10 Ten Free Agents - Pat Kirwan

[robsweetin]

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/9228889


"Before I drop my top 10 on you, I have two other words of caution about this year. There are some good cornerbacks projected to be free agents, but if your favorite team doesn't play a lot of man-to-man coverage, it would be foolish to pay for a Clements or Charles Woodson. With so many teams using a Cover 2 as their base scheme, I have decided to not have any corners in (this) list." -- Kirwan

Very interesting to think about as we head into Free Agency and the Draft. Guys that are used to playing man-to-man schemes will need to adjust to the Chargers' 3-4, which typically has the secondary in zone coverage. This may help explain why the Chargers have reportedly shown some interest in CB Madison, who played in the 3-4 under Saban last season. The Steelers, who also play in a base 3-4, have three starters from their secondary eligible for UFA: S Hope and CBs Townsend and Taylor. I think it'll be interesting to see if we make a move on one of them as I doubt the Steelers will resign all three.

As far as the Top 10 list itself, I'm starting to see a lot of the same names come up: S Hope, LB Witherspoon, WR Randle El, etc. Seems like there aren't many top-flight FAs this offseason, if this is the cream of the crop. Early last month, I suggested that Witherspoon may be a good fit for the Chargers -- this was before Godfrey announced he will return and before it became apparent that he's one of the top LB FAs out there. At 26, he'll be looking for a big time contract, probably one larger than the Chargers would be willing to give for a guy at a position where we are deep.

John Madden said something during the Super Bowl that caught my attention because of our problems at the S position. He said, and I'm paraphrasing, that 'A great safety is a guy that can do two things: sack the quarterback and intercept the ball downfield'. Now I don't typically take Madden too seriously, but I think this is a great measuring stick for the Safety position. Something to keep in mind going into Free Agency and the Draft. :Beer:

Go Bolts!!

[bigbolthead21]

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/9228889


"Before I drop my top 10 on you, I have two other words of caution about this year. There are some good cornerbacks projected to be free agents, but if your favorite team doesn't play a lot of man-to-man coverage, it would be foolish to pay for a Clements or Charles Woodson. With so many teams using a Cover 2 as their base scheme, I have decided to not have any corners in (this) list." -- Kirwan

Very interesting to think about as we head into Free Agency and the Draft. Guys that are used to playing man-to-man schemes will need to adjust to the Chargers' 3-4, which typically has the secondary in zone coverage. This may help explain why the Chargers have reportedly shown some interest in CB Madison, who played in the 3-4 under Saban last season. The Steelers, who also play in a base 3-4, have three starters from their secondary eligible for UFA: S Hope and CBs Townsend and Taylor. I think it'll be interesting to see if we make a move on one of them as I doubt the Steelers will resign all three.

As far as the Top 10 list itself, I'm starting to see a lot of the same names come up: S Hope, LB Witherspoon, WR Randle El, etc. Seems like there aren't many top-flight FAs this offseason, if this is the cream of the crop. Early last month, I suggested that Witherspoon may be a good fit for the Chargers -- this was before Godfrey announced he will return and before it became apparent that he's one of the top LB FAs out there. At 26, he'll be looking for a big time contract, probably one larger than the Chargers would be willing to give for a guy at a position where we are deep.

John Madden said something during the Super Bowl that caught my attention because of our problems at the S position. He said, and I'm paraphrasing, that 'A great safety is a guy that can do two things: sack the quarterback and intercept the ball downfield'. Now I don't typically take Madden too seriously, but I think this is a great measuring stick for the Safety position. Something to keep in mind going into Free Agency the Draft. :Beer:

Go Bolts!!

I agree wit u, and we should take a good look at Hope but I think seriously think that Will Demps is a better player and I rather see him in Charger uniform next season, but if we can get either one, than I'll be happy:)

[SuperBowlBolts]

I agree wit u, and we should take a good look at Hope but I think seriously think that Will Demps is a better player and I rather see him in Charger uniform next season, but if we can get either one, than I'll be happy:)
i'd be happy with either! Its an upgrade either way.

