ProFootballWeekly.com
asks personnel expert Joel Buchsbaum for his thoughts on the hottest topics in
football.
Cowboys hope to fill TE hole with Coslet pupil
A reliable set of hands from the TE position has been hard for the Cowboys to find
since Jay Novacek hung it up in 1996. Eric Bjornson, David LaFleur and Mike Lucky have all
been drafted to fill the void, but none got the job done. Veteran Jackie Harris was an
upgrade over the last two seasons, but age caught up with him. Now Dallas is hoping
ex-Bengals TE Tony McGee, 31, has something left in the tank.
Buchsbaum: The Cowboys signed former Bengals TE Tony McGee because they had not been
able to find a suitable tight end during free agency or during the draft. Another key
factor was offensive coordinator Bruce Coslet, who coached McGee in Cincinnati for much of
his career and was a big fan of McGee. McGee was one of Coslet’s biggest boosters in
the clubhouse when his job was in trouble. McGee is a decent receiver who still has a
tendency to drop some balls and is an adequate blocker. He is a declining player, but is
better than anyone the Cowboys had last year.
NFL’s all-time leading scorer out in Minnesota
The Vikings came to the realization that if a win comes down to a 50-yard field goal in
the waning seconds, they are out of luck. Aging PK Gary Anderson just doesn’t have
the distance in his 43-year-old right leg. He had already relinquished kickoff chores and
now Minnesota head coach Mike Tice landed a younger, healthier option in former Saints PK
Doug Brien.
Buchsbaum: The Vikings finally decided it was time to say goodbye to reliable PK Gary
Anderson with P Mitch Berger out of the picture. Anderson was still reliable but with
limited leg strength, he was limited to field goals of 45 yards and in and there was no
way he could be used to kick off. You didn’t want a player of that age on the field,
fearing that some team would block him and destroy him. Doug Brien is very similar to a
younger Anderson and has been very consistent throughout his career. People were very
surprised when the Saints cut him last year and he was only able to catch on with two
different teams — Indianapolis and Tampa Bay — when kickers were injured. He is
10 years younger and has a little bit more strength in his leg, but like Anderson,
kickoffs will be a problem.
Bengals add young defensive tackle
Eric Ogbogu, a former sixth-round draft choice by the Jets, is going to get a chance to
play regularly after being signed by Cincinnati. The Bengals are trying to build around
young DE Justin Smith and Ogbogu, a 6-4, 295-pounder, adds depth.
Buchsbaum: The Bengals, who seem to be collecting free agents this year, got another
journeyman backup in ex-Jets DE Eric Ogbogu. Ogbogu spent part of his collegiate career at
Maryland under Bengals’ assistant Mark Duffner, one of his biggest supporters. Ogbogu
shows flashes of pass-rush ability and flashes against the run, but in four years with the
Jets he was never consistent enough to win the starting job.
Gator meet in Washington
Maybe Steve Spurrier doesn’t realize few teams carry more than three, but
regardless, the Redskins signed their fifth quarterback in ex-Florida pupil Shane
Matthews. Matthews, who was cut by the Bears after serving as a part-time starter the last
two seasons, will compete with Patrick Ramsey, Danny Wuerffel, Sage Rosenfels and Dameyune
Craig.
Buchsbaum: After playing possum for weeks, Steve Spurrier quickly signed QB Shane
Matthews after he was released by the Bears. An adequate backup and stop-gap starter,
Matthews is very familiar with Spurrier’s system. He could be a very good tutor for
first-round pick Patrick Ramsey. It will be interesting to see how the QB situation plays
out. The ’Skins like Sage Rosenfels, and have Ramsey and Danny Wuerffel on the
roster. The only way they could keep four quarterbacks is if they can get Rosenfels on the
practice squad. That is not likely, because Rosenfels has shown too well in the league and
some team would pick him up as a third quarterback.
Chargers’ Charles likely down for the long haul
For the second time in four days, a player tore a knee ligament in a non-contact drill
in minicamp. On the heels of Eagles RB Correll Buckhalter’s likely season-ending
injury, rookie WR Terry Charles tore his anterior cruciate ligament in Chargers’
camp.
Buchsbaum: The Chargers already suffered a blow in minicamp when WR Terry Charles, whom
they liked a lot, went down with a torn anterior cruciate ligament. This is very similar
to what happened with the Patriots last season when CB Brock Williams from Notre Dame went
down and missed the season. Charles went down without any contact. Most teams say they
will pay the player the average he would have earned during the season if he is injured
during minicamp.
'Other' Woodson wooed by Raiders
With CB Charles Woodson already in town, Al Davis is interested in adding S Rod Woodson
to the Raiders’ secondary. Rod Woodson, once regarded as the best cover man in the
game, has since moved to safety to cover up diminished speed and range.
Buchsbaum: The Raiders’ projected secondary has three young former first-round
picks. CB Charles Woodson, CB Phillip Buchanon and last year’s No. 1, SS Derrick
Gibson. The reason they brought in Rod Woodson was to add veteran stability with the
likelihood that veteran CB Eric Allen will retire. Woodson’s play really slipped last
year with the Ravens; however, he still is a smart, heady player. Woodson has enough speed
around him that his lack of speed and range may not be as glaring. However, others feel
like Woodson is at the stage Ronnie Lott was in his last year in the NFL, and the lack of
speed may be too much to overcome. |
