Glad to see Brian Schottheimer withdrew his name from the Dolphins head coach search. I really liked in general his game planning and play calling this year.
A.Samuels is already upset and feeling disrespected by the Patriots initial contract offers. We need to jump on this guy as soon as free agency opens and blow him away with an offer. Patriots have a history of not matching offers so hopefully we can add him to our secondary.
I was so happy Shottenheimer didn't leave. I was really impressed with the offense this year (even though we were ranked 23 or 28).
On the other hand, we need to sign Samuels. That would be key if we got a lock down corner and it would also be huge becuase we play the Pats twice a year and there is no way that Hobbs can cover Coles
Around the league: The Bears would be smart to give an extension and a nice raise to head coach Lovie Smith. This minute. Smith has one year remaining on his contract. ... Each day, it appears more likely the Texans will pursue Plummer and try to trade David Carr. If Carr comes cheap, perhaps he could be the veteran backup option for Jay Cutler in Denver. ... Don't be shocked if Denver guard Cooper Carlisle gets some fast interest in free agency. Carlisle is a solid veteran starter who won't be overly expensive. Behind Cincinnati's Eric Steinbach, Carlisle might be the best available guard in free agency. Denver might be interested, but could opt to play 2006 draft pick Chris Kuper instead. ... It wouldn't be a stunner if the Broncos showed interest in New England Patriots running back Patrick Pass. ... The Jets may shop receiver Justin McCareins for a mid-round draft pick. For a team looking for a second or third receiver, McCareins could be intriguing. McCareins played for Denver assistant head coach Mike Heimerdinger in Tennessee and for the Jets. ... The Cowboys are enamored by assistant head coach Tony Sparano but are looking for a more high-profile name to be head coach. Sparano is a name to remember down the line. ... University of Tennessee receiver Robert Meachum is being compared to Walker. Meachum is considered a late first-round pick. ... Many around the league believe former Atlanta coach Jim Mora took an assistant job in Seattle in case Seahawks head coach Mike Holmgren decides to retire at the end of next season, allowing Mora to slide into the top job. Mora and Holmgren share the same agent. ... Mike Martz's name has been connected to the Cowboys job, but expect the former Rams head coach, now an assistant in Detroit, to work hard to get a head coaching job after next season. ... The word is Tampa Bay defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin was all for the addition of former Denver defensive coordinator Larry Coyer to the Buccaneers' staff as assistant head coach and defensive line coach.
I would be in favor of moving McCarreins for a draft pick. I think Brad Smith needs to get more looks next year as the #3 WR in this offense.
Please trade McCariens!!!! He was definately the biggest bust of all time!!! If they move him for a draft pick, maybe that could help us get T. Jones, Turner, or maybe even trade up for a RB in the draft. Who knows, just please move him.
I also agree, we need to give Brad Smith more opportunities. When ever he comes in, I think the opposition knows something tricky is going to come up. We need to stop that giving him a chance as the #3 and by keeping him and not running trickory when he just comes in.
By John Tuvey, Executive Editor Jets Offseason Needs We continue our team-by-team look at offseason needs with the Jets, who entered the season with a new coach and low expectations but cobbled together enough offense to make the playoffs. With $26 million of cap room and four first-day draft picks, Gang Green is poised to add some serious talent to this group.
Areas of Need: Despite being 10-6 and earning a Wild Card berth in the postseason, the Jets aren't exactly a complete team. Offensively, the plan is to extend the contract of Jerrico Cotchery, who had a breakout season and gives the Jets the complement to Laveranues Coles they thought they were getting when they traded for Justin McCareins. McCareins, by the way, could find himself looking for a new team this offseason, along with running backs Derrick Blaylock and Kevan Barlow. While the Jets weren't exactly dominant in the running game they did have some success, and the plan is to keep Leon Washington as the speed back and bring in a power runner to flesh out the backfield-by-committee approach. Unfortunately, future Hall of Famer Curtis Martin has most likely played his last football.
Quarterback was a gigantic question mark for the Jets entering last season, and Chad Pennington responded. However, he's no lock to be this team's long-term solution; Kellen Clemens is still highly regarded and could be angling for playing time as early as this season. Such is life as a quarterback in New York; Pennington goes from savior to goat back to hero, and in a year it could mean nothing. Still, better to be overstocked at the position than understocked, and it's clear the Jets are no longer seeking applicants for the quarterbacking job.
