Tuesday, July 2, 2002

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

NFL covers its bases with incoming class

It is mandatory for players entering the league to take part in many informational sessions put on by the league to inform players of potential pitfalls in financial, personal and other areas, an effort other leagues have failed to make.

Buchsbaum: The NFL rookie symposium has become the model for the entire sports industry. It does a great job of preparing rookies who will listen for what lies ahead, what could happen to them and how to avoid problems. Without it, you would see many more rookies getting into trouble. Now, if a rookie is willing to listen and learn, he can stay problem-free off the field. The problem is that players who are more likely to cause trouble don’t pay close attention or let it go in one ear and out the other. Educating those players is the key, and the NFL does a marvelous job of presenting itself and sending a message to more at-risk players than any other league.

Running back crop not what it used to be

Football’s best athletes used to be found at one place — running back. While there are still some elite players at the position, a shift toward prolific passing games has the most talented high school players electing a future at quarterback or receiver.

Buchsbaum: For the third year in a row, it looks like another down year for college running backs. The reason for this trend is that colleges have followed the pros and gone to a more pass-oriented attack. The same thing has happened at the high school level. Coaches are putting their best athletes at wide receiver and quarterback, not running back. In the past, there would have been no question that a team’s best athlete would have been his running back. In years gone by, there is no question that (Falcons QB) Michael Vick would have been a running back-tailback, not a quarterback in high school and college. The same probably applies to (Vikings QB) Daunte Culpepper, who would have been a big running back. Of the wide receivers drafted in last year’s draft, I would dare to say that half of the top group would have played running back rather than receiver a few years ago. However, the top athletes are now more likely to want to emulate Randy Moss and Jerry Rice and play receiver, and high school coaches will generally go along with their wishes.

Title is the Hurricanes’ to lose

The Miami (Fla.) Hurricanes dismantled Nebraska in the Rose Bowl last January, taking the national title in a route. Early indications have the Hurricanes in the eye of the storm once again, with Texas, Florida, Oklahoma and Florida State among notable candidates to unseat Larry Coker’s club.

Buchsbaum: Defending national champion Miami is definitely back bigger and better than ever. Don’t be surprised if the Hurricanes repeat this year. Obviously, injuries and flukes can play a large role, but for the second straight year, Miami has the most talented team, top to bottom, in America. It has more speed and athleticism and talent. The two questions about this team are the offensive line and secondary. It faces some rebuilding on the offensive line after losing two stud tackles and a good guard and lost five key players in the secondary. However, Miami has great depth in both of these areas, with tremendous young players who should be able to fill the bill.

Another team that should be in championship contention is the Texas Longhorns. I still am not sold on this team. It seems to lack something, including killer instinct in the big games, and QB Chris Simms is a good quarterback but hasn’t developed into a premier college quarterback as of yet.

Oklahoma, the national champs two years ago, could also figure into the mix if they can make the quarterbacks they have better. Florida can’t be overlooked with QB Rex Grossman back. The Gators do have a new coaching staff. Losing Steve Spurrier will hurt in some ways, but Florida is still loaded with depth. The same applies to Florida State now that QB Chris Rix has more experience under his belt.

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