Catching Up

It's been a while since I've posted anything outside of my weekly picks, so I thought that I'd get back into the swing of things with some quick blurbs so you can see what's going on.

NBA:

Lockout - We all know that the lockout is still on going and David Stern has been masterful about using the media to bludgeon the players into taking a raw deal and being 'happy' with it.  There's a lot of people who look at this from an employer to employee view and how dare the players want more than a 50/50 BRI split.  People are going to argue and make this about their experience ('if I had a company I'd tell them to take the deal or they can get out of here' or 'these guys are asking their bosses for more of the profits, to he77 with them').  You must understand that these athletes are more like actors than rank and file employees.  They have a specialized skillset that you just can't go out and get any average Joe off the street to perform.  Plus this is corporate America where sometimes you have to fight for everything.  This can't be lost in the argument because Stern is trying his best to demonize the players (is demonize to strong of a word?) and have the fans revolt against them.  I only hope that the lockout ends soon and that there is a deal where there are concessions on both sides and not just the owners.

Charlotte Bobcats - Mr. Air Jordan himself is on record as one of the owners that wants to cut the players percentage of BRI down to 47%.  All I got to say Mike is that when this is done, we're going to see how your public stance hurts your ability and image among the players that hold you in such high esteem.   

NFL:

Chicago Bears - Well, he finally got paid, and no not Forte, offensive lineman Garza.  I still can fathom why the Bears don't make this deal with Forte.  They had put a deal on the table that would have given him around $13M to $14M guaranteed and Forte wants closer to $16M to $18M guaranteed.  You have a guy that is doing it all for your team (minus the fumbles last night) and he's being a pro about it and he's not letting his play suffer.  I just don't get it.  Worse for Forte is the franchise tag, which the team can do for 2 years straight.  The cap number for the franchise tag used to be the Top 5 position players from the previous year, but now the franchise tag is the Top 5 position players from the previous 5 years.  That lowers next years' cap for a RB from $9.5M (this year) to closer to $7.5M.  Sucks to be Forte right now. 

Indianapolis Colts - Still winless and maybe they want to stay that way.  Andrew Luck is the prize and many are questioning what the Colts would do with that pick, should they get it.  I think it's easy, I think you draft Luck and keep him until Peyton retires (I imagine 2 to 3 years tops due to neck concerns).  Yes the Colts need offensive and defensive line help, but when you think about it, Peyton would end his career like daddy Manning started his, running for his life. 

New York Giants - With Ahmad Bradshaw having a broken bone in his foot, Jacobs did a decent job this past weekend against the Patriots to help the Giants get a win.  Now word is Bradshaw is on his way back and will probably have to share the workload in order to keep him healthy.  Why wouldn't the Giants just rest Bradshaw for a few weeks and give Jacobs the rock for a few weeks.  This get Bradshaw a little healthier and maybe energizes Jacobs. 

Arizona Cardinals - With the Philadelphia Eagles on the docket for Sunday, Kevin Kolb is trying to do his best to get back in the lineup so he can prove the Eagles made a mistake (unless he plays defense, I really think that's a moot argument) in trading him away.  

New England Patriots - They have waived Albert Haynesworth.  Is Ocho up next?  I for one thought that their additions would reap benefits for the Patriots and boy was I wrong.   

Washington Redskins - Released Donte Stallworth.

Carolina Panthers - Released Ronald Fields.

NFL Moves,...

Glad that we're back in the business of the NFL, and with all of the shortened timelines to get league business going, it's been a whirlwind since the agreement has been ratified.  Most of these deals aren't going to be consummated until Friday, but there are a few shockers that already hit the wires, and with that, let's start at my biggest:

Albert Haynesworth traded to New England Patriots - What?  The guy that couldn't get in shape last year?  The guy we had to watch run on news sports shows for almost a week?  And he is now traded to one of the better teams in the league for a 5th round pick?  Where did I go wrong?  I guess Haynesworth got what he wanted, his checks AND a new place to play in a system that relies more on his abilities than the Redskins did.

Reggie Bush traded to Miami Dolphins - First LeBron, then Chris Bosh, and now Reggie Bush.  Everyone is taking their 'talents to South Beach'.  Not sure if this is a good fit for the Dolphins because they might lose their power runners (Williams and Brown) and I don't know if Bush can deliver like those guys did.  Bush did get a new two-year deal out of this so that part is done.