With Coles and Cotchery as their primary receivers, the Jets could still be seeking some depth—especially if McCareins is released. And while tight end Chris Baker was the occasional touchdown-maker, it's a position the Jets might want to address this offseason. Eric Mangini is a Bill Belichick disciple, remember, and the Patriots drafted a ton of tight ends on day one.
Last season's heavy focus on the offensive line paid off, as both Nick Mangold and D'Brickashaw Ferguson moved into the starting lineup immediately. While the line is no longer a priority, the Jets would do well to keep restocking the cupboards to ensure depth and continuity.
Defensively, the Jets would love to upgrade their pass rush and add some secondary depth. It's extremely likely both needs can be addressed in the draft, especially with four picks on Day One, though Jets GM Mike Tannenbaum hopes to go into the draft with his roster mostly set so he's not forced to draft based on positional need.
Help is on the Way? The Jets are in extremely good shape with regards to upgrading their roster this offseason. For starters, they've got roughly $26 million in cap space they can use to extend Cotchery and linebacker Victor Hobson as well as pursue whatever veteran help they think they need—a complementary bigger back, perhaps, like T.J. Duckett or Jamal Lewis. And if they ditch the contracts of McCareins, Blaylock, and Barlow that's even more wiggle room.
But where the Jets really can add talent is via the draft, with those aforementioned four first-day selections. All three of their primary needs—a big back, a pass-rushing end, and a cornerback—could be addressed on the draft's first day. If a defensive end such as Georgia's Charles Johnson, Florida's Jarvis Moss, or Nebraska's Adam Carriker slips to them with the 25th pick they may address that need first. That would still likely allow them to look at cornerbacks such as Tanard Jackson of Syracuse, Josh Wilson of Maryland, or Jonathan Wade of Tennessee. Along the way Gang Green could also add that complementary big back, with Penn State's Tony Hunt and Louisville's Michael Bush strong possibilities. There's also been talk the Jets are pursuing a trade for the Chargers' Michael Turner, but he won't come cheap.
The Jets making the playoffs in Mangini's first year set the bar incredibly high. However, the team has both the cap room and the draft picks to add talent where necessary, giving Gang Green fans reason for optimism heading into 2007.
By John Tuvey, Executive Editor Jets Offseason Needs We continue our team-by-team look at offseason needs with the Jets, who entered the season with a new coach and low expectations but cobbled together enough offense to make the playoffs. With $26 million of cap room and four first-day draft picks, Gang Green is poised to add some serious talent to this group.
Areas of Need: Despite being 10-6 and earning a Wild Card berth in the postseason, the Jets aren't exactly a complete team. Offensively, the plan is to extend the contract of Jerrico Cotchery, who had a breakout season and gives the Jets the complement to Laveranues Coles they thought they were getting when they traded for Justin McCareins. McCareins, by the way, could find himself looking for a new team this offseason, along with running backs Derrick Blaylock and Kevan Barlow. While the Jets weren't exactly dominant in the running game they did have some success, and the plan is to keep Leon Washington as the speed back and bring in a power runner to flesh out the backfield-by-committee approach. Unfortunately, future Hall of Famer Curtis Martin has most likely played his last football.
Quarterback was a gigantic question mark for the Jets entering last season, and Chad Pennington responded. However, he's no lock to be this team's long-term solution; Kellen Clemens is still highly regarded and could be angling for playing time as early as this season. Such is life as a quarterback in New York; Pennington goes from savior to goat back to hero, and in a year it could mean nothing. Still, better to be overstocked at the position than understocked, and it's clear the Jets are no longer seeking applicants for the quarterbacking job.
With Coles and Cotchery as their primary receivers, the Jets could still be seeking some depth—especially if McCareins is released. And while tight end Chris Baker was the occasional touchdown-maker, it's a position the Jets might want to address this offseason. Eric Mangini is a Bill Belichick disciple, remember, and the Patriots drafted a ton of tight ends on day one.
Last season's heavy focus on the offensive line paid off, as both Nick Mangold and D'Brickashaw Ferguson moved into the starting lineup immediately. While the line is no longer a priority, the Jets would do well to keep restocking the cupboards to ensure depth and continuity.
Defensively, the Jets would love to upgrade their pass rush and add some secondary depth. It's extremely likely both needs can be addressed in the draft, especially with four picks on Day One, though Jets GM Mike Tannenbaum hopes to go into the draft with his roster mostly set so he's not forced to draft based on positional need.
Help is on the Way? The Jets are in extremely good shape with regards to upgrading their roster this offseason. For starters, they've got roughly $26 million in cap space they can use to extend Cotchery and linebacker Victor Hobson as well as pursue whatever veteran help they think they need—a complementary bigger back, perhaps, like T.J. Duckett or Jamal Lewis. And if they ditch the contracts of McCareins, Blaylock, and Barlow that's even more wiggle room.
