| ProFootballWeekly.com asked
contributing editor Joel Buchsbaum for his thoughts on some of the hot topics around the
NFL. 
Buchsbaum analyzes players that were cut by their teams
PFW: Washington releases Stubblefield
Buchsbaum: He’s still a good player. He’s not worth the salary, but he’s
a good player. He’s a good run-down player and he’s got some quickness to
penetrate.
PFW: Ravens cut Tony Banks
Buchsbaum: He teases you that you think he could be something, but he never turns into
anything. When you try to count on him and put all your eggs in his basket, look what
happens. It happened on two teams now.
PFW: Cornelius Bennett released by Colts
Buchsbaum: It’s a combination of age, injury and talent.
PFW: Tennessee cuts Al Del Greco
Buchsbaum: It came down to that he cost the team three of their four losses this year
and Jeff Fisher lost confidence in him. He had a pretty big salary and there were a lot of
good free-agent kickers available this year.
PFW: Bengals cut Tom Carter
Buchsbaum: He just wasn’t very good. The same things that got him out of Chicago
and Washington (got him released here): He couldn’t cover very well and he was a
non-hitter.
PFW: Philadelphia cuts Torrence Small
Buchsbaum: He wasn’t worth his salary. He’s a possession guy, nothing
special.
PFW: Bills cut Sam Rogers
Buchsbaum: Excellent football player who was being paid a Pro Bowl salary.
PFW: Colts cut Tyrone Poole
Buchsbaum: He was a guy that didn’t play well last year and wasn’t nearly
worth his salary, but still has some value at the right price.
PFW: Seahawks release Sean Dawkins, Derrick Mayes
Buchsbaum: They’re journeyman receivers who were being paid more than journeyman
receivers should be paid.
PFW: Talk about the outlook for Darrell Jackson next season.
Buchsbaum: It’s bright, but they still have to get a speed guy in there.
PFW: Packers renegotiate with Dorsey Levens
Buchsbaum: (Their backfield) is in very good shape now. Ahman Green is the starter.
Levens can rotate in and out with him. Levens is a little better receiver and a little
better blocker at this point.
PFW: Steelers re-sign Bettis
Buchsbaum: They wanted Bettis for life. They got him for life. They paid him handsomely
for it. He’s going to be very well compensated. But he’s the key to the offense
when you have a quarterback like they have.
Arizona declines Wadsworth option
The Cardinals declined to exercise the option for the final three years of DE Andre
Wadsworth’s contract on Thursday and offered him $512,000 as an RFA. Wadsworth was
scheduled to make more than $30 million in the next three years. If another club signs
Wadsworth, the Cardinals will be compensated with a second-round pick.
PFW: Is Wadsworth worth a second-round pick?
Buchsbaum: I don’t know. It all depends on the physical. The guy really
hasn’t done it in the league and he’s had so many injuries, you don’t know
if he’s got anything left or not, or if he’s going to just be a perennial injury
guy.
XFL hopes Butkus, new rule can stop ratings slide
Dick Butkus will step into the broadcast booth on NBC’s No. 2 team this week,
replacing Jerry "The King" Lawler. With NBC hoping that his name will boost
ratings, Butkus will team up with play-by-play man Matt Vasgersian to call the NBC bonus
coverage game. The XFL also made a rule change that they hope will increase offensive
output. The league banned bump-and-run coverage after five yards, which was previously
allowed.
PFW: You’ve commented on the XFL in the past, but not recently. Do you
have any thoughts on the XFL at this point?
Buchsbaum: The quarterbacks are terrible. There’s no speed on offense. The
offensive linemen are terrible and they have no one to get you excited, that you want to
see. For this game to sell, it’s got to be more like Arena Football with a lot of
scoring, a lot of excitement, and the best athletes at the skill positions where they can
make plays. Not the best athletes on defense.
PFW: Would it be fair to say the level of talent is less than what you thought
you would see?
Buchsbaum: The caliber of the game is less than I thought I’d see. The excitement
level is less than I thought I’d see. But I think, Ventura, when he’s prompted,
when they do matchups before the game, I think they do a good job there. But obviously
he’s got someone in the studio that’s doing a nice job for him. But once
he’s on his own during the game, he’s an embarrassment.
PFW: As a football man, what are your thoughts on the whole Ventura vs. Rusty
Tillman story?
Buchsbaum: Well, I think Rusty Tillman is in over his head as a head coach, and I think
Ventura doesn’t know what he’s talking about as an announcer. And I think
Tillman is one of these guys from the old Lombardi school, who wants to intimidate people
and Ventura’s not going to be intimidated. But at the same time, you have two people
who aren’t very good at their jobs slinging mud at each other. And you don’t
really respect either one of them for what they’re doing. Jesse obviously is trying
to bring about more of a conflict for TV’s sake. And Rusty just doesn’t want to
get into it, which is smart on his part, but he’s got to handle it in a much more
gentle way. |
