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.
The NFL needs to decide whether or not it wants to enforce its own rules. It’s playoff time in the NFL now. Win, or go home.
In one of the best playoff games in recent memory, and arguably one of the greatest playoff games of all time, Green Bay was sent packing by the Cardinals. However, there were a few blown calls late in the game that could have cost the Packers a chance of advancing to play New Orleans.
Snyder Dismisses NFL Rules
On the second play in overtime after a thrilling four periods of regulation, Aaron Rodgers was hit in a helmet to helmet collision in the process of completing a fourteen yard pass. No personal foul was called, and the play was called back for offensive holding. Two plays later, everyone watched in shock as Rodgers was taken down by the facemask, losing the ball in the process as Karlos Dansby scooped it out of the air and into the end zone for the Arizona win.
Over the past season, and going further back into prior seasons, the NFL has shown their commitment to protecting the quarterback, no matter how minor the offense. Some argue that certain players have received special treatment from these rules, a la the “Tom Brady treatment.”
To maintain fair competition, the NFL needs to stop over blowing the whistle when these “elite” quarterbacks are out there or make consistent calls. Since the evidence shows that the calls are never consistent, they should stop overprotecting the quarterback position and let defenses go and do what they are paid to do, which is play defense.
Another rule that has become even more of a mockery than the protection of quarterbacks is the Rooney Rule. This states that teams who are in the process of hiring a new head coach must interview at least one minority. The purpose of this is to give the opportunity of obtaining a head coaching job to a minority. At the very least, even if said minority is passed over for the job, it gets their name out there for future vacancies.
However, it has become commonplace for owners in all sports, including the NFL, to continually recycle the same Caucasian coaches who have been mediocre in prior stints on other teams. Presumably some of this has to do with media hype over certain coaches when coaching jobs open up, no matter how merited that hype may be. The ignorance of the owners perpetuates this.
In two jobs that opened up shortly after season’s end, the Redskins and Seahawks had their positions filled (at least in principle) before full interviews really took place. Dan Snyder played footsie with Mike Shanahan for weeks with Zorn still under contract, and days after the season was officially over, he was hired. The Seahawks were quick to dump their first year coach in favor of USC’s Pete Carroll, who has been mediocre at best in his prior head coaching positions in the NFL.
What’s questionable is if and how these two teams complied with the rule when looking for their replacement. The Redskins interviewed one of their assistants during the season while Zorn was still head coach, and the Seahawks were trying to set up an interview with Minnesota’s defensive coordinator while at the same time working on a contract with Carroll.
It’s quite evident that the spirit of the rule was not followed by either team. Quick moves to dump their current head coaches were made to make room for candidates that were available and coveted by ownership of both teams. Any lackadaisical interviews that occurred with anyone were done simply for compliance sake, not to give those candidates their fair opportunity as was the plan when the rule was originated. But I guess ignorance is bliss.
The Dallas Cowboys take on the Washington Redskins tonight in Washington. To me, this is a must win game due to what is on the line ,and the momentum they are carrying off of their big win at the hands of the unbeaten New Orleans Saints 24-17 last Saturday. A loss would be devastating to both their playoff hopes and their psyche.
Tony Romo and the Cowboys hope to be smiling after tonight in Washington.
Dallas is 9-5 and right in the thick of both a wildcard spot and they even have a good shot at winning the NFC East. But they need to beat their division rival tonight in Washington. If the Boys win and the Giants lose to Carolina, Dallas would be in the playoffs. Dallas can pull off the NFC East if they win out and beat the Eagles in the final week. So there is a lot on the line for the Dallas Cowboys tonight.
Dallas looked great in their victory over the Saints and got great play from their quarterback Tony Romo. They add no turnovers and held the vaunted New Orleans Saints offense to their lowest output of the season. This is the momentum that you want to carry into the final weeks of the regular season and into the playoffs if you are fortunate to be there. Add this to the fact that their opponent the Redskins looked about as awful as you could look last Monday in their defeat at the hands of the Giants 45-12. The boys must win and carry their momentum.
I think the Cowboys will take out the Redskins and put themselves in a great position for the playoffs and set up a potential big game next week at home against the Eagles for the NFC East. Momentum will be carried tonight in Washington.
