| |
 Inside the NFL
Posted: Tuesday April 27, 1999 02:57 PM Mr. Smith Goes to Philadelphia With little to build around, George Seifert is starting over in Carolina By David Fleming
"Things have been very uneventful and methodical," says Seifert. "Some of that has been on purpose, considering what this team has been through the last few years." One would think that a team that ranked 28th in the league in rushing offense and last in total defense in 1998 might have a greater sense of urgency -- particularly after losing its best blocker (left tackle Blake Brockermeyer, who signed with the Bears) and its top receiver (Raghib Ismail, signed by the Cowboys) to free agency. However, Seifert has been hamstrung, largely by Capers's questionable signing in April '98 of free-agent defensive lineman Sean Gilbert. The acquisition of Gilbert, the Redskins' franchise player, cost Carolina first-round draft picks in 1999 and 2000, and his seven-year, $46.5 million deal, the richest ever awarded a defensive player, was a hard hit on the team's salary cap. This off-season Carolina has signed 11 free agents, but the most notable among those is linebacker Steve Tovar, who played six steady but unspectacular seasons in Cincinnati and San Diego. In the draft the Panthers addressed their biggest needs with a pair of second-round picks: Georgia tackle Chris Terry and Nebraska defensive end Mike Rucker. "We would have moved up to take a sexier player," says Seifert, "but we were very cautious about doing something just to be sexy. We're doing the best things we can to improve without mortgaging our future." To get the most out of the talent he does have, Seifert, a defensive coordinator in San Francisco from 1983 through '88 before leading the 49ers to two Super Bowl wins in eight seasons as coach, has switched the Panthers from a 3-4 defense to a 4-3. That will allow Gilbert, who was a disappointment at end last season, to return to the tackle position he played during most of his five seasons in the league. The scheme also features an "elephant" pass-rushing end on throwing downs. Seifert believes that Greene, who racked up 15 sacks last year, could play the E spot, but Greene, who turns 37 this summer, wants to be an every-down linebacker. Rucker could also get the call; if so, he wouldn't be the only inexperienced player pressed into service. After failing to re-sign Ismail or lure free-agent wideout J.J. Stokes from the 49ers, Seifert settled on restricted free agent Patrick Jeffers, a backup last season in Dallas. Seifert's hope with the offensive line is that the 295-pound Terry, who played only two years of offense at Georgia, develops quickly. That would allow left tackle Clarence Jones to move to the right side, replacing Norberto Davidds-Garrido, who struggled at times protecting quarterback Steve Beuerlein in '98. Beuerlein, 34, stepped in admirably after the Collins fiasco, completing a career-high 63% of his passes. Capers rewarded him with a three-year, $9 million extension last November. But in March, Seifert turned around and traded a 1999 third-round draft pick and a conditional selection in 2000 for Broncos backup Jeff Lewis, who didn't play last season after blowing out his left knee in a pickup basketball game. Seifert has been clear about wanting Lewis, who is healthy, to take over at some point soon. Beuerlein is obviously not happy. "We got Jeff Lewis for one reason," says Seifert. "That is to be our quarterback of the future." What that future holds is hard to say. Seifert may have the Panthers on the right track, but they're moving at a pretty slow clip.
Jamir Miller Waits: When the free-agent signing period began in mid-February, linebacker Jamir Miller seemed to be in perfect position for a big score. The 10th pick in the 1994 draft, Miller led the Cardinals in tackles last year and then got a chance to showcase his talents in two playoff games, the franchise's first since moving to the desert in '88. A bit of good fortune seemed to follow when Arizona opted to saddle wideout Rob Moore, and not Miller, with its franchise player designation. Free to negotiate with all of the league's 31 teams, Miller figured he would be sifting through a pile of lucrative offers. Yet as of Sunday only the Cardinals had offers on the table, and Miller has rejected one, a two-year, $6 million contract. "It's doubtful [that Miller will be back]," says club vice president Bill Bidwill Jr. Other potential suitors were concerned when Miller said that he wanted to be among the top-paid players in the league at his position. Also, some teams weren't thrilled when they heard that Miller, a 6'5", 266-pound run stuffer with superb speed, wanted to play for someone who would use him primarily as a pass rusher. Miller also has two strikes against him under the league's substance-abuse policy. In August 1995 he was suspended for four games after a positive drug test. The suspension meant that he had tested positive at least once before and that another positive test would result in a one-year ban. But Miller says that shouldn't be an issue, adding, "If I had continued on like I [was], there's no way I'd still be in the league." Miller visited the Bears and the Patriots, yet even after neither team made an offer, he rejected the Cardinals' proposal. He made news in early April when he fired his agent, Steve Baker, and hired Leigh Steinberg. The Saints and the Titans have shown tepid interest, and though Arizona remains in the picture, Bidwill's comments notwithstanding, Miller has lost much of his bargaining power: On March 26 the Cardinals signed former Lions linebacker Rob Fredrickson to a four-year, $7.9 million deal; then they drafted Florida linebacker Johnny Rutledge and Wisconsin pass-rushing end Tom Burke in rounds 2 and 3, respectively.
Mr. Smith Goes to Philadelphia: In February 1992 the Falcons traded Brett Favre to the Packers for a '92 first-round draft choice, which Atlanta used to select running back Tony Smith, who had played in the same backfield with Favre for two seasons at Southern Mississippi. Now Favre is a three-time league MVP making $6.8 million a year, and Smith, 28, is trying to jump-start his NFL career. "I wouldn't say [the trade] has been a blessing or a curse," Smith said last Friday after a minicamp practice with the Eagles. "I've got nothing but love for Brett. Things happen for a reason." Having played in a standard pro-style offense at Southern Miss, Smith wasn't suited for Atlanta's run-and-shoot attack. Though he showed flashes of brilliance as a return man, Smith was released early in his third season. In December 1994 the expansion Panthers made him one of their first signees, but he broke his leg during a preseason game in '95, spent the year on injured reserve and was released during training camp in 1996. Smith finally got back in football in '98, landing a job with the CFL's Toronto Argonauts and being used as a return man and short-yardage back. In February he had an impressive tryout with the Eagles, including a 4.5 time in the 40, which earned him one more NFL opportunity -- in a weak backfield behind incumbent Duce Staley. "I never thought I'd get another shot at the NFL," the 6'2", 225-pound Smith says. "I realize this is my last one, but I love my chances." -- By Peter King Issue date: May 3, 1999
| |||||||||||||||||
Copyright © 1999 CNN/SI. A Time Warner Company. Terms under which this service is provided to you.
| |||||||||||||||||
