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It has been more than two years since Jimmy Johnson last graced an NFL sideline, but the impact of the former Cowboys and Dolphins coach -- and his philosophy about defense and playmakers on that side of the ball -- continues to have quite an effect on the game.
Ask any unemployed linebacker, in fact, about Johnson and their response is likely to be one unprintable even in an Internet column.
|  | | Dallas' Dexter Coakley is one of the few veteran linebackers to find work. |
Johnson believed in spending his money on front-four players and cornerbacks, then filling in with a linebacker corps of predominantly modestly skilled players. His rationale was that the guys who knocked down quarterbacks and batted down passes were critical to a successful defense. It was a tenet that became deep-rooted in Dallas, even after Johnson's departure, and not until the club re-signed free agent Dexter Coakley this spring did a Cowboys linebacker ever get a deal worth more than $1 million a year.
But the Johnson mindset has extended now beyond just the Lone Star State and even a cursory glance at the remnant players in a glutted free agent market indicates that linebackers are not as big a priority league-wide as they once were. Supply outdistances demand at most positions now in free agency but nowhere, except maybe for kickers, is the surplus greater than at linebacker.
And nowhere is the frustration more intense for players and agents.
"It's hard to get people to even return your calls," said Ralph Vitolo, who represents unemployed nine-year veteran George Koonce. "There are a lot of guys out of work in general. But there are a ton of linebackers looking for jobs and time is running out."
Among the fairly recognizable names still attempting to latch on to a contract before the end of the month are Chris Slade (Patriots), Bryan Cox (Jets), Dwayne Gordon (Jets), Roman Phifer (Jets), Terry Killens (Titans), Brian Williams (Packers), Barry Minter (Bears), Ken Norton (49ers) and John Holecek (Bills).
Holecek, released by the Bills last week, almost certainly will find work. The Jets, Chargers and Colts all have indicated interested. The best bet is that he ends up in New York, where former Bills defensive coordinator Ted Cottrell is assistant head coach.
Minter was rumored to be headed to Miami to be reunited with former Bears head coach Dave Wannstedt, but that never materialized. Cox figured to sign with New England and Bill Belichick, but that hasn't happened, either. New Orleans, which had some interest in Cox, opted instead to go with the younger Deshone Myles. Killens could end up in San Francisco, which sorely needs a versatile veteran who can also play special teams. Phifer is still recovering from arthroscopic knee surgery in the offseason and missed a chance for a couple of auditions.
Of the group, the most attractive linebacker might be Slade, the second-leading sacker in Patriots history with 51 in eight seasons. It's somewhat puzzling Slade hasn't signed anywhere. At age 30, he seems resigned to playing as a backup in the league now, but no one has formally offered him a deal yet.
Atlanta, Pittsburgh and Carolina all have called and asked agent Brad Blank not to complete a deal elsewhere without at least making a courtesy call to them. But just as Slade is running out of time, Blank is trying not to run out of patience.
"I'm starting to think now," he said, "that Chris will eventually sign with a team that hasn't even called us yet. Teams will get into camp and one of two things will happen: A linebacker will get hurt or some young player upon whom a team was counting on just won't be as good as everyone thought he was. And then the phone will ring."
Until it does, though, blame the silence on Jimmy Johnson.
Around the league
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| Spikes |
Cincinnati Bengals linebacker Takeo Spikes, arguably one of the league's best unknown players at his position, was one of the leaders in assuring a high rate of attendance at the Bengals' offseason conditioning programs. The three-year veteran has grown into a vocal team leader and was often outspoken about the need to build chemistry. But in a cruel and poignant twist of fate, it's likely Spikes will not be on hand for the club's first training camp practice Saturday morning. Although the team has yet to announce it, Spikes informed coach Dick LeBeau on Thursday that he likely will be a day late in arriving. Spikes' father is battling a malignant brain tumor and Spikes is still arranging treatment for him.
No one knows yet if the New England Patriots have a viable starting tailback. What everyone does know, including New England management, is that the Pats have a glut of candidates at the position, which helps explain why the team has been dangling two-year veteran Kevin Faulk around the league in an attempt to generate some trade interest. A second-round choice in 1999, Faulk has started just 11 games and averaged only 3.5 yards per carry in two seasons. It could be that the former LSU star is best suited to situational duty, as a third-down back and perhaps a punt returner. The Patriots have spoken to the Titans, who sought an experienced No. 2 back behind Eddie George, but nothing was accomplished. Titans general manager Floyd Reese signed former Buffalo part-time starter Jonathan Linton on Friday. Turning the job over to second-year pro Mike Green, the leading rusher in NFL Europe this spring but a guy who didn't log a single carry in 2000, was a possibility, but the Titans wanted someone with more playing time. As for the Patriots, it appears that J.R. Redmond will go to camp as the top tailback. However, he could be challenged by former Buffalo starter Antowain Smith.
