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• Even before the NFL's latest off-field public relations problems, like the shenanigans of Tennessee cornerback Pacman Jones and the DUI arrest of Indianapolis tailback Dominic Rhodes this week, it was obvious that addressing player conduct was a top priority for first-year commissioner Roger Goodell. But those who met with Goodell here this week at the outset of the league's scouting combine are even more convinced than ever that Goodell is hell-bent on confronting player conduct issues and, where possible, adding some real teeth to the policies. In that regard, it seems Goodell has a key ally in the NFL Players Association, which seems to realize the league has suffered too many hits from the actions of a few irresponsible players.
• Don't be surprised if in the next week or so the Pittsburgh Steelers release Pro Bowl linebacker Joey Porter. Porter's productivity tailed off considerably in 2006, and his contract status could become a problem. Porter is due a $1 million roster bonus on March 6, and his scheduled base salary for 2007, the final season of his current deal, is $4 million. Porter made some noise last summer about sitting out training camp in an effort to elicit a new contract from the Steelers but backed off those threats on the advice of then-coach Bill Cowher. Word around the league is that Porter, whose forte has always been his explosive quickness coming off the edge, has lost a half-step.
"He isn't the same guy," said one rival AFC North coach this week. "He's not a guy anymore where you say, 'OK, I have to game-plan around him.' It'll be interesting to see what [the Steelers] do with him. More than the money, it's an issue of his performance really tailing off."
First-year coach Mike Tomlin retained Dick LeBeau as his defensive coordinator, so the guess is that Pittsburgh will deploy a 3-4 front again in 2007. But long term, the suspicion is that Tomlin wants to transition to a Cover 2-type of scheme and a 4-3 front. And Porter, a hybrid-type player, certainly is not a good fit for that combination.
• Because of a quirk in his contract, Atlanta defensive end Patrick Kerney was able to avoid being designated as a franchise player this week and, in a diluted pool of free agents, could now be one of the top unrestricted veterans available. Having reached certain performance thresholds in his contract, Kerney had the right to void the final two years of his deal and become a free agent. But he did not have to exercise his option to void those last two years, at base salaries of $6.71 million for 2007 and $7.19 million for 2008, until Friday. Why was that important? Because the deadline for teams to designate franchise players was Thursday. League rules prohibit clubs from using the franchise designation on players who are still under contract for the future, so the Falcons could not apply the tag on Kerney, although they may not have used it anyway.
By waiting until Friday to opt out of his deal, Kerney in essence assured himself of being an unrestricted free agent unless he re-ups with Atlanta before the leaguewide signing period commences on March 2. Kerney has some negatives -- he is 30 and coming off a 2006 season in which a torn pectoral muscle limited him to nine games and 4½ sacks -- but should still generate significant interest from multiple suitors. Three defensive ends -- Justin Smith (Cincinnati), Charles Grant (New Orleans) and Dwight Freeney (Indianapolis) -- were designated franchise players by their respective teams. So that takes most of the bite out of the defensive end market in free agency. Kerney has 58 career sacks, is a blue-collar worker who plays the run well and is a solid guy to have in the locker room. Denver, where former Atlanta defensive line coach Bill Johnson is now working, could pay him a lot of money. And one reason is that Kerney's contract was crafted in a way that permitted him to venture into the open market in a year when the free-agent bounty is even thinner than usual.
• Jeff Garcia likely would prefer to not return to Philadelphia, where he would again work in Donovan McNabb's shadow. But that is a possibility, given that there aren't quite as many teams interested in Garcia as an unrestricted free agent as some suspected there might be. Sources said that the Chicago Bears, who some felt might look to Garcia as a replacement for Rex Grossman and the final piece of the team's puzzle, have no interest at all. Same for Minnesota, where the Vikings might want to sign a transitional-type quarterback to buy them some time to develop youngster Tarvaris Jackson. Tampa Bay is still a possible landing spot for Garcia, but it seems the odds that he could return to Philadelphia for another year have actually been enhanced.
• Give New York Jets coach Eric Mangini some props for eyeballing the future with the recent addition of Brian Daboll to his staff. Daboll was the wide receivers assistant in New England, and some of his duties in New York might overlap with the responsibilities of guys already on the Jets' staff, but it's still a good move. Why? Because a lot of people around the NFL feel that Daboll is going to be a top-flight offensive coordinator in the not-too-distant future. New York already has an outstanding young O-coordinator on staff, Brian Schottenheimer, but his name came up with head coach vacancies this year, and it's only a matter of time until the Jets lose him. Securing the services of Daboll now should enable the Jets to groom him as Schottenheimer's eventual replacement.
The last word: "Some people motivate through fear. To me, fear is not a good long-term motivator. I think you motivate true professionals through teaching, so that's my approach. Charismatic leadership or motivation, fear motivation or teaching? I tend to focus more on teaching. I'm not here to entertain them or to try to win them over immediately with glitz and glamour. That's short-lived." -- Pittsburgh Steelers' first-year coach Mike Tomlin.
Len Pasquarelli is a senior writer at ESPN.com.
