NFL Free Agency heating up

Justin Zane

TO is coming to Dallas.... hope it works out.I figure that will keep teams from just blitzing the hell out of the line and QB. If Bledsoe preforms at last year's level or Romo or Henson come out of no where and/or Julius Jones does preforms decent the Cowboys will be in the Super Bowl....I know there's a quite few IF's in this situation, but it will happen if the if's happen.

Freak

There's a ton more if's than that: an old, broken-down O-line needs to get it together for one last run; someone needs to step up and take Dat Nguyen's role as leader of the linebacking corps, the secondary needs to finally live up to all that potential. And don't you forget the kicking game.

You are right though, Bledsoe is going to have MAJOR weapons to work with this year.

Blitzkrieg

Administrator

I'm picking the Cowboys to win the division. I know you might laugh at that.. The Skins have improved, The Giants have improved, but I felt like the only thing Dallas was really missing compared to the other teams in the division was the huge offensive weapon and now they have it.

It'll be a war, but I don't think Eli is going to be great just yet, how could I? and the Skins won't be as good on defense as they were. Parcells will find a way.

Freak

I wouldn't say Dallas is such a bold a pick to win the East. Like you said, they do have a strong core, and Terrell Owens is the kind of superstar that can come in and give guys like Julius Jones, Jason Witten and Terry Glenn a lot more room to work with. That said, the offensive line is still a huge question mark, and if they get banged up again, there's no way Bledsoe is gonna be able to lead that offense.

The Eagles look like they're on a decline, but every year I underestimate Reid and McNabb. If Reggie Brown lives up to some of that potential he showed last year, I think he, Westbrook and LJ Smith can give McNabb a solid set of weapons to work with. Their O-line is also a lot better than Dallas'. The defense keeps losing guys, but there's still a ton of talent in the secondary, and Jim Johnson might be the best defensive coordinator in the NFL.

I think Dan Snyder is out of his mind, building this team the way he is. I honestly can't see Mark Brunell winning that division, and as much as I like Jason Campbell as a prospect, I don't think he's ready to win anything either.

And then there's the Giants, who I'm confident will land either Lavar Arrington or Julian Peterson. And if they get either, I think it solidifies the defense enough to favour them in the division. That offense looked so good at times last year, with Tiki just dominating, Shockey owning the middle of the field, and Plaxico a constant deep threat... Eli needs to settle down, but I think he's getting there.

Blitzkrieg

Administrator

I think Eli is at least a year away. I was turned off on how he handled certain situations and I just don't think he's going to be able to solve all those issues over one offseason. They'll be good, maybe even 10-6 but I'm sticking with the Cowboys to win based on tiebreakers.

The Skins, I meant they've improved on offense as a whole but Brunell is so up and down. There was something going on with the Skins at the end of the year to me that's misleading.. I think the real Skins are an 8-8 team.

Eagles will win 7 games and be competitive but it'll take another year or so for them to be "back"..

Maybe it's just that I'm such an Owens fan wehn he's on the field.. I just don't ever feel like he can be stopped. Are they going to double him? Maybe.. but it will open up everything and the Cowboys have talent. More talent at WR then even the Eagles had. A better tight end as well. There are a lot of question marks but the D will play well under Parcells, that's almost always a given that he puts something competitive out there. I'm not a Bledsoe guy but when he has weapons and stays healthy he can be VERY good. Look at what he was doing with the Bills when they had lesser talent then the Cowboys have now. Price, Moulds, and co.. were unstoppable.

Dr. Giganto

It looks like the NFC East will be the best division in football this year. I think the Giants have certainly improved, but unfortunately, the Redskins have too, and the T.O. signing will probably give Dallas a HUGE boost this year.

Also, the Giants play a killer schedule this season. Besides the 6 division games, which are all tough, they play 6 other teams that made the playoffs (Bears, Seahawks, Colts, Jaguars, Panthers, Bucs), plus a team that was on the cusp of a playoff spot (Falcons), two others that drastically improved via free agency and have high draft picks (Titans and Saints), and the team with the #1 pick overall (Texans).

Interesting that the Giants play the teams with the #'s 1-3 draft picks. But the rest of the schedule is ridiculous, and even those bottom three teams should be MUCH better this year.

Justin Zane

Dallas is definately my pick to win the division, but if they do it's gonna take years of rebuilding to get back to where they are now. TO will want another contract. I could Aaron and Terry Glenn, Marco Rivera, Larry Allen, and possible Bledsoe(depending on how the line does) all retiring next year win it or not, and probably taking Parcells with them. Either way, win or lose, I can see them having to rebuild for the next couple of years atleast on offense.

Freak

You really think so? Houston, New Orleans and Tennessee? I wouldn't be surprised at all if these were the same three teams at the bottom of next year's standings.

And like I said about Bledsoe, he'll only succeed if that O-line can pull their shit back together. His last years in New England and Buffalo, he got so rattled by opposing defenses, because he had no time to sit in the pocket. And those years, he was fucking terrible.

Dr. Giganto

Well, I never actually thought Houston was as bad as they were last year. And they definitely seemed to be losing a few games on purpose at the end of the year. Like the game against the Rams, and the one when the kicker missed a chip shot FG by like 20 yards to the left.

I thought they had enough talent on their team to be about a 6-10 team, and they will likely be adding the most exciting player to enter the league in years to their team. Because of their terrible O-line, I don't think you can expect them to compete for a playoff spot next year, but I dont think they'll be one of the worst teams in the NFL again.

The Saints, meanwhile, have basically been a .500 team for the last 5 or so years, and I still think they're a team of that caliber. Last year they were hit with a ridiculous tragedy which caused them to play home games in 3 different stadiums (one of which was the home stadium of their opponent), in 3 different states, and 2 different time zones. I mean, they were doing less-than-half-speed walk-throughs on concrete fields for practice early last year...

I dont think the Saints are really as bad as their record indicated last year. Plus, their biggest problem in recent years has been inconsistent QB play, and Drew Brees is sure to shore that up. And, they'll likely get either a stud player (D'Brick, perhaps) in the 2 spot, or they'll trade down and accumulate some picks/players.

As for the Titans, I thought I remembered them being very active in free agency, but now that I looked it up, it seems the only big name they signed with David Thornton from the Colts. So, Tennessee will probably still suck. But I still think Houston and the Saints will be much better.

airr233

Michael Holley of 850 WEEI in Boston is reporting that Adam Vinatieri has signed a contract with Indianapolis. No contract details have been announced. The Patriots have not heard about it except on the radio as of now.

If this is true, I'll be upset. I'll be dissapointed because Vinatieri is one of those Patriots I already thought would spend their career here.

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