What once was considered a revolutionary procedure for dealing with some knee injuries, "microfracture" surgery could become the bane of any gimpy player who is considering the controversial operation. It now appears that Carolina Panthers wide receiver Patrick Jeffers, who quietly had the "microfracture" surgery last September, could need another procedure. If that is the case, he will join defensive linemen Eric Swann, Andre Wadsworth and Chuck Smith among players who were not rendered 100 percent by the operation. Swann has retired. Wadsworth won't be ready to play until the second half of the season, if then. Smith is refusing to retire and that will probably force the Panthers to release him within the coming week.
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| Johnson |
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| Verba |
The offensive line unit that runs on the field for the first snap of Cleveland Browns training camp almost certainly won't be the one that opens the regular season. At least coach Butch Davis hopes it isn't. Neither of the Browns' new rightside blockers, tackle Ross Verba or guard Tre Johnson, will participate in the early camp practices. Verba is recovering from back surgery to shave a frayed disk in his back and the former Green Bay first-rounder likely will sit out at least the first week or two of drills. Johnson is still rehabilitating from anterior cruciate ligament surgery last season in Washington and Cleveland officials will allow him to set his own pace and determine when he is sufficiently recovered to return to the field. The absences of Verba and Johnson could create a bit of a body crunch for the Browns and it might mean left guard Jim Pyne, the first player selected by the Browns in the expansion allocation draft, retains his starting job for now. It appears the new staff would prefer that Pyne become a guard-center swingman once everyone is healthy.
There are unsubstantiated rumors the Denver Broncos have been shopping tailback Terrell Davis around, but team officials deny any trade talks and insist the former 2,000-yard rusher is their starter if he is healthy again after battling injuries for two seasons. It is notable that Davis' contract is structured in such a way that the Broncos would actually gain back approximately $2 million on the salary cap if he were traded, so a deal isn't impossible. But all indications are that Davis is close to 100 percent physically and poised to regain his place among the NFL's premier tailbacks. Backup tailback Olandis Gary, by the way, recently rebuffed Broncos attempts to get him signed to a contract extension.
One back who isn't deflecting overtures on a long-term contract is Ahman Green of the Green Bay Packers. Look for the three-year veteran to sign a new deal within the next 7-10 days, one that will supercede the one-year, $1.15 million qualifying tender he inked earlier in the spring. Green was one of only two players in 2000 to lead his team in both rushing and receptions -- the other was troubled Arizona tailback Michael Pittman -- and he has supplanted Dorsey Levens as the starter. Green may go down in history as one of the biggest steals in the storied career of retired Green Bay general manager Ron Wolf. In a rare one-for-one swap, the Packers got Green in return for cornerback Fred Vinson in the spring of 1999. Vinson tore up his knee that summer, re-injured it again this spring, and was released by Seattle last month without ever having played a single down for coach Mike Holmgren.
The Pittsburgh Steelers spent over $12 million in signing bonuses and 2001 base salaries on Thursday to retain starting cornerbacks Dewayne Washington and Chad Scott with long-term contract extensions. But it might take a lot more of the Heinz ketchup money the franchise got for the naming rights to its new stadium to keep linebackers Earl Holmes and Jason Gildon off the unrestricted free agent market next spring. Gildon is an explosive upfield rusher, and Holmes about two years ago supplanted the now-departed Levon Kirkland as the Steelers' best inside player. As noted above, the linebacker position has been somewhat devalued in recent seasons. That aside, it's going to take pretty lucrative offers to get Holmes and Gildon signed. Word is that Holmes might be seeking a signing bonus of the range of about $7 million to $8 million.
On the heels of the two deals for the Pittsburgh corners, look for talks to heat up between the Tennessee Titans and Pro Bowl cover man Samari Rolle, one of the league's best emerging young defenders. Rolle has not signed the one-year qualifying offer extended him during the spring and the Titans want both he and right guard Benji Olson signed to long-term contracts by the time camp begins.
