DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Pure Football Forum Peter King's MMQB (a couple Browns notes)...LONG.

Most of this isn't all that interesting, so I highlighted the Browns stuff.

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Preseason madness

Breaking down three options to fix the system

Posted: Monday August 27, 2007 9:34AM;
Updated: Monday August 27, 2007 11:16AM

Three news items of the week, 10 days before the opening of the 88th NFL season:

I have a feeling The Next Big Thing on Roger Goodell's radar after the Michael Vick case and after the commish gets a handle on concussions and how the league can improve the lives of retired players, will be fixing the preseason.

Goodell's not blind. He sees what a joke preseason games are. Reigning league MVP LaDainian Tomlinson hasn't played in one of them in two years, and the commish sees how other stars such as Steven Jackson are starting to follow in LT's footsteps. He sees the embarrassing yawning gaps of empty seats at some of the August games, with thousands of season-ticket-holders staying home rather than using the tickets to snore through three quarters. (They can't even give them away, apparently.)

He'll see even more of that in the fourth weekend of the games, this week coming up, when, if you're lucky, you'll see the regular players for one series. Some teams, like New England, will quite literally dress only enough rookies and young scrubs to make it through the game, giving 28 or so regulars the night off entirely. (Watch the Patriot sideline Thursday night in Foxboro. It'll look like the sideline at a Montana six-man football game. You'll say, "Hey, where is everybody?'' And everybody you've ever heard of will be in Back Bay, having dinner with the family on a peaceful night off.)

Goodell is not the first commissioner who knew there was something wrong with asking the customers to pay regular-season prices for these stupid games. Paul Tagliabue also found it increasingly hard to take, trying to get fans fired up for the regular season by making them watch backup players in half-empty stadiums when season-ticket-holders couldn't even give the seats away. Football Fever! Catch it!

In baseball, teams play in Class-A stadiums in spring training and charge fans about a third of what they'd charge for the regular games. The same situation would be perfect in football. Instead, the games-are held in the regular stadiums and the prices are the same as those for regular season games. In New England, for instance, fans will play the same price to see Matt Cassel throw to Kelvin Kight this week as they'll pay to see Tom Brady link up with Randy Moss when the real games start.

There are several ways to make over the preseason. As I went on my rounds last week, I surveyed feeling around the league on the three basic options the league has, and here's what I found:

1. Eliminate preseason games entirely and play an 18-game schedule. Zero chance. Too many football people want the games as a means of weed-whacking the rosters down to 53. "If you had no preseason, it'd be Raggedy Andy football the first week or two,'' Indy president Bill Polian told me.

I asked him what every fan would ask, and what I've heard from players and fans the past couple of weeks: What about college football? The colleges don't play preseason games, and their game seems to work just fine come Labor Day weekend.

"But colleges do have preseason games,'' said Polian. "They just don't call them that. Look at what the Big Ten does the first couple of weeks, scheduling Mid-American Conference opponents. [Elsewhere,] maybe Buffalo goes to Auburn, or Troy State to Nebraska. Lots of the big-time colleges play a couple of those before they play conference games, and those games serve as their preseason games.

"There are a few reasons we have to have the preseason games," he added. "In order to play football, you have to condition your body for contact. And you have to get that contact, I believe, in a game-type atmosphere, where you adjust mentally to an opponent and what he's going to do. I think you also have to adjust to the cycle of playing games, the weekly cycle of preparing and playing and recovering. Then there's the test of seeing how players perform when the lights are on in the crucible of competition. It's why I love this fourth preseason game coming up. We'll play all the bubble guys and it'll be the big Petri-dish game for them. It will decide whether we keep five or four tight ends, six or five wide receivers. Who's the second running back?

"I remember the preseason games are how Dominic Rhodes won a job with us. He was having a heck of a time adjusting to our offense out of [Midwestern State] in Texas. He was totally a fish out of water. But when the lights came on he really shined, and he turned out to be an important player for us.''

Polian and Baltimore GM Ozzie Newsome think if the number of games rises to 18, the size of the roster will have to increase too, from 53 to 57 or 58. "And where are those players going to come from?'' Newsome said. "The pool of qualified players hasn't increased in college football. We've got 50 guys on this roster right now ready to play a regular-season game. Do I have 53 guys ready to play Cincinnati on opening night? I don't have that. We're lucky we only have to dress 46. If we had to pick five more players, I don't know where they'd come from.''

