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Mike Tomlin: He considers himself a Western Pa. guy2009 Dapper Dan Sportsman of the Year Sunday, March 29, 2009 By Ed Bouchette, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Peter Diana/Post-Gazette

Mike Tomlin's long list of things to do at the NFL meetings at Dana Point, Calif., last week included a phone call to Pittsburgh.

He wanted to talk to Pitt basketball coach Jamie Dixon after the Panthers made the Sweet 16 in the NCAA tournament. He did not want to congratulate him, however, because "the job's not done.''

Tomlin has become a Pitt fan, basketball and football. He has become a Penguins fan. He has been known to show up at WPIAL high school basketball games. Who knows, he might even have joined that list of long-suffering Pirates fans.

Living in Pittsburgh just a little more than two years, Tomlin has embraced all the city and Western Pennsylvania has to offer, not merely because it looks good as coach of the Steelers but because he enjoys it all. Kennywood Park, Seven Springs, the Strip District, you name it, Tomlin has explored the area's top attractions. He's the first Steelers coach to move his family into a city neighborhood, Shadyside, in half a century.

And he recognizes the honor of earning the Dapper Dan Sportsman of the Year Award and the history that goes with it.

"Yeah, man, that's Western Pa. I consider myself a Western Pa. guy at this point, man, so it's an honor. When you think about some of the people who have been honored in that way, it's humbling, and I look forward to the evening."

The evening takes place Thursday, and Tomlin joins a select crew that includes his two predecessors, Bill Cowher and Chuck Noll. It's appropriate since both of those former Steelers coaches have other things in common with Tomlin, including Super Bowl rings.

Tomlin not only joined Noll and Cowher among the Super Bowl winning coaches, he became the youngest coach in the 43-year history of the Super Bowl to win it. He won at 36, and now he's 37 and his future looks bright.

He entered a situation with the Steelers that was the envy of some coaches, while others might have seen all the landmines. Indeed, the Steelers had good talent when he took over in 2007 and the team had won the Super Bowl two years earlier.

But it was not a happy team. The Steelers cut popular linebacker and captain Joey Porter, and another captain, Alan Faneca,

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was disgruntled by his contract situation. Add the fact that the Steelers were coming off a disappointing 8-8 season as Super Bowl champions, and that many were upset that neither Russ Grimm nor Ken Whisenhunt got the coaching job, and there were potential problems everywhere.

Then, Tomlin, a coach no one knew, laid down the law and a tough training camp schedule.

"He kind of took the respect the first year," linebacker James Harrison said. "Everything was his way. There was no negotiating of anything. We were in full pads hitting and banging until week 15 or 16."

He got the players' attention and, eventually, they responded. The Steelers rebounded to win the AFC North Division title in Tomlin's rookie season of 2007 at 10-6, but lost their first playoff game.

A year later, he adjusted some of his style and schedule.

"This year, he came in and he started to take care of us," Harrison said of the 2008 season. "He got us out of pads early in the season and that helps your body out down the road. I think him changing from the things he did last year, I guess he may have learned a little bit from there until now."

That's the thing about being 36 or 37 and running your own show. You can be open to learning new things along the way.

"I will make adjustments to what has happened to me and us on a year-to-year basis every year," Tomlin said the other day. "I'm in the process of going through that in terms of delivering a message to our football team for '09. From that standpoint, it'll be different but it'll be the same in that will be ongoing every year."

Tomlin has laughed as he continues to be asked if he thought he could coach a team to a Super Bowl victory so soon, and if so why.

"You know, I think that belief in one's self is a big part of it. I believed in myself and my vision in terms of what I wanted to do as a head coach. And, of course, I had no visual evidence but such is life.

"I had a great deal of trust in the Rooneys that they knew what they were doing from a selection standpoint, and my comfort lied in the fact they had a great deal of belief in me."

Now it's become vogue to hire head coaches in their early 30s in the NFL. Some say Tomlin's quick success helped pave the way for those others; Tomlin is not among those saying it.

"I'm not going to think that what I do has any effect over what's going on around this game or in this league. I'm not going to be so presumptuous. I think those owners went through a process they felt was necessary in their situations and circumstance and made the correct decisions from their perspective."

Above

Despite his youth and relative inexperience, Mike Tomlin held up well under the bright lights and big stage of Super Bowl XLIII in Tampa, Fla.

The cover

Mike Tomlin, Shavonte Zellous and Dick LeBeau take their places this week among a Who's Who of Pittsburgh sports in the past 70 years. Pictured are some of the previous honorees. The pantheon includes, clockwise from the upper left corner: Billy Conn, Ralph Kiner, Terry Bradshaw, Mario Lemieux, Suzie McConnell-Serio, Willie Stargell, Joe Greene, Arnold Palmer, Roberto Clemente, Tony Dorsett, Sidney Crosby, John Michelosen, Dave Parker, Agnus Berenato, Stan Musial, Bill Cowher, Johnny Majors, Lauryn Williams, Ben Howland, ElRoy Face, Dan Marino, Swin Cash, Dick Groat, Joe Paterno, Danny Murtaugh and Chuck Noll. Conn was the first Dapper Dan sportsman of the year recipient in 1939.

Ed Bouchette can be reached at [email protected].

First published on March 29, 2009 at 12:00 am

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Dick LeBeau: Renaissance man2009 Dapper Dan Lifetime Achievement Award Sunday, March 29, 2009 By Robert Dvorchak, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Peter Diana / Post-Gazette

Each time the defense gathers before practice, Dick LeBeau greets his players by saying something like this: "Men, it's a great day to be alive."

It's his way of telling them to seize the moment, and like everything else about the Steelers defensive coordinator, it comes from his heart.

"I believe that. Each day is a gift. Let's not waste too much time complaining about things," LeBeau says. "Every new day is a great day to get something done. Tomorrow is promised to no man."

First as a player and then as a coach, LeBeau, 71, has been getting things done on a football field for five decades in the NFL. He has influenced the game to the extent that just about every team's defensive game plan incorporates some of his ideas.

Not only have LeBeau's defenses regularly ranked among the NFL's elite, he has been on the sidelines of five Super Bowl entrants -- twice with the Bengals and all three times the Steelers have made the big game since the Chuck Noll era.

If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, LeBeau has the utmost respect of his peers. Consider the words of Brian Billick, who operated his own highly acclaimed defense when he coached the Ravens.

"Virtually every team in the NFL runs some form or another of concepts LeBeau initiated," Billick said. "You can't help but be impressed with LeBeau and how the Steelers operate ...Dick LeBeau is what every player, coach, scout, owner and fan should aspire to be. His love and commitment to the game [are] pure and unselfish."

Billick posted those comments on his blog after the Steelers honored LeBeau last season for his 50 years in the NFL. But they just as easily apply to the Dapper Dan Lifetime Achievement Award that LeBeau will receive this week.

A native of London, Ohio, in flat farm country about 25 miles west of Columbus, LeBeau played on a national championship team under Woody Hayes at Ohio State in 1957.

In the NFL, he was an All-Pro in the suffocating secondary of the Detroit Lions, intercepting 62 passes in 14 seasons and establishing an NFL record for games played by a cornerback with 171.

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Teammates Yale Larry, Dick "Night Train" Lane and Lem Barney were headed to the Hall of Fame. LeBeau stayed in the game as a coach who has been countering offenses for 36 years.

After the 2003 season, finishing up a stint as the assistant head coach in Buffalo, LeBeau had four job offers. But he elected to return to the Steelers under Bill Cowher.

The Steelers failed to make the playoffs that year. But LeBeau had watched them defend every blade of grass against the playoff-bound Ravens in the final game, taking them into overtime before losing.

"I saw how hard that defense played. I thought, 'That's a great bunch of men right there. If I had an opportunity, I sure would like to be associated with them.'"

Defense has been a hallmark of the Steelers even in the years before they started winning. In LeBeau's playing days, the Steelers may not have won on the scoreboard, but they had a reputation of winning the physical battles.

Then came the Steel Curtain that set the standard for defensive excellence in the glory days of the 1970s.

