RUMOR MILL ARCHIVES

By Profootballtalk Editor Mike Florio

POSTED 7:05 a.m. EDT, 5/31/02 (FRIDAY)

GONZALEZ STANDOFF CONTINUES

It's not quite India-Pakistan, but the feud between the Kansas City Chiefs and best-in-the-game tight end Tony Gonzalez continues to slowly inch toward a full boil.

According to a league source, the sticking point continues to be the question of whether Gonzalez should be paid like a wide receiver.

Gonzalez's agent, Tom Condon, has insisted throughout the negotiations that Tony G. deserves to be paid like a top wideout, based on his overall pass-catching production.

The Chiefs disagree, and the thinking is that Condon has put himself in a box by demanding receiver-type pay for Gonzalez.

The gap between the sides remains at two-to-three million, with the Chiefs most recent offer being in the range of five years, $19.5 million.

According to the source, the Chiefs are prepared to let it ride, taking the view that Gonzalez can either accept the current offer, sign the one-year, $2.88 million franchise tender, or sit out the 2002 season.

The thinking also is that Gonzalez is losing the P.R. battle by staying away from off-season workouts -- and we agree.  The pressure squarely would be on the Chiefs to bridge the gap if Gonzalez were doing and saying all the right things.  It's fairly clear that Gonzalez will play in K.C. or nowhere in 2002, so there's no harm in showing up and getting ready for a season in which the Chiefs could be much improved.  If anything, it'd help Gonzalez get the Chiefs above the $20 million mark.

POSTED 8:37 a.m. EDT, May 30, 2002 (THURSDAY)

BRUCE SMITH PLAYS HARDBALL

A source close to Bruce Smith tells us that the veteran defensive end will not accept any restructuring of his contract that would pay him less than the $3.5 million in salary he is scheduled to earn in 2002.

To date, however, the Redskins haven't approached Smith to re-do the deal.

Under his current contract, Smith's 2002 cap number is $5.168 million.  For 2003, the number goes to $6.73 million.  And in 2004, his cap number will be $7.73 million.

Cutting Smith after June 1 will save his $3.5 million 2002 salary, but it will result in a $1.668 million cap hit this year, and a $3.33 million charge next year.

The Redskins can get some cap relief in 2002 by converting a big chunk of Smith's salary to a signing bonus.  For example, pushing $2.7 million to guaranteed money would reduce his cap number by $1.8 million this year -- but it would require the team to take cap hits of $2.568 million in 2003 and 2004 if Smith is released after June 1 of next year.

Smith and the Skins used this device last year to drive down his cap number, cutting his salary to the minimum and pushing a chunk of his pay to guaranteed money.

In the end, the thinking is that the Skins will bite the bullet for one more year, given that Smith and owner Dan Snyderbrenner are good friends. Stay tuned.

SZOTT HAPPENS

When we reported at 11:26 p.m. Tuesday that Jets guard Dave Szott likely had suffered a torn ACL earlier in the day, a minor firestorm erupted on the net. 

As of Tuesday night, no one else was reporting Szott's injury.  By Wednesday morning, there still was no news of Szott's ACL tear in any of the New York newspapers or in any of the major Internet sites.

E-mails flowed into Profootballtalk headquarters questioning the validity of our report.  Some folks called us bad names.  Feelings were hurt.  Profanity was used.  (Of course, that was by us.)

But when John "the Great Gazoo" Clayton "confirmed" the report for all of us "dumb-dumbs," the cloud over the site changed, and peace and love flowed like sweat into the man areas of the Bucs' pewter pants.

For future reference, there's no need to ask us whether we stand by any of our reports.  If it's on the site, we stand by it.  And the fact that no one else has the story doesn't mean that the story is wrong.

KIDD TO NEW ENGLAND?

The word on the NFL street for the past week or so has been that former Cleveland pro personnel director Keith Kidd is under serious consideration for the same job in New England.

Still, the fact that nothing has happened to date suggests that the Pats perhaps are having second thoughts.

The Browns' decision to fire Kidd triggered the departure of Dwight Clark from the Browns.  When Clark refused to fire Kidd, Clark and longtime friend/boss Carmen Policy butted heads, and Clark ended up resigning.

We reported earlier this month that the Pats had requested permission to interview Ravens assistant pro personnel director George Kokinis for the job, but that the Ravens had refused to let Kokinis leave the nest.

POSTED 11:26 p.m. EDT, May 28, 2002; UPDATED 9:16 a.m. EDT, May 29, 2002 (TUESDAY)

SZOTT POPS ACL?

A league source tells us that Jets guard Dave Szott likely suffered a torn ACL at mini-camp practice with the team on Tuesday.

Szott was hurt in a non-contact drill.  Tests have not yet confirmed the ACL tear, but the source says all indications are that Szott's ACL has been blown out, and that he'll likely miss the entire 2002 season.

Szott, a 13-year veteran, joined the Jets are spending the 2001 season in Washington.  He was penciled in as a starting guard for the 2002 Jets, and his injury could throw an already re-shuffled offensive line into further turmoil.

Last month, tackles Jason Fabini and Kareem McKenzie flip-flopped, with Fabini moving to right tackle and McKenzie taking over the critical left tackle slot.

