Good, bad and worse of NFL offseason June 22, 2007 By Clark Judge CBS SportsLine.com Senior Writer Tell Clark your opinion! Officially, it's summer. Unofficially, it's non-football season everywhere but Frankfurt and Canada. Which means it's the ideal time to dissect what happened before the NFL went on vacation. I'm talking about offseason moves, and which acquisitions we like and which we don't. Now, before I get started, I'd like to get something straight: There will be no mention of linebacker Adalius Thomas or Nate Clements. Takeo Spikes will boost Philadelphia's linebacking corps, which struggled last season. (AP) They were the top two unrestricted free agents in this year's market, so naturally they should make their next teams better. And they will. New England's flexible defenses are a perfect fit for the versatile Thomas, and Clements is an ideal partner for Walt Harris in San Francisco. So what's not to like other than the cost of doing business? Now that we have that resolved, let's begin. Some of these guys are under the radar; some aren't. But all should make a difference ?- good or bad -? on their new clubs: Five Moves That Make Sense to Me Wes Welker, WR, New England There are all sorts of reasons to like this pickup: First of all, he's good. As a matter of fact, he was Miami's leading receiver in 2006. Second, he fits a need. The Patriots' wide receivers last season were as dependable as JetBlue. Third, he fits two needs. Not only can he catch, he can return punts. The Patriots ranked third in returns last year, and Welker makes them that much stronger, which means good luck trying to beat New England in a game of field position. Lastly, he played with Miami, which is in the same division as New England. The Patriots' gain is the Dolpins' loss, and don't knock improving your team at the expense of the competition. Daniel Graham, TE, Denver He's a perfect fit for the Broncos. Remember, this is an offense where Shannon Sharpe routinely caught 60-70 passes a year. I'm not saying Graham enters that stratosphere, but I'm saying he could. He once pulled down seven TD passes for New England, and he's tough when you need him most -? with 21 of his 37 receptions the past two seasons for first downs. A scout I trust compared him to Kansas City's Tony Gonzalez, saying his pass-catching skills reminded him of Gonzalez but that he's a better blocker than the Chiefs' tight end. All I know is Graham is where he should be if he's going to get noticed. "When I first heard about this move," said one AFC player personnel director, "I winced. Denver just got better." Thomas Jones, RB, N.Y. Jets The Jets' concern last season wasn't their defense or a reconfigured offensive line or another Chad Pennington injury. It was a running game that fizzled. OK, rookie Leon Washington looked better on the field than he did in trading cards. But as a whole, the Jets didn't run as well as the Long Island Rail Road ?- and it's that 3.5 yards per carry I'm talking about. So the club traded for Jones, and yeah, he will make a difference. First of all, the Jets' offensive line is young and improving. Second, Jones doesn't have as much wear on his body as a soon-to-be-29-year-old should. Third, he's coming off consecutive 1,000-yard seasons and produced two 100-yard performances in last year's playoffs -? including a 112-yard effort in the Super Bowl. No, he's not Curtis Martin. But he is an improvement over what they had, and he should make them better. Willis McGahee, RB, Baltimore People want to knock the guy because he averaged 3.8 yards per carry and had one 100-yard game in his last 11 starts. But some of that had to do with the Bills' struggling passing attack, with opponents stacking the box and daring J.P. Losman to beat them. And some of it had to do with McGahee himself. In fact, a lot of it did. He played last season with ankle and rib injuries, and that's putting it lightly -- he had two cracked ribs. Talk about tough. Still, he ran for 990 yards in 14 games. And he did it with Buffalo changing an offensive line that, until it was reshuffled at mid-season, couldn't ?- as my longtime friend and Bills fan, Rich Quodomine, says ?- "stop you, me and nine guys from the mailroom." If McGahee stays healthy, he gains 1,300 yards minimum for the Ravens and has them back in the playoffs. Takeo Spikes, LB, Philadelphia Ask anyone who followed the Eagles: The problem with the league's 15th-ranked defense was its linebackers -- particularly its outside linebackers. They didn't do much. So now the Eagles trade for Spikes, who struggled to recover from a 2005 Achilles injury, and think they have their problems solved. Well, they might. Spikes could be an attack dog for defensive coordinator Jim Johnson's attacking defense -? provided, of course, he's healthy. At the team's May minicamp, Spikes said he felt better than he had in years, and teammate Jeremiah Trotter gushed about the guy after watching him fly around the field. If Spikes is himself, he makes this defense