Gryphon
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Posted: February 27, 2008
Spending big money on free agents is a dangerous game.
When NFL free agency begins Friday, Randy Moss, Asante Samuel, Lance Briggs, Alan Faneca and Michael Turner will be among those available to the highest bidder. Signing any of them will cost millions and take a significant chunk of a team's salary cap. More importantly, if you sign one of those players, and your team doesn't improve next season, you have made a serious mistake.
The only guarantee about free agency is that it's expensive. It does not guarantee success. Ask the San Francisco 49ers. They looked like the big winners last March when they signed cornerback Nate Clements, safety Michael Lewis and linebacker Tully Banta-Cain to free-agent deals. With their revamped defense, the 49ers talked about winning the NFC West. Then the season started, and the 49ers looked as terrible on defense as they did the year before. Simply put, their dive into free agency was not money well-spent.
Because of sagas like the 49ers', more teams have become gun-shy, not gung-ho, in regard to free agency. Take the Colts. Instead of investing in free agency, the Colts re-invested in their own players, signing tight end Dallas Clark and guard Ryan Lilja to new deals to prevent them from becoming free agents. Colts president Bill Polian will not be a free-agent player this year, and he's happy not to participate in the market.
"The penalty for missing in free agency, because of the cost of the players, is greater than in any other personnel acquisition," said Polian. "I'm not a gambler. I don't even like to play bingo. I'd rather put my money in the envelope on Sunday. We'll just watch and keep track. We're not players. We put all our chips on the guys we had."
This year, Samuel is like Clements -- the best cornerback on the free-agent market. The Saints, the Buccaneers and the Eagles are expected to be interested in Samuel, who is reportedly looking for a deal averaging between $10 million and $11 million per season.
The Saints had one of the worst pass defenses in the NFL last season. Receivers ran roughshod over their secondary (think: Forrest Gump). But if the Saints sign Samuel, but don't make the playoffs next year, there's no way they can justify having spent that kind of money for him, even if he plays well.
Most teams have figured out that it's more prudent to keep their best players, rather than chase after free agents, or let their best players walk. That's why so many teams used the franchise tag on their prospective free agents. The franchise tag gives you another year to keep a core player, and gives you extra time to work out a long-term agreement.
Sure, signing big-name free agents can work. The Patriots reached the Super Bowl undefeated after adding linebacker Adalius Thomas and wide receiver Donte' Stallworth as free agents, and trading for Moss and Wes Welker. Terrell Owens has worked out well for the Cowboys, and for one season, he worked out pretty well for the Eagles, too. Steve Hutchinson has helped anchor the Vikings' offensive line, after leaving the Seahawks for big money two seasons ago. And Plaxico Burress, who signed with the Giants as a free agent three years ago, has become Eli Manning's favorite target.
But for a team in rebuilding mode, signing Moss or Samuel makes little sense. I am still trying to figure out why the Dolphins signed linebacker Joey Porter last season. Even if Porter had played like Junior Seau in his prime, the Dolphins would have been awful.
To me, Moss is the most interesting player in this free-agent class. I think Moss is better off staying with the Patriots, and their offense will not be the same if he leaves. Will Moss seriously entertain leaving the Patriots and Tom Brady? And if Moss leaves, could he possibly land in Dallas?
In a few days, some free agents will cash in big, but it will take much longer to figure out which teams really cashed in. Linebacker Kawika Mitchell was the Giants' biggest free-agent addition last year, and things worked out pretty well for them. That is why free agency is so interesting. Sometimes, the biggest winners are the teams that spend the least.
Clifton Brown is a writer for Sporting News. E-mail him at cliftonbrown@sportingnews.com.
__________________
for more updates visit http://gryphononcowboys.blogspot.com/
Spending big money on free agents is a dangerous game.
When NFL free agency begins Friday, Randy Moss, Asante Samuel, Lance Briggs, Alan Faneca and Michael Turner will be among those available to the highest bidder. Signing any of them will cost millions and take a significant chunk of a team's salary cap. More importantly, if you sign one of those players, and your team doesn't improve next season, you have made a serious mistake.
The only guarantee about free agency is that it's expensive. It does not guarantee success. Ask the San Francisco 49ers. They looked like the big winners last March when they signed cornerback Nate Clements, safety Michael Lewis and linebacker Tully Banta-Cain to free-agent deals. With their revamped defense, the 49ers talked about winning the NFC West. Then the season started, and the 49ers looked as terrible on defense as they did the year before. Simply put, their dive into free agency was not money well-spent.
Because of sagas like the 49ers', more teams have become gun-shy, not gung-ho, in regard to free agency. Take the Colts. Instead of investing in free agency, the Colts re-invested in their own players, signing tight end Dallas Clark and guard Ryan Lilja to new deals to prevent them from becoming free agents. Colts president Bill Polian will not be a free-agent player this year, and he's happy not to participate in the market.
"The penalty for missing in free agency, because of the cost of the players, is greater than in any other personnel acquisition," said Polian. "I'm not a gambler. I don't even like to play bingo. I'd rather put my money in the envelope on Sunday. We'll just watch and keep track. We're not players. We put all our chips on the guys we had."
This year, Samuel is like Clements -- the best cornerback on the free-agent market. The Saints, the Buccaneers and the Eagles are expected to be interested in Samuel, who is reportedly looking for a deal averaging between $10 million and $11 million per season.
The Saints had one of the worst pass defenses in the NFL last season. Receivers ran roughshod over their secondary (think: Forrest Gump). But if the Saints sign Samuel, but don't make the playoffs next year, there's no way they can justify having spent that kind of money for him, even if he plays well.
Most teams have figured out that it's more prudent to keep their best players, rather than chase after free agents, or let their best players walk. That's why so many teams used the franchise tag on their prospective free agents. The franchise tag gives you another year to keep a core player, and gives you extra time to work out a long-term agreement.
Sure, signing big-name free agents can work. The Patriots reached the Super Bowl undefeated after adding linebacker Adalius Thomas and wide receiver Donte' Stallworth as free agents, and trading for Moss and Wes Welker. Terrell Owens has worked out well for the Cowboys, and for one season, he worked out pretty well for the Eagles, too. Steve Hutchinson has helped anchor the Vikings' offensive line, after leaving the Seahawks for big money two seasons ago. And Plaxico Burress, who signed with the Giants as a free agent three years ago, has become Eli Manning's favorite target.
But for a team in rebuilding mode, signing Moss or Samuel makes little sense. I am still trying to figure out why the Dolphins signed linebacker Joey Porter last season. Even if Porter had played like Junior Seau in his prime, the Dolphins would have been awful.
To me, Moss is the most interesting player in this free-agent class. I think Moss is better off staying with the Patriots, and their offense will not be the same if he leaves. Will Moss seriously entertain leaving the Patriots and Tom Brady? And if Moss leaves, could he possibly land in Dallas?
In a few days, some free agents will cash in big, but it will take much longer to figure out which teams really cashed in. Linebacker Kawika Mitchell was the Giants' biggest free-agent addition last year, and things worked out pretty well for them. That is why free agency is so interesting. Sometimes, the biggest winners are the teams that spend the least.
Clifton Brown is a writer for Sporting News. E-mail him at cliftonbrown@sportingnews.com.
__________________
for more updates visit http://gryphononcowboys.blogspot.com/