Post by John on Jun 23, 2006 16:55:51 GMT -4
Bucs WR Clayton seems back from nowhere
By Pete Prisco
CBS SportsLine.com Senior Writer
TAMPA, Fla. -- Michael Clayton heard it from friends and family alike. In fact, it seemed like everybody he encountered late last year, blood relatives or not, wanted to know the answer to a simple, puzzling question.
What the heck happened to you?
Clayton burst onto the NFL scene as a rookie first-round pick for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2004, catching 80 passes to lead all first-year receivers. He had star written all over him. He was big, tough and physical. And he played much faster than his questionable 40 time coming out of LSU.
It looked like it came easily to him.
That's what made his 2005 season so puzzling. We've heard all about sophomore slumps. What he had was more like a sophomore disappearance, as if he were a prop for some fly-by-night magician.
Now you see him. Now you don't.
Clayton finished fifth on the team in catches with 32, starting just 10 games because of injuries.
"It was mentally one of the hardest things I've had to deal with," Clayton said Tuesday during a break from the Bucs' three-day minicamp. "I speak to a lot of kids about not quitting. For the first time in my life, something I love was being taken away from me or I wasn't on top of my game catching passes. But I had to practice what I preach to the kids."
So, despite a long list of injuries, including a bad knee, a bum shoulder and turf toe, he tried to play on, all the while hearing the whispers about his drop in production.
Was he a one-year wonder?
"People don't realize everything he went through last year," Bucs quarterback Chris Simms said. "I have a lot of respect for him. He was banged up and never complained. He had a shoulder and other injuries, and he just kept plugging away. He's a guy you want on your side."
Clayton's troubles actually started during his rookie season. He had knee troubles that bothered him but never missed a game. That eventually caught up with him. He had surgery after the season to scope his left knee to fix defects underneath his knee cap.
That surgery should have been a three-month rehab. But Clayton didn't know how to handle the process. He admittedly wasn't as devoted as he could have been. When he reported to training camp last summer, it showed. Out of shape meant into Jon Gruden's doghouse.
He never recovered. He had shoulder issues and then the other knee started acting up. The list of the annoying problems also included turf toe that kept him out of the Bucs' playoff loss to the Redskins.
"It wasn't my year," Clayton said.
You'd hardly know it by watching him now. Clayton has his body in shape, dropping 10 pounds down to 215, his playing weight as a rookie. On the practice field this week, he looked quick and strong, much like the rookie Clayton.
The big reason is he's healthy. He had shoulder and knee surgery after the 2005 season, but he was ready for the challenge the second time around.
"I knew how to deal with it this time," Clayton said. "Last time it took me a whole year to return to full strength. This year, it took three months."
Gruden has been impressed.
"That's the guy we drafted," Gruden said. "He's a lean, mean fighting machine. He's had four or five operations, and that's not a great quality to have for a receiver. The great receivers I know stay healthy. They're there every Sunday in great shape. Getting bitten by the injury bug has helped him mature and understand what he needs to put into being a great receiver."
It's in writing, too. To help motivate his young receiver, Gruden drew up a contract that holds Clayton accountable for working hard in the offseason. Clayton signed; how could he not?
"I want to make sure that he and I are on the same page," Gruden said. "So we put it in writing, and I'll commit myself to him and he commits himself to me. And then let's revisit this contract about midway through training camp and see if we're living up to our end of the bargain. I like to do that every now and then to make they know where I'm coming from. It's a challenge getting Michael Clayton back."
He appears to have him back, but the contract says to wait until training camp. But don't expect Clayton to slack off when the Bucs' offseason work ends this week. After what he has been through, there's not a chance of that happening.
Plus, there's that contract he's bound to.
"I had no input on the contract," Clayton said. "It was all him. He definitely wants me back on track to be the player he wants me to be, the player I know I can be. That contract was a like a motivation to let me know that he's with me and he's going to hold me to a higher standard. I had to answer the call. I've done that. I've gotten back healthy. We've mended everything, all the broken pieces we had last year."
