Players must pull together

Union in transition but issues won't wait

Gene Upshaw's death was a blow to the NFLPA, but he left things in good order. (File/paul sancya/Associated Press)

Gene Upshaw's plan was to stage one more labor fight on behalf of the football players he represented over three decades before ensuring a smooth transition to a new executive director. His death last Wednesday, of pancreatic cancer, has altered the picture in a major way.

So what's next for the NFL Players Association?

As they do every Sunday, key members of the NFLPA have already formed a huddle - this one from coast to coast - to formulate the best game plan. They know the next 18 months will be a critical stretch in the history of labor relations for pro football, so every decision takes on that much more significance.

"Our union is still strong," assured Tennessee Titans center Kevin Mawae, the NFLPA's president. "I think Gene left it in a position where, while we'll miss Gene, we're not going to miss a beat as far as where we're going. Our collective bargaining agreement is still the biggest issue and Gene knew that."

In May, owners shortened the current CBA by two years in a unanimous vote, a show of solidarity that several of them trumpeted as providing momentum leading into negotiations with Upshaw and the union.

On the flip side, Upshaw had been putting out fires within the union - a group of players was attempting to generate support for his ouster - and only recently seemed to pull things together.

As for where the NFLPA goes from here, some key decisions have already been made. The union's executive committee, which includes Patriots linebacker Mike Vrabel, unanimously voted general counsel Richard Berthelsen as interim executive director last Thursday.

As for who ultimately replaces Upshaw, the NFLPA had been planning to put together a search committee regardless, because Upshaw was nearing retirement. That process could be accelerated a bit, but the union won't rush. Mawae said a decision on a successor "will not take place until, at the earliest, March 2009 or even beyond."

Given those time elements - and considering Upshaw's comments that February/March of 2010 is the deadline for CBA talks before "the point of no return" - it's hard to imagine a new leader coming aboard and being in position to hammer out a deal in 12 months.

So unless owners agree to some type of short-term extension in light of Upshaw's death, that shines the spotlight brighter on Berthelsen.

"He knows the players and the game," said Mawae, noting that Berthelsen, who has worked with the union for 37 years, has longstanding relationships with the union's top outside attorneys, Jeffrey Kessler and James Quinn.

"There wasn't a day that went by where he didn't discuss issues with Gene Upshaw. We felt strongly that Richard was the guy to lead us through this time."

While the current collective bargaining agreement actually extends through the 2010 season, the reason the sides are looking at an 18-month window to finalize a deal is that the 2010 season - under the current terms - would be played without a salary cap.

The salary cap, instituted in 1993, is a crucial piece that has helped competitive balance while allowing smaller-market teams like Cincinnati and Jacksonville to compete with larger-market teams such as Dallas and Washington. Upshaw long maintained that once the salary cap disappears, the players will never accept another one, a stance that isn't likely to change after his death.

The sides were expected to begin talking next month, but those preliminary negotiations could now be delayed. It shouldn't be a major holdup, however, as Upshaw had acknowledged that all labor agreements usually come down to the wire.

In the end, as Mawae pointed out, not having Upshaw at the negotiating table is "a tragic blow." In another respect, given the way members of the union have decisively responded, it could be a rallying point in a potentially contentious labor battle.

"We'll move on as Gene would want us to do," Mawae said. "And we'll continue to lean on one another."

Bursting onto the scene
Titans rookie running back Chris Johnson has arguably been the most electrifying player of the preseason, and like his style of play, he's struck fast.

Johnson's first play in Tennessee's preseason-opening 34-13 victory over the Rams was an inside zone run that he turned into a dynamic 66-yard touchdown, as he cut through the back-side hole and outraced a second wave of defenders.

The next week against the Raiders, Johnson ripped off runs of 15 yards on his first two rushes, later following up with a 13-yard effort.

Everyone knew Johnson was fast - he was clocked at 4.2 in the 40-yard dash at the NFL combine in February - but straight-line speed doesn't always translate to football speed after the ball is snapped (see: Bethel Johnson).

If the early returns are any indication, it looks as though the Titans have added a dynamic piece to a Vince Young-led offense that hasn't been overly hard to defend in recent years.

Coach Jeff Fisher and offensive coordinator Mike Heimerdinger are keeping their specific plans for Johnson under wraps, but the projection is that Johnson will split carries with LenDale White, a 1-2 punch of contrasting styles. White pounds defenses at 6 feet 1 inch, 235 pounds, while Johnson runs past them at 5-11, 197.

Johnson could also line up as a slot receiver, creating mismatch problems.

Having played at East Carolina, Johnson had the lowest profile of running backs selected in the first round, a group that included Darren McFadden (Arkansas; No. 4, Raiders), Jonathan Stewart (Oregon; No. 13, Panthers), Felix Jones (Arkansas; No. 22, Cowboys), and Rashard Mendenhall (Illinois; No. 23, Steelers).

Yet the soft-spoken Johnson isn't lacking confidence. Last year, in a self-described crazy moment, he tattooed his left arm with his face and the words "Last of a Dying Breed."

"I just feel like they don't make them like me anymore," Johnson said. "I just feel like I'm a different type of guy."

Averaging 8.78 yards per carry in two preseason games, Johnson looks like a big-play threat every time he touches the ball.

49ers may have struck gold with journeyman O'Sullivan
A remarkable story is unfolding in San Francisco, where the unheralded J.T. O'Sullivan has outperformed Alex Smith - the No. 1 overall pick in 2005 - and won the battle for the starting quarterback job.

Based on résumés, it's an upset of major proportions.

Consider that the 28-year-old O'Sullivan has been with more NFL teams (8) than he has games played (4). He has thrown one career touchdown pass in regular-season action.

