Free agency Lesson

CaliforniaCheez

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Here is a link to a good article. I reccommend you read it entirely.

http://chicagosports.chicagotribune...5707664.column?page=1&coll=cs-bears-headlines

Excerpt:

Redskins owner Daniel Snyder thinks the Super Bowl trophy is presented in April to the teams that throw around the most money and score the most headlines.

Sure enough, the Redskins got started by tossing a $10.5 million signing bonus to 32-year-old middle linebacker London Fletcher-Baker, who used to play for the Bills and Rams. Then they reacquired overrated cornerback Fred Smoot from Minnesota, where he spent two years and became notorious for his part in organizing the infamous "Love Boat" cruise. On the field, he was largely forgettable.

Over the years, the best teams have learned it is more prudent to spend money on their own developing or obviously great players than it is to chase veterans that other teams basically no longer want. Nobody knows players better than the teams that draft or sign them originally, and there are usually compelling reasons to either keep or release them when they become eligible for free agency.

The salary-cap limit has expanded from $102 million to $109 million per club and teams have more money than ever to spend on free agency. But the best teams also know they have more money than ever to keep their best players.

Here is a scorecard on the top 20 free agents who changed teams in 2006, as ranked by Pro Football Weekly last June:

1. Edgerrin James. After going from the Colts to the Cardinals for $30 million, James said, "All they need is a running back." The Cards went 5-11, same as they did without him, and couldn't save coach Dennis Green's job. The Colts, meanwhile, appeared to get along without James.

2. Steve Hutchinson. The Seahawks guard broke the bank with a $49 million deal with the Vikings that caused the league to rethink its "poison pill" contract rules. The Vikings slipped from 9-7 without him to 6-10 with him. The Seahawks slipped too.

3. Julian Peterson. The linebacker played well after jumping from the 49ers to the Seahawks, but the Seahawks fell from 13-3 to 9-7 and the 49ers improved from 4-12 to 7-9. It's not a one-man game.

4. LeCharles Bentley. The center wanted nothing to do with the 3-13 Saints and was eager to return to his hometown of Cleveland. He suffered a season-ending injury at the Browns' first practice.

5. Ty Law. The Chiefs added this mercenary cornerback shortly before the season opened. He started every game and the Chiefs made the playoffs, although their 9-7 record was worse than their 10-6 non-playoff team in 2005.

6. John Abraham. After being designated the Jets' franchise player, the pass rusher was traded to the Falcons in a three-team deal. Injuries limited him to eight games as the Falcons tumbled to 7-9 and coach Jim Mora was fired. The Jets drafted center Nick Mangold with the Falcons' pick and made the playoffs.

7. Drew Brees. It is a one-man sport, after all. Brees made the Saints' $60 million contract look like a steal and made the Dolphins look foolish for worrying about a little detail like a reconstructed throwing shoulder.

8. Terrell Owens. Ask him if it's a one-man sport. With him, the Cowboys repeated their 9-7 record, although they made the playoffs. Without him, the Eagles bounced from an NFC East-worst 6-10 to first at 10-6.

9. Will Witherspoon. The linebacker's departure from the Panthers had a bigger impact than his addition to the Rams. Although the Rams did improve to 8-8, the Panthers were a preseason Super Bowl favorite that fell to 8-8.

10. LaVar Arrington. The Giants were desperate at linebacker so they gambled on a one-time big-name player who couldn't start for the Redskins. He ended up on injured reserve after six games.

11. Chris Hope. The perfectly named free agent, the Steelers free safety joined the Titans. The Steelers got worse (8-8) and the Titans got better (8-8) and neither made the playoffs.

12. Darren Howard. Another disenchanted Saint, the defensive end went to the Eagles, then returned to New Orleans and lost in the playoffs.

13. Charles Woodson. The cornerback got out of the black hole of Oakland and actually helped the Packers, but not enough for them to make the playoffs.

14. Adam Archuleta. The Redskins outbid the Bears for the former Ram, making him the highest-paid safety in history, only to discover he wasn't suited at all for Washington's defense. He started seven games and was benched by the 5-11 Snyders.

15. David Thornton. The Colts wished they could have kept this linebacker, who moved on to the Titans. Thornton probably wished so too.

16. Adam Vinatieri. The Patriots thought they could get along without a kicker whose points have made the difference in three Super Bowl victories. The Colts beat the Patriots in the AFC title game with help from Vinatieri field goals. He scored 11 points in the Super Bowl, and the Colts beat the Bears by 12.

17. Josh McCown. The Lions signed the Cardinals' backup quarterback and he never threw a pass.

18. Kevin Shaffer. The Falcons got one game worse after the left tackle left for Cleveland, but the Browns got two games worse.

19. Trevor Pryce. The Broncos thought this defensive lineman was washed up after getting only four sacks in the last two years. Rejuvenated with the Ravens, he made 13 sacks for a 13-3 team.

20. Jon Kitna. He wasn't getting to play in Cincinnati. The Lions figured he was a better quarterback than Joey Harrington, but they dropped from 5-11 to 3-13 with Kitna taking every snap.

Free agency is hardly a rousing success except in the selling of great expectations, which nobody does better than the NFL.
**************************************************************

Unfortunately I think those clammoring for the Packers to spend every cent right now will not have the patience to comprehend the article.

Would a team rather have five 2 million dollar contract players or one 10 million dollar contract player? It could be either.

