Though the NFL has reason to feel pretty good about most of Thursday’s 44-page ruling in the StarCaps litigation odyssey, cause for concern still exists, both for the league and two reporters who cover the league for a living.
For starters, the league will lose the case — and the four-game suspensions of Vikings defensive tackles Kevin and Pat Williams could be forever blocked — if it can be proven that both the Vikings and the NFL employ the players. Without delving too far into the legal niceties, the NFL has argued in the past that, for labor law purposes, the league and its 32 teams are a single entity. Here, the league insists it doesn’t employ the players. An impartial observer easily could conclude that the NFL is trying to have it both ways.
If the court finds that the NFL is an employer of the players, the players will have proven that their rights under Minnesota law were violated because the league failed to provide the players with timely notice of their positive drug test results. A second violation could arise based on the Minnesota requirement of confidentiality regarding drug testing.
The players claim the league failed to keep the results of the testing secret, as evidenced by the fact that multiple reporters disclosed the information publicly, even before Kevin and Pat Williams were informed that they had tested positive. Judge Gary Larson concluded that the leak of the information represents a "question of fact," which means that both sides will have to put on evidence at trial regarding how the information did, or didn’t, make its way from 280 Park Avenue to Main Street, U.S.A.
And that should make a couple of reporters — Jay Glazer of Fox and Josina Anderson of Fox 31 in Denver — more than a little nervous. Both broke key portions of the story in October 2008, and both could soon be facing a pointed request to identify their sources.
At the time, lawyer David Cornwell called upon the league to revoke Anderson’s "credentials and access to NFL games and other league events until she discloses her sources." As it turns out, the league might not have to take away Anderson’s credentials; it’s hard to attend NFL games while residing behind bars.
Though incarceration would be an extreme outcome, the dominoes could fall in a way that finds Anderson and/or Glazer sitting on a witness stand and confronting the decision of whether to disclose their sources or face the consequences. Glazer says he’s not concerned.
"What the hell do I care? All I do is fight and lift weights anyway," Glazer joked in a telephone interview on Thursday. "Wait a minute, there’s no women in prison, is there? That would be a big problem."
Asked for a more serious comment, Glazer said this: "This is the third time that this possibility has been brought up to me. When I reported the names of the 10 NFL players linked to BALCO and the four who faced discipline because of it, Raiders officials asked that I be subpoenaed to disclose my sources. There was also talk of Congress forcing me to testify when I broke the Spygate videotape. I’ll deal with it if it happens. All my sources know I would never, ever give them up for anything."
In this case, the stakes are higher than usual for the sources of the reports. Under league rules, a person who discloses information regarding positive drug tests faces a fine of up to $500,000.
With those potential penalties making it highly unlikely that any employees of the league will admit to blabbing, the reporters might be the only persons who can shed light on the violation of the rights of Kevin and Pat Williams.
Whether either or both of the reporters are forced to choose between singing on the stand or sitting in a cell remains to be seen. The trial is scheduled for March 8, so any effort to compel either or both of them to testify will have to commence fairly quickly.
Mike Florio writes and edits ProFootballTalk.com and is a regular contributor to Sporting News. Check out PFT for up-to-the minute NFL news.
Though the NFL has reason to feel pretty good about most of Thursday’s 44-page ruling in the StarCaps litigation odyssey, cause for concern still exists, both for the league and two reporters who cover the league for a living.
For starters, the league will lose the case — and the four-game suspensions of Vikings defensive tackles Kevin and Pat Williams could be forever blocked — if it can be proven that both the Vikings and the NFL employ the players. Without delving too far into the legal niceties, the NFL has argued in the past that, for labor law purposes, the league and its 32 teams are a single entity. Here, the league insists it doesn’t employ the players. An impartial observer easily could conclude that the NFL is trying to have it both ways.
If the court finds that the NFL is an employer of the players, the players will have proven that their rights under Minnesota law were violated because the league failed to provide the players with timely notice of their positive drug test results. A second violation could arise based on the Minnesota requirement of confidentiality regarding drug testing.
The players claim the league failed to keep the results of the testing secret, as evidenced by the fact that multiple reporters disclosed the information publicly, even before Kevin and Pat Williams were informed that they had tested positive. Judge Gary Larson concluded that the leak of the information represents a "question of fact," which means that both sides will have to put on evidence at trial regarding how the information did, or didn’t, make its way from 280 Park Avenue to Main Street, U.S.A.
And that should make a couple of reporters — Jay Glazer of Fox and Josina Anderson of Fox 31 in Denver — more than a little nervous. Both broke key portions of the story in October 2008, and both could soon be facing a pointed request to identify their sources.
At the time, lawyer David Cornwell called upon the league to revoke Anderson’s "credentials and access to NFL games and other league events until she discloses her sources." As it turns out, the league might not have to take away Anderson’s credentials; it’s hard to attend NFL games while residing behind bars.
Though incarceration would be an extreme outcome, the dominoes could fall in a way that finds Anderson and/or Glazer sitting on a witness stand and confronting the decision of whether to disclose their sources or face the consequences. Glazer says he’s not concerned.
"What the hell do I care? All I do is fight and lift weights anyway," Glazer joked in a telephone interview on Thursday. "Wait a minute, there’s no women in prison, is there? That would be a big problem."
Asked for a more serious comment, Glazer said this: "This is the third time that this possibility has been brought up to me. When I reported the names of the 10 NFL players linked to BALCO and the four who faced discipline because of it, Raiders officials asked that I be subpoenaed to disclose my sources. There was also talk of Congress forcing me to testify when I broke the Spygate videotape. I’ll deal with it if it happens. All my sources know I would never, ever give them up for anything."
In this case, the stakes are higher than usual for the sources of the reports. Under league rules, a person who discloses information regarding positive drug tests faces a fine of up to $500,000.
