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.
The big news coming out of the Meadowlands Friday was not the unsubstantiated rumors that Rick Pitino wants to embarrass himself with another failed stint in the NBA. It was actually the Giants releasing defensive leader Antonio Pierce. The Giants announced that it will not pick up the final year of his contract, worth a hefty $4.75 million.
The move does not come as a surprise. While Pierce has played adequately, he has never really lived up to the hype that surrounded him before joining the Giants. Pierce made just one Pro-Bowl, crossed the 100 tackle barrier just once and his numbers were going into serious decline. Adding to that mix a neck injury that will likely be a persistent issue for Pierce the rest of his career, this was an expected move.
Antonio Pierce Released By Giants
In 2009, Pierce rated as the 15th highest salary cap value at the linebacker position and 4th highest at the middle linebacker position. The highest salaries are typically reserved for that linebacker that can put pressure on the QB, not a field general with limitations in stopping the run. Pierce’s fire on the field never translated to better numbers for himself and it is questionable whether he improved the play of others.
ProFootballFocus.com provides some great insight into how Pierce stacked up in that middle linebacker position. In 2008, amongt MLBs that played 25% of their teams snaps, Pierce rated as the worst MLB in the pass rush, the worst at pass coverage and 36th against the run. All summed up, he was the worst starting MLB in the NFL in 2008 that played 25% of his teams snaps.
It didn’t get much better in 2009 as Pierce still rated towards the bottom, 40th out of 54 MLBs. Pierce rated 40th in pass rush, 47th in run coverage and 15th in pass coverage. The pass coverage rating is a little overstated, as Pierce got to bully some bottom feeder teams like the Redskins, Tampa Bay and Oakland. That’s not to mention that his nemesis that constantly ran him out of his shoes, Brian Westbrook, was hampered by injuries as well. The week he did play a team with pass catching RBs, New Orleans, Pierce got smoked.
The Giants put up with low production given his leadership role on that defense. That leadership withered in late 2008 due to his involvement in helping covering up the Plaxico Burress shooting and hiding the gun on behalf of his teammate. The Giants were unfortunately saddled with the media spotlight and a huge hit to the salary cap if they tried to dispose of Pierce before the 2009 season, otherwise Pierce would have been gone sooner.
New defensive coordinator Perry Fewell now gets to set the tone of his defense. The free agency ranks offer many options for the Giants to replace Pierce with a younger and more productive player. The MLB crop is deep, including the likes of Karlos Dansby, Barrett Ruud, Demeco Ryans, Barry Foote, D’Qwell Jackson and Gary Brackett. Each would be an upgrade over Pierce.
If Fewell doesn’t like his options on the Free Agency market, the draft has a couple of great future MLBs waiting to be plucked out that cannot miss. Alabama’s Rolando McClain, Florida’s Brandon Spikes and Penn State’s Sean Lee are all surefire picks that will be excellent NFL players and offer one of the deepest MLB crops in recent memory.
So to all those Giants fans fretting over Pierce…don’t lose too much sleep. He was more of a contributor to their defensive woes than we saw on the field. His constant jawing gave us comfort, but it didn’t translate into results.
Adding to the misery of the Minnesota Vikings fans after their devastating loss in the NFC Championship is whether their starting quarterback Brett Favre will be back next season. The question arises on whether he should return or retire.
Favre Ponders Retirement Again
Favre is coming off of one of his best statistical seasons of his career. He passed for 4202 yards with 33 touchdowns and only seven interceptions. He also completed a impressive 68.4 of s passes. He led the Vikings to a 12-4 record , good enough to win the NFC North division.
Minnesota then defeated Dallas 34-3 in the division round of the playoffs in which Favre threw a career best four touchdown passes. He had the Vikings on the brink of the Super Bowl in New Orleans, when he made another poor decision that sealed their fate.
Most of the Minnesota players want him back next year. That is definitely in his favor for a return.
The poor decision in question is his third down pass that was intercepted when he had the Vikings in field gaol range at the end of regulation in the NFC Championship game. Instead of running, passing to a receiver in front of him, he threw cross field and got picked off.
This is what you get from a gunslinger like Favre.
He tries to force things when they are not there. While sometimes they pay off, this time it blew up in his face when it counted the most. Favre did the same thing a couple of years ago in Green Bay against the New York Giants. He again tried to force a pass, when there were other open receivers ,and it ended up with another interception. The Packers lost, and the Giants became Super Bowl Champions.