better. Significantly better. With the questions Philadelphia has on offense, that could be critical to its chances of repeating as division champions. Honorable mention: (tie) David Carr, QB, Carolina You may be looking at the future starter for the Carolina Panthers. Carr didn't work out in Houston because the Texans couldn't protect him. It's as simple as that. The guy was sacked 249 times in five seasons, which works out to an average of 50 times a year, and that's one way to kill a career. The question is: Can he recover and be a winning quarterback? We won't know until someone puts a legitimate line in front of him, and someone just did. If nothing else, I like the idea of acquiring the top pick in a draft without having to surrender a thing. If it's a gamble, it's not much of one. And if the Panthers find that Carr is what Houston once thought ?- a franchise quarterback -? they committed grand larceny. All I know is that for the first time since Jake Delhomme joined Carolina, the Panthers have a legitimate second option at quarterback. (tie) Eric Steinbach, G, Cleveland Since rejoining the NFL in 1999, the Browns haven't ranked higher than 20th in rushing. A year ago they were 31st, which caused the front office to do something about it ?- and no, it didn't throw a gazillion dollars at a premier running back. It spent them on Steinbach, who took advantage of an inflated market by gaining a whopping contract, though he fills an enormous hole. With Steinbach and first-round draft pick Joe Thomas, Cleveland finally may plug the real mistake by the lake ?- a porous offensive line. Five I'm Not Sure About Leonard Davis, T, Dallas He couldn't play tackle in Arizona, and he won't play there in Dallas. Instead, the Cowboys will use him at guard, which is smart. But at the cost of $50 million? Please. The guy had a reputation as an underachiever in Arizona, and I just don't see how a fat paycheck cures that. And I'm not alone. "He's not a guard," said one scout. "He's a tackle. And he's not a very good one. They grossly overpaid." We'll see. Randy Moss, WR, New England Everyone has an opinion on this guy, and they range from hallelujahs to condemnation. Moss hasn't done anything in three years, but let's be honest here: It would've been hard for Tom Brady to look good in that mess the Raiders called an offense last season. But at least Brady would've tried. Moss didn't. Some scouts think this is the perfect spot for him, a place to re-invent himself as Corey Dillon did in 2004. Maybe. But he's 30, and he does get hurt. Plus, there are character issues that make him a risk for any locker room. If someone can handle him, it's the Patriots and their head coach. The question is: What does Moss have left? Darrell Jackson, WR, San Francisco Sure, he fills a hole, but if he were all that valuable, do you think Seattle would've given up on him? When I visited the Seahawks last summer, coaches were frustrated trying to get him on the field. I think the same thing will happen in San Francisco. Jackson is talented; he's just not tough. Patrick Kerney, DE, Seattle My heart tells me this is an upgrade for the Seahawks, but my head says that if he's the player he's supposed to be the Falcons would've done everything to keep him. Kerney turns 31 this season, so he's not young. He's also coming off a torn pectoral that shelved him last season. "He's not the same guy," said one player personnel director. "He won't be as good as he was. And they just gave him a ton of money." Obviously, the Seahawks think he has something left. Stay tuned. Matt Schaub, QB, Houston Yeah, I liked him in Atlanta, too, but he started only twice, for crying out loud. So now we're to believe he's better for this club than the first pick of the 2002 draft? Maybe, but I want to see the Texans' offensive line first. They're the guys who turned David Carr into a pi?ata, and there's no guarantee the same thing doesn't happen to Schaub. Honorable mention Dominic Rhodes, RB, Oakland So the Raiders had one of the league's worst rushing attacks. Now Rhodes is going to change that? Call me skeptical. For one, the offensive line there stinks. If it doesn't improve, I don't care if Al Davis signs L.T. himself. It doesn't matter. Second, Rhodes was a part-time player in Indy. He's OK when he splits the position and has someone who can block in front of him. I understand that he takes turns with LaMont Jordan, and that's good. But where are the holes? Someone? Anyone? Five I Don't Like Jamal Lewis, RB, Cleveland Worst move of the offseason? Bobby Wade Tim Carter Ahman Green Jamal Lewis Kevin Curtis Visanthe Shiancoe
acquisitions I like: Wes Welker to NE Thomas Jones to NYJ Willis McGahee to BAL Dre Bly to DEN Travis Henry to DEN Takeo Spikes to PHI Jason David to NO Jeff Garcia to TB
Wes Welker is NOT that good. Sure, he is a decent punt returner, but everyone in the media is making him sounds like he is a top 10 receiver in the NFL just because he's on the Pats now. This guy is mediocre at best...
