2015 NFL OFF SEASON NEWS AND HAPPENINGS

[eagle eye]

Man, the ink wasn't even dry on the last account of the last game of the 2014 season and head coaches began to fall. Four all told and a fifth gave up his contract just today. That's almost 16% of the head coaching positions in the NFL for goodness sake. Some we all new were going to be gone. Some a little surprising and one guy isn't even where most of the guru's thought he was going so let's get started.

 

1. Jim Harbaugh - This is the one everyone knew was coming. Now, Harbaugh took over a 49ers team that, despite some good talent was a cellar dweller under previous head coach Mike Singletary. Well, not a cellar dweller but certainly underachieving. Harbaugh came in and turned the Niners into a perennial Super Bowl contender. In his first 3 seasons he led the Niners to 3 NFC title games and one Super Bowl which he lost to the Baltimore Ravens coached by his big brother John. This past season was a disappointing 8-8 that came be traced to a bucket list of injuries and suspensions that Harbaugh had zero control over. He dealt with rumors that he had lost his locker room and players were tired of his intense, rah-rah approach. But, if you looked at the love the players gave him after they won their last game for him you have to think that was just that, a rumor. Truth be told it was the crap working relationship between Harbaugh and GM Trent Baalke that did Harbaugh in. Time will tell of course but maybe it was Baalke that needed to be fired. Harbaugh wasn't out of work long as he was introduced as the head coach of the Michigan Wolverines within 24 hours of his departure from San Francisco. It was a popular thought that Harbaugh may end up as the Oakland Raiders man but evidently not.

 

2. Rex Ryan - NY Jets lost not only their head coach but their general manager John Idzik. Talk about a dumpster fire. Rex is really good defensive coach but he's got no clue about offense, at least going by his results in Jet-land. He took over a team that had some nice offensive weapons put together by previous head coach Eric Mangini and he proceeded to run the offense aground amid retirements, free agent defections and poor draft choices. In my opinion Rex is a damn good defensive coordinator but he's no head coach. John Idzik, well let's just say you could make a real strong case for him to be the worst GM ever. The Jets need a good football man as a GM and a coach who can work with him. Preferrably a coach who has a real plan to build the Jets and he can pretty much count on it taking 3-4 years to do it. The Jets ownership will need patience a la the type Jerry Jones has shown Jason Garrett because turning this team around won't be an overnight affair.

 

3. Mike Smith - The Atlanta Falcons have been underachieving for several years now. The Falcons window is closing because they have lost their all-world TE Tony Gonzalez is gone, QB Matt Ryan is not looking sharp, WR Roddy White is getting old and they have no real threat at RB. To make matters worse, the defense that was supposed to be better this season, wasn't. Not even close and with every other team in the NFC South TRYING to give them the division title they simply wouldn't take it. It was time for a chance. It may have been time for a change at GM but owner Arthur Blank didn't think so even though he qualified his position saying he'd be keeping an eye on the situation.

 

4. Mark Trestman - Chicago's so-called quarterback whisperer, was just bad. He was a soft spoken guy in the Lovie Smith mold but he wasn't the coach Lovie was. Of course he didn't have the defense Lovie had either. The big problem was Trestman just couldn't get Jay Cutler to play up to his perceived potential. It seems the only guy who got Jay to play well was his former coach at Denver Mike Shanahan. Hmmm. Shanahan is available and he could help the Bears. They have great offensive personnel and that's Mike's forte. Speaking of Forte, just how much could Mike do with that guy? They could dangle a Head Coach/GM carrot for Shanahan since the Bears also fired GM Phil Emery. Just a thought here for a team that needs to play Green Bay, Detroit and a resurgent Minnesota team twice a year.

 

5. Doug Marrone - Buffalo's head man until today when he took advantage of a 3 day opt out option in his contract. Say what? Aren't these head coaching jobs hard to come by and he just basically quit his job? This after a tumultuous season that saw QB EJ Manual fall out of favor and get benched in favor of veteran QB Kyle Orton who led the Bill to a 9-7 record, their first winning record in 10 years, and with a top 5 defense. This is crazy, right? Right. Unless you believe the rumors that Marrone is interested in the New York Jets head coaching position. Man, you just never know what is going to happen in the NFL. I guess that's one of the reasons the NFL is so doggone popular.

[eagle eye]

There is a sixth coaching vacancy that I forgot about. In mid season the Oakland Raiders fired head coach Dennis Allen and finished with Tony Sparano as the interim head coach. Sparano did help the Raiders to a couple of wins down the stretch and his name is certainly in the ring to become the head coach.

 

The Redskins have hired their new GM and that man is Scot McCloughan. McCloughan had been the 49ers GM and up until 2013 he was a personnel executive for the Seahawks. He stepped down from the Seahawks position for personal reasons but he maintained an NFL scouting business so he should be right on top of the 2015 draft class. McCloughan is credited for acquisition of the players Jim Harbaugh inherited that helped the 49ers to reach 3 consecutive NFC Championship games and a Super Bowl. His work is credited with late round draft picks that helped the Seahawks win last season's Super Bowl. Acknowledged as one of the best scouts in the NFL he should bring some stability to the Redskins front office. I can see right now that I'm going to start hating the Redskins again in the near future.

 

Former Jets GM Mike Tannenbaum has been hired by the Miami Dolphins as Director of Football Operations with GM Dennis Hickey working for Tannenbaum. Tannenbaum worked as a consultant for the Dolphins last summer. His stint in New York included the hiring of Rex Ryan and helping build a team that went to 2 straight AFC title games. It was also marred by the Tim Tebow deal and the Marc Sanchez contract extension with neither deal ending well.

 

I said in an earlier post that Mike Shanahan might be a real nice fit in Chicago and now NFL.com is reporting that the Mike-ster is going for an interview for the head coaching position in the Windy City. Shanahan has also interviewed for the head coaching job in San Francisco.

[eagle eye]

All these coaches are travelling around the NFL interviewing for one of the six head coaching jobs available. You can add former offensive coordinator for the Browns, Kyle Shanahan, to the list of interviewees. I'm not so sure he's worth the price of admission to be a head coach especially since he's never been one. He's always lived in the shadow of his dad and right off the top of my head his gig in Cleveland was the first time he didn't work for his dad. You never know but I haven't been too impressed with his work with RGIII and Brian Hoyer and even Johnny Manziel. If we do a word association test and you say Kyle Shanahan my reply would not be quarterback guru. We'll see but I would be interested in hearing from you guys who you think will go where.

[eagle eye]

Boy, miss a few days because of shoulder surgery and all kinds of things happened in the past week. Unexpectedly after their loss to Indianapolis Broncos head coach John Fox left the Broncos. In the four years he's been the head coach Fox has taken his team to the playoffs every single year and that includes having Tim Tebow as his QB in the first year of his tenure. It was reported that it was by mutual agreement but I can't imagine why he was let go after posting an overall record of 46-18, four trips to the playoffs and one Super Bowl appearance but John Elway seems to have a plan that Fox wasn't a part of. Whoever takes over for Fox will likely have the uneviable task of deciding if Peyton Manning will be the Broncos QB going forward.

