Cents and sensibility

Sporting News, The, July 1, 1996 by Rick Gosselin

The Cowboys may be kings on the field, but cash remains king off it Meet the NFL's offseason royalty: the Jets and Jaguars. They had only seven victories between them last season, but they had more than $25 million between them in available salary-cap dollars this offseason, plus the desire to spend it. So they did something this winter they could not do last fall--win.

Win often. Win big. In fact, they won the rebuilding game in a rout, finishing 1-2 on the offseason scorecard. The Jets signed the largest free-agent contract this offseason, giving Neil O'Donnell, the best quarterback on the marketplace, $25 million with a $7 million signing bonus. The jets also signed veteran tackle John Elliott away from their crosstown-rival Giants and lured 1,300-yard receiver Jeff Graham from the Bears. They also added a starting right tackle in David Williams, who was dumped by the Oilers in a salary-cap move late in 1995.

"This is a whole new NFI," Jets coach Rich Kotite says. "If you want to be successful and utilize free agency, you'd better throw yourself into it. We did ... and I think we got value for our money But the only way you can judge that is how well they play."

Jacksonville signed the market's No. 1 right tackle in Leon Searcy, who like O'Donnell played for the AFC champion Steelers. He cost $17 million over five years. Speedy outside linebacker Eddie Robinson, a catalyst for the NFL's fifth-ranked defense at Houston, joined Jacksonville for $10.4 million over four years. The Jaguars also signed wide receiver Keenan McCardell, who caught 56 passes for the Browns last year, and claimed former Pro Bowl running back Natrone Means on waivers from San Diego.

"We filled needs that we couldn't have filled through the draft," Jaguars vice president Michael Huyghue says. "And these are still young players, which fits into our (building) mode. There's no question we're a faster, stronger football team than we were a year ago. We have better athletes now."

The Cowboys took their annual hit in free agency, losing five starters, and the Steelers took the biggest hit in the AFC, with the free-agent departures of O'Donnell, Searcy and linebacker Kevin Greene. From best to worst here's how THE SPORTING News ranks the offseason performances:

1. Jets. A league-worst 3-13 record was a byproduct of offensive inefficiency. They ranked last in the NFL in offense and scored 22 offensive touchdowns; Emmitt Smith scored 25. So the Jets brought in five expensive starters: O'Donnell, Graham, Elliott and Williams in free agency plus wide receiver Keyshawn Johnson with the first pick of the draft. Kotite also upgraded his depth by signing quarterback Frank Reich, running back Reggie Cobb and offensive lineman Harry Boatswain and drafting receiver Alex Van Dyke in the second round. All that doesn't add up to a Joe Namath-Matt SnellDon Maynard offense ... but it's a start.

2. Jaguars. The team addressed three soft spots in free agency, signing Searcy, McCardell and Robinson and giving them more than 10- million in signing bonuses. The Jaguars also drove the price up for others by signing linebacker Quentin Coryatt to a $17.5 million offer sheet and veteran defensive end Alonzo Spellman to a $12 million sheet. The Bears and Colts winced and matched. The jaguars also claimed Means off waivers and drafted Butkus Award winner Kevin Hardy with the second overall pick.

3. Rams. General manager Steve Ortmayer drafted for offense and wrotes checks for defense. The Rams reloaded offensively for a playoff run in 1997, drafting running backs Lawrence Phillips and Jerald Moore, wide receiver Eddie Kennison, tight end/fullback Ernie Conwell and quarterback Tony Banks in the first three rounds. Little wonder St. Louis had the best draft in the league, though Phillips' off-field problems are persisting. As those rookies get seasoning in 1996, however, the Rams are going to have to lean on their defense. Ortmayer made that unit better by signing end Leshe O'neal (San Diego) and middle linebacker Robert Jones (Dallas), plus cornerback Maurice Hurst. But the Rains are going to miss defensive tackle Sean Gilbert, who was traded to Washington for the first-round pick that landed Phillips.

4. Raiders. It's Al Davis' belief that you can't turn the corner until you can play the corner. The Raiders may be the only team that can go deeper at cornerback than offenses do at wide receiver. With the signing of Super Bowl MVP Larry Brown away from the Cowboys, the Raiders have four quality cover men -- Brown, Terry McDaniel, Albert Lewis and James Trapp. They also have a defensive fine enforcer in Russell Maryland, another former Dallas star. The Raiders were soft up front offensively last season, so Davis brought in three recent No. 1 draft picks for his line: Pat Harlow (1991), Charles McRae (1991) and Lincoln Kennedy (1993). If line coach Joe Bugel can make them achievers, the Raiders could be Super Bowl bound and Bugel could put himself in fine for another head-coaching job.