At LWOS we are always looking for new ways to entertain our fans. Today we introduce a new feature that we hope you will like. We call it Pro Pigskin Thoughts: The Football Roundtable. At the end of nearly a week of NFL Free agency we pose several football related questions to our panel of life-long NFL fans for their candid opinions. We invite anyone to participate by answering the same questions in the “Comments” section at the bottom of this article. In this edition, our panel consists of our LWOS football experts Alex Sibo (@LWOS_Sibo), Connor Fulton (@fulton_connor), Nick Frost (@N_1_C_K_F), and Justin Price (@JPriceLWOS)
The LWOS experts weigh-in on the biggest moves of the NFL Off-Season, in our Pro Pigskin Roundtable.
1) What team has improved themselves the most in NFL free agency’s first week?
Alex: Call me crazy, but I’ve been really impressed with what the Jaguars have done so far. They traded Blaine Gabbert and re-signed Chad Henne to give them a contingency plan at QB. They also signed Zane Beadles and Toby Gerhart giving them a power element in the run game. But most remarkable is what they’ve done on defense. They’ve signed a proven pass rusher in Chris Clemons and an elite run defender in Red Bryant, as well as adding Ziggy Hood and bringing back Jason Babin to give them an excellent D-line rotation. Most importantly, by bringing in a slew of above average players to fill needs, the Jags have put themselves in a position to draft based on talent, as opposed to need, in one of the best drafts in recent memory.
Connor: Darrelle Revis. Brandon Browner. Brandon Lafell. And last, but definitely not least, the resigning of Julian Edelman. These four moves by the Patriots put the team in extremely good standing entering the draft. New England has arguably the best secondary in the league now, as Revis and Browner will join Alfonzo Dennard and Ryan at cornerback, with Devin McCourty, Adrian Wilson, and Duron Harmon patrolling the back end. Possibly more important, however, was the retaining of Edelman. If Tom Brady had to endure another offseason of losing his favorite target, it would’ve done a lot of damage to the team. Instead, he got his guy back, and has yet another threat at his disposal, the former Panther LaFell.
Nick: I personally really like what Atlanta have done. Their main priority going into the offseason was to upgrade their awful offensive and defensive lines, and they have already gone a long way to doing that. On defence, all things point to a change to a 3-4 base, and have already secured a solid front in the form of Paul Soliai, Tyson Jackson and Johnathan Babineaux.
On offence, they have re-tooled on the o-line with Jon Asamoah, Joe Hawley and Mike Johnson. Although not great players, they are all significant upgrades over what they had before. Although the team still needs a pass rusher and tight, these are all holes which are easily filled in the draft.
Justin: The obvious pick here is Denver, but I am actually going to go with the Cleveland Browns. Here is a team that obviously can’t buy a win, but the front office is spending money to put a competitive team on the field. With the signings of Karlos Dansby, Ben Tate, Andrew Hawkins and Donte Whitner they could put themselves in contention. Having Josh Gordon who will make any QB look good they can keep Brian Hoyer or draft one in the draft as well as a additional receiver. Tate was huge because he is a solid back, with tons of potential that has been hidden by Arian Foster.
2) What player cut by his former team surprised you the most? Steve Smith, DeMarcus Ware, Darrelle Revis, someone else?
Alex: Steve Smith was definitely the most surprising. Both Ware and Revis were due huge contracts and neither fit the team’s current defensive scheme anymore. Smith on the other hand had served as the face of the Panthers for a decade and only had a $4 million salary for 2014. Not to mention that with Smith’s departure the Panthers do not have a WR under contract with a single pass catch in the NFL.
Connor: Of all the veterans cut prior to free agency, DeMarcus Ware was the most surprising. The Broncos are paying Ware only $250,000 more than he was set to make this year in Dallas–could the Cowboys really not stand to fork this money over to one of the best pass rushers in recent memory? Yes, Ware’s 2013 season was disappointing, but you can’t expect a guy to rack up 10.0, 12.0 sacks every season. And with the departure of Jason Hatcher, the Cowboys’ pass rush is non-existent right now.
Nick: Although speculation about Darrelle Revis being cut had been around for a few weeks, it still shocked me. The Bucs are only a year removed from giving up a first and fourth round pick for him, and he is one of the best three corners in the game. Although I like the moves they made with the money gained from cutting him, it still makes no sense to me to give up such a valuable commodity so quickly and cheaply.
Justin: I think DeMarcus Ware was the biggest surprise cut to me. I felt like he was a Dallas Cowboy until retirement and I felt like Dallas owed it to him to make it work. He really wasn’t expendable in my eyes due to the needs of the defense.
3) Who is doing the worst in free agency and what needs do they still have to address?
