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Jaguars WR
Keenan McCardell
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Quick, pick your favorite NFL team, the one you follow religiously, and think back to
the summer of 2001. Specifically, the NFL offseason.
Got it? Good. Now, answer this: Can you name one player your team acquired after June
1, 2001, who earned your team a few more wins in the regular season or carried it to the
playoffs?
Unless your favorite team is the Patriots or Raiders, you have no really viable answer
to this question.
So what’s all this hype about the June 1 cuts each season? Well, allow me to
explain.
After the draft is over, the real fanatics eventually run out of things to analyze and
discuss. You can only compare how teams drafted in the seventh round for so long.
So ‘round about the 15th of May or so, the fanatics realize that the salary-cap
cuts are coming, whip out the calculators and figure out that there might be a few good
men out there after June 1.
Almost on cue, that’s what happened this season. The draft talk died down, and
everyone crowed about the big, big names that would be available after June 1, when teams
release players to save money on the salary cap.
And yes, at presstime, prior to the release of the official list of players who were
cut, the rumor mill was spinning again with some very interesting names out there.
Names such as WRs Keenan McCardell and Derrick Alexander, RBs Jamal Anderson and James
Stewart and DE Marco Coleman had popped up as possible cap-saving cuts. Of course, by the
time you’re reading this, you’ll know who’s out there.
But I can write this column without knowing because I believe there won’t be a ton
of substantial talent available after June 1, even if those players do become available. I
believe that every year.
That takes me back to my original question: Can you name one post-June 1,
difference-making acquisition your team made last year?
I said unless you were a Patriots or Raiders fan, you wouldn’t find a good answer.
So, you see, that’s two teams out of 31 that found the right guy or guys to take
them to another level. Doesn’t sound to me like post-June 1 is a great time to look
for answers.
Some years, special players become available after June 1, and some years players are
signed to the right situation after June 1 and become special.
One special player who was signed during the "second wave" (as some people
call post-June 1) of free agency in ’01, around whom there was much speculation and
hype, was WR Jerry Rice.
The Raiders signed Rice in early June, and he became one of the main reasons they were
a postseason favorite to represent the AFC in the Super Bowl. If not for a snowstorm and a
controversial call, Rice might have earned another ring across the Bay.
In fact, he still may live up to the enormous hype surrounding his signing. The Raiders
are still very much in contention, and Rice will be a sizable contributor to their offense
this season.
But for a player of Rice’s caliber to become available at any time, let alone
after June 1 each year is unrealistic.
New England made a post-June 1 acquisition that made a huge contribution to its
surprising championship season.
RB Antowain Smith, who was cut by the Bills in May, was signed on June 8 of last year.
We all know the Patriots’ story by now, and there’s no doubt it all began
with the team’s free-agent acquisitions.
Smith is probably the crown jewel of the bounty. New England was able to secure him for
a low-price, one-year deal. Not bad for a guy who two seasons prior had rushed for 1,124
yards in his second season.
As we know, Smith turned into a goldmine for New England, rushing for 1,157 yards and
12 touchdowns during the regular season.
But Rice and Smith are the exceptions. How many other players are cut on or around June
1 and never pan out?
Do you think teams will trip over themselves to get players such as OT John Fina or LB
Mike Jones? Both players were rumored targets at presstime.
Fina was slowed by injuries in ’01 and deemed obsolete when the Bills added rookie
OT Mike Williams and free agent Trey Teague. Jones was deemed unnecessary by the Steelers
when Kendrell Bell won the starting ILB job early in ’01.
Typically, the list is a massive rundown of washed-up veterans, injury-plagued players
and on-the-bubble guys who simply were being paid way too much money for their team to
keep them.
In this salary-cap era, you might find a player or two similar to Rice, or even a
surprise guy like Smith.
But barring a major surprise cut, there is no Jerry Rice in this year’s June 1
crop.
If McCardell is available, he’d be a nice No. 2, but he’s not going to lead
your team to the Super Bowl.
June 1 is not the landmark moment it’s made out to be each season. How excited
would you really be if your team signed McCardell (Houston fans, you’re exempt here)?
Would you expect Anderson to return to greatness? What about his knees?
Also, keep in mind this June 1 free-agent bonanza is never a speedy event. Everyone
seems to think these cuts bring about a frenzy of activity. But that’s not the case.
No one’s in a hurry at this time of the year in the NFL.
So, unless you’re a die-hard football fanatic who just can’t get enough of
the NFL and its proceedings, you might as well go back to enjoying your summer hobbies,
because your team is not going to find "the answer" in June. |
