Green Bay Update
by Jeff Ash, jeffash@netnet.net
Tuesday, March 6, 2001
"Offseason update, Tuesday 3/6"
Greetings from Green Bay on a blustery, overcast day with the wind chill
staying just above zero:
-- The Packers got down to the $67.4 million salary cap on Thursday, and the
moves weren't as painful as expected. However, there's almost no money
available for free-agent shopping, so forget about any big names. The
Packers have only $700,000 available under the cap, according to John
Clayton of ESPN.com
When you see 2 sets of contract figures below, here's why: Extra years are
added to contracts, with unrealistic salaries, to allow signing bonuses to
be prorated over a longer period, up to 6 years.
-- Over the past month, the Packers re-signed or reworked the contracts of
QB Brett Favre (10 years, $101.5 million; realistically 6 years, $51.5
million, $11 million signing bonus), FS Darren Sharper (6 years, $30
million, $7 million signing bonus) and K Ryan Longwell (5 years, $7.5
million, tops in the NFL among kickers, $2 million signing bonus).
Favre's deal isn't particularly cap-friendly after this year, but the
Packers expect to get at least $23 million a year in extra revenue when the
renovated Lambeau Field is finished that year. New money will start coming
in next year, after the new skyboxes and 3,000 extra seats are done. Favre
counts $4.7 million against the cap this year, then $9.7 million next year,
$10.3 million in 2003 and more than $10 million a year every year
thereafter. Counting bonuses, he'll make $16.2 million in the next 2 years.
Favre's base salaries start at the minimum of $477,000 this year and rise to
$7 million in 2006, the last realistic year of the deal. After that, it's
$11 million in 2007, rising by $1 million each year to 2010. If Favre is
still playing in 2007, at 37, they'll have to redo the contract.
-- RB Dorsey Levens and C Frank Winters took deep pay cuts to stay with the
Packers, who would have cut them both had they not done so. Levens' deal: 3
years, $10 million; realistically, 2 years, $3.9 million. He will share time
with Ahman Green. Winters redid only this year's pay, taking less than half
of the $1.5 million he was to receive; nothing was done to the last 2 years
of his contract. The Packers say Mike Flanagan will start at C. We shall
see. If Winters becomes a backup, he may work as the long snapper, leaving
no room for Rob Davis.
-- Look for RT Earl Dotson to be re-signed soon, also accepting a deep pay
cut. Dotson was cut because of a quirk in the NFL's collective bargaining
agreement, but isn't interested in playing anywhere but Green Bay. Because
Dotson started playing before 1994 and never had a contract expire, the
Packers couldn't cut his pay by more than 30 percent of what he made in his
1st year. That was about $50,000, far from enough of a cut.
-- The Packers would like to keep their 3 other unrestricted free agents --
TE Tyrone Davis, LS Rob Davis and LB Mike Morton -- if the price is right.
Tyrone Davis is expected to shop around, and the Packers want him to lose 20
to 25 pounds if he returns. He was at 277 at the end of last season.
-- The Packers also will hold onto all of their restricted free agents,
having made qualifying offers to RB Ahman Green, WR Corey Bradford, S Scott
McGarrahan, KR Allen Rossum and T Mike Wahle to keep the right of 1st
refusal to any offers they might get.
-- Gone from the Packers are QB Matt Hasselbeck (traded to the Seahawks), LB
Brian Williams (released after flunking his physical because of his bad
right knee, and made expendable by Nate Wayne's play) and S Gary Berry
(retired after his spinal injury).
-- Look for LG Ross Verba, QB Danny Wuerffel and TE Ryan Wetnight to be
gone, too. The Packers can't afford Verba, who hopes get at least $3 million
a year and a signing bonus of $5 million, but faces a soft market because
lots of teams are close to the cap. With Verba gone, look for Mike Wahle to
be tried at LG. If Dotson is able to play at RT, Mark Tauscher could move to
LG. The Packers don't want Wuerffel or Wetnight.
