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Email Update 6/18/02 Volume 3 Issue # 4
IN THIS ISSUE
1. Drinen Player Reviews
2. Strategic Teaming Agreement with TwoMinuteWarning.com
3. Vick to work with Steve Young
4. Foster returns to Panthers practice
5. Chandler reaching comfort zone
6. Injury Law
7. Quote of the Day
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Doug Drinen is at it again. Five more player reviews are now complete
(Marty Booker, Terry Glenn, Keenan McCardell, Fred Taylor and Anthony
Thomas). Twenty reviews are posted on the site with many more to
follow.
Drinen Player Reviews
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Footballguys.com is pleased to announce a strategic teaming agreement
with Two Minute Warning
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Vick to work next month with retired 49ers QB
Clipped from article by Atlanta Journal-Constitution writer Matt
Winkeljohn
Flowery Branch -- Michael Vick grew up idolizing Steve Young. Now the
Falcons' starting quarterback will be getting a few pointers from
him.
Young, a likely future Hall of Fame quarterback, will attend the
Falcons' mandatory minicamp next month to work with Vick, according
to Falcons coach Dan Reeves.
"He knew we wanted him, and it was just a matter of him finding the
time to come here," Reeves said Monday.
Vick, who turns 22 Saturday, is in many ways like the former San
Francisco star. Both are left-handed quarterbacks with a penchant for
running. Vick has said he idolized Young while growing up, and Young
even gave Vick a call before last season.
Young, a two-time NFL Most Valuable Player who retired after the 1999
season, is tentatively scheduled to work with Vick July 10-12.
[[[[[[[[[[[[[ OUR VIEW ]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]
It's very encouraging that a player as talented as Michael Vick
is willing to improve, and a running QB could certainly do worse than
idolizing Steve Young. However (as FlaG8r pointed out at
Footballguystalk.com), there is not a long line of great
coaches that were formerly great players. Don't let this news
bolt Vick up on your QB board. Young definitely will help Vick some,
but he can't make the young QB into an All-Star in three days.
As an overview, it is interesting that after years of looking up at
Young and the 49ers in the rankings, the Falcons now look to Young to
help their franchise player.
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Foster returns to Panthers practice
Clipped from article by Gaston Gazette writer Steve Reed
As if it isn't tough enough making it as a rookie in the NFL,
Carolina Panthers running back DeShaun Foster now finds himself at an
added disadvantage after missing two weeks of practice.
Foster, the team's second-round draft pick from UCLA, returned to
work on Monday after missing the first two weeks of coaching sessions
due to an agreement between the NCAA and NFL that prohibits players
from practicing until after their college's final exam week is
complete. Because UCLA's semester didn't end until last
Friday, Foster wasn't eligible to begin working with the Panthers
untilthis week.
On Monday, he did more watching than participating.
Panthers head coach John Fox admitted that Foster is now a little
behind his teammates, but believes he will catch up soon. The
Panthers sent Foster a playbook and running backs coach Jim Skipper
has kept him abreast of the new plays being installed in the offense.
"When it's a guy like DeShaun, somebody we're counting on for
this season, (him missing time) a little bit of a setback," Fox
said. "But he's a bright young man and we were able to get the
notebook to him and he spent some time with it. He'll catch up fast
and we've ill got all of training camp."
Foster hasn't had much else to do the last two weeks. He said he
only took one class in the spring semester and didn't have any final
exams last week. So he spent his time working out and studying the
Panthers playbook.
"Because being a rookie, you want to get in there and learn the
playbook as fast as possible," said Foster, who figures to challenge
veteran Lamar Smith for the team's starting running back job this
season. "Plus, they're putting in new stuff. But they were saying
to me that it looked like I must have picked it up pretty good on my
own."
Said Fox: "I saw him this morning and he said, `Coach, I�ve
been studying,' " Fox said with a laugh. "Time will tell. He did a
good job. He's obviously spent some time, both physically and mentally
and we're pleased with where he is."
Still, Foster acknowledged it was a little aggravating knowing his
teammates were getting a jump on him. But the aggravation was made
tolerable because his college roommate, Marques Anderson, a third-
round draft pick by the Green Bay Packers this year, was in the same
boat.
"He was in the same situation," Foster said. "So it was frustrating
at times, but we kind of had each other. We just got out there and
worked out and got ready for right now."
The Panthers, who have had only one 1,000-yard rusher in seven
seasons, obviously have some big plans for Foster in the future.
