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BILL POLIANLimited this year |
Football notes
Getting down to brass tacks
Two top GMs discuss the NFL's key issues
One general manager resides in Indianapolis and is the primary architect of the powerful Colts teams of the 2000s. The other GM is in San Diego, having assembled perhaps the most impressive group of talent on one roster in the NFL today.
Bill Polian and A.J. Smith are two of the NFL's more accomplished general managers, and when they start talking about hot-button NFL topics, it's must-listen stuff for the hardcore fan.
The question was posed to each of them: What do you feel are some of the most pressing on-field trends and issues in the league today?
"The first thing that we need to have some answers on is how the 80-man roster limit affects what we ultimately come out of camp with," Polian said last week in an interview with the Globe prior to the Hall of Fame Game in Canton, Ohio.
"It isn't good from our perspective, but we still have [four] weeks to go. It's not a good test. Concomitant to that is how efficient will we be offensively, in particular, at the start of the season. I don't just mean us, but all teams."
NFL teams were allowed to bring a maximum of 86 players to training camps as recently as last year. But the number has been reduced by owners this season, in conjunction with the folding of NFL Europa. Polian is curious to see how teams will be affected over the course of the season.
Why is this such a big issue?
"I'll use our linebackers as a prime example," Polian said of a position that has been hit by injuries in training camp. "When you have an injury at one position, you can't reduce the [repetitions] of everybody else at that position, because this is an interrelated game.
"So they have to take the same reps as the tackles, and ends and corners, but you're doing it with less guys. So it stresses the position and you find that you go from one injury, to two, to three, you get an epidemic at one position. Now you're in a position where you have difficulty."
With this in mind, the Colts went with just 68 players in their preseason opener last Sunday. In a similar situation this past Thursday, the Patriots went with just 59.
"The question is, what do you do?" said Polian. "Do you reduce reps? Do you reduce practice? Do you change the way you practice? All those kind of things are questions that have to be answered."
Out in San Diego, Smith is talking about another area of the game that seems to have become more prevalent, focusing more on strategy.
"This has become a game of matchups," he said in a phone interview with the Globe. "You always need the players. It starts there, there's no doubt about that.
"But I think after that it becomes how you match up, and that's where the importance of having a really intelligent head football coach comes into play. This game has become a master chess match and it's about responding in pressure situations, those 5-6 major decisions in games."
With that in mind, Smith's goal is to layer his roster three-deep, giving the Chargers as many options as possible to win those matchups.
For example, both the Patriots and Colts - two of the elite teams in the AFC - run a base offense that includes three or more receivers. When Smith puts together the Chargers' roster, having the tools to match up against that approach is crucial, which might explain why he's invested heavily in defensive backs in each of the last two drafts - tapping cornerback Antoine Cason in the first round this year and trading up for safety Eric Weddle in the second round in 2007.
"I think it starts with what is in your division, that's the first goal, the main matchup," Smith said. "And if you're successful and get a program going, like Indianapolis has, always going to the playoffs, the second phase is that you might be able to look at who some of the other obstacles are and what they're doing and how you match up player for player. It could be an offensive tackle against a defensive rush end, a wideout vs. a corner, a safety roaming the field."
Polian agrees that the NFL has become more and more a game of matchups, similar to baseball where a team might acquire a lefthanded relief pitcher with the specific anticipation of facing a lefthanded hitter from a rival team in the playoffs.
Within that matchup game is the trend of more teams spreading the field with three or more receivers with the willingness to run out of that pass-oriented formation.
Defenses must adjust, and that's why some clubs use the time now - in training camp - to install specific defensive packages to combat that.
"Absolutely," Polian said of the increase in running plays out of those spread formations. "I think we and New England have been the people who have done it most.
"We've always had the running back that can really carry the load. We've never been a two-back team. They've gravitated to the point where they're not a two-back team. So you develop a game out of a three-wide formation, and as a result you create some matchup problems."
The 80-man roster limit. A game of matchups. More teams running out of pass-oriented formations.
They are just a few of the hot-button topics that some of the league's top decision-makers are chatting about behind the scenes. The season remains a full month away, but the chess pieces are already in motion in various NFL cities.
Hannah leads the way again
The battle among retired players, the NFL, and the NFL Players Association continues to percolate, as many retired players continue to seek improved medical benefits and pensions that are more aligned with the league's tremendous financial growth.
Frustrated with the lack of progress, Patriots great and Pro Football Hall of Famer John Hannah is stepping up his presence on behalf of retired players, spearheading the creation of the Retired Football Players Association.
"Boston is taking the lead," Hannah said in an interview with the Globe, explaining the formation of a New England chapter of the RFPA.
"One of the issues that we found distressing is when [NFLPA director] Gene [ Upshaw] said, a few years ago, that he didn't represent the retired player. People across the country said maybe we need to create an organization to represent the retired player, to get everyone under one roof - to be a spokesman for the retired player - and that's what we're trying to do."