As Polian figures, the NFL still hasn't recovered from the expansion from 28 to 32 teams over the past 12 years. The four extra teams mean 212 extra players. If you add five more players per roster, that's 160 players total, which means that in less than a generation you've added 372 more players to the pool. "I know this,'' said Polian. "If you increase the number of games to 18, you absolutely would have to increase the roster. By the time we get to late November, our eight inactive players every Sunday are almost always injured.''

2. Cut the preseason back to three games, and add a 17th regular-season game. This is the option that clearly has the best chance of happening, at least in the next couple of years. It's the one Goodell said last spring the league would consider, and he has been reiterating in internal league circles that he's serious about investigating this option. Goodell would investigate pairing a 17th game with playing up to four international games per season, so the NFL could stay current with the NBA and Major League baseball, both of which are playing overseas regularly now.

"I'm all for a 17th game,'' said Ray Lewis, "as long as they pay us for it. The way I look at it is they're already sending us out there for part of a preseason game, so we're already risking injury. Why not have an extra game and just pay us?''

An additional game would also make it more tolerable for teams to play overseas, because no team would have fewer than eight home dates. The Chiefs already are on record (in this column) as saying they'd favor a game in Germany, as early as next year. And no team would mind terribly playing a game in Canada or Mexico. The real test is going to come with asking Seattle and New England, for example, to play a real game in China. Paul Allen and Bob Kraft would be in favor of it because of the business opportunities associated with such a game and because they think the league needs to expand its horizons. Mike Holmgren and Bill Belichick? Well, I think you know how they'd feel about playing halfway across the world (really halfway, in the case of the Pats).

Andy Reid spoke for many coaches the other day when he told me he wished the league would stay with a 16-game slate. "How much can the body take?'' he asked. "You add a 17th game, and it's just another exposure to injury. What about the veterans, especially? You just try to get them through the season. Last year, we had to play what was essentially a 17th game, the playoff game at New Orleans, and we had to do that on a short week. We played on Saturday on the road. My guys were tanked.''

But the league's going to do something. I feel sure of that. And this 17th-game concept, if the players union gets the same-percentage cut of the pie as it has for the existing 16, is the most logical way of doing it.

3. Play two preseason games, and expand the schedule to 18 games. Eventually, 15 years down the road, this is the next step. It is not the first step. The 17-game sked is the first step. Ask me about this one for a Monday Morning Quarterback in 2022.

Onto the second of today's top three news items. It's going to be very hard for the Falcons to collect much of that bonus money they've already paid to Michael Vick. John Czarnecki of Foxsports.com first reported there was something fishy about this contract and Atlanta's attempt to get the money back. Now I've had a look at the deal, and I agree with him.

The contract, dated Dec. 24, 2004, has a signing bonus of $7.5 million included, plus roster bonuses of $22.5 million in 2005 and $7 million in 2006. That $29.5 million, I believe, is not retrievable, even if the Falcons claim either that it's just another way to pay bonus money or it was later converted to a signing bonus in what would simply have been an accounting move. Here it is, in black and white, on the Player Contract Information Form on file with the league. "Roster Bonus.'' And Vick was on the roster, of course, in both of those years. I think they're out of luck.

Now about that $7.5 million signing bonus. For cap purposes, according to the contract, the signing bonus was pro-rated over a five-year term -- 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008. Vick, I believe, will have to fork over the last two years because he won't be on the team in 2007 and '08. (He'll never be on the team again, but that's another story.) And so 40 percent of the $7.5 million is $3 million. That's what I believe the Falcons will be able to recover. That is, of course, if Vick is still good for it. And who knows what he's done with his money

Thirdly, supporters of Art Monk, Andre Reed, Andre Tippett and the late Derrick Thomas should be happy this morning. Their guys have a better chance to get into the Hall of Fame today than they did a week ago.

In the last four years, the Pro Football Hall of Fame has had a maximum of six slots open for entry. But in each of those years, two Seniors Committee candidates were up for entry, and seven of those eight total players have been enshrined. What that means is that only four spots were then available for modern-era candidates. Last week, the Hall announced the maximum annual class would increase from six to seven members, with this proviso: The maximum modern era class each year would be five. If either or both of the Senior candidates were not elected, no more than five of the modern guys would get in.