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 NFC East was on showcase in the NFL yesterday with marquee matchups that would set the tone for remaining games on the schedule. The Dallas Cowboys played host the streaking San Diego Chargers while the Philadelphia Eagles battled it out with the New York Giants in the Meadowlands. After all was said and done, the NFC East showed themselves to be also-rans in the playoff conversation.
In Dallas, the Cowboys continued their annual December swoon with a 20-17 loss at home to San Diego. While Dallas has compiled a 3-8 record in December over the last three seasons under Wade Phillips, San Diego has compiled a perfect 11-0 record in the same time span under Norv Turner. The trends didn’t change yesterday.
While the game was decided late, the tone was set early as San Diego took a 7-3 lead after a 7 play, 84 yard drive capped by a LaDainian Tomllison 1-yard plunge. The game was defined by the inability to execute when it counted. That difference showed up on third down, where Dallas was an underwhelming 1 for 8. While Dallas played turnover-free football, they just couldn’t make plays when it counted. And for the second game in a row, the Dallas defense was unable to place pressure on the QB, leaving their questionable secondary open for attack.
To add further misery to the Cowboys locker room, defensive star DeMarcus Ware was taken off the field in a stretcher in the fourth quarter. Ware was hospitalized, as early reports suggest a severe neck sprain that may keep him off the field for awhile. This is unfortunate news for a team already reeling with a tough schedule ahead.
The Eagles and Giants duked it out in a 45-38 offensive war that saw the Eagles come out on top. A matchup of teams where a defensive struggle is the norm, the teams combined for 83 points, the most ever between these teams with a storied history of games played against one another. The Eagles eked out the victory thanks to four lost fumbles and some favorable calls from officials.
Despite the victory on the scoreboard, the Eagles performance on the field was less than stellar. The Giant offense racked up 512 yards of offense as they rumbled up and down the field without the Eagles putting up much of a fight. Once again, the Eagles interior defense was exposed, as the Giants attacked over and over again across the middle, piling up yards in chunks. The Eagles once again had no answer to the middle defense attacks and showed they can be exploited with relative ease.
On the otherside of the ball, the Giants just did themselves in by giving up big plays. DeSean Jackson had a career game with 6 catches for 178 yards and a touchdown as well as 72 yard punt return score. The plays by Jackson were less about his terrific skills and more about a Giant team that can’t get it done. On the two long passes caught by Jackson, Donovan McNabb had underthrown Jackson. The Giant defenders were so far behind, they still couldn’t make up the difference. Then Domenik Hixon total blew the punt return coverage that opened up the run lane for Jackson to break free. The big plays were about blown coverage and non-execution, coupled with poor defensive schemes by the coaches.
When you remove the big plays from the box score, it displayed significant weaknesses in the Eagles offense as well. They didn’t move the ball very effectively despite the Giants placing limited pressure on McNabb. The running game was a disaster again, as the Eagles turned to fullback Leonard Weaver over the struggling rookie LeSean McCoy. More than half of their total offense came on Giants lapses rather than their own solid execution.
The saddest part of the story in the NFC East right now is that the hottest team in the division is the Washington Redskins. With their 34-13 spanking of the Oakland Raiders and their quandered victories against Dallas and Philadelphia, it appears the Skins are the most feared team in the division.
Washington's Jason Campbell Admires A Fumble Versus Giants
Every Autumn during the NFL pre-season it seems that all analysts are talking about is the prowess of the NFC East. This could not be further from the truth.
Ok, ok, I know you’re saying “The Giants did it only two seasons ago!?” but everyone knows that was a complete fluke, and based on how many other years analysts said someone from the NFC East was going to do it, the division would have 6 rings in the past 10 years.
Every week I have to hear Sal Pal (Paolantonio) covering the Giants and Eagles running his mouth at how their defenses are so stout, while opponents quiver at the variety of talent on their offenses. Ed Werder does his own rendition down south covering the Cowboys. He can’t get much of a rational thought across the screen with that microphone so far up Tony Romo’s tail.