Because the NCAA allows athletes to participate in one three-day
rookie minicamp after getting drafted, the Panthers were able to get
a first-hand look at Foster in April. And Fox liked what he saw then
and remains high on the former Bruin, despite his tendency to fumble.
"He's everything you're looking for," Fox said. "He's a
great combination of size, speed and quickness. He has excellent
hands, better maybe than some people realize. Physically, we've never
had any questions about him. We're glad to have him back."
[[[[[[[[[[[[[ OUR VIEW ]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]
You may have heard that Foster wasn't able to practice and began
to worry about his potential this season. While it's certainly not
good news when a rookie misses any camp time, this is pretty much a
no big deal news story. As a rule, rookies are more ready to play at
RB than at any other position.
Plus, check out the coachspeak from head coach John Fox:
"When it's a guy like DeShaun, somebody we're counting on for
this season, (him missing time {is}) a little bit of a setback,"
"He'll catch up fast and we've still got all of training camp."
"He did a good job. He's obviously spent some time, both
physically and mentally and we're pleased with where he is."
"He's everything you're looking for. He's a great
combination of size, speed and quickness. He has excellent hands, better maybe than some people realize. Physically, we've never had any questions
about him. We're glad to have him back."
Granted, John Fox is a new head coach, and we don't know if
he's fairly honest with coachspeak or if he's a Mike Shanahan clone.
However, Fox certainly doesn't sound worried about DeShaun Foster.
If he can avoid his fumbling history, and that is a big `if',
Foster will see plenty of action this year for Carolina. This late start
will not matter.
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Chandler reaching comfort zone
Clipped from article by ChicagoBears.com writer Larry Mayer
LAKE FOREST, Ill. - Chris Chandler is in the process of moving into a
new house, but there's another reason the backup quarterback is
beginning to feel more comfortable.
With starter Jim Miller still sidelined Monday as the Bears began the
second and final week of their voluntary June workouts, Chandler
continued to benefit from the increased reps and gain a better grasp
of the offense.
"For me personally, it's great. It's really what I need," said
Chandler, who signed with the Bears April 12.
"I totally can tell the difference today, mainly just in the play-
calling. You get in the huddle and the play comes out of your mouth
smoother. You're not thinking so much about it. It just comes with
time and with reps, and that's what I've been getting and it's really
good for me."
Miller is being held out of practice for precautionary reasons after
experiencing spasms and tightness in his left side during stretching
exercises before last Monday's workout.
With players reporting to training camp July 25 in Bourbonnais, the
Bears aren't taking any chances with their starting quarterback.
Miller ran before Monday's practice and reported progress.
"If it was a game week, I'd probably play," he said. "Now it's just
about being smart with it. I've been here since February, so we feel
pretty good about everything.
"I feel a lot better today than I did last week. There's still a
certain spot in there that's giving me some problems, but it's
getting better every day."
Chandler is using Miller's absence to his advantage. Last week the 36-
year old said that the key to mastering a new offense was practice,
practice, practice.
"There are little differences, but the biggest ones are just getting
to the point where you're not thinking as much," Chandler said at the
time, "even if it's just a split second when you can just call a play
and not really have to think about what you're doing.
"That's coming each time I step on the field and I'm feeling very
good about how I'm coming along."
Chandler, who spent the past five seasons with the Atlanta Falcons,
understood he'd be joining the Bears as a backup but wanted to play
for a team that had a shot at winning a championship. He has appeared
in one Super Bowl and two Pro Bowls in 14 NFL seasons.
Chandler ranked fifth in the NFC last year with an 84.1 quarterback
rating. The Falcons released him in February to make way for Michael
Vick, the No. 1 overall selection in the 2001 draft.
Chandler completed 61.1 percent of his passes for 2,847 yards with 16
TDs and 14 interceptions in 2001. He entered last October's game
against the Bears as the top-rated passer in the NFL, but threw three
interceptions before exiting with a concussion just before halftime
in a 31-3 loss.
The University of Washington product has played for the Colts (1988-
89), Buccaneers (1990-91), Cardinals (1991-93), Rams (1994), Oilers
(1995-96) and Falcons (1997-2001). He was with Tampa Bay when Bears
general manager Jerry Angelo was the organization's director of
player personnel.
The Bears view Chandler as an upgrade over Shane Matthews at backup
quarterback and are pleased with his progress.
