National Football Post Diner News

4      SEPT 2008

QUOTE OF THE DAY... “It was character that got us out of bed, commitment that moved us, and discipline that enabled us to follow through.”  — Zig Zigler  

FROM MARY KAY CABOT OF THE CLEVELAND PLAIN DEALER... Browns linebacker Antwan Peek left Wednesday's practice with an apparent knee injury and did not return, a source told The Plain Dealer. The extent of the injury was not known. Peek had just returned to practice Monday after undergoing arthroscopic surgery July 31 to remove loose cartilage from his right knee. He was hoping to be available for Sunday's opener against the Cowboys.  Peek also underwent a scope in the off-season to repair a torn meniscus suffered in the opener against Pittsburgh last season. He had his choice to have surgery during the season or wait it out, and he chose the latter. He said he learned from that mistake and had the scope as soon as possible this time to be ready for the opener. It was not yet known if Wednesday's incident was a re-injury or something unrelated. If Peek misses an extended period of time, the Browns would be thin at outside linebacker. Seventh-round pick Alex Hall, the surprise of training camp, would rotate with starter Willie McGinest on the left outside. McGinest also missed the final two preseason games with a groin injury, but practiced full-go on Wednesday. The Browns waived fourth-year linebacker David McMillan Aug. 30 in anticipation of Peek's return.

This injury really hurts the Browns ability to get pressure on the Cowboys.  The Browns need as many healthy bodies as possible playing at home with the heat and humidity.  The freshest team in the 4^th quarter will go a long way in determining the outcome of the game.  The Browns must find a way to play well in the red zone and get some pressure on the passer.  Peek is their most athletic rusher, but that does not mean he is their best rusher.  Still, he has the kind of skill that could give Dallas' tackles trouble, whether Marc Colombo or Flozell Adams.  The Browns cannot match the wideouts of the Cowboys with their secondary, so this means a ton of zone to limit the big plays in the game.  When teams play zone, they have to tackle well and rely on their front four to get pressure.  The Browns defensive front can match the physical play of the Cowboys offensive line in the run game, but they must find a way to get on the edge and force Romo to throw the ball quicker than he might prefer.  The Browns must make the Cowboys work the ball down the field and force them into at least 14 third down situations.  Let’s face it, the Cowboys are going to move the ball, and the key to this game is which team plays the best in the red zone.  Both teams have explosive offenses, but the key element of the game will be the red zone production. 

FROM LES BOWEN OF THE PHILADELPHIA DAILY NEWS... One minute, it was a slightly boring, back-down-to-business, first day of real preparation for the season opener. Then, suddenly, it was 2005 again.  Reporters wanted to know Wednesday how Sheldon Brown felt about Drew Rosenhaus, the agent of his friend and teammate, Lito Sheppard, saying that Sheppard should be starting ahead of Brown in a video Rosenhaus disseminated last week (link here). Brown had several thoughts on the matter, starting with his view of Sheppard's idea that changing agents, from Peter Schaffer to Rosenhaus, would somehow get the Eagles to trade him, which was the ultimate point of last week's video. "If you know (Rosenhaus') track record, it's more of a disappointment to me that he enticed the guy into signing with him," Brown said. "Thinking  that he could get the deal done. Agents don't get the deals done. The player gets the deal done. That's what's disappointing. "I wouldn't say it bothered me, because I'm bigger than that, I'm a professional... Drew hasn't been with Sheldon Brown for 7 years; I think he's been with Lito for 2 months. He hasn't followed by career. He hasn't broke down any film; he probably couldn't tell you what number (Brown wears). It's really irrelevant... (from watching the video) you would think the guy has been scouting tape and know(ing) the statistics and following us our whole career. "A lot of times, people should just worry about their (own) jobs." Brown said he had not spoken to Sheppard, who dresses in the next stall, about what Rosenhaus said. It's a problem for Rosenhaus and Sheppard if Sheppard doesn't start this season, because whenever a trade occurs, Sheppard wants a state-of-the-art contract.

