The NFL free agency signing period opened yesterday with three of the biggest names on the list quickly signing with new teams. With the collective bargaining agreement set to expire at the end of the 2011 season and with 2010 expected to be played uncapped, it was the Bears, Giants and Dolphins showing no fear wading into the free agency waters and making a splash.
Peppers Highlights First Day Of Free Agent Signings
The Bears struck first with the biggest name on the market in Carolina Panthers DE Julius Peppers. With Chicago Bears coach Lovie Smith and the executive team on the hot seat, the conservative Bears opened their wallets to save their own hides. Despite being on the north side of 30, Peppers was showered with a six-year deal worth up to $91.5 million, with $42 million guaranteed. Taking advantage of the uncapped season, the Bears loaded $20 million into the first season of the contract. The Bears were very busy yesterday, also signing Vikings RB Chester Taylor and San Diego TE Brandon Manumaleuna.
It’s do or die in the Windy City.
A similar atmosphere loomed in the Meadowlands yesterday, with the New York Giants scrambling to fill holes in a defense that went from being the best in the NFL to the worst in the NFL in the middle of one season. With gaping holes at linebacker and safety, the Giants will likely address these areas of need in both the free agency signing period and at the draft. With a treasure trove of linebackers in the draft, the Giants passed on Arizona LB Karlos Dansby and signed his teammate, S Antrel Rolle, fresh off his first Pro Bowl since converting from cornerback.
Rolle was released by the Cardinals last week in a salary dump move. Rolle was due a $3 million roster bonus as well as an $8 million salary for the final season of his contract. The Giants were quick to swoop in and pick up the top safety on the market and make him the highest paid safety in NFL history. The deal is a five-year contract worth $37 million, of which $15 million is guaranteed.
After losing out on Rolle, the Miami Dolphins targeted Dansby to fill the hole left by the departure of the talented malcontent LB Joey Porter. Dansby is the first change made under new defensive coordinator Mike Nolan to fix a defense that melted under pressure and caused the Dolphins to miss out on back-to-back playoff appearances. Dansby was awarded a five year deal worth $43 million, with $22 million guaranteed.
The first day of free agency was marked by defense, defense, defense. Outside of the Baltimore Raven’s trade for Anquan Boldin, very little news occurred on that side of the ball. Expect to see momentum pick up on offensive signings in the next few days.
With a looming lockout and potential uncapped season lying in front of the NFL and its players, the 2010 NFL free agency signing period will be one of the most unique in years. Teams will be unsure of who to go after and what type of contract they should offer. Players will be concerned with what looms in their future if a resolution between the players and league cannot be reached.
Owens Back On The Market
But one for thing is for sure, Jerry Jones is loving the jambalaya stew he’s cooked up with his greedy thirst to purchase his next Lombardi Trophy.
Here are some of the interesting highlights during this signing period:
Jason Campbell, QB Washington Redskins
The Redskins have a new coach and another new offensive system. Mike Shanahan knows how to develop a quarterback, so Jason Campbell could finally be in good hands. As a restricted free agent, it is likely that the Skins will tender him because there are no better options in the open market. Campbell has improved significantly over the last two years, although it has been overshadowed by poor coaching and personnel decisions. Expect the Skins to re-sign Campbell to a short-term agreement and draft Sam Bradford in the upcoming draft.
Chester Taylor, RB Minnesota Vikings
Here’s a guy your heart bleeds for. He was the Vikings’ big free agent signing in 2006, ran for a solid 1,216 yards and proved his worth. They go and draft Adrian Peterson and the rest is history. Taylor is probably the best running back in the NFL not starting or splitting duties at the RB position. At age 30, he likely has little left in the tank, but you really want to pull for this guy to get a nice contract which he deservedly earned. Hopefully he’ll get a chance for a few more carries in his next stop.
Terrell Owens, WR Buffalo Bills
Surprise, Surprise. T.O. is a free agent again. After one very underperforming season, the Buffalo Bills said adieu to everyone’s favorite malcontent. But don’t cry for T.O., there is a sucker born every minute and it appears that its John Harbaugh’s time to assume the position of village idiot. Expect T.O. to land in Baltimore very quickly.
Bobbie Williams, OL Cincinnati Bengals
This is the last guy Carson Palmer wants to see leave, but he might as well pack the bags for the guy who protects his hide. The Bengals proved this past season that if Palmer is healthy they are a team to be reckoned with. But given Williams’ perceived value in the open market, it is unlikely that Cincy will be able to afford to bring him back.
