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Free agency ain't what it used to be

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Posted: Wednesday September 29, 1999 08:34 AM

Sports Illustrated's senior writer Peter King, who covers pro football, talked with Bob Lorenz on Sunday's NFL Preview show on CNN.

Bob Lorenz: Peter, getting the early wake-up call this morning in San Diego let's get your thoughts on what has been a strange first two weeks of the season.

Peter King: Well, there is no question in my mind the most valuable person in an organization over the next four or five years is going to be the Pro Personnel Director who sits in the cave of the film room and just watches over and over again tapes of other teams. A very simple reason -- free agency ain't what it used to be. Free agency now is going to have all the good players taken off the market. Look what happened with defensive linemen this year. Michael Strahan, Michael McCleary, Michael Sinclair would have been free agents next year. Teams are going to have to find the gems. Oakland Raiders, who do they find? K.D. Williams. He was a skycap at Tampa International Airport. They found him through their scouting process he is now their best outside linebacker so I think scouting becomes all important.

BL: There is a lot of talent in Green Bay's new secondary and, Peter, is there one guy in particular you'd keep an eye on?

PK: No question today, Bob, the Minnesota Vikings are going to be going after Mike McKenzie, and Mike McKenzie is going to have to be up for the task. Of all the players in the NFL today, he's the one who is going to be feeling the most pressure, third round pick from Memphis on first downs is going to be playing Randy Moss with deep help from a safety. And on nickel and dime downs, when there are extra defensive backs, he is going to move into the slot and play Cris Carter one-on-one. So he is going to feel the heat of the Vikings passing game, and it is going to be up to him to win this game today, Bob.

BL: Peter, how is Bill Parcells handling the Jets 0 and 2 start?

PK: Well, the players came out to practice on Monday after their debacle at Buffalo last week and Parcells, according to Aaron Glenn, who I spoke to this week, Parcells said two words -- just run -- and from there the players ran fourteen 100 yard sprints up and down the field, no pausing between them. Just a pause to collect themselves on the stripe, so they ran 1400 yards, in you know, four or five minutes and you know that is the Bill Parcells these players expect. And he also threw them a change-up later in the week, Bob, on Wednesday and Thursday. Parcells is one of these big guys who practices in pads during the week. You know, Bill Walsh school of football says don't do that. Parcells does that, but he took them out of pads this week, and said, "Hey, I just want them to be fresh for Sunday." I have been around Parcells long enough to know that's a code word for, if you play bad this week, I am going to fire somebody.

BL: The Colts are at San Diego. And Peter, Leaf is probably not even going to play this season. But, despite thet fact that we won't see the two quarterbacks face each other, this game is still a pretty intriguing matchup.

PK: Well, intriguing if only because, Bob, when I met with some of the Chargers yesterday, I said hey, how about this San Diego Chargers story in Sports Illustrated without mentioning the words Ryan Leaf. So everybody, of course, was happy. Look, the big thing for the Chargers right now is if they think they can beat the up-and-coming Colts today, and who would have ever thought this, they think if they beat the Colts then they catapult themselves into contention for their division, and they can be a playoff contender. This is a big proving game for the San Diego Chargers.

BL: Peter, what a situation in Seattle. Joey Galloway has spent his Sundays quarterbacking his brother's flag football team. When is he going to be back catching passes for Seattle Seahawks?

PK: Well, I don't think very soon, Bob, unless Joey Galloway caves right now. His agent and the Seahawks have met three times in the last thirty-six hours in Pittsburgh, they met late into the night last night. I was told this morning nothing really has changed, and that the Seattle Seahawks are standing firm on two things; they will not trade Joey Galloway before the trading deadline in mid-October, and they will not remove the potential of the franchise designation from his contract. Otherwise, he would just be playing til the rest of this year, and someone would make him a "jillion" dollar player next year.

BL: Tell us what is happening with Barry Sanders and his undesignated spokesman, his dad.

Peter King: Well Barry's father told me last night at 11:20 eastern time. He said, I don't know where Barry is, he told me he was going to be in this weekend. Isn't this the weekend? And so Barry's dad says, "Look, I hope he comes in this weekend. I am going to tell him that I think he ought to go back to the Lions." But I think we all know at this point : Barry Sanders will not go back to the Detroit Lions this year, and the Lions will not trade him, and Barry Sanders will not play football in 1999.

 

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