odds and endzones: tragedy, irony, pacman-ery

the world of football is a weird one. to succeed in it, the individual must possess talent, confidence, and focus that measure off the charts. this makes the inhabitants of this weird world, you know, absolutely nothing like you and me. in a nod to this strangeness, fuhbaw presents odds and endzones, a collection of weird news from the football world that promises to run randomly and without warning.

$#!%@ draft eligible offensive lineman heath benedict was unexpectedly found dead in his apartment wednesday evening. details aren't yet forthcoming, but police do not expect foul play. benedict played the majority of his college eligibility at tiny newberry college in south carolina. newberry's football program competes at the division ii level. but because of his prototypical size - 6'5" and 320 lbs - benedict was considered a good pro prospect likely to be taken in the first four rounds of the 2008 draft. benedict's sudden death comes as a shock given that he was by all accounts in peak physical condition. football players endure considerable physical hardship, their bodies absorb repeated punishment. without more information, one cannot help but wonder if the rigors of the sport had any part in benedict's unfortunate passing. whatever the reason it's tragic news for benedict's family and friends.

$#!%@ the nfl owners at their upcoming yearly meeting will consider a proposal to ban players' hair flowing out from underneath their helmets. the ban was proposed by chiefs gm carl peterson. peterson cites the fact that the hair obscures the players' names on back of their jerseys. presumably, peterson's logic runs that the inability to read the names off the back of jerseys complicates the referees' job in making calls and the fans' ability to identify players during the helter skelter action of a developing play. never mind that troy polamalu's wild mane, al harris's ropey dreads, and aj hawk's tillman tribute mullet make them the most recognizable defenders on the playing field. in a league that hands out fines based on sock height and shoe color, i think it's safe to assume the nfl is more comfortable dealing in traditionalist values than irony.

$#!%@ for a guy with nothing much to do, pacman jones has had a busy few weeks. three weeks ago, jones told anyone who would listen of his interest in playing for the cowboys. given that his indefinite suspension was still, uh, indefinite, his wish seemed slightly more likely than my wish to play strong safety for the packers. rumors surfaced dallas actually was interested in acquiring jones. some additional drum banging about new england and detroit as possible suitors ensued. then earlier this week a record label's club party poster surfaced bearing pacman's face and naming him one of the hosts (with young spoaty, whoever that is). pacman subsequently denied hosting the party on a radio talk show with michael irvin while also deflecting blame for his several run-ins with the law. now conflicting reports are surfacing that the titans and cowboys are in negotiations for pacman's rights. some reports say a seventh round pick and player are enough to free him from tennessee, some say the titans are holding out for more (jones was a formerly number 6 overall selection). this is a lot of activity for a player who has no assurances of suiting up this upcoming season. it's possible that the titans and cowboys are privy to information on roger goodell's reexamination of pacman's ban. and in the tight-lipped world of pro football, it wouldn't be surprising. perhaps more surprising would be jones staying out of trouble long enough to make a legitimate comeback.

h-town qb party, free agency cont'd

the houston texans are stretching old football logic to its limit. quarterback is undoubtedly the most important position on the football field. and the reasoning goes a team can never have too many good quarterbacks on the roster. one year after trading for starter matt schaub and following a season in which backup sage rosenfels filled in for the oft injured schaub with flying colors, the texans signed former jacksonville backup quinn gray.

this quarterback party is not odd because three proven veterans share the same roster, though most teams do like to balance youth and experience through their qb platoon. rather, all three appear to be hitting their peak years. schaub the starter is the youngest at 26, gray in the middle at 28, and rosenfels is the graybeard but only relatively at 30. all three spent years behind established starters adjusting to the pro game, flashing their skills when given the chance. all three, while not superstars, possess the athleticism and intangibles to be solid starters. now these three seem destined to go head-to-head in training camp. schaub is nominally the starter, but if he falters or suffers injury again, a signal caller free-for-all ensues.

the texans already invested a lot in schaub. he signed a six-year $48 million dollar starter contract last year. to obtain his rights from atlanta, the texans ponied up second round draft picks in last year's and this year's draft as well as swapping first round picks last year with the falcons. schaub performed well last year before going down. many of the games he started were without number one receiver andre johnson.

when shaub did go down, rosenfels stepped in and performed well. sage led a late rally against divisional foes tennessee that nearly erased a 32-7 deficit. the texans fell 38-36 on a titans walk-off field goal, but it portended rosenfels's solid contributions late in the season, leading the team to wins over tampa, denver, and jacksonville.