[eagle eye]

All the head coaching vacancies are nearly all filled including the Denver job which was filled by a name everyone in the Texans surrounding area are very familiar with. By now everyone knows former Texans head coach Gary Kubiak was hired within a couple of days of John Fox's departure. Kubiak was the backup QB for the Broncos in the 80's and his his coaching career in the NFL began as an assistant for the 49ers in 1994 and in 1995 he was hired as offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach by Mike Shanahan for those same Broncos which includes the Broncos Super Bowl Championships in 1997 and 1998. "Koobs" was hired as the Texans head coach in 2006 becoming the second head coach in Texans franchise history replacing Dom Capers. Before the team collapsed in 2013 going 2-14 Kubiak's Texans improved each year. In 2011 and 2012 Kubiak led the Texans to their first two playoff appearances in franchise history. He did all this without a "franchise" type of QB going for the bulk of his tenure with Matt Schaub. Enough of Texans history. After being fired before the Texans 2013 season ended Kubiak was signed in the off season by the Baltimore Ravens as their offensive coordinator. When the jobs for head coaching positions became available Kubiak said he was flattered by the interest but he was happy with his position with the Ravens. He continued saying he wasn't interested in wasn't interested in a head coaching job at this point in time. Until......John Fox and the Broncos parted company then he had a change of heart. At the core of it Kubiak probably has deep roots in Denver after spending the entirety of his nine year NFL playing career where he backed up current Broncos GM and HOF QB John Elway. Then except for his first year as an NFL coach he went to Denver for the next 11 years. There is definitely history there to take advantage of and now he's back in the Broncos fold.

 

Former Jets head coach Rex Ryan is now the Buffalo Bills head man. Interestingly enough the man he replaced, Doug Marrone just took a job as offensive line coach with Jacksonville. It really makes you wonder why a guy who has one of the 32 most coveted jobs for a coach just gives it up and ends up an O-line coach. There has got to be more to that story because Marrone wasn't fired, he left. In the meantime, Rex Ryan has returned to his old trash talking self. You didn't hear much with all the Jet front office pissing contests and the slide of the Jets team and the debate over who should start at QB, Geno Smith or Mike Vick so of stuffed a sock in Rex's mouth. But he went back to his blustery self in his presser for his introduction as the Bills main man. There's no doubt about Ryan being a really good defensive coach but he didn't do squat for the Jets offense. Rex inherited a pretty decent offensive team when he took over for Eric Mangini and as they lost that talent through free agency and retirement Rex did nothing to restock that side of the team. It looks like Rex is like his old man, Buddy. Good defensive coach but lacking the wherewithal to be a head coach.

 

Speaking of the Jets, they hired a guy who has been on the head coaching radar for a couple of years now, Todd Bowles. Bowles has been recognized as really good defensive coach and his job as D-coordinator of the Arizona Cardinals this past season was the main reason the Cards held on to make the playoffs after the offense went south when QB Carson Palmer was lost for the season. Can he do something with the Jets offense, that will be his main challenge going forward.

 

The Raiders filled their HC vacancy not with interim man Tony Sparano but with Broncos DC Jack Del Rio. Questions were raised at this hire because Del Rio didn't have the greatest success in his first stint as a head coach in Jacksonville. Del Rio was not on any other list of candidates for the head coaching jobs available except Oakland. Is Oakland the same old inept Raiders or do they know something others don't? All things considered you'd probably have to go with the former option but we'll have to wait and see for sure.

 

The Bears have hired former Bronco coach John Fox. That hire came so fast that there were rumors that Fox has the deal in place before he left Denver. That rumor has sort of lost steam but it shows how fast things happened and it also shows how respected Fox is. Chicago has to compete with Detroit and Green Bay and Minnesota in their division and the Bears hit the off-season ground running.

 

The 49ers promoted their offensive coordinator Jim Tomsula to their vacant head coaching job. A rather strange move considering it's the offense that was the Niners Achilles heel this past season. We'll see how this plays out as well. Maybe the GM should have taken a hike instead of the head coach?

 

The only job left open is the Atlanta Falcons job. It's speculated that the Falcons are waiting on Seahawks DC Dan Quinn. Quinn was about 5 minutes removed from his season being over but a monumental collapse by the Packers enabled his season to continue for another two weeks.

 

Other news is that the Senior Bowl is taking place this week. It's probably the first big event on the road to this year's NFL draft with all due respect for the East-West Shrine game that was play this past week end. All but 2 NFL teams will have major representation at this game and certainly all 32 NFL teams will have some eyes on this game. Mobile Alabama is the place to be this week as the NFL is wasting everyone's time with the Pro Bowl on Sunday.

 

Just as a jumping off point for this year's NFL draft, here's a list of the top 50 draft prospects from NFL.com.

 

http://www.nfl.com/top50

[eagle eye]

Is deflategate worth all this crap? If the teams are supposed to submit the balls to the refs 2 hours before the game then why don't they keep them until game time? It's all much ado about nothing IMO. After halftime the ball were all "legal" and that's when the Patriots really opened up a can of whoop-ass on the Colts. If people think that the Pats have reached 6 Super Bowls by cheating you are crazy. The Patriots have a system that works. They have maybe the best coach in the last 25 years and arguably the best QB since the new millennium, maybe in NFL history. I'm tired of BS crying about stuff that doesn't really affect a game anyway.

 

This year marks the 5th time in 5 years that DE Charles Haley has made the final 15 for entry into the Pro Football HOF. To me, he deserves it. He was a difference maker and the Cowboys of the 90's would not have been the team of the 90's without him. The guy has six Super Bowl rings that he was instrumental in helping his team win them. It will be a huge omission if he doesn't make it. The players to make it to the HOF will be announced Saturday night. I will be watching. To me, this will be more interesting than the pro bowl was last week.

[eagle eye]

Some random thoughts and results of Super Bowl XLIX:

 

> I finally rooted for a Super Bowl winner.

> I get what Pete Carroll said when they decided to pass on third down, they didn't like the matchup which drives a lot of play calls. You can't help but wonder if Carroll didn't get greedy wanting to score AND not leave the Pats any time on the clock. Just score and put the last 30 seconds or so on their stud defense. The Pats lost two SB's on fluke plays so I guess the football gods decided to even the ledger a bit.

> Tom Brady gave his MVP award of a new Chevy truck to CB Malcolm Butler as a reward for his amazing play to save the game.

> Marshawn Lynch has been blasted by several media members including ESPN's Stephen A Smith for his behavior prior to the Super Bowl. They are saying Lynch was being disrespectful to the NFL and his fellow players and he is sending a bad message to kids who look up to him who admire his spit-in-your-eye attitude toward authority figures. I never thought Lynch was funny in his mandatory media interview session and I agree with Smith and others that he needs to be more mindful of his image and his effect on NFL fans. That said, I don't think the NFL needs to force players who don't like to do interview session or who are camera shy or whatever reason to do interviews. Once upon a time the NFL needed all it's players to contribute to the NFL PR when it was building their brand but their brand is established and they don't need players to all be accessible any more.

