Offseason activity

No time for a preamble today. I'll make it up to you next time around.

I think the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are destined to get worse before they get better. It seems the Glazer family blundered in not only the methods used to rid Tony Dungy, but also in their pursuit of Bill Parcells. What is the Glazers' strategy now? Do they look to a first-time head coach like Ravens defensive coordinator Marvin Lewis? Why didn't they look harder at Steve Spurrier, who would have gotten their offense to come alive?
--Drew Robison, Greenville, S.C.

Tampa Bay GM Rich McKay has gone very far underground. Very far. And I really don't know what he's going to do. I discount the Jon Gruden trade rumors. I don't think the Bucs will press for Gruden and I don't see Al Davis trading him. I think McKay will wait to survey the field of Super Bowl assistants and will then decide who is the best candidate. You ask about why they didn't go after Steve Spurrier. Simple. They were committed to Bill Parcells, and in the time they were committed to Parcells, Spurrier signed with Washington. Believe me, the Bucs are kicking themselves, not just over missing out on Parcells, but on Spurrier as well.

The Packers need an upgrade in a couple of key areas next season. Can they get the help in free agency and/or the draft?
--Mitch, Eau Claire, Wis.

If I'm the Packers, I have my eye on two players in free agency: Versatile Giants safety Shaun Williams and their own wideout, Bill Schroeder. I'm in the minority here. When everyone else was saying the Packers had a dearth of good skill-position players late in the season, I saw them twice and thought Corey Bradford and Donald Driver were hugely underrated. Driver has two of the best hands in the league. But they can't afford to lose Schroeder. I think the secondary needs some boosting, though.

Peter, I understand that Keenan McCardell of Jacksonville and Az-Zahir Hakim of the Rams will be free agents after the season. Is it feasible for the Browns to acquire one or even both of these receivers to complement Kevin Johnson and give Tim Couch some much needed help at the wideout position?
--Vic Schembre, Euclid, Ohio

Vic, I like the way you're thinking. The Browns need receiver help, but I don't expect them to spend huge money on a wideout. I think if they could get Hakim for $4 million a year (he's small, has fumbleitis and the Rams won't try to keep him) to pair with Johnson they'd be doing a great thing for Couch. Hakim also throws the best option pass of any receiver in football. I still think the Browns must spend their first-round pick and one significant free-agent signing on offensive linemen.

How can the Ravens possibly consider re-signing Elvis Grbac? With all of their offensive woes, not to mention the new division alignment, wouldn't they be better off with an upgraded offensive line and a more mobile quarterback?
--Will Lipes (a puzzled Ravens fan), Cambridge, Md.

Dear Puzzled: We are all puzzled. Our puzzlers are sore from all the puzzling. The real answer is the Ravens are in cap jail right now, and whether they fire Grbac this offseason or employ him as quarterback for 16 starts next season, they'll be charged $4 million on the cap in 2002 for him. So coach Brian Billick is going to work hard with Grbac this offseason to make sure he's more of an efficient player in the fall. Grbac might be the classic case of a guy whose confidence was shot in December and built back up by July.

I've got three questions and a comment for you. 1) Why is everyone giving Elvis Grbac so much crap when he didn't have Jamal Lewis to help him? Granted, Grbac didn't do that great of a job, but in 2000, Trent Dilfer wasn't asked to do as much as Grbac was this season.

2) Damn you, King, you almost made me cry. What a great, sad story about Woody. I didn't even know the dog and I miss him.

3) I love the show Sports Night. You're an Aaron Sorkin fan, what did you think of the show?

4) Any chance my Bucs will get someone good now that they've messed up with Dungy?
--Trevor El Cerrito, Calif.

One: Grbac stunk this year. I can't defend him, except to say he deserves one more chance to see if he can make things right with his teammates. Two: Thanks. So many people have been so nice about Woody in the past week I haven't known what to say. Three: I liked Sports Night. Didn't love it. Don't know why. It just never hit me perfectly, the way it did you and some others. Maybe because I thought some of it was pretty unrealistic. Four: I'm clueless on Bucs. Stay tuned.

I'm 30 years old and have been a Dolphins fan since the '81 playoff game against the Chargers. I'm tired of my beloved Fins being a "good" team. Are we at the point where we must take a step backward before we can take a step forward to reach the Super Bowl? Also, I haven't heard anything about Cade McNown this year. Is he an option as Miami's starting QB next season or is he destined to be another first-round bust like Ryan Leaf?
--Tony Reicker Sussex Corner, Canada

Tell me which backward steps to take. Jay Fiedler? If you can him, you've got to have a good kid in mind for the future. It's not McNown, from my information, because he's too inaccurate. I say Miami should do what Cleveland will be doing this offseason: Invest heavily in the offensive line.

Peter, how fitting would it be for future Hall of Famer Rod Woodson (a likely cap casualty in Baltimore) to finish up where he started -- in the Black and Gold?
--Tony Aldridge, Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

I'd be surprised if the Men of Steel, with Jason Gildon and Earl Holmes and Amos Zereoue and Joey Porter and Deshea Townsend on the free-agent market, would step out to sign Woodson. The Steelers have not been an emotional organization about free agents who have flown the coop.

What's with the Saints putting Willie Roaf and Jeff Blake on the expansion list? Roaf may be getting old, but he's still the best offensive lineman they have. And I really don't like them giving away a talented backup like Blake. Who's going to step in if Aaron Brooks falters or gets injured? The Saints appear to be going nowhere fast.
--Tom Yancey, New Orleans

I hear Roaf may retire, anyway. And if they can save money by dumping Blake, that would help a team hurting on the salary cap next year. If I'm Houston, I'd take Blake in a second, play him this year and groom David Carr as quarterback of the future.

Any word on Jeff George? Do you think that he will play football again or is he done?
--Brad, Evansville, Ind.

Jeff George is trying to get into someone's training camp next season. His agent, Leigh Steinberg, is floating the story that George would love to play for Spurrier in Washington. Well, so would I. But I don't think that's going to happen. Me, I mean. Or him.

Sports Illustrated senior writer Peter King covers the NFL beat for the magazine and appears regularly on CNN/Sports Illustrated and CNN's NFL Preview. Click here to send a question to his mailbag.

 

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