Some coaches might shy away from being in the shadow of a dynasty. Not LeBeau.

"That legacy fuels us. Our guys are aware of that history, and they accept the challenge. We don't want to be the ones that take Pittsburgh out of being the city that's known for playing pretty good defense." LeBeau said.

In fact, after establishing themselves as the NFL's top defense during the regular season, the Steelers held the Chargers to 15 yards rushing, which was even stingier than the playoff record established by the Steel Curtain.

As ferocious as the Steelers are on defense, the soft-spoken coach who leads them is a Renaissance man. He recites poetry and quotes Frederick the Great.

Each year, he brings out the little boy in his players when he recites, by heart, Twas The Night Before Christmas.

Some influential women in his life -- his mother, Buelah, still going strong at 95, and aunts Evelyn, Martha and Miriam -- had taught him the powerful bond of family.

"Those four women made Christmas a joy and a blessing for me. I learned that poem just to let them know the spirit of Christmas had been passed on," he said. "At first, I said it for my immediate family. Then I began to do it for my extended family."

His second family may be comprised of brawny linemen, frothing linebackers and punishing defensive backs, but they are as rapt as choir boys when LeBeau speaks.

"Some people would say it's not good for coaches to get that close to their players. But I do regard them as family," LeBeau said. "For a good part of my career, the people in the game were like my brothers. Then they became more like my sons. In some respects now, they'd be more like my grandsons."

Christmas poetry has little in common with a zone blitz, except passion is at the heart of both.

People talk about his concepts -- rushing the quarterback from unexpected angles, defenders dropping back into coverage where they normally shouldn't be -- but his philosophy in a nutshell is to give everything you have on every snap.

"If there's one characteristic of our defense, they play hard," LeBeau said. "They play every minute they have left."

Speaking of his defensive philosophies during Super Bowl week, LeBeau quoted Frederick The Great: "He who defends everything, defends nothing."

Added LeBeau: "I think I know what he meant. He had a pretty good competitive record."



Previous winners of the Dapper Dan Lifetime Achievement Award are Arnold Palmer and Dan Rooney. It is by no means a farewell award for LeBeau.

"I still have a good competitive drive. I know I'm not going to get better at golf, but I'm still trying. It's the same thing in football. There are some things we can discover and get better. It's exciting," LeBeau said.

A couple of years ago, when the Steelers were playing in the Hall of Fame game in Canton, Ohio, the defensive players shelled out $300 apiece for LeBeau's No. 44 jersey. It was their way of saying they think it's a travesty that he's not enshrined.

For his 70th birthday, he was presented with a gold Rolex watched. The inscription on the back was from the '07 Defense.

"I told them, 'Guys, you're working with someone from London, Ohio, here. This watch is worth more than my whole wardrobe.' I asked them not to get me anything for my birthday this year. And guess what? They gave me a Super Bowl championship," LeBeau said.

He is the kind of man who appreciates the company he has been selected to join, but he hasn't lost a wink of sleep mulling over things like the Hall of Fame.

"It's a tremendous honor to win this award. It's more than I deserve, particularly when you talk about people like Arnold Palmer and Mr. Rooney. That's pretty heady company. I don't quite see myself in that circle. But I'm going to be in there, and I'm proud of it. That should be enough for any man," LeBeau said.

"To have our players treat me with the respect they do, to have my name in the category of people in this city who have won this award, that's honor enough for me. I'm not the type who spends his time ruing over what might have been or what could be. Let's face it. I've been blessed. We won the Super Bowl. We led the league in defense in almost every category. My players are like family to me. I've never had a better situation in my life. Ever. What more could a man ask for?"

Robert Dvorchak can be reached at [email protected].


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Around the NFL: Money the real goal behind fewer exhibitions Sunday, March 29, 2009 By Tom Silverstein, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

If the National Football League continues on its current path, exhibition games will take another step toward extinction.

And while that might come as good news for those tired of paying full price for half-baked games, it's not the only reason the league is considering adding more games that count to the schedule.

As in all things NFL, money is a factor.

As they departed the ritzy St. Regis Hotel in Dana Point, Calif., on the final day of their annual meetings this week, the owners left convinced that increasing the number of regular-season games to 17 or 18 would allow them to offer a better product that would attract more viewers, more advertising and a fatter network television contract, even during an economic downturn.

"I think the big feedback that we had is that we can do this and we can do this effectively," commissioner Roger Goodell said following the conclusion of the meetings Wednesday afternoon. "Depending on whether there are 17 or 18 [games], there are certain things they [owners] want to look into to make sure the quality of games stays strong.

"But I think what we heard very firmly is that we can get it done and continue to build the quality of our game."

The NFL has been playing a 20-game season since the merger in 1970, but until 1977 it was broken down into 14 regular-season and six exhibition games. Since '77, the number of exhibition games has been four and the only significant change has been that the 16-game regular-season schedule is now played over 17 weeks.

Goodell has been leading a discussion about the expanded schedule for more than a year, but with negotiations about to begin on the collective bargaining agreement and over-the-air network contracts set to expire after the 2011 season, the time was right for the league to expedite its plans.

The owners did not vote on whether to expand the regular season and won't until Goodell has a chance to meet with new NFL Players Association executive director DeMaurice Smith and network executives. The players would have to agree to the change and the networks would have to show they were willing to make a financial investment greater than the one that gets them 16 regular-season games.

Once considered a necessary tool for preparing for the regular season, exhibition games now are viewed as excess baggage by league executives.

Head coaches might disagree with that notion, but if it moves forward with an expanded schedule, the NFL will restructure its entire offseason, possibly asking the players to agree to more practice time before training camp begins.

Judging from the way the owners and coaches talked about it this week, however, it appears they're serious about pursuing it.

"It's a combination of things," Green Bay Packers president Mark Murphy said. "Players do a lot more training year round and come to camp in much better shape and teams don't play players the way they used to [in exhibition games]."

Switching to an 18-game schedule, which wouldn't be done until 2011 at the earliest, would provide a lot of logistical challenges for the NFL.

Some of them are:

The Super Bowl would be pushed back to mid-February.

Roster sizes would have to increase to account for more injuries.

A developmental league would need to be started so that the reduced amount of training camp could be made up by younger players during the offseason.

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Training camps would begin later and the regular season might feature two bye weeks instead of one.

The injured reserve system would have to be addressed so that players could come back from injuries suffered early in the season.

The biggest challenge would be presented to coaches, who use a six-week, four-game [sometimes five] process to determine who should be on the roster.


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NFL teams opting for fresh leadership By Scott Brown TRIBUNE-REVIEW Sunday, March 29, 2009

The Steelers' win over the Arizona Cardinals in Super Bowl XLIII did not just deny Todd Haley a ring.

It may have made the Upper St. Clair High graduate's job harder.

His new job, that is.

Kansas City recently hired Haley to turn around a franchise that won just two games in 2008. And if that isn't daunting enough, Haley and other first-time NFL coaches might not enjoy much of a grace period given what Mike Tomlin, Miami's Tony Sparano and Baltimore's John Harbaugh accomplished last season.

Haley joked about it with Tomlin, the Steelers' coach, earlier this week at the NFL owners' meetings in Dana Point, Calif.

"Him doing what he's done in two years and Tony Sparano and Harbaugh and the whole group, it's set the bar really high," said Haley, a former Steelers ballboy. "It's going to make life difficult for the rest of us."

Tomlin became the youngest coach to win the Super Bowl in February. In his first season with the Dolphins, Sparano became the only NFL coach to guide a one-win team to the playoffs the following season. Harbaugh led the Ravens to an 11-5 record and the AFC title game with a rookie quarterback after Baltimore had gone 5-11 the previous season.

Of the three, only Tomlin had experience as an NFL coordinator before becoming a head coach, and that was for one year in Minnesota (2006), when he guided the Vikings' defense.

Their success has raised expectations for new coaches in a league where patience is in short supply anyway. But it may have provided an opportunity for first-time head coaches, especially ones that in the past were deemed too lacking in experience or simply too young to handle a position of such magnitude.

That recycled head coaches are becoming an increasingly rare breed may explain why Tomlin was asked earlier this week if he has become something of a trailblazer in his profession.