> Richard Sherman injured a ligament in his left elbow in the Packer game and he played with it torn in the SB. I have never heard of it before in the NFL but Sherman will undergo "Tommy John" surgery soon. I have not heard any time frame for his recovery. Now an MLB pitcher needs a year or more but a football player who doesn't depend on his elbow for throwing could be very different. I will look for more info on his return time table but if anyone knows please post!

> After picking off Tom Brady in the first quarter of Super Bowl XLIX CB Jeremy Lane was tackled by the Pats Julian Edelman suffering a compound fracture of his left arm on the play. This was a significant injury because Lane was the nickel corner, the same guy who said before the Super Bowl that Gronk wasn't all that great, and the Pats picked on his replacement the rest of the game.

> The commercials overall during the Super Bowl were not very good. There was a bright spot here and there but it wasn't a situation where advertisers got much of a bang for their buck. The "genius" who pitched the NationWide Insurance ad about dead kids was not a good idea and the guys who signed off on the ad are just as much to blame.

> I'm sad football is over.

> I'm no Katie Perry fan but I though her halftime show was pretty good. People have been bitching about all the old fogeys who have been doing halftime shows in recent years like Madonna, Bruce Springsteen and Aerosmith so injecting a little youth friendly celebrity into the show was a good thing. They still managed to get an old "fogey" into the show. The appearance by Lenny Kravitz was pretty good although it was too short.

 

Less than a week into the offseason there are new members of the NFL Knuckleheads Club.

> The Packers DT Letroy Guion was arrested for multiple offenses which include felony possession of marijuana and possession of a firearm which a 3rd degree felony. Guion was pulled over by a Bradford County Florida Sheriff's Department officer. He was pulled over for not staying in his own lane, in essence he was weaving across lanes. After he was stopped he became belligerent to the officers during the search of his vehicle.

> Indianapolis Colts linebacker D'Qwell Jackson was arrested for assault when he got into a dispute with another driver over a parking space. Jackson is said to have punched the other driver in the face and the back of the head during the altercation in a Washington DC area parking lot. Jackson has been released on his own recognizance until his hearing on February 26th. If found guilty the punishment for assault is a maximum of 180 days in jail and up to $1,000.

> The Cowboys RB Joseph Randall was arrested for possession of marijuana in his home town of Wichita, Kansas. Police came to a location after being called by a 22 year old woman who was having a problem with a 23 year old male. There were reports of a gun involved but no gun was found at the scene. Also, the woman reported no injuries. Randle is a talented player and could be considered for a bigger role in the Cowboys offense if DeMarco Murray is not resigned this off season. That may not happen now that Randle has had his second run-in with police. Last fall he was arrested for shop lifting in a Dallas area store. Behavior like this is definitely not a trait Jason Garrett is looking for when putting together a team with "the right kind of guys".

 

A current member of the NFLKC is Josh Gordon who is now in the third step of the NFL's substance abuse program and yesterday he was handed down a one year suspension without pay. The Cleveland Browns hold the rights to Gordan but after missing 13 games last season including being suspended the final game of the year by the Browns for conduct detrimental to the team and now with a year's suspension you have to wonder about whether or not Cleveland is going to want to deal with Gordon any more. This could be a career killer for him which, considering his talent, is a real shame. Unfortunately for Gordon he seems to be living in the great state of denial that he has a problem.

 

A guy who seems to be seeing the light about his past behavior is Johnny Manziel. On Monday it was reported that he entered a rehab facility last Wednesday and the reason given by his spokesman was to evaluate is value system. Items have come to light that Manziel's rookie season was a joke with him entering the huddle unable to call plays. Not because he was drunk or high but because his private life was so out of control he didn't put in the time to learn his playbook. Manziel is a talented player and I hope he is able to turn his life and career around. The Browns are saying they support Manziel and they wish him well. I guess so since I'm thinking the Browns are tired of pissing away 1st round draft picks.

[eagle eye]

I think you can add Seahawks wide receiver Doug Baldwin an official member of the NFL Knuckleheads Club. Unlike most of the members of this club who were given membership because of they were busted drinking or smoking weed or a similar activity Baldwin chose to simulate taking a dump on the football after he caught a 3 yard TD in Super Bowl XLIX. It was a classless move that cost his team a 15 yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. Today the NFL chipped in an $11,000 fine for his gesture. For his part Baldwin responded to the fine and penalty as if it didn't matter. "I was just having fun." was his response. His lack of remorse for penalizing his team after they scored a TD and his lack of remorse given the fine enters him in the NFLKC. It's this narcissistic behavior that show he doesn't give a crap (no pun intended) about his team or himself. Baldwin and his fellow wide receivers have been classified as "average" by such NFL ex-players like Deion Sanders and Chris Carter are doing nothing to make people forget about Golden Tate and Percy Harvin. Add in a total lack of class and you can add Mr Baldwin to the NFLKC without dissent.

 

Before the season began last summer Pittsburgh Steelers RB's Le'Veon Bell and Legarrette Blount were arrested for marijuana possession and Bell was cited for a DUI as the two RB's and two female companions were stopped for a traffic violation last August. Blount, soon after the arrest was cut by the Steelers and was eventually signed by the New England Patriots. After doing 50 hours of community service the marijuana charges were dropped and Blount now owns a Super Bowl ring. Bell was sentenced to 15 months of probation and his drivers license was suspended for 60 days. Bell could also receive a 2 game suspension from the NFL for the incident.

 

Adrian Peterson got a hearing today to plead his case for being reinstated to again play in the NFL after a hugely public ordeal over a child abuse issue where he used a switch to spank his son causing the child to bleed and injured his private parts. Peterson said he felt like he got a fair hearing "for a change" inferring that he has not always been the case. It is now up to the NFL league office. What the hearing was about was Peterson wanting the suspension he was given to be lifted before the original April 15 date.

