Friday, June 14, 2002

ProFootballWeekly.com asks personnel expert Joel Buchsbaum for his thoughts on the hottest topics in football. 

Niners take a chance on QB McCown

The San Francisco 49ers traded a conditional seventh-round draft pick in 2003 for Miami QB Cade McNown. After being drafted 12^th overall in the 1999 draft by the Bears, McNown was booed by Chicago fans during two tumultuous seasons, and he never got off the bench last season with the Dolphins. San Francisco general manager Terry Donahue recruited McNown to UCLA in the final years of his two decades as the Bruins' coach. Donahue left UCLA after McNown's freshman season. The team wants to see if McNown can be effective in the 49ers' West Coast offense.

Buchsbaum: One year after the Bears gave up on Cade McNown, the Dolphins have done the same thing. The Dolphins made sure the 49ers could get him by trading him to the 49ers for a conditional seventh-round pick. The 49ers feared that if the Dolphins put him on waivers, he wouldn’t have made it through to them. McNown was a former first-round pick who has been a bust thus far in two places although he has received tremendous support initially with both teams from the head coaches and people involved in the personnel departments. Obviously, these people have been very high on him, and he has not panned out. However, if there is one team that could salvage his career, it is the 49ers, who play an offense very similar to the UCLA offense he had great success with in college. McNown will also be joining two former UCLA Bruins, Terry Donahue, their longtime head coach, and Bill Rees, who is one of Donahue’s prized lieutenants and is now head of scouting. Rees also was part of the Bears’ team that drafted McNown in the first round.

McNown is a player who could be much better than he is. He is not a great physical talent, but he is a good physical talent. His biggest problem is his head. He is totally arrogant and totally into himself and has never meshed well with his teammates. The Dolphins feel they may have a replacement for McNown as a taxi-squad, third-string quarterback in the free agent they signed from Robert Morris, Tim Leveik — a big, strong drop-back passer who played for former New York Jets head coach and longtime defensive coordinator Joe Walton.

Steelers sign slot WR Mathis

The Pittsburgh Steelers agreed to a one-year contract with Terance Mathis, a 12-year veteran who led the Atlanta Falcons in receiving last season. The Steelers have said they wanted a veteran receiver to add depth and to mentor their younger receivers, including Plaxico Burress, Troy Edwards and second-round draft pick Antwaan Randle El, who will move to receiver after playing quarterback at Indiana.

Buchsbaum: The Steelers signed Mathis to be their third or slot receiver, replacing Bobby Shaw, at the urging of Kordell Stewart. Stewart, who lives in Atlanta as does Mathis, is a close personal friend of the receiver, and Mathis has spent a good portion of his career lining up in the slot. While he may be 35 years old and may have lost a step, he still is a very clever receiver who has good quickness but doesn’t have much top-end speed. He knows how to operate, he knows how to set up a defensive back, and Stewart has complete confidence in him, which is a big, big plus. Since they signed Mathis, don’t be surprised if the Steelers trade disappointing former first-round pick Troy Edwards to the Bills, if they can. Otherwise, they may just let him go and hope he doesn’t sign with the Bills. Tom Donahue, the Bills' general manager, was the driving force behind the Steelers taking Edwards in the first round.

The Archives
2001 - 2002 Season