dungy was
rewarded with a five-year extension following the 1997 season and that is
the contract on which he is still working. The contract pays Dungy far less
than the $3 million base salary that seems to have become the going rate now
for NFL coaches of his stature.
There have been no talks since the brief August discussions, Anderson
confirmed to ESPN.com, and none are currently scheduled. Anderson didn't
attempt to camouflage his contention that the lack of action by the Glazer
family is not the desired situation.
"When we approached them, there were rumors about (Bill) Parcells being on
their radar screen and Warren Sapp had just suggested publicly that
everyone's job down there was on the line this year," Anderson said. "At
that point, there were two seasons remaining on the contract and, in the
NFL, that's hardly an inappropriate time to go to ownership and see what
their plans might be. Plus, given what Tony has meant to that franchise, we
just felt the timing was right, but they obviously didn't agree.
"The fact is, though, to just leave this hanging is not productive for
anyone. In fact, it's counterproductive, if anything. But we'll bide our
time because, frankly, that's all we can do, and see what they want to do at
the end of the year. I don't see Tony, though, being put in the position of
going into a season on a one-year contract."
Asked if he was suggesting a buyout of the final year of Dungy's deal,
Anderson quickly reiterated that the priority is an extension. But a buyout
that would put Dungy onto the open market, and set Anderson's phone ringing
off the hook, is a longshot possibility, it seems. There is some feeling in
the league that Dungy's message is now falling on deaf ears in the Tampa Bay
locker room, and that he might be best served with a fresh start in another
city, one where some of the inmates aren't attempting to run the asylum.
In his 5½ seasons with the team, Dungy is 51-43, and is the only coach in
the history of the franchise with a winning record. Set him free either
before next season or even after the 2002 campaign, when Oakland Raiders
coach Jon Gruden might also be a free agent, and it would engender a
coaching feeding frenzy unparalleled in NFL history.
Anderson, who recently merged his Atlanta-based agency with powerful
Octagon, also represents NFL head coaches Dennis Green (Minnesota), Brian
Billick (Baltimore) and Herm Edwards (New York Jets). Two more of his
clients, Ravens defensive coordinator Marvin Lewis and Stanford coach Tyrone
Willingham, will be head coaches in the NFL in the not-too-distant future.
The guy knows his stuff and, either in Tampa or elsewhere, will get Dungy a
contract that will ensure his long-term financial security.
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Side Lines
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THE LIST
Their two-point loss to Green Bay on Thanksgiving placed the Detroit Lions
in some rather dubious company. Since the NFL-AFL merger in 1970, just 12
other teams have started a season with 10 or more defeats:
0-14*: Tampa Bay (1976)
0-14: New Orleans (1980)
0-13: Indianapolis (1986)
0-12: Tampa Bay (1977)
0-11: San Diego (1975)
0-11: Buffalo (1984)
0-11: San Diego (2000)
0-10: Buffalo (1971)
0-10: Houston (1983)
0-10: Houston (1984)
0-10: Cincinnati (1993)
0-10: Indianapolis (1997)
* entire season
STAT OF THE WEEK
There are seven NFL players named Smith who have scored at least one
touchdown this season. Yet the most famous player with the league's most
common surname, Emmitt Smith, has reached the end zone zero times in 2001.
The second-leading rusher in NFL history had never gone more than six games
into a season without a touchdown before his current 10-game drought. Until
this year, that stretch at the beginning of the 1997 season also represented
the longest period Smith had ever gone scoreless. Here are the players named
Smith who have scored this year:
TDs: Smith, Team
9: WR Rod Smith, Broncos
6: RB Antowain Smith, Patriots
5: RB Lamar Smith, Dolphins
4: WR Jimmy Smith, Jaguars
3: RB Maurice Smith, Falcons
3: KR Steve Smith, Panthers
1: CB Otis Smith, Patriots
STAT OF THE WEAK
How far have the teams in the NFC East, which once captured seven of 10
Super Bowl championships, fallen this year? The five teams in the NFC East
own a 9-17 record (.346) record against clubs outside the division, the
worst mark in the league.
