National Football League

7 Points: White, Russell teamless and without a future

Published May. 30, 2010 1:00 a.m. ET

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Point No. 1: LenDale White and JaMarcus Russell could star in another sequel of the movie "Dumb and Dumber".

Like most people, I find it hard to watch highly-paid and talented NFL players toss away fame and fortune. And the two must recent culprits have been former Raiders quarterback JaMarcus Russell and former Titans and Seahawks running back LenDale White.

That's right, I said former Seahawks running back.

On Friday, White was released by Seattle roughly a month after the team executed a modest trade with the Titans in hopes of adding some talent to their power-running game. What's really alarming about the move is that White is being cast out by his former college coach, Pete Carroll. So if Carroll spotted something so dysfunctional about White after observing him for only a few weeks, you have to wonder if anyone else in the NFL will be desperate enough to give White another chance. And a recent report that he’s possibly facing a four-game suspension for violating the league’s drug policy isn’t going to help matters. The running back had posted a career-low 3.5 yards-per-carry rushing average and just 222 total rushing yards in 2009.

Seattle acquired White and defensive tackle Kevin Vickerson in a fire- sale trade that allowed the Titans to move up a few slots in both the fourth and sixth rounds during April's draft, so the Seahawks didn't lose much by cutting him loose. Seahawks general manager John Schneider released a statement regarding the team's decision to abruptly end their relationship with the former USC star.

"It became apparent at this time that LenDale was not ready to be a member of the Seattle Seahawks," he said. "It just did not appear to be the right fit at this point in our program. We wish LenDale all the best with his future."

White had a golden opportunity to get his meandering NFL career on track under Carroll's direction as the running back entered his fifth NFL season. But based on Schneider's comments, he apparently found a way to squander it. And that's just dumb.

Back in 1994, the movie "Dumb and Dumber" cast Jim Carey and Jeff Daniels as Lloyd Christmas and Harry Dunne, a pair of nice guys who just didn't have a clue about what was truly going on around them from minute to minute. Based on comments that White made earlier this week to reporters during voluntary team workouts, it appears that he was oblivious to the fact that he wasn't making a very good impression in Seattle. It reminded me of how JaMarcus Russell repeatedly talked about his desire to be a successful starter in this league over the past three seasons, but then didn't appear to understand the necessity of working hard to actually make it happen. The former first pick overall in the 2007 NFL Draft was released earlier this month and may not find anyone willing to take a risk on him again.

Their collective situation -- and their seemingly futile ability to fully understand and rebound from it -- is so bleak that I could easily imagine one of them looking at the other and uttering this classic line from the movie with wide-eyed optimism.

"We're in a hole. We're just going to have to dig ourselves out."

Point No. 2: The Vikings' Jared Allen has the right outlook on OTAs.

At this time of year there's lots of debate -- and some whining -- over the so-called voluntary organized team activities. Many veterans view opportunities to improve teamwork and chemistry with teammates as time well spent, while others exercise their right to work out on their own, reducing their likelihood of getting injured prior to mandatory workouts and training camp.

While I understand both points of view under the current "voluntary" system, I found the perspective of Vikings defensive end Jared Allen refreshing as he was interviewed this week by a reporter for the team's official website.

"It's nice to get out and test your conditioning. We've all been working out for a couple of months on our own," he said. "Test your conditioning to see where you're at, get the rust off getting out of your stance ... some block recognition so when you show up at training camp it's not been four or five months since you've seen certain blocks. It just basically keeps things fresh."

It was obvious that Allen, who had an outstanding 2009 season with 26 quarterback knockdowns, nine hurries and 14.5 sacks, can't wait kick off the 2010 season to get started. And he sees OTAs as a step that puts him closer to making another run at the Super Bowl after narrowly missing out on that opportunity in an overtime loss to the Saints during the NFC Championship game.

"It's exciting. I know we got a little taste of where we want to be at, and we're trying to get back there," he said.

Point No. 3: If you thought that Ben Roethlisberger's suspension was a major problem for the Steelers' passing game, that's nothing compared to their depth chart at the wide receiver position.

Most of the talk about the Steelers this offseason has revolved around the six-game suspension of quarterback Ben Roethlisberger for his off-the-field behavior -- and the subsequent impact it will have on the team's passing attack this September. But the truth of the matter is that the Steelers were already in trouble before Roethlisberger was suspended.

