A few teams have exemplified terrific personnel management up to this point in the 2010 free- agency period. Some have not. Here is a quick top 5 of the best moves so far.
Top 5 Free-agency Moves of 2010
1. Gary Brackett Stays in Indi- The reason no one is talking about this move is because Brackett and his agent are smarter then you. By keeping himself under the radar, he was not only able to field several offers from other teams without having to deal with public opinion and local media, but he gave the Colts an opportunity to see the complete lack of solid inside backers in the free-agency pool this season. Brackett is a solid MLB who knows the system better then anyone on that team and has more of an impact in run defense and pass coverage then injury prone strong safety Bob Sanders. In the Colts under sized, speed crazy version of the Tampa 2, the MLB is the keystone. The Colts will more then likely draft a LB, but at age 29, Mr. Bracket can rest easy with a 5 year, $33 million contract including a $12 million signing bonus.
2. Steelers retain Hampton, Clark, Reed, and Get 3RD Phase Help- Of course the Steelers are on this list. While the Rooney's tend to sit on their hands in March, they had serious holes to fill and needed to completely rebuild their special teams staff. Casey "Big Snack" Hampton is one of the top two or three nose tackles in the game and Ryan Clark, after flirting with Miami, is the key to allowing SS Troy Polamalu to roam the field and make plays on the ball. Kicker Jeff Reed is about as useless as any other kicker, but he is better then most. What may have a bigger impact (in addition to Troy and Aaron Smith staying healthy) are the signings of WR Arnez Battle, S Will Allen, and the return of WR and return man Antwan Randell El. None of these guys will start, but with how terrible the Steelers special teams were, they will have an immediate impact and bring a veteran presence to a group primarily comprised of younger backups. Steelers will be back on top with a little better play from their O-Line and Mendenhall maturing into a 300 carry back.
3. The Bears Break the Bank- In less then 24 hours, the Bears committed more then $120 million on three players; $91.5 to freak show pass rusher Julious Peppers, $12.5 to multi-skilled running back Chester Taylor, and $17 million to TE Brandon "Feed Me" Manumaleuna. Peppers and Taylor will have a noticeable impact on their respective sides of the ball in 2010 and Manu will try and teach pass-catching TE Greg Olsen. While Olsen is a serious down-field threat (and can get a job as the poster boy for the Arian Nation Super Race if this whole NFL thing flops) he needs to make huge strides in his blocking if he is going to play in Mike Martz system, which has yet to feature a TE in his various coaching stops. The Bears are counting on Martz to coach up young WRs Johnny Knox and Earl Bennett to allow Hester to become a pure slot receiver, but the whole thing hinges on QB Jay Cutler becoming a true professional and burying himself in Martz's system. Not likely. Cutler is an immature mistake that the Bears will regret for a long time to come. Thanks to him, the Bears also do not have a 1st or 2nd pick in this years draft, forcing them to drop the kind of money they did so that Lovie Smith and his gang can all keep their jobs. The Bears will be better, but I don't see it lasting. Way to many spots to fill at the O-Line and CB positions for them to compete with the league's top tier teams.
4. Crab-cakes and Boldin- While I have them at 4, the Ravens and WR Anquan Boldin might have made the best deal this off-season. For anyone who is not sure, this guy has been one of the most dominant pass catchers since he came into the league in 2003. While he has been banged up and has a new face (thanks again Kurt Warner, Jesus hates hospital passes), this guy is the perfect fit for the Ravens. His size and run blocking abilities will allow Ray Rice and friends (who ever is left) to break out some more big gainers, and his big play abilities will pull coverage away from stud TE Todd Heap. With a top 5 O-Line and Donte Stallworth stretching the field, the Ravens will finally have an offense that will be able to compete on their own practice field. QB Joe Flacco has just been handed the keys to a jet powered tank; now all that remains to be seen is how well he can drive it.
5. The Redskins do Nothing- I don't know if Mike Shanahan and Dan Snyder sitting back and not making it rain like Pacman Jones at a stripclub is the best thing for their franchise, but it is so amazing to me that they did not completely overpay another over-rated player like Hall or Randell El. Seriously, this is uncomfortably scary.
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