During NFL training camps, the majority of the news concentrates on position battles and the impact that incoming free agents and rookies will have on the team. Most teams would like to think that after free agency, the draft, and contract signings that once camps open, the only players to leave the team are the ones who are cut by the coaching staff.
This is not always the case and every year several players do not get cut by their team and yet still do not end up finishing training camp. In fact, there are many ways that players leave teams.
During a 16-game NFL season, injuries are the X-factor. Any team can see their fortunes go downhill if enough or key players get injured. This is a known hazard in the NFL during the season, but is not expected in the offseason.
However, the offseason now is filled with mini-camps, organized team activities and even "optional" training sessions. The San Francisco 49ers received a big scare this offseason when QB Tim Rattay was injured during a mini-camp in May. While the injury did not end Rattay's career, the 49ers' season depends upon how well Rattay recovers.
Some preseason injuries can have devastating effects. Ki-Jana Carter, a number one overall draft pick in 1995 of the Cincinnati Bengals, injured his knee in his first preseason. Carter missed his entire first season because of the injury. After returning, Carter never lived up to his billing and became just another name in a line of busts picked at number one by the Bengals.
Last season, the Atlanta Falcons were anticipating an exciting year. Every game was sold out and the team and its fans were ready to watch the Falcons take the next step and build upon their playoff appearance from the season before. All those expectations came crashing down when QB Michael Vick broke his leg in the first quarter in the first preseason game.
Instead of a dream season, the Falcons watched their team struggle mightily without their star. By the time Vick returned, the Falcons were far out of playoff contention.
Some players begin training camp with their team only to fall prey to injury. Other players never even get to take the field before injury sidelines them. Oakland Raider safety Rod Woodson was released because he failed his physical. Woodson was a big part of the Raider team that went to the Super Bowl just two years ago. However, injury problems from last season put Woodson on the bench for several games and, obviously, his health has not improved.
Another Woodson, Darren in Dallas, had back surgery on a herniated disc and will be out eight weeks. It is hoped he will return for the second game of the season. The frustrating aspect for the team is why players do not address injury problems in the offseason. The Super Bowl is over by February and training camps open in August. That is a great deal of time to get to the doctor. Yet every year, some player has a major surgery in August that could have been completed in February.
While a player's off-field activities should not impact on his play, a number of players will see their playing time diminished because of their life outside of football.
Several players in the NFL find themselves suspended for various off-field issues. The vast majority of these suspensions will last for only a few games.
Tampa Bay running back Michael Pittman will not play in the first three games this season due to his ongoing off-field problems. Pittman will be able to return. The same cannot be said for defensive tackle Darrell Russell, a player with a long history of off-field troubles. Russell has seen his share of suspensions for many reasons during his time with the Raiders. The Bucs decided to take a chance on him and signed him for a cheap price for a proven defensive lineman.
Russell did not see this as a last chance to stay in the NFL and the Bucs released him before training camp even began and the NFL has suspended him indefinitely for violations of the drug abuse policy.
Of course, no preseason would be complete without the inevitable holdouts.
Players will not attend training camp for several contractual reasons. Charles Woodson in Oakland will protest being named the franchise player and skip training camp until he gets a better deal. Apparently $8 million a year is well below Woodson's expectations.
Ty Law in New England has made a great deal of noise this offseason with respect to the disrespect he says he is receiving from the Patriots. Law has also stated he will not report to camp. Woodson and Law are not alone in this tactic as Julian Petersen in San Francisco is also stating he is going to holdout.
Most of these hold-outs will sort themselves out sometime over the pre-season and at least these players have played for the team they are now negotiating with.
While obtaining draft choices is a building block for teams, signing all these rookies can be block all on its own. The San Diego Chargers had Eli Manning on their team for about an hour before dealing him to the New York Giants for Phillip Rivers and a bunch of draft picks. The Chargers were told by Manning that he would sit out the entire year and re-enter the draft if San Diego chose him with the number one pick.
Manning has signed with his new team, the New York Giants, and other top draft picks have also signed with their teams. But, is there a 2004 draft pick who will be like Bo Jackson and never sign with the team that drafted him? Jackson sat out the entire season after the Tampa Bay Buccaneers drafted him in 1986 with the first overall pick and re-entered the draft the next year and the Raiders took him. Of course, John Elway also never played a down with the team that selected him, either. It took four days after the draft for the Baltimore Colts to get a deal done with the Denver Broncos.
Cleveland Brown rookie TE Kellen Winslow, Jr. could be on that path after his agents, the infamous Poston brothers, rejected a deal that reportedly matches the deal reached with the No. 5 pick in the draft (Winslow was No. 6) in Washington and exceeds the money Kansas City guaranteed Tony Gonzalez, the premier TE in the game.
Not only can injuries and contracts prevent players from playing, the salary cap also plays a part. The rules of the cap allow for players to be released after June 1 and let the team spread the salary cap hit, if any, over two seasons.
Normally, players who are to be released for salary cap purposes are released on June 1st as it is evident that there is no way that a contract can be done. These players are also normally picked up by another team fairly quickly. By the time late July comes around, teams are fairly set with their rosters and know what positions will have a healthy competition and what positions are set.
RB Eddie George was released in late July by the Tennessee Titans after the two sides could not come up with a deal. George did not want to take a pay cut and still thought he had the step that he did earlier in this career. As a result, the Titans released George. The Dallas Cowboys picked him up the same week.
The interesting thing is that George signed for exactly the same base salary as Tennessee was offering. Eddie George has been a great back for a number of years, but he is not the player he was three years ago and everyone but George knows it. Even the Cowboys have only offered George incentives to boost his salary and it remains to be seen if he can make those incentives. In Nashville, the running back competition is pretty open, but it must throw a bit of a wrench in plans to have George released so late.
Eddie George is not the only player who is looking at his career backwards in time. Jason Gildon, a Pro Bowl selection the last three years, also had a salary figure in his mind during contract negotiations. The trouble is, the Pittsburgh Steelers didn't have the same number in mind. As a result, the Steelers released Gildon and he signed with the Buffalo Bills for a very cheap salary for a Pro Bowl linebacker.
Whether the Steelers, Bills, Titans, or Cowboys made the right choice will be known later this season.
The NFL is a business with millions of dollars in play. Decisions about players are made by owners, general managers and coaches. Although there is one decision that a player can make and that is when to retire. There are also a few ways to do this.
John Elway retired shortly after his second Super Bowl title in 1999. The timing of Elway's announcement left lots of opportunity for the Denver Broncos to develop their plan for replacing him. (Although that plan is still being developed five years later.)
Bronco backup QB Steve Beuerlein signed with the Carolina Panthers for the sole purpose of retiring as a Panther. Neither the Broncos nor the Panthers had Beuerlein in their plans this season and, as a result, had little effect on either team.
However, Ricky Williams retired his own way. After attending all the mini-camps and training sessions, Williams waited to announce his retirement at the worst possible time for the Miami Dolphins. With the draft over and all free agent signings complete, Williams' stunning decision has left the Dolphins with a huge hole in their team that they will most likely not recover from.
Coach Dave Wannstedt is all but fired this year as the running game for the Dolphins will be non-existent and the passing game will rely on either inconsistent Jay Fiedler or unproven A.J. Feeley.
This preseason, there will be more injuries, holdouts, and retirements. There may be some other way we have yet to hear of that a player will stumble upon and find his way out of football. Hopefully, whoever he is, he hasn't produced 3,200 yards and 25 touchdowns for his team over the last two years.
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