Thursday, July 18, 2002

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

Injury forces Packers S Butler to retire

LeRoy Butler is retiring after 12 seasons with the Packers. He said he is retiring because his injured left shoulder has failed to heal, and he wouldn't be ready for the start of training camp next week. Butler, who turns 34 Friday, was a four-time Pro Bowl selection and five-time All-Pro player. He recently agreed to a $1.5 million pay cut — his second significant salary reduction — to help the Packers' salary cap situation. But a July 5 examination of his injured left shoulder revealed that a bone situated near the shoulder socket was not completely healed. Butler said team doctors couldn't assure him that the shoulder would be healed in time for the start of the season and he said he didn't want to tie down a roster spot until then. He also said he didn't have any interest in going on the physically unable to perform list with the hopes that he could play the second half of the season. Butler said he preferred to go out on his own terms, knowing that it was an injury that forced him to retire rather than getting cut, and he said he'd like to stick around Green Bay and serve as a consultant to the team. He broke his left scapula Nov. 18 against Atlanta while tackling RB Maurice Smith and missed the rest of the season, leaving him 15 games shy of tying Bart Starr's record of 196 games played with the Packers.

Buchsbaum: Butler’s retirement is a devastating blow to the Packers. While Butler has slipped as a player in recent years, his on-the-field leadership was invaluable, especially to Pro Bowl S Darren Sharper. Sharper was a different player at the end of the year when Butler was hurt and he was the guy who had to direct the secondary. This year, with Butler gone, Sharper is basically the guy who will have to direct things because the other starter is either going to be Antaun Edwards, who is coming off a torn ACL injury and still hasn’t really panned out yet even if he were healthy, and rookie Marques Anderson. While Anderson is a smart, tough, mature rookie, the fact is he is a rookie and is just learning the ropes.

DT Evans signs with persistent Jets

DT Josh Evans, who last week won an appeal to have his third substance abuse suspension overturned, was signed Wednesday by the Jets. The 29-year-old had 77 tackles and a career-high 5.5 sacks for Tennessee last season after returning from a one-year suspension. He also forced a fumble and defended two passes. He was suspended for the third time last March just as the Jets were about to sign him. The Jets remained in contact with Evans while the appeal was pending.

Buchsbaum: The Jets made a great addition in Evans if he can stay out of trouble. Evans gives the Jets what they desperately needed on the defensive line. He gives them the quickness they needed inside, the type of quickness Herman Edwards needs from at least one of his tackles in his defense and depth inside where they were very thin. This allows them to rotate three tackles, two power players and enables Evans to take advantage of his quickness as well. It should be a very good fit. Besides, people don’t realize what a good player Evans has been when he’s been in shape and at the top of his game with Tennessee over the years.

LB Kirkland signs with Eagles

LB Levon Kirkland, a two-time Pro Bowl selection who helped the Pittsburgh Steelers to the 1995 Super Bowl, has signed a one-year contract with the Philadelphia Eagles. Kirkland said he did not know whether he would start or be in a backup role, but is taking "the shortest route to the Super Bowl by joining the Eagles." He was released by Seattle last Friday. Kirkland, 6-foot-1 and 275 pounds, spent the 2001 season with the Seahawks after playing with the Steelers the previous nine seasons. He finished with 101 tackles, one sack and forced two fumbles.

Buchsbaum: The Eagles signed Kirkland as a fallback guarantee against Barry Gardner not being able to do it at middle linebacker. The problem with Kirkland is he has been unable to control his weight and at his age, he has to do that. There were times last year in Seattle when he probably weighed more than any member of his defensive line and the same could apply in Philadelphia. The fact that he did go to the Duke diet clinic to lose weight did impress the Eagles a lot more than it impressed Seattle. He still has good instincts and could be an effective tackle-to-tackle plugger, but, at the very best, he is basically a two-down, run-down linebacker at this stage in his career.

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2001 - 2002 Season