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Quick! Call Arli$$!
Posted: Monday December 13, 1999 10:17 AM
Week 14 Awards | The Top 10 Teams | Click here to send a question to Peter King's NFL Mailbag. BUFFALO, N.Y. -- We have all seen the next Emmitt Smith this year. His name is Edgerrin James. When Indianapolis GM Bill Polian traded Marshall Faulk (who I considered the best back in football in 1998) to St. Louis last spring for second- and fifth-round picks, I understood the deal, though I thought Polian got shortchanged. The Colts wanted a guy with some outside burst who could run between the tackles just as well. I thought surely they'd pick Ricky Williams. They picked James instead. Two huge gambles by Polian, the trade of Faulk and the bypassing of Williams. I still don't like getting a two and a five for a guy coming off the best year of any back in the league, but the James pick, judging by any standard, was brilliant. James is a marvelous runner between the tackles. He makes people miss outside. He seems to actually enjoy crunching tacklers and making them feel his pain. He's got hands like Roger Craig. He is unassuming. He works hard in practice and in the film room. Just as Polian predicted, he is the perfect fit for the Peyton Manning- led offense that is the current scourge of NFL '99. James also is the highest-paid rookie in NFL history. He found that out a few days ago, when he returned home from practice one day in
Coltland, Ind., to find in his mailbox a memorandum from his agent, Leigh
Steinberg. In part, this was the
memorandum:
To: Edgerrin
James.
With four games still to play in your rookie season, you have already achieved
all but one of the performance incentives available in your contract, with the
last remaining incentive well within your reach. As you probably know, thus far
in the season you have 1,210 rushing yards, 1,678 total yards (rushing plus
receiving), 49 catches and 11 touchdowns, among other statistics. About a month
ago, you surpassed 701 rushing yards, which triggered the addition of more than
$5,000,000 in elevated salaries into the remainder of your contract (including
an $875,000 bonus this year). Two weeks ago, when you passed 1,000 rushing
yards, you triggered an additional incentive for this year of $1,500,000. This
past weekend, you added another $1,375,000 to your 1999 season earnings by
surpassing 1,200 rushing yards. The last incentive, $1,000,000 for 1,400 rushing
yards, is only 190 yards
away. (Actually, after the Colts' 20-15 win over New England on Sunday, James, who had
101 yards rushing, now needs just 89 yards in his final three games for that
last $1,000,000. Lock city,
bay-bee.)
Thus, you entered the season having earned your $9,500,000 signing bonus
and your $350,000 roster bonus for 1999, and were salaried at the minimum
($175,000). Because you have rushed for at least 701 yards, you will receive an
$875,000 bonus on January 31, 2000 ... You have qualified for $2,875,000 in
performance incentives, also payable on January 31, 2000, and have a very good
shot at adding an additional $1,000,000 to this sum before the year is
up.
You have already earned $13,775,000 in salary and bonuses for the 1999
season, which is already the most money a player has earned in his first season
in NFL history.
Congratulations.
Wow. A $15 million year. For a guy we'd barely heard of when the last year of this century dawned. On Sunday, I showed the Steinberg memo to Steve Tasker, the ex-Buffalo special-teamer, who was in the Bills' press box during a week off from his CBS TV gig. I informed Tasker that James has made more money in 12 games than he, Tasker, made in his 13 years. Tasker read the Steinberg memo. "God bless him,'' Tasker said. "You know, when I first got in the league, in Houston in the eighties, guys like Robert Brazile and Gregg Bingham were wishing they were born later. They said, 'Man, you guys are really going to make some big money now.' And when I left last year, I knew it was going to be the same way with the new guys. And you know what? When Edgerrin James leaves, he'll be saying the same thing to the new guys.'' Hard to believe that $15 million will ever be considered chump change. But as Tasker said, the money's there. And as I say, James is the game's next Emmitt Smith. OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Tennessee RB Eddie George. The more I see of Steve McNair, the more I think the Titans need to ride Eddie George. His 199 yards rushing Thursday night against a good Oakland run defense not only won a crucial game -- the 10-3 Titans are now a near-lock to play at least one home playoff game -- but showed his teammates that the offense won't be crippled even when McNair struggles at quarterback. It takes a lot to overcome a 258-yard receiving performance by Qadry Ismail and a 189-yard rushing day by Corey Dillon. George wins this week because his game meant something, and it came against a good run defense. DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: San Francisco DT Bryant Young, with 2.5 sacks, led a 49ers defense that held Atlanta to a ridiculously low 105 yards. After suffering a gruesome leg injury last season, Young wasn't supposed to return to the 49ers lineup until midseason, but he's played well since the opener at Jacksonville. He now has 9.5 sacks after having 10 all of last year. Said Young: "I feel like I'm pretty close to where I was before the injury.'' SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: New York Giants FB Greg Comella and CB Bashir Levingston. The guys in the middle of the kicking teams never get the attention they deserve, but Comella made such a great play on a second-quarter kickoff to Buffalo return man Kevin Williams. Comella dove at Williams at the Bills' 21 to slow him up; but Comella went down, not Williams. Comella scrambled to his feet, sprinted after Williams and caught him from behind at the Buffalo 28. Levingston, a gunner (the guy who lines up wide on the punt team and is blocked by two guys usually) broke free on a crucial punt to smother Williams. The play: Giants pinned at their 1, Brad Maynard line-drives a punt to Williams at the Buffalo 49, and Levingston is