Cut out the gobbledygook, and this is what just happened: The backlog of worthy candidates should begin to break. As one of the selectors, I've seen a thaw in the borderline candidates, starting with the election of Harry Carson a couple of years ago. And I would be surprised if guys such as Monk, Tippett, Charles Haley and Richard Dent (and Thomas, for that matter) continued to get shut out. I'm not saying all of them will get in. They won't, at least not in the immediate future. But now at least there's a chance for a seven-man class each year.

My guess is that Monk and Tippett, of the candidates who have been on the bubble in the past few years, have the best shot of breaking through in 2008.

The Hall also has okayed increasing the number of selectors from 40 to 50, to be phased in gradually over the next few years. This year the room will have 44 voters. That's good if you think -- as many of you do -- that the limited number of voters has had too much power over the process, and more voters should cut down on the prejudices that keep some candidates from entry. Personally, I don't think it will matter much, but we'll see.

Quote of the Week I

"You are now justifiably facing consequences for the decisions you made and the conduct in which you engaged. Your career, freedom and public standing are now in the most serious jeopardy.''

-- NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, in a letter to Michael Vick, informing him he was being banned from the game indefinitely.

Quote of the Week II

"Peace, Phillips and Vick agreed to the killing of approximately 6-8 dogs that did not perform well in 'testing' sessions at 1915 Moonlight Road, and all of those dogs were killed by various methods, including hanging and drowning. Vick agrees and stipulates that these dogs all died as a result of the collective efforts of Peace, Phillips and Vick.''

-- A passage from the plea agreement detailing Vick's admissions, implicating Vick and co-defendants Quanis Phillips and Purnell Peace.

Quote of the Week III

"I wish people would stop sugarcoating it. This is Mike's thing. And he knows it.''

-- Michael Boddie, the estranged father of Vick, on his son's love of dogfighting, in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Quote of the Week IV

"He is now a role model for something terrible, and it's not appropriate that he suit up in an NFL uniform.''

-- Wayne Pacelle, president of the Humane Society of the United States, following the Vick plea deal.

Quote of the Week V

"From what I hear, dogfighting is a sport. It's just behind closed doors.''

-- New York Knicks guard Stephon Marbury

Quote of the Week VI

"I feel sorry for Arthur, because I know it can happen to any one of us. I don't know how a lot of our players spend their private time. If someone is a really good poker player, he could be living a private life that's very different than what we think. You hope you never get snookered by it.''

-- New England owner Robert Kraft to the Boston Globe's Jackie MacMullan, on Atlanta owner Arthur Blank, who got blindsided by Michael Vick's love of dogfighting.

Quote of the Week VII

"I can tell you about every one of those four incompletions that should be complete.''

-- New Orleans quarterback Drew Brees, who has completed 35 of 39 passes in his last three preseason games.

Quote of the Week VIII

"I'm not going to lose any sleep [over] what Tiki has to say. I guess I could have questioned his leadership skills last year with calling out the coach and having articles about him retiring in the middle of the season and [how] he's lost the heart. As a quarterback, you're reading your running back has lost the heart to play the game, and it's about the 10th week. Well, I could see that a little bit at times.''

--Giants quarterback Eli Manning, after Tiki Barber criticized his leadership ability on NBC's Football Night in America' halftime show eight days ago.

Three little points on this story:

1. The day Barber walked out of the Giants' locker room forever, he ceased to be a New York Giants' employee and became an NBC employee. He now owes his 110 percent to telling the truth as he sees it for NBC, not to anyone else.

2. One of the New York tabs called the Barber-Manning thing a "vicious feud.'' Come on. This is some interesting and valid criticism by Barber of a player most teammates will privately agree is a little too mild-mannered for his position. And I would hardly call Manning's statement about Barber's supposed diminution of heart ("I could see that a little bit at times'') the start of Alexander Hamilton-Aaron Burr II. "Vicious feud,'' no. "Mild sniping by former teammates,'' yes.

3. Peyton Manning says he now knows one business he won't get into at the end of his career, after hearing Barber's criticism. Whoa, whoa. Say it ain't so. Of all the players I've talked to over the years, Manning is among the top five who can interestingly explain what happens on the field. It'd be a shame if Peyton decided to never do TV because he's afraid of knocking someone.