[eagle eye]

Because of ties to both the Cowboys and the Texans I had a problem deciding just where to put this news item so I decided to put with the other NFL notes and news. Former Cowboys head coach and former Texans defensive coordinator Wade Phillips is back on the sidelines after sitting out the 2014 season. Phillips' last patrolled a sideline in Houston in 2013 where he was the defensive coordinator/interim head coach. He applied for the head coaching position when the 2013 season ended but as we all know Bill O'Brien was eventually hired. A year off seems to have recharged his batteries and he's itching to get back to work. This week Phillips was hired to be the D-coordinator for the Denver Broncos. Phillips was a defensive assistant in Denver in the mid nineties and he also was the head coach of the Broncos between the end of the Dan Reeves era and the beginning of the Mike Shanahan era. Phillips said he's excited to be back in Denver and that the Broncos will convert to his 3-4 system. This means that DeMarcus Ware and Vonn Miller will be bookend outside linebackers in the new scheme. I have said this as have many others, Wade Phillips was a damn good defensive coordinator but he wasn't a very good head coach. In talking to the press after his hiring Phillips admitted this to be his assessment as well. Phillips is now content to play to his own strengths and build what is a talented unit in Denver into a formidable defensive force to be reckoned with. Phillips obviously has connections to GM John Elway as he was on the Broncos coaching staff during the latter stages of Elway's playing career. This will also be Phillips second go-round as DC to Gary Kubiak who became the Broncos new head coach back in early January after John Fox was let go. New coaching staff, new defensive scheme, pretty much new everything even though I believe that Denver is planning on having Peyton Manning back in 2015.

 

As for Denver players, they could be losing Wes Welker who is contemplating retirement because of declining production and an alarming series of concussions he's suffered in the past two seasons. Denver will be in good hands (no pun intended) because of the emergence of WR Emmanuel Sanders who became a real go-to guy for Denver in 2014. It will be sad to see Welker go because he made smallish receivers viable again. In fact, he was the guy every new guy from Danny Amendola to Julian Edelman were compared to. As for Amendola and Edelman it took both guys to replace what Welker had done by himself in New England. Welker is still the gold standard for the slot WR in the NFL not to mention fantasy football leagues around the country. Just another Texas boy who made good.

 

Manziel in rehab and the speculation Cleveland may target another QB in the first round. This time Marques Mariota is the subject of the current rumor mill. Sheesh.

[eagle eye]

Talk about an unfortunate quote dept: Earlier this week the Buffalo Bills came to terms with O-lineman Richie Incognito. It will be Incognito's first return to an NFL roster since he was suspended for the bullying incident in Miami two years ago. In an interview with the press new Bills head coach Rex Ryan said that the Bills wanted to build a bully in Buffalo. Really? Seriously, Rex. Today there is a clarification by Ryan by saying they want to build a bully ON THE FIELD. Incognito is a good lineman and he should help the Bills but sometimes I wonder if Rex really thinks about what he says before he says it.

 

Has Seattle had it's last hurrah? This off season is a real cause for concern with Marshawn Lynch contemplating retirement. No team in the NFL depended more on the run than Seattle. The run game is the foundation for whatever else Seattle does offensively. To lose Beast-mode would be a real punch to the gut for the Seahawks. If Lynch decides not to retire he is an unrestricted free agent and he may be looking for Adrian Peterson money which Seattle certainly can afford as their salary cap situation is strong but will the Seahawks want to spend the money on a 28 year old RB for any more than 2-3 years in the 8-12 million dollar range? Will Seattle feel like backup Robert Turbin can replace Lynch? Interesting conversation here.

 

The 2015 NFL Scouting Combine is a mere 8 days away. With that here is a link from NFL.com to an article listing the top 5 prospects by position by draft guru Mike Mayock.

 

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000470108/article/mike-mayocks-position-rankings-for-2015-nfl-draft

 

There are already some mock drafts out there but if you'll excuse me but I don't care about initial mocks. It's just guys killing time and as you all know the mocks change drastically as the pre draft process progresses. Mocks will change after the combine and will evolve as player pro days come and go.

[eagle eye]

Happy Valentines to these players who did not have their teams exercise the option to extend their contracts meaning they will be looking for a new landing spot.

 

> Dallas did not exercise the $9 MM option for DL Henry Melton. Coming off ACL surgery in 2013 it was hoped Melton could return to Pro Bowl form under former DC in Chicago and current DC Rod Marinelli. Long story short, he didn't. Hence Dallas unwillingness to overpay for an underachieving player.

 

> The Jets has passed on the option on RB Chris Johnson. Is Johnson done or does he just need to find a team with a good O-line?

 

The Denver Broncos got good news when Peyton Manning told them he wants to play in 2015. That's good news for the Broncos as well as for Manning fans and the NFL in general. The NFL is just not going to be the same without Peyton screaming "Omaha" on Sundays.

 

The announcement that the 49ers and Jim Harbaugh had come to a mutual agreement to part ways after the season ended apparently was not entirely true. Harbaugh stated in an interview that he didn't walk away from San Francisco, the front office walked away from him. After a Week 15 loss to Seattle the 49ers wanted to let Harbaugh go then but he asked to finish the season because he wanted to finish what he started. The 49ers finished the season 8-8 with a win in Week 17 against the Cardinals. In his 4 years Harbaugh resurrected the winning tradition in San Fran going to 3 consecutive NFC Championship games and one Super Bowl which the 49ers lost to the team his brother coaches, John Harbaugh. His final record in San Fran was 44-19-1 for a winning percentage of .690. If the 49ers fall flat in the next couple of years the 49ers front office could find themselves out of a job.

 

It's being said that the future of Marshawn Lynch could depend on back issues he has been having. The loss of Lynch could be devastating to the Seahawks because, even though running backs are a dime a dozen, finding one that is as good as Beast Mode are rare and the fact that Seattle's offense is built around Lynch is a matter for concern to Pete Carroll this off season.

[eagle eye]

It is being reported today that Packers tight end Brandon Bostick was released by the Packers today. You may recall that Bostick is the player who misplayed an onside kick by Seattle that helped enable the Seahawks to erase a 12 point deficit in the last 5 minutes of the NFC Championship game. The really ironic thing about the play was that Bostick wasn't supposed to field the ball on the kick, his job was to block to keep the area clean so Jordy Nelson could handle the kick. This play may not have been the impetus for Bostick's release but I'll bet it didn't help his cause one bit.

 

A couple of weeks removed from Super Bowl XLIX Seahawks WR Doug Baldwin finally sees the light. Looking back on his post TD "celebration" where he simulated pooping on the football in the end zone Baldwin is expressing regret over the incident. Baldwin was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct and Seattle was penalized 15 yards on the ensuing kickoff. In the week that followed he was also fined $11K for his action and at the time of the fine he still showed no remorse for what he did. I have already posted about what a classless, selfish thing Baldwin did but I guess someone close to him finally penetrated his thick skull and pointed out the error of his ways. In the link to the article below Baldwin says that the action was "not him". I disagree.

 

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000470815/article/doug-baldwin-apologizes-for-super-bowl-td-celebration

 

For the next two weeks teams have a window to designate either the "franchise" or the "transition" tags on one of their players. The franchise tag is used far more frequently than the transition tag. In the past players having wanted to be tagged because it is just a one year deal. It is guaranteed but it offers no long term financial security that a multi-year deal affords. However, the fact is the player receives a huge monetary deal and it's guaranteed which a lot of contracts are not completely guaranteed. The salary is big hit to the team's salary cap since the amount is the average of the top 5 salaries of the players of the same position. Here is a link to the estimated salaries of franchised players in 2015.