Fabini is rumored to have two bum shoulders, and McKenzie has struggled in mini-camp at the left tackle position. 

Last week, C Kewin Mawae had surgery to repair a torn rotator cuff, which could limit his availability in training camp.

Szott's apparent ACL tear is the most recent example of season-ending injuries that can be chalked up to the proliferation of off-season workouts.  Several players have suffered this mother of sports injuries in mini-camps over the past few weeks, including Eagles RB Correll Buckhalter and Cowboys TE Bob Slowikowski.

Maybe there's some wisdom to the old approach of NFL players getting (and staying) fat from January to July. 

VIKES GET DOWN TO BUSINESS WITHOUT SAWYER, WALSH

The Minnesota Vikings got together recently for off-season practice, and coach Mike Tice put it bluntly -- the team has a glut of players at certain positions, and guys will be cut.

Two who might be positioning themselves for a pink slip out of the land of purple are defensive end Talance Sawyer and receiver Chris Walsh.  Both Sawyer and Walsh have opted not to attend the current voluntary sessions. 

Sawyer has been a starter for much of the past three seasons, but the recent signings of Lorenzo Bromell and Kenny Mixon likely have bounced him to a backup role.

Walsh, on the other hand, is a key special teams contributor who nearly was cut after he initially declined to accept a split contract.  Walsh ultimately gave in to the team's request, but for whatever reason Walsh has decided to stay away from practice.

At Walsh's primary position, a league source tells us that newcomer D'Wayne Bates is running as the No. 2 receiver, but that this soon will change.  Word is that the Vikes are focusing on Derrick Alexander and Keenan McCardell to assume the role of Cris Carter in the team's high-octane offense.  (Frankly, we still think that Antonio Freeman would be a much better fit, despite the fact that his MNF "he did what?!?" catch in 2000 against the Vikes essentially kept Minnesota from earning home-field advantage through the playoffs, which likewise kept them out of the Super Bowl.)

SLADE A GOOD FIT FOR RAMS

The buzz around the league is that LB/DE Chris Slade would be a good fit for the St. Louis Rams.

Word has circulated recently that the Rams are interested in the veteran defender, who spent several years in New England before joining the Panthers for their disastrous 1-15 season.  Slade currently is an unrestricted free agent.

Last year, Slade primarily struggled in the clotted mulch that the Ericsson Stadium grounds crew had the balls to call "grass."  The thinking is that Slade will rediscover he speed rushing abilities if he is signed by a team like the Rams, which plays its home games on artificial turf.

And the revised CBA will make it cheaper for the Rams to attract Slade, who'll cost only $450,000 for a one-year deal.

POSTED 8:50 a.m. EDT, May 28, 2002 (TUESDAY)

VERMEIL THINKS CHIEFS ARE GETTING HORNY

A league source tells us that coach Dick Vermeil believes that the Kansas City Chiefs are coming together in the same way the Hornheads did in 1999, when Vermeil led them to their first Super Bowl championship.

According to the source, Vermeil and his St. Louis cronies who made the move to K.C. see the same kind of camaraderie and ability that the Rams developed almost overnight three years ago.

On offense, Vermeil has the quarterback who was supposed to lead the 1999 Rams, Trent Green.  In Priest Holmes, Vermeil found a back who, surprisingly, can play like Marshall Faulk.

The receiver position, which was the Achilles heel of the offense in 2001, is much improved.  With the addition of Johnnie Morton, the health of Sylvester Morris, and the anticipated emergence of "Snoop" Minnis, the Chiefs will be in a position to move the ball effectively.

The X factor on offense, of course, is unsigned free agent tight end Tony Gonzalez.  There has been unexpected acrimony in the negotiations between G.M. Carl Peterson and the Gonzalez camp, and the resolution of the current impasse could hurt the developing chemistry.

Still, for now, Vermeil and his staff are feeling good about what they've done in a little over a year, and the Chiefs are ready to become the latest out-of-nowhere NFL success story.

ADAM ARCH-U-WHO-A?

One of our spies in St. Louis tells us that safety Adam Archuleta recently has decided to blow off voluntary sessions with the team.

Sure, these things are "voluntary" (wink, nod, belch).  But even so, when the superstars/team leaders are putting in time with these "non-mandatory" (wink, nod, fart) sessions, guys like Archuleta should be there.

Loyal readers of this site might be noticing a shift in our attitude toward the voluntary off-season sessions.  Previously, we griped about the fact that coaches throughout the league are blatantly violating the rules contained in the collective bargaining agreement that prohibit teams from suggesting in any way that these voluntary sessions are anything but optional.

But we've decided that, if the NFL Players Association isn't going to take any action to protect its members against these apparent abuses, why should we piss and/or moan about it?  After all, we're not the ones collecting the union dues.

POSTED 8:40 a.m. EDT, May 27, 2002 (MONDAY)

NFLPA WANTS STANDARD INJURY LANGUAGE

A league source tells us that the NFL Players Association is troubled by the inconsistencies among the various teams regarding injury protection available to unsigned rookie draft picks.