Factoid of the Week That May Interest Only Me I

Under terms of his plea agreement, Vick has to pay for all the costs associated with the 53 dogs living on his property and now being housed at a Virginia animal shelter. If the dogs are euthanized (most, if not all, have been trained in a manner that they cannot be house pets), Vick will have to pay for the cost of putting them to sleep.

Factoid of the Week That May Interest Only Me II

All this anti-dog news. I had to come up with a non-depressing dog note of the week. Denver long-snapper Mike Leach, who last year played zero snaps at his old college position, tight end, has a Golden Retriever named Snapper.

Factoid of the Week That May Interest Only Me III

Xzavie Jackson is a longshot rookie defensive end from Missouri trying to make the Bengals' roster. Mentioned him when I visited Bengals camp last month. Now it's time for Xzavie Jackson, the sequel. The logical question: Where'd that name come from?

"My mom wanted her kids to start at the end of the alphabet,'' the friendly Xzavie said one day in training camp. "I guess she wanted to challenge us. My sister has an unusual name too. It's 'Zerath.'''

"How do you spell that?'' I wondered.

Xzavie paused. "I'm not positive,'' he said. "But I think it's 'Z-E-R-A-T-H.'''

Hmmm. That's unusual, not being sure how to spell your sister's name. But he plowed ahead.

"If my sister has a kid before me, she's going to give the baby a name starting with 'Y.' Then we'll work backwards in the alphabet,'' Xzavie said.

Just another reason to root for Xzavie.

Aggravating/Enjoyable Travel Note of the Week

I've sung the praises of living on the East Coast as it relates to covering the NFL, but last week was a perfect example of how great it is to live within a four-hour drive of six teams (Washington, Baltimore, Philadelphia, Giants, Jets, New England). I had five NFL scouting reports to finish for Sports Illustrated early in the week -- our NFL preview issue hits the stands this week -- but needed to rub elbows with two of the teams I'm picking to make the playoffs, the Ravens and Eagles. So I left my house in north Jersey at 8:30 on Wednesday morning, was on the sidelines of the Ravens practice in Owings Mills at 11:45 and spent the afternoon with Ravens players, coaches and club officials (and former owner Art Modell, who, despite being wheelchair-bound, is as chipper and feisty as ever).

I hoteled alongside I-95 in Wilmington, 70 minutes north of Baltimore, and drove the 45 minutes to the Eagles complex in south Philly early the next morning. Saw Andy Reid and the Iggles on Thursday morning. Not an in-depth visit with either squad, but enough to take the pulse of each team. Home by 1. What a country!

Stat of the Week I

I got a great kick out of one NFL general manager telling me the other day that he equates the holdouts in the NFL every year with Hurricane season. "They had Hurricane Lance up in Chicago for a while, and now there's Hurricane Asante in New England,'' the GM said. Linebacker Lance Briggs, he meant, and cornerback Asante Samuel.

The effects were localized, as with a hurricane, and few people outside the areas really cared much about the holdouts. Now that the Samuel story seems to be ending (everyone and his football-loving brother in this business is reporting Samuel will be in Patriots camp in time to play the opening game), here's the real reason why:

In 2006, Samuel earned $460,000 to play the full season with New England. In 2007, Samuel will earn $458,235 per week to play for New England. That's his $7.79 million divided by 17, which is the number of game checks each player gets during the season.
Stat of the Week II

Think the Patriots are trying to get Laurence Maroney ready for the season? In the Pats' first 13 snaps at Carolina on Friday night, Maroney carried 10 times.

Ten Things I Think I Think

1. I think if the 90s had O.J. as a sports star falling from grace, this decade has Vick.

2. I think it's all well and good for me to suggest teams hire FBI or Secret Service agents to look into the backgrounds of players. But as one friend with very good knowledge of the Browns tells me, if the coach and front office don't listen to the gumshoe making the recommendation, why have the guy in the building?

When the Browns did their background checks before the 2001 and 2002 drafts, the security staff -- led by Lew Merletti, who prior to joining the Browns was Bill Clinton's top Secret Service aide -- unveiled troubling information on Gerard Warren (in '01) and William Green (in '02). The security staff expressed serious reservations about each player, based on some bad decisions in their respective personal lives. And yet, Cleveland picked them in the first round anyway. In Warren's case, the Browns chose him over Richard Seymour, even though the scouts in the building recommended Seymour over Warren.

