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Officially, we're in the thick of the free-agent season. Unofficially, the shopping is just about over.
With Cincinnati's signing of Antwan Odom Monday night there's not much left. Bryant Johnson is out there. So are Eugene Wilson, Dan Morgan and Boss Bailey. But that's about it, folks
Most of the talent is gone, sold to the highest bidder over the weekend.
So what happened? That's why we're here.
Teams that did well
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| Asante Samuel: Just what Philly needed? (AP) |
Atlanta Falcons: Picking up running back Michael Turner solves one crisis. Now the Falcons can use the third draft pick to solve another by taking quarterback Matt Ryan. Here's what I like about the Turner signing: He's 26, and as the backup to LaDainian Tomlinson, he has little wear. But he was also productive when called upon, averaging 5.5 yards a carry. He has speed. He has power. And he fills a big, big need. I also like the addition of Erik Coleman, an underrated safety with the New York Jets. He can't help but make the Falcons defense better.
New Orleans Saints: OK, so acquiring linebacker Jonathan Vilma is a risk. The guy has a bad knee, and he's going to a team that plays on turf. Not a great combination. Nevertheless, if Vilma works out, the Saints have themselves a steal. A fourth-rounder for someone with first-round ability? I'll take that. The Saints overpaid Randall Gay, but they found themselves a better cornerback than Jason David, who they signed a year ago. Gay will help solidify a pass defense that was shredded too many times a year ago -- with David often the source of the trouble. Defensive end Bobby McCray was invisible in 2007, but he had 10 sacks the year before, and the Saints are betting he's there again. Maybe. If so, they just circled the bases.
Teams that did not
San Francisco 49ers: I just don't get the 49ers. Their free-agent moves continue to baffle me, and that goes back to when they overpaid for tackle Jonas Jennings. Now they shell out $20 million in guarantees to Justin Smith, who is productive, durable and a 4-3 defensive end. One problem: The 49ers play a 3-4. "They'll use him like they did Charles Haley," one GM told me. Fine, except this isn't Charles Haley. And these are not the 1989 49ers. If they're looking for Smith to boost their 21st ranking in sacks, they may be disappointed. He had two last year. I'm not sure why they brought in Isaac Bruce, either, unless it's to mentor young receivers. When you're in the 49ers' position, you don't spend money on old players near or at the ends of their careers; you spend it on the future.
Jacksonville Jaguars: Cleo Lemon signs basically the same contract Washington awards Todd Collins. Collins took his team to the playoffs; Lemon won one game. Strange. The Troy Williamson deal is OK because it cost the Jags nothing, but the guy can't catch. Ask anyone who watched the Vikings. And Jerry Porter? Maybe four years ago I would've been interested. But Jacksonville pays $10 million in guaranteed money for a middle-of-the-road receiver. OK, so Drayton Florence makes sense when you play in a division with Indianapolis, but some of these other moves -- coupled with the losses of McCray and Marcus Stroud -- make we wonder where the Jags are going.
New York Giants: They lost three starters from their Super Bowl team, including two of their linebackers, but there's a lesson here, people: The Giants did nothing a year ago aside from signing Kawika Mitchell to a one-year, $1 million contract, and look where it got them. They have Mathias Kiwanuka back as an outside linebacker, and he was coming around before he broke his left leg. Gerris Wilkerson is back, too, plus they always have the draft. Remember, GM Jerry Reese aced the exam a year ago. If he produces similar results next month, no one will care about the Giants' losses.
What's going on?
I'm not sure where the New York Jets are headed. They shell out gazillions for guard Alan Faneca, making him the league's highest paid offensive lineman, but the guy's 31. Yes, Faneca is solid. Yes, he fills a glaring hole. Yes, he makes the Jets better. Yes, he acts as a mentor to left tackle D'Brickshaw Ferguson. But at $8 million per?
Wow.
"I can see this if the team were a year or two away," said one player personnel director. "But they still don't have a running game, and they still need a quarterback."
The Jets also traded for massive defensive tackle Kris Jenkins, who suffered major knee and shoulder injuries two of the past four years and who has no experience in the 3-4 scheme.