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"That's funny to me," Tomlin said. "I'm not so presumptuous to think that what I do on a day-to-day basis has any effect throughout this league. I don't view it in that way."

Hall of Fame coach and famed color commentator John Madden does.

"I think they're kind of using Tomlin now as the template for the new NFL head coach," Madden said.

While Tomlin is far from the only first-time head coach to experience immediate success — Mike Smith, 49, won The Associated Press NFL coach of the year honors after leading the Atlanta Falcons to 11 wins and the playoffs — he has become the face of a movement.

Madden offered a caveat to teams looking to hit it big the way the Steelers did with Tomlin.

The Steelers were just one year removed from winning a Super Bowl when they hired Tomlin. They had stable ownership as well as one of the game's top assistant coaches in defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau.

That, Madden said, does not take away from what Tomlin has accomplished. But, he added, other teams "better realize there were a lot of things in place that were pretty good" in Pittsburgh when Tomlin took over for Bill Cowher.

Time will tell if that is the case in Tampa Bay, where the Buccaneers hired a Tomlin protege to succeed the fired Jon Gruden.

Raheem Morris, 32, served as an assistant defensive backs coach in Tampa Bay when Tomlin was in charge of the Buccaneers' secondary. There are many similarities between the two.

Each is supremely self-assured, and both have the ability to connect with players while also maintaining their authority.

The two are close friends, and Tomlin had some fun with Morris at a media breakfast for NFC coaches earlier this week. Taking a seat at Morris' table with other reporters, Tomlin proceeded to ask the boyish-looking coach a couple of questions.

"How have your first couple of months been, coach?" Tomlin said.

"It's been pretty good," Morris said, playing along. "I've got a great mentor."

One who will be hard to measure up against.

COACHING CAROUSEL

Only two of the 11 new head coaches — Cleveland's Eric Mangini and Seattle's



Jim Mora Jr. — have previous experience as the top coach. Here is a look at the first-time head coaches:

Tom Cable, Raiders — Former offensive line coach took over for Lane Kiffin last season and had interim title removed during the offseason. The downside for Cable: He now answers to Al Davis on a full-time basis.

Jim Caldwell, Colts — Former quarterbacks coach takes over for the retired Tony Dungy, who is the only coach in NFL history to take a team to the playoffs 10 consecutive seasons. Not that there's any pressure on Caldwell or anything.

Todd Haley, Chiefs — Former Cardinals offensive coordinator became a hot candidate after Arizona's improbable postseason run. Haley doesn't appear to be lacking in media savvy. When asked what he would tell Buffalo's Dick Jauron about coaching Terrell Owens (the two were together in Dallas), Haley said, "I'm not even going there."

Josh McDaniels, Broncos — The 32-year-old former Patriots offensive coordinator is not off to an auspicious start. He already has alienated quarterback Jay Cutler and may not be long for Denver if he cannot repair the rift.

Raheem Morris, Buccaneers — Morris, 32, showed he is not afraid to make tough decisions. The Buccaneers released a handful of veterans, including outside linebacker Derrick Brooks, in February.

Rex Ryan, Jets — He'll make a unit that ranked 16th in defense last season better. But it's on the other side of the ball where the former Ravens defensive coordinator has his work cut out for him. The Jets are unsettled at quarterback because of Brett Favre's retirement.

Jim Schwartz, Lions — Did the former Titans defensive coordinator inherit a better-than-it-looks situation? Schwartz had nothing to do with last year's 0-16 disaster. He has the first and 20th picks in April's draft — as well as time — as he tries to rebuild the Lions.

Mike Singletary, 49ers — The Hall of Famer middle linebacker showed the 49ers enough as an interim coach last season for them to bring him back. Singletary appears to be as hard-nosed and intense as he was during his playing days. Time will tell if the players respond to his coaching style.

Steve Spagnuolo, Rams — Had been a head coach in waiting since the Giants shut down Tom Brady and the vaunted Patriots' offense in Super Bowl XLII. Former Giants defensive coordinator has his work cut out for him in St. Louis.

OLD AND NEW

A look at the ages of the new and former coaches on the 11 NFL teams that



have made coaching switches since the end of the 2008 season:

Team, New coach — Age/Replacing — Age

Cleveland Browns, Eric Mangini — 38/Romeo Crennel — 61

Denver Broncos, Josh McDaniels — 32/Mike Shanahan — 56

Detroit Lions, Jim Schwartz — 42/Rod Marinelli — 59

Indianapolis Colts, Jim Caldwell — 54/Tony Dungy — 53

Kansas City Chiefs, Todd Haley — 42/Herman Edwards — 54

New York Jets, Rex Ryan — 46/Eric Mangini — 38

Oakland Raiders, Tom Cable — 44/Lane Kiffin — 33

St. Louis Rams, Steve Spagnuolo — 49/Jim Haslett — 53

San Francisco 49ers, Mike Singletary — 50/Mike Nolan — 49

Seattle Seahawks, Jim Mora Jr. — 47/Mike Holmgren — 60

Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Raheem Morris — 32/Jon Gruden — 45

Scott Brown can be reached at [email protected] or 412-481-5432.

Images and text copyright © 2009 by The Tribune-Review Publishing Co.

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Super Bowl loss can be fan killer By Reuters Sunday, March 29, 2009

ORLANDO, Fla. — Passionate football fans take heed: watching your team lose in the Super Bowl could be hazardous to your health.

Researchers have found that overall and circulatory death rates in Los Angeles rose significantly after a crushing defeat for the Rams in the 1980 Super Bowl at the hands of the Pittsburgh Steelers. Four years later, deaths declined after the city's other team -- the Raiders -- triumphed in the U.S. football championship game.

"The emotional stress of loss and/or the intensity of a game played in a high profile rivalry such as the Super Bowl can trigger total and cardiovascular deaths," said Dr. Robert Kloner, a professor of medicine at the University of Southern California, who presented the study at the American College of Cardiology scientific meeting in Orlando.

"In contrast, a win in a lower intensity game may actually have a favorable effect on mortality."

Kloner said fans who get excited during sporting events and have risk factors for heart disease should consult their doctor before a big game. Drugs such as beta-blockers, aspirin or anti-anxiety drugs could help them, as could relaxation exercises, such as deep breathing, he said.

"I'm not suggesting that people not watch the Super Bowl," Kloner said. "People should be aware of this, and I suspect it applies to other sports as well."

Researchers in the study were concerned with identifying acute risk factors that can trigger cardiac death.

A recent German study found viewing a stressful World Cup soccer match led to increased cardiovascular events for fans of the losing team and the U.S. researchers wanted to see if similar results would occur with a major American sporting event.

The study investigated overall and cardiovascular deaths when the Rams lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1980 and when the Raiders beat the Washington Redskins in 1984.

They analyzed data on all-cause death rates from Los Angeles County for the day of the game and the following two weeks after the game, and compared

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deaths for similar periods in January and February for 1980 to 1983 and from 1984 to 1988.

Researchers found a 22 percent increase in circulatory deaths and a 17 percent increase in overall deaths in the Super Bowl-losing year compared to control years.

Kloner said the 1980 game was a particularly intense contest with the lead changing seven times. The Rams were in their first Super Bowl.

"These factors may have made the fans more emotionally involved," Kloner said.

In contrast, Los Angeles County saw a 6 percent decrease in deaths the year the Raiders won handily, the study found.

The Rams and Raiders have since left Los Angeles, which no longer has a team in the National Football League.



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Madden Monday: Money before safety in NFL By Mark Madden Times Sports Columnist

Now that the National Football League has outlawed the blindside block to the head, I find myself wondering if Hines Ward is upset because one of his signature plays has been eliminated from his repertoire, or happy because this figures to be known as “the Hines Ward rule.” Is the NFL trying to sissify football, or make it safer? If they accomplish the latter by marginally doing the former, nobody should hate that.

