ESPN Len Pasquarelli: Tipsheet 12-5

[bubba9497]

By Len Pasquarelli

ESPN.com

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/columns/story?columnist=pasquarelli_len&id=1678883

Despite a series of off-field shenanigans during his Ohio State career, cornerback Derek Ross was still selected in the third round in 2002 by the Dallas Cowboys. Not nearly as lofty a lottery perch as his talents merited, but hardly a spot commensurate with the dregs of the draft, either, right?

Earlier this week, after Ross was summarily jettisoned by Bill Parcells for skipping a mandatory team run last Friday and electing not to attend a Monday hospital visit that is part of the Cowboys' community involvement program, Ross was nonetheless claimed by 10 teams on the waiver wire. Last month when the Cleveland Browns dumped leading wide receiver Kevin Johnson and suggested no one should ever measure him for a choir boy's robe, a whopping 17 franchises submitted waiver claims on the five-year veteran.

When suspended defensive tackle Darrell Russell was reinstated by the NFL, following a banishment of 1½ seasons, teams couldn't jump to the phone fast enough to try to secure the services of the former Oakland Raiders standout. Before he signed with Washington, at least four other teams made sales pitches, some of them surreptitiously.

The common denominator in these three cases is that, while character indeed counts in the league, it still ranks second to physical abilities. And the moral is that, if a player is still productive, there will usually be a place for him in the league.

Teams conduct background checks on players and the hope is that every prospect owns a pristine track record. We're referring more than off-field elements -- items like practice habits, responsibility, accountability and maturity level. It's not reality, and hardly a real-world expectation, to believe there aren't some players with warts.

Most teams seem to feel they can find a cure for the acne.

"There is always a coach who feels he's going to be the guy who can handle a (problem player), no matter what the guy has done in the past, no matter how big a distraction he has been," said one NFC personnel director. "A lot of coaches feel they've got a degree in social work or something, you know, that they can create a better environment for a guy who has been a pain in the butt somewhere else."

That's why the coming offseason -- it's actually less than three months now until the 2004 free agency period commences -- figures to be an intriguing one in terms of weighing the physical skills of some available veterans against perceptions about their backgrounds.

Wide receiver Keyshawn Johnson, of course, probably won't have to wait until the beginning of free agent signings in March. The erstwhile pass-catching star figures to be released by the Tampa Bay Bucs shortly after the season concludes. He will then be free to sign with a team of his choice. Interested franchises will have to decide if a high-profile player whose contract aspirations outdistance his waning skill level will ever be satisfied as the No. 2 wide receiver. Then again, with something to prove to the critics, Johnson might be a highly motivated player in 2004.

There will be, most definitely, a caveat emptor type of disclaimer surrounding some potential free agents who have surrounded themselves in notoriety throughout their careers. But to assume there won't be a market for guys like Russell, Tampa Bay defensive tackle Warren Sapp, Baltimore cornerback Chris McAlister, Oakland corner Charles Woodson and Green Bay defensive tackle Grady Jackson is flat-out naïve.

The magnifying glass might be a little bigger in some cases, the pool of interested teams perhaps reduced a bit, but all will draw interest. How much interest, and how high clubs are willing to bid on players perceived as owning a degree of dysfunction, remains to be seen. Suffice it to say that personnel directors will be working overtime this spring to try to appraise a player's demeanor, in addition to his skill level, and character will be one of the primary determinants in where certain veterans find employment.

SIDE LINES

Under commissioner Paul Tagliabue, the league security folks have done a superior job of identifying risky draft prospects and disseminating that information to teams. In recent seasons, individual franchises have ramped up their own security staffs and reached out to more sources for background information on players. In the case of veteran players, there is the advantage of having a track record to scrutinize, information both public and private, gleaned with increasing methodologies.

As the past several weeks have confirmed, however, decisions are still made on what a player can do on the field, as opposed to concerns about what he might do off it. The coming offseason figures to feature an unusually high number of such decisions.