With those potential penalties making it highly unlikely that any employees of the league will admit to blabbing, the reporters might be the only persons who can shed light on the violation of the rights of Kevin and Pat Williams.
Whether either or both of the reporters are forced to choose between singing on the stand or sitting in a cell remains to be seen. The trial is scheduled for March 8, so any effort to compel either or both of them to testify will have to commence fairly quickly.
Mike Florio writes and edits ProFootballTalk.com and is a regular contributor to Sporting News. Check out PFT for up-to-the minute NFL news.
In every fourth February, athletes from all over the world convene in exotic foreign cities (except when the games are played in the U.S.) for the Winter Olympics.
In every February, pro football players from all over the country convene in Indianapolis for the Underwear Olympics, aka the NFL Combine.
Though no medals will be awarded, the men who run the fastest, jump the highest, and/or lift 225 pounds the most times while wearing T-shirts and shorts could be poised to earn more money in July, based on the precise moment when they hear their names called out in April.
Jerry Rice didn’t overwhelm anyone in pre-draft workouts. He did in the NFL.
The Underwear Olympics process has little or no relevance to the sport of football. As we’ve heard time and again over the years, a football player needs to be able to run 40 yards in a straight line only on one of two occasions — when something very good has happened, and when something very bad has happened.
And yet scouts continue to obsess over the Underwear Olympics, which provide tangible data regarding a transition process from college football to pro football that will be driven largely by intangibles like heart, desire, and the ability to take repeated shots to the chops from a grown man.
Because there’s no way to know whether a player who played well among college-caliber players will be able to thrive when competing against the best of the best that more than 120 universities had to offer over the course of a decade or longer, NFL teams rely on the Underwear Olympics to provide superficial justification for decisions that ultimately are made at a far more visceral level. Seasoned coaches and scouts develop a sense for separating the skilled players who genuinely love football from the guys who are pretending to love it in order to get paid, but if a mistake is made based on a hunch that isn’t supported by hard evidence, seasoned coaches and scouts quickly become unemployed seasoned coaches and scouts.
So the teams rely on the Underwear Olympics to help provide a safe harbor for risks that don’t pan out. If, after all, a player’s numbers measure up favorably to others at the same position, it’ll be a little bit harder for ownership to hold the front office and/or the coaching staff accountable for wasting a draft pick and the ensuing bonus payment and salary on a guy who’s out of the league faster than Ryan Leaf.
What does any of it mean? Not all that much. Receiver Jerry Rice’s talent suggested that, in hindsight, he should have been the first player drafted in 1985; his inability to run really fast without pads or a helmet and with no football in the air left him available when the 49ers used the 16th pick in the draft.
Then there’s Vernon Gholston. The Jets linebacker has become this generation’s Mike Mamula — a player who can run and jump and lift and who looks like a monster but who gets lost when it’s time to put on the uniform and make things happen on the field.
It doesn’t make the Underwear Olympics meaningless. But they can be very misleading. And the best teams understand that the numbers and the measurements generated represent a piece of a much larger puzzle for which the answer won’t come until months if not years after the pre-draft obsession has subsided.
By then, of course, the focus will have shifted to the next crop of incoming rookies, or the next. Or the next. It’s one of the strange realities of the annual player selection process. We put hundreds of kids under the microscope through April, and then we forget about most of them once the real work starts in July and August, when teams find out the one thing they’ll never know between now and draft day: Whether players who were able to perform well at the college level will become big men on an NFL campus — or whether they’ll be among the many who never find their way against the highest level of competition.
Mike Florio writes and edits ProFootballTalk.com and is a regular contributor to Sporting News. Check out PFT for up-to-the minute NFL news.
In every fourth February, athletes from all over the world convene in exotic foreign cities (except when the games are played in the U.S.) for the Winter Olympics.
In every February, pro football players from all over the country convene in Indianapolis for the Underwear Olympics, aka the NFL Combine.
Though no medals will be awarded, the men who run the fastest, jump the highest, and/or lift 225 pounds the most times while wearing T-shirts and shorts could be poised to earn more money in July, based on the precise moment when they hear their names called out in April.
Jerry Rice didn’t overwhelm anyone in pre-draft workouts. He did in the NFL.
The Underwear Olympics process has little or no relevance to the sport of football. As we’ve heard time and again over the years, a football player needs to be able to run 40 yards in a straight line only on one of two occasions — when something very good has happened, and when something very bad has happened.
And yet scouts continue to obsess over the Underwear Olympics, which provide tangible data regarding a transition process from college football to pro football that will be driven largely by intangibles like heart, desire, and the ability to take repeated shots to the chops from a grown man.
Because there’s no way to know whether a player who played well among college-caliber players will be able to thrive when competing against the best of the best that more than 120 universities had to offer over the course of a decade or longer, NFL teams rely on the Underwear Olympics to provide superficial justification for decisions that ultimately are made at a far more visceral level. Seasoned coaches and scouts develop a sense for separating the skilled players who genuinely love football from the guys who are pretending to love it in order to get paid, but if a mistake is made based on a hunch that isn’t supported by hard evidence, seasoned coaches and scouts quickly become unemployed seasoned coaches and scouts.
So the teams rely on the Underwear Olympics to help provide a safe harbor for risks that don’t pan out. If, after all, a player’s numbers measure up favorably to others at the same position, it’ll be a little bit harder for ownership to hold the front office and/or the coaching staff accountable for wasting a draft pick and the ensuing bonus payment and salary on a guy who’s out of the league faster than Ryan Leaf.
What does any of it mean? Not all that much. Receiver Jerry Rice’s talent suggested that, in hindsight, he should have been the first player drafted in 1985; his inability to run really fast without pads or a helmet and with no football in the air left him available when the 49ers used the 16th pick in the draft.
