Sunday, March 30, 2008

Action-Reaction: March 30, 2008

So here it goes:

Action: The Raiders have signed Kalimba Edwards to a two-year contract.
Reaction: This means the Raiders have signed/acquired/franchised six players for their defense. Their defense better be better this year or it is not going to be pretty in RaiderNation. The only thing I can really compare this to is how the Patriots reloaded their offense last offseason. Oakland is not New England, however, so it remains to be seen how much this will actually help. I am not suggesting that it will have a New England-esque effect, but it definitely could help the Raiders.

Action: North Carolina and UCLA are in the Final Four.
Reaction: My original bracket had a Roy Hibbert-Kevin Love matchup in the Championship Game, but I am thinking of trading that for a Tyler Hansbrough-Love matchup. The only bad thing about that matchup would be that viewers would have to watch that game on mute because it would turn into a lovefest between the announcers. I barely made it through the last five minutes of the North Carolina-Louisville games. Yes, we know these guys are good. We know that they are not supposed to be able to make three-pointers and outside shots, but they do. We do not need to hear the announcers gush over their talents non-stop for three hours. It would be a great game. I just would not want to listen to it.

Action: Davidson plays Kansas today while Texas goes up against Memphis for the remaining Final Four spots.
Reaction: Since Georgetown lost, I have been going all out for Davidson to go far. Davidson is either going to be able to hang tough and upset Kansas or just get blown out of the water, almost like Xavier was against UCLA. Davidson has probably increased their fanbase five-fold over the course of the tournament. As for Texas-Memphis, I am scared. I have Memphis in this game, but Texas could very easily win this. Texas was a very quiet team this year, at least to me, as they did not have a Kevin Durant on the team. They are good, and a team to watch.

Action: Jeff Conine has retired after signing a one-day contract with the Florida Marlins.
Reaction: As someone who has seen numerous Orioles games, I really liked Conine. He always seemed to come up with a good play and he was just an old school ballplayer whose style you could admire and imitate. The man did have two World Series rings too.

Action: Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has very high interest in Tennessee Titans suspended cornerback/strip club frequenter Adam "Pacman" Jones.
Reaction: All I have to say is that if Jerry has his way, the circus is coming to town. Preliminary reports say that the Cowboys offered a seventh-round pick, but according to reports that I cannot view because I am not a "member" on any of the major sports news outlets, Dallas is willing to add a player to the package.

Action: Baltimore Ravens veteran offensive tackle Jonathon Ogden is uncertain on a return for the 2008 NFL season.
Reaction: Ogden is citing the health of his big toe as his reason for waiting. In my opinion, the Ravens need to know his decision soon, as his retirement could significantly influence their draft plans come April.

Action: The Johns Hopkins men's lacrosse team has lost four straight games.
Reaction: First time I ever remember anything happen like this to the Blue Jays.

Action: Jack Roush has accused Michael Waltrip of stealing a sway bar in "intellectual espionage."
Reaction: The only reason this story has any meaning to me is Roush's quote of "It's lawyer time" when asked about the incident.

Action: Opening Day for Major League Baseball is tomorrow.
Reaction: !!!

Monday, March 24, 2008

Even More Bracket Thoughts

Pregame

  • My bracket is screwed. My champion, Georgetown, is done.
  • Now I'm rooting all out for Davidson to make the Final Four and all that good stuff.
  • I still have seven of the Elite Eight, three of the Final Four, and one of the Final Two still in.
  • I went 9-7 in picks in the second round, making me 31-17 for the tournament.
  • I will finish with at least 21 "losses."
  • This will go down as one of the hardest tournaments ever to pick, in my opinion.

Charlotte Region

  • I lost two of the four Sweet Sixteen teams here.
  • In my last edition, I said that Arkansas could give North Carolina some trouble with their size. I was wrong. I still can't figure out who #51 on Arkansas is.
  • I had Notre Dame riding Luke Harangody into the Sweet Sixteen, but Washington St. was quick to derail that. I'm dying to see WSU play, and given my market, I think I will see them play against UNC in a few days.
  • Louisville slipped into the Sweet Sixteen rather easily, beating Oklahoma.
  • I was hoping that Butler would upend Tennessee, but I was wrong. Tennessee could definitely beat Louisville, messing my bracket up even more.