Moral of the story: When the talent level is close, always go with the better role model. And listen to some of the best investigators in the world when they tell you to be careful with a player.

3. I think the one great thing about August football games is this: Jacoby Jones, wide receiver, Lane College. The third-round pick of the Texans, a second-day draft prospect on many teams' boards, has morphed into an excellent complement to Andre Johnson andcould be the receiver Houston has sought to deflect some of the attention from Johnson.

At 6-foot-2, 210 pounds, and with average speed (4.48) for a split receiver, Jones has shown excellent hands in camp. The game's not too big for him. In three preseason outings, he has eight catches, one for a touchdown, and two more touchdowns in the return game.

Says Johnson: "He's awesome. Once he learns the ins and outs, the sky is the limit for him." And this from Jones: "I don't want to wake up. It's the kind of thing you have dreams of as a little boy, watching yourself playing on TV, and you're really doing it."

4. I think I'm not sure I buy Donovan McNabb's outrage over the waiving of Jeremiah Trotter. It seems a little convenient to me. For starters, McNabb has never been close to Trotter, who aligned himself with Terrell Owens during Owens' ill-fated tenure with Philadelphia. But more important, McNabb has always been viewed by some corners of the locker room as too much of a company man, so by publicly questioning Trotter's release, McNabb can say to his locker room: I'm beholden to no one here, and I call 'em as I see 'em.

In the end, Trotter had lost some speed, and the Eagles, who have been borderline ruthless with some personnel decisions in the Andy Reid Era, decided it was better to give Trotter a chance to find a job out there before the final cutdown -- because the team knew he wasn't a part of its future. From his Trotter outburst, McNabb also seems to be saying to Reid: I'm not going to be your blindly loyal guy anymore.

I don't care how many niceties come out of the mouths of either McNabb or Reid. Their relationship was affected by the drafting of Kevin Kolb in the second round on draft day. McNabb sent a message that he didn't appreciate that, and I think you'll see him become more distant from Reid as time goes by.

5. I think these were the most impressive players I saw over the weekend:

a. Cleveland linebacker D'Qwell Jackson, who tormented Jay Cutler a couple of times. Jackson hits like a pickup truck. He's an underrated player.

b. Jets backup quarterback Kellen Clemens, who's playing like he's going to challenge for the starting job by Halloween -- and I'm serious about that.

c. Tom Brady. Surprise!

d. David Tyree. The Giants' backup wideout and special-teams player probably saved his roster spot by downing a punt at the 1.

e. Vince Wilfork, the New England defensive tackle, who blocked one field goal try against Carolina and collapsed the line on another Patriots' block.

f. Eagles defensive tackle Brodrick Bunkley, who was a waste of a roster spot last year in Philly, after being a mid-first-round pick. Now he's playing like the interior space-eater he was drafted to be. Embarrassed by his poor play and his weight last year, Bunkley reported in shape this year and is playing like a house possessed.

g. Matt Schaub. Saw only highlights of Texans-Cowboys, but I noticed one thing about Schaub: a presence that was sorely lacking at the quarterback position in Houston the last couple of years. Nothing against David Carr, but Schaub looks like he had a command of that team borne out of demonstrated ability.

6. I think I hope the NFL listens to Wade Phillips, who said after the annual Cowboys-Texas exhibition: "I hope the league sets it up so we play them every year, not just preseason but regular season. I think every in-state rivalry should have it. The Giants and Jets should play, Redskins and Ravens should play, we should play the Texans every year. So Mr. Goodell, please set that up."

I second that. It is absurd the Raiders and Niners play once every four years. The way to accomplish this is simple. Each team is assigned a rival in the other conference that it would play every year. Half the teams in the league, or maybe 18, would have it easy. Giants-Jets, Ravens-Skins, Steelers-Eagles, Bucs-Dolphins, Chiefs-Rams, Texans-Cowboys, Raiders-49ers, Jags-Falcons, Bears-Colts. The other 14 teams would invent a rivalry, because some teams would not have a natural rival. Arizona-San Diego. Seattle-Denver. Detroit-Cleveland. And some teams wouldn't have a regional or sensible rival; and in those cases, the teams would have to just take one for the league. The benefit to most is worth some pain to others.

