Around the NFL (2/23/09); Offseason Report

With the NFL combine wrapping up in Indy and the free agency period looming, news around the NFL is getting juicier by the minute.  The next month or two is arguably the most interesting (and sometimes head-scratching) time of the offseason.  Who will be buyers, who will be sellers.  There's just so much to talk about around the NFL.  But, today I am here to talk about rumors on free agents, trades, etc.  Not, I repeat, NOT the NFL Draft.  I will save that for another time/place.

It's time to talk free agency!

First off, it's official, the Indianapolis Colts have agreed to release the 36-year old, eight-time Pro Bowler and one-time Super Bowl champion Marvin Harrison.  The aging wideout had asked the Colts front office for his release yesterday after contract negotiations fell through.  Who will take a stab at Harrison?  Well, I would say Seattle since it's rumored that they are leaning towards drafting an offensive tackle at the four spot this year (likely draftee, WR Michael Crabtree, reinjured himself during the Combine this weekend).  So, if Seattle can find the money and are willing to sign Harrison to a short-term contract, I say why not?  If they are going to pass as much as they do, why not bring someone in who can catch the ball?

Harrison will part with the Colts after 13 wonderful seasons in blue and white.

Seattle I'm sure is eying Harrison, but so are the Philadelphia Eagles. Quarterback Donovan McNabb has said he will wait to negotiate a contract extension after seeing how his team improves this offseason. But if Philly signs Harrison, you can call McNabb's extension a done deal. Two play-makers (DeSean Jackson and Harrison) at the WR position is a dream-come-true for McNabb, and I don't think he would have anything more to complain about if this happens.

Another guy will be leaving Indy, as well. The longtime Colt, Jeff Saturday, the three-time Pro Bowl center who played for the Colts his entire ten-year career says he will test the free agent market this offseason. And he sure won't be out there for very long. There are plenty of teams that are willing to snag this undrafted 33-year old from Atlanta.

As far as Baltimore's veteran LB, Ray Lewis?  Lewis will be a Dallas Cowboy in '09.  The Ravens have already chosen to keep Terrell Suggs over Lewis by placing the franchise tag on him.  Jerry Jones (Dallas' owner) has the money to spend on Lewis, and I don't think Baltimore has enough to keep both Suggs and Lewis.  Jones has already expressed interest in trading T.O., so why not replace Lewis with Owens?  That sounds like a GREAT plan to me.  Out with the bad, in with the good.  Lewis is such an inspiration, and good-hearted man, he will do nothing but good for this team.  Can you imagine Ware and Lewis in the same defensive backfield, roaming the field, causing opposing QB's to piss their pants?  I know I can, and it's not a pretty sight..for offenses, that is.  Besides, Lewis' childhood dreams were to be a Cowboy.  His time has come.

It all boils down to who's got the money! Will Lewis be a Raven or Cowboy in '09?

Bart Scott, yes, another Baltimore LB, could be seen in a different uniform next season, as well. The New York Jets, who already seem to be over the Brett Favre retirment, are reportedly interested. Scott would be a welcome addition to the Jets' LBing core, and would be an instant leader for young defensive players like David Harris and Darrelle Revis. I say, go for it New York!

The Minnesota Vikings are reportedly very close to a deal with Houston Texans 30-year old QB Sage Rosenfels.  That would fill their biggest hole, and could put them atop the division again in '09.  But personally, I believe the Vikes should've taken a stab at Jeff Garcia, the former Tampa Bay Buccaneers QB.  He has some experience in the playoffs, and it appears that if they can just get consistency at the QB position, they could go far in to January in '09.  Is Sage really the guy who's gonna bring them home a Vince Lombardi trophy?  No, I don't think so, but I guess we'll see.

Other recent NFL offseason rumors/happenings include, but are not limited to:

• Steelers place franchise tag on offensive tackle Max Starks, signing him to a one-year, $8.45 million contract. It's a good start to the offseason.

• Titans interested in Steelers wideout Nate Washington. Could Washington hit the jackpot?