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| Tolliver |
There is no small degree of irony in the Packers' decision to sign journeyman quarterback Billy Joe Tolliver as a possible No. 2 on the depth chart, a move enthusiastically supported by starter Brett Favre. It was 10 years ago that Favre didn't exactly welcome Tolliver to Atlanta when the Falcons abruptly traded for the veteran only four days before the start of the regular season. At that time, Favre, the team's second-round draft choice, was the No. 2 quarterback behind Chris Miller and regarded by many in Atlanta as the franchise's star of the future. But coach Jerry Glanville wanted a veteran behind the often-injured Miller and the Falcons landed Tolliver for just a fifth-round choice in the 1992 draft. This columnist was covering the Falcons at the time and to suggest Favre was both blindsided and devastated by the acquisition of Tolliver would be a gross understatement. The two became close friends, however, and spent some long and adventurous nights in the city's Buckhead night club district. Coach Mike Sherman didn't seek Favre's endorsement when the Packers began discussions with Tolliver. But word is that when Favre caught wind of a possible deal, he helped push the process ahead. The Green Bay staff simply isn't sure that another nomadic quarterback, Doug Pederson, can be a viable fill-in if the iron man Favre ever goes down with an injury. And while staffers agree CFL import Henry Burris might eventually be good enough to fill the No. 2 role, he is perilously raw right now.
The release of projected starting middle linebacker John Holecek by the Buffalo Bills last week was principally the result of two factors: The cap-strapped Bills needed some relief and Holecek, who already had his contract restructured once in the spring, declined to reduce his base salary to the $477,000 minimum. And after having watched Holecek during mini-camps, first-year coach Gregg Williams and his staff became increasingly convinced that Sam Cowart was a better fit at the middle spot instead of working at weakside linebacker. But there was one other factor in the decision to release Holecek and that was the suspicion that the six-year veteran might not be able to hold up physically playing middle linebacker in the 4-3 front as opposed to inside linebacker in the Bills' old 3-4 alignment. In fact, some Buffalo veterans told club officials that Holecek had privately suggested he might not be able to play more than one or two more seasons. Holecek had some injury problems in the past and a few members of Bills management were concerned about those maladies. "He was a warrior, but we felt there were some issues, and just decided to go another way at middle linebacker," general manager Tom Donahoe said. One of the Buffalo officials who fought hard to keep Holecek around, by the way, was owner Ralph Wilson, who admired the toughness of the undersized linebacker.
Despite reports that Cowart's switch to the middle bumps second-year veteran Corey Moore into a weakside starting spot in Buffalo, coaches actually have third-year pro Jay Foreman penciled in atop the depth chart. Given his off-field indiscretions during the offseason, and his absences from some conditioning work, Moore isn't going to be handed anything by the new coaching staff. That said, the former Virginia Tech star and 1999 Lombardi Award winner will be afforded an opportunity to nudge Foreman out of the first-unit lineup. The Bills also will give DaShon Polk, regarded in the past as an inside linebacker, at the weakside starting job.
The decision by the Chicago Bears to relinquish the draft rights to seventh-round choice John Capel, a former University of Florida wide receiver and onetime Olympics sprinter, was hardly a tough one for new general manager Jerry Angelo. The rookie tested positive for marijuana at the February predraft combine sessions. Then he was pulled over for a routine traffic violation in Florida two months ago and police discovered what they alleged to be a small cache of marijuana in his new car. Capel also missed a Bears mini-camp, which didn't help his case. The last straw, though, we have learned, came when Capel blew off the NFL's three-day rookie symposium last month. He was the only player with an unexcused absence and, should some team sign him and bring him to camp, Capel likely will be fined by the league. Officials now view the symposium as an event essential to the apprenticeship of all rookies. Even before Capel was a no-show, there was word the NFL would increase the punitive action against absentees. It's pretty hard to levee a fine against a player who isn't even on a roster right now, but the league isn't going to forget the snub by Capel and he will be docked if he ever affixes his name to a contract.