Sidney Rice signs with Seattle - Ok, congrats to Rice for getting his new deal (5 years, $41M).  At least he'll get paid and he'll continue to catch passes from Tavaris Jackson (who also signed with Seattle).  I guess this was the best deal for him, but I probably would have taken less money to play for a better team.

Donovan McNabb traded to Minnesota Vikings - This deal is probably two or three years too late.  With Childress leaving Philly to go to Minny, many thought McNabb would soon be right behind him, but that never happened.  McNabb is definitely past his prime and may be warming the seat for Christian Ponder, but I hope that he can help this team win.  They still got AP and that defense, so it's not a total rebuild just yet.  Good luck Donovan.

Jason Babin signs with Philadelphia Eagles - For those that don't know, Babin was a monster last year with Tennessee (can't blame him for offensive struggles).  I am imagining that this will help the Philly pass rush and make Asante Samuel and their other corner (whomever that may be) very dangerous this year.  Babin gets a 5 year deal, that I'm pretty sure he'll be finished with in the next 3 years (Babin is currently 31).


James Anderson re-signs with Carolina Panthers - Anderson has played well for the Panthers and everyone knew it was going to take some chedda to keep him in Carolina.  Lo and behold, Carolina gave the NC product a 5 year $22M deal for his trouble.  Anderson probably had offers that would have taken him to Atlanta or other teams, but he chose the Panthers.  Let's see how this one works out.

DeAngelo Williams re-signs with Carolina Panthers - He got paid, period.  5 years for $43M ($21M guaranteed).  Williams was part of the two back system in Carolina that may have just become a one back system.  He'll be needed since the Panthers will be starting rookie Cam Newton or Jimmy Claussen.  I imagine a lot of 17-10 games for the Panthers this year. 

And lastly, you can always go home again.  It looks like Plaxico Burress will be returning to one of his previous homes in either Pittsburgh or New York.  Bot the Giants and the Steelers need some options at WR and they both hope that Plax has grown up a little.  We'll see which team he picks, but he'll get a deal between $2M-$4M a year with incentives to make it bigger than that.  Good luck Plax and please, no more hand guns.

Won't get to all of the deals going down, but what other ones did we miss?  Is your team going to get better in this short off-season?  What's the next big move?  

UPDATES:

Chad Ochocinco is traded to New England Patriots - What are the Patriots doing?  They are building another dynasty.  They acquire Ochocinco for two draft picks (not yet determined), but one for this year and one for next year.  With the Patriots thisclose to winning it all again, this is a good move.  Another stunner (with Haynesworth) by the Patriots in this shortened period.  Next thing you know they get Nnandi Asomugha for a bag of chips. 

Kevin Kolb is traded to the Arizona Cardinals for Dominique Rogers-Cromartie - This deal finally gets done after months of speculation and back and forth between the teams.  The Cardinals are betting that Kolb can be the man (bad bet in my opinion) and they gave up their best corner for the opportunity.  Both teams got what they want, but the verdict on this trade will come down as to how many wins Kolb is actually able to lead this Cardinals team to. 

Matthias Kiwanuka re-signs with the Giants - This is a move the Giants had to do because there was too much bad blood between them and Umenyora.  I like what Kiwanuka brings to the table and he and Justin Tuck and that defensive line in NY should wreak havoc this year. 

$100 Miiiillllllliiiioooon Dollars

WOW! With the NFL free agency period upon us, the people in the beltway have decided to provide two people with their own stimulus package. The Washington Redskins have given DeAngelo Hall a 6 year $54M deal ($22.5M guaranteed) to keep him one of the highest paid corners in the league and then to one up that deal the Redskins also gave former Tennessee Titan Albert Haynesworth a 7 year $100M deal ($41M guaranteed). He will make $32M in the first 13 months of his deal. Dayum!!!!

It looks like Jerry Jones moved to DC or something. I hope this makes them better, cause that's $154M for two guys. Ray Lewis is sitting somewhere smiling.

Did Dan Snyder fall asleep at his checkbook? Is this going to translate into wins for the Redskins? Is Haynesworth worth it?