|
 |   |
|
EVENTS Fantasy Central Inside Game Video Plus Statitudes Your Turn Message Boards Email Newsletters Golf Guide Cities 
CNNSI.com GROUP
COMMERCE
|  |
Giants, Ravens spend wisely
Just a season ago the Ravens were 8-8 and the Giants were 7-9. Here is a great lesson for teams that finished the year in the middle of the pack and want to break out in 2001. The Giants injected five starters and a backup quarterback into their roster with unrestricted free agents. The team spent $7.8 million to sign these six, but when you consider they made it to the Super Bowl, that's a bargain. After all, Bengals quarterback Akili Smith was paid more than that as a signing bonus after he was drafted.
General manager Ernie Accorsi knew after the 1999 season that some well-placed veterans could take New York to the top and he was right.
The Ravens won the Super Bowl with the help of four new starters and three role players they brought in at the reasonable price of $8 million. When you consider that Shannon Sharpe got $4.5 million of that sum, that's even more impressive. Ben Coates was hardly heard from all season but on Sunday night he grabbed three passes for 30 yards. Sam Gash had a quiet year until the playoffs, but the block he threw on Jamal Lewis's touchdown run showed the fullback's vintage blocking skills. While Sam Adams got credit for just one tackle on Sunday, he clogged up the running game, kept blockers off Ray Lewis and pressured Kerry Collins all night.
What can you say about Trent Dilfer except that he played well enough to win? He was erratic at times but his 38-yard touchdown pass to Brandon Stokley in effect turned the game over to the Ravens' defense. And why was Stokley open, you ask? The mere presence of Sharpe in the opposite slot held safety Shaun Williams long enough that he never got over to help. Free agency often gets a black eye -- and rightfully so -- for overpriced players who get huge money and then never perform. But at Raymond James Stadium we saw what can happen when teams study personnel closely and spend money wisely. Good drafts and good coaching are the foundation for every franchise but there comes a point when teams need more. No one did it better than these two in 2000. Pat Kirwan, who spent 12 years as a pro football coach, scout, and personnel administrator, is an NFL analyst for CNN/Sports Illustrated and a regular contributor to CNNSI.com.
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