Detroit Region

  • This was another bracket where I split the Sweet Sixteen teams.
  • Kansas continues their road to the Elite Eight by beating UNLV, and they now face Villanova, who dispatched upstart Siena. I'm taking Kansas.
  • Wisconsin shut down the one man show of Michael Beasley. That game was the first time I had ever seen Beasley play for an extended period of time, and I was rather impressed. However, Wisconsin showed in the second half that if you shut down Beasley, you shut down Kansas State.
  • Wisconsin faces Davidson who upended my champion Georgetown behind Stephen Curry's 30 points. That man has a sweet stroke. I'm rooting for Davidson now. I'm putting everything behind them.

Houston Region

  • Memphis gave me a big scare against Mississippi St. They should a lot playing without Dorsey and Dozier, who both fouled out. In their defense, some of the fouls called on them did not look like fouls. I'm not a ref though, so what do I know.
  • Drew Neitzel's senior season continues as Michigan St. put away one of my picks in Pittsburgh. Pitt just looked absolutely lethargic on the boards and was not fighting for the ball at all on the offensive glass. DaJuan
    Blair impresses me a lot. He's a good talent.
  • I missed the end of the Stanford-Marquette game. I really want to see it.
  • To my mother's chagrin, Texas ousted Miami. My mom put Miami in the Final Four. She also had USC in there. Ouch. But she went on a limb and picked UCLA to win it all, so it balances out somewhat. Miami showed a lot of heart at the end though, hitting some amazing three-pointers. Too little, too late.

Phoenix Region

  • UCLA stayed true to my projected Final Four form, beating Texas A&M.
  • Western Kentucky upended San Diego, who made a late charge at the end. I still picked San Diego over UConn, so HA!
  • UCLA-Western Kentucky is either going to be a great game or a blowout.
  • Purdue scared me a lot in the Xavier game, but the Musketeers pulled it out. #25 on Purdue is extremely skinny, I don't know if anyone else noticed that.
  • West Virginia over Duke pleased the human but upset the bracket, ousting another Sweet Sixteen team.
  • Xavier-West Virginia will probably be the best game of the Sweet Sixteen.

Overtime

  • Ranking the eight Sweet Sixteen games:
  • Xavier-West Virginia
  • Tennessee-Louisville
  • Texas-Stanford
  • Wisconsin-Davidson
  • North Carolina-Washington St.
  • Memphis-Michigan St.
  • UCLA-Western Kentucky
  • Kansas-Villanova
  • All of this can change though…

National Champion
Georgetown

Final Two
Georgetown
Memphis

Final Four
North Carolina
Georgetown
Memphis
UCLA

Elite Eight
North Carolina
Louisville
Kansas
Georgetown
Memphis
Stanford
UCLA
Xavier

Sweet Sixteen
North Carolina
Notre Dame (Washington State)
Louisville
Butler (Tennessee)
Kansas
Clemson (Villanova)
Wisconsin
Georgetown (Davidson)
Memphis
Pittsburgh (Michigan State)
Stanford
Texas
UCLA
Drake (Western Kentucky)
Xavier
Duke (West Virginia)

Second Thirty-Two
North Carolina
Indiana (Arkansas)
Notre Dame
Washington St.
St. Joseph's (Oklahoma)
Louisville
Butler
Tennessee
Kansas
Kent St. (UNLV)
Clemson (Villanova)
Vanderbilt (Siena)
USC (Kansas St.)
Wisconsin
Davidson
Georgetown
Memphis
Oregon (Mississippi St.)
Michigan St.
Pittsburgh
Marquette
Stanford
St. Mary's (Miami)
Texas
UCLA
BYU (Texas A&M)
Drake (Western Kentucky)
San Diego
Purdue
Xavier
West Virginia
Duke

Saturday, March 22, 2008

More Bracket Thoughts

Pregame

  • How many guys with the last name "Smith" does Tennessee have? I lost count.
  • Do the guys on the American Eagles shop at American Eagle?
  • I doubt that anybody will have a perfect bracket after this one.
  • Stephen Curry is a beast.
  • Adam Emmenecker has to be one of the best all-around players I have seen. And that's not me echoing the announcers.
  • Picking a slumping Indiana team over Arkansas was a bad choice.
  • Whoever #51 on Arkansas is, he has awesome hair. I'd like to see his fashion sense.
  • The people in Tampa Bay got quite the show yesterday. Four upsets, two in overtime. Lucky bums.
  • I went 22-10 in the first round. Not good.