I think I found my new favorite player in the NFL.  Sheldon Brown just said what I have been writing the last two months.  Brown knows the reality of the NFL — that a player's performance on tape is what separates him and makes his career.  Trust me, Drew Rosenhaus has never watched a tape on Sheppard, he only knows what Sheppard has told him about his play.  Do you think Sheppard has any objectivity about his self-evaluation?  Rosenhaus does not care what compensation the Eagles would offer — his only concern is that a team MADE an offer.  Rosenhaus has his own agenda and it is based on what Sheppard has told him.  Part of the agent's role is to educate his client about the landscape of the league and to ensure reality is always in the mirror.  Sheppard does not understand that all the other teams in the NFL are watching and reading his comments while asking themselves, "Do we want to add that kind of guy to our locker room?  Do we want to pay a guy who seems to care more about money than playing well?"  No one in the league thinks, based on Sheppard's performance over the last two years, that he is underpaid — no one except Lito. 

FROM PAUL SCHWARTZ OF THE NEW YORK POST... Twice a season, the Giants knew what to expect when squaring off against the Redskins as long as Joe Gibbs was the head coach. Now that Gibbs is retired (again) and Jim Zorn is running the show, the Giants admit things are more complicated tonight in the season opener at Giants Stadium. "Joe Gibbs' style of running the ball is gone, the power running game," linebacker Antonio Pierce said. "It's a quick rhythm passing game. Make quick reads, get the ball out of the quarterback's hands. The first 15 plays we'll know what their state of mind is." Zorn has never before been a head coach or offensive coordinator and was a surprise choice to succeed Gibbs. For the past seven years, Zorn was the quarterbacks coach for the Seahawks and he's installed a West Coast passing attack in Washington.  "He was in Seattle and going back and watching some Seattle film there is some similar games and similar formations," cornerback Sam Madison said. "That is pretty much what we have to go on right now. It's a coin toss right now thinking about what they're going to do."

The Redskins better have an alternative plan after the first 15 plays.  I always thought that those are the most overrated aspect of football.  Football is a game of adjustments and the first 15 were invented to give the offense a sense of direction for the start of the game and to help ensure that mental mistakes were reduced, and hopefully eliminated.  Now it has become a media sensation and people talk about it like it is some kind of magic formula.  The reality of the NFL is how coaches adjust to scheme and personnel.  All good coaches save their best stuff for later in the game, for the second half when you need to make a play.  When you unload your best stuff early you give your opponent's offensive coaches time to make adjustments.  When you are patient and save stuff, the offense does not have the halftime to fix any problems.  It forces coaches to get things done on the sideline while the game is ongoing and challenges the overall communication of your opponent's staff.  Defensive coaches have their own play list and no one talks or writes enough about the defensive coordinator as a play caller.  Steve Spagnuolo is an excellent good play caller.  He knows that the game is not won or lost in the first drive and has a broad enough scheme to be able to make the right adjustments.  Once the Giants determine how the Skins will try to attack, NY will adjust their scheme.  It is never the first move, but the second and third moves that make pro football so compelling and interesting.  I cannot wait to see what coach Zorn has planned for his adjustments.

FROM JASON REID AND JASON LA CANFORA OF THE WASHINGTON POST... To understand how much money Snyder and Cerrato have spent on players, the best figures come from the NFL Management Council, which tracks "committed cash," the amount franchises pay players each season. Unlike salary cap figures, committed cash includes all bonuses and incentives. The figures are distributed to teams and the NFL Players Association. They were obtained through league sources.  After their annual restructuring of cap-heavy contracts last spring, the Redskins were No. 1 in the league in spending, in terms of committed cash, at $747 million since 2000, which includes the season under Schottenheimer. The Indianapolis Colts were second at $710 million and the Baltimore Ravens ($708 million), Dallas Cowboys ($700 million) and New England Patriots ($694 million) completed the top five. Indianapolis, Baltimore and New England each have won at least one Super Bowl during that span.  In dead salary cap space, the term for money still allocated to players no longer on the team, the Redskins were first since 2000 at $83 million, according to the records. Washington was followed by the 49ers and Denver Broncos ($80 million), Tennessee Titans ($78 million) and Oakland Raiders ($75 million).

