Man in the yellow hat
Footballguy
http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=406392
Quickly striking a safety match
Sources indicate team will sign Manuel
By BOB McGINN
bmcginn@journalsentinel.com
Posted: Mar. 6, 2006
Green Bay - If and when twice-delayed National Football League free agency begins, you can just about take it to the bank that the Green Bay Packers will sign safety Marquand Manuel of the Seattle Seahawks.
Sources close to the situation said the Packers had targeted Manuel and that it's almost a foregone conclusion that Manuel will sign their offer of a long-term deal within a few days after the start of the free-agent signing period. One source said Manuel already had agreed to a five-year contract worth about $10 million, including a signing bonus of $2 million.
Teams and agents aren't supposed to make deals in advance of the free-agent signing period because it would constitute tampering. In reality, it's how business is done in the NFL. Any team that hasn't started making undercover contact with agents before free agency wouldn't be doing its job.
Neil Schwartz, the agent for Manuel, declined to discuss the Packers' interest in his client.
"You do your homework, you do your research," Schwartz said Monday. "You look for teams that have needs and you try to connect the dots."
Manuel, 6 feet and 209 pounds, filled in admirably as the Seahawks' starting free safety in 2005 after Ken Hamlin suffered season-ending head injuries after the sixth game. In Super Bowl XL, Manuel went out with a groin injury early in the second quarter and the Pittsburgh Steelers exploited his replacement for two long touchdowns.
"At this point, we told them (the Seahawks) we were going to see what the market provides," Schwartz said.
Ted Thompson, the Packers' general manager, worked for Seattle in September 2004 when Manuel was waived by Cincinnati and claimed by the Seahawks. Even before that, the Packers had looked into the possibility of trading for Manuel.
Manuel, the Bengals' sixth-round draft choice in 2002, started eight of 15 games as a rookie in a secondary that included Packers safety Mark Roman as a nickel back. Roman became a starter in '03 under new coach Marvin Lewis and Manuel was reduced to a special-teams role, but one in which he excelled.
"For whatever reason, Marvin didn't love him," Schwartz said. "Everyone there thought he did a great job his rookie year."
Manuel backed up in Seattle all of '04 and early in '05 before opportunity arose.
An executive in Seattle described Manuel as a "steady guy" who wasn't nearly as good as Hamlin. A personnel director for another team said Manuel was more effective playing run than pass.
"One of his strengths would be being physical when attacking the line of scrimmage," another NFC scout said. "His weakness would be ball skills."
Counting playoffs, Manuel has started 23 of 63 games but has only one interception. As a four-year player at Florida, including three as a starter, he had six interceptions. Bob Sanders, the Packers’ new defensive coordinator, was on the Gators’ staff during Manuel’s first four years in Gainesville.
Manuel ran 40 yards in a pedestrian 4.63 seconds before the '02 draft. His score of 19 on the 50-question Wonderlic intelligence test is the NFL average, but he was an exceptional student and already was pursuing a master's degree in counseling education by his fifth year at Florida.
"You wouldn't say he's a great athlete," one scout said. "But he plays hard and he plays fast. His tempo's good. In the back end, he's the guy that gets everybody lined up. He's going to be a communicator."
Thompson struck out last spring by signing "street" free-agent safeties Earl Little, Arturo Freeman and Todd Franz. When all three flopped, the Packers had almost no alternative but to keep starting Roman, who received $2.75 million over three years ($700,000 signing bonus) in March 2004.
Roman, a non-instinctive player with poor ball skills, also was a liability in coverage. Rookie Marviel Underwood made no impact. Other than rookie Nick Collins, the Packers don't have a safety of value on the roster.
The Packers have identified Manuel as the player they want as their other starting safety in ’06 from a free-agent list that includes Chris Hope, Tank Williams, Marlon McCree, Tebucky Jones, Lawyer Milloy and Marcus Coleman.
"All those other guys have been starters or logged starting time," one scout said. "Green Bay would be going with probably the most unproven or inexperienced guy of that bunch. At least you’re getting a guy who is going to be a heck of a (special) teams player."
Manuel, 26, grew up in Miami as the ninth of 18 children.
"It’s a great story," coach Mike Holmgren said at the Super Bowl. "He had to battle for his place his whole life. He doesn’t expect things to be handed to him. He’s been better than good this season."