Around the league

If the Cincinnati Bengals continue to play well, and quarterback Jon Kitna keeps performing like a guy who deserves some most valuable player consideration, the team might want to send some symbol of appreciation to John Eldredge. So who is he? Eldredge is the author of "Wild at Heart: Discovering the Secret of a Man's Soul." The book suggests that Christian men have perhaps become too staid, too regimented in their lives, too safe. Eldredge writes that Christ wants men to be risk-takers, to take control of their lives, to break free of boredom. A devout Christian, who often wears his beliefs on his sleeve, Kitna read the book when the Bengals were floundering at 0-3, and it struck a chord with him. The Bengals quarterback applied the book's philosophies not only to his personal life but also to his approach on the field. The result: Kitna is clearly a far more aggressive quarterback, much more decisive now, attacking defenses like never before in his career. He has 18 touchdown passes and just one interception in the team's seven wins and is playing at a superior level. Playing with what he termed "reckless abandon," Kitna is now more concerned with winning than with not failing. The book, he acknowledges, has fostered an epiphany in him. "I was always trying to prove that it wasn't my fault, that I wasn't the reason we'd lose," Kitna said. "But sometimes when you play quarterback, you are the reason for your team's losses. I didn't realize it, but I was playing in a dark tunnel. Now it's like a light has gone on for me."

The decision by embattled San Diego coach Marty Schottenheimer to keep Doug Flutie in the starting lineup does not bode well for the future of Drew Brees with the Chargers. With a 2-10 record, tied for the worst mark in the league, the Chargers having nothing for which to play, save for pride. So why not, given that Flutie is now 1-3 as the starter, put Brees back in the lineup? The likely answer: The organization no longer feels the third-year veteran is the long-term answer at the quarterback spot. "It's an amazingly quick fall, not just from the standpoint of not playing (Brees), but in not believing in him," said one San Diego veteran. "A year ago, this looked to be his team, and now it's like he's barely a part of the team." The buzz surrounding the possibility the Chargers would select Eli Manning of Mississippi in the draft has certainly increased. Some suggest the Chargers still feel too burned by the Ryan Leaf debacle to take another quarterback so high in the draft. But the Manning name alone seems enough to ensure stability, and it's ridiculous to compare the latest member of the NFL's most prolific quarterback family tree to a dysfunctional guy like Leaf. One guy who could be smack in the middle of the Chargers situation at the end of the season is agent Tom Condon of IMG Football. He represents Schottenheimer and Brees and figures to be the agent for Manning, as well.

One of the marquee games in a weekend chock-full of terrific matchups pits the Miami Dolphins against the New England Patriots. A major campaign will be waged between the Miami defensive line and the Patriots blocking unit. The New England line has done a solid job protecting quarterback Tom Brady but will have its hands full with Miami's tandem of edge-rushing ends, Jason Taylor and Adewale Ogunleye. After a slow start, Taylor has revved things up recently and now has 6½ sacks. But it's Ogunleye, a fourth-year veteran originally signed as an undrafted free agent in 2000, who is quietly tied for the NFL lead in sacks, with a dozen. There have been a lot of suggestions that Ogunleye, whose parents emigrated here from Nigeria before he was born, benefits from all the double-teams Taylor typically draws. But on tape, Ogunleye seems to be commanding some double-team attention himself, and he is quick enough to beat opposition blocking schemes. Over the past 28 games, Ogunleye has 21½ sacks, fifth-most in the NFL in that period. The Dolphins are getting him for the bargain-basement price of just $375,000, the minimum base salary for a player of his tenure. Fortunately for him, agent Drew Rosenhaus refused to accept just the standard minimum deal and negotiated an incentives package that could net Ogunleye, realistically, about $200,000 in additional compensation. Miami will have to raise the ante to keep Ogunleye at season's end, even though he will just be a restricted free agent. At best, the Dolphins can scare off other suitors by making Ogunleye a high-qualifying offer. But that is just a short-term solution, since Ogunleye could sign the one-year deal, then depart after the 2004 campaign. The wisest course of action would be to sign him to a long-term contract. At age 26, and emerging as a viable double-digit sack guy for the rest of his career, Ogunleye is on a lot of teams' free-agent wish lists if the Dolphins don't secure him for the long-term future.