Committed cash is the key figure of the salary cap.  Teams like the Jets, who have committed a ton of cash this year and for the next three years, are stuck with their current roster.  You have to be exact and precise with your evaluations when committing and guaranteeing salaries for future years.  The Skins have to find a way to build a program.  The article above is a feature story on Skins GM Vinny Cerrato and how he is NOW in complete charge and setting the direction of the Skins.  Let’s hope Vinny is being honest with himself and understands that he has 10 of 22 starters over 30 years old.  Let’s hope Vinny knows his team is old in the offensive line and that, by hiring Zorn, he changed the scheme on offense.  In effect, he is going to ask a very young quarterback to modify his game and now throw the ball with rhythm and timing.  Let’s hope Vinny is not married to the current players and is willing to make the right changes to improve the core of the team’s talent base.  Let’s hope Vinny has a detailed plan regarding his vision for every position on the team.  Let’s hope Vinny understands that to win in the NFC East you have to have the best offensive and defensive lines.  Let’s hope Vinny has decided to move away from signing wide receivers in free agency, spending high draft choices on a position that seems to be readily available throughout any draft.  Above all, let’s hope Vinny knows the NFL talent base and can evaluate his own team based on THEIR TALENT LEVEL AS IT RELATES TO winning a championship in the NFL.  The Skins have always just randomly picked players.  Of their current starters, a mere nine have come via the draft.  They must think that money can buy them happiness.  They determine they have a need at a position and then react to the need.  Personnel is about having a specific plan and understanding of what kind of players you want for each position.  When you change schemes, you change requirements for the players at each position. 

FROM FRANK HUGHES OF THE TACOMA NEWS TRIBUNE... Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Deion Branch met with the media for the first time since tearing his left anterior cruciate ligament in January – and the interview left perhaps more questions than there were before about his status.  Branch wore his full uniform for the first time on Wednesday, but then went through only a few individual drills in which he caught some balls from a Jugs machine before heading inside. At a time that Seahawks coach Mike Holmgren has made it seem as if Branch is close to returning, Branch answered questions vaguely and ambiguously – and left the impression that it would be a while before he was able to play again. In his weekly news conference before practice, Holmgren indicated that Branch could be close to returning but that the decision ultimately was the player’s to make. “He’s come a long way. The doctors feel very good about his progress,” Holmgren said. “But he has to, in his own mind, feel as though he can do the things he needs to do to be effective. The next big hurdle, I would say, is up to him.”

The most difficult step for a player returning from a major injury is the first one.  There is some trepidation in taking that first step, in working through the fear of re-injury and the apprehension of being able to compete.  That is clearly what Mike Holmgren is saying in this article.  The medical staff has cleared Branch and now it will be up to Branch to take the next step.  There is no way to determine how long it might take.  There will be both good and bad days.  The reality is, he is ready to go physically.  Now he just needs to get right mentally.  Each player has his own timetable for taking that step.

FROM JIM THOMAS OF THE ST. LOUIS POST DISPATCH... Other than that, everything is pretty much settled in for Marc Bulger as he embarks on his sixth season as a full-time starter. Bulger's next victory will tie him with Kurt Warner — at 40 — for the most triumphs by a "St. Louis" Rams quarterback. But there are easier places to get a victory than Lincoln Financial Field, where the Rams open the season Sunday against Philadelphia. And easier defenses to defeat than the Eagles unit coached by veteran coordinator Jim Johnson.  When asked to provide an Eagles coverage "sampler," Bulger went into quarterback-speak: "They play Cover 1, they play Cover 11, they play Cover 2, they play Cover 8, they play Cover 6, they play Cover 4 ..."So basically all of the "Cover" numbers. "They do all the blitz numbers, too," Bulger joked. "They're disruptive. They're certainly going to win some battles, but we just have to stay away from making any big mistakes. "I think you saw a patience (in '06) that you need out of a quarterback," coach Scott Linehan said. "We've got to give him a lot of support and help. We've got to keep him upright in that pocket when we throw the ball. Our running game's got to develop like it did that particular year. And he's got to know that he doesn't have to do it all."