From the Mar. 7, 2006 editions of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Quickly striking a safety match
Sources indicate team will sign Manuel
By BOB McGINN
bmcginn@journalsentinel.com
Posted: Mar. 6, 2006
Green Bay - If and when twice-delayed National Football League free agency begins, you can just about take it to the bank that the Green Bay Packers will sign safety Marquand Manuel of the Seattle Seahawks.
Sources close to the situation said the Packers had targeted Manuel and that it's almost a foregone conclusion that Manuel will sign their offer of a long-term deal within a few days after the start of the free-agent signing period. One source said Manuel already had agreed to a five-year contract worth about $10 million, including a signing bonus of $2 million.
Teams and agents aren't supposed to make deals in advance of the free-agent signing period because it would constitute tampering. In reality, it's how business is done in the NFL. Any team that hasn't started making undercover contact with agents before free agency wouldn't be doing its job.
Neil Schwartz, the agent for Manuel, declined to discuss the Packers' interest in his client.
"You do your homework, you do your research," Schwartz said Monday. "You look for teams that have needs and you try to connect the dots."
Manuel, 6 feet and 209 pounds, filled in admirably as the Seahawks' starting free safety in 2005 after Ken Hamlin suffered season-ending head injuries after the sixth game. In Super Bowl XL, Manuel went out with a groin injury early in the second quarter and the Pittsburgh Steelers exploited his replacement for two long touchdowns.
"At this point, we told them (the Seahawks) we were going to see what the market provides," Schwartz said.
Ted Thompson, the Packers' general manager, worked for Seattle in September 2004 when Manuel was waived by Cincinnati and claimed by the Seahawks. Even before that, the Packers had looked into the possibility of trading for Manuel.
Manuel, the Bengals' sixth-round draft choice in 2002, started eight of 15 games as a rookie in a secondary that included Packers safety Mark Roman as a nickel back. Roman became a starter in '03 under new coach Marvin Lewis and Manuel was reduced to a special-teams role, but one in which he excelled.
"For whatever reason, Marvin didn't love him," Schwartz said. "Everyone there thought he did a great job his rookie year."
Manuel backed up in Seattle all of '04 and early in '05 before opportunity arose.
An executive in Seattle described Manuel as a "steady guy" who wasn't nearly as good as Hamlin. A personnel director for another team said Manuel was more effective playing run than pass.
"One of his strengths would be being physical when attacking the line of scrimmage," another NFC scout said. "His weakness would be ball skills."
Counting playoffs, Manuel has started 23 of 63 games but has only one interception. As a four-year player at Florida, including three as a starter, he had six interceptions. Bob Sanders, the Packers’ new defensive coordinator, was on the Gators’ staff during Manuel’s first four years in Gainesville.
Manuel ran 40 yards in a pedestrian 4.63 seconds before the '02 draft. His score of 19 on the 50-question Wonderlic intelligence test is the NFL average, but he was an exceptional student and already was pursuing a master's degree in counseling education by his fifth year at Florida.
"You wouldn't say he's a great athlete," one scout said. "But he plays hard and he plays fast. His tempo's good. In the back end, he's the guy that gets everybody lined up. He's going to be a communicator."
Thompson struck out last spring by signing "street" free-agent safeties Earl Little, Arturo Freeman and Todd Franz. When all three flopped, the Packers had almost no alternative but to keep starting Roman, who received $2.75 million over three years ($700,000 signing bonus) in March 2004.
Roman, a non-instinctive player with poor ball skills, also was a liability in coverage. Rookie Marviel Underwood made no impact. Other than rookie Nick Collins, the Packers don't have a safety of value on the roster.
The Packers have identified Manuel as the player they want as their other starting safety in ’06 from a free-agent list that includes Chris Hope, Tank Williams, Marlon McCree, Tebucky Jones, Lawyer Milloy and Marcus Coleman.
"All those other guys have been starters or logged starting time," one scout said. "Green Bay would be going with probably the most unproven or inexperienced guy of that bunch. At least you’re getting a guy who is going to be a heck of a (special) teams player."
Manuel, 26, grew up in Miami as the ninth of 18 children.
"It’s a great story," coach Mike Holmgren said at the Super Bowl. "He had to battle for his place his whole life. He doesn’t expect things to be handed to him. He’s been better than good this season."
From the Mar. 7, 2006 editions of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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