| ’Sup with those Saints? Whoa,
Atlanta!
Why won’t those whispers go away in Carolina?
More than any other division in the NFL, the wheels are spinning fast and furious in
the NFC West.
Armed with more cap money than most of their counterparts, the Saints and Falcons have
made two of the biggest early splashes in this year’s free-agent pool, revamping
their rosters with reckless abandon.
In New Orleans, the Mike Ditka regime already seems like ancient history, with the
energetic tandem of new coach Jim Haslett and new GM Randy Mueller going out of their way
to obliterate memories of last year’s terribly disappointing 3-13 debacle.
Clearly in need of a big-play quarterback to dress up one of the league’s most
stagnant offenses, the Saints wasted no time signing former Cincinnati signalcaller Jeff
Blake to a four-year $17.4 million contract, with a $5 million signing bonus, on the very
first day of the free-agency period.
Blake, whose trademark is his ability to throw the long pass, seems overjoyed to be
escaping Cincinnati — arguably the lowest-rated locale on the NFL players’
popularity meter. In short order, the Saints have made him feel wanted big-time, and he
appears ready to give his all.
"It means a lot knowing people have confidence in me before I’ve even done
anything," the nine-year pro recently told The Times Picayune. "With
confidence, you’ve already won. Without it, negative thinking sets in, and with
negative thinking you lose.
"That’s how I’ve been able to do the things I’ve done for the last
couple of years in Cincinnati, regardless of the situation I was in. I always stayed
positive. They wanted me to break and cause all kinds of trouble so they could say,
‘I told you so.’ "
Helping to keep Blake in a positive frame of mind are the Saints’ other free-agent
signings courtesy of the rival AFC — ex-Chief home-run threat Joe Horn and DBs Fred
Thomas (Seattle) and Chris Oldham (Pittsburgh). Another plus has been the re-signing of
Tom Ackerman, who is projected as the team’s starting left guard.
The Saints also remain in negotiations with ex-Vikings TE Andrew Glover and WR Jake
Reed and are talking to three fullbacks.
Now if they could just find themselves an offensive coordinator, they could really be
on to something.
Haslett and Mueller had interviewed five candidates at this writing, with three
remaining in the hunt — Oakland WR coach Gary Stevens, Denver WR coach Bob Bratkowski
and current Saints QB coach Mike McCarthy.
How important is this hire? All one has to do is look at the instant impact one Mike
Martz had in St. Louis last year after making the move from Washington. Ditto Gary
Crowton, whose offensive chicanery was a breath of fresh air for the Bears in the Windy
City.
The Falcons, meanwhile, appear determined to make amends for their sorry 5-11 campaign
in ’99, having committed roughly $20 million in signing bonuses and $70 million in
contracts for four players (two newcomers, two holdovers) since the end of the season.
Their biggest investment was ex-Saints CB Ashley Ambrose, who signed a five-year, $22.5
million contract to join his good pal, Ray Buchanan, in a secondary that suddenly seems
dramatically improved.
Ambrose’s signing bonus? Try $7.5 million — the same amount as the
franchise-record sum that took months to negotiate last summer for star RB Jamal Anderson.
Anderson’s recovery from the knee injury that knocked him out of most of the ’99
campaign remains the Falcons’ biggest need, regardless of any new blood on the
roster.
In addition, Atlanta signed ex-Patriots WR Shawn Jefferson to a four-year, $14.2
million deal with a $4.5 million signing bonus in the hope he could become a badly needed
complement to smallish wideouts Terance Mathis and Tim Dwight. They also re-upped with
Shane Dronett and Jessie Tuggle, who is an essential component in the leadership/character
department.
Then there are the Panthers, who were reportedly about $200,000 under the salary cap
after restructuring eight contracts and releasing three players last week. Despite these
supposedly dire financial straits, rumors that they might land a big-time defensive
presence refuse to cease — in great part because Falcons DE Chuck Smith, the spiciest
name on the Carolina rumor mill, keeps talking up the possibility. There are also rumors
the Panthers might somehow find a way to land Chargers franchise player DL Norman Hand.
Two more reasons the rumors won’t die: (1) Last year’s starters on the
Carolina defensive line combined for a grand total of six sacks, and (2) the team’s
leading sacker in ’99, Kevin Greene, has retired.
Numerous people in the know feel a quick defensive fix could put the Panthers, whose
offense made huge strides in ’99, right in the thick of things.
Finally, you better believe the front-running Rams are paying close attention to
what’s going on in the NFC West.
They’re living proof that a super transformation is possible in a very short time. |