Then there’s Vernon Gholston. The Jets linebacker has become this generation’s Mike Mamula — a player who can run and jump and lift and who looks like a monster but who gets lost when it’s time to put on the uniform and make things happen on the field.
It doesn’t make the Underwear Olympics meaningless. But they can be very misleading. And the best teams understand that the numbers and the measurements generated represent a piece of a much larger puzzle for which the answer won’t come until months if not years after the pre-draft obsession has subsided.
By then, of course, the focus will have shifted to the next crop of incoming rookies, or the next. Or the next. It’s one of the strange realities of the annual player selection process. We put hundreds of kids under the microscope through April, and then we forget about most of them once the real work starts in July and August, when teams find out the one thing they’ll never know between now and draft day: Whether players who were able to perform well at the college level will become big men on an NFL campus — or whether they’ll be among the many who never find their way against the highest level of competition.
Mike Florio writes and edits ProFootballTalk.com and is a regular contributor to Sporting News. Check out PFT for up-to-the minute NFL news.
On Thursday, the window for application of the franchise tag slid open. In two weeks, it’ll slam shut. In the interim, teams have the ability to apply the franchise tag to one player who otherwise would be an unrestricted free agent.
So let’s take a look at 10 players who might, or might not, end up wearing the franchise tag at some point between now and Feb. 25.
1. Julius Peppers, Panthers defensive end
The Panthers haven’t spoken to Peppers about signing a long-term deal, but they don’t need to do so if they plan to use the franchise tag on him for a second straight season.
Vince Wilfork, who has only played for the Patriots, was drafted in the first round in 2004.
As I wrote last night at PFT, the Panthers currently do not plan to do so. Even in an uncapped year, $21.8 million for 16 regular-season games is a price too high to pay for a player who isn’t, hasn’t been, and will never be as good as Reggie White.
Even the transition tag isn’t a viable option for Peppers, since in Peppers’ case the Panthers would still be required to give him a one-year, $21.8 million contract, the value of which would become fully guaranteed the moment Julius puts his John Hancock at the bottom of the page.
2. Vince Wilfork, Patriots defensive tackle
In 2004, Wilfork signed a six-year rookie contract with the Patriots. Now, the contract has expired and Wilfork doesn’t want the team to use the franchise tag to keep him from hitting the open market.
What he wants and what he gets could be two very different things. Indeed, teams have the right to use the franchise tag, and few of the players who ever have been on the wrong side of the restriction ever regarded it as something desirable to have. Though it pays a player handsomely for one season, it keeps him from striking it rich via a long-term deal with an eight-figure signing bonus.
In Wilfork’s case, it’s possible a long-term deal will be reached before the last day for using the tag. If it isn’t, Wilfork can huff and puff all he wants, but he won’t be able to keep the team from doing that which the current labor deal allows it to do.
3. Casey Hampton, Steelers nose tackle
Another guy who wants no part of the franchise tag is Hampton, a nine-year veteran who has nearly eaten his way out of the league on multiple occasions.
But he’s a rare commodity — a large man (6-1, 325) who’s also strong and athletic, and he fills an important role in a 3-4 defense.
For that very reason, the Steelers can’t afford to lose him, even if it means using the franchise tag to keep him in place, against his wishes.
4. Aubrayo Franklin, 49ers nose tackle
Though not as well known as Wilfork or Hampton, Franklin has been every bit as effective lately, and he arguably would be the most hotly pursued of the trio if they each were to hit the open market.
But Franklin won’t. And Franklin has yet to complain about the $7 million one-year salary that goes along with it.
Though it remains to be seen whether the 49ers will ink Franklin to a long-term deal, Franklin apparently will be a member of the team, at least for 2010.
5. Chester Taylor, Vikings running back
Adrian Peterson remains the top tailback in Minnesota, but Chester Taylor more than capably handles third-down duties. He also provides a nice change of pace, especially when Peterson is working through his periodic problems with securing the ball.
But the Vikings need to ask themselves whether it makes sense to pay Taylor more than $8 million for one season when they could draft a guy in the middle rounds who might be able to move the chains.
Then there’s the possibility of using Percy Harvin in the backfield, or finding on the open market a more affordable alternative.
But Taylor remains the best option, and the question is whether the Vikings are willing to pay him accordingly.
6. Shayne Graham, Bengals kicker
The notoriously cheap Bengals could have used the franchise tag in 2009 on Graham, a kicker, or on T.J. Houshmandzadeh, a receiver.
Not surprisingly, they picked the kicker, who received millions less under the one-year franchise tender.
Now, the Bengals have to decide in the wake of Graham’s rough day in the wild-card round against the Jets whether to give him a 20-percent raise under the franchise tag, sign him to a long-term deal, or let him walk.
Given that their decision to dump five-year punter Kyle Larson for fifth-round draft pick Kevin Huber worked out fairly well, don’t be surprised if the Bengals decide to find a much cheaper alternative at an equally fungible position.
7. Karlos Dansby, Cardinals linebacker
The Cardinals like Dansby. They liked him enough in 2008 to use the franchise tag to keep him with the team. They liked him enough in 2009 to use it again. But they probably don’t like him enough to use it a third time.
Under the labor agreement between the NFL and the players union, the third time for the franchise tag is a major charm for the player. The tender increases from the average salary paid in the prior year to the five highest-paid players at the same position to the average salary paid in the prior year to the five highest-paid players in the entire league.
The Cardinals won’t pay Dansby like a quarterback. So either they’ll do a long-term deal with him, or he’ll hit the open market in the uncapped year.
Most likely, it’ll be the latter.
8. Dunta Robinson, Texans cornerback
Robinson wasn’t thrilled with the team’s decision to use the franchise tag on him in 2009, and he likely won’t be happy if he’s tagged for a second straight season.
But the Texans didn’t waver last season, and they likely won’t budge this year.