THE LAST WORD
Baltimore Ravens coach Brian Billick, one day after tight end Shannon Sharpe
all but fingered quarterback Elvis Grbac as the source of the team's
offensive problems after a Sunday loss to the Cleveland Browns:
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| Billick |
"You
probably would have to visit with Shannon about what his frustrations are.
But Elvis Grbac has no stronger supporter on this team than Shannon Sharpe.
I will personally guarantee you that. Certainly he's frustrated about the
turnovers, but no more than Elvis is frustrated with them. I'm frustrated
with them. But we all have a great deal of faith in Elvis."
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Around the league
One of Anderson's other head coach clients, Edwards, deserves plenty of
credit for the flexibility he has demonstrated with the Jets resurgent
defense. Edwards arrived in New York determined to implement the famous
"cover two" scheme he had helped to make so successful in Tampa Bay, as
Dungy's assistant head coach there. But about a month ago, it became
painfully apparent that the Jets simply didn't have the personnel to play
that scheme. The New York defense at that point rated as one of the most
porous against the run and was arguably the NFL's worst tackling unit.
But rather that stick with a scheme that was having
counterproductive results, Edwards and defensive coordinator Ted
Cottrell heed the suggestions of some veteran players. They switched to a
"cover three" paradigm that accomplished two things: First, it permitted the
corners to play more single-coverage, which they'd been begging to do. Aaron
Glenn responded particularly well, has been superb in the past month, and
has five interceptions, just one shy of his career high. Second, the new
scheme allowed Cottrell to commit his safeties, in particular strong safety
Victor Green, more often to the run. By moving Green into "the box" on most
early downs, the Jets have dramatically improved versus the run. We wrote
earlier this week about how Edwards' attempt at amateur psychology paid off
nicely in the improved play of second-year defensive end John Abraham, who
has 7½ sacks over the last four games. But credit him, too, for getting
cornerback Marcus Coleman's head back on straight and finding a new way to
use the six-year veteran. Edwards definitely read Coleman the riot act a few
weeks ago after the corner missed some Wednesday meetings because of late
flights from South Florida, where he recently bought a new home, and where
he goes almost every week on Monday and Tuesday. The message got through and
Coleman is playing markedly better. Edwards has also taken to assigning
Coleman, the prototype for the big corner ever team now covets, to the most
physical receiver on the opposition offense. Two weeks ago, the Jets
confounded the Chiefs by playing Coleman against Kansas City tight end Tony
Gonzalez. In last week's victory at Miami, the corner covered Dolphins
wideout Oronde Gadsden.
Still overshadowed a bit by the Jets' overall improvement has been the
quietly terrific season that weakside linebacker James Farrior is enjoying.
The five-year veteran, a first-round pick in the 1997 draft, leads the team
in tackles and is playing better against the pass than at any previous point
in his career. Word is that New York brass has made his retention a top
priority, and the team desperately wants to keep Farrior off the free agent
market, where he would draw plenty of interest next spring. The linebackers
who draw the most headlines in New York, middle 'backer Marvin Jones and Mo
Lewis on the strongside, haven't been nearly as good as their press
clippings, at least according to a couple offensive coordinators whose teams
lost to the Jets in the past few weeks. It will not be surprising, in fact,
if New York exposes Lewis and Jones on the allocation list for the new
Houston Texans expansion franchise. It's doubtful the Texans would take
either of the players. Lewis carries a 2002 cap charge of over $4 million
and Jones would be a hit of $3.66 million against next year's spending
limit.