Julius Peppers, DL Carolina Panthers
It is very unlikely that the Panthers will franchise Peppers for another season and pay him an exhorbitant one-year salary. And the rest of the league knows it. Already, Peppers is the top name in the free agency rumors mills. It is already swirling that the Chicago Bears and Philadelphia Eagles are interested. As good as Peppers has been, he is moving to the wrong side of thirty and it is unlikely that he can live up to the contract he will likely sign. His raw talent will make teams look past his inconsistency on the field and he’ll get one last big contract because a DL that can sack a QB is priceless.
Karlos Dansby, LB Arizona Cardinals
I realize Dansby has definitely started to slide back, but he is still under 30 and is the most high-profile LB at the position. And it doesn’t hurt that almost every other LB that is a free agent is restricted. Dansby’s unrestricted status will make him extremely appealing to teams not interested in having to give up a draft pick for simply signing him. It is unlikely Dansby will be back in Arizona as they re-tool their defense. Expect to see Dansby come East and land either with the New York Giants or Philadelphia Eagles.
Dunta Robinson, DB Houston Texans
Here’s one sure bet, Dunta Robinson wishes he could go back and reconsider his decision to sidestep training camp in a contract dispute like he did last season. Playing in a contract year, Robinson put up the worst stats of his career and became a liability on defense for the Texans. There no chance at all the Texans will franchise him, so he is jumping out of a plane without a parachute. Expect Robinson to languish on the free agency wire and be begging for a job.
Darren Sharper, DB New Orleans Saints
After being dumped by the Minnesota Vikings due to a poor 2008 season, the Saints took a chance on an aging safety with hopes that he had one more season left in him. What a signing! Not only did he have a season left in him, he single-handedly led the Saints defense to a Super Bowl championship, setting a record for interception yards in a season along the way. Unfortunately, the Saints have a lot a players to re-sign and Sharper will likely be the odd man out. Expect to see Sharper playing elsewhere in 2010.
Shayne Graham, K Cincinnati Bengals
Typically one of the most trustworthy kickers in the league, Graham hit rock bottom in his contract year. Early in the season, they cut his long-time long snapper Brad St. Louis after Graham went into a funk. Things improved and then came the playoffs. With his team in comeback mode, Graham missed a 28-yard field goal that took the wind out of the sails of his team and sent the fans heading to the gates. Kickers rarely survive after missing such a critical easy chip shot, so don’t expect Graham to be back in Cincy next year.
Every time an All-Star team is selected there are always bound to be undeserving guys making the squad and a bunch of bridesmaids hoping to be the bride. The 2010 Pro Bowl selections are no different this year. Unlike most years, there are fewer disagreements on the choices. Regardless, there were some glaringly bad selections and awful omissions.
Here’s my take:
Who Was Undeserving
1. Jason Witten
Here’s a guy that had an awful season. Who cares if he has a lot catches, they’ve been meaningless dump offs and mop up play. He rates at the bottom for YPC, TDs and catches for first downs. Not to mention he is no longer Romo’s go to guy.
2. Bryant McKinnie
Benched two weeks ago as Julius Peppers brutalized Brett Favre, leading to the sideline meltdown between Favre and Childress. His reward…a starting spot on the Pro Bowl offensive line. At least Pepper is on his team this time.
3. David Akers
A beneficiary of playing on a team that can’t put the ball in the end zone. Kicking is about more than just chipshot field goals. Akers has never shown himself to be a pressure guy and his kickoffs rate in the back half of the league. A little known fact: Shaun Suisham and Nick Folk had better averages for 40+ field goals and they both got cut.
4. Wes Welker
Put the numbers aside, this guy has no right in the Pro Bowl. He is not even their top receiver. His numbers are bloated because of the slot passes which are more wildcat formation runs than actual catches. He’s the only top WR where less than 10% of his catches are over 10 yards.
5. DeAngelo Williams
Williams had a somewhat down year on a bad team that he contributed losses to and he gets in the Pro Bowl? He deserved it last year, but not based on his performance this year. After Jonathan Stewart’s performance against the Giants, Williams might not even start next year.
6. Asante Samuel
While he gets lots of interceptions, he gets beaten too often. This is not to mention that the guy likes less tackling contact than Deion Sanders. Its almost impossible to play every down of every game and only have 40 tackles, but Samuels did it.
Who Got Shafted
1. Cedric Benson
How did this guy not make the team? He leads the NFL in carries per game and has made an unbelievable comeback against all the odds. his performance against the Bears should get him in alone. Probably the biggest shaft of them all.
2. Brent Celek
This guy has been a rock in the Philly offense. Unlike Witten and Tony Gonzalez who feed as dump off receivers, Celek goes down the field for his catches because dumps to its running backs. Not to mention taking hit better than anyone in the NFL. Celek is a major reason why the Eagles offense has clicked despite all the injuries. I guess he lost out so undeserving Eagles like Akers and Samuels could attend in his place.