He voiced his displeasure in 2009 by writing "pay me, Rick" on his cleats, a message to general manager Rick Smith. The team undoubtedly will be paying him again, but not nearly as much as he’d like to receive.
9. Darren Sproles, Chargers running back
With LaDainian Tomlinson all but gone, the Chargers need to keep Sproles around. The question is whether the Chargers want to pay Sproles a year at a time, or whether they’re willing to give him a long-term deal.
If they choose to stick Sproles with a second franchise tag, they’ll face the same problem in 2011 that the Cardinals face now — if there’s a new CBA in 2011 and if it contains the same provision requiring the player to receive quarterback money in year three.
Still, the Chargers can’t let Sproles walk away. Whether he’ll be operating under a one-year arrangement or something more, he’ll be a Charger in 2010.
10. Bo Scaife, Titans tight end
The Titans paid Scaife $4.462 million last year under the franchise tag. It would cost $5.35 million to use it again.
That’s a lot to pay for a guy who caught 45 passes for 440 yards and one touchdown.
With Jared Cook on the roster, it’s likely the Titans will opt not to pay the money. Indeed, Scaife signed his 2009 franchise tender only days after Cook was drafted.
So it would be a surprise if the Titans use it again.
Mike Florio writes and edits ProFootballTalk.com and is a regular contributor to Sporting News. Check out PFT for up-to-the minute NFL news.
On Thursday, the window for application of the franchise tag slid open. In two weeks, it’ll slam shut. In the interim, teams have the ability to apply the franchise tag to one player who otherwise would be an unrestricted free agent.
So let’s take a look at 10 players who might, or might not, end up wearing the franchise tag at some point between now and Feb. 25.
1. Julius Peppers, Panthers defensive end
The Panthers haven’t spoken to Peppers about signing a long-term deal, but they don’t need to do so if they plan to use the franchise tag on him for a second straight season.
Vince Wilfork, who has only played for the Patriots, was drafted in the first round in 2004.
As I wrote last night at PFT, the Panthers currently do not plan to do so. Even in an uncapped year, $21.8 million for 16 regular-season games is a price too high to pay for a player who isn’t, hasn’t been, and will never be as good as Reggie White.
Even the transition tag isn’t a viable option for Peppers, since in Peppers’ case the Panthers would still be required to give him a one-year, $21.8 million contract, the value of which would become fully guaranteed the moment Julius puts his John Hancock at the bottom of the page.
2. Vince Wilfork, Patriots defensive tackle
In 2004, Wilfork signed a six-year rookie contract with the Patriots. Now, the contract has expired and Wilfork doesn’t want the team to use the franchise tag to keep him from hitting the open market.
What he wants and what he gets could be two very different things. Indeed, teams have the right to use the franchise tag, and few of the players who ever have been on the wrong side of the restriction ever regarded it as something desirable to have. Though it pays a player handsomely for one season, it keeps him from striking it rich via a long-term deal with an eight-figure signing bonus.
In Wilfork’s case, it’s possible a long-term deal will be reached before the last day for using the tag. If it isn’t, Wilfork can huff and puff all he wants, but he won’t be able to keep the team from doing that which the current labor deal allows it to do.
3. Casey Hampton, Steelers nose tackle
Another guy who wants no part of the franchise tag is Hampton, a nine-year veteran who has nearly eaten his way out of the league on multiple occasions.
But he’s a rare commodity — a large man (6-1, 325) who’s also strong and athletic, and he fills an important role in a 3-4 defense.
For that very reason, the Steelers can’t afford to lose him, even if it means using the franchise tag to keep him in place, against his wishes.
4. Aubrayo Franklin, 49ers nose tackle
Though not as well known as Wilfork or Hampton, Franklin has been every bit as effective lately, and he arguably would be the most hotly pursued of the trio if they each were to hit the open market.
But Franklin won’t. And Franklin has yet to complain about the $7 million one-year salary that goes along with it.
Though it remains to be seen whether the 49ers will ink Franklin to a long-term deal, Franklin apparently will be a member of the team, at least for 2010.
5. Chester Taylor, Vikings running back
Adrian Peterson remains the top tailback in Minnesota, but Chester Taylor more than capably handles third-down duties. He also provides a nice change of pace, especially when Peterson is working through his periodic problems with securing the ball.
But the Vikings need to ask themselves whether it makes sense to pay Taylor more than $8 million for one season when they could draft a guy in the middle rounds who might be able to move the chains.
Then there’s the possibility of using Percy Harvin in the backfield, or finding on the open market a more affordable alternative.
But Taylor remains the best option, and the question is whether the Vikings are willing to pay him accordingly.
6. Shayne Graham, Bengals kicker
The notoriously cheap Bengals could have used the franchise tag in 2009 on Graham, a kicker, or on T.J. Houshmandzadeh, a receiver.
Not surprisingly, they picked the kicker, who received millions less under the one-year franchise tender.
Now, the Bengals have to decide in the wake of Graham’s rough day in the wild-card round against the Jets whether to give him a 20-percent raise under the franchise tag, sign him to a long-term deal, or let him walk.
Given that their decision to dump five-year punter Kyle Larson for fifth-round draft pick Kevin Huber worked out fairly well, don’t be surprised if the Bengals decide to find a much cheaper alternative at an equally fungible position.
7. Karlos Dansby, Cardinals linebacker
The Cardinals like Dansby. They liked him enough in 2008 to use the franchise tag to keep him with the team. They liked him enough in 2009 to use it again. But they probably don’t like him enough to use it a third time.
Under the labor agreement between the NFL and the players union, the third time for the franchise tag is a major charm for the player. The tender increases from the average salary paid in the prior year to the five highest-paid players at the same position to the average salary paid in the prior year to the five highest-paid players in the entire league.
The Cardinals won’t pay Dansby like a quarterback. So either they’ll do a long-term deal with him, or he’ll hit the open market in the uncapped year.
