azdad1978
Championship!!!!
Some notable quarterbacks to be passed around
April 30, 2004
By Jay Glazer
SportsLine.com Senior Writer
Tell Jay your opinion!
Usually during the weeks following an NFL Draft, news is hard to come by, at least until the June 1 cuts roll around. But this year a strange phenomenon occurred. A legitimate news subject broke out shortly before, during and right after the weekend.
Two-time NFL MVP Kurt Warner is a likely June 1 cap casualty. (AP)
Call it the NFL's arms race. Dealers are in full swing.
In the past seven days, several quarterbacks have been let go or have been discussed as potential waiver victims. Oddly, we aren't talking about those on the scrub category of the NFL food chain. These are quarterbacks with a sensational collective pedigree -- guys with Pro Bowl and Super Bowl experience, and even a guy with the letters MVP before his name.
For some reason, the NFL's quarterbacks are on the move in late April and early May. Who? Why? Where? Let's take a look at who is in the news, why and what might be in store for a few of these arms for hire as the smoke of the draft continues to clear.
Of all the quarterbacks who have hit or will hit the open market, Collins is the crème de la crème. Giants players love the veteran signal caller and have privately voiced their outrage over his exodus. Veterans are in an uproar over his release, feeling the team should have kept him regardless of cap number to let Eli Manning learn from him for a year.
The players feel with Manning starting out of the blocks rather than Collins, the Giants will resemble an expansion team for at least a year. Guys like Tiki Barber, Michael Strahan, Amani Toomer and Ike Hilliard don't have three or four years to wait for Manning's star to shine.
When given a good offensive line and time to function, Collins remains one of the better passers in the league. A team such as Arizona, Oakland, San Diego or San Francisco could truly use his talents. The Niners and Cowboys have already said they aren't interested. The Dolphins and Packers were approached by the Giants about a trade but neither wanted to venture down Collins' road.
Kurt Warner
The revelation by his agent last week that Warner's days in St. Louis are numbered became huge news. Then, the obligatory stories linking him to team after team cropped up throughout the league.
Three years ago, he had a terrific year, throwing for 4,840 yards, the highest total of his career. Warner has the pedigree but has struggled through injuries the past two seasons, throwing for just four touchdowns and an alarming 12 interceptions. He has also shown fumbling problems. He was sacked six times and fumbled six times during his one start this past season.
Damon Huard
Huard would be a steal for any team that signs him. He's not the biggest or fastest guy in the world, but he is one of the smarter quarterbacks in the league. In fact, he was given the game ball by the Patriots for their victory over the Indianapolis Colts in last season's AFC Championship Game.
According to several of his Patriots teammates, Huard mimicked Peyton Manning to perfection for the scout team in practice before that game. Patriots players couldn't applaud Huard enough. Both sides of the ball insisted Huard picked up every little nuance Manning portrays on the field, making the defensive players feel as if they already knew everything Manning was going to throw at them in the game.
Huard has met with the Falcons and Giants recently and met with the Chiefs on Friday.
Vinny Testaverde
Vinny from Long Island is one of the better tutorial candidates on the open market. He will not be with the Jets, but he has been linked to the Giants. Vinny has been around so long, one could be tempted to look up his AFL stats (and we don't mean the Arena Football League).
But despite his age, he still has an above-average arm. Opposing players say he actually played pretty well for the injured Chad Pennington and showed he has some bark left in him.
Neil O'Donnell
Yup, he's still going. Like Testaverde, O'Donnell has been linked to the Giants, the team closest to where he grew up. O'Donnell started one game last year, on basically zero notice, and passed for a 102.7 quarterback rating in that game. He has started just three games this millennium. He is viewed, like Testaverde, as a solid tutor and stopgap, if necessary.
Unlike some of the young QBs, his brain will never get in the way of a team's success on offense.
Tim Couch
Does it really matter who backs up Brett Favre? The man doesn't miss any games anyway. Couch has been in talks with the Packers and now he reportedly has interest from the Bears.
