February 2008 - Posts
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 This likely will be a heated 24 hours of negotiations between the Cowboys and Flozell Adam’s representative Jordan Woy, with free agency beginning at 11 p.m. (CST) on Thursday. Neither side has given up on the possibility of an 11th-hour – or would that be 10th hour since . . . oh never mind – deal being completed. Unless Woy’s reconnaissance work indicates the Cowboys are woefully low-balling his new client, I’d suspect Adams wouldn’t want to pull up roots after 10 years or go somewhere he must pay state income tax. But as we know, money is money, ad I’m not willing to believe Woy needs free agency to begin to discover what the rest of the league thinks the four-time Pro Bowl left tackle is worth. Negotiators love this kind of pressure.
Boy, you guys don’t miss a trick. A bunch of folks spotted the new Zach Thomas jersey for sale on the Pro Shop’s website with No. 54 on the back, his number for 12 years in Miami, but also Bobby Carpenter’s current Cowboys number. That immediately fueled speculation Carpenter was gone, but remember, that would be a $4.5 million cap hit. Well Wednesday, I see the number has changed to 55, and there is a qualifier there, reading, “Thomas jersey will be produced and ship within four days after number is determined. * #55 subject to change.” Thomas has stated he’s not hung up on the number anyway. Didn’t realize folks still want to be the first one on the block to have the newest toy.
Let this be a cautionary tale for failing to do your homework in free agency. Two years ago Washington traded a third- and fourth-round pick to San Francisco for wide receiver Brandon Lloyd. This was a sign-and-trade deal for the restricted free agent, and the Skins inked him to a six-year, $30 million deal which included a $10 million signing bonus. Now, after just two seasons the Redskins designated him to become a June 1 release, meaning he will count $1.8 million in 2008 and another $5.5 million against the cap in 2009. You see what I mean about so cavalierly signing guys you don’t know much about to huge deals?
A bunch of you guys keep asking about training camp this summer, and it’s not even March. Man. Well, shhhh, don’t tell anyone, but it’s beginning to look a lot like Oxnard, Calif., all over again. But as they say in the contract negotiation business, a deal is never a deal nor is it ever close until both parties put their signatures on a dotted line. Stay tuned.
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The Cowboys made a good business decision on their franchise tag, utilizing it on safety Ken Hamlin instead of offensive tackle Flozell Adams. Hamlin’s one-year franchise tag will cost them $4.396 million against the cap, which is the average of the top five paid safeties from last year. And if you are wondering just who those guys are, voila: Adam Archuleta, Michael Huff, Michael Lewis, Terrence Holt and Adrian Wilson. Best part for Cowboys is they can continue negotiating with Hamlin on a long-term deal through July 15 without worries of losing his rights. And look, if someone wanted to sign him to an unmatchable offer sheet, then I’m guessing the Cowboys would gladly take two first-round picks in return.
By the way, and not to make you cringe, Roy Williams was seventh on that top 10 list, hitting the Cowboys’ cap last year for $3.507 million. All the Cowboys need to do now is draft a corner in the first round and they arguably will have the most expensive secondary in the league since Anthony Henry’s cap charge ranked seventh on the cornerback’s top 10. So maybe that will help you understand why Asante Samuel, probably looking for a contract averaging $12 million a year, is a no-can-do.
Now then, if any of you are holding your breath over the prospects of getting Adams re-signed, I’m right there with you. No matter what you might think of Flo, and let’s not get distracted by false starts, he has to be one of the best pass protectors at left tackle in the league. And those guys aren’t a dime a dozen, evidenced by the number of them being franchised this year. But again, his franchise number would have been $9 million – 120 percent above his 2007 cap figure, which rose to $7.5 million with his $500,000 Pro Bowl bonus and beyond the $7.455 average of the top five guys, which he was fourth.
Now I know money is money, but Adams did switch agents, signing up this time with local guy Jordan Woy. The Cowboys have worked well with him in the past, so this might bode well for the club actually getting something done with Flo either before the start of free agency next week or possibly at least giving the Cowboys an unofficial last say if he gets an offer to his liking from another team. Just a little pressure here, I’d say.
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Boy, sure isn’t a great market if a team is looking for an inside linebacker in free agency. The top guys would be Zach Thomas (going on 35), Randall Godfrey (going on 35), Dan Morgan (going on 30), Mark Simoneau (31) Jeremiah Trotter (31) and now Derek Smith (33), who was waived by San Francisco on Tuesday. These guys have a lot of tread wear but if someone absolutely needs one, and if Thomas can prove he’s healthy, he’s going to get a look. Need would be the operative word here.
Say what you want about Billy Cundiff, but teams still are giving him a chance. Saw where Kansas City just signed the former Cowboys kicker to a two-year deal, bringing him in to compete with veteran John Carney and Nick Novak. Cundiff went to camp with Atlanta in 2007 but was released before the start of the season and didn’t kick for anyone this year after finishing out the 2006 season as the kickoff guy for the Saints. In five seasons with the Cowboys and Saints, Cundiff hit on 63 of 80 field-goal attempts (78 percent).
