HAYNESWORTH TO NE, CHIEFS FLYING UNDER THE RADAR, SNELLING COULD BE RAMS RB ANSWER & SOME NON-NFL NEWS
It happened less than two hours ago, the Washington Redskins unloaded an overpaid, under-producing, lazy defensive tackle who could make a major impact for his new team, the New England Patriots. Albert Haynesworth is now Bill Belichick's problem. Considering his success rate with difficult personalities, This could be a major infusion of defensive talent for a Patriot defense desperate for playmakers, because Albert Haynesworth is a former all-pro player, he can change games all by himself. When he's motivated & managed correctly that is. He has shown complete contempt for the 3-4, the Patriots' current defense, but Belichick must have an alternate scheme they can run 30-40% of the time in which Haynesworth can thrive. He signed a record $100 million free agent contract in February of 2010, but was a bust from Day 1 in Washington. The Pats only had to surrender a 5th round selection in 2013 for Haynesworth. I continue to look for the Patriots to sign a pass rusher, like OLB Matt Roth, a speed receiver & their own left tackle, Matt Light, an unrestricted free agent.
The Carolina Panthers secured the best running back in this free agent class, DeAngelo Williams. He has played his entire 4-year career for the Panthers & keeping him was a high priority.
After Santonio Holmes agreed to resign with the Jets, former Viking Sidney Rice appeared to be the best wide receiver available. He is unattached no more, agreeing to a 5-year deal with the Seattle Seahawks. Rice is a homerun hitter when healthy. Catching passes from Charlie Whitehurst & Tavaris Jackson doesn't seem that exciting. He & Jackson hardly clicked when they played for Minnesota but new Seattle O-coordinator Darrell Bevell was the Vikings' O.C. & he wants both of them so maybe they'll flourish in the Northwest.
San Diego safety Eric Weddle will resign with the Chargers. QB Matt Leinart will stay with the Houston Texans after it was reported it would move to Seattle.
Players moving elsewhere include:
Former Raider guard Robert Gallery will sign a new 3-year deal with Seattle.
Former Raider backup QB Bruce Gradkowski agreed to terms with the Cincinnati Bengals.
Josh Wilson, a Raven last year, will move to Washington where he will attempt to become a starter at cornerback.
He's got his Super Bowl ring, so Packer starting guard Darryn Colledge will move onto Arizona. The 76-game starter always felt somewhat under-appreciated in Green Bay. I've never thought of Colledge as being in the top-half of the league's offensive guards, but the Cards needed interior line help.
Jake Delhomme(Cajun for turnover) will take his ridiculous salary elsewhere as the Cleveland Browns have released the veteran signal-caller. After two good years in Carolina, Delhomme was rewarded with a mega-million dollar contract & he has totally gone in the tank. When you're committing 3 turnovers for every TD pass, you will have a tough time in this league.
I told you last night about a trade between the Saints & Dolphins for running back Reggie Bush. This morning Bush agreed to a new contract, getting him off of his Saints' deal that was scheduled to pay him $11 million this year. No running back in football has caught more passes than Bush since he entered the league. That's especially impressive since he missed 6-games with a broken leg last season.
Free agent wide receiver Braylon Edwards got lucky in his court appearance back in Cleveland this week. His guilty plea to a DUI charge in New York violated his "conditional" probation in Ohio for assault. The judge gave Edwards 1-year "active" probation, meaning any type of legal entanglement can land Edwards in jail for the remainder of the probationary period. He was also sentenced to 100 hours of community service. Edwards was said to be very upset that he had "been dealt with so harshly." Me, me, me, me is Braylon's whole life. He punches out a 5' 6" 140-pound club owner, beats any jail time & then gets a DUI while he's on probation & feels he's being treated harshly????????????? Precisely why millions of fans have such little compassion for so many entertainers & athletes.