I have had a difficult time getting a handle on the Rams this summer.  I know they are in the process of dealing with a change of offensive scheme.  With Al Saunders now in place as the play caller, the Rams will have a clear direction.  Saunders is a smart coach who will build the running the game and, most importantly, call runs to take pressure off the offensive line.  When playing the Eagles defense it is paramount for your offense to have depth in the protections and scheme.  The Eagles are good at attacking an offense's protections and its edges.  The Rams will need to avoid making the critical mistake, and a punt at the right time would not be a bad play.  The Eagles are a great “play from the lead” defense, but they can be handled in a tough slugging match.  In 2007 the Birds were last in the NFL in forcing turnovers.  You can sense in their play this summer that they aim to improve in that area.  Marc Bulger can make plays when he has time and can get into a rhythm of passing.  However, I have yet to see the rhythm in his play this summer.  The key for the Rams is to not get behind too early in the game, but to keep it tight going into the fourth quarter.

FROM SHELDON MICKLES OF THE BATON ROUGE ADVOCATE... It was a cruel slap to the face of the Saints, but especially to second-year coach Sean Payton, who steered his team to the NFC Championship Game in 2006 in his first season as a head coach at any level. “It was really the first challenge for us,” Payton said recently. “We went through a time in 2006 where we lost three straight (actually two), but that (0-4 start) was the first challenge for us as a team under this staff. So I think all of us lost a lot of sleep over that.” By nature, most NFL coaches don’t get a lot of sleep during the season. But that month-long stretch was extraordinary for Payton because of the high expectations his team carried into the new season. “When you come into a season with high expectations and you get off to a start like that, it forces you to dig down,” Payton said. “The one thing about our job is that you have the ability the following week to put a good feeling in your stomach. So as bad as you may feel after a certain loss the only way I know how to get rid of that is to get back to work. “Our players, our coaching staff, all of us collectively kind of hunkered in and the good thing was the ship never divided,” he said. “We came back and won four games in a row. So it tests you, it tests the locker room, it tests the coaching staff, it tests you. I was pleased with how we handled that test.”  “We want to be more efficient in how we operate on third down in general,” Payton said. “We improved from the year before, yet when we watched the tape third-and-2 to third-and-3 wasn’t as good as we would have liked.”

I really want to think that the Saints are going to be the NFC South winner, but I am worried about their running back situation and the fact that Drew Brees has to carry the load so often.  I love the Saints throw-it-first mentality, but when they are faced with third and short they don’t have the nickel runner to gain those tough yards or a power back to convert those third and short situations.  When you study Super Bowl teams, they always seem to make it through the season winning all the 3^rd / 4^th and shorts.  Without Deuce McAlister last year, the Saints did not have a hard runner to win those battles and the burden fell on Brees and his ability to execute.  When you can run the ball effectively in nickel, it makes the passing game even better, and the Saints don’t have a runner who can pass protect and break tackles for first downs.

FROM KEVIN ACEE OF THE SAN DIEGO UNION TRIBUNE... “You're in this league to win a championship,” General Manager A.J. Smith has said 100 times if he's said it once. So as unfair as it might seem, it is not unjust at all to wonder if the Chargers don't win a Super Bowl in the next two or three years, what was all this for? The goal is to get a ring, players and coaches and management throughout the league say over and over. So if you don't, you've failed. “It's not complete until you win a world championship,” team President Dean Spanos acknowledged after some wrangling over the definition of failure and the validity of another phrase, that being “window of opportunity.” Every team has a window of opportunity. But the Chargers' current level of success, experience and talent, plus the contract situations of many of their top players, makes their window extremely relevant. The Chargers are set up so well, but they know, despite some protestations, it is only for so long. “You do realize you're not going to be able to keep this together forever,” said defensive end Luis Castillo, contractually tied to the Chargers through 2014, longer than any of his teammates. “Whether it's guys getting hurt, too many high-profile players on one team, guys going away for new contracts – whatever the situation, you know it's not going to last forever.”

It is a difficult balance to understand the level of success.  Yes, the Chargers have enjoyed success and the true measure of a successful career is the amount of conference championships for which you qualify.  However, for the ultimate in success, you have to have a ring, and the one ring that matters most is the Super Bowl ring.  I believe that, as is the case in all businesses, you have to “get good” before you “get great.”  The key to getting great is to study closely the teams in the NFL, the traits that those teams have and how they are able to adapt to the league.  The Chargers are obsessed with knowing what the Patriots do and how they behave.  For me, that is a key to winning a championship.  Bill Walsh would tell me all the time that we were only competing against eight teams, and he was so right.  But you have to REALLY know those eight teams, how they think and behave.  You is important to know the league and what it takes to win at a high level.