Generally if you are signing your best players, you don't need another teams cast offs. Money spent on expensive free agents is money that can't be used elsewhere.

Teams have to be smart and not handle free agency like the Redskins or Cardinals.
 

porky88

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Article hits it right on. This doesn't just go back as far as last year. It's been a trend this decade too.
 

nathaniel

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What if all of those players ended up on different teams? Just because they failed on one team doesn't mean they'd fail on another. Different situations, different results. Desmond Howard couldn't deliver on any of the teams he played for, but for some reason he had a great year with the Packers. Lavar Arrington may not have gotten hurt if he would have come to GB, and could have had a tremendous season.

But the more we stay away from the big names, the more comfortable I am as free agency progresses. It makes the draft more interesting (would we have drafted Hawk if we had signed Arrington? I don't remember which happened first), although I do hate relying on the draft so much. Hopefully we'll pick up Justin Griffith, and I'm not too worried about the whole Randy Moss thing anymore. If he signs, he signs. If not, let Belichek deal with him. I think TT surprised us all when he signed Woodson last year. Not too many teams were interested in him, but he fit well and worked out great. I think TT is wise not to spend all his money at once on one guy.
 

tromadz

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Nathaniel, did they accept your application for the missed the point club?

hehe

weither they work on another team or not someday, IS NOT THE POINT. the point is that team made the decision to pay out the *** for a player they 'thought' would make a huge impact(Vikings\Hutch, Cards\Edge).

You have to know your team, you can't just get the big name, sign the big paychecks and expect to win.

The Vikings should have KNOWN Hutch would struggle a lot this year with zone blocking.

The Cardinals should have known their problem isn't with the RBs, it's with that horrible offensive line.

It's like us getting Adalius Thomas. Great player, but...not really needed for the money he wants. If we didn't have Barnett, Hawk, Poppinga, and Hodge in the wings, then yeah getting Thomas would be worth the big bucks to GB,etc.

You have to stay the course, be consistent. Look at the Texans. They could have had Reggie Bush, but instead have Ahman Green.
 

Greg C.

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Thanks for the excellent article. I enjoyed it. My only quibble is that the article would've been stronger if the writer had organized it according to the amount of money the players made. That would make it a little more scientific. As I read it, I kept wondering if he was focusing more on the busts than the success stories, though I don't think he was.
 

longtimefan

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Awesome read!!!

Trom I think for the systme N.E runs on D the pick of Thomas is PERFECT, and they dont pay f/a like that there unless they truly feel its a perfect situation..
 

tromadz

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Trom I think for the systme N.E runs on D the pick of Thomas is PERFECT, and they dont pay f/a like that there unless they truly feel its a perfect situation..

thats what im saying...

I'm gonna go drink heavily now.
 

longtimefan

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longtimefan said:
Trom I think for the systme N.E runs on D the pick of Thomas is PERFECT, and they dont pay f/a like that there unless they truly feel its a perfect situation..

thats what im saying...

I'm gonna go drink heavily now.

LOL

I was agreeing with ya :thumbsup:
 

tromadz

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k, good. it's hard to tell the logical posts from the *edited* ones.

I still plan on getting smashed now though. I fully expect to be banned for the 14th time before midnight.
 

Since69

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Great article with a great point: the grass is not always greener over there.
 
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Awesome read!!!

Trom I think for the systme N.E runs on D the pick of Thomas is PERFECT, and they dont pay f/a like that there unless they truly feel its a perfect situation..


To add to that, NE has (IMO) the best QB in the league. If not the best, then one of the best. Brady is a bonafide playmaker, a player that can carry a team on his back. He had a solid (but not good/great) running game, below average WRs combined with an above average TE duo to make an average passing attack.

Even then, Brady still had a ton of success. He still got them (along with the coaches) to the AFC final. The Pats are in a situation the Pack were in during the earlier Sherman years, Favre is good enough to take an average team all the way. That is why the Pats can afford to go after Thomas, because he is a great player that will take them a step closer to the SB.

Thomas would have only taken the Packers closer to a playoff berth.
 

nathaniel

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Nathaniel, did they accept your application for the missed the point club?

hehe

weither they work on another team or not someday, IS NOT THE POINT. the point is that team made the decision to pay out the *** for a player they 'thought' would make a huge impact(Vikings\Hutch, Cards\Edge).

You have to know your team, you can't just get the big name, sign the big paychecks and expect to win.

Oh, wow. NO KIDDING. I'm glad you settled that for me. :roll:
I was only saying that it's not always the player's fault. Bad team decisions happen all the time. GB could be on the verge of making one with Randy Moss. Could work, but might not.
 

warhawk

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Basically what I have been saying since FA started.

The fact of the matter is we as fans do not know how well any of these players may fit into what it is our schemes call for. We have a moderate grasp of what truly goes into making these schemes successful and what the players strengths really are that would make them a good fit here.

What we know is tha many of these guys have been successful in other schemes on other teams and that's what many fans immediately grab onto.

It's not really a bad thing. We're fans and want the team to be better. Understandable.

But we have to listen when TT says about FA being a gamble. What these guys do best might very well not fit with what we would ask of them.

By looking at the above list it is obvious that while this is a group of great players they cannot always adapt and be as successful doing things that don't ultize their strenghs or gives them the opportunities to excel.

I'm crushed. Football players are human.
 

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