LoKyBuckeye
I give up. This board is too hard to understand.
Dayne in, Clarett likely out in Denver
Adam Schefter
NFL Analyst
Adam Schefter's "Around the League" reports and commentaries can be seen regularly on NFL Total Access.
(Aug. 26, 2005) -- When rookie running back Maurice Clarett passed up a signing bonus for contract incentives, he cost himself money and a job.
In the slot he was drafted, Clarett was entitled to receive $410,000 in signing bonus. But he rejected it, opting for $7 million worth of incentives, figuring he was good enough to earn it. Had Denver paid Clarett the money, it would have been more obligated to keep him than it is now. Now, Clarett is expected to be released if not in the Broncos' first-round of cuts, then certainly their second.
Clarett is expected to be one of the highest profile cuts in the NFL when the full cut lists become available on Aug. 30 and Sept. 4. And for now -- and events always are subject to change -- Denver has decided against placing Clarett on injured reserve, where he would have missed the coming season and had a chance to fully recover from the groin injury the running back claimed he incurred earlier this summer.
One of the biggest reasons Clarett is not expected to make it in Denver is the lack of maturity he demonstrated during the summer. He had a warped perception of his talents, thus bypassing a signing bonus for incentives. Clarett also agitated some of his teammates for a variety of reasons, not the least of which was conducting national TV interviews before he had accomplished anything on the field -- or even gotten on the field.
But just as Clarett created a buzz on draft day, he now will do the same on cut day. But with all the teams that were thought to like him on draft day -- Cleveland, Dallas, Jacksonville -- Clarett isn't expected to be out of work long. At least one is expected to claim him on waivers.
A GREAT DAYNE
One of the ironies of the situation is that Clarett got beat out for a job by another former Big 10 back that was written off in New York the way Clarett is now being written off in Denver.
This will come as a surprise to Giants fans, but former Heisman Trophy winner Ron Dayne has shined this summer in the way he was supposed to when New York made him a first-round draft choice. Dayne has run hard, authoritatively and with a sense of purpose.
He is the Broncos' leading rusher this preseason, carrying the football 29 times for 143 yards, a 4.9 yards per carry average -- 1.4 yards per carry more than he averaged on his 585 attempts in five seasons in New York.
He has drawn so much attention that even the Philadelphia Eagles, who lost running back Correll Buckhalter this week to a season-ending injury, made trade inquiries for Dayne that Denver quickly rebuffed. Dayne, who is playing on a one-year deal in Denver, would have been a great fit in Philadelphia, but the Broncos now like him too much.
Right now, Mike Anderson is running as the Broncos' first-team running back, and Tatum Bell as the second-string running back. But the way he has looked this summer, Dayne is vying for playing time in a system that has turned running backs such as Olandis Gary and Reuben Droughns into stars.
Adam Schefter
NFL Analyst
Adam Schefter's "Around the League" reports and commentaries can be seen regularly on NFL Total Access.
(Aug. 26, 2005) -- When rookie running back Maurice Clarett passed up a signing bonus for contract incentives, he cost himself money and a job.
In the slot he was drafted, Clarett was entitled to receive $410,000 in signing bonus. But he rejected it, opting for $7 million worth of incentives, figuring he was good enough to earn it. Had Denver paid Clarett the money, it would have been more obligated to keep him than it is now. Now, Clarett is expected to be released if not in the Broncos' first-round of cuts, then certainly their second.
Clarett is expected to be one of the highest profile cuts in the NFL when the full cut lists become available on Aug. 30 and Sept. 4. And for now -- and events always are subject to change -- Denver has decided against placing Clarett on injured reserve, where he would have missed the coming season and had a chance to fully recover from the groin injury the running back claimed he incurred earlier this summer.
One of the biggest reasons Clarett is not expected to make it in Denver is the lack of maturity he demonstrated during the summer. He had a warped perception of his talents, thus bypassing a signing bonus for incentives. Clarett also agitated some of his teammates for a variety of reasons, not the least of which was conducting national TV interviews before he had accomplished anything on the field -- or even gotten on the field.
But just as Clarett created a buzz on draft day, he now will do the same on cut day. But with all the teams that were thought to like him on draft day -- Cleveland, Dallas, Jacksonville -- Clarett isn't expected to be out of work long. At least one is expected to claim him on waivers.
A GREAT DAYNE
One of the ironies of the situation is that Clarett got beat out for a job by another former Big 10 back that was written off in New York the way Clarett is now being written off in Denver.
This will come as a surprise to Giants fans, but former Heisman Trophy winner Ron Dayne has shined this summer in the way he was supposed to when New York made him a first-round draft choice. Dayne has run hard, authoritatively and with a sense of purpose.
He is the Broncos' leading rusher this preseason, carrying the football 29 times for 143 yards, a 4.9 yards per carry average -- 1.4 yards per carry more than he averaged on his 585 attempts in five seasons in New York.
He has drawn so much attention that even the Philadelphia Eagles, who lost running back Correll Buckhalter this week to a season-ending injury, made trade inquiries for Dayne that Denver quickly rebuffed. Dayne, who is playing on a one-year deal in Denver, would have been a great fit in Philadelphia, but the Broncos now like him too much.
Right now, Mike Anderson is running as the Broncos' first-team running back, and Tatum Bell as the second-string running back. But the way he has looked this summer, Dayne is vying for playing time in a system that has turned running backs such as Olandis Gary and Reuben Droughns into stars.
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