Football reduces life expectancies. Football damages brains. Football lessens the future quality of living for its participants, often dramatically. If all that is relieved —even a bit — because somebody occasionally gains fewer yards because a teammate didn’t get his cerebellum scrambled or his jaw broken, good. Heinz Field isn’t the Roman Colosseum. Yeah, you should have your head on a swivel whenever you’re around the ball. But making a mistake shouldn’t mean your head gets caved in. Hit the guy in the middle of the chest. It’s still an effective block, and the aftereffects of a lobotomy aren’t replicated. The NFL should make it simple: No contact to the head, period. The NFL has also barred a defensive player that’s on the ground from lunging at a quarterback’s legs with his shoulder or helmet. This will be known as “the Tom Brady rule,” since such a tackle blew up Brady’s left knee at the start of last season. Are quarterbacks protected too much? Yes. Are quarterbacks the NFL’s marquee players? Yes. Does the latter justify the former? Absolutely. Veteran safety Rodney Harrison doesn’t like the new rules. He wouldn’t. He’s made a living as a late-hit, cheap-shot, helmet-to-helmet artist. Harrison made a valid point, though, when he said that the NFL wants players to suddenly ignore the way they’ve been taught to play their whole lives. But players won’t be ejected or suspended for violating the new rules. Flags and/or fines will be the NFL’s teachers. It will be like the crackdown on helmet-to-helmet blows. Change wasn’t hammered in. It gradually seeped in. Yards were stepped off, players lost money, and helmet-to-helmet contact declined over time. The NFL certainly isn’t going overboard when it comes to thinking about the welfare of its players. A 17th regular-season game, probably even an 18th, may be added by 2011. The fans will love it. So

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will the bookies. The players won’t, but since pay will rise exponentially, they’ll agree. They shouldn’t. Sixteen games are already too many. Much of the damage done in football is cumulative and often doesn’t show up until after a player retires. Eliminating preseason games won’t help. Regulars don’t play much in those anyway. If you think quarterbacks drop like flies now, wait until the schedule is 18 games. More football won’t mean better football. It will be quite the opposite. If a wild-card team makes the Super Bowl, it will be their 22nd game of the season. Adrenaline and continuity only help so much. Exhaustion will dull the level of play. Injuries to key players will be more likely. Luck will play a bigger role in determining the champion. Cutting the schedule back makes more sense. More football will mean more money, though. Consider it done. Mark Madden hosts a radio show 3-6 p.m. weekdays on WXDX-FM (105.9).


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MONDAY MARCH 30, 2009 :: Last modified: Sunday, March 29, 2009 11:09 AM EDT

Steelers taking a close look at A.Q. Shipley By Mike Bires Times Sports Staff

Of the zillion or so mock drafts out there, half suggest the Steelers will snatch a center with their first pick. If that turns out to be true, A.Q. Shipley won’t be wearing black and gold any time soon.

But if the Steelers opt for a cornerback, defensive end or wide receiver, Shipley’s odds of playing professionally in Pittsburgh improve significantly.

Shipley, the former Moon Area High School and Penn State star, would love to be a Steeler.

The Steelers have a definite interest in Shipley.

But the only way Shipley has a chance to have his name called by the Steelers is if they wait until Day 2 of April 25-26 draft.

Even though he was the 2008 Rimington Award winner as the best center in college football, Shipley is rated the sixth-best center in the draft. Most draftniks project he’ll go in the fourth round.

Several mock drafts have the Steelers using their first pick on one of the top two centers available — Cal’s Alex Mack or Oregon’s Max Unger.

But Mel Kiper Jr., the noted NFL Draft expert, believes it would be a mistake for the Steelers, or any other team, to draft a center in the first round.

“Tough overachieving, hard-working centers make it far in this league,” Kiper said the other day in a conference call. “If you look in the NFL right now, a lot of these (centers) were not highly regarded coming out of college and now they’re starting. That’s why there’s a definite argument to not draft a

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center early.”

History suggests the Steelers will not.

In their 76-year history, the Steelers have only drafted centers twice in the first round, and that was way back in 1941 and 1937.

In this decade, only three NFL teams have taken centers in the first round, the last in 2006.

So Kiper’s point is well taken. Teams can still find quality snappers — guys like Shipley — later in the draft.

It’s not that Shipley has can’t-miss physical skills. At 6-foot-1 and 301 pounds, he’s the smallest of the top-rated centers. His weight is OK, but his height may be an issue with some teams.

For example, each of the elite centers are taller — Mack is 6- 4, Unger is 6- 5. Justin Hartwig, the Steelers’ current center, is 6-4.

Still, Shipley has so much going for him.

While he’s not massive size-wise, he’s still strong enough and athletic enough. He made 39 career starts at Penn State. He’s smart, having correctly answered 40 of 50 questions on the 12- minute Wonderlic, an aptitude test NFL prospects must take. For a comparison, USC quarterback Mark Sanchez had a 28.

Shipley is a good guy with a great sense of humor. Any pro team would love to have a guy like him in their locker room.

Most importantly, he plays with the toughness, intensity and physicality that’s always endeared him to his teammates. He has a bulldog mentality.

Shipley has already paid a private visit to Steelers’ headquarters and met with coach Mike Tomlin and offensive line coach Larry Zierlein. The Steelers sent scout Phil Kreidler to watch Shipley at Penn State’s pro day.

The Steelers know all there is to know about him.



If they choose to wait, Shipley may be there when it’s their turn in the fourth round.



Hampton returns to stomping grounds

By Joshua Buckley The Daily News

Published March 29, 2009

GALVESTON — Galveston’s biggest sports celebrity was awarded the highest honor at his alma mater.

Following a parade across the island Saturday to celebrate Casey Hampton’s accomplishments, the Ball High grad and two-time world champion with the

Pittsburgh Steelers had his high school football jersey, No. 63, retired by the school. He’s the first Ball High football player to have his number retired.

“A lot of great guys came through Galveston Ball and played,” Hampton said. “It’s a

big honor for me to be the first one to get my jersey retired. It’s kind of like something you never really think of. There were a lot of guys before me that have done a whole

lot and played in the NFL and had great careers and didn’t have this opportunity that I have today to get my jersey retired.”

Hampton won his second Super Bowl with the Steelers in February. The four-time

all-pro’s first world title came in Super Bowl XL in 2006.

But Hampton was a successful football player long before his time with the Steelers. He was twice named district defensive MVP for Ball High and earned first-team all-

state honors his senior season.

Hampton went on to the University of Texas where he recorded 329 tackles in his four-year career, 11th best all-time at the program. He was a first-team All-American his junior and senior seasons at UT and was named the Big 12’s Defensive Player of

the Year in 2000.

Those accomplishments led to him being drafted with the 19th overall selection by the Steelers in the 2001 NFL Draft.

“Who would have ever thought a guy that grew up on the north side of Broadway

from Parkland would ever be in this position I am today,” said Hampton, who was sporting a jersey with his Ball High, UT and Pittsburgh numbers on it. “I am very

blessed, and I have a lot of people to thank for that.”

Actually, several people predicted greatness for Hampton at an early age. Josie Calvin, who worked with Hampton’s mother at St. Mary’s Hospital for 15 years, said it

was obvious there was something special about him as a youngster.

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“I always told his mom that Casey was going to go somewhere,” Calvin said. “I didn’t

know where that would be, but I knew it would be somewhere great because of what a great all-around young man he was.”

Joe Smith, whose father was a coach in the Galveston Youth Tackle Football league, shared stories of Hampton’s journey on the gridiron starting when he was spotted in a grocery store. Hampton proved to be a dominant force at that young age, with the

coach calling him a “Monster.”

A couple of Hampton’s childhood friends, Eric Wells and Brandon Ford, also had several humorous stories to tell the standing-room crowd at Spoor Field. Ford said one day when the three were working at Landry’s on Seawall, Hampton looked at a

huge stack of dishes that he had to wash and decided then his future was in football.

“Casey pointed at those dishes and said, ‘I can’t work no more. I just got to do what I can do on that field,’” Ford recalled.

Two of Hampton’s Ball High coaches, Nick Voris and Chalmer Adams also spoke.

Adams said it was clear Hampton was the best player on the field, no matter who the opponent.