[sartain32]

I like your opinion on the safety situation. I heard that Demps has already made a visit to Chargers Park. Remember that he was an Aztec just a few years ago and his brother plays at SDSU now. I know he is coming off an injury plagued year, but I still think he has shown more than the guys we have. As for Hope, I would be happy to have him as well, but what is the newly acquired ring going to do to his price tag? I am still a huge fan of Archuleta. I think having a safety that gives WR's aligator arms is very important. The guy is still young and probably has the best work ethic at his position in the league.
I do disagree with your statement on CB's though. The Chargers don't play a cover 2 because that is the best coverage for the 3-4 defense. They run the cover 2 because our corners are not good cover 1 defenders. To blitz more creatively and effectively, the 3-4 defense needs corners that can cover man on. Teaching a cover 1 CB like Clements how to fit in a system is not that difficult. Woodson and all his drama can stay up in Oakland. He does us more good causing trouble for the Silver and Whack!!!

[Boltfan219]

Archuleta is a strong safety right? Terrence Kiel's injury is not that bad right? Besides, we need a ball hawk I think.

[SuperBowlBolts]

I like your opinion on the safety situation. I heard that Demps has already made a visit to Chargers Park. Remember that he was an Aztec just a few years ago and his brother plays at SDSU now. I know he is coming off an injury plagued year, but I still think he has shown more than the guys we have. As for Hope, I would be happy to have him as well, but what is the newly acquired ring going to do to his price tag? I am still a huge fan of Archuleta. I think having a safety that gives WR's aligator arms is very important. The guy is still young and probably has the best work ethic at his position in the league.
I do disagree with your statement on CB's though. The Chargers don't play a cover 2 because that is the best coverage for the 3-4 defense. They run the cover 2 because our corners are not good cover 1 defenders. To blitz more creatively and effectively, the 3-4 defense needs corners that can cover man on. Teaching a cover 1 CB like Clements how to fit in a system is not that difficult. Woodson and all his drama can stay up in Oakland. He does us more good causing trouble for the Silver and Whack!!!
we have a good man to man guy in jammer

[BoltsfanNYC]

Id like demps... adam arch from stl... tank williams... hope...law...clements... all these guys would make us better... but first a G-T-C :)

[sartain32]

we have a good man to man guy in jammer

By himself, Jammer is not a good man on man cover guy. He finished the season ranked at the top in pass interference, defensive holding, and illegal touching penalties again. I think that he is a capable player, but not the lock-down player that he was billed to be coming out of UT. Clements and Jammer working together would be a lot better than Jammer working alone. Florence still has some learning to do and Davis needs to be able to play a whole season.

[loweezy]

there are no one on one shut down corners. they don't exist with the rules... see ty law.. he racked up a lot of penalties too... some corners are just more physical than others.

[ochoa88]

there are no one on one shut down corners. they don't exist with the rules... see ty law.. he racked up a lot of penalties too... some corners are just more physical than others.

loweezy has it right. A corner is only as good as his safteys. McCallister would suck with out Ed Reed.

[ImAWalkingCorpse]

Id like demps... adam arch from stl... tank williams... hope...law...clements... all these guys would make us better... but first a G-T-C :)

No, Adam Archuleta is not that good. The Chargers would be much better off going for Chris Hope if he is available.

[robsweetin]

One deadline is upon us... who's bluffing?

The deadline to announce or not announce all 32 teams' intentions to use their FRANCHISE OR TRANSITION TAGS is closing in, and there are some interesting storylines that could change the course of a team's direction for the next few years.

A team can only use one tag, and if it uses the Franchise tag, the tag is worth the average of the top five salaried players at a position, or 120 percent of the previous year's salary that the player had -- whichever is greater. John Abraham (NY Jets), Drew Brees (SD) and Adam Vinatieri (NE) were all franchised last year, so the 120 percent rule benefits them. The team in the toughest salary cap of all three of these teams, New York, seems to be the team most willing to tag their player at this time.