 

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000470843/article/estimated-franchise-tag-figures

[eagle eye]

Combine, combine, combine, draft, combine, deflate-gate? I wish the media would stop flogging that dead horse once and for all. First of all, it came out that deflate-gate wasn't under inflated balls it was one ball. ONE. Now, there is buzz about a ball boy who tried to sneak an illegal ball into the Super Bowl. It was found and, by all accounts, never made it the game. Personally, I think the NFL should castrate the offending ball boy as a deterrent to future attempts to undermine the NFL's most prized possession--the Super Bowl. Kill the varlet and be done with him (Shakespearingly spoken). I sincerely believe if it hadn't been the Patriots this whole mess never would have seen the light of day. Sheesh.

 

Here's an update of the top 15 performers so far at the combine. The O-line worked out and TE's are in progress so you can select the position and event you want to see. BTW, the best 40 time today was a tight end from Southern Illinois' named Mycole Pruitt who had a 4.54. You may want to save this page as it will update all position workouts as they are completed.

 

http://www.nfl.com/combine/top-performers#year=2015&workout=FORTY_YARD_DASH&position=QB-RB-WR-TE-S-DL-LB-CB-SPEC

Edited February 20, 2015 by eagle eye

[eagle eye]

Some rumors are circulating about the free agents who could be looking at joining a new team. One interesting item is that NFL.com is saying several players sort of make sense and they could really effect the fantasy football landscape.

 

> QB Marc Sanchez to Buffalo. Really? Why would Sanchez go a play for a coach who failed him miserably when they were an the Jets ball club. There is nothing in place that would indicate Rex Ryan would be any more beneficial to Sanchez career than he was in New York. Ryan and GM John Idzek stripped the Jets of all the offensive talent that enabled Sanchez to lead the Jets to two consecutive AFC Championship games to a veritable laughing stock. I think NFL.com's Marc Sessler is crazy with this one.

 

> WR Cecil Shorts to Cleveland. Now this one makes sense. The Browns could probably get Shorts at a pretty reasonable price and Shorts grew up in Cleveland so he may be very tempted to go back home. Sessler says that Shorts would be a good No 2 in Cleveland and the Browns need to inject some talent into the Browns roster to replace Josh Gordan. The problem in Cleveland is figuring out who the heck the quarterback is.

 

> TE Julius Thomas to Oakland. Interesting take here. The Broncos will be challenged to pay WR Demaryius Thomas AND Julius the big contracts both are likely to command. This will be a big challenge for John Elway to figure out. If he can't the Raiders have the cap space to pay JT what he wants and it would give Derek Carr a legit threat at tight end and make the Raiders one step closer to being a legit contender in the AFC West.

 

> CB Byron Maxwell to Atlanta. The Seahawks are now starting to see the attrition teams have to deal with when they are successful. Players that Seattle got cheap are now at the point of being free agents looking for big paydays and the fact is Seattle won't be able to pay them all. Maxwell is a really good cover corner that the Seahawks management may feel needs to be kept in their own nest. After all, the 'Hawks lost CB Brandon Browner last year to --- wait for it --- New England of all things. Part of the Seahawks attrition was the loss of their defensive coordinator Dan Quinn who was hired by the Atlanta Falcons to be their next head coach. It makes sense that the defense challenged Falcons would go after a player the new head man knows and is familiar with.

 

> RB CJ Spiller to the New York Jets. Marc Sessler points out that this move makes perfect sense since the Jets, under new head coach Todd Bowles, have hired former Bills head coach Chan Gailey to be the offensive coordinator. Spiller agreed with a reporter that a move to the Jets would be a perfect move for him. Who knows what will happen but with Spiller's injury history he can't be expecting a huge deal even though he probably wants one. The pairing with Chris Ivory is both tantalizing and scary at the same time as you wonder which one will get hurt first.

 

> TE Jordan Cameron to Seattle. I don't know if I buy this one. Seattle is going to have to pay QB Russell Wilson and word is that the 'Hawks have offered Marshawn Lynch a huge contract. Where do people think the money will come from to pay Cameron? It's interesting in theory because as a TE Cameron is a really good TE and his market value may be depressed a little bit because he spent most of the 2014 season hurt. I'm sure Cleveland wants to keep him and the old home town discount may be in play here.

 

Here's the link to Marc Sessler's view on these deals from NFL.com.

 

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000470373/article/six-freeagent-fits-that-make-sense

 

One last thing, if Dallas lets go of DeMarco Murray the odds of Adrian Peterson going to Dallas is pretty slim IMO. The world would go nuts over this pairing and I really don't think the child abuse issues surrounding Peterson's suspension in 2014 would be all that big a deal. Jerry would love to sign the best running back in the last 20 years but AP is going to be 30 years old next month and that's the age that most backs hit the wall of diminishing returns. Murray is 27 and he has a lot less mileage on his legs than AP and is a proven "right kind of guy" in the Cowboys locker room. Jerry is tempered by his son Stephen and player personnel guys like Tom Ciskowski and Will McClay in the room to talk point out that flashy isn't always a good thing when you are trying to win a Super Bowl. These are the guys who convinced Jerry that Zack Martin was a much better pick than Johnny Football and I think we can all agree they were right as rain. It will be these same guys to tell Jerry AP is not a good fit in Dallas. I'm a Murray man and I really hope the Cowboys can figure out a way to pay both Murray and Dez Bryant and the other free agents Dallas has to bring back to maintain continuity of their offense and the blocks needed to rebuild their defense. I don't want AP at the expense of Doug Free or Cole Beasley or Dwayne Harris or Bruce Carter....you get the idea.

[eagle eye]

With free agent signing date (March 10th) coming up pretty fast NFL.com has posted a list of the top 101 free agents. They have them divided by tiers and by their account it will be the deepest free agent class in recent memory. Now, a lot of these names will likely be off the board as deals and franchise tags are assigned (Dez Bryant comes to mind) but it is a tasty list if you are a Cowboys or Texans fan. Heck even if you are a fan of any team. It's an interesting list to be sure.

 

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000474533/article/top-101-nfl-free-agents-for-2015

[eagle eye]

On Monday teams across the NFL hung the franchise or transition tags on players so they could retain their rights for the 2015 season. There weren't all that many tags assigned with the main guys being wide receivers. Both Dez Bryant of the Cowboys and Demaryius Thomas of the Broncos were franchised but both teams are saying they still want to sign the players to long term deals by the July 15th deadline to negotiate contracts. The most surprising franchise tag given was by the Patriots who tagged kicker Stephen Gostkowski. The biggest surprise non-tag was arguably Detroit D-lineman Ndomakong Suh. While Suh has had his issues with anger management and cheap shots in the NFL he is generally acknowledged as the best interior defensive lineman in the NFL. I would think Detroit is still trying to sign Suh but in all likelihood on March 10th when the free agent signing period begins he will be a very popular man. And a very rich man.

