Wideouts dominate breakout team - NFL

Our 2003 offensive breakout team (rookies were not considered):

Quarterback

The light finally is burning brightly instead of flickering faintly for Matt Hasselbeck of the Seahawks. This will be Hasselbeck's sixth year in the same basic offense, so he has a tremendous advantage over most quarterbacks in the league. He also finally has realized he does not have to be Brett Favre and that he can rely on the system and his teammates to move the ball.

Hasselbeck played some of the best football of his life when he started the final nine games last season In leading the Seahawks to victories in the last three games, he went 78-of-116 for 1,050 yards, including club records of 36 completions and 449 yards against the Chargers in the final game.

Running back

After a slow start, Browns rookie William Green averaged 24 carries and 106 rushing yards in the last seven regular-season games. He should be able to build on that momentum this year.

"He's typical of a lot of kids when things finally start to click," Browns coach Butch Davis says. "They begin to see it and feel the effects. He's eager to get the season started and pick up where he left off."

Receivers

Since there is a glut of promising young receivers, we're going with four wideouts and no tight end or fullback.

The most obvious pick is Josh Reed of the Bills. "If I were a fantasy football guy, I'd take him," Bills assistant general manager Tom Modrak says. With Peerless Price in Atlanta, Reed figures to catch a lot of Drew Bledsoe passes this season. Last year, four Bills players had more receptions than Reed, but none of them had a better average per catch than his 13.8 yards.

Ashley Lelie of the Broncos has too much ability not to break out. The knocks on him last year were that he was skinny and raw. Well, he's put on about 10 pounds, and he's not raw anymore. In fact, Lelie, who came on late in 2002, does something spectacular every time he has an opportunity. The Broncos marvel at how he never drops a ball in practice.

Although Donte' Stallworth had a hamstring problem that bothered him all season, he averaged 14.1 yards per reception and led Saints receivers with eight touchdowns as a rookie. If he can stay healthy, Stallworth can be one of the league's elite receivers. "If a DB isn't on him once Donte' gets the rock, it's over with," Saint wide receiver Joe Horn says. "I don't even have to block sometimes because I know he's going to take it to the house."

The popular choice from the Packers probably would be Javon Walker, the team's first-round pick last year. But Robert Ferguson has a one-year experience edge over Walker. Ferguson has improved his technique significantly since coming out of Texas A&M as an unpolished junior. He is the best of the Packers' receivers at running after the catch, but he still will need a strong camp to be a starter.

Offensive tackles

Bryant McKinnie didn't sign his rookie contract with the Vikings until nine weeks into last season and started only seven games at left tackle. Because McKinnie was too slow getting out of a three-point stance, he had to play strictly out of a two-point stance, and that hurt his run blocking. This year, McKinnie, who has freakish ability, will be able to play out of any stance you want. "His footwork is vastly improved," Vikings coach Mike Tice says. "He's been here every day in the offseason and it shows."

Colts coach Tony Dungy is considering moving Ryan Diem from guard to tackle, and if he does, Diem should blossom. Diem played tackle at Northern Illinois, and he's better suited for the position. He has been a pretty good guard the last two years and started every game on the right side last season. But at guard, his lack of quickness sometimes is exposed against quick defensive tackles.

Guards

Dallas' Andre Gurode played pretty well as a rookie despite having to switch from center to guard nine games into the season. Now that he has been focused on one position since last November, Gurode should establish himself as one of the league's better interior blockers. He has the size and strength, and the game is important to him.

Rich Seubert of the Giants started out at Western Illinois as a tight end and came to the Giants as an undrafted free agent in 2001. Last year, be became a starter on the left side. This year, he should become one of the league's better guards.

"If he was 6-6, he'd be in the Pro Bowl because of the stature that goes with that height," says Giants general manager Ernie Accorsi, "but our people think he's something special. He and (left tackle) Luke Petitgout are our best linemen."

Center

In his first year as a starter for Detroit in 2002, Dominic Raiola showed excellent ability to move. He can reach linebackers and even the 3 technique tackle--who lines up on the outside shoulder of one of the guards--which is uncommon. If he can improve against power rushers, Raiola can be dominant. "He opens up the weight room in the morning and closes it at night," says Lions president Matt Millen. "And he bench-presses 160-pound dumbbells."

M@IL BONDING THE WAR ROOM ANSWERS YOUR QUESTIONS

After the Saints made some noticeable changes in the offseason on both sides of the ball, do you think they are talented enough to contend for the NFC South crown?