"I think he's doing extremely well," Miller said of Chandler, his
teammate for eight weeks in Atlanta in 1997. "Chris is a guy who's
seen everything you can see. He's played for 15 years and he's
definitely an asset to this team. He's only going to make us better."
[[[[[[[[[[[[[ OUR VIEW ]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]
While Jim Miller still carries the label of starting QB in Chicago,
his injury and Chandler's increased practice time pretty much
clinches the likelihood that Miller will not start every game this
season. Reasons: When healthy, Chris Chandler has shown to be a very
good QB. When healthy, Jim Miller has shown to be an average QB.
Chandler has never been content to be a backup QB (just ask Steve
McNair). Miller is apparently content to make the team better. While
this is a noble outlook, it leaves the door open for Chandler to
barge through.
The bad news is once Chandler gets a chance to start, there's
little chance of him actually finishing the season as the top QB as
he has started all 16 games in a season exactly ZERO times in his 15
year career. Still, with WRs like Marty Booker, Marcus Robinson, and
David Terrell, a healthy Chris Chandler starting for the Bears could
be worth a spot start or two.
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Law could alter how teams report, deal with injuries
Clipped from article by ESPN.com writer Len Pasquarelli
It was supposed to be about privacy, not professional football, but
league and team officials are now casting a wary eye toward a pending
federal law that could dramatically alter how NFL franchises report
and deal with players' injuries.
Known as the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (or
HIPAA), the law was originally passed by Congress in 1996. It will be
hammered into its final configuration this summer and take effect in
April 2003. The law was designed, in effect, to increase the
protection of health-care information. It would preclude the
distribution of medical information without the consent of the
patient.
Now the NFL is concerned that it would limit the information players
share with trainers, short-circuit the regular medical updates
trainers pass on to coaches, and preclude teams from issuing weekly
injury reports. The NFL will take up the matter of HIPAA at its next
scheduled owners meeting, in late October in New York, but already
the law is making for some interesting discussion.
"It would certainly, if we followed it precisely, cause an upheaval
in the way that we do things," said Pittsburgh Steelers owner Dan
Rooney. "I don't know that they can just take a broad brush and apply
it to everyone, especially professional athletes and franchises, but
we'll have to wait and see what the final (law) looks like when
everything is said and done."
In its original form, HIPAA was supposed to force health care
providers to file claims electronically, which would have
substantially cut costs. But legislators used HIPAA as an excuse to
enact a wider-ranging privacy law, their aim to cut down on the
availability of medical reports to computer hackers.
There have been reports in recent days about how HIPAA, particularly
if applied to NFL players, could affect betting lines on league games
or force bookmakers to seek alternate means for acquiring injury
information. The league is more concerned, however, about the
financial exposure it could risk by putting an injured player -- one
who perhaps does not disclose his injury to a trainer -- on the field.
And there is the matter of competitive balance, assuming some teams
disseminate their medical information and others do not. If teams
can't accurate classify the scope of an injury, it could precipitate
all kinds of problems.
"It creates problems for us if suddenly the injury information we all
get as a matter of course is now manipulated," Cincinnati Bengals
owner Mike Brown acknowledged. "They tried to make one size fit all.
I'm sure the (congressmen) weren't thinking about the consequences
when it came to professional sports leagues."
Some league officials, several agents, and some NFL Players
Association officials feel that the current collective bargaining
agreement might already address the issue. Others feel that the CBA
might have to be altered to more directly address the ramifications
of HIPAA, depending on the its final form. The current bargaining
agreement, they suggest, might not apply to the new law.
There apparently is some chance that the league might have to ask all
its players to sign waivers that would allow injury information to be
distributed.
League spokesman Greg Aiello said the NFL is closely monitoring HIPAA
and "will be prepared to advise clubs" when the final version of the
law is fashioned.
[[[[[[[[[[[[[ OUR VIEW ]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]
Even though it won't affect the NFL until 2003 (or never knowing
the
way the professional sports can create their own sets of rules), this
provides a scary thought.
-Warning: The next line has been rated NC-17 by FootballGuys.com-
Imagine deciding between Davis, Gary, Anderson, and now Portis
without the aid of a Denver Broncos injury report. The horrors!
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Quote of the Day
"An AK-47, it speaks for itself. You had to give it up,"
- Colts DB Nicholas Harper on why he and fellow Colt Idrees Bashir
allowed Bashir's GMC Yukon Dinali to be carjacked.
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That will do it for today,
Clayton Gray.
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