 

This morning on Mike and Mike ESPN's Adam Schefter reported that the Eagles will trade RB LeSean McCoy to Buffalo for linebacker Kiko Alonso. McCoy has rushed for more yards over the last 5 years than any running back in the NFL but his expected $12 MM cap hit is something that Eagles head man Chip Kelly isn't willing to pay. It's surprising that he found a taker for that contract. Not only did Buffalo agree to get McCoy and his 2nd highest contract for a RB in the NFL but they gave up a young defensive player in Alonso that had a terrific rookie season in 2013. 2014 was lost for Alonso when he tore his ACL in off season work. So, now the Eagles have lost a dynamic running back but gained a good defensive player who Chip Kelly knows very well because Alonso played for Kelly at Oregon. To say this trade was a bit of bombshell is an understatement for sure. The trade will not become official until next Monday, March 10th when the free agent signing period begins.

 

The Bills are being named as a team that is very interested QB Brian Hoyer. Hoyer was not franchised by Cleveland nor was he expected to be. The Browns have their own QB issues to settle but signing Hoyer was not one of them especially when it was announced that the Browns had signed Josh McCown to a 3 year deal. McCown parleyed a good 2013 season with Chicago in a big contract with Tampa Bay in 2014 where he went from the penthouse to the outhouse having a simply horrendous season which prompted Tampa to release McCown on February 11 of this year. It's expected McCown will be the guy expected to mentor troubled QB Johnny Manziel who is currently in rehab and to start for Cleveland for a year or two while Manziel learns the NFL ropes and deals with his substance abuse issues. As for the Bills, they have been linked to guys like Hoyer, Marc Sanchez and Ryan Mallett. We won't know for sure until a guy is signed to replace Kyle Orton who announced his retirement in December after the Bills final game of the season. It's pretty clear E J Manual is not high on the pecking order under the new Rex Ryan regime in Buffalo. Rex Ryan had his own cross to bear while with the Jets with a quarterback taken in the same draft as Manual in Geno Smith. Neither Smith or Manual have turned out to be the franchise type of QB the Jets and Bills were hoping when they were drafted.

 

The Eagles are retooling a bit beyond just cutting ties with Shady McCoy. The Eagles have released two players who have been mainstays on their defense for the last few years. CB Cary Williams who is now 30 years old and LB Trent Cole who is 32 are both gone. Cole, who has an $11 MM cap hit this season, wouldn't take a pay cut and Philly has other players they need to sign. Since Chip Kelly has been given control over such things has shown the propensity to be frugal with the Eagles money as the recent player moves indicates. It's pretty clear Kelly is taking the notion of getting his type of guys pretty seriously. Last year he got rid of DeSean Jackson and now McCoy. For his offense to run the way he want he needs to have players that fit his system. While McCoy seemed to be a good fit you could argue that Darren Sproles is a better fit. It seems that there just weren't enough balls to go around to keep both players happy. McCoy has even said that he felt like he was being phased out of the offense late in the season. It's also being rumored that Philly may really be in the market to draft Marcus Mariota. THAT would be a good fit. With Nick Foles coming off an injury and Marc Sanchez a free agent Philly just could try to work out a deal to draft Mariota. That would be a real longshot and it would cost Philly a bunch in terms of draft picks to move up to get the former Oregon signal caller.

 

So, with LeSean McCoy going to Buffalo what becomes of free agent RB C J Spiller? Could he go to Philly? After all he is used to a RB by committee situation as he's shared carries with Freddie Jackson since he came into the league. Who knows what will happen here.

[eagle eye]

Peyton Manning is coming back for another season and he agreed to a $4 MM reduction in his base salary. Go Broncos! The best news about all this news is the deal was contingent on Manning passing a physical and doggone if that didn't happen today.

 

The Patriots made a surprising move today letting one of the best 3-4 nose tackles ever in Vince Wolfork know they would not be exercising their roster option on him thereby in effect ending his tenure with the Pats. Wolfork has been in the NFL 11 years and he made a big difference for the Patriots in 2014 coming off a torn Achilles tendon suffered in 2013. He is one guy who I feel won't be out of work long.

 

After spending a lot of time on the bench and the physical therapy room over the last couple of years RB Maurice Jones-Drew announced his retirement from the NFL today. It just won't seem right not to have MJD on somebody's fantasy football roster any more. Happy retirement guy!

 

 

The Bills are continuing to retool under new coach Rex Ryan. The announce the trade for QB Matt Cassel to drive the Bill's bus this coming season. The fact that the Bills made this deal seems to indicate Ryan has little to no faith in E J Manual. The Bills get Cassel and a 2015 fifth round pick and the Vikings gets a 2015 sixth round pick and a 2016 7th round pick. It seems the market value of a 32 journeyman QB isn't all that much.

 

The Carolina Panthers signed TE Greg Olsen to a 3 year-$22.5 MM contract extension today. Good move by the Panthers.

 

For those of you who like to window show try this link on for size. It lists the top veteran players on the market--except for Darnell Dockett who signed a deal with San Francisco today. It would be a nice way to kill a few minutes thinking about how one or more of these guys fits into your favorite team's roster.

 

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000474762/article/tracking-nfl-veteran-cuts

[eagle eye]

The Seahawks and RB Marshawn Lynch have come to terms on a 2 year extension keeping Beast Mode in Seattle which is good news for them and bad news for the rest of the NFC. The deal means Lynch will be in a Seahawks uniform for the next three years where he will make an average of just over $10 MM a season. This could become the market value a guy like DeMarco Murray will be expecting from Dallas. Again, good news for Lynch and bad news for the NFL.

 

All you Cowboys fans expecting a scenario in which the Cowboys sign potential free agent Mark Ingram if a deal for Murray can't get done can forget about it. It was announced today that the Saints have agreed to terms with Ingram on a 4 year $16 MM deal. This comes a day after the Saints released veteran RB Pierre Thomas. Ingram had a bit of a breakout season in 2014 gaining over 1,000 yards despite being hurt part of the year. Ingram seemed to finally be living up to the first round draft pick he was coming out of Alabama. Thomas had been with the Saints for the better part of a decade and had been a nice role player during his tenure in New Orleans.

 

The Broncos seem resigned to top TE Julius Thomas leaving via free agency. They have already franchised WR Demaryius Thomas and John Elway is going to have to be cap smart which looks like letting a Pro Bowl tight end go in free agency. The Broncos have made an offer to backup TE Virgil Green but even that could prove undoable because it's being reported that no less than 13 teams have offered Green a deal. Green says he loves playing in Denver but that isn't the only criteria for accepting a contract. Now, catching ball from Peyton Manning and having a real chance to make a run at a Super Bowl may be the straw that tips the contract cart Denver's way. If not then Mr Elway and company will have to go with a Plan C.

 

All this news and it's still 3 days from the official start of free agency!

[eagle eye]

So much for Houston fans hoping to replace WR Andre Johnson with the Packers Randall Cobb. Green Bay and Cobb agreed on a new 4 year $40 MM contract with $17 MM guaranteed. The fantasy value of Cobb as a Packer is through the roof so fantasy mavens and Packer fans are undoubtedly happy too-night!