LINK
• Even before the NFL's latest off-field public relations problems, like the shenanigans of Tennessee cornerback Pacman Jones and the DUI arrest of Indianapolis tailback Dominic Rhodes this week, it was obvious that addressing player conduct was a top priority for first-year commissioner Roger Goodell. But those who met with Goodell here this week at the outset of the league's scouting combine are even more convinced than ever that Goodell is hell-bent on confronting player conduct issues and, where possible, adding some real teeth to the policies. In that regard, it seems Goodell has a key ally in the NFL Players Association, which seems to realize the league has suffered too many hits from the actions of a few irresponsible players.
• Don't be surprised if in the next week or so the Pittsburgh Steelers release Pro Bowl linebacker Joey Porter. Porter's productivity tailed off considerably in 2006, and his contract status could become a problem. Porter is due a $1 million roster bonus on March 6, and his scheduled base salary for 2007, the final season of his current deal, is $4 million. Porter made some noise last summer about sitting out training camp in an effort to elicit a new contract from the Steelers but backed off those threats on the advice of then-coach Bill Cowher. Word around the league is that Porter, whose forte has always been his explosive quickness coming off the edge, has lost a half-step.
"He isn't the same guy," said one rival AFC North coach this week. "He's not a guy anymore where you say, 'OK, I have to game-plan around him.' It'll be interesting to see what [the Steelers] do with him. More than the money, it's an issue of his performance really tailing off."
First-year coach Mike Tomlin retained Dick LeBeau as his defensive coordinator, so the guess is that Pittsburgh will deploy a 3-4 front again in 2007. But long term, the suspicion is that Tomlin wants to transition to a Cover 2-type of scheme and a 4-3 front. And Porter, a hybrid-type player, certainly is not a good fit for that combination.
• Because of a quirk in his contract, Atlanta defensive end Patrick Kerney was able to avoid being designated as a franchise player this week and, in a diluted pool of free agents, could now be one of the top unrestricted veterans available. Having reached certain performance thresholds in his contract, Kerney had the right to void the final two years of his deal and become a free agent. But he did not have to exercise his option to void those last two years, at base salaries of $6.71 million for 2007 and $7.19 million for 2008, until Friday. Why was that important? Because the deadline for teams to designate franchise players was Thursday. League rules prohibit clubs from using the franchise designation on players who are still under contract for the future, so the Falcons could not apply the tag on Kerney, although they may not have used it anyway.
By waiting until Friday to opt out of his deal, Kerney in essence assured himself of being an unrestricted free agent unless he re-ups with Atlanta before the leaguewide signing period commences on March 2. Kerney has some negatives -- he is 30 and coming off a 2006 season in which a torn pectoral muscle limited him to nine games and 4½ sacks -- but should still generate significant interest from multiple suitors. Three defensive ends -- Justin Smith (Cincinnati), Charles Grant (New Orleans) and Dwight Freeney (Indianapolis) -- were designated franchise players by their respective teams. So that takes most of the bite out of the defensive end market in free agency. Kerney has 58 career sacks, is a blue-collar worker who plays the run well and is a solid guy to have in the locker room. Denver, where former Atlanta defensive line coach Bill Johnson is now working, could pay him a lot of money. And one reason is that Kerney's contract was crafted in a way that permitted him to venture into the open market in a year when the free-agent bounty is even thinner than usual.
• Jeff Garcia likely would prefer to not return to Philadelphia, where he would again work in Donovan McNabb's shadow. But that is a possibility, given that there aren't quite as many teams interested in Garcia as an unrestricted free agent as some suspected there might be. Sources said that the Chicago Bears, who some felt might look to Garcia as a replacement for Rex Grossman and the final piece of the team's puzzle, have no interest at all. Same for Minnesota, where the Vikings might want to sign a transitional-type quarterback to buy them some time to develop youngster Tarvaris Jackson. Tampa Bay is still a possible landing spot for Garcia, but it seems the odds that he could return to Philadelphia for another year have actually been enhanced.
• Give New York Jets coach Eric Mangini some props for eyeballing the future with the recent addition of Brian Daboll to his staff. Daboll was the wide receivers assistant in New England, and some of his duties in New York might overlap with the responsibilities of guys already on the Jets' staff, but it's still a good move. Why? Because a lot of people around the NFL feel that Daboll is going to be a top-flight offensive coordinator in the not-too-distant future. New York already has an outstanding young O-coordinator on staff, Brian Schottenheimer, but his name came up with head coach vacancies this year, and it's only a matter of time until the Jets lose him. Securing the services of Daboll now should enable the Jets to groom him as Schottenheimer's eventual replacement.
The last word: "Some people motivate through fear. To me, fear is not a good long-term motivator. I think you motivate true professionals through teaching, so that's my approach. Charismatic leadership or motivation, fear motivation or teaching? I tend to focus more on teaching. I'm not here to entertain them or to try to win them over immediately with glitz and glamour. That's short-lived." -- Pittsburgh Steelers' first-year coach Mike Tomlin.
Len Pasquarelli is a senior writer at ESPN.com.
LINK