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Pick: DE Kevin Carter
This guy certainly fits in the intriguing category. Just what is a team getting if it
gives him the big money in free agency? Is it getting the guy who was the best defensive
end in football two seasons ago? Or is it getting the guy whose play and effort slipped
last season when he seemed to mope about because of his unresolved long-term contract
situation? I interviewed Carter at length two Super Bowls ago and was very impressed with
what kind of man he was. Still, last season concerns me. It’s going to cost a team a
lot of money to find out if last year was a one-year blip or a preview of problems to
come. It would make me nervous to pay enormous money to a player with this type of
question mark because if you make a mistake, it’s a huge mistake. On the other hand,
if Carter reverts to his old playing form and old approach to the game, he will be a
sensational player to have. Carter is a roll of the dice. Boom or bust. Also, if the Rams
franchise Carter, will the situation turn ugly? Intriguing indeed.
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Pick: QB Trent Dilfer
Very rarely is the incumbent Super Bowl champion quarterback available on the
free-agent market. It’s just the sort of thing that championship teams don’t
allow to happen. Unless you are the Ravens, and your quarterback is Trent Dilfer. Usually,
when we think of quarterbacks who get to proclaim, "I’m going to Disney
World!" the names of John Elway, Kurt Warner and Steve Young come to mind. Players
like those, and Brett Favre and Troy Aikman, are locked up contractually long before they
are able to hit the open market. But Dilfer is a totally different story. He is not an
MVP-caliber quarterback. He’ll admit that himself. He handled the prickly questions
at the Super Bowl as professionally as any man could have. He exuded class from start to
finish. But that won’t get him a huge contract on the open market. It probably
won’t even get him another starting gig. He went 11-1 as a starter in 2000, including
the postseason, and he is facing relegation to a backup role in 2001. Nobody ever said
life is fair.
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Pick: RB Charlie Garner
There’s no doubt the 49ers would like to bring back Garner next season, but
there’s no way they will agree to come even close to paying him $4 million per year,
which is what Garner and his agent genuinely believe he deserves after two highly
productive seasons in a San Francisco uniform. Are there other teams willing to pay the
29-year-old Garner that much money? That’s certainly one of the more intriguing
free-agent questions these days. No matter how well Garner plays, his critics continue to
question his size and stamina. Even though he managed 1,789 total yards this season and
was a big key in San Francisco’s potent attack, his detractors are quick to point out
that he rushed for just 183 yards in the final five games. But how can you dispute the
all-purpose numbers Garner has compiled in the Bay Area? He’s a shifty running back
who can wreak havoc as a receiver out of the backfield when he’s on his game, and I
think he’d be a nice fit on more than a few teams. But a $4 million-a-year fit? Stay
tuned.
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Pick: QB Brad Johnson
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Redskins QB
Brad Johnson
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It’s quite apparent that Johnson will not be returning to our nation’s
capital next season. Jeff George will be running the show there, so Johnson must find work
elsewhere — and he should have several options. Baltimore, San Diego, Miami, Seattle
and Atlanta are all possible destinations for Johnson, who is the best unrestricted
free-agent quarterback available. Though he’s had his share of injuries over the
years, Johnson has top-notch ability. He’s a very good passer, a good decision-maker
and a stand-up guy. Sure, his numbers took a dive this past season, but it wasn’t as
if he were working with top talent. His offensive line was decimated by injuries, and he
lost his top target, Michael Westbrook. Johnson was a victim of circumstance more than
anything. With a change of scenery, he could re-establish himself among the game’s
best quarterbacks. His best-case scenario is to land in Baltimore, where he could work
with the man who helped develop him as a pro, Brian Billick.
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Pick: RB Corey Dillon
How can a team finish 29th in total offense and yet finish third in rushing yards per
game? Easy, have Dillon throw the brunt of the load on his back and let him do his thing.
Looking through a watered-down free-agent crop, Dillon’s résumé stands out like a
Ferrari at a Buick dealership. It’s scary to think what he could have done in another
system with better blockers and, at the very least, an adequate passing game to take the
pressure off him. As it was, he rushed for 1,435 yards, a 4.6-yard average and seven
touchdowns last season, including two games in which he reached the 200-yard plateau. The
Bengals are prepared to offer Dillon everything but the kitchen sink, which translates
into something in the vicinity of an eight-year, $60 million deal with a signing bonus in
the $12-$15 million range. Dillon, however, said he wants to play for a winner, and the
Bengals hardly qualify, leaving open the possibility that he’ll bolt to a playoff
contender and leave the Bengals picking up the scraps.
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Pick: DE Marcellus Wiley
Wiley is likely to be the odd man out in the Bills’ plans, unless WR Eric Moulds
doesn’t re-sign with the team. Years of sacrificing dollars for wins, and not getting
any Super Bowl rings to show for it, will come back to bite Buffalo in the worst way.
While the Bills would love to keep both Moulds and Wiley, they are already well over the
projected cap figure and cannot afford both of them, especially if Moulds gets
top-receiver money. Wiley took over for future Hall of Famer Bruce Smith, who was waived
last offseason. Wiley led the team with 10˝ sacks and matured into a leader on the field.
He helped one of the league’s top defenses in 1999 stay respectable through a severe
rash of injuries in 2000. Wiley is a young, smart pass rusher who is also quick to sniff
out the run and chase it down. He would be a valuable addition to most defenses.
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