| It’s that time of year again. No, not that
time of year when your favorite team decides its best linebacker or offensive lineman is
too expensive and helps him clean out his locker. And no, not that time of year when
future NFL stars prepare for the upcoming draft with a variety of workouts and painstaking
interviews with team executives. All that goes on in April as well, but I’m talking
about the coach’s doghouse. In other words, who’s going to be in it for not
participating in his team’s "voluntary" minicamps. It happens every
offseason for one reason or another. This year’s leading candidate is the
Titans’ Jevon Kearse, who was at home in Miami while his team held a two-day workout
and team meetings in Nashville last week.
In total, three Titans who are under contract did not participate in the first
minicamp. Veteran OL Bruce Matthews was one, but he’s expected to retire in June.
Backup QB Neil O’Donnell was the other, but he was excused by coaches. The offseason
programs are not mandatory under league rules, but players don’t usually miss the 14
on-field workouts allowed by the NFL. "Just be there" is usually the philosophy.
Ironically, Kearse has been a regular at team headquarters this offseason, working out
and attending the Titans’ voluntary weight program two weeks ago.
He has a couple of years remaining on his original rookie deal that will pay him
$425,000 in base salary in 2002 and a $1 million bonus if he records at least 11 sacks and
plays at least 70 percent of the Titans’ defensive plays. But it’s believed that
may not be enough for Kearse, who is in rare company as one of only three players to have
at least 10 sacks in each of his first three seasons in the league. Clearly, he’s
underpaid as elite pass rushers go.
"I’m not upset, I’m disappointed," Titans head coach Jeff Fisher
said of Kearse’s absence. "It’s clearly a contract situation."
Kearse’s agent, Drew Rosenhaus, said his client’s decision to stay and train
in Florida was "no big deal." Teammate Samari Rolle, who left training camp for
a short time last season in a contract dispute, echoed those sentiments.
Fisher, on the other hand, would have liked to have his three-time Pro Bowler in town,
mainly for the sake of the rest of the team.
"Jevon Kearse has a contract. That’s all I have to say," Fisher said.
"This is the business side; everyone goes through it. I understand what’s going
on; it doesn’t mean I have to agree with it."
It makes sense that Fisher doesn’t agree with it. These "voluntary"
workouts are merely called that so agents can point to the fine print in the NFL’s
collective bargaining agreement when one of their clients decides not to show. The CBA
states that other than one three-day minicamp, teams cannot mandate any organized activity
before the start of training camp. In the minds of coaches and the vast majority of
veterans, however, attendance at these workouts is as important as remembering your
anniversary. And teammates and coaches may even hold more of a grudge.
"Voluntary" is for blood drives and booster clubs, not for NFL teams, especially
for one like Tennessee, which saw its record slip to 7-9 after back-to-back 13-3
campaigns.
Bickering over players who miss these voluntary workouts is nothing new.
Last season, Bengals LB Takeo Spikes called the handful of teammates who were not there
on the field at Paul Brown Stadium with him. The messages he relayed were not of the
pleasant and soothing variety, as Spikes was fuming over some of their excuses.
Former Colts head coach Jim Mora and QB Peyton Manning were quite vocal in their
disapproval of Edgerrin James’ decision to stay put in Miami during the early portion
of the summer last year. Cowboys LB Darren Hambrick lost his starting job for a time
because of his failure to participate in offseason workouts. WR Terry Glenn’s track
record in this department does not even need to be mentioned, I don’t think.
The argument against the contradiction that is "voluntary" workouts is that
football players need time away from the game to heal and spend time with family. But
players with multimillion-dollar contracts will get little sympathy from the press, fans
or coaches for not hopping on a flight to be there in an effort to shake off the rust and
build some team camaraderie in April or May. Football is, after all, a year-round business
these days.
So what will the ramifications be for Kearse and those like him who choose not to
participate voluntarily this offseason? It’s hard to tell. The words in the
collective bargaining agreement between the NFL and its players mean squat to teammates
and coaches when someone doesn’t take the time to participate. The boys are back in
town, and he should be too. These types of choices have been known on occasion to gain
some leverage in contract negotiations or sometimes just earn a shrug of the shoulders,
but more often than not, they don’t help one bit. When sacrifices are made by the
majority, it’s difficult for some to forget. No matter how many sacks you have. |
