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  • Lenny P's Insider Tip Sheet

    Friday, June 9, 2006
    Future of cornerback unclear

    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    By Len Pasquarelli
    ESPN.com

    At this juncture of his NFL career, Will Peterson should be heading into his prime, not entering a period of potential football purgatory. But the former New York Giants' standout cornerback, reluctantly released by the franchise on May 26 after he failed an extensive, two-day battery of physical examinations, is facing the latter as a result of his recurring back problems.
    And because, in a bizarre twist of anatomical fate, his back apparently wasn't broken badly enough in 2005, when Peterson appeared in only two regular-season games.

    Confused? Well, get in line, right behind Peterson. Just, please, don't bump him in the back.

    In 2003, his second year in the league, Peterson missed the final 11 games of the season after suffering a stress fracture to the right transverse process, a small bone in the lower back. Peterson returned to camp the following summer and was still so highly regarded by the Giants the team signed him to a five-year, $27 million contract extension. He responded by playing in all 16 games in 2004, arguably enjoying the best campaign of his young career.

    But then last season, the back woes flared up in camp, worsened early in the season, and eventually forced Peterson, a third-round choice in the 2001 draft, onto the injured reserve list.

    The diagnosis: An old displaced fracture and so-called "hot spots," an auguring of a potential stress fracture, to the left transverse process of Peterson's back. Unlike the 2003 injury, this one wasn't a full-blown fracture and, as Peterson soon learned, he might have been better off in the long run if the injury actually had been worse.


    Will Peterson's talent is undeniable, but injuries may destroy his playing career.
    "Basically, they told him it would be better if the bone was broken all the way," said agent Ron Slavin. "So one of the things suggested was that he do some hard running, hoping to break the bone. Instead, with all the running he did, the area around the bone got stronger. Ironically, it didn't make his lower back any stronger, at least in terms that would allow him to play. So now he's got to build up the back before he can return to the league, and we just don't know how long that will take."

    Surgery is out of the question, Slavin acknowledged, because it definitely would finish Peterson's once promising career. And so the best guess, even as personnel directors from around the league phone Slavin to inquire about the condition of his suddenly free-agent client, is that Peterson will spend a year trying to rehabilitate his back, and then hopefully return to the NFL in 2007.

    It is far too early in the rehabilitation process to know if Peterson's possible comeback is a long shot or perhaps no shot at all.

    But consider this: The former Western Illinois star will be only 28 years old this time next year, not exactly a youngster anymore, but still an age at which most cornerbacks haven't yet headed down the most slippery side of the coverage hill. He will be coming off a full year of rest, with some rust, no doubt, but minus the rigors of an NFL season. And in the NFL, everyone is always looking for cornerbacks, a premium position.

    On the flip side, a year from now, Peterson will have gone 21 months without having lined up in an NFL game. In fact, at that point, Peterson will have appeared in just 23 games in four years. Even those curious teams perhaps intrigued by getting a steal in Peterson aren't going to ante up anything close to the $12.06 million in base salaries that was left on his contract when the Giants released him.

    Peterson, though, was on his way to becoming an elite cornerback in the league when his back problems stopped his advance. When it comes to cornerbacks, league personnel chiefs have elephantine memories. You can bet that, during Peterson's rehabilitation, teams will continue to monitor him. If he demonstrates any evidence at all of having moved beyond his back woes and returning to his previous form as a solid, physical cornerback, teams will be interested in getting a closer look at him next spring.



    • It's always difficult for a team to admit a mistake with a high-round draft choice, but a tip of the cap to New Orleans general manager Mickey Loomis and first-year coach Sean Payton for cutting their losses with defensive tackle Johnathan Sullivan and linebacker Courtney Watson this week. On consecutive days, the Saints shipped Sullivan, a first-rounder in 2003 and the sixth overall player selected that year, and 2004 second-rounder Watson to new teams. That's a lot of hard swallowing for one week. New Orleans didn't get a lot in return, equally enigmatic wide receiver Bethel Johnson from New England in the Sullivan deal and backup tight end Tim Euhus from Buffalo in the Watson swap, but sometimes a team can benefit from a little addition by subtraction. That might well be true with the jettisoning of Sullivan and Watson. In the case of Sullivan, well, he drove the Jim Haslett staff bonkers with his lack of motivation and annual battles of the bulge for three seasons, and it took Payton barely three months to realize that he wanted no part of the talented but underachieving defensive tackle. The Saints invested $13.12 million in Sullivan over three years and their dividend by comparison was miniscule, as he posted only 102 tackles and 1½ sacks. Watson, on the other hand, wasn't so much an underachiever as a guy who the New Orleans coaches and front office determined was a poor fit for the defensive scheme that is being installed by coordinator Gary Gibbs.
    Why would a team as classy and demanding as New England want a player as inconsistent and bereft of self-discipline as Sullivan has been to this point in his career? Hey, it's a decent gamble on the part of the Patriots, who figure that Bill Belichick and former University of Georgia teammate Richard Seymour might be able to light a fire under him. They basically get a free look at a guy who plays a tough position to fill, defensive tackle, and who has undeniable physical talent. For modest base salaries of just $689,080 in 2006 and $901,333 in 2007, the Pats might get a steal, assuming Sullivan ever plays up to his potential. If he doesn't, they can release him without any cap implications and zero financial exposure, and all they surrendered was Johnson, a player on whom New England had soured and who might have been hard-pressed to even earn a roster spot.