“Offenses would do one of two things — they’d double team him or they’d run away from him,” Adams said. “Double-teaming him only delayed the inevitable. Running away from him just made him madder. And when Casey got madder, he played even

better.”

Voris, who was head coach of the Tors during Hampton’s career, talked about how Texas recruiters finally got smart and started recruiting Hampton after he had

committed to Missouri.

“Those two men knew that when God measures an athlete, he puts a tape around a man’s heart, not his waist,” Voris said. “(Casey) had a lot of potential, he’s a fine

individual and he’s a tremendous role model. You couldn’t ask for a better person.”

The jersey retirement ceremony was the final event for a busy weekend for Hampton. He hosted a gala at Gaido’s on Friday night, in hopes of raising money for the

hurricane relief fund. While he wasn’t sure of the exact figure, Hampton said the event was a huge success.

Numerous children were in the Spoor Field stands sporting Hampton’s No. 98

Pittsburgh jersey. Hampton said being a role model in his hometown is something he takes seriously.

“I try to do the right thing and do things the right way,” Hampton said. “I try to show the kids what to do. When I was growing up, there weren’t a lot of role models for me,

but the ones I did have really helped.

“That’s what I try to tell these kids. There are a lot of negative people out here, but there are also a lot of positives ones that can help you be a better person.”



The island parade was the second for Hampton in his career. The first came after the

Super Bowl XL win.

Is there another Super Bowl winning parade in Hampton’s future? He said hopefully so — maybe even next year.

“That’s always the plan,” Hampton said with a big grin.

Copyright © 2009 The Galveston County Daily News



Friday, March 27, 2009

OT Smith, 49ers agree to deal By Len Pasquarelli ESPN.com Free agent offensive tackle Marvel Smith, the former Pittsburgh Steelers Pro Bowl standout who was limited by back problems to only 17 appearances the past two seasons, has agreed on a multiyear contract with the San Francisco 49ers.

Details of the contract, confirmed by sources close to Smith, were not yet available. But in a deal that protects the 49ers if Smith suffers further back problems, not nine-year veteran can earn more than $10 million, if he is healthy for the first two seasons of the contract.

Because of his physical woes, Smith, who underwent surgery for a herniated disk, was released by the Steelers this spring.

Smith, 30, will have a chance to continue his NFL career in his native Bay Area. He is an Oakland native and twice earned all-city honors while playing for that city's Skyline High School.

A nine-year veteran, Smith could solve the 49ers' longtime problem at right tackle if he is healthy. Although he has played most of his career at left tackle, San Francisco has projected him as its starting right tackle.

The 49ers used three different starters at the position last season.

The 49ers on Friday released eight-year veteran tackle Jonas Jennings, who started two games in 2008 and whose four-year career in San Francisco was marred by injury.

Jennings was the first major free agent signing of former coach Mike Nolan's tenure in 2005, leaving the Buffalo Bills for a seven-year, $36 million deal. But the lineman played in just 23 of the 49ers' 64 games, finishing three of his four seasons on injured reserve.

Jennings would have made $4.2 million in base salary during the upcoming season. The 49ers told him to stay away from their minicamp earlier this month while they worked out the details of releasing him.

Smith, an outstanding pass blocker, was named to the AFC Pro Bowl squad in 2004. The former Arizona State star entered the league as Pittsburgh's second-round choice in 2000.

During his career, Smith has appeared in 111 games, with 108 starts. He has played all 16 games in four different seasons. A chronic back problem, however, limited Smith to just 17 games in 2007-2008. He finished the 2008 season on injured reserve.

Several teams have shown interest in Smith since his release, and he visited with 49ers' coaches and officials last week. Part of that visit was a physical examination, and Smith was deemed healthy enough to pursue.

ESPN.com: NFL [Print without images]

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His agent, Kenny Zuckerman, said that his client was healthy by the end of the season and could have played in Super Bowl XLIII had he not been on the injured reserve list.

Senior writer Len Pasquarelli covers the NFL for ESPN.com. Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

ESPN.com: Help | PR Media Kit | Sales Media Kit | Report a Bug | Corrections | Contact Us | Site Map | Mobile | ESPN Shop | Jobs at ESPN | Supplier Information ©2009 ESPN Internet Ventures. Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and Safety Information/Your California Privacy Rights are applicable to you. All rights reserved.

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Well-traveled Saban dies at 87 By The Associated Press Monday, March 30, 2009

He was a star football player in college, a champion pro football coach, a baseball president, a man with a short temper and very long resume, never averse to tackling something new.

Nobody has ever done it quite like Lou Saban, who died early Sunday at his home in North Myrtle Beach, S.C., at age 87. He had heart problems for years and recently suffered a fall that required hospitalization, his wife, Joyce, said.

"He was an original," she said. "He was one of a kind."

There was a reason Saban was dubbed "Much Traveled Lou." In the first 33 years of a career that spanned five decades, Saban held 18 jobs, an average of 1.83 years per stop. Among those jobs was president of the New York Yankees from 1981-82 for his longtime friend, team owner George Steinbrenner.

"He has been my friend and mentor for over 50 years, and one of the people who helped shape my life," Steinbrenner, who was receivers coach under Saban at Northwestern University in 1955, said in a statement. "Lou was tough and disciplined, and he earned all the respect and recognition that came his way. He spent a lifetime leading, teaching and inspiring, and took great satisfaction in making the lives around him better. This is a tremendous loss to me personally."

Louis Henry Saban, a son of Yugoslav immigrants, was born in Brookfield, Ill., in 1921. He was an underground construction worker during the building of the Chicago subways and a 1940 graduate of Lyons Township High School.

He became a star quarterback and linebacker at Indiana University and an all-league linebacker for the Cleveland Browns from 1946-49.

In 1950, Saban accepted the first of his many head coaching positions — at Case Institute of Technology in Cleveland. Five years later, he took over at Northwestern for two years, then moved to Western Illinois University before embarking on an unmatched head coaching career.

It included stops with the Boston Patriots and Buffalo Bills of the old American Football League and Denver Broncos and Bills after the AFL merged with the NFL in 1970, along with college jobs at Miami, Army, Northwestern and Maryland.

Page 1 of 3Well-traveled Saban dies at 87 - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review


Saban joined the Patriots in 1960 and left for the Bills in 1962, guiding them to AFL championships in 1964 and 1965, the only titles the Bills have ever won. He quit for a job with the Broncos because of difficulties with owner Ralph Wilson.

Six years later, at the urging of Steinbrenner, Wilson rehired Saban, and he again was successful, overseeing O.J. Simpson's record-breaking, 2,003-yard rushing season in 1973 and getting the Bills to the NFL playoffs the next season. Saban left again after some of his responsibilities were taken away.

"He was like a father to me," former Bills defensive back Booker Edgerson said. "He steered me in the right direction. He gave me advice. Some of it, I didn't like, but isn't that what a father does?"

Edgerson, who also played for Saban at Western Illinois and with the Broncos, said he last saw Saban in October at a Western Illinois banquet honoring the veteran coach.

"Lou Saban was a great teacher," Edgerson said. "He knew how to build football programs. He could have built any program — football, baseball, basketball, whatever. Even though his patience was short-tempered, he allowed players to let out their anxieties and frustrations."

After quitting the Bills midseason in 1976, Saban spent two years as athletic director at Miami, where he recruited future Buffalo quarterback Jim Kelly.

He earned his peripatetic nickname as he skipped from job to job, coaching Army in 1979 and then becoming athletic director at Miami. Among the entries on his resume — AD at the University of Cincinnati — for 19 days. Saban left that job at halftime of an early-season game against Ohio University.

Saban also coached at Central Florida in 1983-84 when it was a struggling Division II school and coached high schools in the late 1980s and in the Arena Football League in 1994.

Saban spent most of the 1990s starting or rebuilding college programs at places like Peru State, Canton Tech and Alfred State, where he left before the team played its first game.

"I've coached at all levels, covered the gamut, and I've never really seen any difference," Saban said after being hired to coach Alfred in upstate New York in 1994. "My coaching techniques are pretty much the same, with some adjustments for what younger players can and can't do."