No one is ever going to publicly accuse two-time Pro Bowl performer John Abraham of being delinquent in his rehabilitation from a lingering groin injury, an ailment that could keep the New York Jets defensive end off the field for two more weeks, and perhaps for the remainder of the season. But there are some in the Jets community who are beginning to wonder if Abraham can stay healthy for an entire season. Counting this weekend's game, he will have been sidelined for 16 contests in four years, a full season's worth of appearances. That is significant to the Jets because, at some point in the next year, they face a decision on Abraham's future. The former first-rounder will be entering the final year of his contract in 2004 and, common sense suggests, neither side wants the season to start with Abraham in lame-duck limbo. But the Jets also will have to address contracts for quarterback Chad Pennington and defensive end Shaun Ellis, who will also enter '04 in the final year of their original deals. The Jets might not be able to afford all three. Ellis has emerged as a dependable player, one who has never missed a game in four seasons, and as a productive pass rusher. He has 15½ sacks since the start of the 2002 campaign, with 11½ quarterback kills this season, and has developed a solid repertoire of moves. He has learned to deal with rushing from the strong side, handling "chip" blocking from the tight ends and fullbacks, and mastered some nifty counter techniques. Ask personnel guys in the league about Ellis and Abraham and they are split, generally because of concerns about the latter's ability to stay healthy. It would not be out of the question, given that the Jets will enact a wholesale overhaul of their defense in the offseason, to see Abraham move to linebacker, a position he played in college.

Intriguing story by The Newark Star-Ledger this week concerning a so-called "escape clause" in the contract of Jets coach Herm Edwards. It would be doubly compelling if the story were completely accurate because, from what league people tell us, teams would absolutely be beating down Edwards' door if he were on the coaching free-agent market. We're usually critical of the pundits who try too hard sometimes to connect the dots when it comes to linking coaches to teams with vacancies. But we will delve into the world of dot-connecting, albeit temporarily, on the Edwards front. Had he an escape clause, and he doesn't, Edwards would be a very hot commodity in Atlanta, assuming Dan Reeves is relieved of his duties at season's end. Owner Arthur Blank is a member of the league's workplace diversity committee. Vice president Ray Anderson, who once served as Edwards' agent and negotiated his contract with the Jets, is on the diversity working group, essentially a subcommittee. There have been rumblings that Blank will seek out minority candidates for the Falcons job, not because of the interest it would engender in a city whose population is majority black, but more because he has always been a man of inclusiveness and social conscience. And it is rumored that Blank was greatly impressed with Edwards when the Jets coach recently addressed owners. And there is this: Unless we're way off, Tampa Bay general manager Rich McKay will move to the Falcons in the same capacity this spring, and Edwards was once the assistant head coach of the Bucs. Lots of dot-connecting there, for sure, right? Except that Edwards does not have the option to void the final two years of his contract, only the right to re-open talks on the deal, to seek a raise and increased tenure. He is under contract through the '05 season and, unless a lot of people we trust are lying to us, likely to remain with the Jets for at least that long.

Speaking of coaches staying put, don't bet on Nick Saban departing LSU yet, even if he is courted by several NFL franchises, as is anticipated. As noted in this space last week, two of the teams that figure to have Saban on their shorts lists, the New York Giants and Chicago Bears, are conservative organizations that might not see fit to offer the level of compensation the LSU coach desires. Sources close to Saban told ESPN.com this week that the coach has a new and upgraded contract offer from LSU officials on his desk already. The two sides have been discussing a new deal since around October. Saban has a tremendous team that still might worm its way into the national championship game this season. He is assembling another superb recruiting class. His offensive coordinator, Jimbo Fisher, last week turned down the chance to interview for the Mississippi State head coaching post that then went to Sylvester Croom. In short, things are pretty good down in Baton Rouge, and it's going to take a whopper of a deal financially (or an NCAA posse) for an NFL franchise to get Saban to leave.

