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. 

No Ocho Cinco Yet

Well, as discussed here earlier, Chad Johnson officially changed his name to Chad OchoCinco. This was an effort that Chad felt would allow him to market himself in the manner that he wants without getting the fines that the NFL seems to enjoy levying. So, by changing his name and submitting the paperwork to the NFL, his last hurdle is with, of all people, Reebok. Yes, Reebok. Since Chad caused a stir over the summer about being traded, his jersey sales went down, and Reebok wants Chad to pay for the unsold 'Chad Johnson' jerseys, at a tune of $500K, before they print any OchoCinco jerseys. Ain't that a b$#(&?!?!? It seems if a player wants to change his number or name, this is the concession that has to be made. Basically a buyout for the apparel maker. So, the ball is in Chad's court. In other the words, 'his mama call him Clay, I'm gonna call him Clay*',....so Chad Johnson it's nice to have you back.

*Coming to America, Barbershop Scene about Cassius Clay/Muhammad Ali.

What's in a Name?

What's one thing that you have that defines you, let's people know who you are and where you come from? A name. With that in mind, we've seen over the years people changing their names or going to one name in order to draw attention to themselves: Cher, Prince, Ronaldo, Pele, and Nene just to mention a few. So now we can add to that list Chad 'Ocho Cinco'. According to reports, the artist formerly known as Chad Johnson has changed his name to Chad Ocho Cinco. This would allow him to wear Ocho Cinco on the back of his jersey without being fined for the incident that he and Carson Palmer pulled last year. I'm not sure how his momma took the news, but from a marketing standpoint (which sports is becoming more and more) this is brilliant. I can just see the #85 Bengals jersey's flying off the shelves now.

What do you guys think about this?

Fantasy Football Draft Coming Soon

Well, pre-season football is at it again. Guys going down with injuries that will damage your fantasy football draft*. So far, the injuries are minimal because nothing serious has happened, yet.

*Yes, I play fantasy football and we are getting ready for our draft in the next week or so. I have to get ready because I need to make sure that I win this year. I want my name back on the plaque. We have 12 teams in our league and it is normally very competetive. I'll post my roster here after my fantasy draft.


Chad Johnson - falls awkwardly on his arm (forearm basically holding all of his weight) and gets injured last night. Reports are that his shoulder popped out of socket and right back in. Some may say that this isn't a big deal, but from personal experience, it does hurt. The biggest issue is that it can happen a little more easily the next time. You can't draft a guy high (2nd or 3rd round) who's already dinged up. With TJ Houshmandzadeh out with a sore hammy, Cincy has a lot at stake with their injured wide receivers.

Tarvaris Jackson - sprains his MCL during a routine play. Not so much that Tarvaris will be off the board anytime before the end of the draft, but Minny has to have a QB that can at least breathe so that they can give Peterson a little room. When your backup QBs have the following names - Gus Frerotte (known for injuring himself via a head butt to a wall), John David Booty (he's odd for having to go by all three of his names), and Brooks Bollinger (is he still in the league?) having Tarvaris hurt could spell doom.

Deuce McAllister - The Deuce is lose once again, but do you draft this guy? I don't think that Reggie Bush can carry the load by himself, but this is Deuce's 2nd re-constructive knee operation in the past 3 years. He's got to have a strong mental mindset if he is going to make it back from this. Shockey is going to be a beast with this team, because Brees will love finding the big guy across the middle or down the seam.