What an off-season it has been so far. Since the Colts knocked off the Bears in Super Bowl XLI, we've seen big-name coaches resign, no-name coaches get hired, players get arrested for a variety of charges, and a team other than the Redskins signing every free agent in sight. Here's a quick recap.
Coaching Changes
The coaching carousel appears to have finally stopped. When it did, future Hall-of-Famers Bill Parcells and Bill Cowher were standing off to the side, while NFL re-treads Wade Phillips and Norv Turner were back on. In all, there were seven coaching changes to speak of.
Arizona: Out - Dennis Green; In - Ken Whisenhunt
Atlanta: Out - Jim Mora, Jr.; In - Bobby Petrino
Dallas: Out - Parcells; In - Phillips
Miami: Out - Nick Saban; In - Cam Cameron
Oakland: Out - Art Shell; In - Lane Kiffin
Pittsburgh: Out - Cowher; In - Omar Epps (actually, it's Mike Tomlin, but have you seen him?)
San Diego: Out - Marty Schottenheimer; In - Turner
Believe it or not, there have been a couple of legitimate trades so far this off-season. The Bills, for reasons unbeknowst to anyone, traded Willis McGahee to Baltimore for a gaggle of draft picks (more on Buffalo in a minute). Denver, looking for a corner to replace the deceased Darrent Williams, acquired Dre' Bly from Detroit for Tatum Bell and George Foster. Bly may be on the move again, as he has said repeatedly that he wants to play in Washington. The Bucs made the strangest trade, sending a draft pick to the Broncos for Jake Plummer within hours of signing free agent Jeff Garcia. Plummer immediately announced his retirement after the trade.
New England Owner Bob Kraft, doing his best Dan Snyder impersonation, has signed anyone and everyone he has desired. He grabbed LB Adalius Thomas from Baltimore, WR's Wes Welker from Miami, Kelley Washington from Cincinnati, and Donte' Stallworth from Philadelphia, and RB Sammy Morris from the Dolphins. Current Patriots receiver Reche Caldwell was extremely surprised by the spending spree...
Other big dollars were bestowed upon OT Leonard Davis (seven years, $49 million from Dallas) and Joey Porter ($20 million guaranteed from Miami), among others.Until yesterday (the Eagles signed WR Kevin Curtis to a multi-year deal), it was a pretty quiet free agency period for the Eagles. They did re-sign a couple of essential players (DT Juqua Thomas, S Quentin Mikell, QB A.J. Feeley), but most of the news in Philly was about the guys who left, including S Micahel Lewis, CB Rod Hood, Stallworth, and especially Garcia.
Before you chastise the Eagles for letting Garcia walk, don't forget that the initial groundswell in Philadelphia was for A.J. Feeley to step in for Donovan McNabb, and that is was more Brian Westbrook and not as much Garcia that was the catalyst for their late-season playoff push. I'm not saying Garcia was invaluable, but he wants to be a starter and wanted starter money, and the Eagles were not in a financial or depth position to make that happen. Personally, I'm still of the opinion that if the Eagles have to open 2007 with Feeley under center, they'll be just fine. That is, as long as #36 is behind him.
The Combine and Ensuing Draft
By all accounts, this year's draft class is loaded. It features two franchise-type quarterbacks (JaMarcus Russell, LSU and Brady Quinn, Notre Dame), a can't-miss running back (Adrian Peterson, Oklahoma), game-breaking wide receivers (Calvin Johnson, Gerogia Tech; Dwayne Jarrett, USC; Dwayne Bowe, LSU; Sidney Rice, South Carolina), a stud tackle (Joe Thomas, Wisconsin) and multiple pass-rushing defensive ends (Gaines Adams, Clemson). I have not finished my mock draft, but will do so prior to the Annual Selection Meeting.
Yours Truly
So how have I been keeping myself busy during this long, mild winter? Other than the essentials (being a husband and father, collecting a paycheck, playing hockey and golf), I've added a few new hobbies. My brother and sister-in-law to-be turned me on to Sudoku puzzles, which are more addicting than a Starbucks Venti Vanilla Latte. I picked up a book, started with the "Easy" puzzles, and am currently solving the "Very Hard" puzzles with regularity. I also found out that USA Today posts their puzzles daily to be completed on-line, which was great until Big Brother turned on the office's web site filter. Damn you, corporate watchdogs.
Anyway, I have rediscovered things like on-line poker and working out. I also jumped in a fantasy baseball league, which is free and will force me to pay attention to a May game between the Devil Rays and Royals. I'm actually pretty jacked up about the Phillies this year and think they are, as Jimmy Rollins has implied, the team to beat in the NL East. Screw the Mets. That's right, I said it!
In case you haven't noticed, I also re-designed this blog, mostly from a cosmetic perspective. What do you think? Direct any and all feedback to nfl_ant@hotmail.com.
Basically, I've just counting the days until football season starts again. The next milestone, in my mind, is the draft. I'll admit, I'm an NFL draft junkie and will actually sit and watch both days. But until then, I'll just keep on keeping on.
Before I get out of here, I have a bone to pick with the Worldwide Leader in Sports. I know there are many, like this guy, who can't get enough NFL. But there's got to be a better way for ESPN to keep football on the public's radar than doing predictions for next season before free agency, the draft, and training camps which always seem to feature injuries. Shouldn't you at least wait to see who is on a team before casting aspersions about their 2007 success or failure? Just my opinion.
Until the mock draft...
.JPG)