 HOWARD BALZER'S NOTES & COMMENTS (March 13)
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KFNS DRAFT DAY. The KFNS
Radio draft party/broadcast will once again be at The Stage Left Sports Bar at Harrah's
casino. Showtime is 10 a.m., an hour before the draft starts and we will have
the requisite contests, etc. Prizes are being worked on now. Hope to see many of you
there. MY BOOK ON KURT. By the way, my Kurt Warner book is available, and I will be signing at a sports cards show this Sunday (Mar. 19) from noon-3 p.m. at Machinist's Hall on St. Charles Rock Road in St. Louis. It is a 56-page, magazine-size, perfect bound, book that is heavy on photos with text of Warner's story interspersed. IMHO, the graphics and layout are outstanding, which, of course, I had nothing to do with! It doesn't "read" like a book. I gave the publisher a lot of information---background, quotes, the 1999 season, etc---and they put it together. One of my favorite pages is the final one, which is the much-circulated photo of a worn-out Warner holding aloft the Lombardi Trophy. Superimposed on the page is a quote from David Letterman when Warner was on the show, in which Letterman simply stated, "My goodness, what a story this is." It is available at book stores for $12.95. It is available at book stores or by calling GHB Publishers (636-441-7991) or at ghbpulbishers.com TRENT GREEN. I remember talking to Trent Green's agent the day of the press conference to announce the Green signing a year ago. He told me the Redskins had been dragging their feet (because of the ownership situation), but that when the Rams offer was serious, the Redskins stepped up. They just wouldn't go beyond what the Rams paid. If the Rams keep Trent Green this year, he counts a little over $4M against the cap. If they trade him, he counts $3.3M. If they trade him next year, he counts $2.25M, which would be available if he's traded this year. The problem is, there isn't much of a market for him this year, until the loony Dennis Green comes calling. But they don't have the cap room for Trent's $2.9M salary. QUESTION FOR HOWARD. ["If the Rams are sold on Todd Frohbieter and very high on Cameron Spikes, why is everyone suggesting the team selects OL with the 1st pick? The Rams are 3 deep at both tackle and guard, so I feel top priority is DT and kicker." ] [Howard Answers]: I'm with you on the OL draft. It doesn't mean they won't go in that direction if a top-rated player is available, but there is no extra pressure to do that. Wilkins will also have competition in camp. Already signed is Jeff Hall, who was drafted by the Washington Redskins. TUTEN. New special teams coach Larry Pasquale told me he had already talked with Tuten, who is very enthused about the change. Pasquale told me his philosophy is to let punters do what they do best. I'm sure there will be competition, but no one has said they are unhappy with Tuten. MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL. I don't think ABC made the change because of ratings. MNF at one time was what everyone talked about at the next day. The game mattered, but the announcers were talked about. That wasn't the case this past year. To me, ABC's biggest mistake was hanging Boomer out to dry in a two-man booth. Some may not have liked Dierdorf, but he made you listen. With Boomer and Al, it was just another two-man broadcast crew. I spoke to Vermeil on Monday and he said there had been contact with ESPN and ABC, but he wouldn't get specific. He only said, "These things take time." Hearing things Ohlmeyer said about virtually reinventing MNF, I would think if DV were hired, it would have to be as part of a return to a three-man booth. Though I think that DV probably doesn't fit. It's more personality and presentation than anything. It's also why I don't believe Steve Young would be a fit. Too low key. They need energy and enthusiasm, along with knowledge and ability. Someone like Matt Millen. Just pray it's not Joe Theismann. JAX & TENN. Frankly, I disagree with those who marvel at what Tennessee has done. They replaced Jon Runyan with Fred Miller and now want Miller to put on 20 pounds and become more of a mauler. Randall Godfrey is an OK linebacker. Jacksonville got some leadership with Nickerson at middle linebacker, but that will kill them against the cap eventually. They have lost some depth with the departure of OG Rich Tylski and RB James Stewart. Who replaces Fred Taylor when he has his inevitable injuries? These are still good times, but I don't see all the great things they have supposedly done. |
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