According to the source, the NFLPA hopes to include standard injury protection language in the basic player contract.  This would avoid situations like the one currently playing out in Cincinnati, where second-round pick Lamont Thompson is refusing to practice because the Bungles won't guarantee his anticipated signing bonus if he suffers an injury in mini-camps.

Contrast this with the Dallas Cowboys, who'll be paying a signing bonus to sixth-round pick Bob Slowikowski, even though he tore his ACL in mini-camp last week, and will be lost for the year.

As a practical matter, any effort to standardize the injury protection language must be the result of bargaining between the union and the league.  Thus, the league must agree to conduct any such discussions -- and if the league does, the league likely will be looking to advance one or two of its own objectives.

MONTREAL'S POPP PUTS SCREWS TO NFL

By all appearance, the recent tug-of-war between the CFL's Montreal Allouettes and the NFL's Tennessee Titans for the services of quarterback Andrew Zow was resolved amicably, with Zow deciding to honor his prior contract with the Alouettes because he has a better chance of getting some valuable experience north of the border.

But a league source tells us that, regardless of Zow's stated justification for dropping his efforts to join the Titans, there's no way that Montreal G.M. Jim Popp would've released Zow from his contract.

According to the source, Popp have no love for the NFL.  He was passed over for a personnel job a few years back, and he otherwise has been unable to break into the USA's version of the greatest game on the planet during ten years with the Canadian equivalent.

So the word is that Popp is prepared to stick it to the NFL whenever and wherever he can, and the Zow issue is just the latest example of his anti-NFL jones.

POSTED 7:40 a.m. EDT, May 26, 2002 (SUNDAY)

WHRE'S SIMEON?  (CLUE:  NOT IN TAMPA)

A league source tells us that Buccaneers defensive end Simeon Rice has gone AWOL from the Tampa Bay off-season workout program. 

We reported on Sunday that Rice hasn't participated at all since the 2001 season ended.  As several of our readers pointed out, we were wrong.  He had been there previously -- the story is that he's suddenly gone missing.

According to the source, the official word is that Rice is dealing with some "personal problems."  Regardless, the coaching staff isn't very happy with Rice's absence.

Rice came to the team in 2001 as the most recent "final piece" for a team that has been trying to complete the darn puzzle since 1997.  He signed a heavily back-loaded deal with no signing bonus last summer, and there were some efforts earlier in the off-season to restructure a package that will pay him $2.5 million in salary and a $2.5 million roster bonus on the first day of the regular season.

But Tampa managed to get under the current cap without altering Rice's deal, and his $5 million number for 2002 already is in place.  Still, the absence of a signing bonus in the initial deal will result in no additional cap hit due to bonus acceleration.

Thus, a chance remains that the Bucs will cut Rice loose.  Even though they have to account for his $5 million compensation in 2002 under the cap, they can avoid paying him a penny more if they pull the trigger.

A trade isn't out of the question either, given the fact that there's no additional cap hit.  However, any team who has Rice on the roster for 2002 needs to be thinking about 2003 and beyond, since his pay will only be going up and up.

We'll be keeping a close eye on this one.  After all, the Bucs are hovering dangerously close to membership in the Dirty Dozen, and it won't take much for them to earn a spot on the list.

LEVIN BACK TO NFLPA?

Folks throughout the league are keeping an eye on the career of Redskins capologist Mark Levin.  Levin, who previously worked for the NFL Players Association, has a contract that will expire in June.

During his tenure with the NFLPA, Levin earned much respect for the assistance that he provided to players and their agents, and there's a feeling that the NFLPA never quite recovered from his departure. 

Though Levin survived the house cleaning that followed the hiring of coach/G.M. Marty Schottenheimer, it remains to be seen whether the new regime led by coach Steve Spurrier and no official General Manager will ask Levin to stay.  There's also no guarantee that Levin will want to remain with a team that has seen more than its share of turmoil in the past two seasons.

POSTED 10:21 a.m. EDT, May 25, 2002 (SATURDAY)

NFL GOING HIGH-TECH TO TRACK P.T.?

A league source tells us that the NFL seriously is considering the placement of a computer chip in some players' helmets.  The purpose of the contemplated move is to enable the league to track the playing time of veterans who are eligible to participate in the pool of additional compensation that will be available pursuant to the new collective bargaining agreement.

Under the revised CBA, players with more than four years in the league can be signed to one-year contracts for a minimum salary of $450,000.  Based, however, on a years-of-service formula that ranges from $75,000 to $300,000, additional money will be paid by the league -- and the extra coin doesn't count against the team's salary cap.

Beyond these extra amounts, the players receiving one-year minimum contracts also are eligible to participate in an incentive pool.  Though the league still has not finalized its plans for divvying up this extra money among the qualified veterans, the current thinking is to base the payments on total playing time.

But the league realizes that tracking playing time in the conventional way (i.e., film review) can be downright tedious.  The best alternative identified to date is to pop a chip in the player's helmet, which apparently will be activated once he enters the gridiron.

There are still possible flaws with this idea, according to the source.  What if the offense stays on the field for fourth-and-short in order to draw the D offsides, but then calls a timeout and punts?  Or what if the punt team initially is sent onto the field, and then the coach changes his mind and pulls them out?