Most likely, it’ll be the latter.
8. Dunta Robinson, Texans cornerback
Robinson wasn’t thrilled with the team’s decision to use the franchise tag on him in 2009, and he likely won’t be happy if he’s tagged for a second straight season.
But the Texans didn’t waver last season, and they likely won’t budge this year.
He voiced his displeasure in 2009 by writing "pay me, Rick" on his cleats, a message to general manager Rick Smith. The team undoubtedly will be paying him again, but not nearly as much as he’d like to receive.
9. Darren Sproles, Chargers running back
With LaDainian Tomlinson all but gone, the Chargers need to keep Sproles around. The question is whether the Chargers want to pay Sproles a year at a time, or whether they’re willing to give him a long-term deal.
If they choose to stick Sproles with a second franchise tag, they’ll face the same problem in 2011 that the Cardinals face now — if there’s a new CBA in 2011 and if it contains the same provision requiring the player to receive quarterback money in year three.
Still, the Chargers can’t let Sproles walk away. Whether he’ll be operating under a one-year arrangement or something more, he’ll be a Charger in 2010.
10. Bo Scaife, Titans tight end
The Titans paid Scaife $4.462 million last year under the franchise tag. It would cost $5.35 million to use it again.
That’s a lot to pay for a guy who caught 45 passes for 440 yards and one touchdown.
With Jared Cook on the roster, it’s likely the Titans will opt not to pay the money. Indeed, Scaife signed his 2009 franchise tender only days after Cook was drafted.
So it would be a surprise if the Titans use it again.
Mike Florio writes and edits ProFootballTalk.com and is a regular contributor to Sporting News. Check out PFT for up-to-the minute NFL news.
ProFootballTalk.com’s Mike Florio weighs in on the biggest story lines of Wild Card Week:
1. High pressure for the Cowboys
As first-round playoff games go, the Dallas Cowboys are dealing with as much pressure as any playoff team ever has faced.
First, the team hasn’t won a playoff game since Dec. 28, 1996.
Second, the Cowboys have twice before blown a home playoff game against a division rival they swept in the regular season. This time around, they’ll be expected to reprise their 24-0 spanking of the Eagles from only six days before.
Third, Wade Phillips — who has never won a playoff game in three stints as a head coach — is coaching for his job.
Though it’s inevitable Dallas will win a playoff game someday, winning on Saturday will entail Phillips and the rest of the Cowboys overcoming an inordinate amount of stress and strain.
2. The start of the Jason Garrett era?
Many league insiders believe Cowboys owner Jerry Jones will fire coach Wade Phillips if the Cowboys fail to complete a three-game sweep of the Eagles on Saturday.
The fact that Phillips wouldn’t be entitled to a buyout makes it more likely that Jones would walk away from the option on Phillips’ contract for 2010.
Brad Smith surprised the Bengals last week; don’t expect that to be the case this week.
The fact that offensive coordinator Jason Garrett is under contract for two more years at $3.5 million per season makes it more likely that, if Phillips goes, Garrett will get the job.
At one point, it appeared Jones would simply clean house. The Cowboys’ late-season push to the playoffs could save Garrett, especially if it’s the defense and not the offense that blows it for the Cowboys on Saturday.
3. Rex Ryan just can’t help himself
The Jets had the Bengals right where they wanted them. Regardless of whether the Bengals did or didn’t try to win on Sunday night, the AFC North champions undoubtedly were rattled by that 37-0 pounding. And so with the league’s best defense and a potent running game, the Jets seem to be poised to roll into Cincinnati and do to the Bengals what the Bengals so proudly did to the Ravens and Steelers this year — beat them twice.
But then Jets coach Rex Ryan decided to pop off, declaring that his team should be favored not only to win on the second Saturday in January but also on the first Sunday in February.
And with that declaration, Ryan gave Bengals coach Marvin Lewis all he needed to get his team to forget about the beating they took in Week 17 — and to administer one of their own in the wild-card round.
What better way to get past a moment that might have sapped the team’s confidence than by changing the focus to yet another comment from Ryan suggesting that he’s too big for his britches?
4. Carson Palmer needs to prove the doubters wrong
Given that Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer missed most of the 2008 season with a bum elbow and given that he’s not having a great year, a lot of people think he’s still suffering from the injury, and that the Bengals are hiding it just like the Jets did last year down the stretch with Brett Favre’s bad arm.
If Palmer is fine, then he needs to demonstrate it — convincingly — on Saturday.
But the evidence suggests something is wrong. He has thrown for more than 300 yards only once this year, and he has produced fewer than 200 yards seven times.
Last week, he had none.
Regardless of whether it’s Palmer or the guys catching his passes, Palmer is the leader of the team, and it’s on him to try to propel the Bengals to their first postseason win in a generation.
Ravens QB Joe Flacco figures to see a lot of blitz pressure from the Patriots’ defense on Sunday.
5. Flacco could be the difference maker
The Ravens have been successful over the past decade with a great defense and an offense good enough to score points with the field position the defense gives it.
In his second NFL season, quarterback Joe Flacco has increased his level of play significantly, with more than 600 additional passing yards, the same number of interceptions (12) and seven more touchdown passes (21).
So if the Ravens want to contend for a championship, they’ll need to remove the training wheels. Last year, Flacco threw for 135, 161, and 141 yards in three postseason games. This time around, they need to get the ball into the air more often, especially if opposing defenses — like the Patriots on Sunday — plan to try to take away Willis McGahee and Ray Rice.
6. A little New York hypocrisy
After the Dolphins beat the Jets in October with a heavy dose of the Wildcat, New York linebacker Calvin Pace couldn’t hold his tongue.
"I’m going to be honest, I can’t respect that stuff," he said at the time. "All that Wildcat. Because we’re in the NFL, man. If you’re out there running that nonsense, it’s crap."