Charlotte Region

  • If North Carolina was playing Indiana in the second round game, I would pick North Carolina by a mile. However, Arkansas intrigues with their size that could help to neutralize Tyler Hansbrough, but Ty Lawson's speed could cancel out the size factor. Still taking North Carolina.
  • Notre Dame-Washington St. could be another good one. As I said before, I know nothing of how these two teams matchup. All I know is that Luke Harangody is a beast. So I think I'm leaning towards Notre Dame on this one to break through to the Sweet 16.
  • I took a risk with St. Joe's over Oklahoma and that did not pay off. Most people complain about how all these small conference schools come out of nowhere to wreak havoc on their brackets. I hate the middle-of-the-road big conference schools that you do not hear anything about during the season and that come in to the tournament and wreak havoc on my bracket. Examples this year include Arkansas, Oklahoma, Miami, Villanova, Mississippi St., Texas A&M, and Purdue. Throw UNLV and Kent St. in there for good measure. Maybe I just need to follow college basketball closer.
  • I think Louisville can definitely take Oklahoma. They better.
  • Butler over Tennessee. The Smiths can't save the Volunteers this time.

Detroit Region

  • Kansas should handle UNLV. I think. I know nothing of UNLV, so I'll have to watch this game to find out.
  • Villanova and Siena both slightly messed up my bracket. Villanova knocked out Clemson, one of my Sweet 16 teams. I am happy to see Villanova and Siena win. If I had filled out multiple brackets like I usually do, I would have had both of them winning. I'm going to say the magic continues for Lucky No. 13 and Siena upends Nova.
  • Wisconsin-Kansas St. intrigues as to who will guard Michael Beasley. Wisconsin is one of those teams that always sneaks up on me. After losing Alando Tucker, I did not think they could make it far into the tournament, but they always seem to do something right, sweeping the Big Ten crowns.
  • Davidson-Georgetown is a scary one for me. I have Georgetown winning it all, but the way Davidson has been playing puts me on upset alert. As I said before, Stephen Curry is a beast.

Houston Region

  • Memphis should run all over Mississippi St. Sorry for all you that wanted a Hansbrough family reunion in the finals.
  • Michigan St.-Pittsburgh is a great matchup. I am a big Drew Neitzel fan and would love to see them advance, but I also really like Pitt and DaJuan Blair. I picked Pitt though, so Neitzel's great college career is almost over.
  • Stanford is another one of those teams that has been sneaking around, but I have actually heard a lot of good things about them, especially the Lopez twins. Their size should be enough to stymie the Golden Eagles of Marquette.
  • I had St. Mary's against Texas here, but Miami proved me wrong. Texas should handle Miami though. Should. My mom actually has Miami in her Final Four. Riiiiiiiiiight.
  • This is the only bracket where the higher seed has one every game so far.

Phoenix Region

  • UCLA's easier road continues against Texas A&M, who they can probably handle with help from Kevin Love. A&M might hang tough for a little while, but they will be overwhelmed eventually.
  • The Western Kentucky-Drake game was the best game I have seen in a long, long time. I lost one of my Sweet 16 teams, but it was worth it for that excitement.
  • San Diego-UConn was the second best game I have seen in a while. AND I PICKED SAN DIEGO!!!!! That aside, San Diego-Western Kentucky will be a great one. I think Western Kentucky has the edge though. Also, for all you out there who would like to learn more about San Diego, read about RobJones. He has quite the story that was covered in Sports Illustrated a while back that covered his and his father's past.
  • Xavier's tenacious defense will be too much for Purdue, putting the Musketeers into the Sweet 16.
  • I have Duke over West Virginia, but the Belmont game really scared me. West Virginia can definitely beat Duke, which I would like them to do, but for the sake of my bracket, Duke, please get to the Sweet 16.

Overtime

  • I really enjoyed yesterday. Being off from school and watching basketball all day was awesome. However, the one thing that I absolutely hated was watching North Carolina beat up on Mount St. Mary's. That was horrible. No team should have to go through that. The Mount was thoroughly overmatched, but I guess there is not much they could do. It was still painful to watch while there were three other quality games going on.

