fringe

he should go around middle 1st round. -----------

geesh, do you need me to quote my sources, spaghetti shitter! http://www.footballsfuture.com/2010/fa/lb.html

LET's Look at the Free Agents first. Garrett Ruud, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (26) Locking the young middle linebacker up should be a priority for the Buccaneers and with all the cap room they have, it’s a little surprising they haven’t already gotten it done. Ruud quietly voiced dissatisfaction last offseason by skipping voluntary workouts, but has continued to keep a positive outlook to the situation. Ruud’s new deal should be in the area of what Bart Scott received this offseason (6 years, $48 million) from the Jets. He’s the leader of the defense now and will consistently be among league leaders in tackles for the next several years. The Bucs should and will lock him up at some point in the near future, but it’s just about both sides agreeing on the terms. Shawne Merriman, San Diego Chargers (25) With his first two sacks since returning from injury coming in week 8, Merriman doesn’t seem to be exactly the same player he was prior to his injury, which is to be somewhat expected. The Chargers defense has been a large liability so it becomes a question whether or not the team wants to even commit that much money to a player who has been pretty unproductive. What the Chargers do with Merriman will be a decision based on the ultimate risk-reward analysis, as well as a decision reflecting which of their many free agents they choose to and are able to retain. Remember that the team also drafted pass rusher Larry English in the first round last year. Karlos Dansby, Arizona Cardinals (28) Dansby hasn’t played badly this year by any means, but he hasn’t made too many game changing plays either. The key to Dansby’s future will be what his contract expectations are. He isn’t quite worth the type of money the Ravens paid to Terrell Suggs, but at the same time, he’s one of the cornerstones to the Cardinals defense which has allowed a league low 3.0 yards per carry going into week 8. Dansby can do it all really, but can the Cardinals afford to re-sign him? DeMeco Ryans, Houston Texans (25) Ryans has been a stalwart for the Texans, displaying consistency from game-to-game and year-to-year. With rookie sensation Brian Cushing next to him, the Texans have the beginnings of a good front 7. Ryans would like a long-term contract with the Texans, but if the two sides can’t reach a deal, there’s a good chance he would be willing to accept a deal elsewhere. Still, Houston will almost definitely re-sign Ryans and work around the foundation of Ryans-Cushing-Williams in the front 7. Thomas Davis, Carolina Panthers (26) Davis started his career on a sour note at safety, but has since converted to become a superb outside linebacker. Next to Jon Beason, the Panthers have a very nice young corps that they should be able to maintain over the next decade. Continuing his success from last season, Davis has played very well again for the Panthers. His presence is being felt in coverage where he has 2 picks and 5 deflected passes. The Panthers would be crazy to let Davis move on because he and Beason make a great punch in the linebacking corps. Kirk Morrison, Oakland Raiders (27) Morrison has been a guarantee in the Raiders starting lineup for his entire five year career now. He leads a unit that is solid, but unspectacular. Morrison is as sure a tackler as any in the league, but has failed to make many big plays. The Raiders should try and re-sign him, and teammate Howard who do a nice job week in and week out. However, many have suggested the poor attitude inside the Raiders’ locker room which could tempt Morrison to bolt and move to another team. Thomas Howard, Oakland Raiders (26) Howard’s ability to cover ground has helped him become the coverage backer he is today, but year after year, the Raiders finish near the bottom of the pack in run defense. Not to put the blame on Howard, but you have to think that the Raiders may be considering moves that reflect this. Howard is a nice blitzer and does a better job of making big plays than his teammate Kirk Morrison, but is also less stout against the run at outside linebacker. Not to use a repeated joke, but Howard does have incredible speed, which may account for something when Al Davis considers his contract re-signings. D’Qwell Jackson, Cleveland Browns (25) Even after missing one game, D’Qwell Jackson remained the team leader in tackles and was one of the cornerstones of the Browns defense. He injured his shoulder in a loss to the Steelers, which has forced him to the Injured Reserve and has ruined his contract year. With few pieces to build around, the Browns will chart his recovery and try to re-sign him based on how he’s progressing. Other Notable Free Agents: Antwan Barnes, Baltimore Ravens (24) – Restricted FA Bertrand Berry, Arizona Cardinals (34) Chase Blackburn, New York Giants (26) Gary Brackett, Indianapolis Colts (29) Tedy Bruschi, New England Patriots (36) Keith Bulluck, Tennessee Titans (32) Brandon Chillar, Green Bay Packers (26) Danny Clark, New York Giants (32) Angelo Crowell, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (28) Keith Ellison, Buffalo Bills (25) Larry Foote, Detroit Lions (29) Scott Fujita, New Orleans Saints (30) Omar Gaither, Philadelphia Eagles (25) Chris Gocong, Philadelphia Eagles (25) Clint Ingram, Jacksonville Jaguars (26) Rashad Jeanty, Cincinnati Bengals (26) Derrick Johnson, Kansas City Chiefs (26) Akeem Jordan, Philadelphia Eagles (24) – Restricted FA Cato June, Houston Texans (29) Rocky McIntosh, Washington Redskins (26) Matt Roth, Miami Dolphins (26) Jason Taylor, Miami Dolphins (35) Zach Thomas, Kansas City Chiefs (36) Pisa Tinoisamoa, Chicago Bears (28) Stephen Tulloch, Tennessee Titans (24) Mike Vrabel, Kansas City Chiefs (34

why?

this is true but the super bowl belongs in a warm weather climate anyway. odd to me was that neither yankee stadium or shea decided to build a retractable roof. especially yankee with all their late october games.

we have a campaign slogan!

i was waiting for you to show to officially tell you i was wr..... i was wrrrrr....i was not right. (still think you were guessing)

i thought everyone knew.

apparently NE does not currently have an OC, which also comes as a surprise.

His agent said he's heard from 6 NFL teams already about OC spots- including New England, which surprises me.

I agree about Eli- this may be his best season to date, considering the erosion of talent around him. And the receivers are good, just need to be complimented by someone who demands double coverage.

i see what you're saying, crazeddog. i know i'm in the minority on this but i think it's the receivers that make the OL look bad. first of all, there's more one on one coverage because they do not fear our receivers. even when they get open, they don't fear their speed. secondly, eli is holding on to the ball longer to let the routes develop. a lot of his sacks and hurries have been on the coverage- not the blocking.

if you had said the 2nd half of the redskins game (earlier in the season) i would have agreed with you. but even then we had leaders and heart. this team is a leader desert. watch the ravens- steelers game last night? those are passionate teams. the giants, i'm afraid, are a payheck team this year.

not even close.

i thought the capacity was higher- like 84k, no?

Signs of a team in decline. They start leaking that the injuries which were "not an excuse" are indeed an excuse.

i'd vote for you- i'm a registered member of the whiskey and cigar party.

looks like jack posted it first.

good point- and we have to respect your opinion because being a cowboys fan makes you an expert on QB turnovers.

plus he has 1 reception for the year. not much basis for the 'good hands'

why is that your problem? it doesn't stop the giants from getting the talent they need so who cares what these guys get paid?

Outstanding outside linebacker prospects litter 2010 draft class http://bit.ly/5L06jS

the receivers aren't the scariest. eli is a very good QB.

nah, they had low expectations for this season. he inherited a mess.

improve how? he wasn't drafting the guys. look, it happens to all teams that make a run. the west coast offense was unstoppable for the 9ers until people got wise to it. same with the 46 defense of buddy ryan- i could go on and on. this D is based on getting to the QB. i think spags would've found more exotic ways to do that if these pedestrian blitz packages that shreddin puts in weren't working.