If he hadn’t been wearing a microphone and a hot collar, Jerry Glanville never would have become famous for one of the NFL’s most time-honored sayings.
“This is the NFL, which stands for Not For Long when you make those kinds of calls,” Glanville yelled at a nearby official. The year was 1985 and Glanville, now the defensive coordinator at the University of Hawaii, was prowling the sidelines for the long-lost Houston Oilers.
Little did Glanville know how profound his words would prove to be. Truth is, he didn’t think anyone would remember them the next day. It was only quirky happenstance – he was miked for NFL Films at the time – that preserved the sound bite for the ages.
“I had never said that in my life and I probably haven’t said it twice since then,” Glanville said. “I was so frustrated. I never even thought about what I was saying. I just wish I got paid every time it’s on TV.”
The Not For Long. More than 20 years later, Glanville’s words continue to define the NFL. In fact, they speak louder today than ever, what with free agency and a pervasive win-now attitude having created a transient work force, the likes of which the league has never seen.
Take tonight’s season opener between the Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers and the resurgent Miami Dolphins. Because of bizarre circumstances – some out of their control, some not – both teams will start a different quarterback than the one who opened last season.
Charlie Batch will pull emergency duty for the Steelers in the aftermath of Ben Roethlisberger’s appendectomy, and Daunte Culpepper will make his Miami debut barely 10 months after a devastating knee injury ended his career with the Vikings.
Two teams, two new quarterbacks. Nothing unusual there. Everywhere you look across the NFL landscape, new faces are popping up in new places. And no, Broncos fans, you don’t have to look far to see all the changes. The Broncos’ roster includes 17 players who weren’t around for the AFC championship game.
Not even the most important position on the field is exempt from the here today, gone tomorrow syndrome that has engulfed the NFL of the 21st century. According to ESPN.com, 48 of the 102 quarterbacks on active rosters or a reserve list last season – virtually half – have moved on to new teams.
“Part of playing in NFL”
No fewer than a dozen of the NFL’s 32 teams will start different quarterbacks than the ones who opened last season atop the depth chart. But then, the number of new starters is difficult to pinpoint because, believe it or not, some teams have yet to settle on their leading men. Tennessee, for instance, could pull the plug on Billy Volek and hand the job to newly acquired Kerry Collins, who has had all of two weeks to learn the Titans’ offense.
Chicago, meanwhile, is leaning toward Rex Grossman over Brian Griese.
It’s one thing for a bunch of faceless backup quarterbacks to peddle their services. It’s something entirely different for big- name quarterbacks to relocate en masse during the same offseason. Check out the list of hired guns who parted ways with their former teams. Drew Brees, Steve McNair, Aaron Brooks, Jon Kitna and Culpepper are just a few who packed their careers in a suitcase and hit the highway.
With Brees having left the Chargers, their starting job falls to eternal prospect Philip Rivers. He received about $15 million in bonuses in 2004. Having thrown 30 passes in two seasons, that translates to $500,000 per pass.
Brees led the Chargers to 21 victories from 2004-05, but they aren’t just putting a positive spin on things when they say they’re not concerned about Rivers’ ability to step in and perform. Change in the NFL not only comes more often than ever. It’s more accepted than ever.
“We’re football players,” said Chargers tailback LaDainian Tomlinson. “Other people look at it and say, ‘They’re probably not going to be as good.’ It’s no big deal to us. We’re used to players coming and going. It’s part of playing in the NFL.”
Not that quarterbacks are the only ones who’ve been on the move. Terrell Owens, arguably the most talented and certainly the most problematic wide receiver in the business, is doing his driveway ab crunchers in Dallas these days. With T.O. gone, the Eagles shored up their receiving corps by acquiring Donte Stallworth (70 catches, seven touchdowns in 2005) from the Saints. Several other big-name players have followed their paths, and for a variety of reasons. The Colts wouldn’t ante up a fat signing bonus for Edgerrin James, so he jumped to the Cardinals. John Abraham couldn’t come to terms with the Jets, so he was traded to Atlanta. Same thing with Javon Walker, who was dealt to the Broncos after a contract spat with the Packers.
Kickers on move, too
The list goes on and on. Ty Law, Willie McGinest and LaVar Arrington changed uniforms after their former teams determined they weren’t worthy of their salary cap numbers.
Among the other mega-names to hit the free-agent trail were Antwaan Randle El, La’Roi Glover, Julian Peterson and Adam Archuleta. Then there’s ex-Seahawks guard Steve Hutchinson, whose seven-year, $49-million contract with the Vikings is the most lucrative ever signed by an interior offensive lineman.
Here’s how crazy the offseason movement got in the NFL: Even kickers got in on the action. The Colts, after watching Mike Vanderjagt shank a field- goal attempt that could have kept their Super Bowl hopes alive, signed ex-Patriot Adam Vinatieri. Vanderjagt, the most accurate kicker in NFL history, surfaced in Dallas, where the Cowboys last season lost three games by a field goal or less, including a Thanksgiving debacle against the Broncos.
So much for the players who moved on to new teams. With the season hours away, some don’t have a team to call their own. Ricky Williams landed in the CFL after yet another drug suspension, then proceeded to break his arm. Then there’s Steve Foley, the Chargers’ talented but troubled linebacker. He was placed on the nonfootball injured reserve list, meaning the Chargers won’t pay him after an apparent drunken rage led to Foley being shot three times by an off-duty police officer.
Coaches? Oh, they were on the move, too, and at a near-record rate. Ten teams will usher in new coaching eras this season, including the Raiders, who reached into their past and rehired Art Shell. How crazy is the coaching carousel these days? Consider this: Three of the four coaches in the NFC North are new to the job, and the fourth, Bears coach Lovie Smith, has two years of tenure.
While they’re not the only reason, the changes in the coaching ranks have been a major factor in all the player movement.
“It seems like there are a lot of guys bouncing around,” ESPN analyst and former Broncos guard Mark Schlereth said. “That’s what ends up happening when teams change directions.
“You have 10 new coaches, so you have 10 new philosophies coming in. What happens is a coach walks in and says, ‘I want to have this system and we don’t have the players who fit that.’ So they make all kinds of changes.”
Staff writer Jim Armstrong can be reached at 303-954-1269 or jmarmstrong@denverpost.com.
5 things to watch
Denver Post staff writer Jim Armstrong points out five things to look for on opening day across the NFL:
1
The fast starters. The Broncos’ .644 winning percentage (29-16-1) ranks third on opening day behind Jacksonville (.727) and Dallas (.689). Even in the dark days of the 1960s, Denver won its first three openers.
2
The slow starters. The worst teams on opening day? The list includes last season’s NFC championship game participants. The Seahawks are last at .300 (9-21) and the Panthers fourth from last at .364.
3
The milestones. With four TD passes on opening day, Brett Favre would become the second quarterback with 400 for his career. Dan Marino threw a record 420.
4
The myth. The Broncos since 1977 have won 20 openers and made the playoffs 16 times. A fast start, however, isn’t crucial in today’s NFL. Fact: Since 2002, 31 of the 48 playoff teams started 1-1 or 0-2.
5
The streaks. Chiefs tailback Larry Johnson enters opening day with nine consecutive 100-yard performances. One more and he would become the third player to hit double figures. The others: Barry Sanders, 14 in 1997; and Marcus Allen, 11 in 1985-86.