Hannah has been working with former Colt Bruce Laird and his Fourth and Goal Foundation to form the RFPA. He said Laird has been promised by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell that "if we can get 50 percent of the retired players to become part of any organization and with one voice, he would talk to us, share ideas, and try to find ways to get this done."
If the RFPA takes off, Hannah hopes it will not just put pressure on the NFL and the NFLPA but also be a revenue source for retired players in the most need of help. The New England chapter of the RFPA will naturally include former Patriots, some of whom are scheduled to join Hannah Aug. 27 at a Brockton Rox game where retired players will be honored.
One of those players, Tim Fox, is grateful that Hannah is once again paving a path for others to run through.
"We need someone who has that type of name recognition and determination to make it happen," Fox said. "If we wait for the NFL to do something, it's not going to happen. If we wait for the Players Association, that's clearly not going to happen.
"There are a lot of former players who have done very well after football, but a lot more haven't. The longer this goes on, the more we're seeing the problems that former players have had."
Etc.
Schedule juggling
At the owners meeting in May, the quality of the league's preseason was discussed, specifically how some preseason games are a poor reflection of the NFL product. Commissioner Roger Goodell is keeping the issue in the news, most recently telling reporters at Bengals camp that the league is "actively evaluating" whether to add a regular-season game and cut the preseason from four games to three. Goodell then took it one step further, saying he also wouldn't rule out 18 regular-season games and only two preseason contests.
Flagging down a receiver
With Terry Glenn out of their plans, the Cowboys have a void to fill at their No. 2 receiver spot, but the No. 3 receiver role seems to be generating as much intrigue in training camp. Rookie free agent Danny Amendola of Texas Tech has caught the attention of owner Jerry Jones while working out of the slot, drawing comparisons to fellow Tech alum Wes Welker. If Amendola ends up emerging, the Cowboys will owe a debt of gratitude to Roger Staubach. After watching Amendola play in a flag football game, Staubach recommended him to his former club, saying it's the only time he's ever pitched a player to the Cowboys.
New episode of Cribbs
Pro Bowl return man Josh Cribbs, who signed a six-year contract for about $6 million in November 2006, is already seeking a new deal from Cleveland. The Browns don't appear to be ready to revisit the contract, so for now, Cribbs will have to settle for something else: The club is developing a special package designed to use all of Cribbs's dynamic skills in its offense.
Men of Troy
One of the undercurrents felt from the Ravens' visit to Gillette Stadium was the support in the team's locker room for Troy Smith to be the team's starting quarterback on opening day. Linebacker Ray Lewis, in particular, is privately lobbying for Smith - the former Heisman Trophy winner from Ohio State - to take the reins over Kyle Boller and 2008 first-round draft choice Joe Flacco.
Job sharing in Philadelphia
In the spirit of promoting team harmony, the Eagles took an unusual step last week when they released their first depth chart of the preseason and had Sheldon Brown and Lito Sheppard listed as "co-starters" at right cornerback. Sheppard's status has been an issue ever since the Eagles opened the vault for former Patriots corner Asante Samuel, but with Samuel out of practice since suffering a hamstring injury, Sheppard and Brown have been running with the first string. Asked about his "co-starter" status, the unhappy Sheppard deadpanned to reporters: "I didn't know you could start 12 people."
Burress acts as player-coach
Former UMass receiver Brandon London, attempting to make the Giants' 53-man roster after spending last year on the practice squad, is receiving a double dose of coaching - first from position coach Mike Sullivan, then from Plaxico Burress. London told reporters in New York that Burress has been particularly helpful to the team's younger receivers, sometimes running the unit's position meetings. The coaching staff apparently hands the video clicker to Burress, who breaks down the routes run by receivers, then offers input.
Red flag
Instant story line
Brett Favre's regular-season debut with the Jets figured to draw plenty of attention anyway, but it picked up a bit more sizzle with Chad Pennington signing a free agent deal with the Dolphins. The Jets visit the Dolphins in Week 1, and it could be Favre vs. Pennington. Think the New York media will have some fun with that one?
Extra points
The Bengals are talking about throwing more to their tight ends, and they like some of the early returns on Ben Utecht, the former Colt they signed as a restricted free agent . . . While some wondered whether Brady Quinn might outplay Derek Anderson and pressure the Browns into a tough decision at quarterback, it hasn't happened to this point. Anderson has outplayed Quinn . . . Rookie left tackle Branden Albert, a first-round draft choice and a centerpiece of the Chiefs' rebuilding plan, might not be ready for the season opener at New England because of a sprained ankle/foot . . . Mathias Kiwanuka, the former Boston College defender entering his third year with the Giants, has not missed a day of practice in his return from a fractured fibula that knocked him out of the final six regular-season games of the 2007 season. On days the Giants practice twice, however, Kiwanuka has participated in only one session.
Did you know?
Last week, the Seahawks practiced for the first time in their sparkling new facility on Lake Washington, which is 225,000 total square feet.
Mike Reiss can be reached at mreiss@globe.com; material from personal interviews, wire services, other beat writers, and league and team sources was used in this report.
© Copyright 2008 Globe Newspaper Company.
