Recent NFL Moves & Situations

Jared Allen to the Vikings- While on one hand I think the Chiefs are absolutely retarded for letting Allen- last year's NFL sacks leader with 15.5- get away, the trade benefits both the Vikings and the Chiefs in big ways.

After franchising Allen during the offseason, Allen made it clear that he would not sign a long-term deal with the Chiefs. The Chiefs, who have been been underachieving for several seasons now (don't let their playoff appearance against the Colts in 2006 fool you) are in rebuilding mode, and got a slew of draft picks for Allen. With the 5th and 17th picks in the first round, the Chiefs are now in a position to select an offensive lineman like Brandon Albert, a defensive lineman like Sedrick Ellis, Glenn Dorsey, or Chris Long (at least one of which should still be available), trade down and draft a cornerback, or use any of the other 11 draft picks they have to trade up to get the best available athlete in a position of need.

The Vikings struck gold. For the past several drafts they have struck out on bust defensive ends. Erasmus James is terrible. Udeze has a blood disease or something. With Allen, the Vikings defense acquires an elite pass rusher and at least on paper has one of the best defenses in the NFC. If James can turn his "career" around, the Vikings' defensive line of James, Kevin Williams, Pat Williams, and Allen are going to wreak absolute havoc on the weak NFC North. With the Vikings' control-the-clock style offense on the shoulders of Adrian Peterson and Chester Taylor, the shortcomings of Tarvaris Jackson are somewhat minimized. Jackson flashed signs of hope late in the season last year before regressing and missing the playoffs. The loss of their first round pick this year isn't a big loss as far as I'm concerned- there won't be a player that addresses a need available and whoever they would have picked probably would have been a bust anyways.

Dolphins sign Jake Long- Jake Long will be the 1st pick overall in the 2008 NFL Draft. I like the pick, for the simple reason that good offensive lineman are hard to find and improve your entire offense (like Joe Thomas did for Cleveland). The Dolphins signed probably the safest prospect in the draft- Long should be the bookend for Miami for the next decade if not more. Before he got injured Ronnie Brown was leading the league in rushing, and if he recovers and can stay healthy there's no reason that the Dolphins shouldn't have a respectable rushing attack. Pass protection (or lack of it) made John Beck look terrible last season, and with the addition of Long whoever is under center should get enough time to throw to Ted Ginn Jr. and let him gain yards after the catch.

Jason Taylor headed out?- Also from Miami, rumors are abound that future Hall of Famer Jason Taylor might be on his way out of Miami. As much as I like Bill Parcells for not drafting future bust Matt Ryan, getting rid of Taylor would be a stupid, stupid move. I am hard pressed to name anyone else on the Dolphins defense besides Taylor (and the only ones I can name I only know because Randy Moss outjumped both of them twice in one game last season) with the retirement of Zach Thomas. Since the Dolphins are not going to draft one of the marquee defensive linemen in this draft, getting rid of Taylor puts all of the pressure on the offense, which, even if upgraded, simply will not be able to compete with the other teams in the AFC East. The Patriots offense, while it won't be as formidable as last year, will still cut the Dolphins apart especially without a pass rush. The return to health of Marshawn Lynch in Buffalo will open up opportunities for Lee Evans and Trent Edwards. The Jets revamped offensive line should lead their starter to a 1,000 yard season. Without a defense, you can't win.

Brian Urlacher contract dispute- The Bears should win the award for "Most idiotic General Manager in league history." The question marks began last year, franchising Lance Briggs and not re-signing him until this offseason. The Bears lucked out in a big way- the market for Briggs was thin and Chicago's pedestrian offer of 6 years, $36 million turned out to be the best deal. Briggs is an elite weakside linebacker, a pro bowler, durable, and one of the most important elements in a Super Bowl-caliber defense. Why you don't resign him immediately is beyond me.

The next stupid move came in the 2008 offseason with the resigning of Rex Grossman. Granted it's only a one-year deal, but why? Why? WHY? Grossman was awful even when the Bears went to the Super Bowl. "God-awful with 8 exclamation points" was how Al Michaels described nearly half of Grossman's 2006 season. In 2007, he lost the starting job to Brian Griese, who in turn lost it to Kyle Orton. Griese is gone, and Orton vs Grossman is hardly Joe Montana vs Steve Young. If the Bears want to compete in the NFC North with the Packers and Vikings, they need to either draft a quarterback that can lead the offense or acquire one through free agency. Not that it's all Grossman's fault (Devin Hester is the #1 receiver in Chicago right now), but still.

