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03-19-2007, 02:05 PM
Before the checkbooks were opened, teams were informed that the salary cap had been bumped up to $109 million — a hike of $17 million from last season. This largesse was bestowed upon quite a few fortunate free agents, including cornerback Nate Clements, whose $80 million contract takes him from Buffalo to San Francisco.
Based on the cost-of-living upgrade, Nate probably will break even on this deal.
Also cashing in were offensive linemen, who are required to weigh at least 350 pounds and need the extra loot to pay for groceries. This list includes 6-foot-6, 365-pound Leonard Davis, a former Arizona Cardinal now eating cap space for the Dallas Cowboys.
Now that we're two weeks into free agency, a pattern has emerged. It's fairly simple: some teams have done well, others have tried really hard, a handful of teams have flopped miserably and some seem to have misplaced their pens.
Let's take a look at which teams fall into these categories:
WELL DONE
# New England Patriots: Instead of escorting star-caliber free agents out of town and replacing them with practice-squad hotshots, the Pats are spending. This may have something to do with not winning a Super Bowl since before Tom Brady began whining about his Golden Boy status.
Adalius Thomas gives the Patriots another playmaker on defense. (David Maxwell / Getty Images)
Anyway, New England spent good money on versatile outside linebacker Adalius Thomas (Baltimore), who should provide quite a boost on the edge.
But the big news was made by actually forking over some serious scoots for pass-catchers. The list includes wide receivers Donte Stallworth and Kelly Washington, who will be assisted by trade acquisition Wes Welker.
# San Francisco 49ers: Including Clements, the Niners lobbed $130 million to four guys who should start on defense. The others are safety Michael Lewis, linebacker Tully Banta-Cain and nose tackle Aubrayo Franklin.
So it seems like the Niners have stopped the madness and may be capable of stopping a few offenses in the NFC West.
# Seattle Seahawks: While they still deserve some ribbing for allowing Steve Hutchinson to walk last year, the Seahawks have added a couple of fine components on defense.
Patrick Kerney should provide a pass rush from defensive end, while Deon Grant has become one of the wealthiest safeties in football.
# Miami Dolphins: As long as he doesn't kiss new coach Cam Cameron, Joey Porter may be worth every penny of his guaranteed $20 million.
NICE TRY
# Tennessee Titans: Until Tuesday, the Titans were one category lower for doing little more than signing backup quarterback Kerry Collins. But their stock was elevated by the hiring of Nick Harper.
In addition to maintaining a level of fame — getting stabbed in the leg by his wife one day before failing to run past Ben Roethlisberger after an interception — Harper is insurance for the possible loss of Adam "Pacman" Jones.
# Buffalo Bills: They overpaid for guard Derrick Dockery and meant well by signing tackle Langston Walker.
But those acquisitions won't offset the losses of Clements and linebacker London Fletcher. The Bills also traded Willis "Drew Rosenhaus Is My Agent" McGahee, but that doesn't fall under free agency's purview.
# Washington Redskins: Fletcher was a decent get, but they should have known better regarding cornerback Fred Smoot and some guy named Ross Tucker.
# Detroit Lions: Sure, bringing in defensive end Dewayne White from Tampa Bay was a slick move, but they still have more holes than a prairie dog city.
# Atlanta Falcons: Joe Horn is a fine veteran addition at wide receiver, but Ovie Mughelli, Marcus Wilkins and Lewis Sanders won't make Falcons fans forget about Kerney or even Jim Mora Jr.
# New Orleans Saints: Based on the what happened during the NFC Championship game in Chicago, a defensive improvement will take more than the signing of middle linebacker Brian Simmons.
# St. Louis Rams: Red-zone receiver Drew Bennett is a fine addition to the offense ... which didn't really need that much of an upgrade.
Eric Steinbach will boost the Browns offensive line with his versatility. (Rick Stewart / Getty Images)
# Cleveland Browns: It's fine to overpay for blocker Eric Steinbach, hire Seth McKinney and a couple of DTs named Smith, but bringing in Jamal Lewis when Adrian Peterson could be a draft target just seems silly.
# Denver Broncos: Travis Henry is a proven commodity at running back, although the Broncos might be able to coax a 1,200-yard season out of Buck Henry.
# San Diego Chargers: Keeping guard Kris Dielman was a pen-stroke of genius, but it might not be a bad idea to hire a couple of defensive players who know more about offer sheets than rap sheets.
# Oakland Raiders: Putting Dominic Rhodes and Justin Griffith in the backfield would have received a higher mark if head coach Lane Kiffin didn't qualify as a free-agent acquisition.
# Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Quarterback addition Jeff Garcia should fit right in, especially if Chris Simms has another body part that needs removing.
