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.

Packers Go Tag Free in March

On Monday, the National Football League had tag day. It was the last day where teams could officially give a player a franchise tag or a transition tag. Green Bay Packers could have tagged Sam Shields or B.J. Raji ensuring they would not enter the open market. That did not happen as Green Bay decided not to use their tag meaning Shields and Raji could end up players for other NFL teams this Fall. Although this is not the end for either player in Green Bay at the very moment, all it means is the Packers have a plan in place and franchise tags were not a part of it.

Shields was the one player where a franchise tag might have been expected from Green Bay. There seems to be some thoughts that he will be in high demand as a young secondary member with blazing speed plus his ability to lock down some of the top wide receivers in the NFL. According to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com, Green Bay wants to give Shields a Tim Jennings-like contract where Chicago Bears inked him up for 22 million dollars over four years. It appears like Shields wants a little bit more than that, so the question is how much is too much for Green Bay?  

There are a couple things to think about here when looking at Shields right now. First, there are rumblings the salary cap will increase by 20 percent in three years meaning if a team were to give a player much more money than expected, they might be protected three years down to road if they screw up.  Second, Miami Dolphins re-signed Brett Grimes, a 30-year-old Pro Bowl cornerback for 32 million with 16 million guaranteed spread over four years. Shields is 26 years old with some promise, but not the accolades Grimes has right now with Pro Bowl appearances. In my eyes, Shields will probably seek a contract near Grimes but fall somewhere in-between Grimes and Jennings.  If that's the case, there is reason to sign Shields but if he gets Grimes money, Green Bay can afford to see him go. 

Sometimes, it gets lost on people that paying a player when they should be heading into their prime usually yields results. The prime of a professional athlete can be tough to define yet there is evidence to show when it actually happens for most guys. Green Bay have rarely gave up on players when they know a ceiling still might be there. Additionally if Shields was 29 right now with the same sort of accolades, he will probably be a complete afterthought for Green Bay and move on to greener pastures. The opportunities are endless with Shields, but if a team overpays him, it will not be Green Bay.  

Certain positions on Green Bay do not have depth, but the secondary features a stable of Tramon Williams, Micah Hyde, Casey Hayward, Davon House and Jarrett Bush. Hayward was a damn near Pro Bowler during his rookie year and could not stay on the field this season. Hyde became a pretty strong player by the end of the year plus Williams played his best in the last couple of years in the final couple weeks of the season. They could afford to lose Shields. He is a fan favorite, but they have the depth to afford to lose Shields if a team gives him an asinine amount of money.  

As for Raji, no one really expected Green Bay to give him the franchise tag. This seems to be a fractured relationship honestly. Packers tried to pay him, but Raji felt he was owed eight million dollars. Raji pulled the anti-Bill Hall having one of the more underwhelming years in a contract season. There is a chance Raji might feel slighted because Defensive Coordinator Dom Capers likes to rotate players in and out. Although money talks and if he gets the James Jones treatment which is entirely possible where Raji does not get the contract he wants, there are good odds he might take the offer Green Bay puts on the table for him. There is a great deal of unpredictability with Raji more so than Shields.   

Others have wondered if the Packers might be hunting bigger fish in the sea getting rid of Shields and Raji all together opening more money for Green Bay to make some major moves. Jairus Byrd is completely on the table in my eyes if that's the case, same goes for T.J. Ward or Linval Joesph. All of these players could be players for Green Bay or nothing at all. With not applying tags, it means there is possibility for more free agents as people murmured about in the past month. 

This is the first time in a couple years where big name, likable Packers are involved with free agency. Honestly, it is a terrifying experience because there will be news of a player visiting this team or a player slighted by Green Bay's contract. It is time to see what happens in free agency and how this team could change for the better or worse in 2014. 

Charlie.  

Packers Free Agent Philosophy to Change?

For years, Green Bay Packers fans have wanted their team to spend more money. The demand was there, but Ted Thompson would not listen sticking to the plan of getting players through the draft versus dropping major coin on free agent. It appears the fan base will have their wish this offseason as NFL.com's Ian Rapoport reports Green Bay could sign as many as five free agents to revamp their defense to make a quicker, faster version of Dom Capers' 3-4 defense which will also mean B.J. Raji could be sent packing. Green Bay could be spending on some of the big players, but also some under the radar free agents worth looking at plus what it means for players on the team right now and Packers free agents.

This obviously excites some people, but it should be tempered as free agents are not a given to be great plus it does not mean they will be major free agents. Green Bay will be smart about it meaning they are not going to be major players with every free agent on the market, but I have to assume they have some targets to make their defense better. Green Bay realizes what they are doing is not working, and while they succeeded at stopping the run, their secondary plus their pass rush was nothing to talk about. It has not been since the Super Bowl season. This is where Green Bay wants to make a difference.

The other thing people need to realize is there is not a guarantee these contracts will be for top free agents where they are giving a guy, five years and 60 million dollars. They could sign a couple free agents in the range of one or two years for 12 to 16 million dollars. That's perfectly okay. Seattle Seahawks did that with guys like Michael Bennett, same goes with New England and San Francisco. All of them feasted off these big one or two year contracts, and while usually they cannot resign them, they help in the short-term. Green Bay is smarter to judge a player's full career versus one or two down years.

People were to create a wish list for free agents there are some names that could fit what the Packers want for 2014. The first name is Brian Orakpo from Washington. He plays outside linebacker, and a complete game-changer. Orakpo would create massive problems for opposing offenses seeing him and Clay Matthews on the outside. I would question why bring in an outside linebacker when they drafted Nick Perry a couple years ago and moved position for Mike Neal. Another name people would like is either Jairus Byrd or T.J. Ward at safety. Byrd is likable with his ability to make plays, and Ward is a straight up hitter giving Green Bay an edge they have needed for awhile. If Thompson signs a safety, it likely means he does not like the NFL Draft prospects.

A couple names that might go under the radar but worth a look would be Linval Joesph and Lamarr Houston. These are players whom have both been in a 4-3 system, but they have the beef to be part of a 3-4 especially if Green Bay is going a bit smaller.  The Giants defensive tackle is 330 pounds meaning he can move around to all three positions plus if the idea is to go small, it seems like Joesph, a former second round pick could contribute to this team. Houston is around 300 pounds, but I still think he could play a defensive end for Green Bay as a smaller guy along side with a couple others already on the Green Bay roster.

This also obviously raise questions about Green Bay's defense as they are today.  A couple things I would be interested to watch is what happens with Neal, Mike Daniels and Raji. Does Green Bay tell him to move back to defensive end, or use him as a hybrid like 3-4 systems in college football do with some of their players?  Also Daniels has to be a reason as to why Green Bay might be changing mentality a bit. They realize his star power and the fact he does not really fit right now with what the Packers have meaning Daniels should be expected to play a larger role with this squad.  As for Raji, I do not see him coming back to this team, same goes for Ryan Pickett. It sounds like Green Bay is tired of their old system and does not really want some of the key cogs back on the team.

In whatever way this goes down, it is still exciting. There was some criticism of Thompson not listening to his pro scouts and being too stubborn. Thompson basically shuts all of that down if this report becomes true as he sees a need to change because the window is slowly yet surely closing on this team.

Charlie.