Jilted quarterback Drew Bledsoe took his case to a higher authority on
Wednesday, as he met for a second time with New England owner Bob Kraft, a
man with a documented affinity for the veteran passer. But the Patriots
owner continues to defer to head coach Bill Belichick on the issue of a
starting quarterback, so Bledsoe came away with little satisfaction. Team sources contend the root of Bledsoe's anger is that he
perceived Belichick told him a week ago that he would have the opportunity
to compete in practice and perhaps regain his starting job. Whether that was
the message Belichick delivered or not, well, only a few people really know.
Most people to whom we spoke feel Belichick is correct in going with Tom
Brady for one more week, but agree that the youngster has offered diminished
returns his last couple starts, and that a move back to Bledsoe should not
have been ruled out. Part of Brady's problem of late is that league defenses
are catching up to him, especially since coordinator Charlie Weis seems to
have him on a very short leash, and doesn't let him throw upfield very
often. Brady is seeing more blitzes now and, while he was alleged to be much
quicker than Bledsoe, his lack of pocket awareness is leading to sacks in
bunches. In fact, his projected pace for an entire season is 44 sacks, one
shy of what Bledsoe suffered in 2000. Defenses are beginning to sit on the
short slants to wideout Troy Brown, know that David Patten in the lone deep
threat since Terry Glenn remains sidelined by a hamstring problem, and
realize that the Pats rarely throw to the tight end. Sources insist that the
Pats, by the way, will not put Bledsoe and his $103 million contract on the
expansion list.
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“ |
You would think that a guy who has
played quarterback his entire life would just invariably sense the rush. But this guy has absolutely
no feel. They talk about the quarterback having a little clock inside his
head, knowing when to get rid of the ball, right? Well, apparently Leaf
never sets his alarm. ” |
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— Anonymous NFC scout,
on Cowboys' QB Ryan Leaf |
Speaking of a lack of pocket awareness, scouts to whom we spoke shortly
after the Dallas loss to Denver on Thanksgiving, insist that nebulous
quality still remains by far the biggest shortcoming of quarterback Ryan
Leaf. Forget the fact he has slow feet and a tardy setup on some five-step
drops. He simply has no feel for the pass rush around him and where it is
coming from. Quarterbacks don't have to be quick, and there was no better
example than Dan Marino, who had an uncanny knack for avoiding sacks just by
sliding a foot or two to either side while under pressure. But the
strong-armed Leaf, who definitely impressed a few people with some of the
lasers he tossed Thursday afternoon, is a sitting duck. And since he has
zero feel for the pocket, he is susceptible to fumbles, because he rarely
feels the heat and protects the ball. "You would think that a guy who has
played quarterback his entire life would just invariably sense the rush,"
said one NFC East scout who watched the game. "But this guy has absolutely
no feel. They talk about the quarterback having a little clock inside his
head, knowing when to get rid of the ball, right? Well, apparently Leaf
never sets his alarm."
We don't even want to get into the matter of how Dallas coach Dave Campo
erred in not attempting a two-point conversion following a touchdown that
narrowed the Cowboys deficit in the fourth quarter to 10 points. Campo at
first signaled for the two-pointer, then changed his mind, then made a poor
attempt at explaining his rationale to a Dallas media mob that new he
butchered the sequence. Now comes the intriguing part. Owner Jerry Jones
again vowed publicly before the game, this time on national television, that
Campo will be back in 2002. Wonder if Jerry will now start carrying around
in his back pocket the little chart all coaches tote with them to remind
them when a two-point conversion is called for. Or wonder if he'll carry
around instead a short list of head coach candidates.
Rumors to the contrary, there was no post-game spat between Carolina owner
Jerry Richardson and embattled head coach George Seifert after last Sunday's
ninth straight loss by the Panthers. Neither man is satisfied by the way the
season has played out, but Richardson still admires Seifert and, for now at
least, would prefer he stay on. ESPN.com spoke with people who were with
both Richardson and Seifert after the game last week, and all deny there was
any kind of incident.