now here comes gray, who like rosenfels, stepped in for his team's starter and won games. when david garrard went down midseason, gray kept the jaguars competitive, quarterbacking two wins - one against tampa, one against tennessee - against one loss, a shootout against new orleans. gray didn't always display the best decision making, tossing three picks against the saints and two against the colts in relief, but he possesses a powerful arm and good athleticism for a big quarterback. check out throwing into traffic's excellent rundown of the nfl's young passers for a good summary of gray's skills. and fuhbaw agrees that quinn could be ready for the glare of the spotlight.

houston might be biding their time until they can trade one of their up-and-coming signal callers, as the speculation runs. until then, the texans have an interesting three-headed monster at the game's top position: a prototypical athlete in schaub, a gutsy winner in rosenfels, and an old-school downfield tosser in gray. whether houston loaded up on too much of a good thing or struck the right balance, well, we'll know when the party's over.

...


the nfl's free agency period is nearly four weeks old. in my last two free agency updates i joked how much the market slowed, as it inevitable does after the opening weekend, and poked a little fun at the excitement, or lack thereof, names like damien woody and brandon chillar tend to incite. but, four weeks in, it's no joke any more. sure, a couple big names are still out there, but don't expect byron leftwich or darrell jackson to turn around a woeful franchise singlehandedly.

don't get me wrong, these little moves help. that's why i've done my best to stay on top of the latest news. but there's a reason our attention as fans turns with intensity to the draft, greater uncertainties and answers await the last weekend of april than in the preceding weeks of free agency.

the biggest money of the last week of free agency rained down in the pacific northwest. after securing themselves some running backs in julius jones and tj duckett, seattle set about extending the contract of middle backer lofa tatupu and nailing down a long term deal with franchised corner marcus truffant. lofa's extension works out to six more years, $42 million, and $18 million guaranteed. with two years left on his previous deal, tatupu should remain a seahawk until 2015. the seahawks also locked up corner marcus truffant to a six-year deal after placing the franchise tag on him before free agency began. truffant's contract is for $50 million with $20 million in guarantees. both contracts are for serious money, but both insured two important parts of the defense won't be lured away any time soon. sexy? not really. smart? definitely.

the other big contract of late - well, big relative to the position - went to former broncos kicker jason elam. elam signed with atlanta, a four-year $9 million deal. that's pricey for a 37 year old kicker, but elam's still got plenty of leg and he's been ridiculously accurate over his career while bringing a 50 yard range to a scoring offense for the balance.

elsewhere, the cardinals signed linebacker clark haggans to a one-year deal. haggans found little interest after being set free by the steelers. productive in pittsburgh's 3-4 defense, haggans shouldn't require too big a transition to the cardinals' 3-4 which also attacks from all over the field. the patriots signed corner fernando bryant to a one-year deal, as well. bryant won't make anyone forget asante samuel and it's a question if he can stay healthy, but belichick generally does wonders with veteran defenders.

former patriot and redskin reche caldwell signed on with st louis with a one-year contract, in all likelihood to help fill the gap left by isaac bruce. the packers re-signed safety atari bigby, a restricted free agent making the veteran's minimum. bigby struggled through much of the season, but came on late with a good december and january during the packers' playoff run.

the broncos nabbed two backups, center casey wiegmann from the chiefs and re-signed running back cecil sapp. both add depth, but don't address the most pressing needs on the defensive side of the ball. the eagles signed linebacker rocky boiman to a one-year deal for depth and special teams ability. another former colt anthony 'booger' mcfarland landed with the steelers. mcfarland has played tackle in the 4-3 tampa two his entire professional career. pittsburgh will likely move booger to back up at the end in the 3-4. given the injury to end aaron smith last year, it's an interesting move for the black and gold. when those injuries come and the big bodies start to fall in camp and preseason, we'll get a better idea then of the wisdom in these little moves.

