by Charles Robinson, Yahoo! Sports
December 17, 2004
Ben Roethlisberger has become the sliver in Eli Manning's foot. That is quite a role reversal from 10 months ago.
Entering the league's annual combine last February, Roethlisberger virtually disappeared into Manning's shadow. His pedigree didn't stack up, his level of college competition sagged, he lacked big-game experience, blah, blah, blah. The differences were driven between the two like a wedge, and when it was finally over, Manning ended up with the team that many thought was eyeing Roethlisberger.
Funny how things turn out.
There's little left to shed on the opposite ends of these spectrums. The successes and failures have been revisited and dissected down to a molecular level. As highly touted, first-round quarterbacks from the same draft, they'll be linked and measured against one another for eternity. Saturday will be the ultimate karma – Roethlisberger and the Pittsburgh Steelers arrive as the mast of the league, while Manning and the New York Giants scrape barnacles off the NFL's hull. For Roethlisberger, it easily could have been the other way around.
"Luckily, I don't have to think about that," Roethlisberger said of possibly being with the Giants. "I'm here and (Eli is) there and I'm enjoying being here with the Steelers. I love this organization, the coaches, the owners, the team, and I'm very thankful for what I have here.
"By no means was I disappointed in not going to the Giants. Everyone seemed to make a big deal about that, but I was just looking forward to the opportunity to play in the NFL. … I came to a great organization and a great team and I'm very happy with where I'm at now."
As he should be. While Manning has been ground to a pulp in New York, Roethlisberger's accolades have been buoyed by a defense and running game that have hovered among the NFL's elite nearly all season. He has one of the league's best receiving duos in Hines Ward and Plaxico Burress, and he has a coach that has protected him from himself by limiting him to an average of just under 21 passes per game.
All that has translated into unprecedented success, with 11 straight NFL wins (and a mind-boggling 24 dating back to Roethlisberger's senior season in college), praise from Dallas coach Bill Parcells and impressive numbers. Roethlisberger has completed 66 percent of his passes this season, with 14 touchdowns, eight interceptions and a quarterback rating of 97.6.
That's eons ahead of Manning's situation, which has been only slightly less ghastly than watching the Hindenburg burst into flames.
Thrust into the lineup at a time when starter Kurt Warner was already getting hammered behind a bad offensive line, the results have been predictable. The Giants have lost all four starts with him under center, and his numbers are the stuff of a grade-school quarterback – he's completing 38 percent of his passes and has thrown one touchdown against six interceptions. Last week against Baltimore, he registered a quarterback rating of zero.
"This is something new for me where I haven't played the way I've wanted to," Manning said. "But it's just a part of learning. It's just a part of getting a feel for this game and the NFL … learning about the defense, learning your offense.
"It's not something that can be fixed overnight where the next day you just understand everything."
That statement might be the most accurate thing Manning has thrown out this season. And he's right. It's something that won't be fixed Saturday, either.
WIND SPRINTS
There are at least a few teams that will be patiently waiting to see what the Tampa Bay Buccaneers do with quarterback Brian Griese this offseason, since Griese is due to earn a little more than $8 million next year. Now that the San Diego Chargers are leaning toward keeping Drew Brees, Griese becomes the next hot commodity should he become available.
While he has hit a few bumps of late, Griese has earned some respect in the league for starting as Tampa's No. 3 QB this season and then flourishing once Brad Johnson's benching and an injury to Chris Simms thrust him into the starting lineup. In nine games (eight starts), Griese has completed almost 70 percent of his passes and has a quarterback rating of 99.4.
"It's been an immaturity [issue with Griese] for a long time," one NFC executive said. "[Shoot], he's almost 30. You don't want to be saying that about a guy eight, nine years into a career – that's not a good thing. It sounds like he has grown up some having to battle for starts instead of being handed a team like Denver [when he took over for John Elway]."
