In the words of LeBron James, “It’s about damn time.”
And finally, the long awaited Miami free agency move.
Dolphin fans, please say hello to David Garrard.
So who’s going to quarterback the 2012 Dolphins? Miami begin last year with a horrendous start but ended on a high note by winning the last six of nine and knocking the division rival Jets out of the playoffs. Things were looking up for the team. They have a good defense and some offensive weapons. Reggie Bush had his best year as a pro. Daniel Thomas has shown promise but unfortunately the team let Brandon Marshall, their best offensive weapon, go to the Bears. And let’s not forget, Matt Moore played surprisingly not so bad last year. Early in the season Chad Henne was knocked out with a shoulder injury and Matt Moore took over finding some success.
Well Chad Henne is now with the Jags. By all accounts the Dolphins are behind the Titans, Niners and Broncos in the Manning Derby. And today, news broke that Matt Flynn will be going to Seattle. So who does that leave for the Dolphins? How about a quarterback that Peyton Manning would replace? Yup, Alex Smith met with the Dolphins today. No further word at this time but the Dolphins have another interview candidate lined up for this week. Any guesses?
David Garrard.
The Boys have been making some offseason moves. Last year the Cowboys’ secondary was pretty awful. You could argue it was one of the main reasons they faded down the the stretch. On Tuesday, Dallas cut Terence Newman, which was a move that will probably benefit both parties. Newman played poorly in Dallas, a fresh start will do him a lot of good.
Yesterday, the Cowboys began to improve their secondary with the Chiefs’ Brandon Carr. They gave him a five-year deal for $50.1 million. Carr is a good cover corner and he is only 26 so he could improve into a great cover corner but that is a huge deal. Think of it this way. On the other side of Carr was Brandon Flowers, the better of the two cornerbacks who would handle the opposing team’s WR1. They Chiefs locked him up for five-year, $52 million last year. I suppose that’s the price of inflation.
In other news, Laurent Robinson signed a deal with Jacksonville. Robinson was huge for Dallas while Miles Austin was injured. They should have Dez and a healthy Austin but Robinson will be missed.
Remember how we kept hearing that Reggie Wayne would likely follow Manning to wherever he made his next home? Well, guess who’s bizack. Reggie Wayne has signed a contract to stick with the Colts for another three years. Great news for Andrew Luck. Reggie Wayne might be one of only a few returning faces to the Indianapolis passing game.
This just in, Cortland Finnegan is expected to come to terms with the St. Louis Rams. The deal is supposed to be for five years. Finnegan is an excellent corner who seems to do it all despite his small size. He is currently trying to battle Ndamukong Suh to be called the NFL’s dirtiest player. The difference between the two of them, Cortland wants the title, Suh can’t help himself.
Now for a few players who will comeback to their existing teams. New York cornerback, Terrell Thomas, has agreed to a new deal with the Giants. The Seahawks Red Bryant will be back with Seattle and Tim Jennings will be back with the Bears. Sometimes resigning your existing players are the most important moves you can make.
Vincent Jackson finally gets his wish. Tampa Bay is giving a Vincent Jackson a five year deal totaling $55,555,555. That’s eight fives.
Jackson is 29 and has been a very productive receiver. It will be interesting to see how he does in a new uniform. His skill sets seemed perfect for what he did in San Diego. He’s a big receiver (6-5 230) and could use is body to get separation from the defenders in the air. Can Josh Freeman sling it like Rivers? He’ll have the chance to with Jackson and Mike Williams.
In keeping with the Washington theme, ex-Redskin Jason Campbell has agreed to a deal with the Chicago Bears. Campbell was having a productive season last year before an injury sidelined him and he was replaced by Carson Palmer. Campbell will serve as Jay Cutler’s backup. Why is this important? Because Jay Cutler gets hurt every year. Jason Campbell will mostly start multiple games for Chicago this December.
The NFL wastes no time. Free agency officially started at 4:00 this afternoon and the moves soon followed. Let’s try to get caught up on the first day happenings.
The Redskins believe that come April 26 they will have their quarterback of the future. That’s great, who’s he going to throw to? The Redskins don’t have any picks left so they are doing what they can with free agents. Which is exactly what the Redskins do every season.
Their first move was to pick up Pierre Garcon. Pierre is a young and fast receiver that was productive at times in Indy. He might be a little over hyped. Pierre had Manning throwing to him and Reggie Wayne lining up on the opposite side of the field. He’s got skill but he was good for bone headed plays too. It often looked like Manning told him to go to a spot and he would hit him and Garcon would wind up nowhere near where the ball landed. I’ve had him on my fantasy team, he’s great for garbage time yards.
Not long after the Garcon news Washington also picked up Josh Morgan. Morgan is also a fast and young receiver. He didn’t make the field for most of last year but he could be a nice big target for RG3. I guess it’s also important to note that Josh Morgan is a DC native. He’s coming home.
Peter King’s Top 50 Free Agents: (Top 10)
- Peyton Manning (QB)
- Mario Williams (DE/OLB)
- Cortland Finnegan (CB)
- Carl Nicks (OG)
- Matt Flynn (QB)
- Brandon Carr (CB)
- Vincent Jackson (WR)
- Jeremy Mincey (DE)
- Stephen Tulloch (MLB)
- Brodrick Bunkley (DT)
(Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images North America)