    Brian Dawkins
    Safety
    Philadelphia Eagles

    Profile
    2005 SEASON STATISTICS
    Tot Solo Ast Sack FF Int
    80 69 11 3.5 4 3


    • Philadelphia team president Joe Banner is arguably the premier salary-cap manager in the business and so, from us at least, he usually gets the benefit of the doubt. So we figure that, while both of Philadelphia's starting safeties, Brian Dawkins and Michael Lewis, are entering into the final season of their respective contracts and will be eligible for unrestricted free agency next spring unless they sign extensions, Banner will get things figured out. After all, the Eagles are typically flush with cap room, right? Still, the situation is a little shaky. Starting cornerbacks Lito Sheppard and Sheldon Brown are signed through 2011 and 2012, respectively, but there isn't a proven veteran safety under contract beyond this season. Even top backup Quintin Mikell, who signed a one-year restricted free agent qualifying offer a few weeks ago, can exit next spring as an unrestricted free agent.

    The smart money says the Eagles make a run at Lewis, who is in the final year of his original rookie contract and scheduled to earn $795,000 in 2006. Banner has attempted in the past to get Lewis to bite on extension offers and, at age 26, he is six years younger than Dawkins. With the system Banner utilizes, a concept based on actuarial principles and studies that indicate when players at certain positions begin to decline, a lot of observers were surprised when Banner signed Dawkins to a pricey extension after the 2002 season, even though he was only nearing 30 at the time. The seven-year, $43 million contract, which voided down to four years, was regarded as out of character for the Eagles to pay for a safety. We'll find out in coming months just how much Philadelphia values Dawkins at this point in his career. Dawkins is coming off a subpar 2005 season by his standards, but insisted this week that he still has some good football left to play. "If you're saying I'm getting Alzheimer's or something, no," said Dawkins, commenting on the perception that age might be catching up to him. "I'm not forgetting stuff. It was just mental things. I can still do the things I need to do. I made too many mistakes last year." Banner, on the other hand, almost never makes mistakes at the bargaining table. Which is why it will be interesting to see how he deals with the Eagles' safety situation.

    • Speaking of safeties, look for the Chicago Bears to give standout six-year veteran Mike Brown more time off in training camp this summer, and to more closely monitor his snap count during the season. The Pro Bowl-caliber strong safety has missed a combined 18 games over the past two seasons, after never having been sidelined in his first four NFL campaigns, and the Bears can't afford to have him out of the lineup, coach Lovie Smith and defensive coordinator Ron Rivera have acknowledged. No one is suggesting that Brown, who suffered a torn Achilles early in 2004 and then a calf injury late last season, is beginning to break down physically. But at age 28, it might be time to be a little more prudent with Brown, whose body has absorbed a lot more hits since moving to strong safety two years ago. Chicago was forced because of injuries to shuffle its safety corps a lot last season. The upside is that some of the young Bears safeties demonstrated they are going to be good players. But the Bears need Brown on the field directing traffic for them in the secondary and his practice workload figures to be diminished some in camp.

    • There remains a strong likelihood that Kyle Turley, who hasn't played in an NFL game since 2003 because of a severe back problem and who is attempting to make the transition from offensive tackle to tight end, will sign with the Kansas City Chiefs. But there continue to be other suitors for Turley, who launched his comeback try with workouts for the Miami Dolphins and the Chiefs last month, as well. Want a dark horse for Turley's services? Don't rule out the Denver Broncos, who are seeking help at tight end, and who, ESPN.com has learned, have had some discussions with Turley's agents. Denver released Jeb Putzier, arguably its best receiver at the tight end spot, very early in the spring. Then recently, the Broncos released former college basketball player Wesley Duke, who actually started in the AFC Championship Game and played in the NFL Europe League this spring, after he suffered a serious knee injury. That leaves the depth chart a little thin, with oft-injured veteran Stephen Alexander, rookie second-round pick Tony Scheffler and Nate Jackson, a former wide receiver. There isn't a solid in-line blocker in the bunch, and coach Mike Shanahan wants more toughness from the position in 2006. Toughness that perhaps Turley, even as a novice tight end, might provide. There is also talk that the Broncos, who have been trying to deal the disgruntled Ashley Lelie for months now, might package the wide receiver, maybe in a three-team trade, that would bring them a tight end. It will be interesting to see, though, how things are resolved if both the Chiefs and the Broncos, bitter divisional rivals, make Turley a contract offer.