And now that he's healthy he's about to make sure the everybody who asked knows the answer to that nagging question about what happened to Michael Clayton.
Around the league
* When the Colts extended the contract of defensive end Robert Mathis last week, it meant it was now time to go to work on getting a new deal for Dwight Freeney, the other end and a better player. Good luck. Word is Freeney is seeking a deal that would make him the highest-paid defensive player in the league and pay him money along the lines of the top offensive stars, meaning quarterbacks. Freeney is crazy if he thinks he will come close to the money of a Peyton Manning, but it would be hard to argue him moving to the top of the defensive players. He's as disruptive a defender as there is. Mathis signed a five-year extension with a signing bonus of $8.1 million. He will also receive roster bonuses of $3.9 million in 2007, $2 million in 2008 and 2009 and $1 million in 2010 and 2011. Mathis has been a situational pass rusher his first three years, but the Colts plan on playing him as an every-down end this season opposite Freeney. That will give them a lot of speed off the corner, but it also means they are light on the edges; Freeney is 265 and Mathis about 245. One thing's for certain: When Freeney gets his new deal, the Colts will have a ton of money tied up in their outside pass rushers.
* The Chargers were proactive in signing starting center Nick Hardwick to a five-year contract extension. Hardwick was in the third year of his four-year contract he signed as a rookie, but the Chargers decided to go ahead and extend his deal when it wasn't necessary. Hardwick did not receive a signing bonus as part of the deal, but rather will receive a roster bonus of $2.8 million this season and $2.2 million next year. The deal averages $3.41 million per season, which is solid for both sides, provided Hardwick can continue to get stronger. He has had problems with physical tackles because he isn't a power player. As he matures and adds weight, he should be better in that category. The deal might seem like a lot for a player who isn't a top 10 center, but the Chargers must really like him to extend him five years.
* When the 49ers traded Brandon Lloyd to the Redskins earlier this year, it opened some eyes because Lloyd was the 49ers' best receiver. But Lloyd had problems with some of the coaching staff, which is why they weren't too concerned when he was traded away. He was tough to deal with and had a me-first attitude that rubbed people the wrong way. In his place, the 49ers signed free agent Antonio Bryant. That was a case of trading up. Bryant is a better player than Lloyd and has been starring in the team's offseason work. Quarterback Alex Smith is raving about Bryant and his ability to make plays. "He's been catching everything," Smith said. Bryant has a reputation for crying and moping when he doesn't get passes thrown his way, but he can make those special plays. When you add in first-round pick Vernon Davis at tight end, along with TE Eric Johnson returning after missing last season with an injury, the 49ers should be more efficient in their passing game. One thing's for sure: They're glad to have Bryant rather than Lloyd.
* If the Fantasy football players out there are looking for a bust-out player take a look at Tampa Bay Buccaneers second-year tight end Alex Smith. He has been impressive in the team's offseason work and could be ready to make a big impression in the passing game. Smith caught 41 passes (two touchdowns) for 367 yards as a rookie. At 6-4, 258 pounds, Smith has the ability to make plays down the field and his understanding of the offense could make him a 70-catch player in 2006. "He's going to be a great player," Simms said. "The first thing that I'm amazed about is his mental capacity. To come in here as a rookie and be that successful is pretty impressive. Physically, he continues to get better because his mind is relaxing so now he can really play. He'll be around for a long time. He's a true football player. He knows how to play the game."
* Another tight end who looks as if he's ready for a big season is Ben Watson of the Patriots. He's been having a heck of an offseason, and anybody who saw his run-and-catch for a touchdown in the playoff victory over the Jaguars last January knows the tools Watson has. With Christian Fauria gone to the Redskins via free-agency, look for Watson to have a big year catching passes from Tom Brady. He might be ready to move up near that elite group of tight ends headed by San Diego's Antonio Gates and Kansas City's Tony Gonzalez.