Texans general manager Charley Casserly, who has had plenty of time to
scout some of the players who will be on the expansion list and devise a
strategy for the Feb. 18 lottery, is telling some people he might select
just five or 10 players. The theory apparently is that the lists will be
stocked with underachieving but overpriced veterans the other teams are
hoping to clear from their salary caps. It's a good strategy, especially
since Casserly and head coach Dom Capers might be able to get some of the
same players at bargain prices if their teams release them, but there could
be one catch: If the league enacts a plan similar to what it did for
stocking the expansion Cleveland Browns franchise, Casserly might not be
able to get away with taking just 10 players. Particularly if he wants to
avoid some of the higher-priced ones. It appears the league will mandate the
Texans invest 38 percent of their salary cap, which could come to close to
$30 million, on veteran players available in the expansion draft. For the
Texans to reach that threshold, and only select 5-10 players, would mean
taking on the kind of used-up veterans the team wants to avoid.
Despite a Tuesday workout for 13 teams that earned decidedly mixed reviews,
former Stanford quarterback Chad Hutchinson has contract offers from at
least two teams, and he was mulling over proposals as this edition of the
"Tip Sheet" was filed. Hutchinson had some rust on Tuesday, but that is to
be expected for a quarterback who hasn't seriously thrown the ball since the
1997 college season. He did open some eyes when, at 6-feet-4½ and 236
pounds, he covered the 40-yard dash in under 4.8 seconds. ESPN.com learned
from sources close to Hutchinson, who has spent the past four seasons
pitching in the St. Louis Cardinals organization, that he will not attempt
to play both football and baseball. If he decides to cast his lot with an
NFL team, Hutchinson will either quit baseball or put it on the back burner
for now.
The Buffalo Bills have initiated discussions with Gene Burrough, the agent
for standout linebacker Sam Cowart, about a new deal. Cowart is on injured
reserve at present with an Achilles tear, and sidelined for the balance of
the year, but is eligible for unrestricted free agent next spring. The young
Bills, who are playing better than their record indicates at times, can ill
afford to lose Cowart. The linebacker, switched to the middle this year when
Buffalo went to a 4-3 scheme, is a tackling machine on the field and a
spiritual leader off it. His absence really has hurt the Bills, both from a
productivity and leadership basis. It appears Burrough is amenable to a deal
that would include a two-tiered signing bonus and also some protection for
the Bills if Cowart doesn't successfully rehabilitate from injury. It also
appears Cowart would prefer to remain in Buffalo if the contract numbers
simply approximate his asking price. Nothing is imminent, but the two sides
will keep talking and a deal is still possible before the end of the season.
Last week, we noted that the San Francisco 49ers would love
to land Chicago Bears center Olin Kreutz as an unrestricted free agent next
spring, and that the four-year veteran topped the team's wish list for the
offseason. We also pointed out that the 49ers want to keep incumbent center
Jeremy Newberry, and move him to either guard or tackle, and that their
salary cap situation might preclude pursuing Kreutz, who some feel is the
best young snapper in the league. What we overlooked is that Newberry will
also be eligible for free agency and that San Francisco will have to invest
some salary cap room to keep him around. For now, Kreutz doesn't appear to
be the highest priority on the list of pending Chicago free agents. The
Bears desperately want to retain cornerback R.W. McQuarters, and want to
sign strong safety Tony Parrish and linebackers Rosevelt Colvin and Warrick
Holdman to new deals. They also have to make a decision on Bryan Robinson,
their starting left defensive end who is playing this season on a
"transition" player one-year tender. As noted here last week, talks aimed at
an extension for starting quarterback Jim Miller have cooled in recent
weeks.
The bug has again bitten former St. Louis Rams head coach Rich Brooks, who
resigned as defensive coordinator of the Atlanta Falcons after the 2000
season, but is ready to get back on the sidelines after his one-year hiatus.