Perhaps all Couch needs is a new lease on his NFL life. The demons that go along with being the No. 1 overall pick have consumed many an NFLer. Couch got caught up in a situation that continued to worsen. With a new environment, perhaps the light bulb goes on and he begins to light it up.
Jeff Blake
Blake is a serviceable starter but probably not the best option for a team looking for a good tutor for a young man. Blake has often viewed his fellow QBs as competition, not as pupils. However, he has made a nice living on being a gun for hire.
Rich Gannon
The Raiders still have not commented about his status with the team this year. Gannon had made it known earlier he would only play for an exorbitant sum, but who's to say his shoulder returns to full strength. There remains a chance he will be released after June 1, especially if he refuses to either restructure his contract or reduce his salary.
Gannon last season showed dramatic signs of age. The season before, however, was his best as a pro. Which Gannon shows up to which camp this year remains to be seen.
Tommy Maddox
Maddox, like Collins, was rendered a lame duck when his team used its first-round pick on a QB of the future. The team has refused to redo his deal over the past couple of years, and if he remains with the team, he will make significantly less than his backup.
Maddox was a terrific feel-good story after recovering from NFL banishment and then a scary neck injury. If given a consistent and healthy offensive line and a solid running game, he has shown he can be a very effective option.
Others
Kurt Kittner, Chris Redman, Jeff George.
Redman, like Huard, had a workout for Atlanta recently. He had his chance but has failed to show any significance as a starter. He could be serviceable if put in the right system with the right coach.
And, yes, that Jeff George. The former No. 1 pick has been in contact with several teams since February's scouting combine trying to catch on as a backup or No. 3. George has been working out for months, throwing several times a week.
He probably still has a rocket of an arm and could help a youngster trying to learn the pro game. George admits he has an image problem to overcome, but he insists anyone who signs him will be getting a good soldier and a tremendous arm for hire.
"I've been in touch with a handful of teams," George said this week during a phone conversation. "I just want that shot. I can really help a team, even in a No. 3 role. I know the game, and I'd love to assist a team in helping out a young guy."
April 30, 2004
By Jay Glazer
SportsLine.com Senior Writer
Tell Jay your opinion!
Usually during the weeks following an NFL Draft, news is hard to come by, at least until the June 1 cuts roll around. But this year a strange phenomenon occurred. A legitimate news subject broke out shortly before, during and right after the weekend.
Two-time NFL MVP Kurt Warner is a likely June 1 cap casualty. (AP)
Call it the NFL's arms race. Dealers are in full swing.
In the past seven days, several quarterbacks have been let go or have been discussed as potential waiver victims. Oddly, we aren't talking about those on the scrub category of the NFL food chain. These are quarterbacks with a sensational collective pedigree -- guys with Pro Bowl and Super Bowl experience, and even a guy with the letters MVP before his name.
For some reason, the NFL's quarterbacks are on the move in late April and early May. Who? Why? Where? Let's take a look at who is in the news, why and what might be in store for a few of these arms for hire as the smoke of the draft continues to clear.
Of all the quarterbacks who have hit or will hit the open market, Collins is the crème de la crème. Giants players love the veteran signal caller and have privately voiced their outrage over his exodus. Veterans are in an uproar over his release, feeling the team should have kept him regardless of cap number to let Eli Manning learn from him for a year.
The players feel with Manning starting out of the blocks rather than Collins, the Giants will resemble an expansion team for at least a year. Guys like Tiki Barber, Michael Strahan, Amani Toomer and Ike Hilliard don't have three or four years to wait for Manning's star to shine.
When given a good offensive line and time to function, Collins remains one of the better passers in the league. A team such as Arizona, Oakland, San Diego or San Francisco could truly use his talents. The Niners and Cowboys have already said they aren't interested. The Dolphins and Packers were approached by the Giants about a trade but neither wanted to venture down Collins' road.
Kurt Warner
The revelation by his agent last week that Warner's days in St. Louis are numbered became huge news. Then, the obligatory stories linking him to team after team cropped up throughout the league.
