Wednesday, March 7, 2001

Don't stop there

The Buccaneers, Ravens and Seahawks have new starting quarterbacks, but they still have work to do on offense

By Ron Pollack, Editor-in-chief

Brad Johnson has moved to Tampa Bay. Elvis Grbac has moved to Baltimore. Matt Hasselbeck has moved to Seattle.

As important as the QB position is, however, these teams are hardly done with their offseason fix-up projects. Yes, quarterback is the most important position on the field. No, a quarterback cannot do it alone. Thus, here is a look at what work there still remains to be done on offense for these clubs.

Tampa Bay — If Johnson is to survive, the Buccaneers need to do something about their OT situation. The Buccaneers may have the worst OT situation in the league right now. If they stick with the status quo that would be a recipe for disaster. Plus, the offensive line could see some free agent defections. The answer? The draft. Look for offensive tackles to be taken early and often. If I were the Buccaneers’ GM, I would take offensive tackles with my first- and second-round pick. Remember, the Buccaneers like to play a conservative style of offense that allows the defense to be the star. That means the offense has to avoid mistakes. That’s hard to do if the quarterback is running for his life from angry defensive ends. If the Buccaneers can address their OL needs, the offense should be much improved with Johnson at the helm. The Buccaneers still won’t have a high flying offense, but Johnson will do a much better job of taking advantage of WR Keyshawn Johnson’s skills than Shaun King was able to do.

Baltimore — The Ravens need to upgrade their receiving corps. Getting Travis Taylor back from injury will help, but I don’t think they should stop there. If I were pulling the trigger on Draft Day for the Ravens, I’d draft another wide receiver in Round One. The defense obviously needs no help. The running game is in great hands with Jamal Lewis. If Taylor develops as expected and the Ravens add another wideout, it will be very interesting to see what Grbac can do. On the one hand, Brian Billick will finally have the pieces to run this offense the way he likes. On the other hand, Grbac is not a proven winner in the NFL. Trent Dilfer may not have been exciting, but the Ravens won with him. Grbac will give the offense more juice, but will he do the things that are most necessary to take advantage of the Ravens’ great defense — manage the game, avoid mistakes, provide leadership?

Seattle — Mike Holmgren has his guy at quarterback now, but Hasselbeck needs some help. I think the Seahawks will use quite a bit of their early firepower on Draft Day to help the defense, but I think they should use one of the two first-round picks, probably the second one, to take a wide receiver. WR Darrell Jackson looks like he’s the real thing, but then what? The Seahawks need another starter at this position.

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