Brooks is exploring some college coaching vacancies, ESPN.com has confirmed,
and might have interest in the jobs at the University of California and San
Diego State. The problem at Berkeley is that Brooks is so well remembered
for his long and successful tenure at Oregon, and still so connected to that
school in the minds of many on the West Coast, it might be difficult for him
to return to the Pac 10. Brooks was a candidate for the Wake Forest position
a year ago but then abruptly withdrew his name from consideration. Brooks,
who did a solid job as the Atlanta coordinator, might also have some
interest in returning to the NFL, if the position and geography were right.
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| Williams |
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| Trotter |
We did a quick survey early this week and asked four personnel directors or
general managers to name the top five potential unrestricted free agents
next spring. The results of the spot poll: Philadelphia middle linebacker
Jeremiah Trotter, St. Louis wideout Az-Zahir Hakim, New York Giants free
safety Shaun Williams, Indianapolis offensive tackle Tarik Glenn, Pittsburgh
strongside linebacker Jason Gildon, Seattle running back Ricky Watters,
Chicago center Olin Kruetz, Baltimore cornerback Duane Starks and Steelers
inside linebacker Earl Holmes all garnered support.
Good move by agent Mike Sullivan of Octagon in holding firm to a one-year
deal for offensive lineman Calvin Collins when the Minnesota Vikings wanted
to sign him to a two-year pact last month. Released by the Falcons at the
end of camp, despite being a four-year starter, Collins has become an
important player for the Vikings. He has been a lot better than even
Minnesota coaches felt he would be, can play center or guard, and will get
some interest in the free agent market or by the expansion Texans now. By
not signing the two-year deal in Minnesota, he figures to do much better
financially now.
Plenty of people scratched their heads when, with their third and final
choice in the first round of this year's draft, the St. Louis Rams selected
defensive tackle Ryan Pickett. A big, and obviously soft, underclass
prospect, most teams had Pickett graded as no better than a third-round
choice. In fact, in the Rams "war room" while they were on the clock, there
was a fierce debate between Pickett and TCU defensive end Aaron Schobel.
Well, Pickett, indeed, was soft and out of shape in mini-camps and training
camp. In the first nine regular-season games, he played only four of them,
and collected eight tackles. But with fellow first-rounder Damione Lewis out
for the year now with an injury, and end Leonard Little sidelined for six
weeks, Pickett is going to see him play time dramatically increased. And the
Rams are going to find out if taking him -- a luxury pick for the future,
really -- was a good move in the present. "He's made decent strides," allowed
taskmaster defensive line coach Bill Kollar, "but he's still got to get his
butt in gear. We need him to play well. The redshirt year is over for him
and he's got to help us now."
|  | | Atlanta quarterback Chris Chandler has been much more effective away from the Georgia Dome. |
One can forgive Atlanta Falcons quarterback Chris Chandler if he looks
forward to Sunday's game at Carolina with some degree of glee. And, no, it
has nothing to do with the Panthers' abysmal 1-9 slate and franchise-record
nine-game losing skein. Chandler simply plays better on the road, a
safehaven of sorts from the jibes he regularly receives at the Georgia Dome,
where many in the usually small crowd regard as a pariah and cheer for him
to suffer an injury so they can see Michael Vick in action. Three weeks ago,
you might recall, his wife, Diane, was involved with a fracas in the stands
when members of another player's family were openly hoping for a Chandler
injury. The 14-year veteran has lost three of his four starts at the Georgia
Dome this season, his quarterback rating there is just 72.4, and his
interceptions outnumber his touchdown passes (6-5). His only home victory,
in fact, came against Carolina on Sept. 23. On the road, Chandler is 3-1 and
his efficiency mark is a gaudy 98.4, with seven touchdown passes and only
three interceptions. The 352 yards Chandler posted in last Sunday's upset
win at Green Bay marked the second most of his career and his 29 completions
were a personal best.