• There's a chance Minnesota Vikings safety Darren Sharper (very underrated DB, by the way) could be headed to New Orleans to play for the Saints.

• Jason Taylor's agent says he will return to play for the Redskins in 2009. Will he still make an impact on defense in '09, or is he aging too quick?

• The Denver Broncos will be "big" spenders this offseason. HA! I will believe that when I see it.

Don't worry, more to come from me as the offseason progresses.

Sources: NFL.com, ESPN.com

SSreportersLegend

310 days ago

Score 2

Seattle just hired Greg Knapp to be their offensive coordinator, and he's already established the idea of....get his, running the football!!!

The run-pass ratio, which at times was as high as 45-55 is now likely to be 50-50. I'm now certain they'll draft a tackle with their first pick (I actually believe they will trade down).

The thought of signing Marvin Harrison when this franchise is teetering towards rebuilding is ludicrous. The wide receiver class is deep, and TJ Houshyourmama is still on the market in free agency. You can't just get a quick fix in Harrison, who is productive even though he has lost a step....and I'm not sure the West Coast Offense would fit Marvin anyway.

The Vikings just signed a mediocre QB to replace an aging mediocre QB who temporarily replaced a young but mediocre QB. That doesn't fill their hole at all. Rosenfels as done crap other than single-handedly cost them the game against Indianapolis. Besides, he is part of the Brad Childress roller coaster of ineptness!

Back to Marvin Harrison, this is really unfortunate that a hall-of-famer is being cut. If he ends up not getting any offers, I wish him the best. We have seen the last of Manning to Harrison, and that just doesn't seem right.

Ray Lewis and DeMarcus Ware on the same team? That would be a murderous duo.....er....let me take another stab at that. Yeah...I'll stop while the tomatoes are being thrown.

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Behbigben15All-Star

310 days ago

Score 1

Yes, you're right about the Harrison going to the 'Hawks, but Houshmandzadeh is not going to be going to Seattle either, get used to it. He wants to win.

Hasselbeck's days in Seattle are numbered. He will stay the starter in '09 if he is healthy, but past '09 I don't see him being a Seahawk much longer.

As for Minnesota and QB's, besides Garcia they could've taken a stab at Kitna (he will most likely be cut) Rex Grossman or even Kyle Boller. I mean, if you're gonna sign a guy to replace Frerotte and T-Jack, at least get someone who has played in more than 9 games in a single season.

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Behbigben15All-Star

310 days ago

Score 1

Rosenfels' career rating of 81.2 may look good, but the maximum number of starts he's had in a single season is five (in '07 with Houston), and in his seven-year career he's started a total of seven games. Talk about misleading!

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CheezerAll-Star

310 days ago

Score 2

SSR- You don't run to win. You run because you are winning.

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JuTMSY4Legend

310 days ago

Score 2

ah, a classic debate cheez...but if a team is bad (and therefore more often losing in games) wouldn't they have to throw more by default...to catch up?

But if they ran the ball to begin with and they suck at it, they'd be down...

But if they ran effectively...they'd be up?

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CheezerAll-Star

310 days ago

Score 2

The key is "effectively" JuT. SSR just wants to bring his play selection in balance.

The real evidence paints a different picture. I'm going to cite one study from 2003 that shows that, in general, the teams with winning records did not lead the league in first quarter rushing, but they were among the leaders in 4th quarter rushing.

I challenge SSR to find his own statistics that clearly show that running the ball in the first quarter leads to winning football games in today's NFL.

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JuTMSY4Legend

310 days ago

Score 2

Nice...ah the classic "establishing the run" I wonder if there's one with play selection...(runs vs. passes)

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CheezerAll-Star

310 days ago

Score 0

Thank you for rephrasing. The play selection is too dependent on score. When behind, you tend to pass more. When ahead, you tend to run more.

SSR and I have had this discussion many times. In the past, he has lamented at Seattle's lack of run establishment in the first half. I always say that you don't run to win, you run because you are winning. In general, the teams that are successful in today's NFL use the pass to establish a lead and then run to control the clock. This is a general statement. There are exceptions to every rule and you have to plan your offense to fit your personnel.