In a candid moment this week, Bears coach Dick Jauron allowed that he likely needs to win all four remaining games to keep his job for 2004. That might, indeed, be the case. Some team officials, after all, already have begun an internal evaluation process of Jauron and his staff. But the young Bears, as pointed out in "The Morning After" earlier this week, have played hard for Jauron the last month or so. And rumblings continue that chairman of the board Mike McCaskey, nudged to the background about four years ago, has regained some of his lost sway. It has been suggested in some league circles that McCaskey is seeking counsel from former high-profile officials who are essentially retired (the names of Bill Walsh and Ron Wolf have been mentioned) and that, even with general manager Jerry Angelo onboard, might attempt to hire a consultant in the offseason to add another view to the mix. That paradigm has worked in Atlanta, albeit with mixed results, where Bobby Beathard serves as a sounding board for Arthur Blank. At any rate, don't write off Jauron completely yet because his fate might well hinge on the internal dynamics of the Bears front office.

Look for Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator George O'Leary, the former coach at Georgia Tech and Notre Dame (well, for a week, at least) to move on to a head coach job at the college level. O'Leary heads the wish list at Central Florida, where Mike Kruczek was recently dismissed, and there have been contract talks there. The school also has spoken with other candidates, like South Carolina assistant Skip Holtz, but O'Leary is the guy most coveted. Central Florida athletic director Steve Orsini knows O'Leary from when they worked together at Georgia Tech. But there could be one other job O'Leary chases, at Syracuse, where Paul Pasqualoni could be dumped as early as Sunday. There is considerable interest at Syracuse in current University of Connecticut head coach Randy Edsall, a former Jacksonville Jaguars assistant under Tom Coughlin, as well.

Philadelphia Eagles backup A.J. Feeley strongly denied an item that appeared Monday in "The Morning After," in which a source suggested the third-year veteran was miffed at his current status and wants out. According to a team spokesman, passing on sentiments from Feeley, nothing could be further from the truth. You've got to wonder, though, as you watch some of the quarterbacks in the league, why no teams made a big play to try to trade for Feeley in the offseason.

Two big reasons for the steady improvement of the Jacksonville Jaguars defense over the past month: Tackles Marcus Stroud and John Henderson, the club's first-round picks in the 2001 and 2002 drafts, respectively. The youngsters haven't gotten much national recognition, but they are playing like the dominating interior performers scouts felt they could become. Over the past four games, which corresponds to the improvement of the Jacksonville defense, the tandem has combined for 24 tackles and three sacks. Those might not sound like impressive numbers, but they are excellent statistics for the tackle position. The play of Stroud and Henderson has gone beyond sheer statistics. The two are collapsing blockers inside, compressing the pocket on occasion and still keeping blockers off the Jaguars linebackers. Rookie coach Jack Del Rio, a guy of whom we have been critical in the past, has his young team playing really hard. And right now, few are playing harder than the two defensive tackles, who finally got their motors revving.

Back in 2001, when the Tennessee staff discerned that tailback Eddie George might be starting to fade a bit, it made quarterback Steve McNair the new focus of the offense. And three years later, the move has paid off handsomely, with McNair now regarded as the favorite to capture the MVP award. The handling of McNair should be a manual for how to develop a quarterback. The team, then in Houston, drafted him in the first round but sat him behind veteran Chris Chandler for two seasons. And even though Chandler wasn't one to tutor McNair, always viewing him as a threat to his status, the youngster did benefit from having a sideline perch for two seasons. Then, when McNair became the starter, he was insulated in a low-risk offense, mostly handing the ball to George or throwing high-percentage passes to tight end Frank Wycheck. But when the Titans opened the throttle, and went more vertical with the offense, McNair was ready for the change. In his first four seasons as the starter, McNair averaged just 14 touchdown passes. The past three years, he has been over 20 and is on pace for a career-best 27 this season. He is averaging a career-high 12.9 yards per completion, and his wide receivers are averaging a heady 15.4 yards per catch. All of which could make coordinator Mike Heimerdinger a candidate for one of several head coaching vacancies next month.