There could be easy answers to these questions.  Assuming the player's chip is activated when he crosses the sideline, an NFL rep could press a button on each snap of the ball, which then could be burned onto the chip.  In the end, each player who is on the field automatically will be credited with a play every time the poindexter in the booth presses the magic button.

After that, the only challenge will be to ensure that guys who aren't on the field for the play don't lean their helmets over the sideline.  ("Coach, I was just trying to get a better view of the action!")

NFL EUROPE IS NO VACATION

Folks throughout the NFL are steaming about the manner in which coaches of the various NFL Europe teams are working players allocated by the parent league.

A league source tells us that coaches in NFL Europe, which for several years have had a reputation of conducting too many contact drills during in-season practice sessions, have been particularly rough on their charges in 2002.

In the NFL, there is little or no hitting in practice once the season begins.  In Europe, however, the teams routinely don full pads and bang their hats throughout the week.  Coupled with ample doses of running, the players are suffering a variety of otherwise avoidably strains and pulls.

Another factor in this regard is the relative quality of the medical staffs.  In the NFL, the care is top-notch.  In Europe, well, let's just say that Dr. Frankenstein thinks the phrase "Johns Hopkins" refers to a boy and his pet rabbit.

POSTED 7:36 a.m. EDT, May 24, 2002 (FRIDAY)

BEATHARD TAKING CHARGE IN ATLANTA?

A league source tells us that "consultant" Bobby Beathard will be serving as the de facto General Manager for the Atlanta Falcons this year, and that Beathard's role beyond 2002 will be determined later.

Beathard, who has served as G.M. of both the Redskins and the Chargers, was named as a consultant earlier in the off-season, not long after former Redskins coach Joe Gibbs became a minority owner of the team.  At the time, the word was that Beathard would be helping out with the draft, and that he would continue to chip in throughout the remainder of the coming season.

This new development comes after months of failed efforts by new owner Arthur Blank to hire a G.M. to work with current coach Dan Reeves (who had worn both hats through the end of the 2001 season) and V.P. Ron Hill.  The chronic inability of Blank to make a hire has placed a dark cloud over the new regime, and the fog won't rise until Blank has a solid long-term G.M. and coach in place. 

EAGLES THREESOME RUFFLES FEATHERS

For the past year, the Philadelphia Eagles have been guided by coach/G.M. Andy Reid, president Joe Banner, and owner Jeffrey Lurie.  A league source tells us that members of the front office are becoming increasingly frustrated by the fact that this threesome is making decisions without much input from other folks who are paid to help run the team.

And there have been some questionable decisions of late, including the handling of linebacker Jeremiah Trotter, and the half-hearted flirtation with running back Warrick Dunn, which sent the wrong kind of message to Duce Staley.  Given the recent ACL tear suffered by Correll Buckhalter, the Eagles now will be relying upon Staley to make the ground game go.  Whether Staley can give it his all for a team that nearly cast him aside remains to be seen.

On a related note, there's a growing buzz throughout the league that former Eagles front-office exec Tom Modrak is becoming the Ted Nolan of the NFL.  For those of you out there who follow the game of hockey (which in our view is football on razor blades with weapons), Nolan was a rising star a few years back as the coach of the Buffalo Sabres.  But he got into a tiff with ownership, he was fired, and he never has been heard from since. 

The thinking throughout the NHL is that Nolan effectively has been blackballed.  Given that no one in the NFL is interested in the talented Modrak, who's languishing as a work-from-home consultant with the Bills, folks throughout the league are wondering whether Modrak is now getting the same treatment behind the scenes.

Still, it's not clear why Modrak would be getting the cold shoulder.  It could be that the Eagles are saying bad things about Modrak, but we suspect that teams who have parted with employees on less-than-favorable terms rarely have good things to say to the other NFL member clubs, and that such input routinely is taken with a grain of salt.

The problem here could trace to Modrak's decision roughly a year ago to pull out of the protracted beauty contest in Chicago as the team searched for a G.M. following the "resignation" of Mark Hatley.  The search was conducted by Joe Bailey, who had the express endorsement of the league office.

As we previously have reported, the league has been "recommending" Bailey to assist with recent front-office job searches, and the thinking is that the league is using Bailey to ensure that appropriate and acceptable folks will be filling these jobs.  So when Modrak essentially stuck his finger in Bailey's eye by withdrawing from the process when Modrak was the front-runner, it's possible that the folks as high up as the Commish have decided that Modrak blew his chance -- and that he won't be getting another one in the foreseeable future.

RAVENS THIN AT DEFENSIVE END

The Baltimore Ravens have plenty of holes in the starting lineup for the coming season.  One spot that is giving them great concern is at the defensive end position.

With former starter Rob Burnett on the open market -- and asking for much more money than the Ravens can pay -- the Ravens have veteran Michael McCrary and rookie Anthony Weaver at the top of the depth chart.

According to a league source, however, the Ravens don't think that Weaver, a second-round pick from Notre Dame, is ready to be an NFL starter in his first NFL season.  Still, with virtually no room under the salary cap, the Ravens won't have many other options for 2002.

Here's our advice to Ravens fans.  Instead of watching the team's games this year, break out the videotapes of Super Bowl XXXV.

