Not Ready For Prime Time Players

The six NFL expansion teams born since 1960—Dallas, Minnesota , Atlanta , New Orleans , Tampa Bay and Seattle ( Miami and Cincinnati were added to the original AFL)—won an average of less than two games in their first year and three in their second. But the expansion blues may not afflict Carolina and Jacksonville when those teams begin play in September 1995. Last week NFL owners approved a plan for stocking the newcomers that gives the Panthers and the Jaguars distinct advantages over their expansion ancestors—but with one big catch.

Carolina and Jacksonville each will start out with a total of 14 picks over the seven rounds of the college draft in both 1995 and '96. Prior expansion teams had extra picks only in their first year. Carolina and Jacksonville each will also select as many as 42 non-free-agent veterans in an allocation draft next February and will be required to keep 30 of them on the roster until July 15, spending at least $14 million on their salaries. When added to money doled out to rookies, that should leave the new guys about $15 million apiece to spend on veteran free agents, which could put them in the running for some major stars.

The bad news for Carolina and Jacksonville is that they are obligated to pay the 1995 salaries of the 30 veterans they keep from the allocation draft, even if those players are cut before the season. And those salaries will be counted against the new teams' salary caps.

"In 1976, Seattle and Tampa picked 78 veteran players," says Jacksonville coach Tom Coughlin . "Thirty didn't make it, and 33 more were gone after one year. So 15 of 78 players really helped those teams. That's not many."

Only a few drafted veterans have turned out to be true assets to their new teams. In 1961 the Vikings plucked tackle Grady Alderman from the Lions, and he went on to play in four Pro Bowls. The Seahawks ' second choice in 1976, Steeler cornerback Dave Brown, intercepted 50 passes in 11 seasons in Seattle . Amazingly, Alderman and Brown are the only two players out of 234 taken in the six expansion drafts who have lasted at least 10 years with their teams. Here's how the expansion teams have fared early on.