Post by highjumper on Aug 19, 2005 13:48:50 GMT -5
49ers plan to make Smith earn his job
John Czarnecki / FOXSports.com
Posted: 1 hour ago
The kid may not start right away, but everyone's first impression of No. 1 pick Alex Smith is that he's d**n mature for someone only 21 years old.
In his first preseason game, 49ers coach Mike Nolan started Smith behind a collection of non-starters and question-mark players. San Francisco's starting left tackle was a rookie, and he was the second-team tight end at Virginia last season. And one of his hands was bandaged to resemble a club.
The Raiders rudely welcomed No. 1 overall pick Alex Smith to the NFL, but 49ers coach Mike Nolan is impressed by Smith's upbeat style. (Marcio Jose Sanchez / Associated Press)
The Raiders couldn't believe that Nolan would risk his prized possession with such inexperienced NFL blockers.
"I never once thought of that," Nolan said of protecting Smith. "I wanted to see how he and everyone else would compete. He had kind of a rough night, but what I loved about him is that his attitude never changed one bit. He remained positive and upbeat. His job won't be the easiest, but he also knows that he needs to learn quite a bit."
There is no question that Nolan and the 49ers believe they picked the right player to lead them to the next level in Smith. However, Nolan won't simply hand the starting job to him. The kid has to earn it.
"It wouldn't be fair to Tim (Rattay) or the other guys if they did something like that," Smith told me. "He's a d**n good quarterback and he's played in the NFL. Everyone is working hard to win this job. You simply can't turn around and simply give it to me."
Nolan has his fingers crossed on Smith being the opening-day starter against the St. Louis Rams, but he says he'll play the best quarterback coming out of camp. Smith's contract (really, $24 million over four years) and his first-pick status doesn't guarantee him anything.
Smith, who bought a home in Los Gatos, said going pro has been a whirlwind experience ever since he led Utah to a 13-0 season. "I took a couple weeks off prior to camp, laying around and being with the family," he said. "I did some (deepwater) fishing and played some golf, but really it seems like I've been preparing for this season ever since I declared for the draft in February.
"A lot has been happening and everyone tells me how long the season is, especially for a rookie," Smith said. "But I'm looking forward to everything. It felt good to get hit again. I didn't mind one bit."
Brady is fine
The world champion New England Patriots play the Saints tonight on FOX's preseason national telecast and fans everywhere should know that quarterback Tom Brady, who didn't play in last week's opener, will start and that his throwing elbow is fine. A lot has been made of Brady not throwing every day in training camp, but Coach Bill Belichick really wants to see if rookie Matt Cassell deserves a spot on his roster and whether or not Doug Flutie can be a quality backup at age 42.
Belichick knows what Brady can do and sees no reason for his quarterback to throw every day in camp and handle most of the drills. It's also a precautionary attitude, considering how much Brady throws during the season, especially ones that go deep into the playoffs.
There is a good chance that both teams will play their starters into the second quarter, although it is unlikely many will play after halftime.
T.O. SOLUTIONS?
When the Eagles signed Terrell Owens more than a year ago, they were preparing for something outrageous, that's why they placed so much of his money into an option and roster bonus for the 2006 year. They owe him $5 million sometime next March, and if they elect to hang onto Owens (fat chance now), then they'd be on the hook for a $2.5 million roster bonus in September. This is why everyone is writing he has a $7.5 million bonus next year.
There is one school of thought that if the Eagles really wanted to keep Owens for the long haul after their Super Bowl loss, they simply could have guaranteed next year's bonus money. He would have felt wanted and he would have known where he stood. If they didn't want to give him such a skill guarantee, they could have purchased $5 million worth of insurance in case he got hurt this season. It would have protected Owens in case he suffered a career-ending injury this season while not messing with the Eagles' salary cap.
The other radical school of thought is that Owens really didn't want that bonus money, that he wanted to act like a nut and force his way out of Philadelphia, guaranteeing himself unrestricted status in 2006. He was simply hoping his freedom would come now instead of later.
"What is interesting in all this is that we've made deals with Drew (Rosenhaus) this year and in the past," said a Giants' official today. "He's generally a deal maker. They may be high, but he wants to get deals done. I don't think even Drew can control Owens these days."
Receiver Plaxico Burress and linebacker Antonio Pierce are two of Rosenhaus's clients on the Giants. Both signed as free agents this off-season.
"We got a deal done in a matter of days," Pierce said. "That's why he has so many clients. Look, he got money for Mike McKenzie (a cornerback headache in Green Bay, but now happy in New Orleans) and he just got Dan Morgan an extension in Carolina."
After watching two practices with the Raiders, Randy Moss dropped a couple passes, but I never witnessed him doing 10 push-ups as a form of personal punishment like was written in a recent national publication.
Chargers head coach Marty Schottenheimer doesn't allow his assistants to speak to the media during training camp, and he has two coordinators, Wade Phillips and Cam Cameron, who want to be NFL head coaches.
With the loss of QB Rex Grossman, the Bears probably will slip below Minnesota and Detroit in the NFC North. Of course, Joey Harrington has to continue throwing like he did in his first preseason game.
There is no doubt that ex-baseball player Drew Henson, once a star at Michigan, has regressed with the Cowboys and is definitely third string behind Tony Romo in Dallas.
