Diner Morning News

30 JAN 2009

QUOTE:  “If pa's eyes were windows into a world so deadly and true,  You couldn't stop me from looking but you kept me from crawlin' through,  And if it's a funny old world, mama, where a little boy's wishes come true,  Well I got a few in my pocket and a special one just for you.”  ~ “THE WISH,” FROM BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN FOR HIS MOTHER

FROM TODD ARCHER OF THE DALLAS MORNING NEWS... Nowadays, Roger Staubach's mind is filled more with his business ventures and the 2011 Super Bowl in Arlington, but he will always be a Cowboy. Staubach, a Hall of Fame quarterback, is still pained by the 44-6 pasting Philadelphia put on the Cowboys to end the 2008 season.  "I was unbelievably disappointed watching that Eagles game," he said Thursday from Tampa, where he is taking in the sights and sounds as the chairman of the North Texas Super Bowl XLV Host Committee. "I've never been so upset, because it just wasn't going to happen. It just seemed like they almost gave up in the second half." … "I feel there's a lot of stuff that goes on in the locker room that should stay in the locker room," Staubach said. "It's a shame, because I think the distractions really have hurt the team."

I just do not get this team.  The past month, the Cowboys have talked about commitment and about becoming dedicated, and then we hear that T.O. will have a reality show, with the owner making a guest appearance.  Does anyone have a clue?  How can this keep happening?  I know football is part of the entertainment business, but when you lose sight of the essence of the business, you lose your business.  The Cowboys are paid to entertain on the field, not off the field.  They have lost their focus on what matters most.  It’s one thing to have a player who acts bizarrely and craves attention, but to have others follow him down the road -- and encourage him -- is wrong. 

Football requires attention to detail, and it requires everyone to put away his personal goals for the team.  The Cowboys have become poster children for what not to do when building a team.   I just do not get it, and I have no hope for them turning this around. 

FROM JIM WYATT OF THE TENNESSEAN... Albert Haynesworth said he loves Nashville and the Titans, but he scoffed at the notion of giving the team a hometown discount on the long-term contract he's seeking. "Not unless they give me a 100 percent guaranteed contract,' the veteran defensive tackle said with a smile Thursday as he visited the site of Super Bowl XLIII . “You want to try and make as much as you can because if you have a career-ending injury you are out … and the team sure as heck is not going to pay you. It's not like baseball or basketball. You want to get as much as possible.' Haynesworth, a two-time All Pro, is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent Feb. 27. The Titans have exclusive negotiating rights until then, but Haynesworth said talks have been slow, with "two or three conversations." The Titans made one offer, he said, but it wasn't what he had in mind. Titans General Manager Mike Reinfeldt was unavailable for comment on Thursday.

It made no sense to me back in the summer when the Titans promised Albert Haynesworth they would not Franchise him again, thereby giving away their negotiating advantage.  I wrote at the time that it was a bad move, and now that the time has come, I am even more convinced this was a bad move.  If Haynesworth makes it to the market, he will be the biggest free agent since Reggie White in 1993.  Haynesworth is the centerpiece of the Titans’ defense, and teams can run the ball on the Titans when he’s not in the game.  They have a tremendous defensive line, but he is the one player who is very difficult to single block; he keeps offensive coordinators up all week worrying about their protection schemes. 

Now, the other side of this position is that some people feel Haynesworth takes plays off, that once he gets paid, he might not play as well as he has in the past.  Part of the reason for promising Haynesworth not to Franchise him was to keep him motivated to have a good season in 2008.  There is some degree of truth to those claims of inconsistent effort and conditioning,  but  in the past two years he has grown and matured and has been able to put those issues behind him.  When he is in shape and motivated, he is unblockable. 

Maybe the Titans are playing it coy and don’t want to be overly aggressive with their negotiating tactics, but they need to get something done soon.  Now that the Franchise numbers have been set, they can make an offer and build a deal using those numbers as a guiding point.  But they need to take action. If they let him walk, they will not be as good on defense as they were in ‘08. 

FROM HARVEY FIALKOV OF THE SOUTH FLORIDA SUN SENTINEL... A source told the Sun Sentinel that the Dolphins are definitely interested in re-signing free-agent tackle Vernon Carey. Free agency doesn't start until Feb. 27, so negotiations will probably heat up during the week of the NFL Scouting Combine (Feb. 24). Carey, along with left guard Justin Smiley, were the most experienced players on a young offensive line that took a bad hit when promising rookie Donald Thomas was lost for the season in the first regular-season game. "The Dolphins want Carey back and they will continue to bolster their offensive line," the source said. The same probably can't be said for free-agent linebacker Channing Crowder, who was low balled by the team's first offer.

There is no doubt in my mind that Carey will be back next year, and if he’s not signed before the deadline for a Franchise tag can be placed, the Dolphins will just tag him.  One area of many that the Fins improved on in ‘08 was their offensive line.  They became physical and proficient in pass protection.  Carey is in the right spot playing right tackle and has become a solid player in the league. 

The one thing a new staff must do when it comes to a team is get the players in the right positions.  The Fins moved their offensive line around and found the right positions for the players to maximize their talents, and Carey clearly is a much better right tackle than left.  Staffs like to tinker with moving players around, but the head coach must be very good at evaluations, and he must put his players in the right positions.  Oftentimes, assistant coaches will take the path of least resistance, or make a player play a spot where he is not comfortable. 

As for Crowder, he is a good player, but durability issues and concerns about his three-down play will keep the Fins from making him a huge offer.  Crowder is a replaceable part. He’s a player you would want back, but the cost is just as important as getting the player back.  I would rather overpay for a great player, like Haynesworth, than overpay for a replaceable part like Crowder.  That’s how you kill your cap.  There are more players available like Crowder but very few like Haynesworth and Carey.  Teams must rely on their scouting departments to find young and cheap talent and must be willing to let a replaceable part leave.  In fact, the year before a replaceable part type of player becomes a free agent, a team’s draft strategy should include finding his replacement.  Teams must look ahead and draft for the next year’s free agent class.  

FROM LES BOWEN OF THE PHILADELPHIA DAILY NEWS... “He (Jim Johnson) presented with the back pain the week of the Minnesota game,” Burkholder told Daily News and Inquirer reporters in a hastily arranged call from the San Francisco airport, where Burkholder was changing planes for his trip to the Pro Bowl. “We got him an MRI right after the Giants game, and the MRI looked funny. We thought he was going to have a disc problem, because of the symptoms, but it actually looked like there was a tumor beside this stress fracture in his spine. That alerted our doctors that something else might be going on. They did further testing, further scans, had him see some other doctors, and it looks like the melanoma is back, in his back. It’s manifested itself in a tumor in his spine. He’s already started treatment, radiation treatment. That’s the first course ... I think about 4 weeks of radiation, then we’ll take the next step from there.”

We at the Post want to send our prayers and well wishes to Jim Johnson, the Eagles defensive coordinator, as he battles melanoma.  Johnson is a huge part of the Eagles’ success, and he needs to take as much time as necessary to get healthy again. 

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