This seems to becoming a habit for #4.
I think that the rigors of the NFL season leaves Favre with nothing left at the end of the season both physically and mentally. This takes a toll on Favre and must effect his play deep in the playoffs. I would suggest that he hand the reigns to a younger quarterback. Favre does not have what it takes to to lead his team to the ultimate goal of a Super Bowl title. He should hang up the #4.
The Minnesota Vikings suffered a devastating loss yesterday at the hands of the New Orleans Saints 31-28 in overtime in the NFC Championship. It would be easy to blame some very shaky officiating in overtime, but a closer look tells the story of a team that has nobody to blame but themselves…
The Vikings outplayed the Saints everywhere but on the scoreboard. They moved the ball up and down on the field outgaining the Saints 475-257. The Vikes defense played more than well enough to get this team to the Superbowl. It was the miscues by the offense lead by Brett Favre that sealed their fate.
The Saints had more that a couple of “Home Town” calls in overtime. In particular was running back Pierre Thomas fourth and inches dive that appeared to be a certain first down. The officials went to replay. The replay showed that Thomas did not have control of the ball where the ball was spotted. It should have been spotted behind the first down marker giving the ball to the Vikings. Another big blown call was a catch by wideout Robert Meachem jut before the game winning field goal. Meachem’s catch was ruled a completion on the filed. The officials again reviewed the play that showed Meachem had trapped the ball. The Saints benefited again and Garret Hartley kicked a 40 yarder than sent them to the Super Bowl.The Vikings have reason to feel they were ripped off. If you going to rely on the instant replay, get the calls right. Everybody saw what I saw and it cost a team the right to play in the SuperBowl . WOW!
But as I said, this is only part of the story. If the Vikings protected the ball, it would of never have gotten to the point of overtime. Minnesota had five turnovers in all. Three fumbles and two interceptions. Percy Harvin fumbled deep in his own territory that lead to a Saints touchdown. Bernard Barrian also fumbled when the Vikes were on the move. But the biggest culprit was quarterback Brett Favre. Favre lost a fumble and had two picked off. The first two were drive killers and the last one sealed preventing them for ending the game at the end of regulation.
On third down and in field goal range, Favre made a decision that was reminiscent of a couple of years ago.Favre had room to run and a receiver right in front of him on the sideline that would of picked up very valuable yardage towards a game winning kick. But instead of seeing right in front of him, the gunslinger threw cross field that ended in a devastating interception. Green Bay fans will remember him doing that against the Giants a couple of years. Favre also had more viable options then but choked then as he did now. He will receive no sympathy form them. Favre ended up 28-46 for 310 yards, a touch and two picks. But it was his last pass, like Green Bay, that will be remembered by Viking fans. The Hall of Famer will have a long off season to think about a very poor decision.
The Vikings have lost five straight NFC Championship games. I have a little sympathy for them. I am a Eagles fan. They have lost four out of five. My advice for the fans of Minnesota is; Some things are not meant to be!
For the New York Giants, a season filled with high expectations and thoughts of another Super Bowl championship came to a perfectly fitting crash landing in Minnesota. Brett Favre and the Vikings offense lit up the once-vaunted Giant defense for 31 points in the first half alone, en route to a 44-7 thumping.
Axe Should Fall On Coughlin
The loss leaves many Giants fans scratching their head about how this could have happened after beginning the season 5-0. The implosion marks as one of the greatest collapses in NFL history, equaling the futility of the 1978 Washington Redskins, 1993 New Orleans Saints and 2003 Minnesota Vikings as the only teams to start a season 5-0 and fail to make the playoffs.
With the season now complete, it is time for Jerry Reese and the Mara family to make some tough decisions about the future of the team.
Not much changed in the area of personnel. The talent was there to win five games in a row, so it is definitely not about talent. In fact, most NFL pundits felt the Giants had actually improved its defense. To begin the season, the concerns were at wide receiver given the departure of Plaxico Burress, but that position turned out to be the greatest area of success for the team.
This leaves Reese with only one direction to look, that being his coaching staff. Coughlin has always been conservative, which is why he has endeared himself to the Giants’ ownership and their traditional football approach. But results on the field warrant a change on his coaching staff, starting with both coordinators Kevin Gilbride and Bill Sheridan. The players quit on these guys and neither can be allowed to return.
But should the coaching changes go further?
