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A match made in heaven Glenn ecstatic about reunion with Parcells in DallasPosted: Friday February 28, 2003 9:34 PMUpdated: Wednesday March 26, 2003 7:45 PM
Of all the transactions that unfolded on the NFL's opening day of free agency, no new coupling is more intriguing than this one: Terry Glenn and Bill Parcells, together again. This time in Dallas. Just shy of seven years after he spent the No. 7 pick in the 1996 draft on Glenn, Parcells reacquired the soft-spoken and enigmatic receiver, reuniting him with the player he once famously referred to as "she" in the course of an injury update. With the Cowboys sending Green Bay an undisclosed draft pick for Glenn -- believed to be a sixth- or seventh-rounder in 2004 -- one of the NFL's original odd couples will be attempting to recreate the magic that helped New England to the Super Bowl in their one and only season together. Say what you will about Glenn and his turbulent seven-year NFL career, he has never performed better than he did in his rookie year for Parcells. Playing in 15 games, Glenn caught a career-best 90 passes for the AFC champion Patriots for 1,132 yards and a career-best six touchdowns. Glenn has since never come within 10 of that reception total, and he has only once produced more yards. Reached late Friday afternoon, with the trade freshly completed, Glenn's agent, Jimmy Gould, called the deal "a dream come true for Terry." From the time Green Bay granted him permission to seek a trade several weeks ago, Gould said Dallas had been Glenn's overwhelming first choice. "I called Bill right away," Gould said. "We talked to other teams, but it was always our hope and intent that this is where he would end up. That season in New England with Coach Parcells is what made him. He broke rookie records and went to the Super Bowl. And then that marriage was broken up. "This was an opportunity for him to find his home, and we believe he's found it. Terry couldn't be happier. There was never a doubt in his mind that him and Bill couldn't work together again. He feels like it's a fresh start." With Dallas, Glenn won't be expected to be more than the Cowboys' third receiver, behind his former Ohio State teammate Joey Galloway and 2002 second-round pick Antonio Bryant. But the Cowboys needed a veteran addition at the position after releasing Raghib Ismail this week in a salary cap move. Galloway led the Cowboys in receptions last season with 61 for 908 yards and six touchdowns, but no Dallas pass-catcher finished among the league's top 30 receivers. Despite making only a limited impact in his one-season stint in Green Bay, Glenn nearly matched Galloway's production with 56 receptions for 817 yards and two touchdowns. More important, as a Packer he resurrected a career that had spiraled out of control in New England in 2001, a season that was all but lost due to club-issued suspensions. In Green Bay last season, Packers receivers coach Ray Sherman said he never saw the problem player that he had heard so much about. "He was a model citizen for us," Sherman said. "He did everything that was asked of him. He never complained about not getting the ball enough, all he cared about was us winning. And he played well for us. I'm happy for him. Bill knows him and that's a plus for Terry. He was happy about being here, but I know he's eager to get the chance to play for Parcells again." With the emergence of Donald Driver as a No. 1 receiver last season, and young talents like Javon Walker, Robert Ferguson and Bubba Franks forming the nucleus of its receiving corps, Green Bay in this instance could afford to do Glenn a favor. Now it's up to Glenn, who'll be 29 in July, to see if the familiar face on the sidelines and the star on his helmet help him reprise the starring role he played as a rookie in 1996.
San Diego, Atlanta and Baltimore are the teams that have expressed interest in Boston thus far, and sometime this weekend a schedule of visits should be in place. Boston is likely to travel to San Diego first, perhaps early in the week. A trip to Baltimore next week also is a possibility, and Frankel expects to have another conversation with the Ravens this weekend. Atlanta's interest in Boston may be dictated by whether the Falcons succeed in their trade talks with Buffalo regarding Peerless Price, who is scheduled for a visit Saturday night. Price, of course, had the Bills' franchise tag applied, so the two sides would have to agree on compensation, as well as the Falcons and Price being able to work out a new contract. San Diego is believed to be the early favorite to land Boston, and the Chargers did free up substantial cap room this week -- including the release of leading receiver Curtis Conway -- in an apparent sign that they will be proactive in free agency. The Cardinals have made it known they want to retain Boston, but the odds have probably slipped south of 50-50 that Arizona will be there when the process concludes. Also, Frankel confirmed Friday that as part of Boston's preparation for free agency, he had his client meet in South Florida this week with Miami receiver Cris Carter, a former Frankel client. Frankel wouldn't call it a mentoring session -- like the ones that Carter got so much credit for in Randy Moss' rookie season in Minnesota -- as much as a meet and greet. "I just thought David could use meeting Cris and discussing with him the NFL, and receiving and all the other things that go along with being a superstar in this league," Frankel said.
All told, McGuire said 10 teams called to inquire about Colvin on Friday.
"We're getting calls, but I'd trade Jim [Haslett] for the right deal," Loomis quipped. "We'll listen to anybody at any time." Five teams have contacted New Orleans, and though Loomis wouldn't discuss specifics, Houston is known to be one of them. No deal is believed to be imminent, but that's because talks haven't gotten serious and no one has met the Saints' asking price.
If a team pursuing Delhomme is only talking about its No. 2 job, with perhaps a slim shot of unseating its starter, Delhomme is expected to lean toward re-signing with the Saints, where he plays behind Aaron Brooks. That said, Carolina figures to be the most likely team to dangle a starting opportunity in front of Delhomme.
More plausible is that Washington covets Michigan State receiver Charles Rogers, and wants to get into Detroit's No. 2 slot to select him. Still, one league source said: "Spurrier would probably draft 10 quarterbacks a year if they'd let him." Despite club denials, league sources say Washington has indeed offered third-year cornerback Fred Smoot as potential trade bait.
Kansas City also deserves a nod for clearing cap room to take care of linebacker Mike Maslowski and special teams maven Gary Stills, both of whom would have found a market for their services. Don Banks covers pro football for SI.com. |
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