Let’s take a closer look:
New York Giants
Get a pass because they’ve actually won it this decade. However, last year they were the high and mighty favorites only to get knocked out in the 1st round to a streaky Philadelphia squad, in their own house nonetheless, for the 2nd time in a month. This year they were heavy favorites once again, and everyone was riding the train at the start of the season. Of their starting 5 games they were 5-0 with a seemingly big (but clearly now over-rated) victory over the Cowboys. Turns out, all of the victories came against teams that still now have losing records. The following landslide of losses came in dominant fashion, except for the close San Diego game, and a late-win vs. ATL. Last Thursday’s “statement” game now has the G-Men looking for answers while pointing fingers, an ultimate low for the season. Look for them to play spoiler this year and not even come close to fulfilling expectations.
Philadelphia Eagles
Perhaps the most successful group of losers over the past 10+ years. Everyone knows their 5 NFC East crowns, 7 Playoff Appearances, 5 NFC Championship Games, and 1 Superbowl. Since 2004, analysts chose the birds to fly “all the way” and they have only made it once to the big stage. Of their first 5 games, they’ve come out the victor in all but one beat down by the Saints, who are the truth at this point. Things were looking up until coaching idiocracy reared its ugly head again in a disasterous loss to Oakland. Pass 90% of the time against the worst defense against the run in all of the NFL, great choice. This team has so much talent but their coaching staff finds ways to muck it up. Reid eats timeouts faster than Dollar-Menu cheeseburgers, and their offensive coordinator destroys all possibilities of continuity on offense. With the passing of Defensive Coordinator, Jim Johnson, it seemed that the only thing keeping Philly in it for the past couple years was about to go too. Luckily, new guy Sean McDermitt can run the ship, which is saving Reid from ploppin that behind right on the hot seat. Two additional losses so far puts the Eagles at 7-4, and in control of their road to the playoffs. They’ll blow another one, don’t you worry. They’ll probably even make the playoffs, but fulfill Superbowl aspirations? I don’t think so.
Dallas Cowboys
Probably the most consistently over-rated of the bunch. Again, this squad behind Tony Romo and a brand new ridiculous stadium, was expected to run the table. Just like last year, and the year before it, many believed the Cowboys to be the team to beat, even though they failed to win a single playoff game in any year since 1998 under Chan Gailey. They’ve been trying to find the next Jimmy Johnson ever since, and this current attempt with Wade Phillips defines sideline silliness on Sundays. But year in and yea out, they are the favorite to win it all when they haven’t even gotten on the doorstep (well, they were on their way but Romo’s superpowers are only limited to QB duties, not place-holder). So far this year “them Cowboys” dropped games to the hapless Giants, over-rated Broncos (remember when that D was “unstoppable”) and the Packers. They eeked one past the disaster that is the Washington Redskins with a pathetic 7-6 win. Their road doesn’t get much easier with a NYG rematch, then the Chargers, Saints, Skins, and Eagles. Even if they make it through that gauntlet, and win at least one playoff game, their jubilation of that one victory will sidetrack them from the ultimate goal, and again head home early as an over-rated squad.
Washington Redskins
Ok, this could be the only team that hasn’t had high expectations to fill, but they deserve some fault for consistently spending ungodly amounts of money for players that add no value to the team. Mark Brunell, Bruce Smith, Deion Sanders, Shaun Alexander, De’Angelo Hall, Santana Moss, Adam Archuleta, and now an oft-injured Albert Haynesworth for a $100 contract. You gotta hand it to Dan Snyder at trying to be the Yankees of the NFL, but someone get that man an advisor! The poor hogs have been squealin for a quality head coach ever since Gibbs left, returned, then retired again as they’ve been lucky to sneak in only a couple successful seasons since their last NFC East championship in 1999. This year has been no different with the addition of Jim Zorn, the offensive guru who doesn’t even call offensive plays anymore. That sideline circus must have Jason Campbell’s head spinnin. The only plus side is that their defense has been something to look forward to as London Fletcher is a tackling machine.
Say what you want, but once again the beast of the NFC East proves to be mediocre at best. Maybe they just beat themselves up? Who knows, but I guarantee this year ends with the same failed expectations. What do you think?