7. I think these are my thoughts on the preseason weekend:

a. Peyton Manning, 23 of 27, three touchdowns. I swear when Manning and Drew Brees play in their season opener in 10 days, they're going to complete 98 percent of their passes for 63 touchdowns.

b. The Lions' corners are killing them. When Fernando Bryant's your best cover guy, you've got to seriously rethink your thought that Detroit can be a playoff team. I know I do.

c. Nice presence by Ben Roethlisberger on Sunday night against the Eagles.

d. Three touchdowns by Brady Quinn now, all in garbage time. But it's encouraging to see a guy who missed so much practice time playing competently.

e. Weird. J.T. O'Sullivan played the entire game for Detroit at quarterback.

f. Stephen Gostkowski has missed three field goals in three games.

g. In Washington, lightning and severe weather forced the game to be called in the third quarter. Steve McNair played well and led two nice drives in a light first-half rain.

h. Rex Grossman rebounded from his Monday debacle (though he inexplicably fumbled another snap), completing 13 of 20 for 211 yards.

i. Nice goal-line stuff by the Philly linebackers in Pittsburgh early on. Takeo Spikes has taken on a nice leadership role and an even better hole-filling role on the D.

8. I think Randy Moss will play opening day, for all you fans of the Patriots or fantasy football. Or both.

9. Carolina's defense must be driving John Fox nuts. In 35 minutes Friday night, the Panthers' first unit allowed 256 yards.

10. I think these are my non-football thoughts of the week:

a. What would we do without the Devil Rays?

b. No more [Eric] Gagne references in the column this week. I promised my doctor, who is worried about my blood pressure.

c. I'm still shaking my head about the Newark Star-Ledger's amazing feat Saturday morning. We get the final edition of the paper, and it's famous for having all the West Coast box scores in the Essex County edition. So I wake up Saturday morning, get the paper in the driveway at about 7:40, open up the sports section and see this headline on the third sports page: "The late, late show: Yanks fall at 3:29 a.m.'' And in the Yankees Notebook below, the box score is there.

I'm still amazed. I'm reading about a game that ended four hours earlier, with the box score, with my Cheerios. That is one awesome feat. You run one heck of a department there, Tom Bergeron.

d. Speaking of Yanks-Tigers, what moron decided a four-hour, one-minute rain delay was tolerable, and that starting a 7:05 p.m. game at 11:06 p.m. was a good idea? That's got to be the most inconsiderate thing done this year to fans and players -- who had to yawn their way through the game.

e. Coffeenerdness: Starbucks is doing something with music that just has to stop. They've got all the music satellited into their stores, and someone in Seattle must have forgotten to change the CD, because I hear the same old Motown tunes every single morning I walk in there. What's going on up there? You guys got that music on some tape loop? Could someone up there change it please?

f. In the last month -- from July 27 through late Sunday night -- I've written 62,700 words for SI and SI.com. A book is 85,000 words, give or take a paragraph.

g. The Red Sox scored 46 runs in 51 hours in their four-game sweep in Chicago, thanks in large part to David Ortiz finally starting to hit. For a few months, he was producing an awful lot like Brian Daubach.

h. The amazing stat about that 30-3 baseball game the other night, won by Texas against Baltimore: The 7-8-9 hitters in the Rangers lineup had 14 runs scored, 13 hits and 16 RBI. You've got to read that last one again.

I heard that today on sirius about Warren and green. WTH would you hire someone to do a job like that, and then frickin ignore them?! Makes NO sense ....

Notice, nobody said anything about Jeremia Pharms

Two words - Butch Davis

'01 and '02 were a long time ago... we need to move on.

Second.. if everything anybody does with or against the second team in preseason is always considered "against the scrubs" and pointless, then why in the hell do we even play 4 quarters in preseason... get together, scrimmage 1s on 1s for half an hour and go home.

But then you couldn't force season tix owners to pay what $70 each for 4 preseason games. Well I guess they would anyway.

Ladanian Tomlinson

Nice to see D'Qwell getting some love, that dude is a freakin beast!

he still has improving to do, but he owns my favorite defensive play of the preseason...demolished that screen by Denver...

That was a helluva play...that's instinct, and ability!

lol poor ole Butcher
good to see DQ getting some rec the guy deserves respect

The Tuesday edition, more Browns stuff.


http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/writers/peter_king/08/28/mmqbte/1.html

All good things take time
Despite hot start, Quinn not ready to lead Browns
Posted: Tuesday August 28, 2007 4:08PM; Updated: Tuesday August 28, 2007 4:29PM

Everyone jump for joy! This column is a Vick-free zone!