COWBOYS TAKE CARE OF SLOWIKOWSKI

Contrary to local and national media reports, injured Cowboys rookie tight end Bob Slowikowski, a sixth-round pick in the April draft, will be getting more than the $130,000 that is paid under the so-called "split" contract to rookies who are not on the active roster.

Slowikowski's agent, Ron Del Duca, tells us that the Virginia Tech product also will receive a signing bonus comparable to his selection position in the draft.

The Cowboys, of course, are under no obligation to do this.  Still, they know it's the right thing to do, since the guy tore his ACL while practicing for the Cowboys on an essentially unpaid basis.

Memo to the Bungles -- quit wondering why your team has sucked for so long.  The Bengals have refused to guarantee the signing bonus of second-round pick Lamont Thompson in the event that he is injured while working for free.  As a result, Thompson has refused to practice, which means that he won't reach his full potential as soon as he otherwise would, which means that he likely won't be in a position this year to help the Bengals climb out of the hole that they have dug for themselves.

POSTED 8:25 a.m. EDT, May 23, 2002 (THURSDAY)

PATS GET DOWN TO BUSINESS

A league source tells us that the off-season workouts conducted by the New England Patriots are proceeding as if the team didn't win the Super Bowl nearly four months ago.

In fact, there has been no mention of the fact that the Pats are the kings of the NFL hill by coaches, by staff, or by the players.  Instead, it's business as usual for the Patriots as they embark on their efforts to prove that 2001 wasn't a one-time fluke.

Of course, the Patriots are moving forward without two players who were key components of the team a year ago -- quarterback Drew Bledsoe and receiver Terry Glenn.  According to the source, however, the team misses neither of them, since they barely factored into the team's playoff and Super Bowl run.

As to Glenn, we agree.  However, the Pats wouldn't have seen New Orleans if Bledsoe hadn't taken charge when Tom Brady went down in the AFC title game.  In fact, there's a case to be made that the Pats wouldn't have gotten past the Steelers if Brady hadn't gotten hurt.

In the end, both Brady and Bledsoe will get to show their stuff this year, virtually on a side-by-side basis.  Indeed, they'll be taking the field against each other twice, and one of the most compelling subplots for this season is whether the servant really has become the master.

COWBOYS QUARTERBACKS "ALL SUCK"

One of our moles in Big D tells us that he's seen the immediate future of the quarterback position with the Cowboys, and it's a bleak one.

As to the four remaining signal-callers who have a viable shot at making the team, the source says that "they all suck."

The quartet of Quincy Carter, Clint Stoerner, Chad Hutchinson, and Anthony Wright are "plodding" throughout mini-camps, hovering in the range of middle-to-below average players. 

Maybe former (i.e., failed) baseball prospect Chad Hutchinson has the most potential of the foursome.  After all, he hasn't yet had a chance to prove that he can't get it done on the field in game situations -- unlike the other three.

UPSHAW'S SIDE JOB RAISES QUESTIONS

Last October, NFLPA executive director Gene Upshaw accepted an assignment as interim executive director of the Arena Football League Players Association.  According to a league source, however, Upshaw's new gig is putting a strain on the resources of the NFLPA.

Among other things, the NFLPA legal staff has been required to handle grievances filed by AFL players.

Unlike the NFL, which has a collective bargaining agreement with its players union, the AFL currently uses a "Term Sheet," which likely will blossom into a full-blown CBA at some point in the future.  The Term Sheet, which resulted directly from the resolution of anti-trust litigation against the league by its players, reads like a scaled-down CBA.

More importantly, the Term Sheet created a system of resolving player grievances, and part of Upshaw's gig as the interim executive director is to get these grievance properly handled on behalf of the AFL players.

But, in theory, this supposedly short-term assignment shouldn't be putting undue stress on a mechanism that is in place solely for the benefit of NFL players.  Upshaw and/or the NFLPA presumably are getting a chunk of the AFL players' dues in exchange for providing this service.  Thus, all or part of that money should be devoted to ensuring that the NFLPA has sufficient resources to serve adequately the interests of all players whom the organization represents, regardless of whether they play on a 50-yard field with padded walls or on the real thing.

It'd be interesting to know how much money is flowing from the AFL players to Upshaw and/or the NFLPA in exchange for this effort.  It'd also be interesting to know how much of the coin is flowing into Upshaw's pocket, and how much of it is actually being used to enhance the ability of the NFLPA to serve both functions.

Any NFL player who is paying dues to the NFLPA should be asking these questions, especially if he has a grievance, a question, or some other issue that is being back-burned as the NFLPA holds the hands of the Arena League players.

POSTED 8:00 a.m. EDT, May 22, 2002 (WEDNESDAY)

DREW TAKES CHARGE IN  BUFFALO

A league source tells us that the Buffalo Bills are thrilled with the manner in which newly-arrived quarterback Drew Bledsoe is fitting in with the team.

According to the source, the team is very pleased with his demeanor and attitude, both on and off the field. 

Between the lines of the practice field, Bledsoe is taking the Bills by the horns, and players on both sides of the ball are noticing that Drew is bringing back to the offense the kind of leadership that was missing before, during, and after the Flutie-Johnson soap opera.

