Dockett fussed and moaned his way through the 2009 offseason about wanting a new contract, but it got him nowhere. So Dockett took a different approach this year. He helped the Cardinals recruit free agents. He showed up for offseason workouts. And he became a good football jerseys
soldier.
The goodwill he created, and the enhanced value he subsequently gave his team, helped lead to his new deal. “He had a tremendous offseason for us, not only what he’s shown us on the field, but his leadership, and his attitude in the locker room,” Cardinals general manager Rod Graves told me. “Plus, he’s been a beast on the field.”
Of course, it also helped that Dockett had two years left on his deal this year as opposed to three. But the Cardinals generally have been opposed to extending any deals before the player was entering the final year.
It also helped that the team did not pay Antrell Rolle or Karlos Dansby(notes). That meant there was more cash available for Dockett.
But Dockett’s attitude, as much as anything, is what got this deal done now.
Lesson learned: sometimes, it’s the wheel that stops squeaking that gets the grease.
Things I didn’t used to know
*The NFL is more popular than ever. And the NFL is losing popularity. Must be the contract talks going on.
*The planets have aligned quite nicely for Laurent Robinson(notes). He came back healthy and strong from a broken leg. He had a nice camp and preseason in which Rams officials report they saw consistent progress. And now he finds himself thrust into the No. 1 receiver role because of the season-ending injury to Donnie Avery(notes). The Rams like the way Robinson uses his size and competes for the football. And they believe he has yet to plateau.
*Jason Pierre-Paul(notes) was considered one of Vikings jersey
the most raw players to be chosen in the first round in April. He also has missed time with a groin injury. But that does not mean the Giants are not expecting big contributions from him this year. They think he is fully capable of being an impact rookie. Pierre-Paul has destroyed Giants tight ends in practice this year, and his willingness to take to coaching has the Giants convinced they made the right choice. General manager Jerry Reese told me Pierre-Paul has everything you look for in a defensive end, including instincts. What Pierre-Paul has to adjust to is the speed of the game and NFL blocking schemes.
*The Vikings may miss Chester Taylor(notes) more than anyone realizes. They haven’t quite figured out how to replace what Taylor gave them on passing downs yet. Second-round pick Toby Gerhart(notes) has not had a great camp and preseason, in part because Vikings defenders wanted to show him who was boss. Playing Albert Young(notes) is a possibility, but not a very appealing one for Minnesota. The other option is increasing Adrian Peterson’s load. Two problems with that. The first is Peterson still has been inconsistent in pass protection. And the other is the Vikings don’t want to wear him down. “It’s such a long deal,” Vikings coach Brad Childress said. “You get beat down, especially with his style.”
My Sunday Best: Homefield advantages
There isn’t any stadium in the NFL that’s easy to play in from a visitor’s perspective. But some stadiums, because of the vociferousness of their fans or the dimensions of their buildings, pose more problems than others. Here are my top five toughest places to play, in alphabetical order.
Heinz Field, Pittsburgh. When those Steelers fans get those towels waving in the fourth quarter of a late-season game that means something, this place absolutely rocks. No fans are more passionate.
Invesco Field, Denver. I’ve heard this place get louder for a preseason game than I’ve heard some stadiums for a regular season game. Fans bring the Rocky Mountain thunder by stomping on the steel bleachers.
Lambeau Field, Green Bay. It’s the only stadium in the NFL in which a large percentage of fans are dressed in hunting gear. And Packers fans can be as merciless as most hunters. Not a good place to wear opposing team’s colors.
Metrodome, Minneapolis. It’s unquestionably a dump, but it’s the loudest dump in history. Part of the reason you walk out of Dolphins jersey
this place with a headache is the fans. The other part is the sound effects and earsplitting volume of the music. The blowing of the Gjallarhorn adds to the unique atmosphere — and the intensity of the headache.
Qwest Field, Seattle. This is probably the loudest outdoor stadium in the NFL because of its unique configuration. Opposing teams have more problems hearing their quarterbacks signals here than anywhere.
Numbers games: Does preseason carry over?
Everyone knows the preseason is not an indicator of how a team will perform in the regular season, right? That’s what every coach whose team has a losing preseason record preaches.
Let’s take a look at what the numbers say, eliminating all seasons in which a team had a .500 record either in the preseason or in the regular season.
Over the last five years, NFL teams have followed winning preseason records with winning regular season records 26 times. They have followed winning preseason records with losing regular season records 16 times.
They have followed losing preseason records with losing regular season records 21 times, compared to following a losing preseason record with a winning regular season record 17 times.
So a winning preseason record has been a better indicator that a winning regular season will follow than a losing preseason record is an indicator than a losing regular season record will follow.
But overall, there has been a 59 percent chance that a team will follow its preseason pattern in the regular season. That’s good news for the Ravens, Steelers, Bengals, Raiders, Cowboys, Lions, Vikings, 49ers, Rams and Cardinals — the 10 teams that had winning records this preseason.
Two teams stand out in this study. The Colts have bucked the trend every year, skewing the results. They have followed a losing preseason with a winning regular season every year. The Steelers have been almost as consistent, but in a different way. With the exception of the 2006 season, when they lost in the preseason and played .500 ball in the regular season, the Steelers over the last five years have had a winning record every preseason — and a winning record in the regular season.
Scout talk: Cutting a player
When a player gets cut, as so many are getting cut this weekend, the process is considerably more complicated than how it often is portrayed.
One team’s player personnel director explained it this way.
“We always try to do it early in the morning, so the Chiefs jersey
player doesn’t get involved in meetings or practices. We have a mid-level personnel employee contact the player at his hotel and ask him to report to our facility, and he is asked to bring his playbook. Depending on the player’s tenure with the team, either the employee who contacted him or myself will meet with him. In conjunction with this, we also contact the player’s agent so he is kept in the loop on what’s happening.
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