There will be plenty of chances to write about He Who Shall Not Be Named Today as we go through the season, but if you're like me, you are ready to get on with the exploits of 1,696 other football players and 31 other teams right about now.

And so here we go. I am prodded by my Browns-loving HBO buddy, Jason Cohen, and Brian, of Rockville, Md., to address Brady Quinn. A worthy topic. Jason e-mailed me Saturday night at 11:23 thusly: "How sick am I? It's Saturday night and I am listening to a Denver radio station streamed through the Web just to listen to the Browns preseason game so I can be a part of Brady-mania. And it paid off -- another TD pass. The savior keeps on doing it. Bench Frye. Cut Anderson and start the only guy that can give us a chance to win this year.''

But what do you really think, Jason?

And this from Brian in Rockville: "I ask this question specifically to the Brady Quinn situation but am also curious about it in general: Do teams punish new players for their earlier holdouts by not playing (or in Quinn's case, starting) them as early as they should?

A few thoughts. Quinn missed 16 practices. In those 16 practices (and in the offensive team meetings before the practices, or at night), the Browns installed specific offensive plays, formations and protections. For instance, in one meeting offensive coordinator Ron Chudzinki and quarterback coach Rip Scherer might have instructed the players on 15 plays, giving out individual assignments, what keys the quarterback should look for, who his hot receiver is, what his progression is, etc. Now I'm not sure how they caught Quinn up on all the missed time, but it's fair to say they gave him a package of plays in each of the first two preseason games that they knew he could handle and have confidence in executing.

Now, do some coaches practice some vindictiveness if a guy holds out? Yes. No question about it. But let's be realistic. Romeo Crennel knows he's coaching for his job right now. He knows the buzzards are circling. But the worst thing he could do right now is have rabbit ears and listen to Jason from New York, Bob from Berea and Sharon from Shaker Heights. The logical thing, unless Charlie Frye and Derek Anderson are either injured or off-the-charts awful, is to get Quinn ready to play the last 10 games of the season, after the bye, beginning at St. Louis on Oct. 28. I don't think you play him against Dick LeBeau's fire zone blitzes in Week 1, or at crazy Rob Ryan's multiple defensive fronts in Oakland in Week 3, or against Baltimore, New England and Miami -- all top 10 defenses, potentially -- the following three weeks.

Browns fans, hear my plea: You're not winning the Super Bowl this year.
Developing Quinn is not a sprint; it's a marathon. Patience, my bloodthirsty Brownies. Patience.


Now on to the rest of the e-mail.

A REBUTTAL TO BILL POLIAN. From Rick Korch, director of football information, University of Miami, Coral Gables, Fla.: "As a PR guy who's been in both the NFL and college football, I have to disagree with what Bill Polian said about college football's 'preseason games' and give you my thoughts. Sure, every college wants an easy game in Week 1, which is why Miami and Florida State will no longer play on Labor Day night. Neither team was quite ready yet, which is why neither team scored more than one touchdown in regulation in the last three years.

"This Saturday, Miami opens with Marshall, which is not a cakewalk, and then we travel to Oklahoma. And Week 2 is when college football gets going -- Miami-Oklahoma, Oregon-Michigan, Virginia Tech-LSU, and so on. Those are hardly preseason games. But the biggest difference between Week 1 in college football and an NFL preseason game is that the games DO count in college, regardless of how good or bad the opponent is. I was at the Dolphins-Bucs game last weekend (in our new 2008 home, Dolphin Stadium) and it was odd to watch a game that did not count ... and one that fans really didn't care about.''

All good points, Rick. Thanks. I checked some of the major college schedules when I saw your e-mail, and it seems like some schools do it the Polian way, but many don't. Texas A&M opens with Montana State, Fresno State and Louisiana-Monroe, but Notre Dame opens with Georgia Tech, Penn State and Michigan. Washington could start 0-3 -- the Huskies open at Syracuse, then have Boise State and Ohio State.

COULD THE BEARS HAVE KEPT THE WRONG RUNNING BACK? From Vance P., of Springfield, Ill.: "The more I see Cedric Benson play, the more he looks like a draft bust. Wasn't he drafted with all the hype of Sweetness? His career has been like other Bears RB busts; do the names Rashaan Salaam and Curtis Enis ring bells? While not great, Thomas Jones was pretty good, agree?