-- About that Hasselbeck trade: The Packers got the Seahawks' 1st-round pick
(the 10th overall) and their 3rd-round pick, giving up Hasselbeck and their
1st-round pick (17th overall). Hasselbeck will be the Seahawks' starter. The
Dolphins also wanted Hasselbeck, but the Packers passed on their offer of
their 1st-round pick (26th overall) and a switch of 2nd-round picks that
would have dropped the Packers to 56th overall from 47th overall.
The deal strengthens the Packers' hand in the April 21-22 draft. GM Ron Wolf
and coach Mike Sherman are thrilled to be able to fill a crucial need by
drafting a DL or WR with a top-10 pick. The Packers have 5 picks in the 1st
3 rounds: a 1st (No. 10 overall), a 2nd (No. 47) and 3 3rds (Nos. 72, 80 and
82). All should bring help.
Look for the Packers to find a No. 2 QB in free agency and to draft a QB.
They've also signed QB Henry Burris, a mobile, strong-armed project who may
be the No. 3 guy this season. He's 25, 6-1, 190 out of Temple. He played in
the CFL for 4 seasons, but was a starter only last year at Saskatchewan,
going 308 of 576 passing for 4,647 yards, 30 TDs and 25 interceptions.
Burris never been with an NFL team, but worked out for at least 14 teams
this year. He gets a 3-year, $896,000 deal with a $25,000 signing bonus.
-- Also new to the Packers is WR Steve Vagedes, who is 24, 6-1, 200, out of
Ohio Northern. He was in the Falcons' camp last year.
-- Back with the Packers are S Gana Joseph (23, 6-0, 212, Oklahoma, FB Chris
Gall (24, 6-0, 235, Indiana) and C Tom Schau (25, 6-5, 290, Illinois). All 3
have either been in camp with the Packers or on the practice squad.
-- Off to NFL Europe are Vagedes, Joseph, WR Kenny Coutain, TE Adam Newman,
S Warner Herndon and LB London Dunlap. All 6 are practice squad-level
players. The Packers figured RB Herbert Goodman, LB Eugene McCaslin and G
Richard Mercier would develop faster by staying in the Packers' offseason
workout program and attending minicamps. By sending these 6 players to NFL
Europe, the Packers will be allowed to have 87 players on the roster when
training camp opens on July 28. They get a double exemption for Coutain
because he spent almost all of last season on the practice squad.
-- The Packers' 1st minicamp and offseason workout program begins March 19.
Players are paid if they work out at least 4 times a week.
-- Medical update: RG Marco Rivera had surgery last month to repair torn
ligaments in his left thumb. He was hurt in the season finale against the
Bucs. ... DE John Thierry has had arthroscopic surgeries on both shoulders,
and still may have it on his left knee.
-- Though they need defensive linemen, the Packers have no interest in NT
Gilbert Brown, who still lives in the Green Bay area. A quote from pro
personnel director Reggie McKenzie: "The issue still is his weight. We don't
see that as being any different. The fact that nothing materialized and he
sat out and did nothing last year."
-- McKenzie's assistants are scouting the XFL, keeping an eye on any players
who might be worth signing after that season ends April 21.
-- New to the Packers' staff is Brad Miller, the defensive assistant for
quality control. He helps break down film and does some coaching. He's 37, a
California native who spent the last 5 years as the assistant head coach and
defensive coordinator of the CFL's Edmonton Eskimos. He replaces Billy
Davis, who became the Falcons' LB coach.
-- Gone from the Packers' staff is Trent Miles, the offensive assistant for
quality control. He'll be WR coach at Stanford. He spent only a year in the
NFL, having spent the previous 13 years at colleges.
-- For what it's worth, WR Antonio Freeman won an ESPY Award for most
spectacular play of the year, the game-winning TD against the Vikings on
Monday night.
-- The Packers spent $55.72 million on players' salaries and bonuses,
2nd-last in the NFL, last season. Only the Cardinals spent less, $55.30
million. In 1999, the Packers led the league by spending $77.4 million.