And, of course, the Jets have since taken to the Wildcat, using Brad Smith as a change-of-pace quarterback. Smith rushed for 92 yards on four carries in the playoff-clinching win over Cincinnati.
If not for all that "nonsense" and "crap," the Jets might be sitting at home this weekend.
7. Get a good look at Kurt Warner
When Cardinals quarterback Kurt Warner signed a two-year contract in the offseason, it was assumed he’d play two more years.
But Warner gave serious thought to calling it quits a year ago, and there’s a good chance he’ll decide after the 2009 season ends to pack it in.
The farther the team progresses, the more likely he is to ride into the sunset. If they win the Super Bowl, he surely won’t return. The question is whether he’ll give it another try in 2010 if they fall short of the mark again.
Still, even if they lose Sunday — and there’s a good chance they will — Warner might decide that he has done enough to get to Canton, and in turn decide he needs to get out before he takes any more concussions like the one that caused him to miss the game at Tennessee in late November.
8. Vikings are surely rooting for the Cowboys again
In Week 17, the Minnesota Vikings clobbered the Giants. The Vikes then needed help from the Cowboys to nail down a bye.
So with the Cowboys beating the Eagles and securing the third seed, a win by the Cowboys will send Dallas to Minnesota for the divisional round.
A victory by Philly would result in the sixth seed heading to New Orleans, with the winner of the Packers-Cardinals game going to Minnesota.
And if the Packers win, they’ll get another crack at Brett Favre — with a much better team than when the two teams got together in early October and early November.
So the Vikings surely are hoping for the Cowboys to knock off the Eagles again, even if it means a rematch of the 1975 division-round game featuring a Hail Mary pass and a flying whiskey bottle.
9. Packers quietly have gotten their act together
After losing to the Vikings and Favre at home on Nov. 1, the Packers stumbled badly against the Buccaneers. Since then, however, Mike McCarthy’s team has won all but one of its games.
The winning streak would be eight but for that last-second wing-and-a-rosary from Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger to receiver Mike Wallace.
Along the way, the defense has improved (but for the 37 points given up to the Steelers) and the offensive line has done a better job of keeping quarterback Aaron Rodgers in one piece.
So it’s not unrealistic for Green Bay fans to be dreaming of another Super Bowl win, even with the quarterback who took them to their last one playing for an arch rival.
10. After this weekend, weather likely won’t be a factor
Though the Ravens and Jets are both built to win in the elements, the only games involving elements for the entire postseason might be the games featuring the Ravens and Jets this weekend.
Three of the teams that earned byes play in domes, and the other plays in San Diego.
So unless there are multiple division-round upsets this year, there might not be much cold or wind or snow this time around.
Which means that teams with high-powered passing offenses will have an edge.
Until they get to Miami and it rains the entire game, like it did three years ago.
Mike Florio writes and edits ProFootballTalk.com and is a regular contributor to Sporting News. Check out PFT for up-to-the minute NFL news.
ProFootballTalk.com’s Mike Florio weighs in on the biggest story lines of Wild Card Week:
1. High pressure for the Cowboys
As first-round playoff games go, the Dallas Cowboys are dealing with as much pressure as any playoff team ever has faced.
First, the team hasn’t won a playoff game since Dec. 28, 1996.
Second, the Cowboys have twice before blown a home playoff game against a division rival they swept in the regular season. This time around, they’ll be expected to reprise their 24-0 spanking of the Eagles from only six days before.
Third, Wade Phillips — who has never won a playoff game in three stints as a head coach — is coaching for his job.
Though it’s inevitable Dallas will win a playoff game someday, winning on Saturday will entail Phillips and the rest of the Cowboys overcoming an inordinate amount of stress and strain.
2. The start of the Jason Garrett era?
Many league insiders believe Cowboys owner Jerry Jones will fire coach Wade Phillips if the Cowboys fail to complete a three-game sweep of the Eagles on Saturday.
The fact that Phillips wouldn’t be entitled to a buyout makes it more likely that Jones would walk away from the option on Phillips’ contract for 2010.
Brad Smith surprised the Bengals last week; don’t expect that to be the case this week.
The fact that offensive coordinator Jason Garrett is under contract for two more years at $3.5 million per season makes it more likely that, if Phillips goes, Garrett will get the job.
At one point, it appeared Jones would simply clean house. The Cowboys’ late-season push to the playoffs could save Garrett, especially if it’s the defense and not the offense that blows it for the Cowboys on Saturday.
3. Rex Ryan just can’t help himself
The Jets had the Bengals right where they wanted them. Regardless of whether the Bengals did or didn’t try to win on Sunday night, the AFC North champions undoubtedly were rattled by that 37-0 pounding. And so with the league’s best defense and a potent running game, the Jets seem to be poised to roll into Cincinnati and do to the Bengals what the Bengals so proudly did to the Ravens and Steelers this year — beat them twice.
But then Jets coach Rex Ryan decided to pop off, declaring that his team should be favored not only to win on the second Saturday in January but also on the first Sunday in February.
And with that declaration, Ryan gave Bengals coach Marvin Lewis all he needed to get his team to forget about the beating they took in Week 17 — and to administer one of their own in the wild-card round.
What better way to get past a moment that might have sapped the team’s confidence than by changing the focus to yet another comment from Ryan suggesting that he’s too big for his britches?
4. Carson Palmer needs to prove the doubters wrong
Given that Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer missed most of the 2008 season with a bum elbow and given that he’s not having a great year, a lot of people think he’s still suffering from the injury, and that the Bengals are hiding it just like the Jets did last year down the stretch with Brett Favre’s bad arm.
If Palmer is fine, then he needs to demonstrate it — convincingly — on Saturday.
But the evidence suggests something is wrong. He has thrown for more than 300 yards only once this year, and he has produced fewer than 200 yards seven times.