"It will be somewhat of an adjustment," Jenkins told reporters on a conference call. "I'm human. I can't put on a red cape and fly away, but it's something I can excel at."
He'd better. Shortly after acquiring him, the Jets tore up his contract and signed him to a five-year, $35 million deal, including $20 million in guarantees. But that's not all: They just added veteran offensive lineman Damien Woody and defensive end Calvin Pace, paying Pace another $22 million in guaranteed money. The guy's been a starter for a year-and-a-half. I tell you what I don't like about the Jets: They had quality young players on defense -- guys like Victor Hobson, Vilma, Dewayne Robertson -- and they fell out of favor because they didn't fit Eric Mangini's scheme. That's OK if you find better replacements, like rookie David Harris, but going after expensive veterans when you're 4-12 doesn't make a lot of sense to me.
What's going on, Part Deux?
In letting Bernard Berrian and Muhsin Muhammad walk, the Chicago Bears have only two wide receivers who caught passes in the NFL under contract: Mark Bradley and Devin Hester. With Rex Grossman and Kyle Orton throwing, maybe it doesn't make a difference who's running the routes, but you'd think they find a veteran out there sooner or later. "They’re taking a risk with Hester if they're counting on him as a wide receiver," one GM told me at the scouting combine. "He's a special weapon as a return man, but the more you use him as a receiver the more you risk compromising his return ability."
Biggest surprise
Chicago keeping linebacker Lance Briggs. A year ago he was so insistent that he wanted out of Chicago, the Bears explored trade possibilities. Nothing happened, so Briggs played the season and now returns to Chicago after signing a six-year, $36 million deal. "I got the market I felt I was supposed to get," said Briggs. "So I'm not mad. I'm happy." The Bears should be, too. By signing Briggs they keep their starting linebackers in place for a fifth season. Continuity is always a good thing.
Move I'd like explained
Cleveland shelling out $10 million in guaranteed money to wide receiver Donte Stallworth. This will be his fourth team in four seasons, and there's a reason: He's not a difference maker, and if he were, the Eagles and Patriots wouldn't have let him go. I understand he's another weapon for the Browns, but at what cost? I almost always give GM Phil Savage the benefit of the doubt, but this is a move I have trouble understanding basically because I don't see how Stallworth makes an impact in this offense. I mean, Kellen Winslow had 82 catches, Braylon Edwards had 80 and Joe Jurevicius 50. Where's there room for Stallworth?
Biggest gamble
It has to be Justin Smith going to San Francisco. He's supposed to be used at right end in the 49ers' 3-4, and good luck. He's a 4-3 defensive end who never had nine sacks in any season and had two in 2007. Smith blamed last season's poor results on an elbow injury that hampered him, but wait 'til he gets a load of his new position. Talk about a challenge. A close second here is Shaun Rogers going to Cleveland. When Rogers is on, there are few better at his position. But he's not always on, and he's definitely a risk. This could be a huge get for Savage, or it could be a disaster. The Browns are betting a change of scenery will change Rogers and benefit them, but I want to see it happen. In third place is Buffalo's Marcus Stroud. He's terrific when he's right, but he hasn't done much the past two seasons and was hurt last year. The Bills made moves to shore up their run defense, the Stroud acquisition the most notable. But I'm skeptical about how much Stroud can deliver. He insists he has something to prove. So let's see it.
Teams I most admire
Indianapolis. New England. The Giants. San Diego. Baltimore. If they were active it was primarily in re-signing their own players. Free agency is overrated, and the proof is the 2007 Giants. They did next to nothing last year and won a Super Bowl. The 49ers, meanwhile, spent zillions on their defense and still wound up with a losing record. Look what happened to Indianapolis last season: The Colts lost three starters from their '06 defense to free agency, yet they were better, much better, a year later. Now look at San Francisco. The 49ers invested zillions in free agents like Nate Clements and Mike Lewis, yet moved up only four notches in the defensive rankings, from 26th to 22nd. More important, they won two fewer games. There's a message there, folks.