Rams head coach Scott Linehan thought it best to replace tight ends coach Judd Garrett, brother of Cowboys assistants Jason and John, so he can concentrate on being with his four children, ages 9-15, following the emotionally-devastating death of his wife Kathy (38) this past August. The Rams will pick up the final year on his contract and have told him he has the right to look for another job if he wants to. Linehan told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch: "It's a hard thing, because he requires some more time at home. You want the best for everybody in these situations. In his position, it's not the best thing for him to be away from his family. I told him he wasn't going to have a coaching position. We could've reassigned him to work somewhere in the organization, but as I thought about it, I thought the best thing would be to let him know that we'll take care of the contract, so he has that and can take the year to kind of get things squared away. He's free to look for another job, although I don't know if at this time that would be the best thing."
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That the Cowboys are scheduled to play the NFC West in 2008 certainly lessens the affects of finishing with that 13-3 record and the No. 1 seed in the NFC. Because when it comes to the 2008 strength of schedule, the Cowboys’ ranks 14th-toughest, their opponents’ combined record from the 2007 season 134-122 (.523). Only Seattle finished above .500 in the NFC West. But then again, that’s balanced out by their NFC East opponents, since all three finished at least .500, meaning the combined record for those six division opponents will be 54-42. Tops would be Pittsburgh at .598, but that’s because the Steelers must play every team in the NFC East, along with the first-place team in the AFC East, which is 16-0 you-know-who.
Now here is a salary cap lesson for all those who want to immediately sign whatever supposed superstar is released: Jevon Kearse. Remember back in 2004, the Eagles signed Kearse, released by Tennessee, to a $66 million deal. Well, after knee problems in 2006 robbed his season, Kearse was but a shadow of himself in 2007, finishing with 3½ sacks and never has produced more than the 7½ from his first two seasons with the Eagles (2004-05). So now, at only 31, but seemingly on the downside, there are some suggesting the Eagles might let him go since he lost his starting job last year and will count $8.5 million against the cap in 2008, including a $6.46 million base.
When the Cowboys signed veteran free-agent guard Marco Rivera in 2005 many were quick to criticize the Cowboys for signing the wrong Green Bay Packers free-agent guard. Most thought Carolina did the right thing by signing Mike Wahle, much younger than Rivera and did earn Pro Bowl honors in 2005. And those cries increased after back injuries forced the Cowboys to release Rivera this past off-season after just two years. Well, look it here, Carolina just released Wahle one year after that. The Panthers did so to save $4.1 million in cap space. Maybe it was the Packers who knew best after all.
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There were 132 plays in Super Bowl XLII, but this game basically came down to one play: The Giants, trailing, 14-10, facing third-and-5 at their own 44-yard line with 1:15 to play. Giants quarterback Eli Manning, somehow, someway avoided getting sacked, spinning out of deep trouble, then pulling away with several Patriots tugging at his jersey only to heave the ball deep down the middle. And there was Giants receiver David Tyree out-jumping New England safety Rodney Harrison for what amounted to a jump ball but ended up being a 32-yard completion down to the Patriots’ 24 with 59 seconds remaining. If not for that huge chunk of yards, the Giants might not have had time to score that final touchdown, which came with only 35 seconds to spare and out of timeouts. “He made an unbelievable catch and saved the game,” Manning said.
Man, how good is Wes Welker? He catches 11 passes for 103 yards, tying the Super Bowl record for most catches, last achieved by New England’s Deon Branch in 2004 against Philadelphia. Michael Irvin is tied for the second-most in an NFL playoff game, pulling in 12 in that NFC title game loss to San Francisco that 1994 season. The record for most in a playoff game is 13, held by four different players, including Hall of Famers Kellen Winslow and Thurman Thomas. Had the Patriots won, he definitely would have been the MVP – or at least should have been.
Never know what’s going to happen in a Super Bowl or to whom. Take Tyree’s 5-yard touchdown grab from Manning. That was his first touchdown of the season, regular or post. Go figure.
How proud must Archie Manning be of his sons winning back-to-back Super Bowls and MVP awards, likely taking the sting out of his own career, having played for so many bad teams? When asked if he ever could imagine each of his sons winning Super Bowls, the proud papa said, “I never thought about them even playing college ball, much less pro football, much less winning Super Bowls or MVPs. It wasn’t in the plan. We tried to raise kids. We raised kids just like other parents raised their kids. I can’t explain it.” Would be hard to even if he tried.
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Here is what I like about the New England Patriots’ psyche. They don’t talk about winning the Super Bowl. They don’t talk about going a perfect 19-0. They simply talk about winning “the next game.” How boring but extremely healthy is that? When you narrow your focus to the moment instead of becoming overwhelmed by the big picture, success becomes more probable. A certain someones should take note. As I said before the season started and will say before the 2008 season starts, just win one playoff game, then we’ll go from there. And don’t tell me you are about winning Super Bowls, not a mere playoff game, because without winning a mere playoff game you can’t win the Super Bowl.
And they thought they built a stadium with a retractable roof out here in the Phoenix area to combat the heat? Ha! If the weather Sunday evening is anything like it has been all week long, that roof will be closed to combat the extremely chilly night air for Super Bowl XLII. Who would have thought you would end up wearing a heavily lined leather jacket more times than shorts out here?
And the score . . . there seems little reason to try to be cute with this prediction since the Patriots have figured out how to win every single game this season, and I see no reason why they would stop now, so let’s say Patriots 31, Giants 21. Close for the Giants, but the cigars go to the Patriots.
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