NFL notebook: Big corners have a place

I’m excited to see Sean Smith play corner for the Dolphins this preseason. Our own Brad Biggs commented this morning on Smith—who is now running with the first unit—and I like the idea of the Dolphins having a corner who is physical at the point of attack.

We tend to believe that every corner is this league should run a 4.4 40-yard dash, but we need to understand that physical, long corners like Smith are just as effective because of what they can do to receivers at the line of scrimmage. When a corner can use his long arms to jam at the line—and thus keep receivers off his body—he can gain control of the player and force him to release to the strength of the defense (usually an inside release to safety help in Cover 1 situations).

Smith may not have the top-end speed that some corners possess, but he makes up for it with his physical tools. He’s definitely a rookie to keep an eye on this month and is a player who can combat the size of a Randy Moss or a Terrell Owens in the AFC East come the regular season.

APKellen Clemens, Mark Sanchez and Offensive Coordinator Brian Schottenheimer

I wouldn’t read too much into Kellen Clemens Jets-preseason-opener.html" target="_blank">starting over Mark Sanchez for the Jets in their first preseason game. I still believe that Sanchez is the right choice at quarterback for the Jets, but what Rex Ryan is doing is showing Clemens some respect for being a veteran.

Sure, Clemens has had mixed reviews in camp so far, but he has still done more in this league than Sanchez has, and by showing Clemens some respect, Ryan will also gain the respect of the veterans on the Jets roster. You “earn” jobs in this league, and no matter how much hype Sanchez has coming from USC, he still has to show Ryan, his coaching staff and the rest of the players that he can win the job on the field—and not on payday.

We all expect Sanchez to be the guy come September, but Ryan doesn’t give away jobs.

The Michael Vick talk seems to get more confusing with every day the former Falcons quarterback remains a free agent. Our own Michael Lombardi broke this down for us today in the Diner Morning News when he talked about teams trying to inquire about Vick in the coming days.

If I’m representing Michael Vick, I think about holding an audition similar to what rookie hopefuls do in the spring on campuses, allowing teams to come in and watch workouts. Because as much as we talk about his talents, teams still need to see it before they give him an opportunity. There are still plenty of question marks surrounding this guy as we head into the middle of the month—and the middle of camp for NFL teams. Is time running out?

We all can agree that Roddy White isn’t the third best receiver in the NFL (even though he is now being paid like it), but this is a classic case of White being in the right city and the right time—and he cashed in. Sure, the injury to Harry Douglas helped in his negotiations, but the bottom line is that he’s in camp, and the Falcons can move forward with their offensive preparation for the ’09 season.

I expect it will take White at least two weeks to get up to speed and condition his legs for football again, but this deal had to be done. And as we look to the future, the Falcons are set up with White, quarterback Matt Ryan and running back Michael Turner.

APBrady Quinn

With preseason action heating up starting Thursday night, it should be interesting to see the quarterback battles play out—with Cleveland at the top of the list in my opinion. We can speculate all we want about Brady Quinn or Derek Anderson, but until we see them perform under new head coach Eric Mangini—and put their talents on game tape—this is far from decided.

I saw plenty of players in my career, including quarterbacks, excel in a practice setting during camp and absolutely self-destruct when some pressure was added under the lights of a preseason game. These next two weeks—in the games—will decide who plays in September for the Browns.

The Michael Crabtree saga in San Francisco becomes a bigger story with each day that passes, and our own Andrew Brandt did an excellent job breaking down why the rookie from Texas Tech might be a holdout until Labor Day. But what Crabtree and his camp don’t realize is that the Niners are making roster decisions and setting depth charts with each practice and each preseason game. And when you aren’t on the field, you don’t matter in those decisions.

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