'boy, that escalated quickly'

the nfl is preparing for a showdown. but this isn't the kind of contest that pits patriots against giants or colts against cowboys. it doesn't even pit rival primetime news teams against each other in a dramatic street brawl. this one's a bit more mundane, but arguably more significant. the tentative labor peace between the nfl owners and player's union could be nearing an end, setting the stage for another showdown between labor and management.

the basic structure of the relationship between owners and players in the nfl has changed little since 1993. with the true beginning of the free agency that year, the collective bargaining agreement (cba) that made it possible also set in place the salary cap and revenue-sharing under which all 32 teams operate.

every few years, the owners and union meet to renew the terms of the cba. two years ago, the negotiations were contentious and crisis was adverted by then-commissioner paul tagliabue's eleventh hour wheelings and dealings. the outcome of the 2006 negotiations was an increased salary cap (or more money for the players) and an extension of the current cba to 2012. however, the deal also allowed either side to end the agreement early; if either chooses, at the earliest 2009 will be the last year of the salary cap and 2010 would be the last year of the cba.

i'm no lawyer. and i don't have a head for business. i can barely do my own taxes without covering myself in ink and abandoning my attempt in exchange for several beers to relieve the headache. i'm still unclear on what this whole sub-prime mortgage crisis is about (related to the south sea bubble, right?)... hell, i don't even know what a sub-prime is. i'd suggest reading this article written by mark maske at the washington post. in it, maske explains how the labor peace of two years ago simply provided a stopgap but no real solutions. and, in turn, both sides are preparing for a fight come november, when the union expects the owners to notify early termination of the cba.

unless a new agreement can be hammered out, the nfl will have an uncapped year in 2010 which could really shift the balance of competitive power on the playing field within the league. and, if no agreement is forthcoming after that, the owners could - emphasis on could - lock the players out leading to 1987 replacements scenario (please, god, no more keanu).

two developments are very important to this looming issue. first, the owners have their annual meeting starting this sunday. the majority of nfl business is tackled head-on over several days. the union will be keeping a close eye on the meetings in palm beach, searching for any sign of what the owners want in a new cba.

the second development transpired last week. kevin mawae was elected president of the player's union, nfl player's association. mawae, the center for the tennessee titans, has been involved in the nflpa since 1998, and therefore probably doesn't represent much of a different direction from previous nflpa president troy vincent.

a seemingly offhand remark from mawae may portend the union's direction. upon his election to the nflpa's head chair, mawae said, 'In the end, it goes back to educating players of our past, how we've accomplished what we've gotten and having a plan for taking care of our business'. mawae more or less is motioning to the two player strikes in the 80s - 1982 and 1987 - both of which accomplished little in the short term but set the stage for the larger gains in 1993. mawae is also implying the lessons learned from those two strikes, namely, keeping all the players from crossing picket lines, something which did in the 1987 strike in particular.

for the fan, the worst thing is a cancelled season or replacement players doing a poor imitation of our national game (or watching the replacements for that matter). at heart this struggle is about money, and fans just don't really care about the money side of the game. sure, the average fan finds it distasteful that millionaires, owners and players, are fighting over more money. but in the end most of us just find it boring or annoying (i'm getting sleepy just writing this post).

in general, the players' plight might be the more sympathetic one, if the players can focus on the right issues and find a way to distribute their considerable portion of the pie more evenly. the players are currently getting 60% of the total football revenue, a percentage that the owners in general resent. you can expect that the players will be loathe to relinquish that considerable chunk as the owners attempt to chip away at it directly.

any compromise may come in side issues which lower the owners expenditure but do not lower the contracts players see these days. this could go several directions. rookie payscales, especially restricting the amount of guaranteed money the top picks receive, could clear more money for veterans while rolling back some expenditure for owners. last year, the number one pick jamarcus russell received $31.5 million in guaranteed money, a hefty sum (for a hefty quarterback) to lavish on an unproven rookie.

also, owners and players might examine bringing contract totals closer in line with guaranteed money. the size of overall contracts would be smaller, but if the majority of a contract was guaranteed, it could be a good sell among the players. many players that sign huge money contracts end up being cut or reworking their contracts before they see the huge back-end of their contracts.

other union initiatives like better benefits for retired and disabled players might fall by the wayside in this latest round of negotiations. both sides are digging in their heels for a knockdown fight, that much is clear. let's hope both sides are open to creative and sensible solutions to ensure the league on the field isn't disrupted by off the field clashing. (was that last statement too hopeful?)

the sense in foolish things

two days alternating shots of dayquil and nyquil have left me if not incoherent then struggling for linear thought. i wanted to prep a couple longer pieces this weekend, but those plans will have to wait. the ability to research in-depth escapes me. one minute i commit to getting down to work, the next my mind wanders off on tangents, wondering where vegetarian cowboys buy their boots or whether the chinese restaurant i live above will deliver to my door, etc.

the only thing i'm capable of is reaction. this weekend while staggering around the web, i came across this piece by what was that bang? at epic carnival. in the thought piece, wwtb? argues that fandom is irrational. i doubt few would argue with his conclusion. but how wwtb? arrives at that conclusion is unique.

