My Take On FA Deals And ...

The last few days, the free agency transactions have been quite interesting. A few involve my favorite teams, Skins and Raiders, so let's have a look at some key transactions


1) Pats signing of Adalius Thomas, Kyle Brady and Sammy Morris

In one shot, this was a shrewd move by the Pats. In signing Thomas, it showed that they were looking for someone to replace Willie McGinest, a hybrid defender, who can do everything in the box. Look for him to play end / lb positions all over the line. When the Pats spend money, be assured that they really need the player. Brady is a short term replacement for Daniel Graham whom they lost to the Seahawks, more known for his blocking. As for signing Morris, Pats have Maroney, vets Faulk and Morris. The Pats may rush more this season ;-) .... looks like RB tandems could be the trend this season.

2) The lineman are getting their blings2

So far this offseason, the lineman are getting serious dough ..

- Kries Dielman with the Chargers
- Leonard Davis with the Cowboys
- Steinbach with the Browns

Hmm.. I am a bit surprised about the Davis signing. What do the Boys see in him ? ...when he was drafted, the potential was enormous, but he didn't do much, in my opinion, to warrant that kind of money. Oh well, it is the market. Luckily, Skins didn't take him even though they could.

3) Raiders getting some running help

The Raiders still kept Lamont Jordan, by restructuring his contract. And what they did next was taking in the real Super Bowl MVP, RB Dominic Rhodes and FB Justin Griffith. And they got OL Jermaine Newberry earlier.

I was not suprised by this move, being the offseason, but what surprised me was the moves all made sense. They needed a young vet on the line ( Newberry ), a running back to complement Jordan ( Rhodes ), and a bruising blocking fullback, Griffith.

The backfield looks like Jordan - Rhodes, Griffith, and Newberry anchoring the line.

Maybe Al got some sense after all

4) RB moves

Have you guys seen the movement of the backs ? ... McGahee to Ravens, Droughns to Giants, Henry to Broncos, Thomas Jones to Jets, Jamal Lewis to Browns

These guys were starters with their respective teams yet ended being released / traded away. In a way, the Colts success in the last Super Bowl showed that a RB tandem could do a better job, so it is interesting to see how the concept develop next season.

PS / What's up with Class of 2001 NFL Draft ... how are they ?

Draft Style And Charlie Ward

How do teams draft ?

That is a popular question about the NFL draft.

The main question is do teams draft based on team needs or the best available athlete when their turn comes ?

Ever since I followed American Football, the NFL draft has been one of the most intriguing events where there is not an exact science.

My answer to the question has always been this :

Before a draft, the team has to evaluate their needs and base their draft strategy accordingly. Always have plan B, if the player that you covet. Teams with excellent draft usually do this, but teams that don't do well, their NFL results demonstrate the aftermath.

One particular example, was the 1997 Draft. It was widely known that the Raiders needed an OT were angling for Orlando Pace, OT from Ohio State. When the Rams maneuvered ahead to pick Pace, they took USC DE Darrell Russell and insisted that he was their choice all along. Pace is now a premier left tackle in the game, while Russell bombed out due to off the field issues, after a good start to his career, and is now deceased. If only the Raiders did their evaluation thoroughly and saw that there was another excellent OT available which was Walter Jones, who is also now a premier player in the position.

Charlie Ward

I want to give my props to Charlie Ward, the best QB and Heisman Trophy winner never to play in the NFL. I believe that he had been playing, he would have been a good player, as he was comparable to Michael Vick in terms of the dual threat option.

He was setting the scene alight in college sports, as the starting QB for the Seminoles football and starting point guard for the Seminoles basketball team. However, upon graduation, it was made clear that NFL teams were not considering him as quarterback, despite his obvious success there at the college level, as written here. So, he decided to play in the NBA and went on to have an okay career with the Knicks and the Rockets. A classic case of what might have been.

Last year, he was inducted into the College Football Hall Of Fame Class of 2006, for his achievements.