Off season news

[ohara]

Crap! Jaguars ask to interview Chudzinski for their HC position. Man, I just want him here for 1 more year to work with Cam. But Richardson wont stand in the way of his having a shot at a HC position.

[penquin11]

Man I really hope Chuds stays too, the team im really concerned about hiring him is the Bucs though (they have a bad history of hiring).

[ohara]

Let Ron Meeks go today as 2ndary coach. We needed an upgrade there. Hope they get a solid hire.

[penquin11]

we need alot of help on D, if we had say the Bengals defense this year then we would be taking a shot at a superbowl right now

[Jaruff]

Let Ron Meeks go today as 2ndary coach. We needed an upgrade there. Hope they get a solid hire.

I'm beginning to wonder if he was actually a good coach or if he received too much attention for work Dungy and others did in Indy. Not surprised at the move though; I couldn't see him here long-term after the demotion.

[ohara]

Whew! Dodged a bullet as Chud stays with Carolina 1 more year. Should be really good for the growth of Cam Newton. Very happy. But another good year from him, and he will get a HC position somewhere.

[ohara]

Signed Jyles Tucker, former DE for Chargers. Rivera is familiar with him. Played at Wake Forest. Not a particularly stellar career thus far. Guess that means we are not going after Mario Williams. As if.

[penquin11]

Signed Jyles Tucker, former DE for Chargers. Rivera is familiar with him. Played at Wake Forest. Not a particularly stellar career thus far. Guess that means we are not going after Mario Williams. As if.

We didnt have the cap space to go after Williams- plus no need to add an injury prone LB to our allready fragile LB squad.

I hope that we grab WR Brian Quick in the NFL draft- the dude is a great talent, he isn't going to impress with his off the line speed- but once he gets going he lives up to his name. He also never drops a pass. As I am an App State student I got to see the guy in action- often I wondered why the F*ck our QB didn't throw the ball more, after all Quick was taller then just about everyone who covered him- and definitely could out jump everyone....

[ohara]

Dont know much about Quick. Have to read up on him a bit.

Hope you noticed the "As if" at the end of my prior post. I was not being serious about Mario Williams.

[Jaruff]

Williams? Nah. I do think we'll sign Luis Castillo however. Recently released from San Diego and Ron Rivera will love the opportunity to pick up yet another Charger.

[ohara]

ESPN Insider had an article on FA's and their best destinations. They had Carolina as the best fit for Stevie Johnson of Buffalo. Now I would be very happy with that addition. That would give us a very solid WR to play with Smith while LaFell continues to improve. And that would allow both our 1st and 2nd round picks in the 2012 Draft to be Defense.

[ohara]

ESPN Insider had an article on FA's and their best destinations. They had Carolina as the best fit for Stevie Johnson of Buffalo. Now I would be very happy with that addition. That would give us a very solid WR to play with Smith while LaFell continues to improve. And that would allow both our 1st and 2nd round picks in the 2012 Draft to be Defense.

Well shoot fire! There goes that idea. Johnson resigned with Buffalo.

Do we dream Vincent Jackson? Man, if we got him in a Panther uniform!

[Jaruff]

I could see Vincent Jackson happening if the price is right.

[ohara]

Jackson or perhaps Colston from the Saints would make me happy. Give Cam another big target. Could also pursue Meachem from the Saints, not quite the target of Jackson or Colston, but still a quality receiver to play with Smith and LaFell.

My main goal is to get a WR from FA. That way our 1st and 2nd fround picks in the draft can be Defense with no concern for looking at a WR.

[ohara]

Keeping Hangartner and released Wharton. No big surprise on Wharton, given his age. But interesting they resigned Hangartner.

Looks like we are bringing in Jason Brown. Just released as Center for Rams, but a very solid lineman. Would be a very solid move to solidify our OL. May signal the end of Otah? Too bad, b/c Otah could have been great if not for the injuries.

[penquin11]

Some FA Grades:

The Bucs: D+
I know everyone is in a buz about the Bucs landing Vincent Jackson- but they already had several talented WR's on the team anyways! Grabbing Nicks does provide a nice upgrade to the front 5- but it doesn't fix their needs on D. Also the CB Wright signing was absolutely bizarre......

Chargers: B
The Chargers always have been bipolar in their FA spendings- and this year is no different. They shored up one of the NFL's top Centers on the cheap in Hardwick- but then went ahead and dumped money on underachieving Robert Meachem. However news says that they picked up Jared Gaither- a SOLID Oline man who is an upgrade for nearly any team.

Cowboys: B
So far the Boy's only big move has been grabbing Brandon Carr- who is one of the better CB's in the league and certainly fills a need for the Boys. If they can manage to address OLine issues this FA class could be one of the better ones they have had in recent years.

Redskins: D
I love Pierre Garcon- but there is no way in hell he should be making more money than Reggie Wayne. Also I like the Josh Morgan pickup- but it came at too large a cost. They also resigned the rather overrated Adam Carriker...

Browns: F (Offseason Grade)
Why would they pass on trying to grabb Flynn or any QB for that matter- their offense has been anemic for a decade and yet they still refuse to throw down money to pick up an actual QB. This makes no sense- usually the year after you pull off a blockbuster trade that grabs another 1st rounder you would act and use the year to really retool your team.... But the Browns havent...

