| MOBILE, Ala. — The head coaches of the 2000 Senior Bowl go way back. Carolina’s
George Seifert, coaching the North team, and Kansas City’s Gunther
Cunningham, coaching the South team, have known each other since the mid-’60s,
when Seifert was a coach and Cunningham a player at the University of Oregon.
Seifert was a mentor to Cunningham, who got into coaching shortly after his playing
career ended. The two have the utmost respect for each other, but it didn’t stop them
from sending barbs each other’s way during the week leading up to the game.
"I knew he couldn’t play," Seifert said of Cunningham, "so I
figured if he wanted to stay in the game, it would have to be as a coach."
Said Cunningham: "When they first asked me about coaching the game, my head kind
of dropped. I looked up and said, ‘Who’s coaching the other team?’ They
said, ‘George,’ and I said, ‘OK, we’ve got a chance here.’ "
According to scouts watching the action, the following players made a very positive
impression during Senior Bowl practices: Oklahoma OT Stockar McDougle, West
Virginia WR Jerry Porter, Jackson State WR Sylvester Morris, South Carolina
LB John Abraham, New Mexico LB Brian Urlacher, West Virginia TE Anthony
Becht, Hawaii OT Adrian Klemm, Jackson State CB Rashard Anderson,
Pittsburgh CB Hank Poteat, Marshall QB Chad Pennington, Georgia Tech QB
Joe Hamilton, Tennessee LB Raynoch Thompson and Syracuse LB Keith Bullock.
As of late Thursday, the North squad faced the prospect of playing without any of its
three tight ends. Becht, Northwestern’s Jay Tant and Louisville’s Ibn
Green all suffered minor muscle pulls in practice. If necessary, the North will shift
Michigan FB Aaron Shea and UCLA WR Danny Farmer to tight
end for Saturday’s game. Many project Shea as an H-back or tight end on the next
level.
Cunningham’s work ethic is legendary. Seifert recognized that trait during their
Oregon days.
"He was obviously very energetic, enthusiastic, loved football," Seifert
said. "They don’t get any more dedicated to coaching. He’s a coach’s
coach. He is totally committed to the profession."
Cunningham calls himself the "consummate coach. Twenty hours a day, 365 days a
year. I love football."
Just how focused is Cunningham during the season?
"I did not know who was playing in the national-championship game," he said.
"But I did know when the Senior Bowl was going to be held."
There’s an inherent advantage in actually coaching the Senior Bowl teams. Working
with the players on a daily basis gives the coaches a unique, firsthand perspective. But
it’s far from an exact science.
Cunningham was on the Baltimore Colts staff when Dan Marino played in the game.
According to Cunningham, one of the Colts’ coaches said of Marino, "I don’t
think this guy can play."
"And I think the rest is history," Cunningham said. Cunningham admitted to
missing the boat on Steelers ILB Levon Kirkland.
"I said, ‘He might be a little too short,’ " Cunningham said.
"I don’t know how many Pro Bowls he’s gone to since."
As usual, there was quite a bit of turnover among the ranks of head coaches and their
staffs following the 1999 season. Was Seifert surprised with the number of fired coaches
this year?
"No," said Seifert. "I think it’s something that’s part of
business. Nobody makes us join this fraternity or profession. We’re well aware of the
potential for success and fame and glory, as well as winding up out in the streets. As far
as the number of jobs that are available this year, it’s consistent with the
norm."
Cowboys special-teams coach Joe Avezzano said that he doesn’t believe the
league’s new "kicking-only" balls had anything to do with the sudden
decline in PK Richie Cunningham’s performance.
"Everybody had to deal with the balls," said Avezzano. "People that were
making (field goals) were dealing with the same balls (as the kickers) that weren’t.
So I don’t think it was the football. In this particular case, he went bad and
couldn’t pull out of it."
Sean Jones has done a lot in his life. He was one of the game’s great
defensive linemen. He has been successful as a businessman and broadcaster. Now he’s
trying his hand at being an agent.
