Sportandfashion-news's Ten NFL Free Agency Things to Watch

National Football League's offseason is set to have another kickoff with free agency getting underway at 3:00 pm Central Standard Time or 4:00 pm for those out East or 1:00 pm for the Pacific folks. Basically, Twitter is probably going to collapse with players already signed to new deals with new teams which is weird seeing as free agency just began. Yet regardless, there will be guys with new deals before you know it. People will love to give out the 'Championships are not won in March' quote which is very true, but here are some of the things I will be keeping an eye on in the coming weeks.

1. Will Darrelle Revis get cut and what will be the interest level - First of all, Tampa Bay would be foolish to release arguably the best corner in the game. Sure, there could be some constraints in Lovie Smith's Cover 2, but to pass on that sort of talent seems foolish. New England and San Francisco could be interested suitors which should terrify the rest of the league. Honestly, I have to think to the Bucs are not this stupid of a franchise to just give up on Revis after one year of having him on the roster.

2. It sounds like James Jones and Evan Dietrich-Smith have played their last games in Green Bay - By the grace of Vincent Lombardi, something could change, but it appears like the Packers are set to lose a couple offensive weapons. We will not go into what the loss could mean for the team rather talk about their addition to the rumored teams. Jones is being looked at by Detroit and New York Jets right now. He could really help both teams and if Detroit gets Jones along with another receiver in the first three rounds, they become downright nightmarish on offense. EDS sounds like he might make a move to New York with the Giants to help rebuild that offensive line.  

3. Who wins Lamarr Houston in the NFC North?  - One of the free agents I mentioned when rumors began about Green Bay wanting free agents was Lamarr Houston. Packers apparently agreed with me, and they had discussions about bringing him into the fold.  Chicago Bears have the same idea, and since they are likely getting rid of Julius Peppers plus not being able to get Michael Bennett, Houston might be the play for Chicago. The thing that worries me is despite Green Bay having more money, Houston spent most of his time playing in a 4-3 system making Chicago have more an alluring destination than Green Bay. But what the hell do I really know

4. Byrd is not really the word - No one has any idea where Jairus Byrd is going. Like virtually none. There are rumors of 'mystery team' (WAIT A SECOND, FOOTBALL, STOP TAKING BASEBALL'S WORDS) giving him somewhere in the nine million dollar range at safety. We know it will probably not be Buffalo so who comes out winning the Byrd sweepstakes?  My assumption is T.J. Ward will want him to make up his mind quickly to set the pace for safeties. If the football media has more sources than JSTOR are not making guesses on Byrd, I probably should not either.

5. How much will Philadelphia makeover their defense? - Eagles are known for making some splashes in free agency in the past decade, and while they improved over the last couple of weeks, Philadelphia still needs to make their defense into something else. They could definitely get some help in the defensive secondary, and they could probably use another pass rusher. Philadelphia could stay put and hope some of their young guys pan out better with another year although Eagles management usually takes the approach of making a strike early instead of playing the wait and see.

6. What contender gets Steve Smith - There are all sorts of rumors flying around about Smith possibly not being in a Carolina uniform come next season, and if that does occur, many teams will be interested in Smith, all with likely Super Bowl aspirations. What if Denver decided to ditch Eric Decker and take Smith for less money, could you imagine Smith in the slot with Peyton Manning?  Or how about Seattle who lacks receiving talent and could use another badass on their roster?  If Smith really wants to get back at Carolina, he goes Favre and takes probably a smaller deal to play for New Orleans which once again is an offensive orgasm. Smith might not be a great receiver anymore, but the guy can still ball out.

7. Will Washington pull a Washington? - Let's face it, it was kind of boring last offseason not having Daniel Snyder making some outrageous contract offer. It is time for Danny boy to make something happen. Whether Washington is giving a ton of money to Aqib Talib, or Arthur Jones gets a pay day from this team, we need something drastic from Washington to know that I am officially alive. If we do not get something of this nature, I expect a Robert Griffin subtweet or this whole offseason is pointless.

8. Hakeem Nicks.... The most interesting man in Free Agency - As a fantasy owner with high expectations, I can tell you firsthand how bad of a season Nicks had for the Giants in a contract year. He hand-delivered a bag of shit to me by the end of it. Many people swear Nicks has number one wide receiver talent and will not get the money from New York so where will it come from?  Oakland?  Maybe Carolina? What about Cleveland to pair him with Josh Gordon?  Buffalo is another option worth thinking about it. I do not know if Nicks will get number one money, but he is an interesting study.