[eagle eye]

What I was thinking yesterday watching the confounded rain was that the beginning of the NFL free agency is like the beginning of the Oklahoma land rush with everybody and their brother lining up in a mad dash for free land. In the new millennium the "land rush" is being populated by players, agents and the 32 NFL teams who are lining up for a grab for cash. What we've seen the past 3 days is a bunch of "Sooners" who are banging out deals before the signings can officially begin. In 1889 being a "sooner" was illegal because everyone was supposed to have an equal chance at the available land. In 2015 "sooners" are legal. The NFL gave players and teams the 3 days to sort of pre-negotiate free agent deals and lord knows there have been some serious pre negotiations going on. See what kind of crap your mind can come up with when a rainy day allows you the time for your mind to come up with stuff out of the blue?

 

I don't know what's going to happen when the 3 PM CDT rolls around but there will need to be staffs at NFL.com and ESPN to keep up with the frenzy. I know there have been a ton of deals done already but it's just a drop in the ocean compared what will happen between 3 and 7 o'clock tonight. There will be a butt-load of deals that will be done in the next 5 or 6 days. A team like Dallas won't even be players in free agency unless you count a deal, if it gets done, with DeMarco Murray. Dallas will not likely sign a sole in week 1 of free agency. They usually wait until week 2 or later when the blood in the water disperses and the sharks drift off to a new feeding location and deals begin to get more team-friendly. Dallas isn't the only team with this strategy and if you have limited money to spend in free agency it is certainly a good strategy. Teams with a ton of cap money like Oakland and Miami available to spend will be the biggest players. Miami has already made their big splash giving Ndamukong Suh a 114 million dollar deal which will become official around 3:01 today. It should be fun so let the land -- er -- player rush begin!

Edited March 10, 2015 by eagle eye

[eagle eye]

Was this the beginning of free agent signing day or the NFL trade days? Seriously, have you ever seen so may big time trades all in one day? It was mind blowing some of the deals and I KNOW you heard about them.

 

Jimmy Graham to Seattle for C Max Unger and the Seahawks first round pick (31st overall). The Saints also gave up a 4th round pick in the deal. It was just last season that Jimmy Graham was franchised by the Saints and later agreed to a 4 year $40 MM deal which the Seahawks now are responsible for. Graham is the best TE in the NFL when healthy. Trouble is he hasn't been on the field much the last couple of years. Saints fans have got to be looking at each other in disbelief.

 

The Ravens traded Hilota Ngata to the Lions for 4th and 5th round draft picks. Ngata refused to negotiate down his $16 MM cap hit this season so the Ravens got rid of him. Ngata is a dynamic player and he can play DE in a 3-4 scheme, a DT in a 4-3 or a pure nose tackle, which is what he played for the Ravens. It will allow the new coaching staff to go with either a 3-4 or a 4-3. Ngata isn't as good as Ndamukong Suh but he's not chopped liver either.

 

The Eagles agreed to trade QB Nick Foles to St Louis for Sam Bradford. Foles was really good for Philly two seasons ago but he was far less good in 2014 until an injury derailed his season. Bradford was the No 1 pick in the 2010 draft which was the last class where rookies got huge deals. Bradford signed a 6 year $78 MM contract with $50 MM guaranteed. It was the largest rookie contract in NFL history. There are still two years left on that deal that Philadelphia will now be responsible for. Bradford should be fresh because he hasn't played an NFL regular season game since Week 7 of the 2013 season. Bradford tore his ACL in the game against the Carolina Panthers ending what was a very good start to his season. Bradford never played a down in 2014 after retearing his left ACL in a preseason game against Cleveland. Besides getting Foles the Rams also get a 2015 4th round pick and a 2016 2nd round pick.

 

The Tennessee Titans say goodbye to former 1st round pick Jake Locker. He didn't leave via free agency and he didn't get traded---he retired. That's right the No 8 pick in the 2011 draft, at the tender age of 26 years old, simply cited a lack of desire to play football any more. Wow.

 

It has been a wild and crazy day. Heck, even my boy Boomer texted me that he heard that the Saints were shopping for a trade for Drew Brees! I can't confirm that but after what all went down today I rule nothing out.

[eagle eye]

The Eagles have signed a running back and no, it's not DeMarco Murray. They have signed former San Diego back Ryan Mathews to a 3 year $12 MM deal. The reports from Adam Schefter are saying just because the deal is done doesn't mean the Eagles have lost interest in Murray. Yeah, right. But you never know because Chip Kelly has made some head scratching deals the past couple of days I guess you can't rule anything out but why dump LeSean McCoy and his big cap hit and take on Murray who is looking to get a big payday? If you look at the deal the Bills made to extend McCoy's contract he got a lot of money but I'll bet if you look at the deal the Bills lowered McCoy's cap hit. If you look at the other deals made for running backs like Mathews and Mark Ingram they have been in the $4 MM range. It could be Dallas could resign Murray to a deal for $5 or 6 MM with a big chunk of the deal guaranteed.

 

Former Eagle Jeremy Maclin has signed with the Chiefs and will be rejoining the man who drafted him, Chiefs head coach Andy Reid. Maclin's deal is for $55 MM for 5 years and gives the Chiefs a real threat on the outside for Alex Smith. Since Smith came to KC he really hasn't had a go-to guy on the outside. I'm sure the Chiefs hoped that Dwaine Bowe would be that guy but so far he's spent too much time on the injured list to really help Alex Smith.

 

Darrelle Revis got a Super Bowl ring with the Patriots on a one year deal. Now he's got his ring AND $70 MM dollars to be paid over 5 years with $39 MM guaranteed. There are those in the media and on social media as well calling Revis a "hired gun" and vilifying him for getting the best deal he could. This is so wrong on many levels but the main one is this, a man or woman has the right to make as much money as they can for the benefit of his or her family. Owners have proved time and again loyalty is only present when it suits them. Revis also makes his return to the team that drafted him so maybe there is some element of loyalty there people may not see.

 

Speaking of the Jets, they have a QB that could knock Geno Smith out of a job. This is more of an indictment of Smith more than an endorsement for new signal caller and now former Houston Texan Ryan Fitzpatrick. The Jets traded a conditional late round pick to Houston for the rights to Fitzpatrick. This is by no means a long term solution to the Jets quarterback problems and with a high draft pick could we be seeing a Marcus Mariota name on the Jets draft card this April?

 

Fiery cornerback Cortland Finnegan announced his retirement today. Finnegan has been in the NFL for 9 years playing for Miami, St Louis and predominately the Tennessee Titans. Local fans may remember Finnegan most for the fist fight he had with Andre Johnson which he referenced in his instagram account (He hits like a bish!) Finnegan joins San Francisco LB Patrick Willis and QB Jake Locker who have announced their retirements in the last couple of days.