The Philadelphia Eagles have signed 8 of their 11 draft picks. Only 1st round pick OG Danny Watkins & two of their 7th rounders have yet to sign. The Bengals have signed the 4th overall pick in April's draft, Georgia wide receiver A.J. Green. The Raiders love speed, they have a history of over-drafting speedy prospects. This year was no exception as they drafted the fastest offensive player in Taiwan Jones of Division II Eastern Washington. The 4th round running back is at best a spot player IMO, he played in one of the most basic schemes I've seen in college football. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers now have their first three draft picks under contract with the signing of 2nd round selection Da'Quan Bowers, defensive end from Clemson. Bowers was originally ranked as a top-10 player by essentially every draft expert in the country but a lingering knee issue caused him to plummet down draft boards league-wide.
The Chiefs are flying under the radar so far, let's hope it stays that way. The signing of Steve Breaston was hardly mentioned on either ESPN or the NFL Network. If Scott Pioli can add a quality offensive tackle, Kansas City could be a very dangerous offense. If Aubrayo Franklin is signed to play nose tackle, their defense is improved immediately. The secondary should be better with another year of playing together & an improved pass rush. Adding a solid inside linebacker to run beside Derrick Johnson could make them a top-10 defense very quickly. Signing Tamba Hali & Brandon Carr should remain high priorities. The Chiefs signed their 7th round pick, Yale fullback Shane Bannon.
I mentioned three possible running back additions to the St. Louis Rams, who are desperate to find someone who can spell Steven Jackson. A guy I liked for the Chiefs, former Falcon running back Jason Snelling, is apparently at the top of the Rams' shopping list. I like Snelling, he can do just about everything except move the pile, he's not a straight-ahead power runner. That's O.K. Jackson is one of the best power runners in the league, Snelling runs effectively outside & catches the ball exceptionally well.
North Carolina head coach Butch Davis was fired yesterday. The Tar Heel coach presided over a team that sustained 12 different suspensions ranging from 1 game to the entire season. His defense could have been the best in the land with the NFL-caliber talent up & down the depth chart. But three starters were suspended for the season, three others for 6 games & the season was flushed down the drain even before it began. Davis paid the ultimate price for the complete lack of personal discipline within his program.
The #1 rated pro-style quarterback in the land, Gunner Kiel of Indiana, will stay in-state, committing to IU yesterday. It was quite a surprise, especially considering Kiel was recruited by many of the biggest powers in college football. Can the Hooisers assemble a line & some skill position players around Kiel? He passed for 2,700+ yards last season with 36 touchdown passes. He's able to get outside the pocket & make plays having over 600-yards rushing & 10 touchdowns.
In a truly bizarre move, Florida International University has announced they're making a change in their radio play-by-play broadcaster. They've hired former CNN talking head Rick Sanchez to become the voice of FIU football. Sanchez was fired last year for disparaging Jews on the air. I actually saw it live, it was a trainwreck, the more he said, the faster he buried himself. Let's hope Rick can stay on the subject at hand......football.
The Carolina Panthers secured the best running back in this free agent class, DeAngelo Williams. He has played his entire 4-year career for the Panthers & keeping him was a high priority.
After Santonio Holmes agreed to resign with the Jets, former Viking Sidney Rice appeared to be the best wide receiver available. He is unattached no more, agreeing to a 5-year deal with the Seattle Seahawks. Rice is a homerun hitter when healthy. Catching passes from Charlie Whitehurst & Tavaris Jackson doesn't seem that exciting. He & Jackson hardly clicked when they played for Minnesota but new Seattle O-coordinator Darrell Bevell was the Vikings' O.C. & he wants both of them so maybe they'll flourish in the Northwest.
San Diego safety Eric Weddle will resign with the Chargers. QB Matt Leinart will stay with the Houston Texans after it was reported it would move to Seattle.
Players moving elsewhere include:
Former Raider guard Robert Gallery will sign a new 3-year deal with Seattle.
Former Raider backup QB Bruce Gradkowski agreed to terms with the Cincinnati Bengals.
Josh Wilson, a Raven last year, will move to Washington where he will attempt to become a starter at cornerback.
He's got his Super Bowl ring, so Packer starting guard Darryn Colledge will move onto Arizona. The 76-game starter always felt somewhat under-appreciated in Green Bay. I've never thought of Colledge as being in the top-half of the league's offensive guards, but the Cards needed interior line help.