    • There aren't many players in the NFL with the toughness of Steve McNair, a consummate warrior, but the pundits rushing to suddenly anoint Baltimore as a playoff team after its acquisition of the former Tennessee star might be hasty in those assessments. Clearly, McNair is an upgrade over Kyle Boller, whose claim to fame after three seasons remains his ability to heave a ball through the goal post from 60 yards away while on his knees. Unfortunately for the Ravens, that's a skill we haven't seen tested in a game for a long time. It might win Boller a few bar bets, maybe a big, stuffed animal at the neighborhood carnival, but it's never won anyone a football game. But even with McNair on board, the Ravens are still no better than the No. 3 team in the AFC North, behind Super Bowl XL champion Pittsburgh and defending division champion Cincinnati. And the offensive line, which surrendered the 11th-most sacks in the NFL in 2005, has not been upgraded dramaticallyin the offseason.

    The right side, in particular, is unsettled, with guard Keydrick Vincent coming off a poor season and three-year veteran Tony Pashos promising but still unproven. It's borderline sacrilegious to suggest it but, at age 31 and entering his 11th season, even left tackle Jonathan Ogden isn't the player he once was. It's essentially the same line that couldn't protect Boller, and before one insists that McNair's scrambling will help compensate for the unit's pass-blocking shortcomings, consider this: McNair carried the ball only nine more times than did Boller in 2005, and that's with having started five more games. Over the last three seasons, McNair has averaged 31.0 rushes and 123.7 yards. Over the same stretch, Boller averaged 35.3 carries and 105.6 yards. Because of injuries, McNair has increasingly become a pocket passer. Alas, the pocket provided by the Baltimore offensive line doesn't exactly represent a secure cocoon.

    Robert Mathis
    Defensive end
    Indianapolis Colts

    Profile
    2005 SEASON STATISTICS
    Tot Solo Ast Sack FF Int
    36 29 7 11.5 7 0


    • Progress has been incremental, but the Indianapolis Colts seem to be nudging things forward a bit in contract discussions with three-year veteran defensive end Robert Mathis, who has posted 22 sacks in the past two seasons as a situational pass rusher. Mathis signed the one-year restricted free agent qualifying offer of $2.096 million earlier this spring, but both sides seem motivated to try to hammer out a long-term extension. Reaching a middle-ground number, one that addresses the issues being raised by both sides, could be a tricky proposition. Mathis, a fifth-round choice in 2003, is scheduled to move into the starting lineup at left end this season. But at only about 240 pounds, opponents are certain to try to run at him, and his pass-rush efficiency might be diminished if he physically erodes over the course of the season from playing more snaps than he has in the past.

    On the other hand, if Mathis were to play out his contract and become an unrestricted free agent next spring, what kind of fit might he be in a different defense? Just a guess but, if the Colts reach an eight-figure guarantee in any proposal they make to Mathis, he will be hard-pressed not to sign it. That kind of money, to Mathis, would be mind-boggling. True story: On the day that Mathis was drafted, agent Hadley Engelhard was on the phone with his mother, explaining to her how the bargaining system worked and what the next step would be. When he apprised Mathis' mother that her son probably would command a signing bonus in the area of $125,000 (he actually banked $126,500 on a three-year deal), she fainted. The bet here is that Mathis will have a new extension in place before the start of training camp. It will be a much easier negotiation, relatively speaking, than the extension that the Colts are trying to strike with right defensive end Dwight Freeney, whose financial expectations are monstrous.

    • In the wake of the off-field problems of wide receiver Chris Henry and rookie linebacker A.J. Nicholson, critics of the Cincinnati Bengals have once again pointed out that the team employs the smallest scouting staff in the league, and that the lack of manpower contributes to some of the club's selection of players with character issues. Decent premise, given the history of some Bengals draft choices, but a somewhat flawed conclusion. No matter how small the scouting staff, Cincinnati officials are pretty much privy to the same information every other franchise in the league receives from the NFL security people on draft prospects. And, let's be honest, it doesn't take a lot of bodies to conduct the background checks. Anyone who can hunt and peck on a computer keyboard and has a basic understanding of search engines can unearth much of the same data.

