By Scott M. Johnson
Herald Writer
Rather than risk another snub this offseason, Michael Sullivan has started a grass-roots campaign of sorts.
Sullivan, the agent for quarterback Trent Dilfer, has circulated an e-mail to anyone around the league willing to take the time to break down a few statistics. In the message, Sullivan has made a compelling case for teams to favor his client ahead of fellow quarterback Drew Bledsoe when it comes time to pick up a signal-caller in the coming weeks.
Free agency officially begins Friday in the NFL, and Dilfer – who spent last season with the Seattle Seahawks – is hoping to find a team willing to make him its starter.
Sullivan’s statistical breakdown is so convincing that there seems to be a growing sense that Dilfer’s wish just might be granted – unlike last season, when he had to wait until training camp to sign a contract even though he had led the Baltimore Ravens to the Super Bowl.
Of course, the Dilfer-Bledsoe comparisons have a few holes. First of all, Bledsoe isn’t even a free agent. To attain his services, teams would have to make a trade – possibly involving a first-round draft pick. Secondly, it doesn’t include other current and soon-to-be free agents like Chris Chandler, Charlie Batch, Jeff Blake, Jim Miller and Rob Johnson.
But the essence of Sullivan’s message seems pretty clear. In his opinion, Dilfer – not Bledsoe – should be considered the top quarterback available this offseason.
Sullivan refused to say anything that specific, opting instead to let the statistics speak for themselves. He also did not want to make any projections about what might happen in the upcoming weeks, when his client is eligible to start negotiating with other teams.
At least five teams probably will be looking for new starters next season, with Cincinnati and Chicago representing the most realistic opportunities for Dilfer. Neither he nor the Seahawks have closed the door on Dilfer returning to Seattle, but that scenario doesn’t seem likely. Coach Mike Holmgren showed last season that he is willing to go through some growing pains with Matt Hasselbeck at quarterback. Holmgren has continued his attempts to woo Dilfer back to Seattle, but the veteran quarterback will test the market.
Dilfer was in a similar situation last summer, as his only realistic starting opportunity (the Kansas City Chiefs) fell through in mid-April. Nearly four months later, Dilfer finally signed a one-year, $1 million to be Seattle’s backup – despite the fact that he had recently earned a Super Bowl ring.
During his short tenure with the Seahawks, Dilfer went 4-0 as a starter while running his personal winning streak to 15 games. He never grumbled about being Hasselbeck’s backup, and said at the end of the season that he might be willing to return to Seattle as long as certain stipulations were met.
In his last 20 starts, Dilfer has won 19 times. During that same span, Bledsoe has a 6-14 record. Dilfer also has a better touchdown-to-interception ratio and has completed more long touchdown passes.
Personnel people around the league seem to favor Bledsoe because of his downfield accuracy, but Sullivan’s statistical breakdown tells a different story. Even more telling is the fact that Dilfer has had most of his success during the first halves of games. Of his last 26 touchdown passes, 21 have come before halftime. As a result, Dilfer’s teams have led at the half in 18 of his past 20 starts.
If the numbers aren’t convincing enough to persuade at least one team to put its faith in Dilfer, he could return to Seattle. But Sullivan and his client are confident there will be other options.
“Trent feels his performance at this time merits the opportunity to be someone’s starting quarterback (in 2002),” Sullivan said.
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