* The Steelers offensive line struggled for much of the early part of the 2005 season, but the coaches think it will be much improved. The growth of right tackle Max Starks, who played well in the postseason, is one reason. Another is that right guard Kendall Simmons will be a year removed from knee surgery. Simmons looked to be on his way to being a dominant player a few years back, but he had to deal with diabetes and he also injured a knee in 2004. He wasn't the same player last season, but he did come on late. "He looks more like the guy he was before the injury," offensive coordinator Ken Whisenhunt said. With the entire starting group back, the Steelers will once again feature one of the league's best lines. Would we expect anything else from this organization?
* It's kind of interesting that Browns coach Romeo Crennel said veteran Vinny Testaverde would be considered as a potential backup after training camp if Ken Dorsey doesn't show he can handle the job. What? Brian Sipe wasn't available? Testaverde has always been one of the favorites of this space -- he's a class, class act -- but bringing back a player with 20 years experience is not what the Browns need. They should stick with a younger backup. This is not a team that is close to a title -- although they will be better. If they were close, Testaverde might make sense. They're not. So stick with the younger guys.
* The Packers are excited about rookie offensive lineman Jason Spitz. He took over as the team's No. 1 right guard last week and has also spent time at center. Spitz, a third-round pick out of Louisville, seems like a natural fit for the Packers' cut-blocking scheme. He's athletic and has the quickness that is required in that system. "He has the ability to be a good player," coach Mike McCarthy said. The guard spots were a major problem for the Packers last season as they let Marco Rivera and Mike Wahle leave via free agency. With Spitz at right guard and fellow rookie Daryn Colledge at left guard, the Packers could be as young as any team in the league inside. Center Scott Wells is in his third season.
* Those Steelers fans who made threats to the woman involved in the accident with Ben Roethlisberger need to get a life. You're sick. There is no football game anywhere that important. Leave the woman alone. Got it? If you're angry at anybody, get angry at your quarterback. He's the one who shouldn't be riding a bike.
By Pete Prisco
CBS SportsLine.com Senior Writer
TAMPA, Fla. -- Michael Clayton heard it from friends and family alike. In fact, it seemed like everybody he encountered late last year, blood relatives or not, wanted to know the answer to a simple, puzzling question.
What the heck happened to you?
Clayton burst onto the NFL scene as a rookie first-round pick for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2004, catching 80 passes to lead all first-year receivers. He had star written all over him. He was big, tough and physical. And he played much faster than his questionable 40 time coming out of LSU.
It looked like it came easily to him.
That's what made his 2005 season so puzzling. We've heard all about sophomore slumps. What he had was more like a sophomore disappearance, as if he were a prop for some fly-by-night magician.
Now you see him. Now you don't.
Clayton finished fifth on the team in catches with 32, starting just 10 games because of injuries.
"It was mentally one of the hardest things I've had to deal with," Clayton said Tuesday during a break from the Bucs' three-day minicamp. "I speak to a lot of kids about not quitting. For the first time in my life, something I love was being taken away from me or I wasn't on top of my game catching passes. But I had to practice what I preach to the kids."
So, despite a long list of injuries, including a bad knee, a bum shoulder and turf toe, he tried to play on, all the while hearing the whispers about his drop in production.
Was he a one-year wonder?
"People don't realize everything he went through last year," Bucs quarterback Chris Simms said. "I have a lot of respect for him. He was banged up and never complained. He had a shoulder and other injuries, and he just kept plugging away. He's a guy you want on your side."
Clayton's troubles actually started during his rookie season. He had knee troubles that bothered him but never missed a game. That eventually caught up with him. He had surgery after the season to scope his left knee to fix defects underneath his knee cap.
That surgery should have been a three-month rehab. But Clayton didn't know how to handle the process. He admittedly wasn't as devoted as he could have been. When he reported to training camp last summer, it showed. Out of shape meant into Jon Gruden's doghouse.
