There is one rule all NFL teams should adhere to, regardless of what fans think: Never get caught up in players' names.
What that means is while fans will push for name players to be signed, teams usually have a better, younger prospect right under their eyes. Not always, but usually. And young is good.
 | |
| Kurt Warner gets a chance to re-start his career with the Giants.(AP) |
"Not much there," said one NFC personnel director. "You might get a backup quarterback or something like that, but those guys are there for a reason."
Said one team's scout: "All of the guys who are out there are there for one of two reasons, either health issues or age issues."
While some have written that the consensus best player of the group let go this week is Pittsburgh's Jason Gildon, the reality is quarterback Kurt Warner is the best. Warner, a two-time MVP, was released by the Rams this week and signed with the Giants on Thursday. It's a two-year deal that can void after the first season, which means this is a one-year audition for him to prove that he still belongs.
"How often do you see a two-time MVP come free in June," said Warner's agent, Mark Bartelstein. "And despite all the misinformation out there, Kurt is healthy. He's going to have a big year."
We tend to agree. Warner, who turns 33 later this month, can still play, and play well.
The new deal will pay $3 million this season, and the void kicks in if he reaches certain incentives. That means he'll be elsewhere next year when top draft pick Eli Manning takes over.
Warner's fall from grace has been fast. Three years ago, the mere thought of him being released would have been foolish. But after two injury-plagued years, the NFL's all-time passing rating leader finds himself trying to resurrect his career.
Critics like to point out Warner is 0-8 in his past eight starts. But they forget he was 22-of-25 last preseason before a concussion in the opener against the Giants forced him to the bench, where he spent the rest of the season.
That day, with a concussion, playing behind a line that was whipped, Warner threw for more than 300 yards.
There is talk that he now looks at the rush instead of standing in the fire of it, making throws down the field. He has taken a lot of hits -- the result of his ability to stand in and make plays -- but Warner, despite what some might say, isn't gun-shy.
This is a player who isn't much different than the guy who threw for 4,353 yards in 1999, who won two MVP trophies and a Super Bowl.
The thumb that many insist is a problem really isn't. All that talk about his having problems grasping the ball went out the window as far as the Giants were concerned when they gave him a physical.
Warner and first-year Giants coach Tom Coughlin will be a match made in heaven. They will help resurrect each other's careers, with one big difference. Coughlin will be back next year, while Warner will likely be taking his arm to a new stop.
He'll do so having proved a lot of people wrong.
Kurt Warner or Marc Bulger? That could be one that comes back to haunt the Rams in a big way.
With that, here's a short look at a handful of the players released in the June 1 cuts, including comments from a league scout. Remember, substance means more than names.
Warner, QB, Rams
Scout's take: "If healthy, he still has a chance to be really good. I think if he gets protected he can still be very efficient. You can't count him out. He's overcome so much, there's no way you can just count him out."
Where he might wind up: The Giants deal is done.
What's his value? He will be the starter for at least this year, giving him a chance to prove wrong all that foolish talk he is finished. Fantasy owners take note: Warner will be a steal.
Jason Gildon, LB, Steelers
Scout's take: "The people out of Pittsburgh think he's just a guy. Age has probably caught up with him. He could be effective with the right team."
Where he might wind up: There are a number of teams interested, including the Texans, Ravens, Browns and Redskins.
What's his value? At 32, he might be a good fit for a 3-4 team looking for an outside pass rusher. But his days of being dominant are over.
Zach Bronson, S, 49ers
Scout's take: "He's been a very productive player since he entered the league. He's a great kid who has always been an overachiever. If he gets with a good team, he can still make plays. His skills have diminished some."
Where he might wind up: The injuries the past two years are a concern, but he might be able to get with a team in need of a veteran presence in the back two of their defense.
What's his value? He has always played hard and tackled well. But Bronson has been limited in terms of range, and the injuries haven't helped.
Vinny Testaverde, QB, Jets
Scout's take: "He's a great backup. He will provide excellent assistance to a young, developing quarterback. But that's all he is now."
Where he might wind up: The Cowboys signed him Thursday. There was some talk that the Patriots would be interested as well, but Dallas and coach Bill Parcells made him a priority.
What's his value? Testaverde said he still wants to be a starter, and that could happen in Dallas. But the reality is that he's more of a backup now, and he will have to beat out Quincy Carter.
Trung Canidate, RB, Redskins
Scout's take: "He's not tough enough. He was a wasted pick with the Rams and was a fish out of water in Steve Spurrier's offense last year. He's a straight-line runner who isn't tough. That's the big knock on him."
Where he might wind up: Any team looking for a speed back should give him a look. The Raiders might give him a look, and perhaps the Cardinals and Rams will as well.
What's his value? He can be a quality backup, a change-of-pace guy, but Canidate can't be an every-down back. He's too soft.