    You think coach Marvin Lewis wasn't aware of the problems that Henry encountered with the West Virginia coaching staff or that Nicholson had at Florida State? C'mon. A fairer and far more grounded criticism of the Bengals is that they rolled the dice on some prospects whose résumés were dotted with red flags. Sometimes those gambles work, as was the case in 2005 with second-round linebacker Odell Thurman, a guy who had plenty of run-ins at Georgia but who got through his rookie year without incident. And sometimes the gambles, as appears to be the case with Henry and Nicholson, blow up in a team's face. But that's more a function of poor judgement than of insufficient information. In the past, the Bengals were a franchise known to frequently take some chances on dubious players. The rationale was that the team had to take a few shots, because Cincinnati was viewed as a hinterland and few players wanted to go there. But the franchise has regained respectability now and doesn't need to make the kinds of selections that recently have earned it plenty of scrutiny.

    • There continue to be rumblings that the New York Giants will switch to a 3-4 front in 2006. It is, after all, an alignment with which defensive coordinator Tim Lewis is familiar, from his days on the Pittsburgh staff. And conspiracy theorists point to the recent addition of itinerant veteran Junior Ioane, a purer nose tackle than any other interior defender on the New York roster, in free agency. But here's the rub: The Giants' defensive end tandem of Michael Strahan and Osi Umenyiora, which combined for 26 sacks in 2005 in a performance that earned Pro Bowl trips for both players, probably isn't bulky enough to play a 3-4 front. The 3-4 demands 290- or 300-pound ends, and neither of the Giants' stars is close to that. In fact, they might be more in the range of 265-270 pounds. Perhaps the defending NFC East champions will install some 3-4 looks as a change-up defense, with either Strahan or Umenyiora playing in a two-point stance as a linebacker in those circumstances. But it's difficult to imagine the Giants becoming a full-time 3-4 front, even if there is some circumstantial evidence they are flirting with some new looks.


    • Punts: A Houston management official phoned to say that veteran linebacker Kailee Wong, cited by ESPN.com as a possible post-June 1 cap casualty, will not be released, even with the Texans having added several veteran players at the position. And a Washington Redskins spokesman e-mailed to insist that wide receiver David Patten, also listed as a potential June cap victim, will not be released … The Carolina coaching staff is pleased so far with the transition of 2005 first-round selection Thomas Davis from safety to weak-side linebacker. The former University of Georgia star began his college career at linebacker and he possesses the kind of pursuit speed the Panthers demand at the position … Tailback Willis McGahee remains the lone Buffalo player to have attended none of the Bills' voluntary offseason sessions and his absence is becoming irksome to coaches and a few teammates … The progress of Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Troy Williamson, the team's first-round choice in 2005 and a player first-year coaching Brad Childress is counting on to step up big this season, has been slowed by surgery to address abscesses in his hip … Only 18 players remain under the employ of the Cleveland Browns from the roster that general manager Phil Savage and coach Romeo Crennel inherited in February 2005 … Thursday marked the 40th anniversary of the announcement of the AFL-NFL merger in 1966 and, except for a terrific feature article by Ira Kaufman of the Tampa Tribune, "Forty Years of Peace," the event went pretty much unnoticed. Condolences to Kaufman's colleague at the Tribune and all-around good guy Roy Cummings on the death of his mother this week … Green Bay coaches view the foot injury suffered by rookie cornerback Will Blackmon, a fourth-round pick from Boston College, as a setback of sorts. Blackmon, who probably will not practice until camp opens, was seen as a viable candidate for the No. 3 cornerback spot behind starters Al Harris and Charles Woodson … In the wake of an item in this space last week on the early winnowing of potential agents by Notre Dame quarterback Brady Quinn comes word that coach Charlie Weis has urged all the Irish seniors to do likewise. Irish wide receiver Jeff Samardzija, projected by some scouts as a first-round choice in the 2007 draft, was selected by the Chicago Cubs in the fifth round of the Major League Baseball draft this week. A pitcher, Samardzija is expected to continue pursuing a football career … We're still just in the mini-camp phase of the offseason, but it's still notable that journeymen wide receivers Corey Bradford and Mike Furrey are running Nos. 2 and 3 on the Detroit Lions depth chart right now. Yeah, ahead of former first-rounders Charles Rogers and Mike Williams. The Lions probably would love to unload some of their wide receiver deadwood, but salary cap ramifications make deals for the former first-round picks difficult to complete.



    • The last word: "You have coaches and players that, with all the OTAs (organized team activities), there is no longer an offseason. Coaches want rest, too. How many camps do you need? We have passing camps, running camps, fumbling camps … start naming them. We all need rest and time away from the game, so that when you come back, you're here and totally committed to the season." -- Buffalo Bills safety and NFL Players Association president Troy Vincent, on the ever-shrinking offseason

    Len Pasquarelli is a senior NFL writer for ESPN.com. To check out Len's chat archive, click here . *** Just for you, MDFan!

  • #2
    Thanks BBF,, it seems the pundits understand the the complexity of the Dawkins situation,,, which isn't always true.

    Thanks for the access.

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