The problem is that they take mediocre players and win Super Bowls with them. Their first SB was filled with our rejects on defense!
i think there are a lot of good moves this offseason, but the most overlooked is travis henry to the broncos that is a team that has been rotating garbage since they traded off clinton portis...decent backs, but never a workhorse henry is twice the running back that mike anderson, reuben droughns, and tatum bell are he produced in buffalo and was just as big a reason for success in tennesse this past season than vy was... now...i believe they may have had plenty of opportunity to find better backs this season and in the past, but they finally got off their high horse and signed someone who can carry the load....and that denver line(which is slowly losing that mystique) should still make henry a lock for 1200 yards and a legitimate threat for 1500
i couldnt agree more haha i think travis henry is down for a huge year and this sounds crazy but denver is my super bowl pick this year....im 3/3 the past 3 years for my super bowl picks in the preseason.....pats, steelers and colts and cutler is gonna have a roethlisberger type year in year 2 and win it...watch out and fuck bill belichick
I can't tell you how sick I am of hearing about Wes Welker. welker is a decent #3 WR and an average at best return man. NE gave him $10 mil guaranteed and gave up a 2nd and 7th rd pick- it was an asinine deal. He led Miami in recs b/c all harrington could do was dump the ball off, his avg. was terrible and he scored just 1 TD.
We'll see if the Jet's lousy DB's can stop him. How did Adalius Thomas to the Pats not get mentioned? Maybe if you close your eyes and wish hard enough, it won't be true.
The "lousy" jet DBs are the best in the division while Samuel is holding out and all thesebig names, big contracts and character risks are going to fracture NE. It has already started w/ Samuel holding out and Moss being a problem at mini-camp. As for AT, congrats you gave $20 mil guaranteed to the 3rd or 4th best defensive player on baltimore who played w/ 2-3 HOFers which made him appear better than he actually was. He's a GOOD player, he's not worth $20 mil guaranteed, he's going to NE w/ a huge contract and is supposed to be their best player- we'll see how that works out.
hmmm, to think you know talent better than bill b makes you look the fool. when did moss become a problem in mini camp? i have not read anything that comes remotely close to that statement. your post is full of falsehoods and wishful thinking. i look at that team and know they are stacked and dangerous and i'm not a fear monger, nor a homer!!!
we only need to look within our own team for simular issue's. coles is whinning about tc being too tough, and then we have kendall. but we're the jets and we have tangenie, so this wouldn't apply to our beloved jets, now would it, homer..
Of course, we all know belichick never makes a mistake The Pat HAD a proven forula for success, now they are using the Washington redskin model which has NEVER worked. As for Moss: http://patriots.bostonherald.com/patriots/view.bg?articleid=1006060 Coles isn't whining about a new contract or threatening to hold out. Coles ALWAYS complains. kendall is a problem but I think he'll be gone before camp unfortunately. The ifference in the 2 situations is that the NE plaers from the Championship teams have seen BB discard core Championship players refusing to pay them what they wereworth and now has gone out and overpaid a bunch of players and brought in multiple character risks. In the past NE mostly brought in middl of the road FAs so the players getting snubbed saw they were being cheap w/ everyone but now they see them throwing around all this money and it's going to effect the- Samuel is the tip of the iceberg. Stop w/ the homer nonsense, I have done nothing but praise Ne for years but now I think they made big mistakes this offseason brining in a ton of big names, big contrats and character risk. Name me ONE team that has won a SB after overhauling the way NE has by brinng in a ton of big name players?
What makes the Thomas Jones acquisition so sweet it the price we paid for him... next to nothing! PETE KENDALL... Suck it up and play out the contract you and your agent negotiated for!
The Washington Redskins won 2 sb with the FA aquisitions of both Verlon Biggs and John Riggins from the Jets.
You are comparing brining in cut/released players to brining in big name, big $ players in the salary cap era? The relevant years only go back about 10-12 years.
Neither of those players were released or cut in both cases the Jets wanted to keep them. Both of them were key aquisitions to Redskin SB and in Riggins case he was both a HC bad actor and a FA aquisition. I would suggest if you looked at the rosters of the last 10 SB you would find a ton of FA's or trades for big time players. Shannon Sharpe and Corey Dillion are two that come imediately to mind.