Super Bowl winning coaches are historically afforded much latitude to fail after delivering the Lombardi Trophy. Becoming a Super Bowl winning coach makes you part of a fraternity, a group whose coaching decisions are hard to question because for one magical season, they were flawless. Coughlin is the poster child of that group, having earned job security that was not justifiable given his body of work..
During that magical Super Bowl run, Coughlin’s future with the team was in jeopardy. Media reports had Coughlin finished in New York before defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo and the players saved his job. He went from being forced into retirement to a football genius in the course of a few weeks. And unfortunately for the Giants, they are now back to where they were before that magical Super Bowl run.
It’s time for Jerry Reese to make a critical decision and he should look to the past for justification for firing Tom Coughlin. The 1978 season for the Redskins, the 1993 season for the Saints and the 2003 season for the Vikings were the beginning of a prolonged period of mediocrity for those franchises. Those teams didn’t hold the head coach responsible and those teams never visited the playoffs again under their helm.
Jack Pardee, Jim Mora and Mike Tice lost the confidence of their players and crippled their franchises. Each were given the opportunity to get their teams back in order and each failed to accomplish the task. While new players came into the locker room, the stench from the coach’s office could not be cleared out. Tom Coughlin’s future potential is about the same.
It’s time for Jerry Reese to do his job and help Coughlin clear out his office. It’s time for Coughlin to retire and if doesn’t do it voluntarily, it should be forced upon him. Bill Cowher is ready to return to the coaching ranks and he would fit nicely with the Giants organization.
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 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.
According to published reports by the New York Post, New York Giants head coach Tom Coughlin is doing his best Tammy Wynette impression and standing by his man, defensive coordinator Bill Sheridan. After another less than impressive showing in the 45-38 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, the pressure is building for a change to get this once vaunted defense that took down the unbeaten New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLII back on track.
“I let him know my support for him and also let him know it has to be better,” Coughlin said. “We’re here for one reason. The inconsistency part of it is disturbing.”
After starting the season 5-0, the Giants have lost six of their last eight as they limp into Week 15 with a 7-6 record and dwindling chances at a playoff berth. After 5 games the Giants defense rated tops in the league. Ten weeks later, the powder keg lit in blowout loss to the New Orleans Saints, the defense has fallen to a 27th ranking in the league. The struggles are personified by the Giants league-worst red zone production, giving up touchdowns 70% of the time when an opponent crosses the 20 yard line.
The Giants problems have been specifically marked by their propensity to give up the big play. During the win streak, the Giant defense gave up just two plays over 40 yards. Since then, they have averaged over one big play per game, with 9 plays of over 40 yards in eight games. All of those big plays came in games in which the team lost.
So why is this talented defense blowing so many plays? It really gets down to the players not executing within the schemes called by the coaches. During the game against the Eagles, all three plays over 40 yards came on blown coverages. The players have the talent, as the Giants defense has no made many major changes from last season. In fact, the defense was improved with acquisitions of Michael Boley, Chris Canty and Rocky Bernard. The main difference in this year’s squad is the departure of Steve Spagnuola and the elevation of Sheridan to run the defense.
The recent benching decision of Osi Umenyiora and Fred Robbins has led to no different results on the field. The big plays keep happening even when they are not on the field. In fact, coming of the bench, Umenyiora has been explosive and Robbins has been terrific, even blocking an extra point attempt. Sheridan’s defensive schemes and play calling are problem, as they are too predictable and the players are being exploited by the lack of creativity that Sheridan displays at game time.
Where the problems start and end are with the defensive line. During the 2007 Super Bowl run, the Giants defense rated #1 in the NFL with 53 sacks. In 2008, the defense rated a solid #6 in the league with 42 sacks with the drop occurring late in the season as they led the league for most of the season despite the knee injury to Umenyiora. For 2009, the Giants rate #22 in the league with a meager 26 sacks and fall back to a worse rating is expected.
The unit is just not getting pressure on the other side of the line of scrimmage any longer. Opposing QBs once feared having to face the NFL’s best defensive line. Now QBs look forward to it, easily determining Giants blitz schemes and pickup part a helpless defensive backfield.
Coughlin can continue his defense of his boy Sheridan as much as he likes and support his failing coach. If the Giants implode and don’t run the table, they’ll be watching from home in January and his hand will be forced to find a new leader for his defense. The Giants organization and its fans expect the best from the Big Blue Wrecking Crew and heads will roll with the coaching staff, as the issues have nothing to do with the talent that is on the field.
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.