OK, so it's a little early to start pondering the 2002 draft class, especially since barely half of the '01 rookies have agreed to terms. But here's a sneak peek at the 13 rising seniors who ranked in the top 25 prospects according to both combine services, Blesto and National Football Scouting: running back Lamar Gordon (North Dakota State), offensive tackle Bryant McKinnie (Miami), offensive tackle Mike Williams (Texas), center Andre Gurode (Colorado), defensive end Kalimba Edwards (South Carolina), defensive tackle John Henderson (Tennessee), defensive tackle Wendell Bryant (Wisconsin), defensive end Alex Brown (Florida), defensive end Will Overstreet (Tennessee), cornerback Quentin Jammer (Texas), cornerback Mike Rumph (Miami) and safety Ed Prather (Mississippi State). Blesto and National are the two combine services that provide scouting reports to subscriber teams Their early reports do not include underclass prospects and usually change dramatically over the course of the season. F
or instance, National rated tailback Deuce McAllister at its top player this time a year ago. The highest-grader player for Blesto last summer was quarterback Drew Brees. If the early grades are any indication of strength (or lack thereof) at certain positions, though, scouts better hope some underclass quarterbacks declare early for the draft. The top-rated quarterback for Blesto currently is Antwaan Randle El of Indiana, who is 5-feet-9 ½ and spent most of spring practices learning to play wide receiver. The top-rated quarterback on the National charts is Kurt Kittner of Illinois.
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| Ahanotu |
Don't look for free agent defensive end Chidi Ahanotu to return to the NFL until he resolves a child custody case that is occupying most of his time these days. There is no lack of suitors for Ahanotu, released earlier this summer by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after the team signed defensive end Simeon Rice. Even after adding defensive lineman Bernard Whittington last week, Bengals officials still wanted to sign Ahanotu, but he canceled a visit, conceding his mind simply isn't on the game now. Buffalo, which is desperately seeking another veteran end, also wanted to visit with Ahanotu, but was rebuffed for the time being. "His priority is to get his family situation cleared up first," agent Eugene Parker said. "If that means not playing this year, he is prepared to take that step."
Speaking of another onetime sackman whose career could be ended, former defensive most valuable player Bryce Paup, who played for the Minnesota Vikings last year and registered just two sacks, will have his agent make one more round of calls to teams he feels might need a pass rusher. If no one responds positively, Paup will retire. The 11-year veteran and four-time Pro Bowl performer averaged double digit sacks between 1993 and 1997 but has only three quarterback kills over the past two seasons. Desperate for an outside rush, the Vikings felt he might succeed as a situational player in 2000, but it is clear Paup has lost a step and can't get up the field and corner past the offensive tackle like he did in his heyday.
The consensus is that the additions of quarterback Elvis Grbac and right tackle Leon Searcy will make the Baltimore Ravens a better offensive team in 2001, and that likely is the case. But what no one has addressed is what the defending Super Bowl champions didn't accomplish in the offseason, and that was securing a viable backup tailback to second-year veteran Jamal Lewis. To some extent, vice president Ozzie Newsome has been hamstrung by a tight salary cap but you can bet the Ravens personnel chief will be looking long and hard at any veteran backs who are released during training camps. As it now stands, the backups to Lewis are fifth-round draft pick Chris Barnes and a pair of undrafted free agents, Derek Homer and Aaron Kernek. For now, at least, Newsome is insisting no one he has considered is any better than Barnes, but that could change if the rookie struggles in camp.
The Atlanta Falcons opened camp Thursday and one of the best special teams coaches in the league, Joe DeCamillis, must have felt a little lost when he surveyed a unit that had three of its top four key performers depart in the offseason. Atlanta lost punter Dan Stryzinski to the Kansas City Chiefs in free agency and signed longtime Buffalo Bills punter Chris Mohr to take his place. Mohr's numbers have slipped the last few years but, since he will punt indoors for 10 of 16 games this season, the 11-year veteran should reverse his recent fortunes. The Falcons opted to not re-sign kicker Morten Andersen, the third-leading scorer in NFL history, and will go instead with 2000 practice squad player Jake Arians. No matter how he performs in what will be his first exposure to NFL-level pressure, Arians isn't likely to make anyone forget Andersen any time soon. Atlanta had to sacrifice explosive punt returner Tim Dwight in the trade with the San Diego Chargers that netted the Falcons the draft rights to quarterback
Michael Vick. The team used its fifth-round pick on Vinny Sutherland, a former Purdue standout and Dwight lookalike, but only time will tell if he can fill the void. The one returning player from the Falcons' "big four" on special teams, kickoff return specialist Darrick Vaughn, should provide peace of mind at that position. Vaughn returned three kickoffs for touchdowns as a rookie in 2000 and his 27.7-yard average led the league. The Falcons did add former special teams standout Travis Jervey, who has suffered through a series of injuries the past two years, and he will bolster the coverage units if he is healthy and could spell Vaughn at times. Atlanta figures to be an improved overall franchise in 2001 but it appears DeCamillis, a stickler for details and a guy who prepares his units well, has a lot to accomplish in camp.
