Insider | Notebook
TAMPA, Fla. -- Tampa Bay Buccaneers linebacker Derrick Brooks isn't one to boast about himself, his team or anything else for that matter; his low-key approach to playing football a nice change in a world of listen-to-me players.
So when he says it, he means it.
Speaking last week after a minicamp practice, Brooks offered this scary assessment of the Tampa Bay defense heading into the season:
"We should be better," Brooks said.
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| Anthony McFarland's expected full return from injury should add even more thump to the Bucs defense.(AP) |
The Bucs feel good about their replacements, with corner Dwight Smith moving to free safety and veteran Dwayne Rudd taking over for Singleton. The word upgrade was thrown around a lot.
"Dwayne Rudd is a tremendous upgrade in terms of what he can bring in terms of speed and his quickness," defensive end Simeon Rice said. "I would say we upgraded our defense tremendously (by) getting this guy.
"We got Dwight Smith moving to safety, I think he'll bring a lot of depth to us there. He's doing good things. It's going to be interesting to see how this thing plays out."
With defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin -- now the league's highest-paid assistant after getting a new contract following the Super Bowl -- running the defense, there is little reason why this unit shouldn't again be among the best.
The return of defensive tackle Anthony McFarland, who missed six regular-season games and the playoffs with a broken forearm and a broken foot, will be a big boost.
McFarland was playing better than more-heralded Warren Sapp in the middle of the Tampa Bay defense last season before his injury. There are some scouts who insist he has passed Sapp in terms of production.
His return to health will prevent Sapp from seeing all the doubles he saw when McFarland went down. Along with Rice coming off the edge, those three should create pressure problems for any quarterback.
And that's why the back seven doesn't have to be as good as those of some other teams. Kiffin is outstanding at covering up weaknesses and making players fit his system. Middle linebacker Shelton Quarles was an unrestricted free agent who re-signed with the team in large part because he was a fit.
"That guy could start in the middle for maybe five teams," one NFC coach said. "For them, it works."
Rudd and Smith should keep this defense on a smooth ride. With so much speed and so many quality players, led by Sapp, Brooks and Rice, there is no reason it shouldn't again be among the best.
The success of what Tampa Bay did last season on defense has led to that "copy-cat" syndrome again striking the NFL. Teams are now looking for faster defensive linemen, smaller, quicker linebackers and a secondary that can run and tackle.
They all want to be the Tampa Bay defense.
"You can't copy the player's heart," Brooks said. "You can't copy the foundation that was brought here in 1996. You can simulate it, you can put the Xs and Os on the field, but you can't imitate the mind and the heart that makes this defense what it is. There ain't no way. I have yet to see it done."
That heart is what will again make this a tough unit to face for any offense. And don't dare try and play a finesse game against them like the Raiders did in a Super Bowl blowout.
Coaches insist the book on beating the defense is to pound the ball right at it, playing a more physical style. Take advantage of their smaller, faster players with size.
McFarland's return will make that tougher, and so will the attitude of a starting group that feeds off each other. Combine that with Kiffin's ability to get the most out of every player, hiding their limitations, and it's easy to understand why somebody as usually subdued as Brooks can be so excited about the potential for Tampa Bay's defense in 2003.
Around the League
- The Cowboys liked what they saw from cornerback Terence Newman last week during their minicamp. Newman showed the fluid style that made him the team's top pick, the fifth overall, and should be in the starting lineup when the season begins. Newman also had to fetch water during breaks for coach Bill Parcells, which got him some extra attention. One player to keep an eye on in Dallas is running back Aveion Cason, who came over in draft-day trade from Detroit. Dallas offensive coordinator Maurice Carthon worked with Cason in Detroit and believed he could help the Cowboys as a third-down back. Cason, who carried 26 times for 107 yards last season, could be the Dave Meggett of this Dallas team, an explosive third-down back. He caught 19 passes for 288 yards and two touchdowns last season.
- The Ravens lost a valuable scouting tool this week when Terry McDonough decided to leave Baltimore and become the executive scout for the Jaguars. McDonough has been a big reason why the Ravens have drafted so well in the past couple of years. The son of the late Boston Globe columnist Will McDonough, Terry worked closely with Ravens director of player personnel Phil Savage in building the Baltimore draft board the past couple of years. Baltimore has been one of the better drafting teams, so his move to Jacksonville is a plus for the Jaguars. The Ravens interviewed Arizona scout Steve Keim this week to fill McDonough's spot. Keim, one of the rising stars of scouting, is also being considered for the director of college scouting position with the Cardinals. McDonough will re-unite with Jaguars personnel director James Harris and coach Jack Del Rio, two men he worked closely with in Baltimore.
- The Vikings are facing a tough negotiation with quarterback Daunte Culpepper. He is entering the final year of his contract, would like a long-term extension, but the two sides are way apart. If the Vikings don't get him signed to a new deal, they could put the franchise tag on him after the season to keep him from leaving via free agency. The knee-jerk reaction would be for the Vikings to get him that long-term extension, avoiding any potential distractions. But this is a player who was benched at one point last season. That can't be discounted, even though Culpepper rallied to finish strong. Is he their quarterback of the future? It looks that way. But with owner Red McCombs looking to unload the team, it's unlikely he will be willing to shell out the $15 million-$20 million signing bonus it would take to do a long-term extension. That's why Culpepper will likely go into the 2003 season playing the final year of his original five-year rookie deal.
