AFC East
Miami Dolphins: The running back situation has been an obvious offseason concern for the Dolphins. With negotiations falling through with Pittsburgh's RB Richard Huntley, Miami has turned to former Saint RB Lamar Smith to plug the dam as the teams' reserve back.
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Smith, 29, is expected to back up second-year man J.J. Johnson, the Dolphins' starter at the end of last season. Miami also signed former Buffalo Bills star Thurman Thomas last week. The additions give the Dolphins the depth new coach Dave Wannstedt sought at running back going into the offseason. A source close to the team says that the three other areas of offseason concentration are at the safety, tight end and fullback positions. The Dolphins are currently in heavy discussions with Tennessee safety Anthony Dorsett, and the team has hinted at making Dorsett their final move in free agency, which means that they would consider drafting a tight end and fullback with their earlier round draft choices.
New York Jets: As ridiculous as the Keyshawn Johnson trade rumors seem, do not be surprised to see a deal happen before the draft, trading Johnson either to a team like the Ravens to acquire the fifth pick of the draft, adding to the 16th and 18th overall picks that they already possess, or the team seems willing to make a "Ricky Williams type-deal," which would give the aging team an abundance of picks in this year's draft to bulk up on the defensive side of the ball. The bottom line is that the team is concerned about Johnson's steep contract demands. Johnson, with two years remaining on a contract that pays him a below-market $2.5 million-a-year, wants a new deal at more than $6 million annually. Bill Parcells, trying to preserve salary-cap room for the future, seemingly does not want to dish out that kind of money for a receiver.
AFC Central
Cleveland Browns: The Browns, with the first pick of the 2000 draft, are drawing the brunt of attention in the league with their decision making process on who to choose with the pick. The early thought was that the team would go with Florida State WR Peter Warrick, but as the draft nears the team seems to be leaning to one of the Penn State standouts on the defensive side of the ball, DE Courtney Brown or OLB LaVar Arrington. Warrick's recent trip to Cleveland left the Browns hesitant due to his attitude toward the process and choice to wear Army fatigues to public appearances. Sources close to the team say that Carmen Policy and Dwight Clark feel that they have seen all they need to see from Warrick and will spend the next couple of weeks evaluating Brown and Arrington's talents. This is evident by head coach Chris Palmer's decision to spend the date of March 16 at Penn State's workout day versus making the trip to Tallahassee to evaluate Warrick during his Florida State workout day.
Pittsburgh Steelers: Sources close to the team say that the Richard Huntley signing has Jerome Bettis more upset than it originally appeared. Bettis feels that Huntley's three-year, $4 million deal is a slap in the face and that it minimizes his value as the team's premier back.
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Also, matters in the front office have become a disrupting factor for the coaching staff and players. The departure of personnel director Tom Donahue has stirred up lots of controversy because of the teams' decision to go "out-of-house" by hiring ex-Lions director of pro personnel Kevin Colbert instead of giving college scouting director Max McCartney the chance to interview for the position. McCartney, a loyal staff member of the Steelers, took insult to the teams' decision to hire Colbert, which prompted McCartney to resign after nine years of employment with the Steelers.
AFC West
Denver Broncos: Broncos owner Pat Bowlen is taking steps to recapture the organization's championship identity of a year ago by cleaning up his locker room. The charismatic owner may have let the success of back-to-back Super Bowl titles go to his head, by straying from the team's "unwritten rule" of keeping individuals with suspect character off the team's roster. After purchasing the team in 1984, Bowlen carefully sculpted his product to embody an institution of leaders and model citizens, a concept that parlayed into constant title contention and eventual Super Bowl championships. Recent moves, such as the signing of troublesome cornerback Dale Carter, drafting challenging DE David Bowens and permitting safety Darrius Johnson to hang around long enough to collect multiple substance sanctions, are indicative of Bowlen and the Broncos front office straying from their formula for success. In effort to rectify the situation, Bowens, who was rumored to have amassed great debt through credit trouble, has been traded to the Packers. Johnson, who closed out the season as the team's starter at safety, was cut after more brushes with the law and another rumored substance suspension pending. The Broncos have also made an effort to restore order through free agency by acquiring the likes of safety Darryl Pounds and Lester Archambeau. The new faces bring with them to Denver quality play as well as solid character. The changes are also a reflection of the NFL's pressure on all its teams to address any possible personality conflicts, in light of the recent slew of negative national press linked to its players. A source close to Bowlen says that there are more changes to come, of which key players are rumored to be included.
Oakland Raiders: Wide receiver Tim Brown has re-signed with his club through next year with an option for 2001. However, he is miffed by his lack of contact with team owner Al Davis. The 13-year Oakland veteran has said that Davis and he haven't communicated outside of "hello" and "goodbye" in over a year and a half. Rumors of Davis administering the "silent treatment" to coach John Gruden also surfaced this past year, only to be dismissed by Gruden shortly after the regular season. The answer: Al Davis is a different type of individual. He won't allow locks on office doors; sauntering through the halls of his Alameda offices with no shoes on, he keeps both inconsistent and ungodly office hours, along with orchestrating an eventual break in communication with members of his staff and team. Al Davis' mystique is what the storied tradition of the Silver and Black were built upon, and he won't change his ways for anyone. Not even his all-time leading receiver.