Saban spent five years at Canton Tech in northern New York, where the football stadium bears his name, before leaving after the 2000 season. In one of his last jobs, he coached Division III Chowan State in North Carolina, leaving in 2002 after the team went 0-10.

Despite all his travels, Saban was a loser in every major college head coaching



job he had, and despite his achievements at Buffalo, he was a loser in the pros, too. His pro mark: 96-102-7.

The Associated Press can be reached at or .





March 30, 2009

Possible Plea for Burress Would Require Jail Time

By JOHN ELIGON

A plea deal is being seriously considered in the gun possession case against Plaxico Burress, the New York

Giants’ wide receiver, and it appears likely that any agreement would require him to serve at least some time

behind bars, a law enforcement official said on Sunday.

The details had not been finalized, and it remained unclear whether an arrangement would be reached by

Tuesday, when Mr. Burress is scheduled to appear in Manhattan Criminal Court.

Mr. Burress, 31, who caught the winning touchdown in the Giants’ Super Bowl victory in February 2008,

turned himself in to the police on Dec. 1, nearly three days after he accidentally shot himself in the leg with

an unlicensed handgun at a nightclub in Manhattan. Mr. Burress was charged with two counts of second-

degree criminal possession of a weapon, which carry a mandatory minimum sentence of 3 ½ years in prison

if convicted.

Prosecutors commonly offer reduced charges in gun possession cases, taking into consideration things like a

defendant’s criminal history, the reason for carrying the gun and the circumstances surrounding an arrest.

In Mr. Burress’s case, prosecutors may consider that he had been cooperative and that he did not appear to

have a dubious motive in carrying the gun. The weapon was licensed in Florida, but the permit had expired

when Mr. Burress was arrested. Even if the permit were still valid, he would not have been allowed to carry

the weapon in New York because the permit was from out of state. Other mitigating factors might be that the

gun appeared to go off by accident, and that Mr. Burress was the only person injured in the shooting, which

occurred at the Latin Quarter nightclub.

Last year, 986 cases in New York involving the same charges as Mr. Burress faces were resolved, and 90

percent of them resulted in convictions for less serious crimes, half of them misdemeanors or violations, said

John M. Caher, a spokesman for the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services.

The reduced charges in such cases include crimes like third-degree gun possession or attempted possession.

Convictions on those charges allow for sentences of two years or less.

Alicia Maxey Greene, a spokeswoman for the Manhattan district attorney’s office, declined to comment on

the case. The Giants, the N.F.L. and Mr. Burress’s lawyer, Benjamin Brafman, all declined to comment as

well.

The Giants suspended Mr. Burress for the rest of last season after his arrest. His lawyer has been pressing for

a quick resolution so his client can salvage his football career, though Mr. Burress may miss part or all of next

This copy is for your personal, noncommercial use only. You can order presentation-ready copies for distribution to your colleagues, clients or customers here or use the "Reprints" tool that appears next to any article. Visit www.nytreprints.com for samples and additional information. Order a reprint of this article now.

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season because of his sentence, said the law enforcement official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity

because the negotiations were ongoing. It is also likely that the N.F.L. will discipline Mr. Burress.

Mr. Burress was at the nightclub with several teammates, including the linebacker Antonio Pierce, in the

early morning hours of Nov. 29, according to the authorities. Mr. Burress was in the V.I.P. area when his gun

slipped from the waistband of his sweat pants and went off as he tried to grab it, according to a criminal

complaint. Mr. Pierce rushed him to NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center, where he

was treated for a flesh wound.

A doctor who treated Mr. Burress at the hospital did not report the shooting to police as required by law.

Prosecutors were investigating the hospital’s actions, although it appeared unlikely that any charges would be

brought. Charges against Mr. Pierce, who the authorities said kept Mr. Burress’s gun in his S.U.V. for a brief

time, also appeared unlikely.

Judy Battista contributed reporting.

Copyright 2009 The New York Times Company

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By Larry Weisman, USA TODAY

The NFL is putting the "tackle" back in "tackle football."

Eight teams drafted offensive tackles in the first round last April. Five more could go in the first round this year when the draft kicks off April 25, possibly four in the first 10 selections.

MOCK DRAFT: Our analysts project the first round

A glamour position? Hardly. A tackle's name is usually heard only in the pregame announcements and when the officials call a false start or holding infraction.

The position, however, carries a unique premium today.

The dominant players at the position of the last decade —Walter Jones, Jonathan Ogden and Orlando Pace— are aging giants coming off injuries or riding into the sunset. Other well-known veterans —Flozell Adams, Willie Anderson, Chad Clifton, Jon Runyan and Tra Thomas — are closer to the end than the beginning of their long careers. Ogden, who's almost surely ticketed for the Pro Football Hall of Fame, turned in his Baltimore Ravens jersey before the 2008 season after 12 years (and 11 Pro Bowl selections) in the league.

Quarterbacks might be the cornerstones of franchises. Running backs provide punch. Wide receivers make flashy plays.

Yet the game's guts remain rooted in line play. No quarterback succeeds without protection. No running back survives long without holes to hit. No receiver catches a pass if the quarterback doesn't have the time to throw it.

Nuts and bolts. That's the key to the revitalization of teams now.

Look at the Atlanta Falcons last year. Sure, No. 3 overall pick Matt Ryan gave them stability at quarterback, and free agent arrival Michael Turner gained 1,699 rushing yards. But they worked behind five guys who weigh nearly 1,600 pounds combined, including another first-round selection, left tackle Sam Baker.

Look at the Carolina Panthers and their turnaround, thanks to two 2008 No. 1 picks: running back Jonathan Stewart and right tackle Jeff Otah. Carolina's re-energized ground game lifted the Panthers from a 7-9 record to 12-4 and an NFC South championship. The Panthers were third in the league in rushing.

Look at the Ravens, who ranked fourth. They added Anderson to their O-line mix after losing Ogden, took care of rookie passer Joe Flacco, ran the ball solidly with a troika of backs and fell one win shy of reaching the Super Bowl.

"It starts up front," says Tennessee Titans coach Jeff Fisher, whose team went 13-3 to win the AFC South and ranked seventh in the league in rushing. "If you're going to build a team, one would assume you're going to start up front. You've got to protect the quarterback. You run the football to keep your defense off the field."

The Falcons were 26th running the ball in 2007. They were second in 2008. Turner ran for a club-record 220 yards on opening day. They did not allow a sack in seven of their 16 games. And it's not like the Falcons invested every high pick over a number of years to build their line.

Advertisement Keepers of the blind side: Left tackles the

new money position

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Center Todd McClure has seemingly been around (and anonymous) forever, starting 112 consecutive games. Right guard Harvey Dahl was undrafted, and right tackle Tyson Clabo is a journeyman free agent. Left guard Justin Blalock was a second-round pick. Baker, who missed the early part of the season after back surgery, is the lone blue-chipper, and he was spelled admirably by Todd Weiner, who has since retired.

Running with authority, McClure says, "just comes down to a mentality and a mind-set."

So does the idea of building that front wall. Tackles aren't generally sexy choices, but they are critical.

With the first overall pick last year, the Miami Dolphins chose Jake Long and installed him at left tackle. That bumped a former first-rounder, Vernon Carey, to right tackle. With Chad Pennington coming aboard at quarterback and running back Ronnie Brown healthy again, the Dolphins turned a 1-15 team into an AFC East champion. Rushing rank: 11th.

That's the way Bill Parcells, the executive vice president of football operations, and his coach, Tony Sparano, approach the big picture.

"From our end, it's always been a philosophy that you start there, up front," says Sparano, ex-Dallas Cowboys offensive line coach. "My background is that way, and Bill's background and history is one where you do start with the lines, and you try to get the big people first. (Long) was available, and the left tackle in this league is a premium."

When the season began, the Dolphins had two starting offensive linemen from the past season on the field and one — center Samson Satele (traded last week to the Oakland Raiders) — at the same position. With Long at left tackle and Donald Thomas at right guard, two rookies started on the Dolphins' offensive line in the opener for the first time since 1990.

Build it, and they will run. Especially late in the season.

