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Both teams will also unveil new offensive systems run by very different coordinators. However, we'll get this preview rolling by reviewing the holdouts.
According to Palm Beach Post staffer Jeff Darlington, Brown is currently spends his days at a Georgia gym, or at least about three hours every afternoon. And he spends his nights studying the Dolphins' playbook, usually another few hours. And he probably spends a lot of time wishing he was out on the field working with his new teammates.
But as Darlington noted, Brown isn't the only first-round pick in limbo. Five of the draft's top 10 picks still haven't signed. San Francisco already signed its No. 1 pick, making Alex Smith the first player to complete negotiations. Tampa Bay has signed Brown's teammate and fellow running back, Carnell Williams, who was picked fifth.
So, what's the problem here?
Agent Todd France and head coach Nick Saban both have said, simply, that the teams remain in negotiations. That might be because Braylon Edwards, selected third overall by the Browns, hasn't agreed to terms, either.
Aside from waiting for Edwards' deal to be finalized, which could potentially offer Brown further leverage, the issues remain unknown.
According to reports published last Thursday, negotiations were at a stalemate and the two sides remain about $3 million apart on the guaranteed money Brown is seeking.
"Obviously, we would like to have the guy here yesterday, but we understand this part of it and we are going to coach the guys who are here and do the best we can with those guys," Saban said then. "When that guy comes in, he is going to have to suffer the consequences of where he is relative to everybody else."
Meanwhile, with Brown's holdout ongoing and Ricky Williams slated to sit the first month of the regular season (while serving a league-mandated suspension), Lamar Gordon could be a player worth watching early on despite the fact that Sammy Morris finished 2004 as the starting tailback and gained a team-high 523 yards -- 128 more than Travis Minor (395). ...
As for Benson. ... Chicago Tribune staffer John Mullin reported this morning that general manager Jerry Angelo was visibly downbeat about the state of talks between the Bears and agent Eugene Parker regarding a contract for Benson. His mood probably isn't helped by similarly stalled negotiations in Miami and Cleveland.
The Bears could get some help from Edwards, who has received a major contract proposal from the Browns and could agree to terms at any time. If Edwards agrees, the players on either side of Benson then would have signed. That would help define the market, though the huge deal San Diego gave No. 4 pick Phillip Rivers last year still is a factor.
Of course, those close to the team say Benson's chances of being the featured back on opening day are now slim -- no matter when he signs.
His problem area will be pass blocking, particularly because the Bears' vital interest is in keeping quarterback Rex Grossman healthy. That means recognizing and picking up NFL blitzes as well as running the proper shorter pass routes that Grossman will need as outlets.
"It's probably the overall pass game, but starting with the pass blocking," offensive coordinator Ron Turner said. "When he gets in, we'll feature him in the run game and bring him along in the pass game.
"We're not going to put him out and ask him do something he's not ready to do. But when he's in there early, he'll have a limited package. ..."
Thomas Jones has worked with the first team in Benson's absence and will continue to do so until such time that the youngster is ready to handle a full load. And that will be a function of when he arrives. ...
Moving on to the new offensive schemes these teams will feature this year. ...
According to Darlington, "It only took him two words." Gus Frerotte needed nothing more to explain what he likes most about his team's new offense and fresh passing approach.
"Going deep," the veteran quarterback said.
Unlike Miami's previous offense, which emphasized a conservative approach last season, Frerotte said fans should expect something far more exciting from offensive coordinator Scott Linehan when he unveils the Dolphins' new system.
Hiring Linehan was clearly a wise move. As for a former NFL defensive coordinator, Saban has a better understanding of that side ball, but the team's primary weakness was an offense that ranked 29th in the league last fall -- the franchise's all-time worst ranking.
"Offense is just as important, or more important, than any part of the team," the coach said.
He won't get any arguments from Fantasy Nation on that one. ...
Linehan, of course, spent the last three seasons in Minnesota guiding one of the NFL's most potent offenses. The Vikings offense ranked No.1 overall in the NFL in 2003, finishing fourth in both passing and rushing yards.
They followed that up with a No. 4 overall ranking this past season, concluding as the No. 2 passing team in the league.