At 30 years of age and with a new mandate to achieve the success that he saw unfold in New England last year, it could be the start of something big in Buffalo.

PANTHERS STILL DRAGGING FEET ON WILLIAMS

Two days ago, we reported that the agent for defensive end Jay Williams was planning to press the Carolina Panthers to either restructure Williams' deal or cut him loose.

Since then, there's been no progress.  According to Williams' agent, Ron Del Duca, the Panthers have promised to do something later this week.

Del Duca says that the Panthers want to keep Williams.  The question is determining how much they can afford to pay a guy who's penciled in as a backup for 2002, the final year of his current deal.  At this point, Williams wants to know how much they're willing to pay, and he wants the answer soon.

Could it be that the Panthers are hoping to keep Williams around in the event that first-round draft pick Julius Peppers struggles in his rookie season?  Our guess is that the Panthers want to do just that, but at a price lower than what Williams would command if he hits the open market.

JETS REALIZE WHITE COULD'VE BEEN A MISTAKE

A league source tells us that the Jets quietly have realized that the much-heralded addition of defensive end Steve White might have been a mistake.

At this point, White is the fourth overall end on the depth chart, and there are whispers that they paid too much (and put too much hope in) a guy who never has shown the kind of ability that coach Herman Edwards seems to think he has.

POSTED 5:00 p.m. EDT, May 21, 2002 (TUESDAY)

CARTER PACKS IT IN (FINALLY)

Slightly more than a year after he announced in his hometown of Middletown, Ohio that 2001 would be his final season in the NFL, receiver Cris Carter confirmed that he's exiting the game that he dominated for more than a decade.

According to Vikings.com, Carter will accept a position with HBO Sports.  ("Hey, honey.  Cancel HBO and order Showtime.  Now!")

Despite the cloud that's hovered over Carter's image since he tried to recant his retirement announcement one day after teammate Randy Moss signed a $75 million contract extension last July, Carter will be remembered as one of the best receivers in the history of the game, arguably second only to Jerry Rice.

Still, Carter's star has fallen far in the past ten months.  Teammates bristled at his effort to steal the spotlight from the Randy One, and an early-season game against the Bears generated images of Carter berating everyone in sight.

Surprisingly, the typically wagon-circling Dennis Green called out Carter for his boorish behavior, and the wheels on Carter's career slowly started to lose their lugnuts.

In a period of weeks, Carter's relationship with former coach Dennis Green completely disintegrated, and his influence over protege Moss took a decidedly Kenobi-Skywalker turn. 

Likewise, Carter's role in the once-potent Vikings offense diminished, and near the end of the season it became clear that his time in Minnesota was ending.  Regardless, he ruffled more than a few feathers when, while still wearing his pads and purple jersey, he talked openly about joining a new team.

But Carter's late-career reign of terror didn't stop when the pads came off.  With the Rams, the table was set for a run at the Super Bowl ring that he coveted in Minnesota.  Despite all of the warning signs, coach Mike Martz knew that catching Carter could be a real coup, so he convinced skeptical Hornheads (including Marshall Faulk and Kurt Warner) to be open minded.

But as the move seemed imminent, Carter flirted with the Dolphins and the Browns, creating the impression that he was attempting to leverage the interest of multiple teams into a big-money deal.

Carter sealed his fate when he called Martz from Cleveland and asked to delay his scheduled meeting with the team.  The Rams' shepherd told Carter to get flocked, and Carter then tried to suck up to the Rams by dissing the Browns, which served only to kill Carter's prospects in Cleveland.

Next, Carter tried the Eddie Haskell approach, persuading ESPN's John "the Great Gazoo" Clayton to write a fluff piece clarifying Carter's intentions as decent, pure, and proper.

After the Browns and the Rams bailed out, Carter has tried desperately to drum up interest in Miami.  But the Dolphins never wavered from their position that Carter simply wasn't in their plans.

At one point, there were rumblings in the Twin Cities that Carter might approach Red McCombs about a possible return to the team for a 13th season.  But amid rumors of a potential locker-room mutiny, the Vikes never broached the issue.

Finally, Carter sent out last week a "sign me by Monday or I'll retire" ultimatum, apparently in a last-ditch effort to save a little face. 

The response?  "Gee, Cris.  You really drive a hard bargain.  Don't let the door hit you on the butt."

But with all that said, Carter still was one of the best.  It's hard to condone his conduct, but it's even harder to ignore his talent and his accomplishments.

No one has put together a highlight reel like Carter's.  And with hands softer than Chris Berman's midsection and a knack for getting open regardless of the coverage, he's the best receiver ever in the clutch.  Period.

In the final analysis, Carter was far more enigmatic than anyone ever realized.  During his run of greatness, he somehow kept the media from scrutinizing his apparently Jekyll-and-Hyde persona. All too often, we overlooked his overdone complaints to officials and his sideline taunts to opposing teams and coaches, brushing it all off as evidence of the competitive fire that drives him. 

But these things he'd been doing for years are proof that Carter didn't undergo an organic personality change in 2001.  The truth is that Carter's feats on the field kept us hypnotized and mesmerized.