So here are my picks:

National Champion
Georgetown

Final Two
Georgetown
Memphis

Final Four
North Carolina
Georgetown
Memphis
UCLA

Elite Eight
North Carolina
Louisville
Kansas
Georgetown
Memphis
Stanford
UCLA
Xavier

Sweet Sixteen
North Carolina
Notre Dame
Louisville
Butler
Kansas
Clemson
Wisconsin
Georgetown
Memphis
Pittsburgh
Stanford
Texas
UCLA
Drake
Xavier
Duke

Second Thirty-Two
North Carolina
Indiana (Arkansas)
Notre Dame
Washington St.
St. Joseph's (Oklahoma)
Louisville
Butler
Tennessee
Kansas
Kent St. (UNLV)
Clemson (Villanova)
Vanderbilt (Siena)
USC (Kansas St.)
Wisconsin
Davidson
Georgetown
Memphis
Oregon (Mississippi St.)
Michigan St.
Pittsburgh
Marquette
Stanford
St. Mary's (Miami)
Texas
UCLA
BYU (Texas A&M)
Drake (Western Kentucky)
San Diego
Purdue
Xavier
West Virginia
Duke

Friday, March 21, 2008

Bracket Thoughts

Thoughts on March Madness:

  • I have to hand it to the Maryland schools. With University of Maryland suffering a horrible collapse at the end of the season, the state was still represented by Mt. St. Mary's, Coppin State, and UMBC. If you extend along the I-95 corridor, George Mason, American, and Georgetown can be included. Morgan State was one game away, losing to Coppin in the conference championship game.
  • Elaborating on the last point, Coppin State was a great story. These guys were 4-19 on February 2, and won 12 of 13 to make it improbably into the tournament before bowing out to Mt. St. Mary's in the play-in game.

Charlotte Region

  • I really feel for Mt. St. Mary's in this one. They win their conference tournament, win a tough game against Coppin State, and what do they get? North Carolina. Ouch.
  • I do not see Indiana going far at all in the tournament. Besides dealing with losing Kelvin Sampson, they do not seem like they will be able to go far in this tournament.
  • I'll jump on the Luke Harangody bandwagon. The dude is a beast.
  • Winthrop is one of the teams that I always like every March. I picked them to beat No. 2 Tennessee as a No. 15 seed two years ago, in a game where Chris Lofton hit a buzzer beater. I also picked them to get into the Sweet 16 last year. However, this year, the Eagles just did not seem was good. I took Washington State over them, and they were totally overmatched. Washington State is a mystery to me. Being on the East Coast, I never saw them play this season. I had seen they were ranked in the pre-season Top 10, but never saw them play. Hopefully I'll get to see how good they really are.
  • The St. Joseph's-Oklahoma game is another mystery to me. I saw neither of these teams play this year, but they both come from tough conferences, St. Joseph's in the Atlantic 10 and Oklahoma in the Big XII.
  • I would love to see Boise State-Oklahoma in the second round. That would just be an awesome matchup. However, Louisville will definitely have the Broncos' number, so no Cinderella from Boise this year.
  • I feel that Butler was seeded a little low at No. 7. They definitely have the chance to go far. However, because they are seeded so low, I could see No. 10 South Alabama upsetting them.
  • Right now, Tennessee-American is at the half 29-22. American looked good early, but Tennessee came back. I have a feeling Tennessee will run away with this one. Tennessee is an interesting team. Many people have them in the Final Four and some as National Champion, but they are also a team I feel comfortable with kicking out early.
  • Must-see games: Indiana-Arkansas, Oklahoma-St. Joseph's, Butler-South Alabama.

Detroit Region

  • Kansas handled Portland St. as expected. It's a shame to see these small conference schools work hard to make it to the Big Dance, but then draw teams like Kansas and are one-and-don.
  • UNLV-Kent St. was a matchup between teams I had never seen this year. So I picked Kent St. and they lost.
  • The 5-12 game in this bracket is another enticing one. Clemson can definitely go far in this tournament, but so can Villanova. I am taking Clemson, but I would not rule out Villanova, even though some would say they were not deserving of the tournament.
  • I was somewhat surprised to see Vanderbilt as a No. 4, but that is mostly because they are not a team I think of as being a high seed. They do have fire power though and have the potential to wreak havoc.
  • Michael Beasley defeated O.J. Mayo in their lone matchup. Beasley cannot do it all by himself.
  • I expect Wisconsin to thoroughly handle Kansas St.
  • Gonzaga-Davidson is the best matchup in the first round. This is the must-see game of the tournament, but I am stuck watching American-Tennessee. I picked Davidson in this one. Gotta love the No. 10 seeds.
  • Georgetown will definitely handle UMBC, which is another shame.
  • Must-see games: USC-Kansas St. (it already happened, but it was), Gonzaga-Davidson.