I have yet to see any evidence that running in the first half leads to winning.

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SSreportersLegend

310 days ago

Score 0

I'm not saying you have to be run-heavy to win (although the Giants and Panthers got their success off of it), what I'm saying is use what WORKS more often.

Seattle's situation is special. Tim Ruskell decided to have a running back signing/drafting bonanza and got Julius Jones, Mo Morris, Leonard Weaver, Owen Schmitt, Justin Forsett, and TJ Duckett all seeing playing time (Forsett as a special teams player).

I'll bring you back to week 2 against the 49ers when Seattle led nearly the ENTIRE game. My low point for the season. This is likely more of my frustration with Mike Holmgren's play-calling than advocating for the run.

Julius Jones runs for a 29 yard touchdown and the Seahawks are up 7-0. They get another touchdown on defense and it's 14-0. They blow the lead thanks to some awful defense and they're down 27-20. By now Julius Jones already rushed for 100 yards if I recall.

This was their LAST touchdown drive, it consisted of this play-calling.

1-10-SEA26 (6:37) J.Jones left tackle to SEA 28 for 2 yards (T.Spikes).

2-8-SEA28 (6:02) M.Hasselbeck pass short right to J.Carlson to SEA 35 for 7 yards (T.Spikes).

3-1-SEA35 (5:32) T.Duckett up the middle to SEA 37 for 2 yards (R.McDonald).

1-10-SEA37 (5:02) M.Hasselbeck pass short right to C.Taylor to SEA 46 for 9 yards (N.Clements).

2-1-SEA46 (4:32) J.Jones left tackle to SEA 48 for 2 yards (K.Lewis).

1-10-SEA48 (3:56) J.Jones left tackle to SF 44 for 8 yards (P.Willis, M.Lewis).

2-2-SF44 (3:23) M.Hasselbeck pass short right to M.Bumpus to SF 40 for 4 yards (N.Clements).

1-10-SF40 (2:43) J.Jones left tackle to SF 31 for 9 yards (M.Lewis, M.Roman).

2-1-SF31 (2:08) J.Jones left tackle to SF 25 for 6 yards (T.Spikes).

1-10-SF25 (1:30) M.Hasselbeck pass incomplete deep right to C.Taylor.

2-10-SF25 (1:24) M.Hasselbeck pass short right to C.Taylor to SF 14 for 11 yards (M.Roman).

1-10-SF14 (:45) L.Weaver left tackle to SF 10 for 4 yards (J.Ulbrich).

2-6-SF10 (:10) M.Hasselbeck pass short middle to O.Schmitt to SF 4 for 6 yards (T.Spikes).

1-4-SF4 (15:00) J.Jones up the middle to SF 1 for 3 yards (R.McDonald).

2-1-SF1 (14:23) T.Duckett right guard for 1 yard, TOUCHDOWN.

That's 9 runs, and 6 passes. That was as fluid as the Seahawks offense got in the 2nd half.

They lost 33-30 without touching the ball in OT.

Matt Hasselbeck threw 36 passes. Think about that. Hasselbeck had Billy McMullen, Courtney Taylor, Michael Bumpus, and Logan Payne as his wide receivers. Hasselbeck was still recovering from a bad back. They threw it 36 times.

The Seahawks running backs had 157 yards rushing with 32 runs for them.

I don't understand how at the end of the day you trail only once in regulation and STILL end up throwing it more.

The passing game never got better and the running game was middle of the pack. It's not groundbreaking, but Seattle wasn't exactly getting blown out in the last month of the season. They were up on the Pats all game long before losing in the final moments, they beat the Rams and Jets before losing a meaningless game to the Cardinals.

The only blowout losses were against the Giants, Cowboys, and Eagles.

The Seahawks passing game is going to take a while to fix.

For now, we have a DEEP running back corp, so USE it.

I understand what you're going for and it is a pass-first league. But what do you want the Seahawks to do? Force a weak pass attack to work even though every team has stopped it? They already tried that and lost 12 times.

/I MISS FOOTBALL ALREADY!!!!

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