"It's a philosophy," Fisher says. "Build yourself for December."

That's when the San Diego Chargers played their best football, and part of it was having their offensive line intact after a shaky first few weeks during which center Nick Hardwick and left tackle Marcus McNeill missed time. The resurgence of the running game took pressure off a beleaguered pass defense, and the Chargers won their last four games to snatch the AFC West title from the Denver Broncos on the final weekend of the regular season.

"When we have our running game going, we can control the clock, keep (the defense) off the field and keep (opposing offenses) from making big plays," says McNeill, a 2006 second-rounder. "That's what our offense wants to do to help our defense."

The offensive linemen likely to be top picks in the April's draft are Jason Smith (Baylor), Eugene Monroe (Virginia), Michael Oher (Mississippi), Andre Smith (Alabama) and Eben Britton (Arizona). William Beatty (Connecticut) also might move up. Of the top five, Andre Smith is the shortest — at 6-4 — and the heaviest, usually in the 330-pound-plus range. All of them exceed 300 pounds. Andre Smith's failure to work out at the scouting combine and his early, unexplained departure might have damaged his stock. His pro day performance March 11 did not restore him into the conversation as the possible first pick of the draft, either.

THIS YEAR'S CROP: Analyzing the top O-line prospects

"It's a great class," says ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. "Not as good as last year in terms of depth when you had some really good players in the latter portion (of the first round)."

It is the tackles, especially left tackles, who will determine whether this is a great class.

There is some flexibility built into the selection of a left tackle. If he can play, he often can play with success right away. Sometimes a team will play him on the right side for a year or two and then move him. In a worst-case scenario (which sometimes turns into a best case), success is found inside at guard.

As NFL Network draft analyst Mike Mayock says: "Can I teach that left tackle how to bend, or is he never going to be able to bend? And is he going to have to be a right tackle or a guard?"

The Arizona Cardinals thought they had a fundamental piece of their future offensive line in place when they made tackle Leonard Davis their No. 1 pick — and second overall — in 2001. Davis never really made his mark, but neither did the Cardinals — until last season. By then, Davis had moved on in free agency to the Dallas Cowboys, who paid him $49.6 million for seven years and moved him to guard.

Davis made the Pro Bowl at his new position.

Others bounce around on the line without finding themselves or their team finding a way to help them. The Oakland Raiders chose Robert Gallery second overall in 2004. He immediately seemed miscast as a left tackle, was moved to left guard and then right tackle and then back to left guard, where he has finally begun to flourish as a run blocker.



The so-called "bust of all time" as a tackle was Tony Mandarich, chosen in 1989 by the Green Bay Packers, one pick after the Dallas Cowboys took Troy Aikman at No. 1 overall and right before Barry Sanders, Derrick Thomas and Deion Sanders. Mandarich lacked the feet to play left tackle, wound up out of football and then enjoyed several productive years with the Indianapolis Colts.

DRAFT BUSTS: Biggest misses since 1988 in photos

The Buffalo Bills were set back by their dalliance with Mike Williams. He was their No. 1 pick in 2002, out of the University of Texas (like Davis), taken fourth overall. The 360-pounder played right tackle without distinction, later moved to guard and was cut after four seasons in which he played in 51 games.

2008 a top-notch class

Of last year's eight Round 1 tackles, five were clear successes. Long and Clady each started 16 games at a Pro Bowl-caliber level. Branden Albert, who played guard in college, started 15. Otah provided muscle for Carolina. Baker and Duane Brown were also starters.

Chris Williams (back injury) did not get on the field until late in the season for the Chicago Bears. Gosder Cherilus, the only other right tackle besides Otah, accomplished little for the Detroit Lions, but the Lions achieved little other than setting a record by losing all 16 games. Rushing rank: 30th.

"The pot is starting to boil with offensive linemen," retired center LeCharles Bentley says. "You see it with the teams that built around them. You see the culmination of that success."

He is so convinced line play will become more important that he opened a 6,500-square-foot facility in Cleveland to tutor linemen — from high school kids to pros. Fifteen clients signed up the first week. He has a staff for physical training, nutrition, strength and flexibility and instructs in technique.

"I don't care how good your quarterback or running back is. If you don't have five solid guys up front, it doesn't matter," says Bentley, a two-time Pro Bowl pick with the New Orleans Saints. "New England, the New York Giants — the good teams have guys up front that get the job done. If there's a change, it's that teams are drafting offensive linemen high, and they're paying them."

The Panthers can boast bookend tackles in Otah and Jordan Gross. Gross, their No. 1 pick in 2003, recently signed a six-year contract that pays $30.5 million in the first three years. That's the most ever over three years for an offensive lineman.

It's also the premium paid for a left tackle, who, on most teams, protects the quarterback's blind side. The left tackle won't get much help in pass protection, with the tight end usually on the other side, and he's usually facing the opponent's best pass rusher.

The right tackle is more of a run blocker in most schemes. He won't need the quick feet necessary to play the other side against the speed rushers, but he requires the power to clear lanes for the running game. Players will, however, move from one side to the other. Gross has played right tackle for the Panthers; Joe Staley took every snap at right tackle as a rookie in 2007 with the San Francisco 49ers and moved to left tackle last season.

"When teams are grading offensive linemen, it's left tackle, guard, center-guard, right tackle," Fisher says. "The right tackle is more of a run-blocking mauler. The left tackle has to have great feet."

Long arms, too, plus the mentality to survive on an island with shark-like defensive ends swimming past. Those are the hallmarks of the left tackles.

"Jake has all the qualities we're looking for in our linemen," Sparano says of Long. "He's very smart and tough and disciplined."

While the Dolphins say they decided early that Long was their guy, they also liked Clady.

"The guy was so athletic," Sparano says.

The left tackle needs to tie up pass rushers and move nimbly to steer them away from the quarterback. That is a white-hot spotlight to work under.

"I perform best when I'm under that pressure," says Long, a Pro Bowl choice after replacing Buffalo's emerging Jason Peters on the AFC squad. "I just embrace it. I like having the pressure on myself."

Denver quarterback Jay Cutler likes not having pressure on himself, and he can thank Clady for much of that. The Broncos allowed 12 sacks with Clady on the field.

"He stepped up and learned the offense," Cutler says. "You don't have to worry about him. He locks down the left side."



Long and Clady grew close a year ago, getting acquainted at the combine.

"Ryan is really going to do great things for Denver," Long says.

That's the expectation. Clady followed Matt Lepsis, a fixture on Denver's line for a decade before retiring. Preceding him at the position: Gary Zimmerman, elected a year ago to the Hall of Fame.

"I expected to come in and play and try to be an impact player," Clady says. "I try to watch the other tackles in the league, just to see how they do things."

Titans stress development

The Titans are an unusual case study in offensive line play because they believe so strongly in its value, yet they don't spend many high draft picks on it. They've not used a first-round pick on an offensive lineman since 1993, when the then-Houston Oilers took left tackle Brad Hopkins.

"We're going to draft an offensive lineman every year. We've drafted backups and developed them," Fisher says. "You need to develop them. Some will come in and play right away. Others, if you are patient, will develop into mainstays."

That's the path the Titans followed with their bookend tackles, Pro Bowler Michael Roos and, on the right side, David Stewart.

Roos was a 2005 second-round pick, Stewart a fourth-rounder. Roos started at right tackle as a rookie. He moved to the left side when Hopkins retired, opening space for Stewart. The Titans' 12 sacks allowed tied the Broncos for the league low, and in one stretch Tennessee went five consecutive games without allowing a sack — impressive considering veteran Kerry Collins isn't the league's most mobile quarterback. The Titans ran the ball explosively in winning 13 games. Roos has started 64 consecutive games, Stewart 32.

"We've got some good guys up front, some pretty good tackles," Titans guard Eugene Amano says.

Matt Light, the New England Patriots' left tackle, might not get the notice of some of the "name" players, but his teammates voted him a captain in 2008 for the first time. Light, left guard Logan Mankins and center Dan Koppen started every game last season, and the Patriots, minus Tom Brady for 15 games and three quarters of the opener, had their best rushing season since 1985.

