ProFootballWeekly.com
asks personnel expert Joel Buchsbaum for his thoughts on the hottest topics in
football.
Schulters replaces Bishop in Tennessee
The Titans filled one of their biggest needs before the draft by agreeing to terms with
49ers unrestricted free-agent S Lance Schulters on a contract. The Titans have been
negotiating with Schulters’ agent for nearly a month. The four-year veteran will
replace longtime Titans SS Blaine Bishop, who was released early in the free-agent period
and later signed with the Eagles.
Buchsbaum: In the Buddy Ryan-Jeff Fischer-Gregg Williams type of defense, you need a
dominating player at strong safety to make it work. With the Bears, it seemed like Ryan
always had a Todd Bell or a Dave Duerson at strong safety. Fischer all the years in
Tennessee had Blaine Bishop, who is a very good player. Now that Bishop is just about
done, the Titans made a bold move in going out and getting S Lance Schulters, who had a
Pro Bowl year with the 49ers. The question is, is Schulters up to the task of handling
this defense, which involves multiple reads and a great deal of preparation by the strong
safety as well as a great deal of physical talent? Schulters’ hitting and tackling is
good enough so he can play like a linebacker, like Bishop often did. However, the question
is, will he be as effective in coverage and will he read the play-action fakes as well as
Bishop did.
TE Sharpe returning to Denver
Free-agent TE Shannon Sharpe is expected to announce his signing with the Broncos
Friday. The eight-time Pro Bowl tight end, known for his colorful personality, is a Denver
fan favorite and was part of the Broncos’ Super Bowl teams in 1997 and ’98.
Seattle and Oakland had also expressed interest in the veteran. He has 692 receptions and
51 touchdowns in his 12-year career.
Buchsbaum: Sharpe gives the Broncos another receiving threat on their offense. They get
Ed McCaffrey back from a broken leg. They have Rod Smith. They have Sharpe. They have some
backs who can catch the ball well. And then they add another wide receiver possibly in the
draft and they could have an awesome passing game if their offensive line gels.
There’s still a little question about the offensive line, especially the OLT
position. They’ve been trying Matt Lepsis there, who is their starting right tackle
and is a very good athlete, but he has been struggling on that side.
Bucs’ mimi-camp leaves team optimistic
New Tampa Bay head coach Jon Gruden was all over the field, barking instructions and
demonstrating how he wants things done in his first mini-camp with the Bucs. The start of
training camp is more than three months away. But at this pace, there's no doubt Jon
Gruden's stamp will be on the team before the NFL season begins in September. Gruden began
installing his version of the West Coast offense last weekend during the first of three
mini-camps he will use to lay the foundation for the 2002 season. He inherited a team
that's made the playoffs four of the past five years, so he is not rebuilding from the
ground up.
Gruden's in-your-face, rah-rah style is a stark contrast to the laid-back personality
of former head coach Tony Dungy, who was fired in January after losing in the first round
of the playoffs for the second straight year. The new coach asked for, and received, 100
percent participation in last weekend’s three-day, voluntary mini-camp. Defensive
starters Warren Sapp, Derrick Brooks and Marcus Jones attended, but did not join the
workouts because of injuries.
Buchsbaum: The Bucs seem very optimistic after their mini-camp. They are very high on
Jon Gruden’s offense. One of the quotes I got out of there was, "We are going
from a 1950 Packard to a state-of-the-art sports car that can go from zero to 60 m.p.h. in
two seconds." In other words, this is a much more complicated, complex, explosive
offense than the one that was run under Tony Dungy, which is basically simplistic and
ball-control oriented. Don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying I totally agree with
that analogy. There is something to be said for each. How an offense looks when you are
working out in shorts and how it is going to look on the field are two different things.
The most impressive quarterback in Bucs’ camp thus far has been Rob Johnson, which
you figure because he always looks like a million bucks in practice, but when the bullets
start flying, it’s a different story.
Colts bolster defense with LB Favors
The Colts looked to improve their defense by signing Tennessee unrestricted free-agent
LB Greg Favors. Favors, 28, spent the last three seasons with the Titans, starting 13
games last season when he recorded 42 tackles. He was selected by the Chiefs in the fourth
round of the 1998 draft, appearing in 16 games as a rookie and starting four before being
released late in the ’99 preseason, where the Titans claimed him off waivers.
Buchsbaum: As an outside linebacker, Favors can run, he can hit, he fits Tony
Dungy’s scheme. He probably won’t start unless they decide they want to try
making Marcus Washington the pass-rush linebacker or defensive end and in that case, he
can replace Washington in the equation. The move also gives them good depth, more team
speed and a good special-teams player.
WR Pathon joins Saints
Free agent WR Jerome Pathon, who played just four games last season because of an
injury, agreed to contract terms with the New Orleans Saints on Wednesday. Pathon had his
most productive year as a rookie in 1998, starting 15 games and catching 50 passes for 511
yards. In four seasons with the Colts, Pathon had 138 receptions for 1,650 yards. Pathon
injured his foot in the third game last season and played in just one other game. He
finished the season with 24 receptions for 330 yards.
Buchsbaum: QB Aaron Brooks is a very happy camper after the Saints upgraded their
offense with the signing of Pathon. Pathon was one of the better receivers available this
year and could be one of the very good receivers in the NFL if he can stay healthy for an
entire year. He has the skill and the speed to be a big-play guy, and he can also make the
acrobatic catch. Injuries and inconsistency have held him back in the past, but he was off
to an outstanding start in Indianapolis last year before he got hurt.
Seahawks sign DL Mitchell from Patriots
Defensive lineman Brandon Mitchell, a former second-round draft choice of the Patriots,
agreed to a three-year contract with the Seahawks. Mitchell, who played five seasons with
the Patriots, will be a defensive end in Seattle. He had a career-high 26 tackles last
season for the Super Bowl champions. Mitchell, 26, chose the Seahawks over the Redskins
and expansion Texans.
Buchsbaum: Seattle made a key signing and hurt New England by signing Mitchell as a
defensive end. The key is "as a defensive end." Although Mitchell played
defensive tackle in New England, he wanted to play outside, where he would have a better
chance to use his 4.8-4.9 speed to rush the quarterback and he was unhappy in Bill
Belichick’s defense, where defensive linemen are often called upon to play a two-gap
scheme.
Raiders sign LB Dixon
The Raiders signed veteran free agent Gerald Dixon on Wednesday. Dixon, a starter the
past two seasons with San Diego, had 62 tackles, two sacks and an interception last
season. The 6-3, 250-pounder was a third-round pick out of South Carolina by Cleveland in
1992. Dixon has 322 tackles and 23 sacks in his career. Dixon’s best season came with
Cleveland in 1995, when he had 79 tackles and two interceptions — including one he
returned for a touchdown against Kansas City.
Buchsbaum: Dixon is a player that the Raiders have liked for a long time and a player
that their player personnel director Mike Lombardi was very high on dating back to his
days in Cleveland. He is a big, physical linebacker who can rush the quarterback, but may
have lost a step over the years. |