When the team discarded wide receiver Santonio Holmes back in April to the Jets for a fifth-round draft pick -- a move that I applauded on principle due to his continued off-the-field problems -- they created a troublesome void that they haven't adequately addressed yet. Veteran wide receiver Hines Ward, who will be paired with second-year wide receiver Mike Wallace in the starting lineup, described the magnitude of the problem to the media during OTAs this past week.

"Losing a Santonio Holmes, you can't replace that. We had a great rapport and we were a great tandem together," he said.

As a result of the change, the 13th-year veteran is taking the role of being a mentor to the younger receivers more seriously than ever before.

"Working with those guys is more important than anything because we do need to add depth at our wide receiver position," Ward said. "I want to help in Mike Wallace's development as a wide receiver. But I've also got to have a counterpart opposite me -- not just one guy, but a couple of guys in case somebody goes down with injury."

During the offseason, the team brought Antwaan Randle El back into the fold after he was released by the Redskins. Prior to spending the last four years in Washington, the versatile receiver and returns specialist had spent his first four seasons in Pittsburgh.

"He's a productive wide receiver," Ward said. "He's just trying to learn as much as he can on the ropes by playing Y, X, Z and everything -- because we have no depth."

Not only is depth a problem, but with the loss of Holmes, the Steelers took a hit on big-play production as well. Last year the Steelers finished third in the NFL with 64 completed passes for gains of 20+ yards, just three off the pace of the San Diego Chargers and just one behind the Philadelphia Eagles. But Holmes had a team-best 21 of those catches while Ward logged 15 and Wallace grabbed 14. That means that Holmes logged 42 percent of the big-play catches made by the team's wide receivers. Meanwhile, Randle El pulled in just four passes that resulted in a gain of 20+ yards for the Redskins last year. The team's other primary candidates to step in and help are former 49er Arnaz Battle, who made just five catches for a grand total of 40 yards in 2009, and a pair of rookies -- Antonio Brown and Emmanuel Sanders.

While Ward is striving to help speed up the development of the new receivers, he's a bit limited in what he can show them physically due to his rehab from a hamstring injury.

"It's not good," he said. "I can run, but why am I in a hurry to come back to run a curl route that I've been running for 13 years? I don't want to come back and re-aggravate it."

Ward believes that he'll be back to full speed by the time training camp starts. For the Steelers' sake, they better hope that he's right, or what's already a bad situation will get even worse.

Point No. 4: You'll see significant improvement from Chiefs quarterback Matt Cassel this year.

After a breakthrough season with the Patriots in 2008, Cassel was rewarded with a renegotiated contract with the Chiefs that paid him a $10 million roster bonus and $5 million base salary in 2009. He completed 55% of his throws for 2,924 yards, 16 touchdowns and 16 interceptions as the Chiefs finished the year with a 4-12 record. This year, he's being paid $ 11.75 million in base salary in addition to a $250,000 workout bonus.

While Cassel's first season in Kansas City produced lukewarm results, at least two factors should help Cassel take some giant steps forward this season--a better familiarity with the playbook and being reunited with former Patriots offensive coordinator, Charlie Weis.

"The opportunity to bring Charlie in here and work for me and my staff was a no-brainer in a lot of respects," Chiefs head coach Todd Haley said this week. "The opportunity to bring in another good, solid coach that knows offense, that knows how to coach, that has worked with me and knows what I want, to this point has been a seamless transition mostly for the players--which I am excited about."

Haley has already noted some changes in his starting quarterback during the team's OTAs.

"He is a guy who came into a difficult situation last year. It was a whole new set of encyclopedias that he was handed," Haley said. "He is a year into the system, a year more of understanding what is expected of him both physically and mentally, and I think he is going to continue to get better.”

During the 2008 season with the Patriots, Cassel showed his potential, completing 63% of his throws for 3,693 yards, 21 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. Expect to see him closer to those numbers this year in Kansas City.

Point No. 5: Patrick Crayton isn't going anywhere unless the Cowboys release him.

After Dallas drafted Dez Bryant in the first round of the NFL Draft back in April, seventh-year veteran Patrick Crayton evidently felt himself slipping another notch lower on the team's depth chart. After grabbing 50 passes for 697 yards in 2007, Crayton has averaged just 38 catches over the last two years for 586 yards.

The wide receiver has been quite vocal in his demand for a trade since he doesn't believe that the team will pay him the $2 million he's scheduled to receive -- unless Miles Austin, Roy Williams or Bryant is felled by injury during training camp. And by then, it'll be difficult for Crayton to make an impact with another team if he has to learn a new playbook and work on his timing with a new quarterback just before the start of the regular season.