NFC East
Arizona Cardinals: With quarterback Jake Plummer coming off a terribly disappointing season, the Cardinals are focusing on surrounding him with better talent. Offensive coordinator Marc Trestman is convinced that Plummer's struggles stemmed more from a poor supporting cast than his own deficiencies. Plummer is working out regularly with a group of NFL players that spend their offseasons in Arizona and his development as a thrower is apparent. While that news is encouraging to the coaching staff, Plummer's arm has never been the problem. Members of the Cardinal secondary, including corners Aeneas Williams and Corey Chavous, are doing their best to help the signal-caller with the mental part of his game. If Plummer grows more effective with his reads, it will be up to the front office to complete the team's rebound. It is almost a certainty the Cards will take Virginia running back Thomas Jones with the sixth overall pick and look for them to make a run on offensive linemen in the middle rounds.
Dallas Cowboys: This past week, the Dallas Cowboys picked up free agent defensive end Dimitrius Underwood. The unfortunate trials and tribulations of the young man, just a year removed from college, have been well publicized. However, they were not enough to scare off Cowboy owner Jerry Jones and recently anointed head coach Dave Campo. Dallas felt the need to take a chance on the former first-round draft pick, feeling they have what it takes as an organization to turn things around for Underwood personally. The Cowboys' acquisition of Underwood is another example of NFL egos putting too much faith in their ability to foster a troubled soul back to life. It happened first with Underwood in Minnesota last season, when Dennis Green ignored warnings from the Michigan State coaching staff of Underwood's character flaws, selecting him 29th overall. The result: Underwood left Viking training camp under the cover of night, with a significant portion of his signing bonus and an irrepressible call to become a preacher. Green and the Vikings were still reeling from the success of the chance they took on Randy Moss a year earlier, feeling a challenge like Underwood would be no problem. Next it was Jimmy Johnson and the Miami Dolphins. Lured by Underwood's athletic prowess and Johnson's own belief that he had what it would take to set the Vikings' preseason dropout straight, Miami opened its doors to the defensive end prior to the season's start. Jimmy Johnson had experience getting troublesome players in line, but it wasn't enough to save Underwood. Just weeks after reporting to Dolphin camp, Underwood was found threatening his own life in broad daylight on the steps of an East Lansing building, brandishing a sharp object. The Dolphins subsequently released him. So now it's Jones and the Cowboys who are convinced they have the ability to get Underwood on track. History, along with Johnson and Green, would probably say that doesn't appear too likely.
Philadelphia Eagles: The Eagles have yet to fall in love with any particular player at the No. 6 spot in this year's draft. Andy Reid feels that the team has so many needs across the board, so holding onto the sixth pick will mean that Philadelphia is opting for the best available player. The Eagles need help at wide receiver, but as Plaxico Buress' stock has dropped so has the organizations interest in their pick.
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This could lead to a possible deal that would have the Eagles trading down for a mid to late first-round pick. The thinking there is the draft is deep at wide receiver, and a formidable selection will still be hanging around at pick 19 or 20. However, the loss of defensive tackle Steve Martin to the Chiefs may force the Eagles to snatch up Florida State's Corey Simon at six, a player that has drawn some interest from the club. A problem with that scenario is the Eagles hold Simon's spotty shoulder strength in question, because the defensive tackle has had problems with it since high school. However, Philadelphia was weak up the middle before they lost Martin, and now the need for help may be too severe to be ignored.
NFC Central
Detroit Lions: Despite the free agent signing of James Stewart, Detroit coaches are still very open to taking a running back in the first round. If Wisconsin's Ron Dayne drops to them at No. 20, members of the Lions' staff will lobby hard with Bobby Ross to take him. Selecting a back in either the first or second round would be a smart move but they should pursue an option other than Dayne. Considering the number of carries he logged in college, the consensus among personnel people is that Dayne will have a very limited number of effective years in the league. Aside from Pittsburgh's Jerome Bettis, there have been very few big backs that have held up over the long haul. Recent word from the Silverdome has the Lions concentrating more on the problems along their offensive line. Going in that direction makes more sense because there will be plenty of quality running back choices in Round 2.
Minnesota Vikings: All the attention in Minnesota this offseason has centered on the quarterback position but the real problems next season could come up front. The losses of Pro Bowlers Jeff Christy and Randall McDaniel present special challenges for position coach Mike Tice. The Vikings plan on starting youngster Matt Birk at center and journeyman Corbin Lacina at left guard but both are big downgrades for this unit. The key to Minnesota's ground game the past few years has been Christy's rare ability to pull and reach linebackers and the staff isn't sure Birk has the same type of movement and change of direction. If the two replacements don't pan out as the coaching staff plans, the Vikings could wind up at the bottom of the division standings next season.
NFC West
New Orleans Saints: The team's recent activity in free agency should serve as an encouraging sign to all involved with this organization. Although they haven't landed any prizes, the subtle additions of tight end Andrew Glover and wide receivers Joe Horn and Jake Reed will allow the Saints to utilize more formation variation next season. With Horn, Reed, Keith Poole, and Andre Hastings all under contract for more than $1.5 million per season, New Orleans will be forced to make a cut at this position. Due to his age, Hastings appears to be the likely purge but new quarterback Jeff Blake should have plenty of weapons on the perimeter. If Ricky Williams can avoid injury in his sophomore season, this should be the most balanced offense Saints fans have seen in the past decade.