As I said in this week's SI, I think the Bears may rue the day they traded Jones, because I think he's a better running back than Benson. I would not be surprised if the Bears end up giving the ball to Adrian Peterson and Garrett Wolfe, combined, 200 times this year. Peterson's carried the ball mostly in garbage time, but if you're like me, every time you see him run he does something positive. And a 4.7-yard average per carry in a career is pretty good, obviously. Benson's not going to be given the ball for very long if he's leaving a bunch of second-and-eights on the scoreboard.

AND WHAT ABOUT LeCHUCK? From Matt, of Vacaville, Calif.: "Do you see LeCharles Bentley returning to the Browns at some point this year?''

When I visited camp four weeks ago, I found the Browns hopefully skeptical about Bentley's return. I don't think much has changed, particularly seeing that today they put Bentley on the Physically Unable to Perform list, which will keep him out until at least late October. What really encourages them, though, is that Bentley has been working so diligently to TRY to return, instead of doing what some players would be doing right now -- sulking through a second year of injury rehab and cashing the monstrous checks.



THE JAGS ARE COMING, AARON. From Aaron, of Atlantic Beach, Fla.: "Could the Jags fans that read your illustrious column get some sort of take from you about how the season's going to go, and what you think of Charles Sharon, who is looking a lot like Marques Colston?''

I like the Jags a lot right now. Re: Sharon, I've only heard about him; haven't seen him yet. But I know he's going to have the chance, because Jacksonville is searching for two consistent outside receivers to start, with Dennis Northcutt the likely slot guy in three-wideout formations. He sort of fits the Colston bill, except that he's even more of an underdog, coming from Bowling Green as a college free-agent. At least Colston was drafted. Jacksonville is one of the teams I like to play in January -- assuming they stay healthy on defense, which was a problem last year.

IDEA NO. 1 ABOUT THE 17TH GAME ON THE REGULAR-SEASON SLATE. From Patrick Manley, of Sioux Falls, S.D.: "A 17th game could be the rivals game. The NFL wouldn't have to change how they figure the current schedule for opponents. Maybe schedule Rivalry Weekend for late in the year. It would be a great way to ratchet up the interest for the playoff push.''

Brilliant, Patrick. I mean, really a smart idea.

IDEA NO. 2 ABOUT THE 17TH GAME, ALL THE WAY FROM FRANCE. From Sami Toutounji, of Paris, France: "I'm all for a 17th game, but I don't get the link between that and a shortened preseason. Would the first regular season game in a 17-game season be less competitive than the first game in a 16-game season? One could just as easily cut the preseason back to three and maintain the regular season at 16. The real issue addressed by the 17th game is internationalism. Isn't the 3/17 format just a tradeoff?''

Good question. I think the one thing you learn about the NFL being around it for a while is that owners and players don't want to give up money without a way of getting some money in return. So if the preseason is shortened, I think it's almost a given that the regular season will be lengthened.

IDEA NO. 3 ABOUT THE 17TH GAME. From Jim, of New York City: "Why don't the owners play one game per team per season, 16 in all, in either international venues or in cities in the United States that would love to see the NFL? Imagine the Browns playing a game in Columbus, or the Saints trying to expand their fan base by playing in Jackson, Miss., or the Raiders playing in Sacramento.''

Jim, are you sure you don't work in the league office? I love that idea. Imagine the Browns playing once every four years, for example, at the Horseshoe. Imagine the Seahawks appealing to the regional fan by playing once every four years in, say, Eugene or Portland. That is one great idea.

FIX THE PRESEASON, MR. GOODELL. From Ryan Nielsen, of Hudson, Wis.: "Thanks for being one of those who brought the preseason game issues to the forefront. One other point: more and more teams are now playing late-week preseason games. Like many Packers fans, I don't live next door to Lambeau Field. To see a Thursday night game, I have to take two days of vacation, drive eight hours round-trip and pay $59 for an end-zone seat to watch backups play most of the minutes. I had to beg people to buy the seats at less than half face value. I realize loss of revenue would be an issue by reducing pre-season to one home game, but stop biting the hand that feeds you NFL!''

I like your town. Stayed there many a night while covering the Chiefs in River Falls. And Joe Thomas' bride is from there. She likes to fish.