Jeremiah Trotter, LB, Redskins
Scout's take: "He might look for a chance to win a Super Bowl. Has made a lot of money and played well at times. He's a tough guy who probably has a couple of years left. A team that is weak at linebacker might want to give him a look."
Where he might wind up: The Giants are interested as a possible replacement for Micheal Barrow, and the Seahawks will give him a look. If the Giants sign Trotter, that will be a move made by the front office; Coughlin usually isn't one to sign older players.
What's his value? Trotter hasn't been the same player since tearing up a knee in November of 2002. Now that he's two years removed from the injury, maybe he can still help a team in need of a solid run player.
Tyrone Williams, CB, Falcons
Scout's take: "He can't run anymore and he has a bad attitude. His days are numbered."
Where he might wind up: As a camp body for some team willing to take a chance on a player who dogged it last year.
What's his value? Not much. Slow-footed corners who don't appear to care aren't in much demand.
Daryl Gardener, DT, Broncos
Scout's take: "Buyer beware. He's had a lot of issues in his career."
Where he might wind up: Cincinnati. The Bengals have already agreed to a deal with Gardener, and he will likely start next to John Thornton.
What's his value? When he's on the field, and motivated, Gardener can be a force inside. But that's two big ifs. He was a flop in Denver after breaking his wrist in an off-field fight last year, so let's see if he can turn it around. He has the ability, but he has let a lot of it go to waste.
And now, a look to 2005
For those draft junkies out there in need of a fix just a little over a month removed from this year's draft, we have some information that will ease your withdrawal symptoms.
The National Scouting Combine recently completed its meetings at Long Boat Key, Fla., and came away with its 2004 player rankings, which SportsLine.com has obtained. The rankings include only seniors-to-be, so many of the top underclassmen that will go in the first round are not included.
The top-ranked player is Auburn running back Carnell "Cadillac" Williams. He is an elusive runner who thought about entering this year's draft but opted to return to school.
The rest of the top 10, in order, are:
Antrel Rolle, CB, Miami
David Pollack, DE, Georgia
Alex Barron, T,
Florida State
Braylon Edwards, WR, Michigan
Shaun Cody, DE, USC
Barrett Ruud, LB, Nebraska
Mark Clayton, WR, Oklahoma
Terrence
Murphy, WR, Texas A&M
Craphonso Thorpe, WR, Florida State
As you can see, there isn't a quarterback ranked in the top 10. No quarterback, in fact, was given a first-round grade. The highest-rated quarterback was Dan Orlovsky of Connecticut, who received a second-round grade.
Two big quarterback surprises were Arizona Stare quarterback Andrew Walter (fourth-round grade) and Florida State quarterback Chris Rix (seventh).
"Walter might be the first quarterback picked," said one NFC personnel director. "And to look at Rix, with all those tools, and think he won't be a high pick is ridiculous. He could be like Kerry Collins when he came out and have a big senior year and move way up the board."
The National Scouting Grades are usually just a starting point for the teams in that combine and not taken for anything more than that. The combine scouts are considered by many teams to be younger scouts learning the business, so there are a lot of missed and bad grades. But they do a lot of the legwork to get the scouts started, which his where the value comes in.
Around the league
- The Bengals know they have a big-play receiver in Pro Bowl player Chad Johnson and a good intermediate route runner in Peter Warrick. The player they want -- and need -- to step up in a big way is second-year player Kelley Washington. He showed signs of becoming a quality receiver last year when he caught 22 passes. He also didn't show any of the arrogance that he displayed at Tennessee, a trait that may have hurt him on draft day. Bengals offensive coordinator Bob Bratkowski said Washington has impressed this offseason, but the team is also considering adding one more receiver -- a speed guy if possible. Washington has also impressed starting quarterback Carson Palmer, who worked with him a bunch last season in practice. "He's having a real good spring," said Palmer. "I'm excited about our receivers." Look for the Bengals to use a lot of three-receiver sets to take advantage.
- The Colts might not have done much to improve the defense this offseason, but the explosive offense from a year ago is probably going to be even better. For one, the team is raving about the play of running back Edgerrin James. Now two years removed from a torn ACL, James has impressed the coaching staff with his quickness, bringing back pre-injury memories. Second-year tight end Dallas Clark and veteran receiver Brandon Stokley are also back healthy and will be key to the passing game, along with Marvin Harrison and Reggie Wayne. Stokley and Clark were never on the field together last year because of injuries, which limited the Colts. By the time Stokley was healthy, Clark was lost for the season with a broken leg. With those guys healthy, plus James looking like the James of old, the Colts will be one tough team to defend. Of course, if the defense doesn't make strides, this is a team that might be forced to win a lot of 35-31 games. That would be fun to watch.