He never recovered. He had shoulder issues and then the other knee started acting up. The list of the annoying problems also included turf toe that kept him out of the Bucs' playoff loss to the Redskins.
"It wasn't my year," Clayton said.
You'd hardly know it by watching him now. Clayton has his body in shape, dropping 10 pounds down to 215, his playing weight as a rookie. On the practice field this week, he looked quick and strong, much like the rookie Clayton.
The big reason is he's healthy. He had shoulder and knee surgery after the 2005 season, but he was ready for the challenge the second time around.
"I knew how to deal with it this time," Clayton said. "Last time it took me a whole year to return to full strength. This year, it took three months."
Gruden has been impressed.
"That's the guy we drafted," Gruden said. "He's a lean, mean fighting machine. He's had four or five operations, and that's not a great quality to have for a receiver. The great receivers I know stay healthy. They're there every Sunday in great shape. Getting bitten by the injury bug has helped him mature and understand what he needs to put into being a great receiver."
It's in writing, too. To help motivate his young receiver, Gruden drew up a contract that holds Clayton accountable for working hard in the offseason. Clayton signed; how could he not?
"I want to make sure that he and I are on the same page," Gruden said. "So we put it in writing, and I'll commit myself to him and he commits himself to me. And then let's revisit this contract about midway through training camp and see if we're living up to our end of the bargain. I like to do that every now and then to make they know where I'm coming from. It's a challenge getting Michael Clayton back."
He appears to have him back, but the contract says to wait until training camp. But don't expect Clayton to slack off when the Bucs' offseason work ends this week. After what he has been through, there's not a chance of that happening.
Plus, there's that contract he's bound to.
"I had no input on the contract," Clayton said. "It was all him. He definitely wants me back on track to be the player he wants me to be, the player I know I can be. That contract was a like a motivation to let me know that he's with me and he's going to hold me to a higher standard. I had to answer the call. I've done that. I've gotten back healthy. We've mended everything, all the broken pieces we had last year."
And now that he's healthy he's about to make sure the everybody who asked knows the answer to that nagging question about what happened to Michael Clayton.
Around the league
* When the Colts extended the contract of defensive end Robert Mathis last week, it meant it was now time to go to work on getting a new deal for Dwight Freeney, the other end and a better player. Good luck. Word is Freeney is seeking a deal that would make him the highest-paid defensive player in the league and pay him money along the lines of the top offensive stars, meaning quarterbacks. Freeney is crazy if he thinks he will come close to the money of a Peyton Manning, but it would be hard to argue him moving to the top of the defensive players. He's as disruptive a defender as there is. Mathis signed a five-year extension with a signing bonus of $8.1 million. He will also receive roster bonuses of $3.9 million in 2007, $2 million in 2008 and 2009 and $1 million in 2010 and 2011. Mathis has been a situational pass rusher his first three years, but the Colts plan on playing him as an every-down end this season opposite Freeney. That will give them a lot of speed off the corner, but it also means they are light on the edges; Freeney is 265 and Mathis about 245. One thing's for certain: When Freeney gets his new deal, the Colts will have a ton of money tied up in their outside pass rushers.
* The Chargers were proactive in signing starting center Nick Hardwick to a five-year contract extension. Hardwick was in the third year of his four-year contract he signed as a rookie, but the Chargers decided to go ahead and extend his deal when it wasn't necessary. Hardwick did not receive a signing bonus as part of the deal, but rather will receive a roster bonus of $2.8 million this season and $2.2 million next year. The deal averages $3.41 million per season, which is solid for both sides, provided Hardwick can continue to get stronger. He has had problems with physical tackles because he isn't a power player. As he matures and adds weight, he should be better in that category. The deal might seem like a lot for a player who isn't a top 10 center, but the Chargers must really like him to extend him five years.