With salary-cap issues looming with a handful of players, Tampa Bay could renegotiate Griese's contract, but that's not likely unless the team would be willing to pound out a healthy extension. And Griese's deal (totaling about $17 million in 2005 and 2006) was basically designed to make him a free agent after this season, so he's been aiming to hit the open market all along. Now it's up to Tampa to convince him otherwise.
Depending on how teams navigate the salary-cap implications, there should be a healthy demand for starting quarterbacks this offseason, especially now that it appears the New Orleans Saints and Cleveland Browns are ready to dump starters Aaron Brooks and Jeff Garcia. Two teams who would be interested in Griese for certain: Arizona Cardinals and Dallas Cowboys.
Like we have been saying all along, Nick Saban's ultimate goal is not to be a college coach. Any delusions LSU fans might have about Saban sticking around in Baton Rouge until he's old and gray should be dead. But there's still no certainty he leaves the Tigers this season. A source close to Saban says he's more adamant about wanting the final say in personnel decisions than what has been reported. That's why the Miami Dolphins' job is still taking precedent over Cleveland – because Dolphins owner Wayne Huizenga has been willing to consider giving Saban most of the control from the start.
Don't be shocked if the wrangling over stadium renovations in New Orleans saves coach Jim Haslett's job. For now, Haslett is still on the firing line, but with Saints owner Tom Benson having picked a fight with city and state officials in an effort to get the Superdome renovated, Benson has put himself in a tough spot. Benson is well aware that if he coughs up over $10 million to clean out Haslett and his staff, it's going to make his argument for state-funded renovations more difficult. It's hard to look like you are struggling financially when you pay through the nose to get rid of your mistakes.
The exact number won't be known for at least two months, but a handful of sources confirmed this week that teams have been told next season's salary cap will be getting a bump of about $5million to $6 million, with the ceiling likely set at about $87 million. What teams are really waiting for is the 2006 numbers, when television contracts are expected to push the cap above $100 million, although there is still no consensus whether that will actually take place.
After going 5-for-22 for 47 yards in Sunday's loss to Green Bay, and a near benching in the middle of the week, Joey Harrington might want to drop the smug attitude and get it through his head that the Detroit Lions' final three games are an audition to keep his job. Regardless, the Lions will definitely be weighing other quarterback options this offseason.
A source close to Ole Miss told us this week that money was the overwhelming factor behind Dennis Erickson's decision not to resign as head coach of the San Francisco 49ers. Already knowing he would be walking out on $7.5 million, Erickson apparently didn't think he would be paid enough to coach the Rebels.
They've yet to begin negotiations, but we're told the Indianapolis Colts have already settled on using the franchise tag on running back Edgerrin James. The Colts will turn their focus on working out a contract for wide receiver Brandon Stokley.
Due a $10 million roster bonus from the Carolina Panthers this offseason, wide receiver Muhsin Muhammad is said to be preparing for free agency.
UPON FURTHER REVIEW
As if running back Clinton Portis' rough start in Washington wasn't enough, he just can't seem to stop putting his own foot in his mouth.
Portis' socks have been getting him attention recently. He and safety Sean Taylor have been fined back-to-back games for wearing red socks, a violation of the NFL's uniform code. Then came Wednesday, when Portis talked with reporters in San Francisco and complained about the fine, taking a shot at some ex-players the league employs to spot uniform violations.
"That is a stupid fine for the simple fact that they want everybody to be the same," Portis said. "This is an individual game, you know. That is the thing that has the league being the No. 1 sport, because different personalities come together as one and people enjoyed that.
"Now all of a sudden, you're trying to make everybody the same, and it's not going to work. Your players don't even enjoy themselves. … The people that are fining you are the main people who were around here doing all the crazy stuff back in the day."
And here we had been buying the mantra that the NFL was the "ultimate team sport." Next time Portis wants to complain about not enjoying himself, he should revisit the $50 million contract he signed last offseason. Charles Robinson is a national NFL writer for Yahoo! Sports. Send Charles a question or comment for potential use in a future column or webcast. Updated on Friday, Dec 17, 2004 2:57 pm, EST Email to a Friend | View Popular
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