While I understand Crayton's desire to move -- and his decision to skip OTAs -- he's not going anywhere until the Cowboys decide it's in their best interest to let him move on. So he might as well stop yapping about it.

Let's face it. Although a few clubs might be willing to part with a sixth-round pick for Crayton, the Cowboys would regret it mightily if they shipped him out prematurely. They not only need to see if their top receivers will make it through camp without any major injuries, they also need to see more from Sam Hurd and Kevin Ogeltree to determine if either of them are capable of being the team's No. 4 receiver instead of Crayton. If not, Jerry Jones might gladly pay the $2 million to Crayton as added insurance so that an injury doesn't derail Dallas' playoff hopes.

Point No. 6: Houston won't make the playoffs this year if their defense doesn't step it up on third-down-and-long situations.

The Texans defense finished the year as the league's top defense at stopping teams on third down with less than four yards to go. But on third down situations when their opponents needed six or more yards to move the chains, they were ranked 31st in the league. That's a significant contrast, so I asked second-year defensive end Connor Barwin about that situation during a phone call this week. Barwin finished his rookie campaign with 4.5 sacks, second-best among rookie defensive linemen last year, despite being limited to playing primarily on pass-rush downs.

"My immediate reaction is that I've got to do better and get more pressure on the quarterback, because those third-and-six-or-more situations mean we need to get a better pass rush," he said.

Barwin was fully aware that the Texan's inability to close out a few games -- on both sides of the ball -- had cost the 9-7 team a playoff opportunity last year.

"As a team, we let three of four games get away from us after playing good enough to win after three and a half quarters," he said. "A couple of stops near the end of some of those games would have gotten us a win."

The speedy and athletic defender was also credited with six quarterback knockdowns and three hurries during his rookie season. And he expects to do even better this year.

"There's a lot less on my mind, I'm a lot more comfortable in my situation," he explained. "I've been focusing on putting on a little more weight and generally being a stronger player. Last season I played at 250, and I'm at 260 right now."

Barwin is also encouraged by the early showing by the Texans' top draft picks on the defensive side of the ball. With three of their first four selections, the team added cornerback Kareem Jackson, defensive tackle Earl Mitchell and linebacker Darryl Sharpton.

I asked Barwin what he's noticed so far about Jackson, the team's top pick.

"Defensive linemen don't typically comment on coverages that often," he said with a laugh. "He's running with the first team and he's doing well out there as far as I can tell."

But he's definitely taken note of fellow defensive lineman Earl Mitchell, the team's third-round pick.

"I see why they drafted him. For a defensive tackle, when he opens it up he can really move," he said.

Keep your eye on Barwin and the Texans this year. I like his chances to substantially raise his profile during his sophomore campaign while the Texans make the necessary improvements on both sides of the ball to qualify for their first playoff appearance in franchise history.

Point No. 7: I can't wait to see the damage that Eddie Royal is going to do out of the slot in Denver this year.

After a sensational rookie season back in 2008, Royal failed to put up big numbers during 12 starts in 2009. The intelligent and hard-working receiver caught 91 passes for 980 yards in his debut season, but only nabbed 37 for 345 yards last year while adjusting to new head coach Josh McDaniel's system and the team's new quarterback, Kyle Orton.

During the team's recent OTAs, Royal worked out of the slot--a position that is much better suited to the 5-foot-10, 182-pound receiver's skill set. Ironically, he's only been targeted eight times over the past two seasons in then middle of the field, but he averaged 10.8 yards on his five catches when given the opportunity. With his quickness off the line and snappy route-running, Royal should prove to be a dangerous weapon out of the slot. Over the past two seasons, he's gained 36% of his receiving yards after making the catch.

"It's Eddie's second year now (in the system), and Eddie is doing some good things for us," McDaniels said earlier this week.

Orton understood the challenge that Royal faced last season, and believes he's going to get back into the groove his groove this season.

"I think for the receivers last year, it was enough to learn one spot, and we asked Eddie to learn a lot of different spots. I think sometimes that might have slowed him down a little bit, just thinking about everything so much," the Broncos quarterback explained. "Eddie's a unique receiver. Some guys are built for the slot, some guys are built for outside, and Eddie can really move around and do a lot of different things. I know Eddie does want to be a great slot receiver, he really does, and we talk about it every day. He's working on that and he's going to get there."

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