FROM MIKE CHAPPELL OF THE INDY STAR... Ponder this: You're the Indianapolis Colts and you can only keep one of your defensive cornerstones. Would it be Dwight Freeney, the disruptive presence, or Bob Sanders, the irrepressible force? The three-time Pro Bowl end and club career sack leader, or the two-time Pro Bowl safety and reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year? "I vote for Dwight,' Sanders said. "I just won't vote for myself. Tell him I picked him, so he's got to say me.' Well... You're asking me?' Freeney said, smiling broadly. "I'm biased. It's the defensive lineman.' The Colts already have addressed the hypothetical question. They chose both. Last year, Colts owner Jim Irsay invested more than $112 million, nearly $52 million guaranteed, to lock up the duo through the 2012 season. But what if they had to choose? Compelling arguments can be made for each player. Would the Colts have won Super Bowl XLI if Sanders hadn't returned for the playoff push? Would Philip Rivers and Billy Volek have had the time to engineer San Diego's playoff upset of the Colts in January had Freeney been on the field and not recovering from foot surgery?

I think the one play that answers this question best is when Freeney was off the field the Patriots threw the long touchdown pass to Randy Moss.  Freeney is the most disruptive player in the league and the true key to knowing who the great players are is when teams cannot game plan him out of the game.  You can game plan away from Sanders.  I love the passion and the style of play of Bob Sanders, but a player who can dominate the pass rush is what makes a defense great.  Not bad for a guy who supposedly could be found in ANY round of the draft in which he was taken (when I worked in the Hotel someone told me Freeney could be found in ANY round).  In fact, I had to testify in front of the scouts to proclaim my affection for Freeney and had to deal with all their snickers and laughs.  Freeney is an “eraser player,” which means many scouts had to get out their erasers and change their reports.  Today everyone will say they loved Freeney when he was coming out, but back in 2002 that was not the case.  That is why most college scouts carry erasers.

FROM STEPHEN HARRIS OF THE BOSTON HERALD... O’Neal has been, of course, a legitimate star - a two-time Pro Bowler who had 10 interceptions for the Bengals in 2005, and 31 picks in his eight NFL seasons. When the Pats released veteran corner Fernando Bryant and added O’Neal, they obviously believed he still had something left as a corner and/or kick returner. “I’m so happy to be here, I’m happy to be a part of something like this,” O’Neal said yesterday. “I’ve been excited since Sunday. If you’d seen me at home, I was walking around with a big cheesy grin on my face because I’m so happy to be here. I can’t explain my words right now.” He never saw the axe coming when he was cut by the Bengals. “Not at all, it was a shock to me,” said O'Neal, the 15th-overall pick in 2000 (Cal-Berkeley) by Denver, where he played his first four seasons. The hard part, he said, is the impact on his family. “It was like Hurricane Katrina, because I had family out there,” he said. “I wasn’t expecting this. Had I been expecting it, I would have been more prepared. I found out on the fly I was released, and right then and there I had to fly out. If he had to go, there was no better place to land than New England. “I just saw an opportunity,” he said. “I spoke to Rodney Harrison a couple of times, but it really wasn’t Rodney’s pitch. This is a great team and a great defense and I’d love to be a part of it.” O’Neal, who said he has known Tom Brady [stats] since they were in high school, doesn’t know if he’ll see action in the opener Sunday against Kansas City, but he will prepare as though he will. “It’s the coach’s decision. I’m still preparing. I’m just trying to learn the stuff that’s going on,” he said. “I’m just anxious to put on this jersey and this helmet and get out there and be a Patriot.”

O’Neal is similar to Asante Samuel in his style of play.  He has good hands and will take chances on the ball.  When he is prepared, he can make plays and create turnovers.  This is an excellent signing for the Patriots, as he can come in and adapt to their style of play.  He has the skill level to make their secondary effective.  It helped the Patriots that Rodney Harrison and O’Neal have the same agent, Steve Feldman.  When O’Neal plays for a team that can apply pressure, his skills as a gambler and his ability to catch the ball make him a valuable commodity.

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