9. Who takes a chance at Michael Vick? - This is another real interesting player in the free agency market. My assumption is Vick will have some options to sign with teams as a starter versus being a backup yet I do think some would pay the price to have him being a solid number two.  Even though they have Terrelle Pryor, Oakland would be a great fit for Vick. Just seems to fit him perfectly like Mike Vick would be beloved and take full advantage of the situation. I also do not hate the idea of him playing for Tampa Bay with Lovie Smith. He will have some suitors.

10. Who delivered the 'holy shit' moment of the offseason - San Francisco and there is no doubt in my mind about it. The thing is the Niners know they need to keep up with the Jones which includes a crowded neighborhood of Seattle plus growing Arizona and St. Louis. They also have an awkward situation with their head coach and the front office. They need to throw off the scent for a little awhile meaning a splash will come and sound like a thunderous boom.

Charlie.

Grading Green Bay Packers Offense

We are wrapping up the Green Bay Packers season with a grading of the offense/defense/special teams of the 2013 season.  I will also choose an MVP for both sides of the ball. 

Quarterback
Aaron Rodgers - This is easily the toughest grade to make because you look at it from only about half of the season and if we do, Rodgers did not really have a great season. Let's be honest, he plays out the full season, he might be a fringe Pro Bowler but he did not have a stellar season before he got hurt. You could argue based off the Minnesota game, Rodgers found his stroke again and on his way to make his run, but no one will know that answer, thanks to a collarbone. Although at the end of the day, Rodgers made a case for being the most valuable player every year with his performance in the final game of the season. GRADE B+

Matt Flynn - If you look at 'season-savers', Flynn is one of them for a couple of games. Coming in against Minnesota pulling the team back in the fourth quarter to force a tie and then once again, a comeback against Dallas that will be remembered forever. But there are some lowlights including the whole Detroit game, and generally most of the Pittsburgh game as well. Flynn had such a bad year with other teams, and somewhat redeemed himself with the Packers. GRADE B

Scott Tolzien - The whole idea of Wisconsin Badgers' former quarterback coming in to save Green Bay was too much of a narrative. He made some plays against Philadelphia and one nifty spin move into the end zone against Minnesota, but truthfully, he did not doing anything amazing for Green Bay.  GRADE C-

Seneca Wallace - Nothing real exciting here except for a story when I was in Iowa for a wedding in mid-September. Sunday riding an elevator to breakfast after one of the biggest blackouts since age 21 weary as all get out, possibly still drunk. A conversation starts with an old man about football in Iowa and Green Bay. He goes 'Y'all have one of our boys up there.' Being a dumbass, I assumed he was a Hawkeye fan and asked who? (Forgetting Mike Daniels) and he said 'Seneca Wallace' Completely forgot he held a roster spot back then, oh wrong of me to think of him like that. GRADE D-

Running Back
Eddie Lacy - What a year for Lacy. He played really well all season as a rookie, and got better as the year progressed. If there is one player, I wanted to see further in the postseason was Lacy. He seemed to get stronger as the year moved on. He battled through an ankle injury, asthma and a early season concussion to be likely the Rookie of the Year on the offensive side of the ball.  This might be a little hyperbolic and a little over-the-top but I think Green Bay has two MVP contenders in the next three years in Rodgers and Lacy. He is my MVP for the season without question.  GRADE A

James Starks - I never realized it until FOX Sports Peter Schrager pointed out Lacy and Starks are a ton like Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw plus they happen to wear the same numbers. I would be fascinated to see another year of Starks with Lacy because I think they can be a formidable duo, but he will get a near starter money whether it be from Cleveland, New York Jets or any other team needing to upgrade at running back. Not to mention, Johnathan Franklin can be the change of pace back.  Really nice year for Starks when people thought he might not make the roster in August. GRADE B+

Wide Receiver
Jordy Nelson - Strange year for Jordy. One of the things I expected to be a narrative by Fall of 2014 is how much Rodgers needs Jordy and vice versa. Without Rodgers, Nelson had 504 yards with only one touchdown.  With Rodgers, Nelson had 810 yards with seven touchdowns. Now this amounted to a career season for Nelson going over 1,300 yards for the year becoming the true number one for this team. He finished seventh in Packers history for receiving yards in the year. Nelson is rounding right into his prime and that's a scary thought. GRADE A-