Look for ultra-competitive Washington quarterback Patrick Ramsey to reluctantly shut things down for the rest of the season. Ramsey hasn't realized much improvement at all in the foot injury that has hampered him for weeks. His preference is to tough it out and try to play the last few games. Team officials are leaning toward surgery, so that he could get a jump on the two-month rehabilitation process and be ready for the beginning of offseason organized workouts. The Redskins also have begun to consider whatever staffing changes they will recommend to head coach Steve Spurrier who, despite all the rumors, almost certainly will return in 2004. There could be changes at the defensive coordinator spot, offensive line coach, and perhaps on the defensive line and at the wide receiver assistant's spot. Some offensive linemen, most notably tackle Jon Jansen and guard Randy Thomas, complained to Spurrier on the sideline last weekend about the lack of running plays he was calling. Especially in the second half, despite being productive in the running game in the first two quarters, Spurrier reverted to his ol' Fun-'N'-Gun style.

It's ancient history nearly everywhere else but, in Atlanta, it's flat-out one of the more embarrassing moves in the largely-miserable Falcons lineage. But this week, at least, former Falcons owner Taylor Smith set the record straight on who initiated the often-debated trade that shipped quarterback Brett Favre to Green Bay in 1992. "It was Jerry," Smith acknowledged, referring to then-Atlanta coach Jerry Glanville. For several years, Glanville has attempted to write revisionist history, contending it was then-personnel director Ken Herock who made the deal. It took more than a decade, but Herock (and a certain beat writer who covered the team at the time and also outed Glanville as the knuckleheaded culprit of the lopsided trade) are finally vindicated. The bottom line was that Glanville felt Favre was too immature, and, uh, partied a bit too heartily, to ever amount to much in the league. Bet the house Favre won't have Glanville deliver his induction speech when he goes into the Hall of Fame. Herock, in fact, was a huge Favre supporter. In one of the few times he actually went against the recommendations of his coaching staff, Herock chose Favre in the second round of the '91 draft, ignoring the desires of Glanville to take another quarterback, Browning Nagle.

Hard to believe but, according to the Sports Business Journal, the league actually showed a loss of $19.4 million on its most recent tax return. Much of that is due to debt incurred because of the league's G-3 program, which funds stadium financing, and to credit programs. The loss is reflective only of the NFL's not-for-profit businesses, and not for lucrative money-makers like merchandising and sponsorships. The return indicates that commissioner Paul Tagliabue earned $11.6 million for the reporting period, which is a combination of base salary ($6.2 million), deferred compensation and other employee benefits. Tagliabue reportedly still owes the league $2.5 million on a $5 million loan he borrowed from the NFL in 1998.

Punts: Atlanta defensive tackle Ellis Johnson, who leads all interior linemen in sacks, might have a change of heart about his future. Johnson earlier said he would retire after the '03 season but is now considering perhaps buying some land in the Atlanta area and playing out his contract there. Johnson owns a farm in Indianapolis, where his family resides full time, and he flies his private plane back and forth weekly to visit. His wife has recently been scouting properties in suburban Atlanta and the team would love to have him back in 2004. … Dolphins tailback Ricky Williams is on pace for over 400 carries this season, a level reached by just two players in history. … Arizona has lost 11 straight road games and the average margin in those contests was 23 points. … Seattle coaches are excited about the improved play of graybeard defensive tackle John Randle. … League sources concede that the eligibility of status of University of Pittsburgh wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald for possible entry in the 2004 draft is far more clouded than that of Ohio State tailback Maurice Clarett. Because he attended a prep school to conclude his high school career, Fitzgerald might find a loophole into the '04 lottery. In fact, sources say he has a much better shot at being included than does Clarett.