Todd Kline, New York

Todd: Are they talented enough? Yes. Will they? Probably not.

There are two red flags that we see with the Saints. First, they have more underachievers on their defense than any other team in the NFL. Players such as defensive tackles Martin Chase and Grady Jackson, middle linebacker Darrin Smith and safety Jay Bellamy have been disappointments. Unless most or all of them find a way to contribute more this season, the Saints' defense will remain a weakness despite the additions of free safety Tebucky Jones, cornerback Ashley Ambrose and rookie defensive tackle Johnathan Sullivan.

Second, quarterback Aaron Brooks' shoulder is a huge concern. If his shoulder is not 100 percent (he had offseason surgery and has yet to throw full speed) and he is unable to hold up the entire season (there's a good chance he won't), the Saints have no chance of challenging the Buccaneers and Falcons in the NFC South.

INSIDE DISH

By THE WAR ROOM

Even though conventional wisdom says the Ravens are a year away from becoming contenders, look for coach Brian Billlck to go all out in training camp to put a team on the field that can win this year. Art Modell, who has owned this franchise for four decades, turns the reins over to minority owner Steve Bisciotti at the end of the season. Billick and G.M. Ozzie Newsome are extremely close and loyal to Modell and would like nothing more than to send him out on top. The Ravens return 20 of 22 starters and, even though they are young and inexperienced, will enter the season with a win-now mentality.... There is a lot of optimism coming out of the Vikings' offseason program. Coach Mike Tice made two key coaching moves. He promoted his mentor, George O'Leary, from defensive line coach to defensive coordinator and brought in longtime special teams guru Rusty Tillman to shore up a weak area. Factor in QB Daunte Culpepper signing a new multiyear contract--proving to him and his teammates that he is the captain of this ship--and a maturing WR Randy Moss and you have the ingredients for an under-rated team that could make some noise... The Eagles are one of the most fiscally conservative franchises in the NFL. But when you speak to people inside the organization, they have strong feelings about why this philosophy works. The Eagles do not believe in paying aging players who are over 30 for what they have done in the past, and they are not afraid to let a still-productive veteran player leave and replace him with a player who is less experienced but also less expensive. The Eagles lost five free agent who were starters, but they are confident they have significant replacements. The two best moves the Eagles may have made in the offseason were to reward offensive coordinator Brad Childress and defensive coordinator Jim Johnson with new contracts. Childress has a great relationship with QB Donovan McNabb, and no defense does a better job of attacking and blitzing than Johnson's unit.... The happiest unit in the NFL heading into training camp may be Buffalo's linebackers. The Bills have two monstrous defensive tackles--Sam Adams and Pat Williams--who should eat up space and command some double-teams. That should allow the linebackers to fly to the ball without having to get off blocks. The key for Adams is to be in reasonable physical shape. His lack of conditioning cost him a job in Oakland.... How could the Titans part ways with productive MLB Randall Godfrey, especially so close to training camp, without acquiring a quality player to replace him? The answer is somewhat simple. The Titans feel good about Frank Chamberlin filling in, but the reality is that opponents used multireceiver sets so much last season that the Titans were forced to play their nickel defense almost half the time. That greatly reduced Godfrey's playing time. With more of the same expected this year, the Titans' middle linebacker will continue to be a part-time player. Most of the production at linebacker will come from OLBs Keith Bulluck and Peter Simon.

Next week: Our 2003 breakout defensive players.

The best and most convenient resource for the upcoming season is the SPORTING NEWS 2003 Pro Football Yearbook, available for only $6.99 at www.sportingnews.com/books/football.

SPEED READS

* The loss of Josh Evans, who was suspended indefinitely for his third violation of the NFL's substance abuse policy, could push the Jets to the bottom of the AFC East instead of contending for the division title. If Evans misses half or all of the 2003 season--it's possible he'll never play in the NFL again--it will be gigantic loss to the Jets, who expected the three-man defensive tackle rotation of Evans, Jason Ferguson and first-round pick Dewayne Robertson to be a strength.

* The Seahawks are taking a big risk if they give their kicking job to seventh-round pick Josh Brown, who is the only kicker on the team's roster. Brown has a huge leg--his range extends to 55 yards--but he was streaky at Nebraska.

* The Titans' coaches are raving about fourth-round pick Rien Long. We hear Long, the 2002 Outland Trophy winner, has been the team's hardest-working rookie, has bulked up to about 305 pounds and could play a huge role as the third man in the defensive tackle rotation.--The War Roon

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