Last week, he had none.
Regardless of whether it’s Palmer or the guys catching his passes, Palmer is the leader of the team, and it’s on him to try to propel the Bengals to their first postseason win in a generation.
Ravens QB Joe Flacco figures to see a lot of blitz pressure from the Patriots’ defense on Sunday.
5. Flacco could be the difference maker
The Ravens have been successful over the past decade with a great defense and an offense good enough to score points with the field position the defense gives it.
In his second NFL season, quarterback Joe Flacco has increased his level of play significantly, with more than 600 additional passing yards, the same number of interceptions (12) and seven more touchdown passes (21).
So if the Ravens want to contend for a championship, they’ll need to remove the training wheels. Last year, Flacco threw for 135, 161, and 141 yards in three postseason games. This time around, they need to get the ball into the air more often, especially if opposing defenses — like the Patriots on Sunday — plan to try to take away Willis McGahee and Ray Rice.
6. A little New York hypocrisy
After the Dolphins beat the Jets in October with a heavy dose of the Wildcat, New York linebacker Calvin Pace couldn’t hold his tongue.
"I’m going to be honest, I can’t respect that stuff," he said at the time. "All that Wildcat. Because we’re in the NFL, man. If you’re out there running that nonsense, it’s crap."
And, of course, the Jets have since taken to the Wildcat, using Brad Smith as a change-of-pace quarterback. Smith rushed for 92 yards on four carries in the playoff-clinching win over Cincinnati.
If not for all that "nonsense" and "crap," the Jets might be sitting at home this weekend.
7. Get a good look at Kurt Warner
When Cardinals quarterback Kurt Warner signed a two-year contract in the offseason, it was assumed he’d play two more years.
But Warner gave serious thought to calling it quits a year ago, and there’s a good chance he’ll decide after the 2009 season ends to pack it in.
The farther the team progresses, the more likely he is to ride into the sunset. If they win the Super Bowl, he surely won’t return. The question is whether he’ll give it another try in 2010 if they fall short of the mark again.
Still, even if they lose Sunday — and there’s a good chance they will — Warner might decide that he has done enough to get to Canton, and in turn decide he needs to get out before he takes any more concussions like the one that caused him to miss the game at Tennessee in late November.
8. Vikings are surely rooting for the Cowboys again
In Week 17, the Minnesota Vikings clobbered the Giants. The Vikes then needed help from the Cowboys to nail down a bye.
So with the Cowboys beating the Eagles and securing the third seed, a win by the Cowboys will send Dallas to Minnesota for the divisional round.
A victory by Philly would result in the sixth seed heading to New Orleans, with the winner of the Packers-Cardinals game going to Minnesota.
And if the Packers win, they’ll get another crack at Brett Favre — with a much better team than when the two teams got together in early October and early November.
So the Vikings surely are hoping for the Cowboys to knock off the Eagles again, even if it means a rematch of the 1975 division-round game featuring a Hail Mary pass and a flying whiskey bottle.
9. Packers quietly have gotten their act together
After losing to the Vikings and Favre at home on Nov. 1, the Packers stumbled badly against the Buccaneers. Since then, however, Mike McCarthy’s team has won all but one of its games.
The winning streak would be eight but for that last-second wing-and-a-rosary from Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger to receiver Mike Wallace.
Along the way, the defense has improved (but for the 37 points given up to the Steelers) and the offensive line has done a better job of keeping quarterback Aaron Rodgers in one piece.
So it’s not unrealistic for Green Bay fans to be dreaming of another Super Bowl win, even with the quarterback who took them to their last one playing for an arch rival.
10. After this weekend, weather likely won’t be a factor
Though the Ravens and Jets are both built to win in the elements, the only games involving elements for the entire postseason might be the games featuring the Ravens and Jets this weekend.
Three of the teams that earned byes play in domes, and the other plays in San Diego.
So unless there are multiple division-round upsets this year, there might not be much cold or wind or snow this time around.
Which means that teams with high-powered passing offenses will have an edge.
Until they get to Miami and it rains the entire game, like it did three years ago.
Mike Florio writes and edits ProFootballTalk.com and is a regular contributor to Sporting News. Check out PFT for up-to-the minute NFL news.
Bill Cowher has a problem. By waiting to get serious about getting back into the NFL, Cowher has few choices, now that he’s finally ready to return.
Bill Cowher began his NFL coaching career as a coordinator for the Browns in 1985.
Several factors have combined to complicate Cowher’s circumstances. For a variety of reasons (not the least of which is a looming lockout in 2011), head coaches aren’t being fired with the same fervor as in past years. And with Mike Shanahan soon earning north of $10 million to coach the Redskins (not to mention $3.5 million in each of the next two years to not coach the Broncos), Cowher will want at least that much. He also will want full control over the football operations.
So with teams not lining up for the man who won a Super Bowl in 2005, his 14th season with the Steelers, let’s take a look at his for options from 2010, from worst to best.
6. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Multiple reports have emerged linking Cowher to the Buccaneers. But the team reportedly wasn’t interested in paying him more than $6 million per year, and on Tuesday night the team angrily denied Cowher was a candidate for the job.
Though Cowher surely would have received full control over the roster and the draft, the team’s recent unwillingness to break the bank for players would have made it much harder to put together a competitive team, especially in an uncapped year.
So if there were talks, they fell apart quickly — and the Buccaneers decided to love the one they’re with.
5. Tennessee Titans
Despite the absence of any strong indication that owner Bud Adams is ready to make a change, some believe the time possibly has come for the team and coach Jeff Fisher to part ways.
And that could give Cowher a viable option in the AFC South.
But money and control again would be an issue. Adams would have to fire or neuter GM Mike Reinfeldt, and also would have to pay Cowher that $10 million salary.
Then there’s the fact that anyone who coaches the Titans will have to accept Vince Young as his quarterback.