- Much of the Jets talk during their recent minicamp was about first-round pick Dewayne Robertson. He certainly looked impressive -- if playing without pads means anything -- but another Jets defensive lineman could be key to their pass rush as well. That's 2002 first-round pick Bryan Thomas. He was a major disappointment last year, but he has added some weight and appears in much better shape. If Thomas can provide some speed off the edge to go with John Abraham, the Jets could create problems off the corner for opposing passers. With Josh Evans, Robertson and a slimmer Shaun Ellis, who starts at end, also getting push inside, the defense should be much improved up front. Until Thomas does it, though, there's still going to be doubts. But players can make huge strides from Year 1 to Year 2.
- The sophomore season is usually a breakout year for receivers, so we look for several second-year players to put up some big numbers. One of those is Green Bay wide receiver Javon Walker, who has bulked up to 222 pounds and improved his route running. The Packers are raving about him. Two others are Denver's Ashley Lelie and Donté Stallworth of the Saints. Stallworth was slowed by hamstring troubles last season, but still had a decent year. Lelie just needed to learn how to handle press coverage, because he is so lean. Those two are poised to become go-to receivers. All three of these second-year receivers have the blazing speed needed to stretch fast defenses. A third-year receiver that looked good at his team's recent minicamp was Philadelphia's Freddie Mitchell. A first-round pick in 2001, he has struggled his first two seasons but seemed more confident and more mature last week at the team's camp. "I think it has helped him stay up here in the offseason," Eagles coach Andy Reid said. "He's in great shape."
- While Jaguars first-round pick Byron Leftwich struggled during last week's minicamp, second-round pick Rashean Mathis opened some eyes. Playing cornerback, Mathis showed he has the skills to make the transition from college safety to the corner. Don't be shocked to see him starting there by the time the season kicks off. The Jaguars are not thrilled with either corner, Fernando Bryant or Jason Craft. Bryant, who is entering the final year of his contract and almost certainly will be gone, hasn't won over the new regime by not taking part in the offseason workouts. Both of the starting corners have poor techniques the new coaching staff wants to erase. Mathis might eventually end up playing free safety next year, but for now he looks smooth as a corner.
- There have been some reports the seven-year deal signed by Eagles safety Brian Dawkins last week makes him the highest-paid safety in the league. Not true. Dawkins' deal averages $4.1 million, which places him sixth on the safety list, even behind the $4.2 million a year the Saints are paying Tebucky Jones, who they acquired from New England this spring. The top five safeties in terms of per-year pay are New England's Lawyer Milloy ($5.06 million), Green Bay's Darren Sharper ($5 million), Shaun Williams of the Giants ($4.6 million), Tampa Bay's John Lynch ($4.3 million) and then Jones at $4.2. Dawkins' deal does include $8 million in bonus money he will receive this year, $4.5 as a signing bonus, $3 million as a roster bonus and $500,000 in workout bonus. His base salary is $655,000, which means he'll make $8.65 million this season. Not too bad. The structure of his contract really makes it a four-year deal. He will have base salaries of $1 million in 2004, $1.345 million in 2005, $3 million in 2006, and then the base salaries go down. He gets $900,000 in 2007, $1.8 million in 2008 and $1.7 million in 2009. But the interesting thing there is he is due roster bonuses from $3 million to $3.4 million in those last three years, which will likely mean he'll never see them. This is a pretty good deal for the Eagles, who have locked up the game's best safety to a four-year deal that isn't an overpay. Now, they have to get to work on possible extensions for corners Bobby Taylor and Troy Vincent, although with youngsters Sheldon Brown and Lito Sheppard in the wings, those might not be such easy negotiations. Taylor and Vincent are both over 30.
- After six days of on-field work, three minicamp days and three passing-camp days, the Seahawks are convinced quarterback Matt Hasselbeck didn't have a fluke end to his season in 2002. Those impressive numbers he put up in the final six games were validated by his work on the field during the two camps. Hasselbeck looked sharp and has a full grasp of the offense, something he did not have last summer. Look for Hasselbeck to again put up big numbers playing in Mike Holmgren's system.
- The main thing the Saints wanted to do in the offseason was to get faster. At last weekend's minicamp, it was obvious that mission was accomplished. Veteran players who have been around the league were saying it was one of the fastest teams they had been around. The addition of Tebucky Jones at safety will really boost a unit that was slow in the back two. He will team with Mel Mitchell to form a fast duo that also has size -- with Jones weighing 228 and Mitchell 230. The next big step for the Saints will be the progress of quarterback Aaron Brooks. He didn't throw at the camp, but he is starting to throw some this week. He is expected to be ready to make all the throws by the time training camp starts.
- The Saints agreed to contract terms with Redskins tight end Walter Rasby on Thursday, a deal that brings a solid blocking tight end to the team. The Saints signed former Rams tight end Ernie Conwell earlier this spring, but Conwell is more of a pass-catching tight end than a guy who will move the defensive end off the line. Conwell and Rasby, who started nine games for the Redskins last year, join David Sloan and Boo Williams on the New Orleans roster. The Saints used a lot of double-tight sets against the Bucs, a team they beat twice in 2002 before Tampa Bay went on to win the Super Bowl.
