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Generous hosts Warrick first of top four players to visit with Redskins
Posted: Tuesday April 04, 2000 09:52 PM
By Don Banks, Sports Illustrated Monday was Opening Day in Baltimore for the Orioles, but the parade began just down the road in Washington, where the Redskins opened the final interview process with the four players who everyone expects to go Nos. 1-4 in the upcoming NFL Draft. Florida State receiver Peter Warrick visited with Washington's coaches, front office, trainers, doctors and the media Monday at Redskin Park. Alabama offensive tackle Chris Samuels is in Tuesday, with Penn State's dynamic defensive duo -- linebacker LaVar Arrington and defensive end Courtney Brown -- scheduled to go through the same paces Wednesday and Thursday, respectively. Is it rare for teams to bring in players this close to the draft for a last get-to-know-them-session? No. But it is rare for one team to own the second and third selections in any given year, as the Redskins do, and thus be in line to scoop up half of the draft's four premier players. It's also uncommon for a team to make all four of the draft's top players available to the media on four successive days, adding another level to the interview process. The players, of course, will not be working out for Washington. That part of the process is already completed. This is an all-talk, no-action step in the pre-draft dance. For all their attempts to keep their poker faces on, the Redskins could have saved the price of Warrick's airfare Monday. Redskins starting quarterback Brad Johnson, a former Florida State star, even hung around in the area an extra day in order to meet with Warrick and take him to dinner. But the southern hospitality was all for show. While Washington maintains that all four players are still on their board, Warrick has virtually no chance to wind up a Redskin. The organization almost certainly will select Samuels with one of their two picks, and director of player personnel Vinny Cerrato has more than once said the team will be satisfied with whichever one of the Penn State standouts that No. 1 Cleveland chooses to bypass. With Washington's needs far stronger at linebacker than defensive end -- the Redskins defensive line currently features five former No. 1 picks -- rest assured coach Norv Turner and company are hoping that the Browns opt for Brown, leaving them Arrington. That leaves Warrick going to No. 4 Cincinnati. A trade down from one of those two spots is the longest of long shots. The Redskins believe they will be best served by staying put and taking their picks. Nothing about the Redskins' stance has changed since February's Scouting Combine. Washington is targeting Samuels and Arrington. That's where the Redskins' needs are.
Mini Freak?Turner was careful not to show any signs of favoritism when talking about the big four at last week's NFL annual meeting. But you couldn't help but interpret his comparison of Arrington with last year's rookie sensation, Tennessee defensive end Jevon Kearse, as a sure sign that the Redskins are not scared away by the idea that the 6-3, 250-pound Arrington could be a "tweener-type" player in the pros. As in Kearse's case, there have been discussions about whether Arrington will eventually end up as an outside linebacker or a pass-rushing defensive end in the NFL. "Tennessee took a player that a lot of people a year ago [had questions about]," Turner said. "At Florida, he first played linebacker, and he dropped [back in coverage] half the time. They projected him and said, 'This guy can be a heck of a pass rusher.' They didn't drop him back very much at all in Tennesseee. They played him a lot differently than he played in college." Kearse and Arrington. Mentioned in the same breath. Turner's breath. Get the picture? "You look at Arrington and he didn't rush a lot in college," Turner said. "They used him as a freelance-type guy. But our guys think he can be a great pass rusher. He's a 250-pounder who can really run. You're getting a guy who has a lot of flexibility and can certainly help a team. So I don't know if you can sit here and say this position is the one you have to have him play."
The neighborly thing to doWhen did Dennis Green's courtship of veteran quarterback Rick Mirer begin? The Minnesota Vikings head coach spent a day with Mirer two weeks ago in Del Mar, Calif., where both of them own homes. Mirer is very interested in any potential opportunity with the Vikings, since he has seen veterans like Randall Cunningham and Jeff George rehabilitate their careers in the Metrodome. But Mirer is also somewhat hesitant about Minnesota, since he knows it would almost certainly be a one-year gig, with the Vikings' quarterback of the future, Daunte Culpepper, already on hand. If George doesn't re-sign with the Vikings and they come calling after Mirer, his decision is this: Would it better to make the Vikings his fourth stop in four years -- after Chicago, Green Bay and the Jets -- or try to find a spot where there's more long-term potential and he won't be right back on the market next spring? San Francisco and Mirer's longtime admirer, 49ers general manager Bill Walsh, remain an option if the Minnesota situation leads nowhere.
Holding patternIf you're wondering what's going on with the contract situation of Super Bowl coach Jeff Fisher, the answer is not much. Fisher's agent, Marvin Demoff, talked with Tennessee officials about a new deal at last week's NFL annual meeting in Palm Beach, Fla. It was the most discussion the two sides have had had on the topic at any point this offseason. Both sides agreed to pick up the issue after the busy work of the draft was finished. While Fisher would probably like to make Titans owner Bud Adams sweat a little bit in retribution for his "playoffs or the pink slip" comments of a year ago, the consensus is that Fisher isn't in jeopardy of leaving Tennessee after his deal expires at the end of this season. Fisher is fond of what the organization has built in Nashville and the stability the franchise has finally established. Fisher also just built a home in Nashville. Look for the Titans to do the wise thing and lock up Fisher some time in May or June. "I believe this club is young and could be good for a long time and I have every interest in working something out," Fisher said last week. "In the unlikely event that we are unable to work something out, then I'll discuss my options after the season. I believe we all are [determined to get something done]."
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