So while the Titans might end up looking for a head coach, Cowher likely wouldn’t get the money and the power he wants.
4. Buffalo Bills
It’s clear the Bills would love to have Cowher. But the thinking is he doesn’t want to go there. The presence of a 91-year-old owner and an unsettled succession plan likely are significant factors.
Then there’s the money. It would be difficult if not impossible for the team to cough up eight figures per year, at a time when the Bills are languishing in a market that’s having a tough time properly supporting an NFL franchise.
3. Chicago Bears
This one would have been an option — and possibly still could be — if Cowher were willing to let GM Jerry Angelo run the show. But with Cowher wanting control, the Bears would be forced to eat coach Lovie Smith’s contract, and Angelo’s.
2. Carolina Panthers
Amid reports that coach John Fox will be retained for the final year of his contract but not offered an extension, it’s possible Fox and the Panthers will come to an agreement that creates a vacancy not far from Cowher’s current home.
If that happens, Cowher likely would move to the top of the list. GM Marty Hurney currently is under contract through June, which would make it easy — and cheap — to give Cowher the keys.
Money could be a sticking point, but even if Cowher has to take a little less, the proximity to his residence makes it the best option — if the job becomes available.
1. Wait a year
If the Carolina job remains filled for 2010, Cowher’s best bet will be to return to CBS for one more year. With Lovie Smith, Fox, and Giants coach Tom Coughlin surely on the hot seat next year, one or more of those jobs could end up being available.
The possibility of a lockout could complicate Cowher’s return, but teams will need to have head coaches in place in the event a new labor deal is negotiated. And Cowher could have a much easier time getting the money and the power he wants by waiting one more year.
But he can’t wait too much longer. With each passing season, the memory of his accomplishments is fading. Though there always will be a team that is interested in his services, he might have a hard time creating the kind of tug-of-war in which the Chiefs and the Browns would have engaged in 2009, if Cowher had been ready to get back into the game at that time.
Mike Florio writes and edits ProFootballTalk.com and is a regular contributor to Sporting News. Check out PFT for up-to-the minute NFL news.
Bill Cowher has a problem. By waiting to get serious about getting back into the NFL, Cowher has few choices, now that he’s finally ready to return.
Bill Cowher began his NFL coaching career as a coordinator for the Browns in 1985.
Several factors have combined to complicate Cowher’s circumstances. For a variety of reasons (not the least of which is a looming lockout in 2011), head coaches aren’t being fired with the same fervor as in past years. And with Mike Shanahan soon earning north of $10 million to coach the Redskins (not to mention $3.5 million in each of the next two years to not coach the Broncos), Cowher will want at least that much. He also will want full control over the football operations.
So with teams not lining up for the man who won a Super Bowl in 2005, his 14th season with the Steelers, let’s take a look at his for options from 2010, from worst to best.
6. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Multiple reports have emerged linking Cowher to the Buccaneers. But the team reportedly wasn’t interested in paying him more than $6 million per year, and on Tuesday night the team angrily denied Cowher was a candidate for the job.
Though Cowher surely would have received full control over the roster and the draft, the team’s recent unwillingness to break the bank for players would have made it much harder to put together a competitive team, especially in an uncapped year.
So if there were talks, they fell apart quickly — and the Buccaneers decided to love the one they’re with.
5. Tennessee Titans
Despite the absence of any strong indication that owner Bud Adams is ready to make a change, some believe the time possibly has come for the team and coach Jeff Fisher to part ways.
And that could give Cowher a viable option in the AFC South.
But money and control again would be an issue. Adams would have to fire or neuter GM Mike Reinfeldt, and also would have to pay Cowher that $10 million salary.
Then there’s the fact that anyone who coaches the Titans will have to accept Vince Young as his quarterback.
So while the Titans might end up looking for a head coach, Cowher likely wouldn’t get the money and the power he wants.
4. Buffalo Bills
It’s clear the Bills would love to have Cowher. But the thinking is he doesn’t want to go there. The presence of a 91-year-old owner and an unsettled succession plan likely are significant factors.
Then there’s the money. It would be difficult if not impossible for the team to cough up eight figures per year, at a time when the Bills are languishing in a market that’s having a tough time properly supporting an NFL franchise.
3. Chicago Bears
This one would have been an option — and possibly still could be — if Cowher were willing to let GM Jerry Angelo run the show. But with Cowher wanting control, the Bears would be forced to eat coach Lovie Smith’s contract, and Angelo’s.
2. Carolina Panthers
Amid reports that coach John Fox will be retained for the final year of his contract but not offered an extension, it’s possible Fox and the Panthers will come to an agreement that creates a vacancy not far from Cowher’s current home.
If that happens, Cowher likely would move to the top of the list. GM Marty Hurney currently is under contract through June, which would make it easy — and cheap — to give Cowher the keys.
Money could be a sticking point, but even if Cowher has to take a little less, the proximity to his residence makes it the best option — if the job becomes available.
1. Wait a year
If the Carolina job remains filled for 2010, Cowher’s best bet will be to return to CBS for one more year. With Lovie Smith, Fox, and Giants coach Tom Coughlin surely on the hot seat next year, one or more of those jobs could end up being available.
The possibility of a lockout could complicate Cowher’s return, but teams will need to have head coaches in place in the event a new labor deal is negotiated. And Cowher could have a much easier time getting the money and the power he wants by waiting one more year.
But he can’t wait too much longer. With each passing season, the memory of his accomplishments is fading. Though there always will be a team that is interested in his services, he might have a hard time creating the kind of tug-of-war in which the Chiefs and the Browns would have engaged in 2009, if Cowher had been ready to get back into the game at that time.
Mike Florio writes and edits ProFootballTalk.com and is a regular contributor to Sporting News. Check out PFT for up-to-the minute NFL news.