-- Al Treml, 64, who has managed the Packers' game and practice film and
video operation part-time since 1964 and full-time since 1967, is retiring.
He's one of the best in the NFL and will still work on game days. His
assistant, Bob Eckberg, will take over.
-- Lambeau Field update: They've torn down the concourse walls, restrooms
and turnstiles on the east side of the stadium, and will do the same on the
west side. ... Within a month, they'll start digging up the east side for
the new offices and the Titletown atrium. Look for the structural steel to
start going up in June. ... If you go to Lambeau Field this season, expect
some inconveniences. More than a third of the restrooms are being torn down,
so look for portable restrooms. ... Entrance to some gates will be via
fenced walkways through the construction areas. ... Construction work is
taking up 2,000 parking spaces at the stadium, roughly half of those
available, so those tailgate parties will have to go elsewhere. ... *NSYNC
is scheduled to play at Lambeau Field on June 26, but it's far from a done
deal. The last concert at Lambeau Field was by Survivor, in July 1985. ...
Then there are the 2 guys selling Pack Rats, green and gold stuffed soft
toys, with part of the proceeds supposedly set aside to help pay for the
stadium renovation. If you gotta have one, more details are at
thepackrats.com
-- Retired LB Johnny Holland and the late Ray Scott, the Packers' longtime
TV voice, will go into the Packer Hall of Fame this summer. The induction
ceremonies are July 13 in Green Bay.
-- Update on old friends: DE Reggie White retired again, this time from the
Panthers. This time, it's for good, he insists. ... Lance Lopes, who last
year fell out of the Packers' good graces during the drive for the push for
the Lambeau Field renovation, has joined the Seahawks as team counsel, the
same job he had in Green Bay.
-- If you're a training camp buff, better get to Platteville this summer.
It'll be the Bears' last training camp there after 18 years. They're moving
camp back to Illinois in 2002.
That's it. As always, your questions and comments are welcome at:
jeffash@new.rr.com
Adventures with Evan: He had a rare treat last week, with Dad home almost
every night and off on the weekend. (A mixed blessing for Dad, whose daily
routine was turned upside down by daytime computer training at the paper.)
Anyhow, we spent Saturday afternoon wandering around the Amish settlement
near Bonduel, about a half-hour west of Green Bay, as Janet did research for
a free-lance writing pitch. On Saturday night, we went to family night at
the Y, where he ran all over the gym floor, practicing baseball, hockey and
tumbling. When we left as the Y closed at 8 p.m., Evan said "Whew! I had a
big day! And a big night!" On Sunday, we were off to Milwaukee to celebrate
Grandma's birthday. Another big day. Evan loves the children's area at
Barnes and Noble, which had a train set to play with and lots of books to
inspect. ... Evan badly wants to go play at a park, but most of the
equipment is still under 3 to 6 inches of ice and crusty snow. ... A new
adventure starts next week for all of us. Janet begins a new job as an
editor at a Green Bay company that manages e-mail lists and is sort of a
trade magazine for that e-business. It's a day job, so Evan will be going to
after-school care a couple of days a week. He's looking forward to riding
the bus to the center.
This week's soundtrack: While I'm listening to KPIG radio out of Freedom,
Calif. (http://www.kpig.com/menu.htm), I would be remiss if I failed to
mention that the Happy Schnapps Combo, which recorded the classic "The Bears
Still Suck Polka" and other delightful tunes, has broken up. Retired,
actually.
This week's sources: Green Bay Press-Gazette (http://www.packersnews.com),
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (http://www.jsonline.com/packer/news/), Packers
(http://www.packers.com) and ESPN (http://football.espn.go.com/nfl/index)
web pages. Check the Packers' current roster at
packers.com
-- If you wish to show your appreciation for these Packers updates,
volunteer or make a donation to the charity of your choice. 'Tis the season
for that, you know.
Thanks as always to Janet for saving the papers and to Scott for providing
the mail service and the web space on South End Zone.
Thanks, Jeff
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