Was it that star-studded group of running backs who made it happen?

Well, no.

Laurence Maroney started three of the first four games but was on injured reserve before the end of October. No, the backs who made it happen were Sammy Morris (727 yards), Kevin Faulk (507), LaMont Jordan (363), rookie BenJarvus Green-Ellis (275) and scrambling sub quarterback Matt Cassel (270).

The Patriots led the NFL with 38 drives of 10 plays or more and also topped the league with their 31 scoring drives of 10 plays or more. Morris averaged a career-high 4.7 yards a carry as the Patriots ground out 2,278 yards, sixth best in team history, and their most rushing touchdowns (21) since 1981.

"I'm always quick to give the offensive line credit," Morris says. "They're big guys, and they're pretty agile. They're able to get on their blocks and sustain them, and that gets us into that second level of defenders. Once we get there, I've always said the onus is on the backs after that."

Light, an all-pro selection in 2007, has made 48 consecutive starts. He was a second-round pick in 2001.

The next wave at the position is rapidly approaching. The scouting combine is over, the individual workouts are underway, and there's little doubt the tag line of an old cigarette commercial will be jingling through the minds of general managers and scouts as they look at tape and contemplate their next move: It's what's up front that counts.

"I think most teams have a priority of positions," Mayock says. "On the offensive side of the ball, it starts with quarterback. On the offensive line, it's the left tackle."

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NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Less than four years after Hurricane Katrina tore up the Louisiana Superdome and cast doubt on the future of major professional sports in New Orleans, the city is formally pronouncing itself ready to bring back the Super Bowl.

The New Orleans Saints and the Greater New Orleans Sports Foundation on Friday submitted a bid to host the NFL's championship game in 2013, which would be the city's 10th Super Bowl and first since the New England Patriots' last-second victory over the St. Louis Rams in 2002.

"With 18,000 downtown hotel rooms, the Superdome, the convention center and French Quarter all within walking distance of each other, New Orleans is still very well-suited to host this event," said Jay Cicero, the sports foundation's president. "The renovated Superdome is very impressive and with planned improvements the dome will be even better for events like this."

The Louisiana Superdome got a new roof and major interior renovations — including rebuilt suites, club lounges and new scoreboards — after Katrina and reopened for the 2006 season. The Saints have sold out all three seasons since moving back into the iconic, downtown stadium, which has hosted six Super Bowls.

The state also is preparing to move forward with additional improvements to the dome once the Saints have agreed to a proposed lease extension through 2025. Those enhancements would include reconfigured field-level stands that would result in more premium seats, wider concourses, more concession stands and more bathrooms. Another proposal would increase the number of suites by building new ones where the current press box sits between the dome's second and third decks and moving the media up higher in the third deck.

An agreement on a lease extension could prove critical to the success of New Orleans' bid.

The Saints' current lease calls for escalating annual cash subsidies to be paid by the state to the team through the 2010 season, with final payments rising to $23.5 million a year beginning this June. After the 2010 season, the subsidies end and Saints can terminate the lease by paying a $15 million penalty.

The state is looking to lock the Saints in for at least an additional 15 years by offering a combination of stadium enhancements and continued, but lowered, annual cash subsidies. The current formula for subsidies was based on faulty projections of revenues generated by New Orleans-area hotel and motel taxes. For several years, those revenues have been insufficient to pay the Saints, so the state has been forced to dip into general funds.

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Saints spokesmen Greg Bensel said Friday that team owner Tom Benson is "positive about a return of the Super Bowl to New Orleans."

"Clearly a long term (Superdome) agreement is an important element," Bensel continued. "We are anxious to get that component finalized."

Cicero noted there is a precedent for the NFL awarding Super Bowls contingent upon stadium matters being resolved at a later date.

The 2010 Super Bowl originally was awarded to New York on the condition that a new stadium be built in Manhattan. The stadium, which also was part of the city's unsuccessful Olympic bid, failed to win government approval and the NFL later awarded the game to Miami.

If the state and Saints have yet to reach a new lease agreement by May, but both sides agree they are very close, Benson and his granddaughter, part-owner Rita Benson LeBlanc, still could press fellow NFL owners to approve New Orleans' bid. Phoenix and Miami also are bidding for the game that year.

"The NFL could certainly award it to us contingent upon the (lease extension) being finalized," Cicero said. "We're going to have to have a very competitive bid and Mr. Benson and Rita Benson LeBlanc play a huge role in getting the owners to vote for New Orleans."

Cicero added that the plan was to offer a bid that compares favorably to those of competing cities and not rely on any sympathy related to the city's ongoing recovery from Katrina. New Orleans already has successfully hosted an NBA All-Star game and BCS national championship since Katrina, and is scheduled to host college basketball's men's Final Four in 2012.

"We tell this to all the event owners that are out there," Cicero said, "We can still do your event better than anybody else in the country, but we also need your event more than anybody else in the country."

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Sunday, March 29, 2009

Pats' push gets Taylor's attention

By Tim Graham ESPN.com HOLLYWOOD, Fla. -- Jason Taylor isn't ruling out a return to the Miami Dolphins, but the pass rusher couldn't conceal his delight over reading comments that New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft would love to add him.

"I did hear that. I can't lie," Taylor said Sunday night on the red carpet of an event for the Jason Taylor Foundation at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. "I have not talked to Robert Kraft. We'll leave it at that. Those things will sort themselves out, and hopefully in the near future so I can get back to work.

"But it's great to be wanted. It's great to be wanted. Sure, especially an organization like them or the Dolphins."

In regard to the possibility of returning to the Dolphins, the club he spent 11 remarkable seasons with, Taylor said "Absolutely. There's no reason I wouldn't." But he also noted "I'm the wrong person to talk to about that. I sign one line on the contract, and the other guy signs the other line."

The man who would sign the other line in New England already has suggested he's ready to put pen to paper.

Kraft, speaking Tuesday at the NFL owners' meeting in Dana Point, Calif., was asked about the possibility of signing Taylor.

"Great player," Kraft told Yahoo! Sports. "I'm sure that can happen if he wants it."

Patriots receiver Wes Welker seconded that notion. Welker, a former teammate of Taylor's in Miami, attended Sunday's charity function.

"Jason's a great player, so the more great players you can add to a team the better off you're going to be," Welker said. "That's up the coaches and Jason and everything else. I'm kind of nudging him a little bit, but at the same time he's got to do what's best for him and his family.

"I know Coach [Bill] Belichick likes the veteran, smart guys that have been around the league for a while and know how everything works and how to be a pro. For us, it's all about becoming a better team and whatever we can do to improve our team, that's what we're going to do."

Taylor, a six-time Pro Bowler, is coming off a disappointing season with the Washington Redskins. He played 13 games and started only eight while battling a strange calf injury that required emergency surgery to drain blood. He finished with 37 tackles and 3½ sacks.

The Redskins released him on March 2 amid reports he wasn't interested in committing to the offseason program. Taylor refuted such accounts, claiming he and Redskins owner Dan Snyder hashed out his release.

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"We sat down here in Miami and I told him point blank I didn't want to steal from him," Taylor said. "I didn't want to go up there and take the eight-and-a-half-million dollars and not be productive. It wasn't fair.

"I took a lot of heat last year for the lack of productivity, and the injuries and whatnot, but after you play in a certain system and a certain situation for 11 years and make the Pro Bowl six times, then they tell you now play the other side, it doesn't always work that way. We couldn't find that mix last year."

Taylor, who will turn 35 in September, was coy about his future plans. He was definitive that he will play somewhere, but claimed he had no timetable to make a decision. He also stated "it's not about the money. I walked away from the money in D.C."

Taylor's agent, Gary Wichard, is due to arrive in South Florida this week to discuss an approach to finding Taylor a new employer.

"My main focus right now is spending time with the kids and the family, being back down here in Florida," Taylor said. "The rest of that will work itself out. It's got to be the right situation, beneficial for both team and myself, whatever team that is. I look forward to finding one, so I can get back to work, get with the program and keep going."

Tim Graham covers the NFL for ESPN.com.

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