And finally, the most perplexing situation of all- the Bears refuse to renegotiate the contract of Brian Urlacher. DPOY, DROY, multiple Pro Bowl selections, team tackles leader for I don't know how many years running. Urlacher is the reason that the Bears defense functions. He is unquestionably the best middle linebacker in the league, and is making a strong case for eventual Hall of Fame consideration. Urlacher has clearly earned the right to ask for more money, yet the Bears have offered a 1 year extension with $5 million guaranteed with an extra $1 million bonus if he plays 85% of the defensive snaps. Urlacher's rookie contract was for 9 years and $56 million, with $13 million guaranteed. A big contract, but for good players big contracts are justified. A holdout would be hilarious. What monotone phrase will Lovie Smith recite in front of the press when Adrian Peterson breaks his own single-game rushing record against them in Urlacher's absence?

Jerry Angelo, the Bears general manager, said this of the situation: "Are you saying Brian's special, and we should do something for Brian and the other 52 will understand?"

Absolutely, you moron. Figure it out. Urlacher is the Tom Brady of the Midway, if you don't resign him and the Bears tank (again), you won't have a job.

Chad Johnson demands a trade- As much as I like Chad Johnson, this time I think he's gone a little too far. Johnson has more than he could ask for in Cincinnati...well, besides a winning team I guess. But the offense isn't the problem. Carson Palmer loves throwing to him. TJ Houshmanzadeh would be a #1 receiver on 75% of the teams in the NFL, and is worthy of double coverage in his own right. Since the Bengals running game is lackluster, the offense is pass-happy. Johnson's numbers reflect this.

If he somehow manages to talk his way out of Cincinnati, why would any team even want to pick him up? Sure, he's a great receiver, but how long is he going to stay happy in his new environment? I see a repeat of TO/McNabb wherever he goes. It will be nice for a season or two, but then Johnson is going to alienate himself from his team with his big mouth. Teams don't want players who are unwilling to be a team player.

That being said, what teams are looking to pick him up? The Redskins have expressed interest, but I can't see him being a good fit there. Washington is not a vertical offense, and Chad Johnson is a vertical receiver. He will not be satisfied catching 5 yard slant passes and then watching Fumble Portis turn the ball over. The Eagles? Maybe. But when Donovan McNabb dares look elsewhere to throw the ball (Brian Westbrook), Johnson isn't going to like that either. The Patriots have Randy Moss. The Colts don't have the cap room. The Bears don't have a quarterback. But none of this even matters because the Bengals won't trade him. Johnson should be ready to sit out the 2008-2009 season if he is serious about not wanting to play for the Bengals.

Cardinals refuse to deal Anquan Boldin- I'm not sure which side I agree with in this case. When healthy, Boldin has been brilliant. The problem is he hasn't been healthy a lot. On the other side Arizona has Larry Fitzgerald, another #2 receiver that could be a #1, who also just happened to renegotiate a massive contract to give Arizona more cap room. Boldin wants a similar deal but again, I see no reason for the Cardinals to do so unless he can stay healthy.

Reportedly the Eagles and the Redskins are both interested. Boldin would be a good fit in either scheme- he's big and has deep-threat speed, and isn't a drama queen like Chad Johnson.

But nobody really cares about the Cardinals in the first place, so what does it matter.

Shaun Alexander released from the Seahawks- Only about 2 years too late. Nobody is really sure why Shaun Alexander suddenly refuses to play hard / get first downs anymore, but it was clear by the end of the 2007 season that he was on his way out of Seattle. The Seahawks acquired running backs Julius Jones and TJ Duckett- a scat back and a power back, respectively, to lead their rushing attack in 2008. While I can't pin the blame fully on Alexander for his poor numbers recently (T Walter Jones & FB Mack Strong retired, G Steve Hutchinson left for Minnesota- all three potential Hall of Famers), even just watching him during the games you could tell that he was definitely not the same player.

I do, however, question the Seahawks signings of the 2 running backs mentioned above. Julius Jones was unspectacular in Dallas behind a great offensive line. TJ Duckett played in Detroit (need I say more?). The Seahawks, if they were looking for a running back, might as well have either waited to see which of the several 1st-round caliber backs fell to them late in the first round or traded up to get one.