And when time finally caught up with him, we noticed that he deserves a spot not only in the NFL Hall of Fame, but also in the George Costanza "Jerk Store."

POSTED 12:55 a.m. EDT, 5/21/02 (TUESDAY); UPDATED 8:15 a.m. EDT, 5/21/02 (TUESDAY)

McCOMBS WANTS ACTION NOW

In case you missed it, we were the first ones to break the news on Monday that Vikings owner Red McCombs would be issuing a statement on Monday regarding his plans to either sell or move the Minnesota Vikings. 

McCombs purchased the club in 1998, only a few months after author Tom Clancy's bid to buy the club blew up almost as violently as the nuke that's detonated in his book/movie "The Sum of All Fears."  Red made his millions selling cars, so we've never really believed anything he's had to say regarding his intentions for the franchise.

And for good reason.  McCombs has insisted that he'd never move the team.  He's denied vehemently past reports of an intent to sell the team.  But now McCombs is baring his soul, and the timing is more than a little curious.

According to a league source, McCombs supposedly is tired of the "wait 'til next year" message that he's consistently received from the Minnesota legislature.  With an estimated four years from approval to completion of a new stadium, McCombs believes that time is of the essence.  (Given McCombs' advanced age and his history of wet steaks and dry martinis, he might not be around when it's time to bust a champagne bottle on the foundation of the new digs.)

The word is that McCombs is angling for a deal like the one that Tom Benson finagled in New Orleans, with short-term renovations to the Metrodome, a bigger chunk of the revenue for the team, and serious efforts toward a new stadium.

One little known fact is that discussions regarding a new stadium have involved at least one big potential carrot for the Vikings.  If/when a new stadium is built, the existing property will be sold.  Given it's prime downtown location, the land is expected to bring in some serious coin -- and the Vikings would get 100 percent of these revenues under a scenario that has been discussed.

Still, Red wants action now, and the NFL's newfound zeal for putting a team back in L.A. is the best leverage for any franchise that is angling for a new stadium.  As this game of million-dollar musical chairs unfolds, any team who wants to stay put with a new stadium needs to get their deal done before the space in L.A. gets filled.  Because once a team finalizes plans to head to SoCal, the leverage for the rest will go buh-bye.

Unfortunately, it's fairly clear that Minnesota governor Jesse Ventura will be ice fishing in hell before he gives his blessing to a publicly-funded stadium in Minnesota.  Thus, in the end, the Vikings could be joining up with the purple-and-gold hoops team that bolted out of Minneapolis all those years ago.

According to the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, McCombs has placed a price tag of $400 to $500 million on the team for which he paid $246 million less than four years ago.  Forbes magizine valued the franchise at $346 million last year.

Denver billionaire Phillip Anschutz, the man who plans to build a new stadium in downtown L.A., could try to buy the Vikings and move them to the Coliseum or the Rose Bowl until the new venue is ready.  Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor is the top local candidate to buy the club and keep it in the Twin Cities.  Taylor lost out in his bid to buy the Vikes in 1998 when McCombs swooped in with a sweeter offer.

At one point last year, a rumor surfaced that a group led by former 49ers Steve Young and Brent Jones was interested in buying the Vikings.

And as this story unfolds, don't forget about the Korey Stringer wrongful death suit.  If Red tries to sell, the potential liability arising from the lawsuit must be factored into the equation.  And if Red tries to move, it might be downright impossible to find a juror in Minnesota who isn't automatically biased against McCombs.  Indeed, the mere fact that McCombs is now abandoning his past statements regarding an unequivocal desire to keep the team in Minnesota over the long haul could undermine the credibility of the team (and its witnesses) when the time comes to defend itself against allegations that it bears responsibility for the passing of Korey Stringer.

TANNENBAUM WOULD CONSIDER SAINTS JOB

In the wake of the recent firing of G.M. Randy Mueller by the Saints, one of the names that has floated onto the radar screen is that of Jets assistant G.M. Mike Tannenbaum.

Though the New Orleans G.M. position will be filled for the coming season by Mickey Loomis, his ties to Muller make him an unlikely long-term answer for owner Tom Benson.

According to a league source, Tannenbaum would consider an offer to assume the reins of the Saints, if the right offer were made.

In January, Tannenbaum was poised to accept the G.M. job in Tampa when his good friend Bill Parcells backed out at the last minute on a big-money offer to coach the Bucs.  Tannenbaum's close-but-no-cigar departure likely has diminished his authority in the Jets organization, especially since coach Herm Edwards has managed gradually (and quietly) to acquire more and more authority over personnel moves in Gotham.

And if Tannenbaum ends up in the Bayou and coach Jim Haslett departs after his current deal expires next January, could Parcells follow?  At this point, it's doubtful.  However, if the past few months of coaching and front-office moves have taught us anything, it's that no possibility ever can be ruled out.

OBEN "SPEAR"ED RAVENS?

A league source tells us that, before agreeing to terms with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, free-agent tackle Roman Oben had a verbal agreement in in place with the Baltimore Ravens.

Both teams had offered him the same deal -- a one-year contract for the minimum salary.  And, in Baltimore, Oben was far more likely to crack the starting lineup.