Alex: Oakland stands out as the worst team in free agency so far. They let Jared Veldheer walk, a player whom I’ve been high on as an athlete and left tackle since he came out of Hillsdale College in 2010. They then handed out more money to Roger Saffold than what Velheer got from Arizona, then failed him on his physical, letting him re-sign with St. Louis for far less. The Raiders now have no left tackle and no negotiating leverage, as Donald Penn is the only man on the open market who is remotely capable. Not to mention they overpaid for Austin Howard, Justin Tuck, and Lamarr Woodley.
Connor: The Giants are doing the worst in free agency, mainly because of the cast of supporting players that they have lost. Linval Joseph, Hakeem Nicks, Brandon Myers, Kieth Rivers, Ryan Mundy, and Justin Tuck won’t be wearing Giant blue next season. Joseph is the biggest loss; at age 25, he was one of the most powerful players on the entire team. Losing a guy who is such a fixture on the defensive line will hurt a lot this season. The other losses aren’t as bad, but they add up–New York will be starting from scratch in 2014, for better or for worse.
Nick: Considering how badly they did last season, I think the Houston Texans work in free agency has a lot to be desired. Although they do not have a lot of cap room, they still have over $12 million according to the latest NFLPA report. But they have only made one move, and that was to massively over-pay Garrett Graham by giving him $11.25 million over 3 years with $4.5 million guaranteed. Although there is still time to recover things, it looks like the Texans have a lot to do going into the draft.
Justin: The Dallas Cowboys are my pick for the team that is doing the worst. I stand firm on you need to build a team through the draft, but they have so many needs from LB, OL, DL, to DB that they need to get out and spend some money. They have done nothing but sign lower-tier players who most likely will not make an impact. They have lost three defensive players who gave that defense an even remote chance at being average. Now they are starting from scratch and players are flying off the board. If they go into the season as is, they will be lucky to win five games.
4) What free agent signing is the worst? Who is going to be paid far too much for what the team is getting?
Alex: The richest contract handed out also happens to be the worst, in my opinion. Denver gave Aqib Talib $57 million, $26 million of which is guaranteed. That kind of money is far too much for a player who has never played a full 16 game schedule and has a history off the field issues.
Connor: Julius Peppers was immensely overpaid by the Packers. The 34-year-old pass rusher will be pulling in $8.5 million this season, a huge figure for a player that his well past his prime. The Bears probably had a good chuckle when they saw the contract; they know first-hand what Peppers is worth at this stage of his career.
Nick: Although Ziggy Hood’s deal with the Jags gets an honourable mention, the most ridiculous deal has to be Chris William’s contract with the Bills. He stunk in St Louis last year, and had a PFF grade of -21.8. Yet Buffalo gave him a four year contract with $5.5 million guaranteed and an average of over $3 million per year. That’s a huge number for a player who is a best a backup guard.
Justin: I think Talib is way over paid, I believe he is a good CB, but he is not Sherman or Revis great. I think Denver wanted to out do the Patriots and lost all logic in signing a deal that benefits the team. Not to mention Talib has trouble staying healthy and out of trouble throughout a season as stated above.
5) Jonathan Martin is headed for a reunion with Jim Harbaugh. We have a coach who is known as a very “tough” guy on his players, but he is also Martin’s college coach. Does this work out?
Alex: Absolutely. Martin’s issues in Miami were not a result of tough coaching, but a result cluelessness on the part of Joe Philbin. Dating back to Hard Knocks, Philbin has appeared to be a rather poor leader, and his handling of the Martin/Incognito situation hasn’t helped that perception, as he seemed content to let the inmates run the asylum, while making power plays against Jeff Ireland. So if anything, Martin will benefit greatly from having a tough and familiar presence in Harbaugh.
Connor: Yes, but it will have more to do with the supporting cast of players on the ‘Niners roster than Harbaugh himself. A team doesn’t reach the NFC Championship game three seasons in a row with just a tough coach, they do it with a tightly-knit locker room that is welcoming to new additions of all backgrounds. If the 49ers plan on another deep run in the playoffs, they will have to leave the bullying jokes out of the air.
Nick: This is a brilliant situation for Martin to get into, and gives him the best chance of moving on from a tough start to his career. You’re not a two-time all American tackle without having a sizable amount of talent, and if anyone is going to get the most out of Martin, it is his college coach. It’s also a very smart, low-risk move for the 49’ers, who add another player with a lot of potential (Marcus Lattimore, Lawrence Okoye) to a great, supportive environment for developing young players.
Justin: I absolutely think that Martin going to San Francisco will benefit him. There has been a history of Harbaugh getting the best out of his players and running a tight ship of a locker room. I think that will not change with Martin coming in. Harbaugh knows him, and he knows Harbaugh and that relationship has already been established and seemed to work.
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