 

If free agency isn't enough for NFL football fans to relish in how about the veteran player combine? The inaugural combine for strictly veteran players will begin on March 22nd which is about the same time the free agent frenzy will be over with. There will still be free agent signings but the hot and heavy action will be over with. Truth be told the "frenzy" will be over with by this weekend.

[eagle eye]

Blah, blah, blah--DeMarco Murray---blah, blah, blah---deal with the Eagles---blah, blah, blah. I hate Chip Kelly. Just because his offense runs 40% more plays than everyone else he's supposed to be a freaking genius. If he's such a bloody genius why did he lose or trade his 3 best players in the past two seasons? I swear the way the NFL media deifies Kelly you think they all want to be his girlfriend or something darker. I don't like the Eagles--no, I hate the Eagles--no, I LOATHE the Eagles and that feeling goes way beyond the current news the Eagles will sign Murray to a 5 year $40+ MM deal this evening. Now I can't stand the filthy traitor DeMarco Murray. I'm not too pleased that Dallas tried to low-ball Murray on their contract offers. Now Murray is reunited with close friend and college roommate Sam Bradford in Philly. Makes me sick.

 

Speaking of running backs--

 

> Ryan Mathews signed his deal with the Eagles so now Philly has a RB by committee in Murray, Mathews and Darren Sproles. The Eagles will likely need them all because they don't have a wide receiver worth a crap.

> Justin Forsette inked a deal to stay in Baltimore.

 

The Browns agreed to terms on a deal with TE Jordan Cameron.

 

Antonio Cromartie, a day after he said he was the missing piece of the Dallas Cowboys defensive puzzle, agrees to return to the Jets.

 

Winning a ring doesn't mean much when money is on the line I guess. The Patriots get a SB ring for Darelle Revis and he leaves for the Jets. Now, one year wonder CB Brandon Browner fresh off his second ring in two years with Seattle and New England signs a deal with the Saints. Unlike the deal he signed with New England for one year with options for more (which NE declined to exercise) he goes to the Saints for a 3 year deal worth around $18 MM.

 

Former Broncos nose tackle Terrence Knighton has agreed to a one year $4 MM deal. Listed as the #16 free agent by NFL.com the Redskins get Knighton at a real bargain for a guy known a premiere run stuffer. He is a two down lineman who will come off the field on 3rd down but he's still a very valuable asset that Washington just gobbled up.

 

A couple of guys lost their jobs today---

 

> RB Trent Richardson can now be officially labelled a bust. A high first round pick by Cleveland who had maybe one good season was given his release today by the team that traded away a first round pick for him, Indianapolis. It seems when Indy signed veteran RB Frank Gore Richardson became the odd man out. The question here is, will be ever get another chance to play in the NFL.

 

> Former #1 WR for Kansas City Dwayne Bowe was released today. The 30 year old Bowe and his $10.75 MM cap hit was just too much for KC to tolerate after signing free agent receiver Jeremy Maclin earlier in the week. If Bowe had productive he might have been asked to restructure his deal but as fantasy football players know Bowe has been a no-show for a couple of seasons for one reason or another.

 

At these press conferences when a player is released the teams all say the polite things. Thank you for all you contributions to the organization, we wish you the best of luck going forward, blah, blah blah. Don't you wish the team would send out a punk-ass like Seth Green plays in movies with a ball cap turned sideways and says into the microphone, "We're releasing such and so because we just don't want to pay his sorry ass any more. To such and so, see ya -- wouldn't want to be ya! That's it I'm out."

[eagle eye]

Jumpin' jeehossafat! Are there any more surprises coming?! (Likely)

 

> Instead of resigning with Cleveland TE Jordan Cameron agreed to a deal in Miami. Whaaatt?

 

> ex Lions D-tackle Nick Fairly signed with the St Louis Rams!!! Talk about the rich get richer considering how good the Rams D-line is. You have to wonder what the Lions D is going to be like with two studs on the interior D-line now gone. Will St Louis be better on offense with Foles instead of Bradford? Could be Foles is just the kind of guy Jeff Fisher likes.

 

> Tennessee has bolstered their defense by signing former Redskin Brian Orakpo whose best moves have been in commercials the last couple of years and former Dolphin man Derrick Morgan. Morgan will make $30 MM over the next 4 years and surprisingly Orakpo will make $32 MM over the next 4 years. Morgan is younger and has way more upside than Orakpo but both should help the Titans pass rush this season. I was hoping Dallas would get Morgan but the salary was probably too steep for the Cowboys.

 

> The NFL giveth and the NFL taketh. In New Orleans today that saying was borne out. The Saints agreed to a deal with former Bills RB C J Spiller. This coming just hours after the Saints traded WR Kenny Stills to the Miami Dolphins for LB Donnell Elerby and a 3rd round pick. This gives the Saints 5 picks in the first 3 rounds of the draft next month. The Saints could just be reloading and I'd be surprised if they are a sub .500 team in 2015.

 

Holy crap, what a week in the NFL!

[eagle eye]

The Steelers must have felt left out of the free agency party and they got busy rectifying that yesterday. First they sign Ben Roethlesberger to a contract extension that keep him in Pittsburgh through the 2019 season. Then they agreed to a deal with former Carolina Panther DeAngelo Williams who will share carries with starting RB Le'Veon Bell. Williams claims that there is still plenty left in his tank despite 3 very forgettable seasons in Carolina the past 3 years. Not what I would call a fantasy football match made in heaven but we'll see.

 

Mike Wallace spent a couple of mostly forgettable years in Miami after having a couple of very good years in Pittsburgh. Maybe there was just too many distractions in South Beach. Well, there won't be many distractions other than cold and snow in his new home in Minneapolis-St Paul Minnesota area as a member of the Minnesota Vikings. To his credit though Wallace should be the No 1 guy at WR because Greg Jennings has been mostly a disappointment since going to the Vikings from the Packers a couple of years ago. It looks like the Vikes have a QB to hang their hat on in Teddy Bridgewater and even if they don't hang on the Adrian Peterson there is enough talent at RB to keep the chains moving. Wallace should definitely help the Vikings.

 

The St Louis Rams saw enough good things from troubled WR Kenny Britt to sign him to a two year deal worth $14 MM with $4.3 MM guaranteed. Now the Rams have Nick Foles in a system that is probably better suited to his skill set and folks better look out for this Rams team in 2015.

 

The Buffalo Bills continue to remake their offense by signing Percy Harvin to a one year deal. It's a good move by Buffalo both in the signing and in the deal. Harvin can be a very dynamic player but he's not exactly the most stable person if you believe reports. So, a one year deal allows Buffalo to cut bait if Harvin is too much to deal with compared to his production on the field. We'll see how this goes but Harvin may be a nice sleeper pick in 2015.

 

Christian Ponder may not have been "the guy" he was supposed to be in Minnesota but he didn't take all that long to find employment. The Oakland Raiders signed to a deal yesterday so he will be on hand to backup Derek Carr.