With all the mess in Philadelphia, the Carolina Panthers could end up receiving the majority of the media's Super Bowl attention.
John Czarnecki / FOXSports.com
Posted: 1 hour ago
The kid may not start right away, but everyone's first impression of No. 1 pick Alex Smith is that he's d**n mature for someone only 21 years old.
In his first preseason game, 49ers coach Mike Nolan started Smith behind a collection of non-starters and question-mark players. San Francisco's starting left tackle was a rookie, and he was the second-team tight end at Virginia last season. And one of his hands was bandaged to resemble a club.
The Raiders rudely welcomed No. 1 overall pick Alex Smith to the NFL, but 49ers coach Mike Nolan is impressed by Smith's upbeat style. (Marcio Jose Sanchez / Associated Press)
The Raiders couldn't believe that Nolan would risk his prized possession with such inexperienced NFL blockers.
"I never once thought of that," Nolan said of protecting Smith. "I wanted to see how he and everyone else would compete. He had kind of a rough night, but what I loved about him is that his attitude never changed one bit. He remained positive and upbeat. His job won't be the easiest, but he also knows that he needs to learn quite a bit."
There is no question that Nolan and the 49ers believe they picked the right player to lead them to the next level in Smith. However, Nolan won't simply hand the starting job to him. The kid has to earn it.
"It wouldn't be fair to Tim (Rattay) or the other guys if they did something like that," Smith told me. "He's a d**n good quarterback and he's played in the NFL. Everyone is working hard to win this job. You simply can't turn around and simply give it to me."
Nolan has his fingers crossed on Smith being the opening-day starter against the St. Louis Rams, but he says he'll play the best quarterback coming out of camp. Smith's contract (really, $24 million over four years) and his first-pick status doesn't guarantee him anything.
Smith, who bought a home in Los Gatos, said going pro has been a whirlwind experience ever since he led Utah to a 13-0 season. "I took a couple weeks off prior to camp, laying around and being with the family," he said. "I did some (deepwater) fishing and played some golf, but really it seems like I've been preparing for this season ever since I declared for the draft in February.
"A lot has been happening and everyone tells me how long the season is, especially for a rookie," Smith said. "But I'm looking forward to everything. It felt good to get hit again. I didn't mind one bit."
Brady is fine
The world champion New England Patriots play the Saints tonight on FOX's preseason national telecast and fans everywhere should know that quarterback Tom Brady, who didn't play in last week's opener, will start and that his throwing elbow is fine. A lot has been made of Brady not throwing every day in training camp, but Coach Bill Belichick really wants to see if rookie Matt Cassell deserves a spot on his roster and whether or not Doug Flutie can be a quality backup at age 42.
Belichick knows what Brady can do and sees no reason for his quarterback to throw every day in camp and handle most of the drills. It's also a precautionary attitude, considering how much Brady throws during the season, especially ones that go deep into the playoffs.
There is a good chance that both teams will play their starters into the second quarter, although it is unlikely many will play after halftime.
T.O. SOLUTIONS?
When the Eagles signed Terrell Owens more than a year ago, they were preparing for something outrageous, that's why they placed so much of his money into an option and roster bonus for the 2006 year. They owe him $5 million sometime next March, and if they elect to hang onto Owens (fat chance now), then they'd be on the hook for a $2.5 million roster bonus in September. This is why everyone is writing he has a $7.5 million bonus next year.
There is one school of thought that if the Eagles really wanted to keep Owens for the long haul after their Super Bowl loss, they simply could have guaranteed next year's bonus money. He would have felt wanted and he would have known where he stood. If they didn't want to give him such a skill guarantee, they could have purchased $5 million worth of insurance in case he got hurt this season. It would have protected Owens in case he suffered a career-ending injury this season while not messing with the Eagles' salary cap.
The other radical school of thought is that Owens really didn't want that bonus money, that he wanted to act like a nut and force his way out of Philadelphia, guaranteeing himself unrestricted status in 2006. He was simply hoping his freedom would come now instead of later.
"What is interesting in all this is that we've made deals with Drew (Rosenhaus) this year and in the past," said a Giants' official today. "He's generally a deal maker. They may be high, but he wants to get deals done. I don't think even Drew can control Owens these days."
Receiver Plaxico Burress and linebacker Antonio Pierce are two of Rosenhaus's clients on the Giants. Both signed as free agents this off-season.
"We got a deal done in a matter of days," Pierce said. "That's why he has so many clients. Look, he got money for Mike McKenzie (a cornerback headache in Green Bay, but now happy in New Orleans) and he just got Dan Morgan an extension in Carolina."
After watching two practices with the Raiders, Randy Moss dropped a couple passes, but I never witnessed him doing 10 push-ups as a form of personal punishment like was written in a recent national publication.
Chargers head coach Marty Schottenheimer doesn't allow his assistants to speak to the media during training camp, and he has two coordinators, Wade Phillips and Cam Cameron, who want to be NFL head coaches.
With the loss of QB Rex Grossman, the Bears probably will slip below Minnesota and Detroit in the NFC North. Of course, Joey Harrington has to continue throwing like he did in his first preseason game.
There is no doubt that ex-baseball player Drew Henson, once a star at Michigan, has regressed with the Cowboys and is definitely third string behind Tony Romo in Dallas.
With all the mess in Philadelphia, the Carolina Panthers could end up receiving the majority of the media's Super Bowl attention.