Houston Region

  • Memphis over UT-Arlington. Lock it up.
  • Mississippi St.-Oregon is a tough one. I have not seen MSU play at all this year, I'm biased towards Oregon, and Tajuan Porter is one of my favorite college players. That young man can ball. This should be a good one. Little Hansbrough will get to show his stuff.
  • Michigan St. and Pittsburgh both won. Pitt was scaring me early though…
  • Marquette-Stanford is gearing up to be a great second-round game.
  • I picked St. Mary's over Miami. This is another No. 7-No. 10 matchup that I desperately wanted to see. St. Mary's definitely has the opportunity to be Cinderella.
  • I personally do not see why everyone is so high on Texas. I do not think they are that good, but that's just me. But they will win over Austin Peay. I don't even know how to pronounce Peay.
  • Must-see games: Mississippi St.-Oregon, St. Mary's-Miami.

Phoenix Region

  • UCLA's defense against Miss. Valley St. was amazing. I have never heard of a defense being that stingy (I didn't see the game or any highlights).
  • I had BYU over Texas A&M. Oh well.
  • Drake-Western Kentucky definitely has the firepower to usurp Gonzaga-Davidson as the best opening round game. I have Drake in the Sweet 16, but that could change quickly. It's 38-37, in favor of Drake, at half.
  • My upset of the tournament is San Diego over Connecticut. Probably won't happen, but is definitely worth the risk in my opinion. Gotta watch those WCC teams.
  • I am very impressed with Baylor's performance this year, and I was definitely rooting for them after all they have gone through this year.
  • Georgia was a great story as well, but their luck ran out against Xavier.
  • I picked West Virginia over Arizona. 'Zona has Lute Olsen coming back next year and Brandon Jennings coming in, so they look to be on the rise.
  • Duke scared me big time.
  • This is a very weak bracket. I can definitely see the roots of a UCLA conspiracy here.
  • Must-see games: Drake-Western Kentucky, Connecticut-San Diego.

I just love March Madness. The first four days are the best four days of any sporting event ever.

So here are my picks:

National Champion
Georgetown

Final Two
Georgetown
Memphis

Final Four
North Carolina
Georgetown
Memphis
UCLA

Elite Eight
North Carolina
Louisville
Kansas
Georgetown
Memphis
Stanford
UCLA
Xavier

Sweet Sixteen
North Carolina
Notre Dame
Louisville
Butler
Kansas
Clemson
Wisconsin
Georgetown
Memphis
Pittsburgh
Stanford
Texas
UCLA
Drake
Xavier
Duke

Second Thirty-Two
North Carolina
Indiana
Notre Dame
Washington St.
St. Joseph's
Louisville
Butler
Tennessee
Kansas
Kent St. (UNLV)
Clemson
Vanderbilt
USC (Kansas St.)
Wisconsin
Davidson
Georgetown
Memphis
Oregon
Michigan St.
Pittsburgh
Marquette
Stanford
St. Mary's
Texas
UCLA
BYU (Texas A&M)
Drake
San Diego
Purdue
Xavier
West Virginia
Duke

So there ya have it. I'll be coming back through to update this list eventually.

Sunday, March 2, 2008

Action-Reaction: March 2, 2008

Movers & Shakers

With free agency starting early Friday morning, many moves were made fast. This week Action-Reaction takes a look at the teams which were Movers and the teams that were Shakers. I am also joined by my good friend BSchwartz who is examining the teams that were not movers or shakers. Now, I'll give you a little definition right here. A mover is a team that made one or two big signings and possibly some smaller signings, while a shaker is a team that made multiple big moves and spent (or blew) a lot of cash on their acquisitions.

I would also like to thank BSchwartz for doing the anti-movers and anti-shakers.

Movers

Philadelphia Eagles
The Eagles acted quickly, signing former New England Patriots cornerback Asante Samuel to a six-year, $57 million contract on the first day of free agency. The contract has $20 million in guaranteed money and $32 million in the first three years of the contract. The acquisition of the 27-year old Samuel triggers change in the Eagles secondary, as Lito Sheppard has been implicated in trade rumors, most prominently for Larry Fitzgerald in Arizona or to New England for the #7 draft pick. The other Eagles corner, Sheldon Brown, could be moved to safety, providing help to the aging Brian Dawkins.