# Dallas Cowboys: If Davis can play guard as well as expected, Tony Romo may not be carted off and Brad Johnson can stand and watch.
NOT GOOD
# Arizona Cardinals: It doesn't really help to add depth-type players — Al Johnson, Roderick Hood and Terrence Holt — when half of your starters stink.
# Jacksonville Jaguars: We suppose those rangy, young receivers will learn how to get open by watching newcomer Dennis Northcutt.
# Baltimore Ravens: Say goodbye to Thomas, Aubrayo, Mughelli, Tony Pashos and three draft picks used to acquire McGahee.
# Carolina Panthers: They didn't decide a backup QB is a good thing to have until the top candidates were off the board.
# Kansas City Chiefs: By hiring Damon Huard on the relative cheap, KC could end up with two aging quarterbacks who'll combine for over $9 million on their cap.
# Minnesota Vikings: They now have Visanthe Shiancoe. Before going for the penicillin, please note that Shiancoe is a tight end hired for a measly $8 million.
# Pittsburgh Steelers: Their first big move — signing punter Andy Lee to an offer sheet — was wrecked when the Niners matched.
# Cincinnati Bengals: They lost Steinbach, but kept Reggie Kelly, Kenny Watson and most of the busters who kept them in the news.
# Green Bay Packers: Ahman Green won't be enough to keep the Houston Texans off this list, but his loss leaves the Pack with the likes of Verand Morency and Noah Herron at running back.
# Houston Texans: Unless slippery-hands Green covers the points, he won't be available to avoid the name-dropping of Reggie Bush.
# Philadelphia Eagles: Stallworth didn't need that last strike to be out in Philly. He'll be replaced by Kevin Curtis and speedy Bethel Johnson.
WHERE'S THE PEN?
# Chicago Bears: They've probably decided that if Lovie Smith is worth more money, he should be able to find a way to win without Lance Briggs.
# Indianapolis Colts: With 200K from that birthday-party business, Peyton Manning may be able to restructure his contract to clear more cap space.
# New York Jets: Before losing their pen, the Jets signed trade acquisition Thomas Jones to a big deal.
# New York Giants: If keeping Tom Coughlin around counts, move them up one category.
Veteran writer Randy Hill is a frequent contributor to FOXSports.com.
Anybody else see this and think it was ridiculous?
I think we may have had the best free agency signings in the entire league. I also think the Patriots overpaid for players and gave up way too much for Wes Welker(2nd, 7th picks).
Based on the cost-of-living upgrade, Nate probably will break even on this deal.
Also cashing in were offensive linemen, who are required to weigh at least 350 pounds and need the extra loot to pay for groceries. This list includes 6-foot-6, 365-pound Leonard Davis, a former Arizona Cardinal now eating cap space for the Dallas Cowboys.
Now that we're two weeks into free agency, a pattern has emerged. It's fairly simple: some teams have done well, others have tried really hard, a handful of teams have flopped miserably and some seem to have misplaced their pens.
Let's take a look at which teams fall into these categories:
WELL DONE
# New England Patriots: Instead of escorting star-caliber free agents out of town and replacing them with practice-squad hotshots, the Pats are spending. This may have something to do with not winning a Super Bowl since before Tom Brady began whining about his Golden Boy status.
Adalius Thomas gives the Patriots another playmaker on defense. (David Maxwell / Getty Images)
Anyway, New England spent good money on versatile outside linebacker Adalius Thomas (Baltimore), who should provide quite a boost on the edge.
But the big news was made by actually forking over some serious scoots for pass-catchers. The list includes wide receivers Donte Stallworth and Kelly Washington, who will be assisted by trade acquisition Wes Welker.
# San Francisco 49ers: Including Clements, the Niners lobbed $130 million to four guys who should start on defense. The others are safety Michael Lewis, linebacker Tully Banta-Cain and nose tackle Aubrayo Franklin.
So it seems like the Niners have stopped the madness and may be capable of stopping a few offenses in the NFC West.
# Seattle Seahawks: While they still deserve some ribbing for allowing Steve Hutchinson to walk last year, the Seahawks have added a couple of fine components on defense.
Patrick Kerney should provide a pass rush from defensive end, while Deon Grant has become one of the wealthiest safeties in football.
# Miami Dolphins: As long as he doesn't kiss new coach Cam Cameron, Joey Porter may be worth every penny of his guaranteed $20 million.
NICE TRY
# Tennessee Titans: Until Tuesday, the Titans were one category lower for doing little more than signing backup quarterback Kerry Collins. But their stock was elevated by the hiring of Nick Harper.