- The players inside the Denver locker room are well aware that coach Mike Shanahan could be in trouble if this is not a playoff -- or deeper -- season. Shanahan has not won a playoff game since John Elway retired, and players know the shine might be coming off. "Guys aren't stupid," said one. "They know." Shanahan remains a quality game-time coach, but some of his personnel decisions have been questionable, which has led to problems on the field. The laundry list of flops -- including drafting corners Deltha O'Neal and Willie Middlebrooks in the first round as well as some other poor free-agent signings -- have tarnished the Teflon Coach's image. It doesn't help that three of this year's signings come with injury questions. The first is John Lynch, the veteran safety. He has been practicing in the team's offseason workouts, but his neck remains an issue; the Bucs have said that the Broncos required Lynch to sign an injury waiver. The other two damaged veterans are running back Garrison Hearst and defensive end Raylee Johnson. Hearst is back working this week after being slowed by foot problems, but Johnson has yet to work. He has plantar fasciitis, an inflammation of the fibrous band that originates at the bottom of the foot, an injury that is irritated when running. There is some speculation Johnson might not be able to play this season, although he has said he will be ready for training camp. At 33, Johnson probably doesn't heal as he once did. He was given a $1 million signing bonus as part of a three-year deal but has injury stipulations that could force him to repay the bonus if he can't play. The injury waiver will void, though, if he takes part in workouts, minicamps and the first seven days of training camp. So far, he's oh for two. Give the Broncos credit for covering their butts. But if Hearst, Lynch and Johnson bust out, Shanahan will feel even more heat.
- The Eagles have a good locker room. Therefore, they should be concerned with Jeff Blake coming in. Cardinals players, as did players in Baltimore the year before, tired of Blake's me-first attitude. That led them to call him "Leon," based on the selfish character from the beer ads. In Philadelphia, Blake is expected to compete with Koy Detmer for the backup job behind Donovan McNabb. Blake said all the right things when he signed, about how he's looking for a chance to win, but the Eagles had better hope he doesn't revert to his old ways and become a player teammates don't like. Backup quarterbacks with attitudes can divide a locker room.
- Will Tim Rattay make it back for the 49ers' first game after suffering a severe groin tear that required surgery? "It's really hard to tell," said 49ers coach Dennis Erickson. "I'm not a doctor, but they say he's making good progress. It takes a lot of things to go right to be ready for that first game. We're hopeful, though." Erickson said he liked what he saw from Rattay in his three starts last year, and he looked even more prepared leading up to the injury when it occurred on the first day of the May minicamp. "His grasp of the position impressed me," said Erickson. "I liked what I saw." The 49ers will tweak the offense some this season, which could mean more long balls with Rattay. "I do like the long ball off play-action," said Erickson. "That's something we will do more of." If Rattay isn't ready, Ken Dorsey will be the opening-day starter. He has gained 15 pounds and has impressed with his ability to pick up the offense. Dorsey also has a stronger arm than most in the league expected when he came out of Miami. Erickson is confident either of those players will be able to move the football.
- The past two seasons, Atlanta running back T.J. Duckett has come into camp out of shape, which did not endear him to the coaching staff. In his rookie year, Duckett had an off-field fight that limited his ability to work out, and then last year he opted to work out in California on his own and showed up out of shape. His coaches were furious, even if the Falcons brass kept their feelings about the matter private. This year, Duckett has been around the entire offseason taking part in the team's workouts and is in outstanding shape, according to team officials. This might be the breakout year for Duckett, who was limited far too much in terms of carries by the previous regime.
- Falcons note II: The team recently released several scouts from their contracts. One of those was Mike Hagen, who has one year left on his deal and will get paid this season. Hagen was one of the league's better scouts. He didn't always seem conventional in his approach -- his Hawaiian shirts not exactly the buttoned-down look some teams want -- but he knows football. A smart team will find a way to add him to its scouting staff.
- The Jaguars felt all along they would re-sign defensive end Tony Brackens after cutting him earlier this year for cap reasons. They did so Monday. The Jaguars thought Brackens would return because he has a home in Jacksonville, plus they allowed him to practice once a week last season as he battled back from knee surgery. That philosophy enabled him to start 15 games. At 29, Brackens can still be an above-average pass rusher. The one-year deal Brackens signed includes a $300,000 signing bonus and a base salary of $1.025 million. With a roster bonus of $398,000 and $300,000 in likely-to-be-earned incentives, his cap figure is $2.029 million. That doesn't count the $7 million in amortized bonus money that he is also counting based on his release in March, a move made so the Jaguars could take the cap hit this instead of spreading out into future years. Brackens had six sacks last year, but if he's healthy, he can be a 10-sack player. Considering Hugh Douglas has dedicated himself to being a better player on the other side -- he has dropped a bunch of weight -- the Jaguars could have a heck of a defensive front with those two and tackles John Henderson and Marcus Stroud.