But where the Jets really can add talent is via the draft, with those aforementioned four first-day selections. All three of their primary needs—a big back, a pass-rushing end, and a cornerback—could be addressed on the draft's first day. If a defensive end such as Georgia's Charles Johnson, Florida's Jarvis Moss, or Nebraska's Adam Carriker slips to them with the 25th pick they may address that need first. That would still likely allow them to look at cornerbacks such as Tanard Jackson of Syracuse, Josh Wilson of Maryland, or Jonathan Wade of Tennessee. Along the way Gang Green could also add that complementary big back, with Penn State's Tony Hunt and Louisville's Michael Bush strong possibilities. There's also been talk the Jets are pursuing a trade for the Chargers' Michael Turner, but he won't come cheap.
The Jets making the playoffs in Mangini's first year set the bar incredibly high. However, the team has both the cap room and the draft picks to add talent where necessary, giving Gang Green fans reason for optimism heading into 2007.
Valentines Day is just around the corner, and I have yet to convince my wife that nothing says love like a 47" flat screen hi-def TV.
I've had similar success in my attempts to play matchmaker for my single colleagues here in the office. Every time we've been out, none of them have seemed especially willing to take me up on my usually alcohol-fueled offer to introduce them to "that hot chick over there." And, truth be told, it's probably been a wise move on their part.
However, at the moment I'm in a less altered state, and as such I feel compelled to apply my matchmaking skills to the upcoming free agent season. Here are a handful of possible offseason moves that make sense—which, given the twisted logic of the NFL, essentially means there's no way they'll actually happen.
Eric Steinbach to the Cardinals Steinbach is the best offensive lineman available in this year's free agent class, which new Arizona coach Ken Whisenhunt is sure to know after seeing him twice a year when the Steelers faced the Bengals. The Cardinals desperately need to upgrade their line, and Steinbach is versatile enough to play just about anyplace they want him to. The Vikings set the precedent for lineman money with Steve Hutchinson's contract last year, and Arizona could be in that neighborhood seeing as they're an estimated $36 million under the cap. Of course, the Browns ($33 million in cap room) could also make a play for Steinbach, and the Bengals have roughly $30 million in cap space they could devote to keeping him around.
Daniel Graham to the Packers For a time, Bubba Franks was Brett Favre's red zone security blanket. However, Bubba's last two seasons have been marred by injury and ultimately unproductive. Not coincidentally, Favre's numbers have suffered as well. Favre needs that big target in the middle of the field—especially in the red zone—and Graham is the most reliable tight end on the market this offseason. The Patriots could try to keep him around, but they've already got Ben Watson and Dave Thomas; all Packers management needs to do is point out to Graham and his agent that he'd be the primary tight end target in Green Bay. Oh, and throw some of their $29 million in cap room his way.
T.J. Duckett to the Jets Eric Mangini's plan is to employ a backfield by committee, with Leon Washington sticking around as the pass-catching speed back. Duckett is used to a job share—he and Warrick Dunn split carries in Atlanta for several seasons—and has a little less wear on his tires than Jamal Lewis, another power back who will likely be looking for a new home this offseason. If Mangini is trying to emulate the Patriots, Duckett could be the Corey Dillon to Washington's Laurence Maroney. And on Duckett's end, one look at the Jets' young, up-and-coming line should convince him this is the place he'll want to be.
Ahman Green to the Lions No one really expected the Packers to bring Green back last season, and that sentiment holds true again this time around as well. So if Green Bay shows him the door, what better place to extract revenge than in Detroit? Using Curtis Martin and Domanick Davis as examples, you can't truly expect Kevin Jones to bounce back in time for the 2007 season, can you? Green has limited fuel left in the tank, but Mike Martz could most certainly squeeze one more year out of him playing the Marshall Faulk role in Detroit's version of the Greatest Show on Turf. And you'd have to believe Ahman would be extremely motivated at least twice during the course of the year.
******
On a slightly different note, the Hall of Fame announced the Class of 2007, and once again I have at least one quibble.
First, let me acknowledge that this was a loaded list of finalists; with no disrespect intended to the six soon-to-be enshrinees, I would have been mostly comfortable leaving them on the sidelines and rolling with a class of five guys who didn't make it—among them Art Monk, Russ Grimm, Gary Zimmerman, and Derrick Thomas.
