NFL Free Agency Fallout: How Insane was that? - Part One
by
Dan Salem and
Todd Salem (3-25-13)
DAN:
March Madness is in full swing, but the real drama in March is NFL Free Agency! Its time to talk free agency fallout, and this year its like the sky is literally falling on some teams, while others are floating up to heaven.
Free Agency began on March 12th. I want your instant reaction to the insanity that took place over those first 48 hours. The initial bombing raid, if you will, that has left the NFL in complete shock and recovery mode two weeks later.
TODD:
That was quite a flurry, wasn't it? The NFL is definitely better than any of the other sports at drumming up interest around free agency movement since so many quality players get cut every year. This is directly related to the fact that contracts are not all guaranteed and teams often bring back their own players on new deals, but still. We never get to see anything like this in basketball or baseball where teams cannot afford to release players underperforming their deals.
A funny thing that developed though is who made news in those first few days. A lot of good players switched teams, but not all of them were headline worthy according to...somebody. The big names were all at skill positions, offensive players. I don't know why I expected anything less, but I had to actually do some hunting to learn about the other quality players moving around.
Who we did hear about were the wide receivers and the running backs, and there was a lot of movement in those two departments. It is certainly fun to learn who moved where, for fantasy purposes mostly. But I am not sure these moves have as much football weight as some of the other positions. Other than perhaps Reggie Bush, Wes Welker or the top guys at each spot, the rest are just names we know but impacts we will probably forget.
Instead, the real meat of free agency happens between the tackles on offense and on the other side of the ball. Jake Long signed with the Rams, providing aid to a seriously depleted unit; Will Beaty and Phil Loadholt returned to their respective teams, while Jermon Bushrod and Gosder Cherilus did not. On the defensive side, Adrian Wilson went to the Patriots; Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie went to the Broncos; Connor Barwin moved to the Eagles while Cullen Jenkins moved to the Giants. These moves (along with many others) should have headlined free agency ahead of Shonn Greene or Rashard Mendenhall news.
There are a ton of players who still remain unsigned, but taking a quick scope of things overall, it seems like the Patriots made out pretty well...like always. They lost Danny Woodhead but upgraded that spot to Leon Washington. They lost Wes Welker but stood firm by adding Danny Amendola. Patrick Chung left the defensive backfield but the Pats filled that hole with the addition of Wilson while also bringing back Kyle Arrington and Aqib Talib.
On the other hand, the Baltimore Ravens managed to lose player after player from their Super Bowl squad, and haven't really done much to replace them. Ray Lewis and Anquan Boldin are gone. It appears as though Ed Reed is too. Cary Williams, Paul Kruger, Dannell Ellerbe and Ma'ake Kemoeatu all left as unrestricted free agents while Bernard Pollard and Dennis Pitta may too move on through different means.
But, on the plus side, they made Joe Flacco the highest paid player in the history of the sport. So there's always that ($$$).
DAN:
The NFL is definitely great television, no matter if games are being played or not. I must insert a caveat however, I'm SICK and TIRED of hearing EVERY SINGLE ESPN correspondent's opinion on the EXACT same story. I mean seriously, what the hell? You mean to tell me that the guys from
Numbers Never Lie,
Sportscenter,
First Take,
Mike and Mike and
NFL Live all want to discuss how Revis Island may get traded? Or how Wes Welker is now a Bronco? Come on ESPN, if I learned anything out of this flurry of NFL news its that you're their bitch. I love the updates, but find something else to talk about. I can't listen to the same story and opinion all day long. I'm going to turn the channel.
But enough about ESPN. The NFL is what's really in upheaval, or at least that's what they want you to think. Besides the unparalleled gutting of the Baltimore Ravens, not much has changed. I'll address the Ravens first. They were old. They muscled out a Super Bowl championship and now they're getting younger. Flacco aside, he's now doomed to go down as the worst signing in Raven's history, they aren't paying for old guys and will slide gracefully into a rebuilding year.
Otherwise, like you noted, many MANY players have switched teams. The Broncos are better with Welker, the Seahawks are better with Percy Harvin and the 49ers are still very very good. The Patriots have also remained atop the AFC. What's changed? The teams that were good last year have made moves to keep them that way. Teams that were bad, like the Jets, are actually making the smart decision to get younger and dump as many of the players that made up their crappy team as possible.
I will call out the Dolphins as the lone exception here. Much like the Redskins in years past, they have managed to vastly improve their team on paper. I call BS. This is still a slightly above average team fighting for its life in a division with Bill Belichick and Tom Brady. They'll be lucky to win nine games next year.