Instead, the Ravens got plucked again in their efforts to sign a new right tackle.  A week or so ago, Marcus Spears dissed the bird for the Chiefs.  And now, it's Oben.

The fact that Oben reneged on the Ravens makes Tampa's decision to delay the announcement of his deal even more understandable.  Until Oben's name was on the dotted line, the Ravens (or his old team, the Browns) could've upped the ante and stolen the player.

As for the Bucs, they were able to coax Oben away from the Ravens without offering one extra penny.

And there's a deeper level of potential intrigue here.  Oben is represented by Roosevelt Barnes and Eugene Parker, the same duo who handle disgruntled linebackers Peter Boulware and Ray Lewis.  Both of these guys want big-money contract extensions from Baltimore, and both incurred the ire of coach Brian Billick by not showing up for a supposedly voluntary passing camp on Monday.

Barnes and Parker also represent former Ravens defensive tackle Sam Adams, whom the team hopes to re-sign.  However, Baltimore can't even begin to approach Adams' salary expectations until they create some cap room, and they won't be able to create cap room until they extend the deals of Lewis and/or Boulware.

A cynic could view the Oben situation as an effort by Parker/Barnes to penalize the Ravens for failing to re-do the contracts of Lewis and/or Boulware, both of whom are hoping for big, big money up front.  In support of a minimum-salary offer to Oben, the Ravens likely explained that they don't have the cap room to do any better.  In response, Parker/Barnes might have said, "You can create some instant cap room by giving Peter or Ray what they want."  And as the Ravens continued to drag their talons on Boulware and Lewis, the agents ultimately might have nudged Oben elsewhere. 

POSTED 1:14 P.M. EDT, MAY 20, 2002 (MONDAY)

VIKES TO MOVE?  (EXCLUSIVE)

One of our Norsemen friends in Viking-land has tipped us to an announcement that will be forthcoming from the Vikings later today in which owner Red McCombs will make it known that he is growing weary of the Dead Man shuffle otherwise known as the Minnesota state legislature's attempt to cement plans for a new stadium for Daunte Culpepper and company.  McCombs will let it be known in no uncertain terms that if the politicians don't get their act together in the near future (that statement in itself does not seem realistic) then Red will have no qualms about either selling the team and/or relocating the Vikes to another state (Hello L.A.!).  More coming on the reasons for Red's imminent red face later today . . .

POSTED 10:20 p.m. EDT, MAY 19, 2002 (SUNDAY)

WILLIAMS FORCING PANTHERS' HAND

EXCLUSIVE!

Carolina defensive end Jay Williams, a recent fixture on the team's defensive line, will be pressing the team for answers Monday regarding his status for the coming season, according to his agent, Ron Del Duca.

Ever since the team suggested that No. 2 overall pick Julius Peppers will be moving from right defensive end to Williams' position of left defensive end, the buzz has been that Williams could be released if he doesn't take a pay cut.

The Charlotte media seems to be under the impression that Williams wouldn't be released until after June 1, due to the salary cap.  However, because Williams is entering the final year of his deal, it makes no difference whether he's released before or after June 1.

So Del Duca's plan is to bring the matter to a head now.  The Panthers have expressed an interest in restructuring Williams' deal, which will pay him $1.65 million in 2002.  However, Del Duca wants a big chunk of the money to be in the form of guaranteed money, in the event the Panthers decide to cut Williams loose two or three months down the line.

The bigger issue is that Del Duca can't get a response from the Panthers, whom he has been trying to contact since Thursday.  Basically, Del Duca want to know now whether a deal can be done because, if it can't, Del Duca wants Williams to hit the open market before June 1, when other defensive ends like Marco Coleman might become available.

And Del Duca is very confident that Williams will continue to thrive, whether in Carolina or elsewhere.  Pointing out that Williams has completed eight seasons in the league after starting out as an undrafted free agent of the L.A. Rams, Del Duca says that Williams is a "survivor, and he'll continue to survive."

Del Duca took things a step farther.  "Jay Williams will still be playing in the NFL when the Julius Peppers hype is a faded memory," he said, "and you can print that."  (Gee, tell us what you really think, Ron.)

Anyway, keep your eyes on the "Transactions" report.  The Panthers will be making one regarding Williams soon, and it'll be either a new contract, or a no contract at all.

DUNGY ISSUED GAG ORDER ON JAMES

Why, you ask, has there been little (if any) public comment regarding by the Colts regarding their star running back, Edgerrin James?

Last year, for example, Peyton Manning was very outspoken regarding Edge's decision to stay away from the team's voluntary mini-camps.  This year, however, Edge also has skipped the mandatory work, opting instead to play flag football in Miami.

So why hasn't Manning (or any other player) said a word?

According to a league source, coach Tony Dungy specifically has ordered his team to say nothing regarding James.

The word is that Dungy told the players that James won't be coming to the mini-camps this year, and he told them to say "no comment" if pressed by the media.

Apart from G.M. Bill Polian, who seems to keep a shoe in his mouth with Edge's name on it, the Colts have handled James with kid gloves.  It'll be interesting to see if these "Edge Rules" have an affect on the working stiffs who've been honoring the terms of their contracts to the letter.

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