Bay Area Bias
Home / Etcetera / Long Past Due Part II: Breaking Down the NFL’s Free-Agent Frenzy

Long Past Due Part II: Breaking Down the NFL’s Free-Agent Frenzy

After a prolonged lockout, the NFL is back. The tight schedule that the stoppage from collective bargaining took is now being realized with a whirlwind of a free agent period. With the first wave of teams opening up training camp, teams are scrambling to seize the coveted free-agents that could be the final pieces to a playoff push. Just like every year, there are winners and losers in the free-agent period filled with new signings and trades that can alter the state of a team. It might be early, but there are some teams making a bigger splash than others. Round two: the New England Patriots and the Philadelphia Eagles. Both teams have something in common: they’ve been able to make it work with players that the Oakland Raiders haven’t been successful with. If the Raiders want to compete at the highest level, they should follow the example of this week’s teams.

This installment’s first winner is the New England Patriots, who made a splash with two big trades. There’s just something about Bill Belichick that allows him to mold big personalities into a cohesive locker room. He took Randy Moss from Oakland when it looked like his best years were behind him and turned him into a productive player. Now comes Chad Ochocinco; he’s talented, he’s brash and he’s just what the Patriots want, a deep-threat. Somehow working with Tom Brady and having the chance to contend for a Super Bowl will turn the twitter-addicted receiver into a quiet soldier who can perfectly complement Wes Welker and a slew of young tight ends. The second big trade the Pats made was for the infamous Albert Haynesworth. Critics will cite his problems as a reason not to touch him, and that may very well be true. He’s overweight, overrated and distracting. There is no way Dan Snyder should have ever paid him $100 million; he’s not one of the elite players in this game and he’s not the player you want on a losing team because he becomes a cancer. The key word in that sentence is losing. Winning cures all ills, even a cancerous, overweight thug who will never live up to his potential. That doesn’t chance that the Patriots are a winner in the trade. They gave up a fifth-round pick for Haynesworth, who has shown he can be productive when he shuts up and wants to work. Belichick is a defensive genius who can take average players and give them a role they can excel in. If Haynesworth can just shut up, work hard and provide the Patriots with an inside pass rush in specific situations then it can work out. If he doesn’t work out, which there is a possibility, then the Pats forfeited a fifth-round pick and a stern Belichick will have him cut him.

The Patriots didn’t go after any big-name ex-Raiders this year, but it should alarm Oakland fans in a few aspects. First, Oakland’s become infamous for drafting the biggest, fastest and strongest players. They go after the same type of free-agents. The problem is that they don’t always fit the system in Oakland. Look back a couple of years at Randy Moss. Moss wore the silver-and-black for two seasons in 2005 and 2006. Granted he didn’t have legitimate quarterback to get him the ball, but he totaled just 11 touchdowns over the two-year span. That’s less than 8 season totals, not including last year’s three-team debacle. The future Hall of Fame receiver didn’t get it done in Oakland, but he can hardly be blamed. Never the less, the Raiders got a big-time acquisition and couldn’t get him to produce. The Patriots bring him aboard and he has some of his best year including 2007 when he caught 23 touchdowns. The different between the Patriots and Raiders comes down to their team-first mentality. If Bay Area fans want the Raiders to turn in some winning seasons, or a Super Bowl they have to go with the Patriots system. Instead of drafting or signing the biggest, strongest and fastest and expecting them to produce, be like the Patriots. Find productive players and give them a role. For instance, the Patriots knew Richard Seymour was a talent, but he was unhappy with his contract and Belichick knew he was expendable because they had other productive role players. Instead of the silver-and-black praying that Darrius Heyward-Bey can be electrifying all over the field, give him a specific role just like Moss knew his role was different than Wes Welker’s. Find a slew of players to fit a system instead of finding one big target could benefit a young Oakland team.

The next team is a winner on the field, and a loser off the field. That team is the Philadelphia Eagles. They’ve upgraded significantly, while potentially bruising some egos in the process. The Eagles made a huge move, signing the best free-agent of the summer Nnamdi Asomugha. The Bay Area product is arguably the best man-to-man corner in the game (along with Darelle Revis). The Asomugha signing improves a defense that was mediocre last season (ranked No. 15 in both opponent passing and receiving yards). Adding Asomugha was a nice move to go along with Dominque Rogers-Cromartie who was acquired in the trade that sent backup quarterback Kevin Kolb to Arizona. DRC and Asomugha help the Eagles tremendously, but in the process could end up bruising some egos. First, acquiring two big-time corners in a week probably doesn’t bode well for Asante Samuel who was the Eagles best corner. Samuel could not take well to being moved away from his right corner spot, or having to battle with DRC on the left side. That will leave one playing the nickel corner and could lead to problems. Secondly, DeSean Jackson probably feels a little slighted after the Eagles went out and spent top-dollar for a marquee free-agent. Jackson, who is holding because he is unhappy with his contract, probably would have like to have seen some money come his way in addition to upgrading the defense. Hopefully, Jackson and the stacked corner position can see that the additions are for the betterment of the team and should make the Eagles a legitimate contender in the NFC. If the egos do get bruised then it could lead to problems. Speaking of problems, the Eagles new backup quarterback is full of them. Vince Young’s time in Tennessee was mixed. He won an Offensive Rookie of the Year, got benched, won back his job and then abandoned his team. His time as a Titan was not what they expected from a first-round pick. Now the Eagles are a team willing to give second chances-just look at Michael Vick- but they should be warranted on talent. Vick’s problems off the field never questioned his ability on the field as a playmaker and a leader. Young’s struggle with depression and inability to shake the “we’re not in Texas anymore” effect isn’t what you want to turn to if Vick goes down with injury.

It was no surprise the Raiders couldn’t keep Asomugha. It’s hard to part with such a prolific player, but it could have crippled them financially. As I said before, the Raiders need to spread their money across productive players instead of holding on to a few massive contracts. Oakland was able to retain Seymour, which is a good plus for a young defense. The Eagles also signed former Oakland receiver and returner Johnnie Lee Higgins. Higgins became less of a threat with the new special teams’ rules. With all the new cap room that the absence of Asomugha frees up Oakland needs to focus on adding players across the board. Having five or six big contract players is not helpful. There are 11 players on the field at one time and having five that are not productive means, you are not going to have success.

All in all, the Eagles and Patriots are winners this offseason, but will have to juggle and massage some personalities in order to have success. Oakland could stand to take the Patriots approach from both New England and Philadelphia. It’s great to have big players, but you have to have productive players around them. At this point the Patriots and Eagles look good on paper, but let’s wait until the season to see if their strategy works.

Comments