It's easy to criticize the Bengals. Their historically penurious spending habits and a record that ranks as one of the worst in the NFL since 1990 makes the franchise an easy target. But give club president Mike Brown and his management team credit for actually demonstrating a little bit of foresight with the contract extension recently negotiated for backup offensive tackle Jamain Stephens. The former Pittsburgh first-round flop, who goes to camp as the No. 4 tackle behind starters Richmond Webb and Willie Anderson and top reserve John Jackson, agreed to add another season to a deal that otherwise would have expired after the 2001 campaign. The cost to Cincinnati, which still has a league-high $7.27 million in available salary cap room, was a paltry $10,000 signing bonus. For that, the Bengals added the 2002 season at a base salary of just $645,000 to this year, when Stephens will earn a base of $650,000. So why was it so sage to add another year to the contract of a journeyman veteran who might not even make the team in '01? Because the Bengals are looking ahead to next spring's expansion draft, which will help stock the new Houston Texans franchise, that's why. Every team in the league will have to make available to the Texans five veteran players under contract and most of them will be of the Stephens ilk. But now the Bengals, assuming Stephens makes the team this year, have at least one body to cast into the expansion draft pool. And by spending just $10,000 to secure Stephens for another year, Cincinnati might be able to protect a younger and more productive player rather than sacrifice him to the Texans. The Bengals used the same philosophy in signing veteran cornerback Carlton Gray to a two-year contract instead of just a one-year deal. Unless he earns a starting job, Gray figures to be one of the Bengals players on the expansion draft list.
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| Akers |
Look for the Philadelphia Eagles to quietly accelerate negotiations with kicker David Akers, attempting to sign one of the NFL's best specialists to a long-term deal, and to keep him off the restricted free agent market next spring. Akers converted 29 of 33 field goal attempt in 2000, his first season as the Eagles' primary kicker, and is one of the players vice president Joe Banner would like to use some of the team's $6.1 million in remaining cap space to sign to a new deal The other is middle linebacker Jeremiah Trotter, but negotiations there have not progressed as well as Philadelphia officials would like, and the emerging run-stuffer standout could well test the unrestricted market next spring. Akers earlier this spring signed a one-year, $389,000 qualifying offer made to him as an "exclusive rights" free agent. The Eagles are one of the most proactive teams in the league in getting long-term contracts with players whom they consider integral to their success.
Typical of how the team has struggled with a lopsided salary cap to fit replacements into the defensive unit, the Vikings are still trying to fill the void at tackle, where starters John Randle and Tony Williams both departed in free agency. One starter inside almost certainly will be Chris Hovan, the team's first-round choice in 2000, and a player who logged considerable field time as a rookie. Second-year veteran Fred Robbins, a No. 2 choice in 2000, should be improved in his sophomore season. Minnesota also drafted a pair of tackles, Willie Howard of Stanford in the second round and Shawn Worthen of TCU in the fourth stanza, and both are projected into the rotation as rookies. But the Vikings might have gotten lucky with two young players, Winfield Garnett and Tim Engelhardt, that they allocated to the NFL Europe League this spring. Between them, Garnett and Engelhardt produced 15 sacks overseas and demonstrated better quickness into the gaps than some people felt they possessed. Neither is assured a roster spot yet but, if they do make the team, Dennis Green will have once again displayed his knack for proving wrong the army of skeptics that wonder when poor salary cap management might finally catch up to him.
His pending four-game suspension notwithstanding, the Oakland Raiders retain some degree of interest in re-signing wide receiver Andre Rison. But the deal wouldn't come until late in camp, would be for only for something in the area of the $477,000 veteran minimum salary, and only after the 12-year veteran demonstrated he had addressed all of his myriad off-field issues.
Lamar Lathon, the onetime Houston and Carolina sack fiend who hasn't played now in three seasons, continues to seek an audition for a comeback. Lathon worked out during the offseason for Dallas and Indianapolis, passed the physical exams with both clubs and ran a more than respectable 40-yard time. All he wants is a chance to get into a camp as a situational pass rusher, at the veteran minimum salary. Word is San Francisco may take a look in coming days.
Len Pasquarelli is a senior NFL writer for ESPN.com.
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