Fantasy Football

So the first day of free agency is usually fairly eventful, we figured it would be wise to hold off on posting about it and wait until today, so as to be able to complete a full recap of yesterday’s events…

I’m just kidding, we were too lazy to write and procrastinated until this afternoon.

But that doesn’t diminish the day’s events. It appears the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were cleaning house in order to bring in a troubled, inconsistent and injury prone tight end in exchange for a good portion of their draft picks. Bang up job, guys. Everyone knows once you have the tight end position situated, the quarterback, offensive line, receiver and running back positions just sort of…fall into place.

I’m not saying that Winslow is completely unfit to warrant such a trade (especially since we have no idea what Tampa gave up for him), he’s a remarkable talent. Probably the most so at his position. And he was definitely undermined with the entire staff-infection thing by his employer. But despite how talented he may be and how wronged he may have been, they’re looking to replace staples of their offensive lineup with a tight end — even with all his athleticism — that is virtually unknown.

On the Browns side of things, it definitely looks like they’re trading away a valued asset for pennies on the dollar. But lets just cut the bullshit and realize that it was never going to work with Kellen Winslow in Cleveland. He was a great draft pick based on sheer value for where they got him (10th overall I believe), but he doesn’t exactly embody the Cleveland Browns mindset. It seemed like he was always at odds with the fans, the front office, teammates, etc. The allegedly swollen balls incident was just the natural progression of two parties that couldn’t stand each other. As a result, the Browns did the best thing they could for their franchise (assuming there is at least a second round pick in there).

The Albert Haynesworth signing has caught the most buzz, and I’m still on the fence as to whether or not he’s worth $100,000,000. Well, with Daniel Snyder it isn’t about worth but about capability. As in, I am completely capable of potentially overpaying one of the most dominant defensive players in the league, so I’m going to do it. At least they’re getting an asset. Its not like the Redskins are shelling out nine figures for Damon Huard. But it just isn’t going to impact their team in the right way. In other words, its not going to help the offense beyond improved field position.

That said, if everyone stays healthy, with that secondary and a run stopper like Haynesworth, the Redskins should have at least a top five NFL defense up their with Pittsburgh and Minnesota. And yes, Haynesworth switching teams does put rank them in front of Tennessee, who doesn’t have the luxury of being so lax as to what they pay their roster. For a team that insists (either by volunteering or force) on being cap conscious, they offered Haynesworth about what I would have: make him the highest paid player on the team, not in the entire league.

The Eagles seem to be clearing cap space to acquire a new receiver, but I think they may be overcompensating. After letting Brian Dawkins go to the Broncos, they’re now supposedly trading Lito Sheppard for draft picks. Umm, draft picks are the only necessary variable for success in this league, but the secondary has been the staple of that franchise for the past decade or so. If you veer too far from what you know and what has worked, there’s going to be a learning curve for the rest of the team. As an Eagles fan, I understand the Brian Dawkins release (as much as I may hate it), but I hope the Lito Sheppard departure is the end of their hits on defense.

And finally, Matt Cassel is reportedly being traded to the Chiefs (which means that the Patriots probably have closure on Brady’s knee). Cassel had an impressive second half of the season and all, but I can’t recall a quarterback with so many question marks around him after putting up those kinds of numbers. Actually, it is eerily similar to the 49ers letting Elvis Grbac and Steve Bono skip town after promising starts in San Fransisco. In another jersey with less savvy coaching and a depreciation in talent surrounding them, I don’t think either quarterback really impressed anyone. Naturally, Cassel is going to the one team that once harbored both of those quarterbacks.

Alright, that’s all that really warrants mentioning at this juncture. We’ll try to keep up with these signings a little better in the future.