* When the 49ers traded Brandon Lloyd to the Redskins earlier this year, it opened some eyes because Lloyd was the 49ers' best receiver. But Lloyd had problems with some of the coaching staff, which is why they weren't too concerned when he was traded away. He was tough to deal with and had a me-first attitude that rubbed people the wrong way. In his place, the 49ers signed free agent Antonio Bryant. That was a case of trading up. Bryant is a better player than Lloyd and has been starring in the team's offseason work. Quarterback Alex Smith is raving about Bryant and his ability to make plays. "He's been catching everything," Smith said. Bryant has a reputation for crying and moping when he doesn't get passes thrown his way, but he can make those special plays. When you add in first-round pick Vernon Davis at tight end, along with TE Eric Johnson returning after missing last season with an injury, the 49ers should be more efficient in their passing game. One thing's for sure: They're glad to have Bryant rather than Lloyd.
* If the Fantasy football players out there are looking for a bust-out player take a look at Tampa Bay Buccaneers second-year tight end Alex Smith. He has been impressive in the team's offseason work and could be ready to make a big impression in the passing game. Smith caught 41 passes (two touchdowns) for 367 yards as a rookie. At 6-4, 258 pounds, Smith has the ability to make plays down the field and his understanding of the offense could make him a 70-catch player in 2006. "He's going to be a great player," Simms said. "The first thing that I'm amazed about is his mental capacity. To come in here as a rookie and be that successful is pretty impressive. Physically, he continues to get better because his mind is relaxing so now he can really play. He'll be around for a long time. He's a true football player. He knows how to play the game."
* Another tight end who looks as if he's ready for a big season is Ben Watson of the Patriots. He's been having a heck of an offseason, and anybody who saw his run-and-catch for a touchdown in the playoff victory over the Jaguars last January knows the tools Watson has. With Christian Fauria gone to the Redskins via free-agency, look for Watson to have a big year catching passes from Tom Brady. He might be ready to move up near that elite group of tight ends headed by San Diego's Antonio Gates and Kansas City's Tony Gonzalez.
* The Steelers offensive line struggled for much of the early part of the 2005 season, but the coaches think it will be much improved. The growth of right tackle Max Starks, who played well in the postseason, is one reason. Another is that right guard Kendall Simmons will be a year removed from knee surgery. Simmons looked to be on his way to being a dominant player a few years back, but he had to deal with diabetes and he also injured a knee in 2004. He wasn't the same player last season, but he did come on late. "He looks more like the guy he was before the injury," offensive coordinator Ken Whisenhunt said. With the entire starting group back, the Steelers will once again feature one of the league's best lines. Would we expect anything else from this organization?
* It's kind of interesting that Browns coach Romeo Crennel said veteran Vinny Testaverde would be considered as a potential backup after training camp if Ken Dorsey doesn't show he can handle the job. What? Brian Sipe wasn't available? Testaverde has always been one of the favorites of this space -- he's a class, class act -- but bringing back a player with 20 years experience is not what the Browns need. They should stick with a younger backup. This is not a team that is close to a title -- although they will be better. If they were close, Testaverde might make sense. They're not. So stick with the younger guys.
* The Packers are excited about rookie offensive lineman Jason Spitz. He took over as the team's No. 1 right guard last week and has also spent time at center. Spitz, a third-round pick out of Louisville, seems like a natural fit for the Packers' cut-blocking scheme. He's athletic and has the quickness that is required in that system. "He has the ability to be a good player," coach Mike McCarthy said. The guard spots were a major problem for the Packers last season as they let Marco Rivera and Mike Wahle leave via free agency. With Spitz at right guard and fellow rookie Daryn Colledge at left guard, the Packers could be as young as any team in the league inside. Center Scott Wells is in his third season.
* Those Steelers fans who made threats to the woman involved in the accident with Ben Roethlisberger need to get a life. You're sick. There is no football game anywhere that important. Leave the woman alone. Got it? If you're angry at anybody, get angry at your quarterback. He's the one who shouldn't be riding a bike.