Jake Delhomme(Cajun for turnover) will take his ridiculous salary elsewhere as the Cleveland Browns have released the veteran signal-caller. After two good years in Carolina, Delhomme was rewarded with a mega-million dollar contract & he has totally gone in the tank. When you're committing 3 turnovers for every TD pass, you will have a tough time in this league.
I told you last night about a trade between the Saints & Dolphins for running back Reggie Bush. This morning Bush agreed to a new contract, getting him off of his Saints' deal that was scheduled to pay him $11 million this year. No running back in football has caught more passes than Bush since he entered the league. That's especially impressive since he missed 6-games with a broken leg last season.
Free agent wide receiver Braylon Edwards got lucky in his court appearance back in Cleveland this week. His guilty plea to a DUI charge in New York violated his "conditional" probation in Ohio for assault. The judge gave Edwards 1-year "active" probation, meaning any type of legal entanglement can land Edwards in jail for the remainder of the probationary period. He was also sentenced to 100 hours of community service. Edwards was said to be very upset that he had "been dealt with so harshly." Me, me, me, me is Braylon's whole life. He punches out a 5' 6" 140-pound club owner, beats any jail time & then gets a DUI while he's on probation & feels he's being treated harshly????????????? Precisely why millions of fans have such little compassion for so many entertainers & athletes.
The Philadelphia Eagles have signed 8 of their 11 draft picks. Only 1st round pick OG Danny Watkins & two of their 7th rounders have yet to sign. The Bengals have signed the 4th overall pick in April's draft, Georgia wide receiver A.J. Green. The Raiders love speed, they have a history of over-drafting speedy prospects. This year was no exception as they drafted the fastest offensive player in Taiwan Jones of Division II Eastern Washington. The 4th round running back is at best a spot player IMO, he played in one of the most basic schemes I've seen in college football. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers now have their first three draft picks under contract with the signing of 2nd round selection Da'Quan Bowers, defensive end from Clemson. Bowers was originally ranked as a top-10 player by essentially every draft expert in the country but a lingering knee issue caused him to plummet down draft boards league-wide.
The Chiefs are flying under the radar so far, let's hope it stays that way. The signing of Steve Breaston was hardly mentioned on either ESPN or the NFL Network. If Scott Pioli can add a quality offensive tackle, Kansas City could be a very dangerous offense. If Aubrayo Franklin is signed to play nose tackle, their defense is improved immediately. The secondary should be better with another year of playing together & an improved pass rush. Adding a solid inside linebacker to run beside Derrick Johnson could make them a top-10 defense very quickly. Signing Tamba Hali & Brandon Carr should remain high priorities. The Chiefs signed their 7th round pick, Yale fullback Shane Bannon.
I mentioned three possible running back additions to the St. Louis Rams, who are desperate to find someone who can spell Steven Jackson. A guy I liked for the Chiefs, former Falcon running back Jason Snelling, is apparently at the top of the Rams' shopping list. I like Snelling, he can do just about everything except move the pile, he's not a straight-ahead power runner. That's O.K. Jackson is one of the best power runners in the league, Snelling runs effectively outside & catches the ball exceptionally well.
North Carolina head coach Butch Davis was fired yesterday. The Tar Heel coach presided over a team that sustained 12 different suspensions ranging from 1 game to the entire season. His defense could have been the best in the land with the NFL-caliber talent up & down the depth chart. But three starters were suspended for the season, three others for 6 games & the season was flushed down the drain even before it began. Davis paid the ultimate price for the complete lack of personal discipline within his program.
The #1 rated pro-style quarterback in the land, Gunner Kiel of Indiana, will stay in-state, committing to IU yesterday. It was quite a surprise, especially considering Kiel was recruited by many of the biggest powers in college football. Can the Hooisers assemble a line & some skill position players around Kiel? He passed for 2,700+ yards last season with 36 touchdown passes. He's able to get outside the pocket & make plays having over 600-yards rushing & 10 touchdowns.
In a truly bizarre move, Florida International University has announced they're making a change in their radio play-by-play broadcaster. They've hired former CNN talking head Rick Sanchez to become the voice of FIU football. Sanchez was fired last year for disparaging Jews on the air. I actually saw it live, it was a trainwreck, the more he said, the faster he buried himself. Let's hope Rick can stay on the subject at hand......football.
Comments