NFL Free Agency Comes Out Hot.

The NFL free agency period started yesterday and of course, a lot happened in the first day. We will be doing these sort of recaps until it starts slowing down. Enjoy.  

Denver makes a statement - Broncos were embarrassed in the Super Bowl six weeks ago, and it is pretty clear they are pissed off about it. They add T.J. Ward to bolster their secondary and getting a big hitter to add some toughness. Even if Ward was the only signing of the day, Denver would be on the rise a bit, but then they add Aqib Talib shoring up the Broncos secondary issues. I am not sure about the contract they gave Talib. Remember Tampa Bay chased him out by releasing him mid-season, and New England revitalized his career so are we sure it will continue with Denver? I do not think it is a given we will see the same things from Talib as we did with New England, but right now, adding Talib and Ward plus possibly getting DeMarcus Ware up front looks like a dream team defense.

#SAINTSCLAUSE - One of the more cash-strapped teams in all of the National Football League going into the free agency period was New Orleans Saints. The assumption would be they stay silent during this period and make some little moves. NOPE. Saints blew the door open by signing Jairus Byrd to a six year 54 million dollar deal with a stunning 28 million dollars guaranteed.  I started saying New Orleans got a special clause to get the money to work, but in reality, Saints will move a ton of money plus possibly cutting a couple notable players. New Orleans' secondary has officially become scary with Kenny Vaccaro and Byrd plus two solid corners. I will be interested to see how Byrd handles the bright lights after playing for Buffalo for multiple years.

Packers miss out on Houston and Jones - Who knows what Green Bay's involvement was with these two players, but they expressed interest in both Lamarr Houston and Arthur Jones for defensive line help. Houston went to Chicago for 35 million over five years where he will replace Julius Peppers spot, and like I thought, he would probably prefer to stay in the 4-3. Jones is a young up and coming player that heads to Indianapolis for a little over six million dollars a year. Jones with Robert Mathis will be a scary combination. I would not fret about things Green Bay. They are panicking because many teams around them are making moves yet the season is not won on Day 1 of Free Agency (CLICHE, DRINK).

Southern Style Free Agency - One of the big narratives of Day 1 is how Tampa Bay, New Orleans and Atlanta spent a ton of money while Carolina saw some dudes leave, other retire and just twiddled their thumbs. Atlanta is moving to a 3-4 which reflected their signings adding Paul Soliai and Tyson Jackson for their defensive line.  I don't really know about Jackson, but I definitely think Soliai could do some things in an attempt to rebuild Atlanta's defense. Tampa Bay added Michael Johnson to provide off the edge rush, added a defensive tackle Clinton McDonald and Alterraun Verner at cornerback meaning it is curtains for Darrelle Revis. It is evident Lovie Smith wants more of 'his guys' versus the old regime trying to take this team back to the playoffs.

Johnathan Martin moves to San Fran - I am not sure if Johnathan Martin will be a factor for San Francisco. I know why it is a big story, and the fact he gets to come back to the Bay Area where he played college football plus playing for his college coach. Out of college, people were critical of Martin's toughness and felt like he did not really have a mean streak in him. This is a big deal for him to move on, but for him being an NFL athlete, there is nothing really to discuss until we see how Martin does on the field.

Safety Day - Besides Ward and Byrd, four other safeties made changes to different teams. Donte Whitner heads to Cleveland to replace Ward, San Francisco gets Antoine Bethea from Indianapolis to replace Whitner. Philadelphia added Malcolm Jenkins which in comparison to the other guys looks like Taco Bell compared to eating at four or five star restaurant.

Um Oakland - I wish I could tell you what Oakland Raiders were doing on Day 1.  They lose out on Jared Veldheer to Arizona and they replace him with Rodger Saffold who did not really pan out tackle, more so a guard but it appears he is heading back to tackle with Oakland. They also added Austin Howard from New York and he might be a better signing than Saffold because he is a raw talent. There is a greater chance he could really become something for this team or fizzle out quickly making 2013 just an aberration.

Charlie.