[Tournament] 07-08 NFL Off-season Thread

With the combine days away, the NFL offseason is in full swing. Free agency opens in March, and already with the extended cap, many players have been resigned. Josh Brown, Asante Samuel, Charles Grant, and Cory Redding have all gotten tagged. Certain key free agents, such as Nate Clements or Leonard Davis, will be in high demand.

The combine starts this coming Monday and will be broadcast on the NFL Network, and the draft will follow in the last weekend of April. So who will capture the next Lombardi Trophy?

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Not the Eagles if we don't beef up the defense and let Stallworth walk. I only hope we can add some LB and d-line help through free agency, but that won't happen because we are cheap. Combine that with a bad free agent crop and that spells trouble.

I heard the Bucs want Calvin Johnson to fall to them.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

It won't be the Patriots. They will look very much the same as they did last year, minus Corey Dillon (who is retiring), regardless of who they draft or sign. (Speaking of drafting, Chad Jackson tore his ACL against the Colts and will be out for a sizable portion of the season.)

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

Originally Posted by DragoonKain

I heard the Bucs want Calvin Johnson to fall to them.

You heard right. CJ is definitely wanted here. We lost the coin toss today and will be picking 4th overall. If he gets passes the Raiders, I don't see either the Browns or the Lions (if Detroit picked him, it wouldn't surprise me however) taking him. If he's not there when the Bucs pick, I'll be very happy with Joe Thomas or one of the two QBs. Speaking of the Eagles, the Bucs are also eying both Donte Stallworth and Jeff Garcia.

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

I hope the Eagles keep Stallworth and Garcia. I don't get why you guys want Garcia since you have Simms. Unless he isn't healthy enough to start the season. I thought he was though.

The Eagles have a lot of top free agents. We have the #1 ranked WR free agent, a top 3 corner free agent with Rod Hood who is very good. We have Michael Lewis who is a very good safety if used right. Quintin Mikell who is a very good backup safety and could start for some teams. Also we have Juqua Thomas a young defensive end that finally broke out last year. So a lot of Eagles players will be targeted.

As for the draft I want a linebacker, defensive end or a safety. Patrick Willis, Paul Posluszny at LB, maybe Landry from LSU at safety.

How ya doing, buddy?

In completely relevant news, Mike Tomlin is (allegedly!) moving in about three blocks from my house.

How ya doing, buddy?

Well, looks like the Broncos will be attending another funeral. And they will need to find another back up running back.

http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slu...v=ap&type=lgns

How ya doing, buddy?

Quite a few things so far this offseason.

Jamal Lewis (RB) of the Baltimore Ravens, Brad Johnson (QB) of the Minnesota Vikings, Joey Porter (LB) of the Pittsburgh Steelers, Drew Bledsoe (QB) of the Dallas Cowboys, Keenan McCardell (WR) of the San Diego Chargers, and Joe Horn (WR) of the New Orleans Saints are among the notable cuts so far.

Also, Dre' Bly (CB) of the Detroit Lions was traded to the Denver Broncos for Tatum Bell (RB), George Foster (OT), and a fifth round pick.

Article discussing some of the offseason moves

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

Well, all I can say is I'm going to miss "The Kick". It's been a good run, Joey. Best of luck, man.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Fuck you Jake Plummer.

In other news, Nate Clements signs an 8 year/80 million dollar deal with the 49ers. San Francisco also nabbed Michael Lewis, the former Eagles safety, for some significant cap space (dont recall offhand). Moss may be traded soon to the Packers, and to further fuck the Raiders in their vaginas...

Spoiler:

Bucs Closing In On Garcia
Posted By Roy Cummings at Mar 03, 2007 at 12:38 AM
Updated Mar 03, 2007 at 12:43 AM


TAMPA – As tough a blow as it was to watch the Jake Plummer trade blow up in their faces, the Bucs appear to have recovered rather quickly.

Less than 24 hours after they learned that Plummer would rather retire than come play quarterback for them, the Bucs appeared to be on the verge late Friday of signing Eagles free agent signal caller Jeff Garcia.

A source with knowledge of the situation said a deal that would bring Garcia to Tampa would probably happen quickly, perhaps as soon as today.

Garcia spent most of Friday visiting with the Oakland Raiders but after word leaked that the Bucs trade for Plummer had been nullified, Garcia cut short his visit with the Raiders and turned his attention to Tampa Bay.

Garcia’s agent, Steve Baker, would only say late Friday that Garcia “is very interested in the Bucs, but others were speaking in more affirmative tones.

One NFL source with knowledge of the situation said the feeling inside the Raiders camp after Garcia left was that Garcia was headed to Tampa to play for Jon Gruden.

If that proves to be the case it will end a nearly three-year courtship between the two parties that began in 2004.

The two parties nearly merged that year, but the Bucs offer of a $1 million signing bonus forced Garcia to look elsewhere, and he eventually signed with the Browns, who offered a $5.5 million bonus.

Money should not be a problem for the Bucs this time as they have nearly $24 million in cap space. There is also a greater need on the Bucs part.

Coach Jon Gruden has made no secret of his desire to bring in a successful veteran quarterback to push Chris Simms for the starter’s job, and Garcia certainly fits the bill.

Garcia resurrected his career - and the Eagles - last season after taking over for an injured Donovan McNabb and leading Philadelphia to a 5-1 record and the NFC East title.

That achievement and his 95.8 passer rating aside, the Eagles decided not to re-sign Garcia, making him one of the most sought-after free agents on the market.