Personnel directors are beginning to get hot for UCLA linebacker Robert
Thomas, a finalist for the Butkus Award, but a defender whose size
frightened off some scouts until this season. Thomas is a shade under 6
feet, but scouts who weighed him recently were pleasantly surprised to see
he has bulked up from about 218 pounds to 230 pounds, and he is a monster
hitter. One scout reminded us earlier this week that Ray Lewis, while listed
at 6-feet-1, is actually about an inch shorter than that. "I'm not
suggesting Thomas is the second coming (of Lewis), but he's got the same
kind of explosiveness to the ball, and he is always in hitting position,"
said the talent evaluator for an NFC team. There is another Bruins
linebacker drawing some attention as well, in part because of his solid
bloodlines, in part because he has been a productive four-year starter. Ryan
Nece is the son of Hall of Fame safety Ronnie Lott, and he has demonstrated
improvement every season. He is currently rated a middle-round prospect in
the 2002 draft and some feel his best shot at making a roster is if Nece can
make the switch to safety. He certainly has the size, at 6-feet-2 and 224
pounds, to play strong safety.
It's no secret the Pittsburgh rushing attack attempts to wear down
opponents by using tailback Jerome Bettis as a human battering ram. But the
stiletto-quick defense also is demonstrating it can erode an opposition
defensive front with its speed. The Steelers, who lead the NFL in sacks,
have 12 quarterback kills the past two weeks, and all have been in the
second half of games. "For one thing, we use so many (blitzes) that people
can only prepare for so much," said weakside linebacker Joey Porter. "Sooner
or later, we pull one out of the bag, it surprises the line, and the
floodgates open. The other thing is, we are just so relentless, and keep
coming at you with quickness, you can't keep up." Pittsburgh goes into each
game with 15-20 different blitzes, coordinator Tim Lewis said, and that is
simply sensory overload for the opposition.
It's all but a given that Vinny Testaverde will be back with the Jets in
2002. For one thing, backup Chad Pennington has regressed in practices, some
sources tell us, plus a lot of the 30 incentive clauses in Testaverde's
contract will be triggered. Pennington is a gym rat, a guy who wants to be
good, and he has the mental makeup for the position. The Jets still feel he
has Peyton Manning-type study skills. But there is concern over his lack of
arm strength and no one is prepared at this point to turn over the future to
him.
Punts: You can make book on the fact the Pittsburgh Steelers running game
definitely will miss tight end Mark Bruener, who will miss the balance of
the season after having rotator cuff surgery this week. Bruener has never
caught more than 26 passes in a year, but is key to the Pittsburgh ground
game, and might be the NFL's best seal blocker on the corner among all tight
ends. ... Former first-round offensive tackle Matt Stinchcomb really
struggled last week starting in place of the injured Barry Sims. The odds
are that Sims will return Sunday against the Giants. The odds also are that
the Raiders will put Stinchcomb on the expansion list. Look for some team,
though, like perhaps Miami, to show some offseason trade interest in the
veteran blocker. ... Very quietly, Cincinnati kicker Neil Rackers again
held off a challenge from backup Jaret Holmes this week. On Wednesday, the
two had a field goal competition, and the Bengals will stay with the
inconsistent Rackers on placements for now. ... In case anyone didhn't
notice, Bucs quarterback Brad Johnson achieved the near impossible in last
week's loss to the Chicago Bears. He completed 40 passes and, amazingly,
none were for touchdowns. Keyshawn Johnson dropped a would-be touchdown
catch and now has 71 receptions but zero scores. ... For the first time
since the franchise was reincarnated in 1999, the Cleveland Browns are a
favorite this week. ... Giants quarterback Kerry Collins has 14 fumbles
this year, and that is seven shy of Tony Banks' single-season record. Eleven
of the fumbles have come in the last five games. ... Look for New Orleans
coach Jim Haslett and offensive coordinator Mike McCarthy to continue using
tailbacks Ricky Williams and Deuce McAllister in tandem for about a
half-dozen snaps per game.
Len Pasquarelli is a senior NFL writer for ESPN.com.
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