3. Ryan Grant
This guy has been a workhorse. When he is running the ball well, Green Bay wins games. He is perhaps the most important player to their success because he takes pressure off the offensive line that can’t pass block.
4. D.J. Williams
Victim of the ongoing love affair with Ray Lewis that will never end. Williams had a breakout year that should have gotten the recognition it deserved. Williams is a tackling machine but won’t see the Pro Bowl until Lewis retires.
5. Antoine Bethea
94 tackles, 9 passes defended and 4 INTs. This rates you a bystander for the pro bowl. But if you get 45 tackles, 8 passes defended and 3 INTs at the same position, you are in like flint. Congrats to Ed Reed for stealing Bethea’s spot.
The Minnesota Viking find themselves still with a shot at the #1 seed in the NFC playoff picture. This possibility is due to the big upset of the New Orleans Saints yesterday to the hands of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the Big Easy. We will see how the Vikings respond to this opportunity tonight in Chicago as they take on their fierce division rival “The Bears”. Chicago would love nothing better than to spoil this opportunity and keep the Vikings from any shot at securing that #1 spot.
Brett Favre and the Vikings still in the hunt for NFC's #1 Seed.
The Saints loss their opportunity to clinch the #1 seed with their overtime loss yesterday. They jumped out to a 17-0 lead three possessions into the game but never scored again. They missed a field goal at the end of regulation. The Saints have lost two in a row and appear to be playing flat football which makes this opportunity even more of a possibility. The Saints can still clinch the seed with a victory next week in Carolina. That is no gimme as Carolina is coming off two impressive victories over the Vikings and the Giants. The Vikings have a real shot.
The Vikings must look better tonight in Chicago. Last week they were listless in their 26-7 defeat to the Carolina Panthers. Brett Favre has not played well in recent weeks and needs to get the Viking ship headed in the right direction. With this game being in Chicago and still having a chance for the #1 seed, this could be the motivation the Vikings need to get out of their funk. The Vikings will need a victory tonight and a win next week at home against a demoralized Giants team along with a loss by the Saints in Carolina. Motivation is everything in team sports, the Vikings have it in front of them, lets see how they use it.
The Minnesota Vikings have more than another loss to be concerned about after taking a solid beating last night to the Carolina Panthers 26-7. They have a quarterback that is placing his ego ahead of the betterment of the team and a long playoff run. Surprise, Surprise. Brett Favre is playing awful football in December and losing self awareness of his abilities.
During the defeat, head coach Brad Childress and Favre got into an animated and heated argument on the sidelines during the third quarter. Childress had decided he’d seen his quarterback take enough of a beating and was ready to replace him with Tarvaris Jackson. Favre refused the benching and stormed back onto the field. Shortly thereafter, the team imploded, giving up 20 unanswered points as Carolina flattened the Vikings in the fourth quarter.
Favre is no longer the QB he used to be when he was younger. The long NFL season is taking a toll on his old, creaking body. The numbers don’t lie.
Month
G
QBRat
Comp
Att
Pct
Yards
Y/G
Y/A
TD
Int
September
11
100.9
260
388
67.0%
2,706
246.0
7.0
25
7
October
10
87.5
239
349
68.5%
2,632
263.2
7.5
13
13
November
14
108.2
313
450
69.6%
3,656
261.1
8.1
28
7
December
10
69.7
199
330
60.3%
2,198
199.8
6.7
11
17
The once unvincible Favre’s numbers in December have resembled that of a Cleveland Browns starting QB…you take your pick on which one. His QB rating is sub-70, his completion rate drops more than 15% and his interceptions go through the roof.
For once, Brad Childress was making the right call. The Minnesota offense was going nowhere and Favre was taking an unnecessary beating from Julius Peppers. But just like Eric Mangini, Childress was spineless and didn’t have the courage to bench the future Hall of Famer.
Last year when Favre imploded with the Jets only one person had the courage to speak out, running back Thomas Jones. On talk radio shows after the season, Jones chastised Favre for playing through serious injuries and costing the team a playoff berth. The Jets and former coach Eric Mangini were each fined $125,000 for concealing the injury, a violation of NFL policy. Favre later required surgery to repair the injury in the offseason before he joined the Vikings.
Favre’s behavior last night not only cost his team a victory, but it could possible cause unnecessary distractions as the Vikings try to seal a first-round bye for the playoffs. The Vikings didn’t bring in Favre to just get to the playoffs, they could have done that with Tarvaris Jackson or Sage Rosenfels. Favre was brought in to win a Super Bowl and this will only happen if he is healthy heading into January.