On-Line

Despite his typically speedy recovery, Tennessee quarterback Steve McNair still isn't back to 100 percent yet from the calf injury he suffered two weeks ago. The Titans offensive line will have to be especially diligent in its protection of him Sunday in the divisional showdown with the Indianapolis Colts. As usual, the key protector is left offensive tackle Brad Hopkins, one of the premier pass-blockers in the league over the past decade but a player whose performance has slipped a bit the last two seasons. He will draw Dwight Freeney in most passing situations Sunday and the Colts second-year right end has enjoyed some success in these matchups. In three games against the Titans and Hopkins, he has three sacks and 13 tackles. Freeney, who had 13 sacks a year ago, has 10 in 2003. Like most pure edge rushers, he tends to get sacks in bunches, and the Titans can't afford to let his big motor get cranked up on Sunday afternoon.

The List

The Bengals are the only team in the league in 2003 with a three-game road trip. If Cincinnati can defeat the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday afternoon to complete the three-peat and get a leg up on the AFC North championship, as well, it will join a fairly elite group. Since the NFL adopted the 16-game schedule in 1978, there have been 155 instances in which clubs played three consecutive road games. Twenty-nine of the teams went 0-3 and only 10 teams won all three contests. A list of the winners:

Team Year

Jaguars 2001

Packers 1997

Giants 1994

Bears 1993

Eagles 1991

49ers 1989

Chargers 1987

Saints 1987

Jets 1981

Eagles 1980

Stat of the Week

Michael Vick played one full quarter and a smidgeon of another period last week, as he returned from the broken fibula he suffered in preseason. The Atlanta Falcons star had 16 rushing yards on three carries. That's more rushing yards than three quarterbacks who have started every game in 2003 have gained all season: Tommy Maddox of Pittsburgh (10 yards), Brett Favre (10) and Peyton Manning (minus-1).

Stat of the Weak

Cincinnati has lost 39 straight road games to opponents with winning records and now the Bengals get another opportunity to snap that dubious streak against the Ravens. The last time the Bengals were victorious on the road against a franchise with a winning mark was more than 13 years ago. On Dec. 2, 1990, the Bengals defeated Pittsburgh, 16-12, at Three Rivers Stadium.

The Last Word

Gruden

Tampa Bay coach Jon Gruden on the plight of his defending Super Bowl champions who, at 5-7, have faded from playoff contention: "I realize that the buzzards are flying around here and there's funeral arrangements that are being made. I won't tolerate that."

[bulldog]

you look at a team that is 4-8 and can see scenarios where it could be on its way up the mountain or stuck in place.

If Spurrier returns but the team has a new DC, OL coach, special teams coach and wide receivers coach in addition to a new DL and DB's, doesn't that constitute yet ANOTHER campaign with ANOTHER group of newbies that are going to take time to gel and work well together?

Haven't we been down that road every year since 1999? :mad:

the one thing I don't want to hear after we lose the opener in 2004 is that it was expected because our new assistant coaches and players are still 'feeling each other out'.........

Am I the only one frustrated by all this change?

[Hitman56]

I'm frustrated too. That's why I want to build through the draft and have these guys stick around for a while.

[skinsanity56]

But the Jets also will have to address contracts for quarterback Chad Pennington and defensive end Shaun Ellis, who will also enter '04 in the final year of their original deals. The Jets might not be able to afford all three. Ellis has emerged as a dependable player, one who has never missed a game in four seasons, and as a productive pass rusher. He has 15½ sacks since the start of the 2002 campaign, with 11½ quarterback kills this season, and has developed a solid repertoire of moves. He has learned to deal with rushing from the strong side, handling "chip" blocking from the tight ends and fullbacks, and mastered some nifty counter techniques. Ask personnel guys in the league about Ellis and Abraham and they are split, generally because of concerns about the latter's ability to stay healthy. It would not be out of the question, given that the Jets will enact a wholesale overhaul of their defense in the offseason, to see Abraham move to linebacker, a position he played in college.

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giggle--giggle

seriously though..is he more injury prone than kearse..??i'd be happy with either one at RDE...