Also consider that O'Sullivan is scheduled to make $645,000 this season, with a $40,000 signing bonus, while Smith, as the top pick four years ago, netted a contract that paid him $24 million over its first four years. O'Sullivan's salary cap charge is $491,000 this season, Smith's is $9.9 million.

You'd have to be the most diehard of Patriots fans to remember that O'Sullivan was actually with them for a short stretch in 2006. He was signed to the practice squad in early September and released in early October.

Prior to signing with the 49ers this offseason, he had also been with the Saints, Packers, Vikings, Panthers, Bears, and Lions, spending time on the active roster or practice squad.

O'Sullivan's one-year stint in Detroit last season paved the way for his emergence in San Francisco, as he had a full year to learn offensive coordinator Mike Martz's complex system. So when Martz was hired to lead the 49ers' offense this season, he wanted the 6-foot-2-inch, 227-pound O'Sullivan to come with him.

O'Sullivan, who played in college at California-Davis, has started all three preseason games and is 20 of 33 for 351 yards, with two touchdowns and two interceptions. After two so-so performances, he delivered a gem Thursday night against the Bears, going 7 of 8 for 126 yards with a touchdown.

Smith is 17 of 37 for 196 yards with one touchdown this preseason, and generally hasn't looked as sharp.

Etc.
Fast facts
Framingham resident Aaron Schatz, who helped author the 2008 Pro Football Prospectus, passes along the following nuggets from the book: 1. The 2007 Patriots were the first team in NFL history to use the shotgun on more than half of their offensive plays; 2. Wes Welker caught 77 percent of the passes intended for him, the highest percentage of any receiver in the past 12 years (minimum 60 "targets"); 3. Teams threw to the left side against the Patriots (offensive left) more often than they did against any other team, generally to avoid cornerback Asante Samuel; 4. The Patriots rarely blitzed on first down, but they ranked fourth and third, respectively, in frequency of blitzes on second and third down.

Whose side is Law on?
Ty Law, who is still a free agent, remains the top option for teams looking for cornerback help. Law visited with the Jets and has spoken with both Patriots coach Bill Belichick and Browns coach Romeo Crennel. "I'm just training and getting ready to go," Law said. "I should be out there holding it down opening week. I have not decided which team I'm going to play with yet. I have to talk to my agent and family, and will make a decision soon."

He hasn't run out of gas
Running backs who hit the age of 30 are supposed to decline, but someone forgot to tell Jacksonville's Fred Taylor. The 32-year-old Taylor, one of the NFL's more underappreciated runners, seems to be getting better with age. In his last two seasons, which coincide with the Jaguars' addition of Maurice Jones-Drew, Taylor ranks third in the NFL in yards per carry (5.2) and fourth in rushes of 10-plus yards (69). The Jaguars have done the smart thing and given Taylor a light workload this preseason.

Gone but not forgotten
In a corner of the Patriots' locker room, a glass structure has been erected in memory of Marquise Hill, the team's 2004 second-round draft choice who drowned in Louisiana in a jet ski accident last May. Hill's game jersey, his practice jersey, and his purple and gold shoulder pads from Louisiana State are part of the tribute. Running back Kevin Faulk, who like Hill played at LSU, called it a touch of class from the club, noting, "It shows how much the team dedicates a lot of what we do to a fallen teammate."

Program is getting results
Ninety coaches took part in the NFL's minority coaching fellowship program this summer. The fellowship, one of the league's most impressive initiatives, provides training camp coaching positions for minority coaches with NFL teams; more than 1,300 have participated since the program's inception, a group that includes current head coaches Herm Edwards (Chiefs), Marvin Lewis (Bengals), Lovie Smith (Bears), and Mike Tomlin (Steelers). Patriots assistant Pepper Johnson is another graduate. Partially as a result of the fellowship, a record number of minority coaches (22) will be either assistant head coaches or coordinators this season.

Browns get a dressing down
Browns fans didn't have much to cheer for in the preseason loss to the Giants last Monday, but it wasn't just the performance that had the fans upset. The issue, it seems, was the club's decision to wear chocolate-brown pants for the first time in franchise history. The fashion statement was met with negativity among the fan base, which likely means the pants are facing early retirement.

Extra points
Former UMass running back Marcel Shipp hooked on with the Texans after the Cardinals cut him loose, and Houston's brass views him as a nice insurance policy with Ahman Green currently saddled with a groin injury and fellow veteran Chris Brown considered injury-prone. The Texans have a stable of young backs in Chris Taylor, Darius Walker, and Steve Slaton, but Shipp, at least right now, adds experience to that depth . . . Nice to see retired quarterback Steve McNair return to the Titans' facility last week, an indication that there are no hard feelings. McNair was banned from the facility prior to his trade to the Ravens in 2006. The Titans did that so they wouldn't have liability if McNair were injured . . . When the Jets opened training camp, one of the top story lines was the battle at quarterback between Chad Pennington and Kellen Clemens. But now Clemens might not even be the No. 2 behind Brett Favre, as Brett Ratliff, who spent last year on the practice squad after signing as a rookie free agent out of Utah, is making a push . . . It's cut-down week in the NFL, as clubs must trim rosters from 80 to 75 by Tuesday and from 75 to 53 by Saturday . . . Former Patriots linebacker Don Davis, who was an assistant strength and conditioning coach with the club in 2007, has left the team to pursue the ministry.

Did you know?
The Browns traded away first-, second-, and third-round draft picks in 2008, and have already traded third-, fifth-, and seventh-round draft picks in 2009. The 2009 seventh-rounder was the most recent traded pick, going to the Dolphins last week in exchange for cornerback Travis Daniels.

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.