on him in a flash, ignoring Williams' fake and flinging him to the ground like a broken frisbee for a loss of one yard. Two great plays that you won't see in your standard NFL highlights package. COACH OF THE WEEK: New York Giants defensive coordinator John Fox. After Doug Flutie completed a 36-yard throw to Eric Moulds on Buffalo's first play of the game, this was Flutie's day against one of the most suspect secondaries ever assembled for an NFL contest (the Giants defensive backs were battered by injuries): 148 passing yards, only one deadly scramble for a first down in 25 rushing yards. Every defensive coach says he has a plan to neutralize Flutie; Fox's spying of safety Percy Ellsworth and athleticism of his front seven did the trick. "Everybody just do their jobs,'' Fox told his team during the week. They did, which is one of the big reasons Jim Fassel gave the Giants a rare Monday off today. GOAT OF THE WEEK: Seattle kicker Todd Peterson. Come on, Todd. Make it hard for me. Peterson missed three fourth-quarter field goals -- from 48, 52 and 38 yards, all in the final 10 minutes -- to key a 19-16 loss to San Diego. And the Seahawks are starting to look like the same old Seadogs. 1. Indianapolis (11-2). Quality win over desperate Patriots yesterday. Colts would have to go 0-3 against Washington, Cleveland and Buffalo to lose the AFC East now. 2. Jacksonville (11-1). If I'm Denver, I play lots of two-deep zone Monday night against a very hot Mark Brunell. 3. St. Louis (11-2). Dick Vermeil teared up tying his tie last night. 4. Tampa Bay (9-4). We're starting to believe. 5. Tennessee (10-3). They could finish 13-3 or 12-4 and still be the AFC's fourth seed. 6. Detroit (8-5). Dangerous team, suddenly tough division. 7. Minnesota (7-6). Close road losses at Tampa and Kansas City, two of the NFL's toughest venues, shouldn't make them plummet from this list. 8. Kansas City (8-5). If the entire playoff schedule is played in Arrowhead, the Chiefs have a shot to make hay in January. 9. Buffalo (8-5). I have no idea what to think of this team. 10. Miami (8-5). I have no idea what to think of this team, either. The 10 Things I Think I Think This Week 1. I think today must be the worst day ever to be a Pittsburgh Steelers fan. Think of this, Steelers fan: in the space of five weeks, you have just played Cleveland, Cincinnati and the dreaded Art Modell- led Ravens. You have gone 0-3. You have not just lost three games, you have been downright embarrassed. A fluke field goal by the expansion Browns. Jeff Blake looking like Johnny Unitas. And Sunday, a receiver who could have been had by any team in the league for the minimum salary burning the Men of Tin for 258 yards. Oh, the shame of it. 2. I think if you want to know why I have the Colts ahead of the Jags, it is for this reason: My gut. My ample gut, that is, tells me that the Colts have been battle-tested and might be more prepared to play big January games than the even more experienced Jags. The Colts' opponents this season have gone 62-61. The Jags' opponents this year: 44-78, entering the Monday night game with Denver. I'm not positive Indianapolis is a better team than Jacksonville. I do think, on a neutral field, that Indianapolis would win a game between them. 3. I think the NFL is ridiculous to have official Byron Boston, the father of Arizona wideout David Boston, work any NFC East game until the Cardinals are mathematically eliminated from playoff contention in any season. Checking the schedule this year, there are at least nine games played on every NFL weekend that don't include an NFC East team. You mean to tell me the Boston crew can't work one of those every week? The NFL has to do everything it can to avoid any intimation of impropriety with the Bostons. It's not hard to do. 4a. I think Ron Dayne will be the 18th pick in the first round next April. 4b. I think there will be a weight clause in his contract. 5. I think, speaking of the draft, that Courtney Brown's going No. 1. Courtney Brown? Not Lavar Arrington ? Not Peter Warrick ? Just a gut feeling. Brown's the best two-way defensive end to come along in the past few drafts, plus he's got a work ethic and motor that make NFL scouts drool. So where does that leave Cleveland if it picks Brown and leaves Warrick on the board? My guess: The Browns would sign New England free-agent wideout Shawn Jefferson -- a fan of and respected ex-player for Cleveland coach Chris Palmer -- and pay him not much money. 6. I think the Rams' season is one of the strangest I've ever seen. They win by 17, 28, 28, 22, 28, and 31. They lose by 3 and 4. They win by 25, 16, 31 and 13. There are three weeks left in the season. They could finish with 13 or 14 wins. They haven't won a close game yet. It's amazing. I don't think there's ever been a team in NFL history with double-digit wins that hasn't won a close game. I don't know exactly what that means. I just think it's interesting. 7a. I think, as I sat next to colleague and good buddy Len Pasquarelli of CBS Sportsline in the Buffalo press box, we both marveled at the girth of Bills tackle Jamie Nails. He is two men! Or three! Now, Nails is listed at 354 by the Bills. I will make this pronouncement right now: I am closer to a modeling contract with Abercrombie and Fitch than Nails is to 354. He last saw 354, I believe, in kindergarten. 7b. I think, speaking of Lenny P (no relation to Master P) , he had the line of the day when the subject of the Giants' woefully inexperienced secondary came up. "I wouldn't give you a plugged nickel for the Giants' dime package,'' he said. 8. I think I have now seen the stat of the millennium. Cincinnati held Cleveland to 11 yards on 11 rushes yesterday. ( James Stewart, you will look so handsome in that orange helmet). 9. I think the Packers better pray that Simeon Rice tests the free agent market, and they'd better pray they can outbid the rest of the NFL for him. They gave Steve Beuerlein a 373-yard passing day yesterday. They sacked him zero times. The Ray Rhodes defense is a disaster. 10. I think Seattle used to be a contender. Click here to send a question to Peter King's NFL Mailbag.
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