Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, September 1, 1993 TAG: 9309010170
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-2 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: From staff and Associated Press reports
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Furrer, cut by the Chicago Bears, was picked up Tuesday by the Phoenix Cardinals, who have been seeking a No. 3 quarterback behind Steve Beuerlein and Chris Chandler. Meanwhile, Martinsville native and former Virginia quarterback Shawn Moore was brought back by the Denver Broncos.
Detroit recalled former Tech linebacker Victor Jones to its roster, and veteran safety Mark Kelso, a William and Mary alumnus, returned to three-time AFC champion Buffalo, where he has been a starter.
In all, the one-day vacation ended Tuesday for more than 100 NFL veterans who were called back to their teams. For Ottis Anderson, however, it could be the start of the Countdown to Canton.
The 36-year-old running back, whose 10,273 rushing yards rank eighth on the NFL's all-time list, was not reclaimed after being cut by the New York Giants, for whom he was the 1991 Super Bowl MVP.
Anderson, who still might sign with Bill Parcells, the former Giants coach, in New England, was beaten out for a spot as the team's backup fullback by free-agent rookie Kenyon Rasheed.
In another move, running back Bobby Humphrey signed a one-year contract with the Miami Dolphins, ending six months of offers, counter-offers, threats and ultimatums.
Terms of the contract were not disclosed, although the Miami Herald reported Tuesday it was worth $625,000, including incentives.
Under the new labor agreement, any player with more than four NFL seasons is a free agent when cut and doesn't have to go through waivers. That effectively allowed teams to release players with little risk to get down to Monday's 47-man limit and then re-sign them to expand back to 53 on Tuesday.
But even for those players who knew they'd be called back, it was a harrowing process.
"It's like you're on a spacewalk," said defensive end Tim Green of Atlanta, who spent Tuesday morning on "Good Morning America" to plug his recently published novel, "Ruffians," before re-signing with the Falcons at noon.
"You know you're still attached by the tether line, but in the back of your mind there's still a feeling of uncertainty. More than anything else, it puts it all in perspective as to how thin a line there is between making a team and not making it."
Some had the tether snapped, like kicker Matt Bahr, another hero of the Giants' 1991 NFL title. Bahr was replaced by former Bronco David Treadwell as Dan Reeves, who took over the team this year after 12 years in Denver, continued to turn the team into "the New Jersey Broncos."
Minnesota brought back five players, including Roger Craig. Kansas City reclaimed four, but not linebackers Percy Snow or Dino Hackett, both former starters. Snow was the No. 1 pick in 1990 by Kansas City.
Some veteran players found jobs elsewhere, such as Jay Hilgenberg, the 34-year-old center released last week by Cleveland. Hilgenberg was signed by New Orleans to replace his injured brother Joel, the Saints' longtime center.
Many teams brought back a half-dozen players they had cut to fill out the rosters. In some cases, they were six "terminated" veterans; in others, they were a combination of players who were "terminated" and younger players placed on waivers.
The Giants, meanwhile, brought back only two - center Bart Oates and cornerback Perry Williams, while San Francisco re-signed linebacker Mike Walter, cornerback Don Griffin, kicker Mike Cofer and running back Marc Logan.
Super Bowl champion Dallas re-signed six players, including Bill Bates and Tommie Agee.
But the Cowboys didn't bring back backup quarterback Hugh Millen and signed two players off waivers - Joey Mickey, a tight end cut by Philadelphia, and defensive end Matt Vanderbeek of Indianapolis. Mickey is needed at a position where Dallas is thin.
The New York Jets re-signed a group of cuts, including center Jim Sweeney, who didn't even clean out his locker.
Teams with more problems, meanwhile, were grabbing help where they could find it.
Cincinnati, for example, claimed four players on waivers and made room for them by releasing four others, part of the "revolving-door" or "bus-station" approach practiced by teams unhappy with their players. The best-known of that group was wide receiver Wesley Carroll, waived Monday by New Orleans.
New England, rebuilding from the bottom up, picked up six players, none of them big names.
"I would like to think it wasn't madness," Parcells said. "It may be, but I would like to think it wasn't."
by CNB