He represents Cowboys DE Ebenezer Ekuban, who went in the first round of the
draft last year.
This year Jones was down in Mobile, watching a couple of his newest clients. One of
those clients, DB Kareem Larrimore, has him pretty excited. Larrimore is a
little-known player from West Texas A&M.
"I think he’g going to be a really interesting player, coming from a small
school with good size, and he runs real well," said Jones. "He did real well at
the Blue-Gray game, and that got him here. This is the mecca for being able to show your
talents. If he can do real well here, it’ll show he really belongs. And that’s
all he’s really trying to show. Because he’s going to test well. That’s a
non-issue."
Agent Hadley Engelhard, whose roster of soon-to-be free agents includes Seahawks
DE Phillip Daniels, Dolphins FB Stanley Pritchett and Dolphins S Shawn
Wooden, is hardly upset about the date of the free-agent signing period being moved up
from March 2 to Feb. 11.
"We’re happy about it," Engelhard said. "Things happen a lot
quicker, and the players get paid sooner. The teams that our guys are on right now,
they’ve stepped up their negotiations with us, hoping we’ll come to terms before
Feb. 11."
A family having two generations in the NFL isn’t all that rare. But it is rare to
find two generations with multiple members of the same family working in the NFL.
Meet the Garrett family. There is father Jim, who has been around football
forever. Currently, he serves as an East Coast scout for the Cowboys. One of his sons,
Jason, is the backup to Dallas QB Troy Aikman. Another of his sons, John, serves as
QB coach on the Cardinals’ staff. Yet another son, Judd, was on the staff of the
Saints, which was recently dismissed.
Jim was joined by John and Judd in Mobile this week, as the three looked at the talent
available for this year’s draft.
Judd also had other matters on his mind, mainly trying to land a job with another team.
His father said that Judd talked to two teams about potential jobs.
Did the eldest Garrett offer any advice to Judd about landing a new gig?
"The only advice I ever told him — and I say this to everybody, they
don’t have to be my son — is, ‘If the floor needs sweeping, sweep the
floor,’ " said Jim. "Don’t wait for some guy to do it. If you’re
in an organization, and you want to do something to win, do everything. Don’t wait to
be asked. And no matter what they ask you to do, do it. Because that’s what people
want. They want workers. I think guys who have a good work ethic are always going to have
a good job."
As for son John, who coaches for a division rival, Jim says there is no rivalry. In a
perfect world, according to Jim, the Cardinals and Cowboys would always tie. But, of
course, Jim realizes that is not possible, as the NFL is all about competition and
winning.
Finally, does Jim ever push for more playing time for son Jason? No. Jim said that he
never talks to anyone in the Cowboys’ organization about Jason unless he’s
approached.
Seifert on what he’d be doing if he weren’t coaching in the Senior Bowl:
"Oh, I’d probably be on some remote island, snorkling or something."
Agent Ralph Cindrich represents several centers set to hit the free-agent
market: Miami’s Tim Ruddy, Tampa Bay’s Tony Mayberry,
Minnesota’s Jeff Christy and Washington’s Cory Raymer. "It
shows my level of intelligence," Cindrich joked. "Leigh Steinberg
represents all the quarterbacks; I represent all the centers."
You can tell that a lot is on the line and that emotions are running high by the fact
that two scuffles broke out during a North team practice on Thursday. On consecutive
plays, USC OL Travis Claridge got into it with Michigan State DE Robaire Smith.
They had to be separated after the second incident.
A few minutes later, Indiana (Pa.) OL Leander Jordan got into a slap fight with
S George White of Boston College.
Penn State WR Chafie Fields has been wearing navy-and-white, horizontally
striped socks similar to those worn by Randy Moss during his days at Marshall. The
socks were given to Fields by fellow Nittany Lion O.J. McDuffie, now with the
Dolphins, as a good-luck charm. The socks are a risque fashion statement for Fields, who
had become accustomed to wearing Penn State’s notoriously plain uniforms.
"They ain’t Penn State issue," Fields said. "Far from it." |