James Jones - Football is weird. Jones had 15 touchdowns last season, and this year, three. He did have over 800 yards, and it was very quiet. He only had two games with over 100 yards of receiving, and it occurred in the first six weeks of the season. A fine year for Jones, but nothing really eye-opening. I do not expect Jones back next year. Milwaukee Journal Sentinel did report he played the last two games with broken ribs which is impressive. Loaded wide receiver draft coupled with the play of Jarrett Boykin. I stuck behind him and like him a lot yet I really have no idea how he comes back next year. GRADE B-

Randall Cobb - Tough year for Randy. It is not truly slump as Matt Elam broke his goddamn leg. And let's not forget he had probably one of the most memorable catches in Green Bay's history. That will vault him a couple grades higher for Cobb this season but this season will probably be looked at as a blip on the radar with one major moment involved. GRADE C+

Jarrett Boykin - What is truly weird is I looked at Boykin's numbers, and I would think he would be right around what Jones did for the year, but that is not accurate. Granted, this could have something to do with Boykin not seeing time until the Baltimore game due to injuries. He had his coming out party against Cleveland with a touchdown and over 100 yards. Three out of the next four games Boykin would have at least 85 yards of receiving. It is truly exciting to see what will happen with him next season. Future is bright. GRADE B+

Tight End
Andrew Quarless - At the beginning of the year, I said 'Quarless is the guy you should be booing instead of Jermichael Finley, he drops the balls, not J-Mike.'  After Finley's injury, Quarless did not really step up into the offense until Rodgers went down. He did not have a multiple touchdown game nor a 100 yard game yet he played well against Atlanta and Dallas becoming more reliable as a tight end. He could come back and compete with a rookie tight end because they could really get a game-changer at that position early on. GRADE C+

Jermichael Finley - I am not going to give J-Mike a grade, but I wanted to type a few words saying it was awesome to watch him play with the Packers. I enjoyed being an unabashed defender of him, and I will return to my post if he comes back to the team although I highly doubt he will return. With modern medicine the way it is, I would not doubt Finley comes back and helps out a team next season whether it be Green Bay or not.

Offensive Line
David Bakhtiari - It is really hard to ask a fourth-round draft pick to play left tackle for Green Bay where he needs to protect arguably the best quarterback's blindside. Bakhtiari took some rookie lumps, but in reality, the future looks really bright for him. He handled Jared Allen twice, and did adequately against some of the other greats on the defensive line. The higher grade is due to what Green Bay asked him to do this season. Most people do not understand how hard this was for him. GRADE A-

Josh Sitton - I might get mad about his social media antics at times, but Sitton had a hell of year along with the others inside. Sitton helped bring back the Packers rushing attack. I honestly think he is a better run blocker than pass blocker, and that has not been known until this year. Although when it all said and done, he is a top five offensive guard plus making the smooth transition to the left side helps his grade as well. GRADE B+

Evan Dietrich-Smith - I do not know what to make of EDS. I am not sure he is a great offensive lineman, but I do not think he is average. Somewhere in-between would fit EDS perfectly. He is not the best at anything yet he gets the job, night in and night out.  He gets away with a lot of shit, and that's important when you are an inside man. Dietrich-Smith needs a new contract, and he might be the second-most important to return besides Sam Shields. It is tough to find centers to combine with great quarterbacks. If Rodgers wants EDS, the organization will keep him. GRADE B

T.J. Lang - I feel like he will probably get skewered for an average season because of who played right tackle next to him. As an offensive line, sometimes the guy next to you can limit what you did this season or what people thought of you. I felt like Lang had a close to Pro Bowl year honestly. He did just as much as Sitton to push the line and make things happen inside. Lang will be a solid right guard for years to come. GRADE B+

Don Barclay - I think next year will be better for Barclay. He is the lone lowlight on this offensive line. He will be perfect for the Marshall Newhouse role when Bryan Bulaga comes back into the fold next season. Barclay had too many moments where he got exposed leading to the pocket collapsing. Additionally, he did not do as much on the stretch/toss runs with Lacy/Starks. GRADE C

Marshall Newhouse - I hope I never have to watch this man play football again for my team. GRADE F