ProFootballWeekly.com
asks personnel expert Joel Buchsbaum for his thoughts on the hottest topics in
football.
Saints sign veteran RB Allen
After trading RB Ricky Williams and turning the starting job over to second-year man
Deuce McAllister this offseason, the Saints placed a high priority on finding a veteran
running back to back up McAllister. New Orleans found its man Tuesday when it signed Terry
Allen to a one-year contract. Allen has rushed for 8,614 yards and 73 touchdowns in his
11-year career. He played for Baltimore in 2001, rushing for 525 yards and three
touchdowns in 10 games. He played in four games for New Orleans in 2000, rushing for 179
yards.
Buchsbaum: The fact that Allen found another team to play for is truly an amazing
story. Allen had reconstructive surgery on both of his knees much earlier in his career
and is now 34 years old. He never had a lot of speed or make-you-miss ability and his
strength as a runner is his toughness, grit and determination. This is a totally
blue-collar worker who always does the dirty work. He is a physical blocker, a hard-nosed
runner and he works to finish all his runs. Very few backs in the history of the NFL have
taken the beating he’s taken. Yet, like a good watch, he takes a licking and keeps on
ticking, ticking, ticking.
If you asked me if the guy would last five years after his second knee reconstruction,
I would’ve said you were crazy considering his running style. Now, at 34, he’s
still going. And if I’m not mistaken, he has rushed for more than 8,000 yards in his
career. He will add character to a New Orleans team that needs it. He also gives them a
backup to starter Deuce McAllister. However, his lack of speed and big-play ability could
really hamper the offense if McAllister goes down for any extended length of time. I still
feel the Saints should be on the lookout for another back considering McAllister’s
lack of durability and the fact that he was never a full-time starter in college.
McAllister is an extremely gifted back, who perhaps will turn things around in terms of
durability. There’s no question about his speed or breakaway ability. However,
whether he can be a heavy-duty back, which he never was before, remains to be seen. The
Saints’ offense needs a back that can carry the load since they are a RB-oriented
offense.
The Saints also, with all of their talented wide receivers, will have a great many
options with their passing game now. They can put three outstanding wide receivers on the
field and then use McAllister like a flanker or a slot receiver since he catches the ball
extremely well.
Lions sign QB Harrington
Detroit took a big step forward when it signed its top draft pick, QB Joey Harrington,
to a reported six-year deal worth an estimated $36.5 million. When he was drafted by the
Lions, Harrington said he would not hold out of training camp, and now he won’t.
Detroit also signed second-round pick DE Kalimba Edwards on Tuesday.
Buchsbaum: True to his word, Harrington promised the Lions he’d be in camp on time
and he was. It’s nice to see that some players can be taken at their word.
There also have been a lot of late first-round picks signing, which is essential
because these guys really need all of the training camp they can get. So do the guys taken
from No. 4-20 that are not signed. Their agents are so concerned about someone else
getting a little bit better deal that looks better on paper, that they’re almost all
holding their clients out.
This is a ridiculous example of how the tail is wagging the dog in this business, and
why rookies should not have agents at all. Basically, the NFL should just have a pay scale
for rookies, like the NBA does, and just slot the players in depending on where they were
drafted. That would eliminate a lot of problems. And it also would be very nice if they
could eliminate the rookie signing bonuses all together and let these players earn their
money. |