The New York Giants will be taking on the Washington Redskins tonight and is a must win if they want any chance of playing playoff football in January. If they were to lose tonight, they would need to win their last two games, need a lot of help, pull out some tiebreakers to get in. The Giants hope this is one of three straight victories they need to end the season to give them the best chance for the playoffs. The Giants would face Carolina next week and finish up in Minnesota. They have their work cut out for them to say the least.
The Giants and Tom Coughlin are in a must win tonight in Washington if they want to see the playoffs.
The Giants are currently 7-6 after starting off 5-0. They never thought they would be in a must win situation after week 13. There was a lot of talk about the GMEN being invincible after that start and now they find themselves fighting their playoff lives. It is a long season in the NFL ,and there are so many factors that can turn a promising season into a failure in a drop of a dime.
Last week the Giants dropped a shootout to their division rival Philadelphia Eagles 45-38. The Giants out gained the Eagles, but it was the big plays by the Eagles on offense and special teams that did the Giants in. One bright spot for the Giants was the play of their quarterback Eli Manning. Manning was 27-38 with 391 yards and three touchdowns. Maybe Eli can bring that momentum into Washington and make the Giants winners tonight.
To add to the Giants worries, the Redskins are playing good football right now and are coming off a impressive 34-13 victory in Oakland last week. Their playoff chances have been over for awhile, but they have been still playing with pride and passion. The Skins would love to win their last three games. This would not only give them momentum for next season but might save the job of their head coach Jim Zorn. Zorn needs these last three victories to give him a shot to be around next season. This game should be a old fashion knockout between to rivals in the NFC East on a Monday night in the Nation’s Capital.
The New Orleans Saints will hope to stay unbeaten and make it to 14-0 as they take on the Dallas Cowboys in front of their home crowd tonight. The Saints will hope fortune continues to shine down on them as they tempt fate and try to stay perfect. Last week, they held off a pesky Atlanta Falcons team and pulled out a 26-23 victory. The Saints will need to play better if they are poing to stay perfect, because the Boys have a lot on the line tonight.
Dallas is currently 8-5 and one game behind the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC East and this victory would not only vastly increase their playoff chances but could give them the confidence they would need to make a serious playoff run. The Saints will need to play inspired as the Cowboys have just as much to play for tonight in New Orleans.
Drew Brees and the Saints hope to go to 14-0 tonight against Dallas.
The Saints have a legitimate shot at pulling off the next three victories thanks to their great quarterback Drew Brees. Brees knows that this opportunity does not come often and is a chance to make NFL history. He will pull out all the stops and will certainly hold nothing back in hopes of keeping the streak alive and hampering the playoff chances of the Dallas Cowboys. I love his attitude as you should always play to win no matter what. If you are a true competitor, you can’t just shut down the drive to win. Brees has passed for 3832 yards with 32 touchdowns and has a incredible passer rating of 112.3. He will bring his A game tonight. Dallas Beware!
After tonight the Saints have Tampa Bay at home and finish their season in Carolina. If they get a victory tonight, I think the Saints will Brees in the last two to make it a perfect 16-0 regular season. I am routing for Saints so the city of New Orleans can truly celebrate something special in the Big Easy.
The Saints pulled off a remarkable victory over the Washington Redskins yesterday to keep their hopes alive for a perfect season. They trailed the entire game and by ten in the fourth quarter. They tied the game and eventually won it in overtime. They had no business winning the game, but you have to be lucky to be 12-0 at this stage in the NFL season. One question comes to mind; Can they win their next four games and be perfect.
Their next game is at Atlanta. Atlanta has injuries to Matt Ryan and Michael Turner; so they will be hard pressed to beat a good and fortunate team like the Saints. From there it is Dallas at home. The home cookin’ will be something to see as they go for 14-0 against America’s team on a Saturday night. It they win that one, they have Tampa Bay at home and that should produce another victory that could put them one victory from perfection. Their last game is at Carolina. This is a game that intrigues me to say the least. How much will the Saints have left in their tank if they are still unbeaten?
I think the Saints have a better than average shot to pull off a undefeated season. They have a great quarterback in Drew Brees and seem to have lady luck on their side. It would make for a great story in the land of Mardi Gras. Imagine the partying that will go on in the Big Easy if the Saints pull off a perfect season. The Miami Dolphins could have company in that respect. It makes the NFL season that much more interesting down the stretch.
Every time an All-Star team is selected there are always bound to be undeserving guys making the squad and a bunch of bridesmaids hoping to be the bride. The 2010 Pro Bowl selections are no different this year. Unlike most years, there are fewer disagreements on the choices. Regardless, there were some glaringly bad selections and awful omissions.