Philadelphia has also reached an agreement with 26-year old defensive end Chris Clemons, formerly of the Oakland Raiders. In 2007, Clemons tied for the lead on the Raiders for sacks with a career-high eight. The Eagles hope that Clemons can team with Trent Cole and also replace the recently-cut Jevon Kearse.

The Eagles have also been linked to Randy Moss, although there does not seem to be enough cap room for both Samuel and Moss.

Yet another rumor has the Eagles pursuing Javon Walker, although I do not see Andy Reid taking a risk on an injured cancer. Yes, I am still bitter over his exit from Green Bay.

San Francisco 49ers
The 49ers built on last year's defensive free agency splurge, signing former Bengals defensive end Justin Smith to a six-year, $45 million deal. Smith recorded 43.5 sacks in his seven years with Cincinnati. Smith cancelled trips to Minnesota and Jacksonville after receiving a helicopter tour of San Francisco. Smith had at least five sacks in his first six seasons with the Bengals before recording only two last year. Smith was the No. 4 overall pick of the 2001 NFL Draft out of Missouri.

CBSSports.com's Clark Judge writes that this is a horrible move for the 49ers.

The 49ers also signed former Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Allen Rossum and former St. Louis Rams wide receiver Isaac Bruce. Neither of those moves seems to have that much of an effect on the 49ers, as Rossum mostly saw action as a special teams player last season and Bruce has seen his numbers decline in recent years.

New York Jets
The Jets have been active this offseason, first trading linebacker Jonathon Vilma to New Orleans and then acquiring Carolina Panthers defensive tackle Kris Jenkins. I have read that Jenkins may not be the best option for Eric Mangini's 3-4 defense, but he will provide some meat up front to help the Jets linebackers.

The Jets made one of the biggest splashes in free agency so far, signing former Steelers guard Alan Faneca to a record five-year, $40 million contract. The deal has the most guaranteed money and the highest average per year given to an offensive lineman. Faneca will start on the Jets offensive line between former first-round picks D'Brickashaw Ferguson and Nick Mangold. This seems like a good match for the Jets and Faneca, but Die Hard Steel's Neal Coolong says that the honeymoon period in New York will be short lived.

The Jets are not done yet wither. NFL.com's Adam Schefter has linked the Jets to Detroit Lions free agent Damien Woody, who was coached by Mangini in New England. The Jets are also interested in former Arizona linebacker Calvin Pace who visited Miami Saturday.

St. Louis Rams
With the retirement of longtime kicker Jeff Wilkins, the Rams acted quickly, signing Josh Brown away from the division rival Seattle Seahawks to a five-year deal. The deal is rumored to have a $4 million signing bonus attached to it, unheard of for a kicker.

Minnesota Vikings
Minnesota bolstered both sides of its passing game, signing Bernard Berrian and Madieu Williams. Berrian comes to Minnesota from Chicago where he played four seasons. The Vikings priority this offseason was providing more receiving targets for young quarterback Tarvaris Jackson who threw only nine touchdown passes in 2007. The Vikings signed Berrian to a six-year, $42 million contract, with $16 million guaranteed. In my book, that is overpaying a bit.

On the other side, the Vikings signed Williams away from the Bengals with a deal worth $33 million over six years, while signing fullback Thomas Tapeh to a five-year, $6 million contract. The Williams signing will help replace free agent Dwight Smith while Tapeh will provide some blocking for running backs Adrian Peterson and Chester Taylor.

Shakers

Cleveland Browns
Cleveland has probably made THE biggest splashes in free agency this year. The club kept quarterback Derek Anderson in front of Brady Quinn by signing him to a three-year deal worth around $24 million. That is a far cry from the six-year, $65 million contract Anderson wanted, but for a 24-year old, it seems like it could work. Anderson was the surprise of last season with 34 touchdown passes, although he was inconsistent, throwing 27 interceptions.

The Browns bolstered their defense by acquiring two top defensive tackles in Shaun Rogers and Corey Williams. Apparently, Rogers-to-Cincy was a done-deal that fell through, allowing the Browns to swoop in and snatch Rogers from Detroit for cornerback Leigh Bodden and a third-round pick in the April draft. Williams was from the Green Bay Packers for a third-round pick in the draft as well. Rogers will have an impact immediately, while it remains to be seen if Williams will be able to repeat last year's performance. As League of Shadows likes to say, he could be the next Cletidus Hunt.