The next 48 hours is a time for bluffing and negotiating, and lots can change. The Chargers say they are not tagging Brees, even though he has thrown 51 touchdown passes to just 22 interceptions over the past two seasons. Sure he is coming back off labrum surgery and can't throw until June, but young starting quarterbacks with solid credentials rarely come free in the NFL. If he actually doesn't get tagged this week and is headed to free agency, it will change the whole face of the 2006 personnel business season.

The ripple effect of Brees on the open market will push down the opportunities for the other free-agent quarterbacks like Jon Kitna and Josh McCown. It could very well launch an unsuspecting starting quarterback under contract right into free agency if a team sees Brees as a big enough upgrade from their own starter. There could be some long discussions in cities like Baltimore, Buffalo, Cleveland, Detroit, Miami, New Orleans, New York (Jets), Oakland, or Tennessee about the merits of recruiting and signing Drew Brees.

Brees on the open market could force a retirement or two -- none more obvious than in Green Bay if the Packers talked long enough to see the long-range future with a quarterback ten years younger than Brett Favre.

Brees could set back the development of a young player who is just starting to get his feet wet as a starter. What if the Bucs or 49ers arrived at the decision Mr. Brees is the right guy for them at this point in their team's journey for the Super Bowl?

There is little doubt that Drew Brees on the open market will affect the top of the NFL draft as well. Right now Matt Leinart, Vince Young and Jay Cutler all appear to be selections in the top half of the first round. If Drew is free and a club selecting in the top 16 picks signs him, then that team probably passes on one of the quarterbacks on the board. When one of the top three QBs of the class of 2006 drops, then so do the other signal-callers in the draft. Drew Brees on the open market could change where even Omar Jacobs or Brodie Croyle go in the April draft.

Making a splash

It is believed the Seahawks will franchise-tag OG Steve Hutchinson even though, as one GM said to me this week, "There is a quirk in the tagging system when it comes to offensive linemen, and teams pay a heavy price when they want to tag a guard or center." The NFL did not split up offensive linemen into two groups like they split up defensive linemen. There is a tag for defensive tackles worth $5.6 million and an $8.3 million defensive end tag. But all offensive linemen have one tag price, which is a hefty $6.9 million -- which is okay when you are protecting a premiere tackle, but when it is your guard or center, it is close to $2 million too high for what they would get paid if the tag was split. Four of the top five-salaried offensive linemen are tackles, and only Larry Allen, the Dallas guard, made the list, and he has played some left tackle in his time.

The reality is it's a good enough business decision for the Saints to not tag OC LeCharles Bentley, who told me he has had no communication with the Saints since the season ended and does not anticipate being tagged. If he is actually passed over this week for a franchise tag, he will be a very hot player on most teams' free agent lists. Stranger things have happened, and it wouldn't surprise me if the all-pro center got slapped with a tag to protect one of the best players the franchise has on the roster. Remember, rule No. 1 in the personnel business is you must replace talent with talent, and how are the Saints ever going to replace LeCharles Bentley in the state of affairs they are in right now?

We already know that the Seahawks cannot franchise-tag Shaun Alexander, the top running back in 2005, and if free agency adds Brees, Bentley, Edgerrin James, Vinatieri and maybe Abraham to the market, then teams with salary cap space and an aggressive attitude can attempt to get better overnight. Buying a championship team has never really worked in the NFL, but past failures in that area have never deterred clubs from trying again. Could a team with lots of cap space like Minnesota, Cleveland or even Arizona grab four or five of the top players on the list and make a big stir? They could make a big offseason stir, as some teams in the past have done like Washington, but I do not think club executives see free agency that way anymore. Now it seems like more of a pick-and-choose situation, but then again, if one team signed Drew Brees, Shaun Alexander, Adam Vinatieri, LeCharles Bentley and John Abraham and got rid of their players at those positions, they just might be a better team. As one agent said this week, "If my client gets to free agency, all bets are off about ever returning to his original club."