As previously noted, the Dolphins finished 29th in the NFL in offense in 2004, the lowest rating in franchise history. Miami finished 26th in offense in 1980 when the NFL had 28 teams.
While serving in a dual role as Minnesota's quarterbacks coach, Linehan also oversaw the development of Daunte Culpepper. In 2004, Culpepper led the NFL in quarterback rating (110.9) while throwing for 39 touchdown passes and 11 touchdowns.
Culpepper's numbers were especially impressive considering the effects of injuries to wide receiver Randy Moss and a less consistent rushing attack than in previous seasons.
While he won't directly oversee the position, Linehan's presence will impact Miami's quarterbacks, if for no other reason than Frerotte's familiarity with the scheme, which according to Saban, gave him an edge over A.J. Feeley heading into the preseason.
Regardless of the QB, Linehan will have almost complete control of the offense, which will look very much like Minnesota's -- an aggressive vertical passing game and lots of single-back sets -- with input from Saban's background as well as some of the running-game schemes of new line coach Hudson Houck.
The more wide open, spread offense has reportedly rejuvenated starting flanker Chris Chambers. And according to South Florida Sun-Sentinel beat man Alex Marvez, Frerotte compared Chambers' potential in this offense to that standout wide receiver he used to throw to.
"We had an 84 there (Moss), but we've got an 84 here who can do the same stuff," Frerotte said. "He's a special player."
"I love it," Chambers said. "Me and the other receivers get a chance to spread the field a little bit and go down the field."
Sounds good to me -- as long as whoever starts at quarterback is capable of getting the ball downfield on a consistent basis.
Meanwhile in Chicago, Mullin reported this morning that the offense is already well ahead of where they were at this point last year, testimony to the simplicity of Turner's approach compared with that of predecessor Terry Shea.
"We're going to get good at a package of plays and then move on and tweak those as we go," said Grossman. "We're already through the playbook. We're reviewing stuff.
"Last year we weren't even through the playbook maybe until [the second exhibition]. Where we are right now, I feel we could go play. We are ready."
Turner replaces Shea, who was fired after just one season in Chicago. The injury-ravaged Bears went 5-11 and finished last in the NFL in at least half a dozen offensive categories, including scoring and total yards.
In firing Shea, head coach Lovie Smith said he wanted a team that was more run-oriented. And that's just what he'll get from Turner, who also served as the Bears' offensive coordinator under Wannstedt from 1993-96.
His 1995 unit might be of most interest to Fantasy owners.
Erik Kramer set franchise records that season with 3,838 passing yards and 29 touchdown passes that year while posting a passer rating of 93.5 for the 9-7 Bears. Rashaan Salaam rushed for 1,074 yards and receivers Curtis Conway and Jeff Graham both exceeded 1,000 receiving yards.
Despite a successful passing attack, it was still an offense that put a premium on running the ball.
"I don't think it will look drastically different," Turner said of this year's model. "Maybe we'll be getting it down the field a little bit more. But in '95 I thought we did a lot of that. Hopefully it will be similar to what you saw that year -- the ability to run the ball and the ability to be very productive in the passing game."
That 1995 team scored more points (340) than any Bears team since the 1985 Super Bowl champions. Not coincidentally, the Bears have had just one winning season since 1995.
"To win, you've got to score points and to make plays down the field in the passing game," Turner said. "That's where a lot of our emphasis is going to be."
Again, it sounds great. But I'd be much more comfortable with the whole notion of making good on Turner's promise if the Bears had a bit more weaponry at wideout and if Grossman was a slightly more proven commodity. ...
One last note here. ... Dolphins players were told late Saturday that Feeley will start at quarterback against the Bears tonight. Players were also told that Frerotte, who was held out of practice Saturday because of a slightly sore arm, will start the second exhibition game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, in keeping with Saban's plan.
"It really doesn't matter because whoever does it this time, the other one will do it next time," Saban said Friday. Earlier, Saban said his decision would be based on the various statistics kept on each quarterback in practice.
At this point, Frerotte remains my favorite to win the starting job here, but I wouldn't want to have to bet my Fantasy team's chances of success on things turning out that way. Preseason play will be telling; watch closely and adjust strategies accordingly.