Lions Make Sure Westbrook Gets Moore Attention
The Detroit Lions didn’t see the playmaking ability of cornerback Bryant Westbrook in their recent minicamps that they saw during his college career at Texas.
And that was by design.
Westbrook intercepted nine passes and broke up 30 others in his final three seasons at Texas, collecting all-Southwest Conference honors in 1995 and All-Big 12 in 1996. His knack for disrupting passing games made him the fifth overall choice of the 1997 NFL draft by the Lions.
But Westbrook hasn’t touched many passes in Detroit. In fact, most balls thrown in his direction during the two minicamps have been completions. That’s because the Lions have been feeding Westbrook a steady diet of Herman Moore in practice.
“I love it,” Westbrook said. “He’s a veteran player, a great player. He’s beaten the best DBs in the world. Going against a great receiver like him every day in practice is going to help me out. It’s a great learning process.”
Detroit expects Westbrook to start as a rookie.
Hidden money
The San Francisco 49ers are scheduled to pay Garrison Hearst $800,000 this season. That’s rather inexpensive for the best available running back in free agency. But there’s hidden money galore - and Hearst stands to earn another $600,000 in incentives without much effort.
The 49ers will pay Hearst $300,000 if he rushes for one touchdown this season, $100,000 if he plays 50 percent of the offensive downs, $100,000 if he averages 4.0 yards per carry and another $100,000 if he rushes for 1,000 yards.
Expensive mistake
Here’s the down side of free agency: The Tampa Bay Buccaneers signed wide receiver Alvin Harper to a four-year, $10.6 million contract in 1995. He collected $7.45 million of his money before being cut after the second season.
Harper caught 65 passes for 922 yards and three touchdowns for that money. For those of you without a calculator, that’s $2.48 million per touchdown or $114,615 per catch or $8,080 per yard. The Bucs went 13-19 in the Harper era.
Family affair
Even though Green Bay unseated the Dallas Cowboys as Super Bowl champions, it will be tough for Emmitt Smith to work up the dislike for the Packers in 1997 that he had in 1996. That’s because the Pack signed Emmitt’s little brother, Emory, as a rookie free agent. Emory will compete for a roster spot for the Packers at fullback.
Stewart is the man
It was virtually a foregone conclusion, but the Pittsburgh Steelers all but made it official that they’re going with Kordell Stewart at quarterback next year when they gave him a two-year contract extension.
That means the Steelers will probably dump Jim Miller, who didn’t survive the opener last year, and go with Mike Tomczak as the backup.
Stewart is probably the key player in the American Football Conference Central Division this year. If he plays well, the Steelers figure to win the division for the fifth time in six years. If he struggles, it’s likely to be wide open.
Road warriors
The Oilers were lame ducks in Houston last year when they went 2-6 at home and 6-2 on the road.
Now that their move to Tennessee is all but official, they’ll play what amounts to 16 road games. They’ll practice in Nashville and fly to Memphis for their “home” games the next two years while their stadium in Nashville is being constructed.
Here’s the deal
If 49ers owner Eddie DeBartolo donates $2,500 to charity (easy) and submits to a public scolding by the NFL (hard), his citation for belting a Packers fan in the mouth after a Jan. 4 playoff game in Green Bay will be dismissed.
Such is the agreement approved last week by Green Bay Municipal Judge Mark Warpinski, allowing DeBartolo to avoid prosecution for his participation in the fight that occurred outside the 49ers’ locker room after their playoff loss to the Pack at Lambeau Field.
Raiders get tough
The trade of quarterback Jeff Hostetler to the Washington Redskins, expected to be over and done with the first week of June, has yet to occur, because the Oakland Raiders might be playing it tough, asking for more than a seventh-round draft choice.
The Raiders bulked up their special teams by signing the game’s best return man (Desmond Howard) and a Pro Bowl cover player (John Henry Mills) in free agency. The Raiders ranked 14th in the NFL in the kicking game in 1996.