Teague31
Defender of the Star
- Messages
- 18,221
- Reaction score
- 22,842
Free agency is over a week old and the field is picked clean. There are no “wow” players left, only remainders and bargain basement types.
The draft is full of good but not great receiver prospects and while there are some good running backs, do you spend a number one with Marion Barber due a big deal?
Where would Dallas go for wow?
How about Arizona and/or Tennessee?
Part One –The WR Gambit?
The Cardinals have said all the right things by their fans but reports this week say they have reached an impasse with WR Larry Fitzgerald. The Cards are boxed in financially — Fitzgerald has hit several escalator clauses in his original contract and is due $14.6 million this year and $17.4 million in ‘09 unless he and the team work out an extension.
If Fitzgerald and the Cards cannot rework his contract Arizona will have to trade him or risk losing one of the league’s best young players for nothing next spring. The Eagles have already approached Arizona, offering CB Lito Sheppard and WR Reggie Brown but Arizona is apparently uninterested in either.
Fitzgerald would solve a lot of Dallas short-term and long-term problems. He’s a proven elite receiver; he’s had two 100 reception, 1400 yard seasons the last three years. He’s big - 6′3″, 226 lbs. - and has velcro hands. Match him with T.O. and Jason Witten and DCs around the league will be buying Rolaids in Costco-sized jars.
And did I mention that he’s only 24 years old?
The bigger question is how to get him away from Arizona, who does not want to lose him? I have some ideas, which I’ll present later this week, but with two #1 picks in your team’s portfolio, I have to ask, would you use them in a package for Larry Fitzgerald?
Part Two — The Crazy Cornerback Gambit?
The PacMan Jones story continues to twist in the wind. The Nashville Tennessean says that eight teams, including the Patriots, Dolphins, Texas, Chiefs and Raiders have expressed interest in the troubled player. The Cowboys have apparently expressed the most interest.
The hurdles remain compensation and reinstatement. Tennessee obviously wants a high pick in return for Jones, who was a 6th overall pick and who played at a Pro Bowl level. However, no team seems willing to surrender a high selection for a man who has yet to be instated and who is uncertain of being reinstated; Commissioner Roger Goodell has said he will not ever consider reinstatement until July, just before training camps open.
Jones’ people are pushing for a decision before the draft, but it’s clear that even if Dallas likes Jones and is serious about pursuing him, it cannot depend on Jones in ‘08. In other words, look for Dallas to select a cornerback in the first round, come hell or high water.
And why would so many teams, many of them good teams, be interested in such a petulant, risky player? Here’s K.C. Joyner’s line on Jones from Scientific Football ‘07:
Jones’ off-field issues have been well documented, so I’ll take a moment to document his on-field performance last year. His 5.4 overall [yards per attempt] YPA was one of the best in the league adn his 56.7% overall success percentage was even better than his YPA.
Some are speculating that Jones’ days in the NFL could be over because of his legal problems, or that at the very least his Tennessee days are over. If and/or when he is cleared to return to the field, some team will give him a chance. His metrics are simply too good to be ignored and some coach or administrator will try their hand a managing the Pacman Jones experience.
Indeed his YPA was 8th in the league and his success percentage was 2nd among starting CBs in ‘06, just a fraction behind Champ Bailey’s.
That people like Bill Belichick and Bill Parcells, who are allergic to troublemakers, are interested shows you how good Jones’ game is.
Caveat emptor.
The draft is full of good but not great receiver prospects and while there are some good running backs, do you spend a number one with Marion Barber due a big deal?
Where would Dallas go for wow?
How about Arizona and/or Tennessee?
Part One –The WR Gambit?
The Cardinals have said all the right things by their fans but reports this week say they have reached an impasse with WR Larry Fitzgerald. The Cards are boxed in financially — Fitzgerald has hit several escalator clauses in his original contract and is due $14.6 million this year and $17.4 million in ‘09 unless he and the team work out an extension.
If Fitzgerald and the Cards cannot rework his contract Arizona will have to trade him or risk losing one of the league’s best young players for nothing next spring. The Eagles have already approached Arizona, offering CB Lito Sheppard and WR Reggie Brown but Arizona is apparently uninterested in either.
Fitzgerald would solve a lot of Dallas short-term and long-term problems. He’s a proven elite receiver; he’s had two 100 reception, 1400 yard seasons the last three years. He’s big - 6′3″, 226 lbs. - and has velcro hands. Match him with T.O. and Jason Witten and DCs around the league will be buying Rolaids in Costco-sized jars.
And did I mention that he’s only 24 years old?
The bigger question is how to get him away from Arizona, who does not want to lose him? I have some ideas, which I’ll present later this week, but with two #1 picks in your team’s portfolio, I have to ask, would you use them in a package for Larry Fitzgerald?
Part Two — The Crazy Cornerback Gambit?
The PacMan Jones story continues to twist in the wind. The Nashville Tennessean says that eight teams, including the Patriots, Dolphins, Texas, Chiefs and Raiders have expressed interest in the troubled player. The Cowboys have apparently expressed the most interest.
The hurdles remain compensation and reinstatement. Tennessee obviously wants a high pick in return for Jones, who was a 6th overall pick and who played at a Pro Bowl level. However, no team seems willing to surrender a high selection for a man who has yet to be instated and who is uncertain of being reinstated; Commissioner Roger Goodell has said he will not ever consider reinstatement until July, just before training camps open.
Jones’ people are pushing for a decision before the draft, but it’s clear that even if Dallas likes Jones and is serious about pursuing him, it cannot depend on Jones in ‘08. In other words, look for Dallas to select a cornerback in the first round, come hell or high water.
And why would so many teams, many of them good teams, be interested in such a petulant, risky player? Here’s K.C. Joyner’s line on Jones from Scientific Football ‘07:
Jones’ off-field issues have been well documented, so I’ll take a moment to document his on-field performance last year. His 5.4 overall [yards per attempt] YPA was one of the best in the league adn his 56.7% overall success percentage was even better than his YPA.
Some are speculating that Jones’ days in the NFL could be over because of his legal problems, or that at the very least his Tennessee days are over. If and/or when he is cleared to return to the field, some team will give him a chance. His metrics are simply too good to be ignored and some coach or administrator will try their hand a managing the Pacman Jones experience.
Indeed his YPA was 8th in the league and his success percentage was 2nd among starting CBs in ‘06, just a fraction behind Champ Bailey’s.
That people like Bill Belichick and Bill Parcells, who are allergic to troublemakers, are interested shows you how good Jones’ game is.
Caveat emptor.