I guarantee you the discussions in Indianapolis this coming weekend when all the team executives meet to evaluate college players and the agents meet for their annual seminar is not going to focus on stacking draft boards. The bluffing and posturing about franchise and transitions tags will be over. Some players will be tagged, others will not, and healthy discussions about veteran players will be in full swing. Oh by the way, almost eight teams are projected to be at least $10 million over the cap, and the bluffing and posturing game continues with whom gets cut before March 3. That story takes center stage right after the tag declaration. (-- Pat Kirwan)

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It's interesting to think about the ripple effect that not resigning Drew Bress would have around the league. I share the sentiment with most posters here that if we don't resign Brees, we'd better be awfully active in FA to offset that loss. Players like C Bentley and T Backus wouldn't exactly be what I would call impressive offseason acquistions. Detroit wasn't known for its good or even consistent OL play, and bringing in a new C, even if he is one of the tops in the league, doesn't strike me as the kind of signing that could immediately improve our team. Now if Bentley were willing to move back to G, that is a different scenario. Giving him a huge contract (which he will get from someone) to play center seems to me like a waste of money. After all, C is by far the easiest line position to play. Despite not showing much improvement last season, I still think Hardwick is a serviceable option at C.

Hopefully, there'll be some quality OL cap casualties that we can snag in FA from teams that are significantly over the cap like Atlanta, Tennessee, Washington and Kansas City. Players like Tennessee Gs Piller and Olsen and Washington T Samuels might be cut loose as cap casualties, and any of them could come in to compete for (and most likely win) a starting job.

Among the players we know are headed to UFA, I like the idea of bringing in Randle El for a few reasons: He'd take some pressure off of VJ and Parker, he could immediately improve our return game, and he should transition into our offense well (having worked with Cameron at IU). I don't think we necessarily need another WR, but I think that in the case of Randle El, it's a good fit.

Other players I like include Steelers' S Hope and CBs Taylor and Townsend. I fully expect the Chargers to make an offer to at least one of those DBs as they are all young, quality players with experience in the 3-4. Any of those guys would come in to compete for a starting spot.

So, I would expect us to bring in at least one player to compete for a starting job on the OL and one player to compete for a starting job in the Secondary -- i.e. 2 big FA signings. Randle El would give us another weapon in an already high-powered offense and dramatically improve our return game, although he isn't necessarily a priority. These are the types of signings that, in addition to another successful draft, should get us into the playoffs in '06. Incidentally, signing only a select few FAs could result in a compensatory pick at the end of round three - that is, as long as we lose more FAs than we sign.

Go Bolts! :Beer:

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Steelers | I. Taylor signs $1.55 million tender
Thu, 2 Mar 2006 21:52:35 -0800

Updating previous reports, Joe Bendel, of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, reports Pittsburgh Steelers CB Ike Taylor will receive a one-year, $1.55 million tender. Taylor is eligible to become a restricted free agent on March 6.

[06champions]

No, Adam Archuleta is not that good. The Chargers would be much better off going for Chris Hope if he is available.

I'd rather have Archuleta cause he is a good blitzer and Hope is overrated. Milloy would be an even better fit though.

[LABoltsFan]

it is very obvious we need some help in the back field. I am not sure of the position, but i do know the solution... we need to get MANY more interceptiosns. we have the pass rush that will instill fear, but we need the brutality of a hard hitting intercepting machine in the backfield to make defenses make tough (and inevitable bad ones!).

i'm not one to judge any of our backfield players, as we have some talent, but the entire group is not up to par.

maybe the solution is a new safety? or a new cornerback? or moving some people to other positions?

all i know is that 1 more interception per game would make a VERY big difference with an already good team.