Tuesday, April 10, 2001

Aikman calls it quits

QB Troy Aikman announced his retirement yesterday in an emotional press conference that lasted an hour and a half. Rather than risk suffering an 11^th concussion or take any more hits to his ailing back, Aikman decided to move to the broadcast booth because it was the right thing for him and his family.

Buchsbaum: He was a Hall of Fame quarterback. He doesn’t have Hall of Fame numbers, but what made him so special is that he did whatever had to be done to win, and he was at his best in the big games. He was very clutch, he was very poised and he was an excellent leader. Although people don’t realize it, in his prime he was as accurate a passer as anyone in the game, and he had a very quick release.

Profootballweekly.com: Of the three Triplets (Aikman, Michael Irvin and Emmitt Smith), were they all on equal footing, or was any one above the others?

Buchsbaum: None were above the others, but if you look at the career, you might end up giving Smith the edge because of longevity for position.

Profootballweekly.com: Do you think the Cowboys are set at quarterback with Tony Banks, or do you think they’ll bring somebody else in?

Buchsbaum: I think they would like to draft somebody, but they just don’t have money to bring people in with. They’re spending close to $11 million on quarterbacks this year, and they’re paying the quarterbacks on their roster about $800,000 under the cap.

Profootballweekly.com: Why would they have brought in Banks instead of Trent Dilfer?

Buchsbaum: Banks worked with the Cowboys’ offensive coordinator Jack Reilly while they were in St. Louis. Riley is one of those people who believes eventually the light is going to go on for this kid because he’s a fabulous talent in terms of arm strength, athletic ability, running speed, etc.

Bucs reach agreement with Barber and Wunsch

The Buccaneers came to terms with free agents Ronde Barber and Jerry Wunsch yesterday. Barber started all 16 games at cornerback, recording 97 tackles and 5.5 sacks. Wunsch has made 29 consecutive starts at right tackle.

Buchsbaum: Ronde Barber fits their scheme very well. He’s a much better player for them than he’d be for anyone else because they compensate for his lack of speed by playing that two-deep coverage and rolling up the corners. And they needed Wunsch to play right tackle. He’s not an athlete, but he is a big, strong, bull of a guy who does an adequate job at right tackle.

Profootballweekly.com: A lot of the pieces seem to be falling in place for the Bucs this offseason, but what’s left for them to do in the draft?

Buchsbaum: Left tackle, to me, is the key on offense. They also need to upgrade overall team depth and possibly get a return guy.

Watters expected to return to Seattle, says Holmgren

Seahawks head coach/general manager Mike Holmgren said he fully expects to have 32-year-old RB Ricky Watters on board next season. Watters started all 16 games last season and had his highest rushing average since 1993, but there has been increasing speculation that Watters will be traded because second-year RB Shaun Alexander is waiting in the wings and Watters has just one year left on his contract.

Profootballweekly.com: Is this statement more Holmgren posturing to drive up the price, or do you believe this is what he wants?

Buchsbaum: I believe he wants to trade Ricky, and I’m pretty convinced he wants to trade Ricky. But right now, all that is being offered is middle- to late-round picks for him. The problem with Ricky is his cap number, and teams don’t want to take that.

Profootballweekly.com: So basically you believe Holmgren’s comments are covering all bases in case they don’t get a fair market value for him?

Buchsbaum: Right.

Bengals re-sign Tom Carter

CB Tom Carter agreed to a one-year deal with the Bengals Monday after the team released him March 1. The Bengals saved more than $1 million by releasing him and then re-signing him. Carter started 11 games in 2000 but lost his starting job to rookie Robert Bean late in the season.

Buchsbaum: He’s a workout warrior, a good person and a good team guy, but he’s not a very good football player because he lacks natural instincts for the ball. He picks off passes, but when the ball is in the air and his back is turned, he’s blind.

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2000 - 2001 Season