NFC

Sporting News, The, August 2, 1999

Arizona

TIGHT COMPETITION: The dub signed well-traveled TE Derek Brown, a former first-round pick of the Giants, to replace Chris Gedney, who is recovering from successful colon surgery. The only other tight ends on the roster are Johnny McWilliams, the starter last year; Terry Hardy, who is expected to return from a shoulder injury that shelved him all of last season and perhaps snatch the job from McWilliams; and Jarius Hayes, who has no experience and has worked more at fullback than tight end for the past year.

SALARY CAP WATCH: After the club takes care of the three remaining unsigned rookies--first-round picks David Boston and L.J. Shelton and second-rounder Johnny Rutledge--it is expected to sweep together what it has left under the salary cap and offer it to franchise WR Rob Moore, who wants about $4 million a year and a lot more of a signing bonus than the $2 million the club initially offered during the winter. The remaining transaction that could get messy is with DT Mark Smith, an exclusive-rights player who has refused to accept the tender offer of $325,000. His knee has been fine, and he has been a starter most of the past two years. He wants approximately four times what he has been tendered. If he doesn't get it, he wants to be traded. ... The dub has a backup plan ready if Smith holds out of camp and/or DT Eric Swann has difficulty coming back from his two most recent knee surgeries. Brad Ottis, who was on injured reserve all of last season with a fractured foot, would move inside to tackle from end. --Lee Shappell

Atlanta

NOT INVITED? G Gene Williams, part of a very good offensive line that plowed enough holes for Jamal Anderson to finish second in the NFL in rushing in 1999, wasn't at the mandatory minicamp and probably will not report to training camp this week, even though he is under contract. Williams is an above-average lineman who likely will not play for the team this season. He says the Falcons have not sent him any details about reporting times to training camp. "My days in Atlanta are numbered," Williams says.... The team is cashing in on its NFC Championship season. It already has sold 40,000 season tickets for the 72,000-seat Georgia Dome. That's about 10,000 more than in 1998.

RUSHING TOWARD A HOLDOUT: Anderson will not report for the start of training camp unless he has a new contract. Just how far Anderson will take his holdout is anybody's guess. He is under contract for 1999, which will pay him a base salary of $1.6 million and $1 million in incentives he earned from last year's performance. Anderson says he will not risk injury by participating in training camp and ruining his chances for a sizable free-agent contract. Of course, he could play out the existing contract and have the team slap a franchise tag on him in February.... The team didn't have nearly as much trouble signing its draft picks. For the second straight year, the Falcons were the first team to sign all of its draft picks (nine). --Ray Glier

Carolina

ELEPHANT MAN: As training camp prepared to open, the coaching staff was uncertain about whether to include the elephant position as part of the 4-3 base defense it plans to implement The elephant's roots are based in coach George Seifert's early days with the 49ers when Fred Dean, technically an outside linebacker in a 3-4 scheme, moved around on the line but always rushed the passer from the down position. Rookie Mike Rucker appears to be the leading candidate to man the elephant--if it is employed. Seifert tabbed Antonio Edwards and Ernest Jones as two other possibilities, but admitted he and his coaches are going into camp with the idea that they'll figure it out as they go along.... RB Fred Lane could take a week or more before he's sufficiently recovered enough from arthroscopic knee surgery to join his teammates for workouts. That will only put him farther behind Tshimanga Biakabutuka, the projected starter that Lane still hopes to beat out

D-LINE DEPTH: The search for depth along the defensive line continued with the signing of free agent Esera Tuaolo, who played in the Super Bowl for the Falcons last January. To make room for Tuaolo, the dub released DT Antonio Anderson, who had signed as a free agent only a month earlier. Tuaolo is an eight-year veteran who has played for Green Bay, Minnesota and Jacksonville. He has more experience than Anderson, who played two seasons for Dallas before the Browns snatched him up in the expansion draft, only to release him in April. --Joe Menzer

Chicago

QB SHUFFLE: The release of QB Erik Kramer sent shock waves through the team because the consistent line had been that Kramer was No. 1 until Cade McNown was ready. Kramer's $2.6 million base salary, the prognosis for Ins shoulder rehabilitation and questions about his willingness to work with and support McNown in a transition were apparent reasons for his release, but coaches say McNown and Shone Matthews developed dramatically with the extra work afforded them while Kramer was out. Although the Kramer cut dearly says the organization has decided McNown is the future, Matthews is the titular No. 1 now, particularly because McNown is holding out.... Curtis Enis has made an apparent full recovery from his torn ACL, but he is being held out of full-contact work for the first couple of weeks to be sure he is in football shape. In the meantime, a real baffle is taking shape among James Allen, Edgar Bennett and Glyn Milburn, with Allen taking most of the No. 1 reps as Bennett completes his rehab from May knee surgery.