What seems to be the biggest acquisition for the Browns however is the acquisition of Donte Stallworth from New England. Stallworth will team with Braylon Edwards who is coming off of a breakout season in which he caught 16 touchdown passes. Stallworth was signed to a seven-year contract worth $35 million. In my opinion, seven years is a little too much for Stallworth given his durability issues and the fact that he has not had one of "those" seasons where everything has gone right. However, he will take pressure off of Edwards and is just another weapon, complementing Kellen Winslow and Jamal Lewis.

Buffalo Bills
The Bills are second behind the Browns in the splash zone for 2008 free agency. Their biggest move came Saturday when they acquired Jacksonville Jaguars defensive tackle Marcus Stroud for draft picks. The Bills also signed former NY Giants linebacker Kawika Mitchell and former Minnesota defensive tackle Spencer Johnson to five-year contracts. Buffalo also released longtime defensive tackle Larry Triplett.

The Bills look poised to make a run at the AFC East division crown, given the inactivity of New England, or at least a Wild-Card berth. According to agent Joel Segal, Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Bryant Johnson is scheduled to visit Buffalo Sunday along with Titans tight end Ben Troupe. The Bills could be contenders next year folks. Or they could be pretenders.

Oakland Raiders
Oakland has been an interesting case this free agency. Fact is, none of their moves make that much sense, but they are still throwing the money around. The Raiders boosted their defense, signing former New York Giants safety Gibril Wilson to a six-year, $39 million contract. In the last four years, Wilson has averaged 6.9 tackles per game, tops in the NFL for safeties. Wilson has started since 2004, his rookie season, and is expected to contribute to a sluggish Oakland D immediately. Wilson replaces Stuart Schweigart and Hiram Eugene at free safety, and puts the talk of moving Michael Huff to free safety to rest.

The Raiders made one of the most eyebrow-raising moves this offseason, signing defensive tackle Tommy Kelly to a seven-year deal worth upwards of $50 million, with over $18 million guaranteed. That is without mentioning Kelly is coming off of reconstructive knee surgery. Kelly was undrafted out of Mississippi State in 2004, but has earned high praise from Oakland teammates such as Warren Sapp. Kelly is versatile enough to play either inside or outside, which could help relieve some of the pain of losing Chris Clemons.

The Raiders placed the franchise tag on corner Nnamdi Asomugha, paying him $9.465 million in 2008. The Raiders were also able to re-sign running back Justin Fargas to a three-year, $12 million contract before he hit free agency. However, Al Davis could not retain Clemons, wide receiver Jerry Porter, or backup quarterback Josh McCown.

Miami Dolphins
The Bill Parcells purge continues in South Beach. The Miami Herald is reporting that the Dolphins and defensive end Jason Taylor are on the verge of parting ways, following suit of longtime friend and teammate Zach Thomas, ending an era in Miami.

Parcells has made some key additions to the Dolphins, boosting their chances for a better 2008. The addition of Reggie Torbor boosts the linebacking corps that lost Thomas to the Cowboys. Torbor signed a four-year deal with Miami after winning the Super Bowl with the Giants last season. The Dolphins added another linebacker in Charlie Anderson, who most recently played for Houston. Former Titans defensive tackle Randy Starks and former 49ers guard Justin Smiley were both signed to five-year contracts by the Dolphins. And this was just the second day of free agency.

On the first day of free agency, Parcells signed former Raiders and Cardinals quarterback Josh McCown to a two-year deal where he will try to become 13th starting quarterback in Miami since the retirement of Dan Marino. The lone holdover of last season's quarterback carousel is second-year pro John Beck who saw action in his rookie campaign last season. The Dolphins released Cleo Lemon and Trent Green, both of whom were utterly disappointing in 2007.

Miami acquired Dallas Cowboys nose tackle Jason Ferguson and their sixth-round pick in the 2008 Draft for the Dolphins 2008 and 2009 sixth-round selections. Parcells signed former Cowboys draftee Sean Ryan to a one-year deal. Ryan has nine catches for 90 yards in his career, which includes a stint with the New York Jets. Finally, the Dolphins signed former Jaguars wide receiver Ernest Wilford to a four-year contract after he had a career season in which he caught 45 passes for 518 yards and three touchdowns. I would not expect Miami to be done yet either.