The Broncos and Vikings also are expected to make bids for Garcia, but Baker has let it be known that Garcia’s wish is to play in Tampa.

“Jeff feels he has multiple good options, but the opportunity to play for Jon Gruden in Tampa is something that really excites him,” said Garcia’s agent, Steve Baker.

“Jon is a coach who Jeff believes has the ability to bring out the best in him. In fact, he feels that by playing for Jon, he has a very good chance of duplicating the success he had with the Eagles in Philadelphia last year.”

There's nowhere I can't reach.

Originally Posted by BucPride

Fuck you Jake Plummer.

Well apparently the Bucs got Jeff Garcia AND finalized the trade (obtained the rights) for Jake Plummer.

So we'll see what happens with Plummer.



Article

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

I don't think Jeff is going to be a good fit in Tampa. The only reason he was good here was because he was in a perfect system with coaches he knew and the Eagles have a top 3 offensive line in the NFL. I think that was the only real way he could be successful. Otherwise just look at him in Detroit or Cleveland. I don't think he'll be BAD in Tampa, but if I were Gruden I'd start Simms and continue to develop him. Garcia will start though. You don't have a 37 year old QB 5 mil a year to be a backup.

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

It'll be an open training camp competition for the starting job, since Gruden knows it means his ass this time around. Garcia actually fits perfectly here as well, look at how Rich Gannon thrived in Oakland under the same system in place. Our offensive line needs improvement, but we also need to run the ball much more. In week one, we gave Cadillac 8 carries, and continued to make him a non-factor for the remainder of the year, never establishing a running attack.

I was speaking idiomatically.

Looks like the Patriots front office isn't fooling around anymore, picking up Sammy Morris, Wes Welker, Kyle Brady (making one wonder if he and Tom will don initial letters on their namebars next season) and Adalius Thomas. Apparently (according to ESPN), Bill Belichick would entertain having ballhog, whiner and all-around bag-of-douche Randy Moss on the team. No thanks.

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

A couple of names being thrown around:

-Joe Horn (Saints) signed with the Falcons, which gives them a veteran wide-out.
-Jamal Lewis (Ravens) signed a one-year deal with the Cleveland Browns.
-Countering the loss of Lewis, the Ravens trade 3 draft picks ('07 3rd, 7th; '08 3rd) for Willis McGahee of the Buffalo Bills.
-Dolphins sign Joey Porter (Steelers) to a five-year deal, and also pick up kicker Jay Feely (Giants).
-Patrick Kerney (Falcons) signed a six-year deal with Seattle.


A very eventful off-season, with a draft coming up that should add to the amount of cash throwing.

FELIPE NO

Lance Briggs is turning down over 7 million dollars...

Spoiler:

Bears Pro Bowler ready to sit out season

Jay Glazer / FOXSports.com


The standoff between Chicago's Pro Bowl linebacker Lance Briggs and the Bears is officially moving to the next stage.

"I am now prepared to sit out the year if the Bears don't trade me or release me," Briggs told FOXSports.com via cell phone Monday. "I've played my last snap for them. I'll never play another down for Chicago again."

Briggs was scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent earlier this month but the Bears slapped him with the Franchise tag, which pretty much keeps him as their property for next season at a one-year salary of $7.2 million.

Briggs insists he will not play for a team that will use him for a year and see if he can hold up again rather than reward his two Pro Bowls with a long-term deal.

"People think I can't afford to sit out the year, I can take out loans to get me through that year just fine because eventually I'll have a deal somewhere," he said. "There are things I can do to make sure I'm fine financially if I sit out.

"I can also decide what other course of action I can take as the season gets closer. The Bears have shown I'm not in their long-term plans so if that's the case, I don't want to be here."

Last week GM Jerry Angelo faced the matter with his unhappy linebacker when he said on a conference call, "We have his rights, so he's on our football team. We feel that we're treating him very good. That's a lot of money he's making on a one year-deal. The strain really comes to us in terms of our cap and what we have to do for a one-year deal.

"Most of the times when you franchise a player they don't get traded. We will always listen to anything that we feel will be in our best interest. But when we did this, it was with the intent for him to be a Bear this year."

During the phone call, another interesting reason for leaving arose. Briggs, who is extremely close with the Bears' star Brian Urlacher, wants to run his own show somewhere and knows it can't happen with No. 54 manning the middle.

"I've talked to Brian about it," said Briggs. "I'm a competitor and I want the same thing he has. I've learned a lot from Brian as a player and a leader and I eventually want to be 'the man' somewhere. I want to be like him and have everything put on me too. Obviously I'll never be able to do that there.

"Still, had the Bears made me a long-term offer that I found acceptable, I probably would have sacrificed this desire and stayed. I don't want to be somewhere I'm not wanted long-term."

One of the rotten things about the Franchise tag is that it causes bad blood between players and the team. Briggs has gone from fan-favorite to villain in the course of a month as the always-passionate Chicago fans have taken offense to a guy saying he wants out.

"I see what the fans are saying and it's tough," he said. "They're angry and I want to be able to explain it myself because I love Chicago. There is a whole city of people angry at me all because I want to know where I'll be able to retire and have job security."

Usually in these situations, things get uglier before being resolved. How it moves to the next stage now is anyone's guess.


Would love to get this guy here.......but its an expensive and long shot...

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

Drew Bledsoe retires.

Anyone think he has a chance at the Hall? I don't.

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Well, Vince Young and the Titans are doomed. The stud QB will be on the cover of Madden 08.

There's nowhere I can't reach.