Read and React: Bad catch
When we listed our top seven offseason moves in the NFL, it seems that we came up 25 short.
Fans of the teams that didn't grace the list complained en masse about our gross oversight this week. Whether it was Green Bay, Carolina, Dallas or any other team in the NFL, apparently we failed to notice that everyone in the league had a great offseason. While we don't necessarily agree with that notion, we'll concede there were a few teams that could have easily made the list. We'll let you folks decide who that should have been.
We also heard from readers about the possible extinction of NFL Europe, as hardcore fans checked in and wondered aloud why Paul Tagliabue doesn't bring the spring league back to the U.S. It sounds like there are an awful lot of fans missing the USFL days.
As we've said before, we love to hear from readers, so keep the feedback coming. And if you want to be considered for publication in this forum, include your first and last name, city and state.
To the mail …
OFFSEASON ADDITIONS ("NFL's smoothest moves," June 9, 2005)
How can you say David Terrell never had a quarterback of Tom Brady's caliber? They played together at Michigan.
Adrian K.
Honolulu, Hawaii
I was referring to Terrell's mediocre days in the NFL, not college. As someone who covered Michigan State when Brady and Terrell were chewing up the Big Ten, I remember that duo all too well.
Nick Saban as the greatest offseason pickup is laughable. He hasn't accomplished anything as an NFL head coach. I'm sure last year you thought Joe Gibbs, Bill Parcells and Tom Coughlin would return the NFC East into an NFL power division. Good pedigree? I've heard that one before: Norv Turner, Dave Wannstedt, Chan Gailey, etc. Any of these names ring a bell?
Andrew
Buffalo, N.Y.
I don't really agree with the Miami Dolphins being in playoff contention. Maybe if they start strong they will be in "contention," but they will surely fall apart in the long run. The AFC is just too talented.
James
New York, N.Y.
I am a Dolphin fan and do not share your optimism regarding Saban. It will be interesting to see your views on him in three years and even more interesting to see his power diminish in that same time span. If Jimmy Johnson couldn't win with total control in Miami, how can Saban?
George L.
New York, N.Y.
Why does everyone believe in Saban so much? The man hasn't won a single game in Miami and people think that he is the best thing that could ever happen.
Ronnie Bean
Cookeville, Tenn.
You forgot a huge offseason move. Maybe I only mention it because I'm a fan, but the Tennessee Titans' acquisition of Norm Chow was a huge step for a struggling team.
Matt
Chattanooga, Tenn.
Was there any particular reason that you totally ignored the New York Giants' signings? Hard to figure that the "Chiefs re-tooling the defense" and the Patriots "loading up on depth" is more significant than what the Giants did.
Peter
New York, N.Y.
The Giants made significant moves, but I'm not sold on Plaxico Burress being a "monster" signing. He's had one great year and underachieved plenty thus far. And his attitude is a lot like linebacker Barrett Green, who butted heads with Tom Coughlin last season. If anything, I give the Giants their highest marks for adding to the offensive line.
In addition to Saban's mystique, you forgot to mention Mike Nolan's re-tooling of the San Francisco 49ers organization in the same breath.
Christopher Dillman
Encinitas, Calif.
In a list of good offseason moves, I can't understand why the Carolina Panthers weren't included. Not only did they sign two of the biggest free agents available (Mike Wahle and Ken Lucas), but they also added some pretty good depth to their secondary.
James
Morehead, N.C.
Once again you fail to mention a "positive" thing about the Green Bay Packers. In your article about the smoothest moves this offseason, you "forgot" to mention Green Bay's hiring of Jim Bates. This move was easily one of the top-10 moves this offseason, yet nary a word comes from you.
Greg Konwinski
Alpena, Mich.
NFL EUROPE ("Offseason notebook: On the endangered list," June 10, 2005)
Why doesn't the NFL just start a developmental league here in the U.S.?
Graden Neal
East Wenatchee, Wash.
The NFL already has one: NCAA football.
NFL Europe's problem in some ways is similar to the MLS in the United States – in that many of us eccentrics who like the sport don't really care about the mediocrity on show and would rather watch the real thing. Having said that, the Scottish Claymores were a pretty successful franchise in terms of attendance, averaging a higher gate than all but three of Scotland's soccer clubs. For a tiny country where the only sport anyone cares about is soccer, that's excellent.
Jonathan Darroch
Glasgow, Scotland
Europe will never really care about the NFL, so if the NFL wants a summer league which could help further the development of young players, why not do it properly and open a farm league (like baseball) in the U.S.? They could do it in any of the thousands of mid-sized cities which can't afford an NFL team.
Brian Willard
Bethesda, Md.
I've always wondered how NFL Europe managed to stay afloat. Though it is interesting how attendance is growing – yet only in Germany. What do you think the chances are of a new USFL-type of "farm" football league?
Chris Fanning
Goleta, Calif.
As long as the college game is the No. 1 feeder for the NFL, there will never be another "farm" system that will receive the financial backing to flourish.
Has the NFL made any efforts to bring NFL Europe (previously known as the World League of American Football) back to the U.S.? There's obviously a built-in market for American-style football, but the old spring/summer leagues (WFL, USFL, WLAF, XFL) failed mainly because they had little to no financial backing.
Walt Militant
Philadelphia, Pa.
There haven't been any efforts, and there likely won't be. If the NFL is going to support a summer league that struggles with finances, it's always going to be abroad, where the financial losses can be justified as providing foreign exposure for the league.
You seem to want to scuttle NFL Europe so quick, but you said it yourself – attendance is up! Just because a sport isn't giving quick financial returns is no reason to kill it. Football (I mean "soccer") is a world sport because it grew organically. If the NFL wants NFLE to grow, it has to be patient.
Tim Young
Rawlins, Wyo.
I don't think it should be scuttled at all. I think it would be a tremendous waste to dump NFL Europe now, after a decade of patience. Considering this season's attendance growth, I think another two- to three-year contract is in order.
I'm torn about the future of NFL Europe. As a teenager I first learned to appreciate football and became a fan of the game by watching the World League in its inaugural 1991 season. Guys grinding it out for a workman's wage just because they wanted to play football impressed me far more than tracking the "storied" history of million-dollar players and skybox-funded franchises. But the juice has been out of the league since the North American contraction. Six teams, five of them in Germany, makes for a very boring and flat competitive landscape.
Jason Compton
Middleton, Wis.