Eagles: D+
Its not that they have been spending alot or signing many people- but they resigned WR Jackson to a large 5 year deal that makes very little sense for the club- he isn't even going to be their #1 WR! Not to mention Riley Cooper was solid in the #2 WR slot this year.... Just seems like the Eagles signed him unnecessarily.

Rams: A+ (Off-season Grade)
Let me put some things into perspective: over the last few weeks the Rams have shored up multiple (3 is it?) plus another second rounder this year at the cost of 1 pick. This should allow the Rams to fix up their O-Line plus grab Justin Blackmon.... They will likely also be in position to draft one of the better LB's in this years draft class with their 2nd or 3rd round selections...... Great job by the management team so far (holy sh*t I can't believe I just typed good job and Rams in the same paragraph)....

49ers: C+
Many people will critisize the 49ers for taking chances on questionable players- but Harbaugh has already shown that he can successfully motivate players to excel and get past their character concerns, so to me the Moss signing makes sense as does the Cox resigning... Also Ahmad Brooks was pretty solid last year- so no real question as to why they did that one....

Chiefs: C-
The biggest thing I have against the Chiefs is that they didn't resign CB Car who is one of the better CB's in the game..... But other than that the Chiefs have been quite in FA- which is nothing to be ashamed of.

Bears (Offseason Grade): A+
Brandon Marshall is by no means perfect- but I have got to give the man credit with being Brave enough to tell the world about his personality disorder. Not to mention he is a HUGE upgrade over anyone they had on their WR squad- and the Bears got him for little to nothing.... Also the Jason Cambell signing was a steal- Cambell is a starter quality QB who could have gotten a chance to start in Miami, KC, Denver, Seattle, Cleveland, or such.... So in the occasion that Cutler goes down the Bears still can keep winning games. The thing I am yet to see is if the Bears can bring in a solid backup RB whether through trade (see Jonathan Stewart, Tim Hightower, Brandon Tate, CJ Spiller, Pierre Thomas, ect) to shore up any injury problems with Matt Forte.....

Seattle Seahawks: B
Marshawn Lynch finally found a fan base that loves him- and I honestly believe that deep down in Lynch's heart he always wanted to be wanted- something he never really felt in Buffalo. Ever since his historical (like GOAT) run against the Saints he has been unstoppable, so resigning him was a great move. Also the Red Bryant resigning is smart as it will bring consistency to a team that has had so much overturn in the last 2 years.... So far so good for the Seahawks...

[ohara]

Keeping Derek Anderson as backup to Cam. Good idea. Time to let Jimmy go. Somewhere I read there was a possiblity they could draft a QB late, perhaps the kid from Wisconsin who played at NC State for 3 years, Russell Wilson. I'd be happy with that.

And glad they cut the Punter, Mr. Baker. Was lowest avg in football last season. Hate to spend a draft pick on a punter, but the kid from Ga. is real good. Read that in the same article as about Wilson.

[ohara]

Penguin, I like what the Bucs have done. Think they will be a lot better. Also like what the Redskins are doing, getting some good WR's to give someone for RG3 to throw the ball to as a Rookie. And I do not like what the Bears did getting that headcase Brandon Marshall. He's a nut case. But I do like the move getting Jason Campbell to back up Cutler. Very solid move on their part.

[penquin11]

Penguin, I like what the Bucs have done. Think they will be a lot better. Also like what the Redskins are doing, getting some good WR's to give someone for RG3 to throw the ball to as a Rookie. And I do not like what the Bears did getting that headcase Brandon Marshall. He's a nut case. But I do like the move getting Jason Campbell to back up Cutler. Very solid move on their part.

The Bucs have tossed $7million dollars a year at Eric Wright- who has previously been a disaster in Detroit and Cleveland- that is starting CB money given to a bench-warmer in my opinion. OG Nicks is a good player- but it concerns me that he would be willing to move from superbowl champion to NFC garbage for some extra $$, and quite frankly the Bucs would have been better served trying to draft a guy anyways, WR Vincent Jackson is solid- but he has never recieved more than 68 passes in a season despite having played for one of the NFL's elite QB's - and being the dominant #1 WR on that team, if Mike Williams comes back to form than Vincent Jackson will have been a waste of money- and a big one at that.

The Redskins picked up Pierre Garcon- who I like- but not who I would throw $7-$8 million a year at (with $21 million guaranteed) to be honest I really wouldn't have tossed that money at any of this year's FA WR's outside of Marques Colston (who I would have tossed $10mill+ a year at). Also the Josh Morgan signing seems a tad silly, Laurent Robinson would have been a better fit- and they could have signed Donnie Avery for next to nothing.....

Brandon Marshall I think is probably not the headcase he once was- and by that I mean that he may have finally dropped below Muhammad Ali levels of arrogance, and I do think that he is trying to become a better person/player. Either way he had a great relationship with the pussy that is Jay Cutler- who will be more than happy to throw bombs his way....

[Jaruff]

Looks like we lost Dan Connor to the Cowboys. Really liked him here.