End game

NFL teams always on lookout for defensive stoppers

They're very hard to find. If you're lucky enough to uncover one, they're very expensive to keep, and more and more NFL people are looking to convert others to do the job. I'm not talking about quarterbacks or cornerbacks but left defensive ends, otherwise known as strongside defensive ends.

For a long time the NFL has put a premium on the weakside or right defensive end -- a cat-quick pass rusher who could get a sack or pressure the QB into making a hasty throw on third down and ending a drive. Don't get me wrong -- that guy is still important, and colleges know how to produce those players in large quantities, this year's draft being no exception. The problem is that most of these speed rushers can't line up as strongside players.

The NFL is short on ends who are strong enough to defeat a double team on a run down, savvy enough to recognize a play-action pass on second-and-five and quickly transform himself into a premier rusher, and versatile enough to move inside in a dime scheme to replace a plodding tackle and push the pocket. That's what a left end does in the pro game. A guy about 6-foot-5, 300 pounds who actually is expected to stay on the field in every situation -- that's quite a novelty these days.

Every team is looking for a guy like Michael Strahan. The free-agent crop is rarely fruitful, and the large contract Kevin Carter got last year was enough to scare most teams from going the free-agent route. This year, though, there are a few candidates out there, mostly because of cap problems.

New Orleans had to let Joe Johnson go for financial reasons. He's 29 years old, 285 pounds and has 50 1/2 career sacks. But Johnson has received little attention to date because his asking price is around the $5 million a year range. As one club capologist said to me, "Johnson will get his asking price as soon as a few teams free up the space."

Jacksonville cut Renaldo Wynn for financial reasons, too. He has improved as a pass rusher, registering five sacks this past season, and he, too, will be well paid in 2002.

The draft doesn't usually produce many impact strongside ends, and teams examining this year's class see right end after right end. There's Julius Peppers, who's big enough at 6-6, 285, but he has a reputation as a basketball player who likes to pass rush. Kalimba Edwards, Alex Brown, Charles Grant and Dwight Freeney are the next ends on most draft boards, and they will all line up opposite the left end. So what are the defensive coordinators doing to fill this critical need?

Many are looking to the defensive tackle population for guys who are around 300 pounds, have the right combination of height, athleticism, power and at least some pass-rushing skills. Wisconsin's Wendell Davis is a massive tackle prospect, but as soon as he ran the 40-yard dash in 4.78 seconds, he became a candidate for the Strahan look-alike contest.

Tennessee's John Henderson measured in at 6-6, 295, and had a 40 time in the 4.9 range. One coordinator said, "Henderson's physical attributes are more conducive to a 5 technique position [outside shoulder of the offensive tackle] and he is cut too high [long-legged] for an inside position."

Alabama-Birmingham's Eddie Freeman was told by a number of teams that he'll be spending his first training camp trying to become a strongside end, and Notre Dame's Anthony Weaver probably will as well after running a sub-5.0 40 at 281 pounds. Don't expect these guys to resist the opportunity to earn a strongside end starting job. They all know how much money Strahan makes, or at least their agents are explaining this to them as we speak.

After free agency and the draft are exhausted, a few teams still can look in-house to find a solution to their strongside dilemma. Miami, for example, is talking about moving tackle Daryl Gardner to left end since Kenny Mixon left for Minnesota.

The NFL is not a place where 260-pound pumped-up linebackers can square off against 265-pound tight ends joining forces with 350-pound offensive right tackles. As one of the best defensive coordinators in the league reminded me, "Unless we have a stud strongside end who can force an offense to third down, those speed rushers won't even get on the field."

Pat Kirwan, who spent 12 years as a pro football coach, scout and personnel administrator, is an NFL analyst for CNN/Sports Illustrated and CNNSI.com.

 

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