Now, it's BSchwartz's turn…

First off I want to thank DJ for having me as a guest spot in this blog. My goal here was to find a few teams that have been picked apart as well as a few that are sitting back and watching the first few days of free agency.

My first teams are the ones that have sat back and watched as their top talent takes off to bigger and better things.

New England Patriots
The team that led the way last year in the Free Agency period seems to be the biggest loser thus far in 2008. Asante Samuel's departure was a given, but still will leave a hole in the secondary. The good news for New England is that Asante was more or less a system DB, he made his name by sitting in the Pat's system and using Safeties to trap WR's. The bad news, Asante will fit in PERFECTLY in Philly using Dawkins to help him out and will prove to stay at the top of his game.

Then there is the Randy Moss saga. Everyone felt that Moss was happy in New England and would easily stay there. Well they forgot that Moss is also happy with loads of zeros on his pay checks. Remember this guy played for Oakland on purpose. Even if Moss returns it will cost New England as well as upsetting some guys that took pay cuts to stay. Add to all of that Stallworth's signing to Cleveland means that the great WR's that the Pats had a year ago may just be Wes Welker come next season.

Cincinnati Bengals
The Bengals thought that they landed Shaun Rogers. For a second it seemed like they may be making a move to improve their pitiful defense. But then the Browns swooped in and took Rogers, and while the Bengals were busy with that their top 2 defensive players headed out of town.

Justin Smith and Madieu Williams may have both gotten a little more than they were worth, but at the same time who does that leave on the Bengals D? They need to do something quick.

NY Giants
Last year the Giants lost Tiki and as a result won a Super Bowl, so I'm guessing they are going with that "Less is More" strategy again this year. Thus far the Giants have locked up their kicking crew, Jeff Feagles who is what 87 years old? And Lawrence Tynes who was a bad Brett Favre pass away from being known as the guy that kicked the knuckle ball that landed about 35 yards wide and 20 yards short of winning a game.

As far as players taking off? Although they have a Manning at QB this team achieved the greatest honor in the NFL because of their defense. That defense will have to be without Kawika Mitchell and Gibril Wilson next year. I also wouldn't hold my breath on Michael Strahan coming back for another year either.

So we are what 2 days into free agency? So when I was asked to name the teams that were sitting back and doing nothing, well I guess these guys will be there for now. Time will tell if these guys stay here.

Denver Broncos
My very own Denver Broncos HAVE to lead this list. While this team is criticized every year for overspending on risky free agents and not planning too much for the future they are now being criticized for the opposite.

Denver started out as the first team to reach a deal for Shaun Rogers and have ended up re-signing John Engelberger as their biggest name thus far. They also let the loud mouthed sorry knee having Javon Walker walk away (or should I say limp? If you can't tell I'm a bit bitter with how that worked out).

The silver lining for the blue and orange is that not only has John Lynch decided to come back but he will be back at a discounted price to allow the team to get some young talent. It would seem that this franchise has learned their lesson, but then again if there is another #84 on the Broncos by the end of the week with "MOSS" above that number don't be shocked.

Atlanta
The Falcons made the first news of free agency this year. They just couldn't wait to dump as many players as they could. Letting Rod Coleman, Byron Leftwich, and Alge Crumpler go as well as a few more.

So that would mean that Atlanta is going to come out guns blazing right? Well….. They re-signed Chris Redman, yeah they guy that was selling insurance during last year's free agency period.

My advice to Atlanta, don't cut the guys you have unless you know you can get someone, ANYONE to replace them.

Kansas City
The Chiefs put off losing star DE Jared Allen by one season with the dreaded Franchise Tag. And since then the only guy they have gotten to take an offer is punter Dustin Colquitt. WOO HOO! This brings me to a question a friend of mine posed a while back. If you know your team is going to be bad do you put more focus on getting a good punter?

Either way KC needs to focus on something, sure Larry Johnson should be a bit more productive than he was a year ago, but that isn't going to cut it. Your team was awful last year and you are doing nothing to change that.

While there may be a few other teams that could fit the "Sit back" group, some teams really have no need to go out and bid for guys. As for the fans of teams on either of these lists, remember last year people felt the Giants didn't make enough moves to get over the hump and that the Rams and 49ers made all the right moves. So take it for what it is.

If you read all of this, you deserve a gold star.

GOLD STAR!