In addition to maintaining a level of fame — getting stabbed in the leg by his wife one day before failing to run past Ben Roethlisberger after an interception — Harper is insurance for the possible loss of Adam "Pacman" Jones.
# Buffalo Bills: They overpaid for guard Derrick Dockery and meant well by signing tackle Langston Walker.
But those acquisitions won't offset the losses of Clements and linebacker London Fletcher. The Bills also traded Willis "Drew Rosenhaus Is My Agent" McGahee, but that doesn't fall under free agency's purview.
# Washington Redskins: Fletcher was a decent get, but they should have known better regarding cornerback Fred Smoot and some guy named Ross Tucker.
# Detroit Lions: Sure, bringing in defensive end Dewayne White from Tampa Bay was a slick move, but they still have more holes than a prairie dog city.
# Atlanta Falcons: Joe Horn is a fine veteran addition at wide receiver, but Ovie Mughelli, Marcus Wilkins and Lewis Sanders won't make Falcons fans forget about Kerney or even Jim Mora Jr.
# New Orleans Saints: Based on the what happened during the NFC Championship game in Chicago, a defensive improvement will take more than the signing of middle linebacker Brian Simmons.
# St. Louis Rams: Red-zone receiver Drew Bennett is a fine addition to the offense ... which didn't really need that much of an upgrade.
Eric Steinbach will boost the Browns offensive line with his versatility. (Rick Stewart / Getty Images)
# Cleveland Browns: It's fine to overpay for blocker Eric Steinbach, hire Seth McKinney and a couple of DTs named Smith, but bringing in Jamal Lewis when Adrian Peterson could be a draft target just seems silly.
# Denver Broncos: Travis Henry is a proven commodity at running back, although the Broncos might be able to coax a 1,200-yard season out of Buck Henry.
# San Diego Chargers: Keeping guard Kris Dielman was a pen-stroke of genius, but it might not be a bad idea to hire a couple of defensive players who know more about offer sheets than rap sheets.
# Oakland Raiders: Putting Dominic Rhodes and Justin Griffith in the backfield would have received a higher mark if head coach Lane Kiffin didn't qualify as a free-agent acquisition.
# Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Quarterback addition Jeff Garcia should fit right in, especially if Chris Simms has another body part that needs removing.
# Dallas Cowboys: If Davis can play guard as well as expected, Tony Romo may not be carted off and Brad Johnson can stand and watch.
NOT GOOD
# Arizona Cardinals: It doesn't really help to add depth-type players — Al Johnson, Roderick Hood and Terrence Holt — when half of your starters stink.
# Jacksonville Jaguars: We suppose those rangy, young receivers will learn how to get open by watching newcomer Dennis Northcutt.
# Baltimore Ravens: Say goodbye to Thomas, Aubrayo, Mughelli, Tony Pashos and three draft picks used to acquire McGahee.
# Carolina Panthers: They didn't decide a backup QB is a good thing to have until the top candidates were off the board.
# Kansas City Chiefs: By hiring Damon Huard on the relative cheap, KC could end up with two aging quarterbacks who'll combine for over $9 million on their cap.
# Minnesota Vikings: They now have Visanthe Shiancoe. Before going for the penicillin, please note that Shiancoe is a tight end hired for a measly $8 million.
# Pittsburgh Steelers: Their first big move — signing punter Andy Lee to an offer sheet — was wrecked when the Niners matched.
# Cincinnati Bengals: They lost Steinbach, but kept Reggie Kelly, Kenny Watson and most of the busters who kept them in the news.
# Green Bay Packers: Ahman Green won't be enough to keep the Houston Texans off this list, but his loss leaves the Pack with the likes of Verand Morency and Noah Herron at running back.
# Houston Texans: Unless slippery-hands Green covers the points, he won't be available to avoid the name-dropping of Reggie Bush.
# Philadelphia Eagles: Stallworth didn't need that last strike to be out in Philly. He'll be replaced by Kevin Curtis and speedy Bethel Johnson.
WHERE'S THE PEN?
# Chicago Bears: They've probably decided that if Lovie Smith is worth more money, he should be able to find a way to win without Lance Briggs.
# Indianapolis Colts: With 200K from that birthday-party business, Peyton Manning may be able to restructure his contract to clear more cap space.
# New York Jets: Before losing their pen, the Jets signed trade acquisition Thomas Jones to a big deal.
# New York Giants: If keeping Tom Coughlin around counts, move them up one category.
Veteran writer Randy Hill is a frequent contributor to FOXSports.com.
Anybody else see this and think it was ridiculous?
I think we may have had the best free agency signings in the entire league. I also think the Patriots overpaid for players and gave up way too much for Wes Welker(2nd, 7th picks).