Three years ago, he had a terrific year, throwing for 4,840 yards, the highest total of his career. Warner has the pedigree but has struggled through injuries the past two seasons, throwing for just four touchdowns and an alarming 12 interceptions. He has also shown fumbling problems. He was sacked six times and fumbled six times during his one start this past season.
Damon Huard
Huard would be a steal for any team that signs him. He's not the biggest or fastest guy in the world, but he is one of the smarter quarterbacks in the league. In fact, he was given the game ball by the Patriots for their victory over the Indianapolis Colts in last season's AFC Championship Game.
According to several of his Patriots teammates, Huard mimicked Peyton Manning to perfection for the scout team in practice before that game. Patriots players couldn't applaud Huard enough. Both sides of the ball insisted Huard picked up every little nuance Manning portrays on the field, making the defensive players feel as if they already knew everything Manning was going to throw at them in the game.
Huard has met with the Falcons and Giants recently and met with the Chiefs on Friday.
Vinny Testaverde
Vinny from Long Island is one of the better tutorial candidates on the open market. He will not be with the Jets, but he has been linked to the Giants. Vinny has been around so long, one could be tempted to look up his AFL stats (and we don't mean the Arena Football League).
But despite his age, he still has an above-average arm. Opposing players say he actually played pretty well for the injured Chad Pennington and showed he has some bark left in him.
Neil O'Donnell
Yup, he's still going. Like Testaverde, O'Donnell has been linked to the Giants, the team closest to where he grew up. O'Donnell started one game last year, on basically zero notice, and passed for a 102.7 quarterback rating in that game. He has started just three games this millennium. He is viewed, like Testaverde, as a solid tutor and stopgap, if necessary.
Unlike some of the young QBs, his brain will never get in the way of a team's success on offense.
Tim Couch
Does it really matter who backs up Brett Favre? The man doesn't miss any games anyway. Couch has been in talks with the Packers and now he reportedly has interest from the Bears.
Perhaps all Couch needs is a new lease on his NFL life. The demons that go along with being the No. 1 overall pick have consumed many an NFLer. Couch got caught up in a situation that continued to worsen. With a new environment, perhaps the light bulb goes on and he begins to light it up.
Jeff Blake
Blake is a serviceable starter but probably not the best option for a team looking for a good tutor for a young man. Blake has often viewed his fellow QBs as competition, not as pupils. However, he has made a nice living on being a gun for hire.
Rich Gannon
The Raiders still have not commented about his status with the team this year. Gannon had made it known earlier he would only play for an exorbitant sum, but who's to say his shoulder returns to full strength. There remains a chance he will be released after June 1, especially if he refuses to either restructure his contract or reduce his salary.
Gannon last season showed dramatic signs of age. The season before, however, was his best as a pro. Which Gannon shows up to which camp this year remains to be seen.
Tommy Maddox
Maddox, like Collins, was rendered a lame duck when his team used its first-round pick on a QB of the future. The team has refused to redo his deal over the past couple of years, and if he remains with the team, he will make significantly less than his backup.
Maddox was a terrific feel-good story after recovering from NFL banishment and then a scary neck injury. If given a consistent and healthy offensive line and a solid running game, he has shown he can be a very effective option.
Others
Kurt Kittner, Chris Redman, Jeff George.
Redman, like Huard, had a workout for Atlanta recently. He had his chance but has failed to show any significance as a starter. He could be serviceable if put in the right system with the right coach.
And, yes, that Jeff George. The former No. 1 pick has been in contact with several teams since February's scouting combine trying to catch on as a backup or No. 3. George has been working out for months, throwing several times a week.
He probably still has a rocket of an arm and could help a youngster trying to learn the pro game. George admits he has an image problem to overcome, but he insists anyone who signs him will be getting a good soldier and a tremendous arm for hire.
"I've been in touch with a handful of teams," George said this week during a phone conversation. "I just want that shot. I can really help a team, even in a No. 3 role. I know the game, and I'd love to assist a team in helping out a young guy."
