Think about it this way, and believe me I get frustrated when we don't do a little shopping ever in the off-season. We have done a couple of them though this year already!
Anyway, every year, free agents come and go, around the league from one team to another. Good player X goes there, good player Y goes there, etc. One there, one over there, etc. They just re-shuffle the players. Some get upgrades. Some get downgrades.
But the fact is, one or two signings usually doesn't make that much difference. There are few instant-changers like a Julius Peppers, Reggie White, Drew Brees.
Meanwhile, our team is good/great, and mostly young, and we keep getting better, on offense.
Driver is old, but we shouldn't miss him much if he's out. In fact, his playing time was lower last year than ever, and Agod had the best season ever.
Woodson is the hard one to replace.
We know our issues now and they are all on defense for the most part, and signing Daniel Muir, and trying to get Manny Lawson and Anthony Hargrove is evidence that Teddy is willing to do whatever he can to fix this.
But anyway:
http://walterfootball.com/freeagents2012recap.php
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Packers sign C Jeff Saturday (2 years, $7.75M; $4M guaranteed): A+ Grade
This is a rarity. The Packers NEVER sign any free agents. Naturally, it's a great move. Green Bay desperately needed a center after losing Scott Wells to the Rams. Ted Thompson was able to acquire the top (healthy) player available at the position at a great price.
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Seahawks sign DT Jason Jones (1 year, $4.5 million): B+ Grade This signing happened a couple of days ago, but contract details are now known. The Seahawks needed an interior pass-rusher, and Jones was one of the top defensive tackles available on the market. This is a pretty good deal even though all of Jason Jones' $4.5 million is guaranteed. Seahawk fans apparently are displeased by anything worse than an A - I was asked by e-mailer K.D. R. to give this a "Millen After Being Hit With Gamma Rays Grade" based on the response to what I wrote about Matt Flynn - but B+ and B are solid grades.
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Dolphins sign CB Richard Marshall (3 years, $16M; $6M guaranteed): B+ Grade The Dolphins needed to obtain cornerback depth, and they certainly found it with Richard Marshall, who was very solid for Arizona last year. Getting him at $16 million with six of it guaranteed is a pretty good bargain.
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Redskins re-sign DE/DT Adam Carriker (4 years, $20M; $7M guaranteed): D Grade (I disagree!) Umm... what? Adam Carriker is not a starting-caliber defensive lineman, yet the Redskins have decided to pay him like one for some strange reason. Carriker can get to the quarterback on occasion, but he's a major liability against the run. Given Washington's recent massive cap penalty, I can't understand why it would spend so much money on a lineman who is just a rotational player at best.
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Packers re-sign TE Jermichael Finley (2 years, $15M): A+ Grade Jermichael Finley has yet to live up to expectations. He kills his team with mistakes despite being so physically gifted. He had 14 drops last year compared to only 55 receptions. Packer fans understandably are constantly frustrated with him.
Having said that, this is a great re-signing. Not only is Green Bay not dedicating lots of long-term money to him; it gives itself the chance to franchise Matt Flynn. With Flynn franchised, it'll allow Ted Thompson to secure at least one high draft pick for him. If the Eagles received a second-round pick and a starting cornerback for Kevin Kolb, the Packers can get just as much for their young reserve quarterback.