The other guy who needs to be in the Hall of Fame is Ray Guy, whose continued exclusion is incomprehensible to me. I say this not as any sort of Raiders fan—growing up in Minnesota and watching Oakland blast my beloved Vikings in one of their four Super Bowl losses puts me on the diametric opposite of that emotion—but as a football fan who acknowledges what Guy did for the sport.
Before Guy, there was no such thing as "hang time." No one clocked how long the ball stayed in the air while the coverage team ran down the field, no network had a little clock in the corner of the screen tracking the time the ball was aloft… punting was largely ignored. Guy redefined the position, and for that he should finally be recognized.
Oh well, maybe next year.
I know they like Turner but I think his cost will be to high for us. T.Jones has also been rumored to the Jets and Giants but who knows now with Benson hurting his knee.
Playing Cupid Part Two Sequels suck. Okay, so every once in a blue moon you'll find a gem such as The Empire Strikes Back, but 99.9 percent of the sequels pumped out by Hollywood are nothing more than a lazy way to make money. What's worse is when the producers can't even get the original author to write the sequel to his own work.
Welcome to the Fanball version of such a sequel.
Blame it on a Super Bowl hangover. Generally, I take vacation the week after the Super Bowl is played. In recent years, my hangover hasn't lasted quite a week, so I decided to take off Monday and save the other days for another time. I'm already kicking myself. It's not that I'm really feeling the after effects of the alcohol I consumed on Sunday, rather I think it's some combination of the beer, the sub-zero temperatures in my area, and the extra hour that was added to my morning commute by the snow that was dumped on my home state this morning.
Whatever the cause, I'm less motivated today than the writers of Weekend at Bernie's II must have been when they were hired to tell the same joke for another 90 minutes. As such, I approached John Tuvey, who penned the original "Playing Cupid" article on Monday, and asked if I could follow up on his idea today. John was too lazy/smart to brave the winter conditions and make the trek into the office this morning, so how could he say no?
If you read Tuvey's article, then you know how it works. I'll identify some possible NFL offseason moves that make too much sense to actually happen, and you send me your favorite hangover remedies when you're finished reading.
Warrick Dunn to the Packers Technically, Dunn is under contract to the Falcons through 2008, but there is plenty of speculation that his days with the franchise are numbered due to his heft contract and the reduced role in the offense he's been asked to take by new head coach Bobby Petrino. The Giants have also been mentioned as a possible home for Dunn, but I love the idea of Warrick closing out his career in Green Bay, where the Packers use the same zone-blocking scheme he had so much success with in Atlanta.
Michael Turner to the Giants Turner will be a restricted free agent, which means the Chargers could put up a fight to retain the services of LaDainian Tomlinson's primary backup. However, they might also be willing to work out a trade to get something for "The Burner" before he becomes an unrestricted free agent after the 2007 season. There are some rumblings that the G-Men aren't seem sold on the idea of using Brandon Jacobs as their primary back. By acquiring Turner, the Giants could keep the Thunder and Lightning approach they used with Tiki Barber and Jacobs in recent years.
Kevin Curtis to the Lions Rumor has it that Curtis is open to the idea of reuniting with former head coach Mike Martz, who now serves as the offensive coordinator in Motown. He played out the final year of his contract with the Rams and will be free to sign elsewhere as a free agent. There is also plenty of speculation that the Albino Squirrel will re-sign with the Rams and continue waiting for Isaac Bruce to retire so that he can take over the No. 2 role. However, the Rams just signed Bruce to a new deal prior to last season and the No. 3 job in St. Louis isn't as attractive under head coach Scott Linehan, who is eager to work his second-year tight ends into the passing game.
Daniel Graham to the Vikings Tuvey identified Green Bay as a possible destination for Grahambo. I'd rather see him travel a few hours West and land in Minnesota, where head coach Brad Childress is desperate to find a pass-catching tight end that fits in his West Coast offense. Granted, the Packers have roughly $29 million in cap space to work with, but the Vikings have even more money to spend with a reported $31.5 million of pocket change, not to mention their dire need for somebody who can catch the ball.
I just don't see the Jets paying the price to get Turner. If he was a restricted free agent then I think he would be a Jet but the cost of draft picks is to high IMO. Unless we move up in the draft there is no way Peterson or Lynch will be around when we pick.
I personally don't think potential free agents Duckett or J.Lewis are the answer unless Lewis came cheap on a one year deal.
I guess the Jets could look at RB in the second round since they have two picks. A guy like Tony Hunt from Penn State or Michael Bush from Louisville are potential picks.
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by killiansjmd » Wed Jan 17, 2007 11:46 am 