instead of waving pictures of grown men painted in their team's colors from waist to face or linking to one of my sky-is-falling posts after a packers loss, wwtb? contends that being a fan of a team naturally leads to moments proving contradictory to the very logic of being fan in the first place. the example wwtb? gives involves a meaningless late-season basketball game between the woeful minnesota timberwolves and the equally dreadful memphis grizzlies. despite the fact that the timberwolves were long since axed from the playoff picture, wwtb? finds himself rooting for his team, and desperately so, down the stretch. even to a die hard fan, the contest was a meaningless one. so why care?

wwtb? is a contributor at pacifist viking as well as epic carnival and, as such, is a minnesota sports fan, preeminently a vikings fan. the writers at pacifist viking - pv, wwtb?, and holy hitter - besides being intelligently obsessed with the vikings and minnesota sports, all lament the championship-less status of their minnesota franchises with regularity. it's a wound that runs deep especially regarding the vikings. one of the best teams of the 70s whose four super bowl appearances netted no lombardi trophies. add to that a late 90s/early 00s juggernaut who stumbled twice in the nfc championship game, despite being favored in both contests.

it's not surprising given that history of high expectations and considerable disappointment that wwtb? identifies the base hope of every fan of every team is witnessing their team win a championship. the logic seems simple enough. drag a microphone through any nfl training camp when optimism runs at a fever pitch and you'll find that every coach and almost every player shares the same stated goal: to win a championship that season. never mind the likelihood of atlanta or miami achieving such in 2008, the goal remains the same.

but for fans, is that really true? ask any fan if they'd like their team to win a championship in the upcoming season, the response should be a resounding and deafening 'yes'. no surprise there, still does that desire really drive the fandom of our teams? champion squads are often built on domination, only occasionally on the fates aligning, on luck. but look to any fan when their team is down by a score in a game, when their team has been outplayed and perhaps outclassed, does domination matter then? absolutely not. any fan will take luck, take the undeserved win, the deus ex machina that delivers a victory on the scoreboard. a fan will take a last second win by hail mary over a pyrrhic domination every single time. why were the new york giants so lovable in this recent super bowl run? because their achievements were improbable and identifiable. it's not that they won a championship, it's how they did it in spite of who they are.

sports being what they are, the stakes don't matter, not in any real or objective sense. as this site has mentioned time and time again, sports are meaningless outside of what meaning we bring to them. wwtb?'s own example of reacting to a meaningless timberwolves victory reminds us that it feels good when our team wins regardless of the context. winning produces its own hope, if everything is equal. maybe in a meaningless win we can divine which players are clutch, which display hustle, which have heart... these are unquantifiable judgments, perhaps prone to prejudice, but are incredibly important to us, the fans.

rooting for the win even in a lost season is anything but crazy. it's just a chance for fans to re-new our hope, to care passionately. now, excuse me while i beg for face-painting tips from this guy.

discounted dreams, free agency cont'd

outside of oakland, free agency has slowed from a footrace between plucky teenagers to a fat man bent over wheezing and clutching his knee caps for dear life. (side note: is it just me or did the raiders attempt to draw a line in the sand while negotiating the deangelo hall contract backfire? hall ended up with $24 million guaranteed over in his seven-year, $70 million contract. i'm all for the raiders making it rain, but negotiation is still, you know, important.)

certainly some good deals have gone down in the past week or so. versatile end marques douglas signed a four-year deal with the buccaneers to join a deep defensive line. oft injured but talented wide receiver dj hackett agreed to a two-year $3.5 million contract with the panthers, presumably to start opposite steve smith. linebacker brandon chillar also agreed to a two-year contract with the packers, this one for $5.4 million. chillar will compete with brady poppinga at the strong-side spot, making for a suddenly deep linebacking corps. finally, a fuhbaw favorite ben utecht was lured away from the colts by the bengals with a three-year, $9 million dollar offer. utecht was a restricted free agent, but indianapolis seems unwilling to match the offer. utecht is a great blocker and catches the ball well for a big guy, plus he's proved he can fight for the hard yards on third down.

but the majority of the contracts inked in the last week are one- or two-year prove-it deals. mostly damaged goods taking veteran minimums or close to it looking for a chance to shine. backer kawika mitchell signed one of those last year with the giants and worked out pretty well for him, drawing a five year $17.5 million dollar contract with buffalo earlier this offseason. still many of these deals are simply signal one step closer to retirement, one minor investment for clubs wringing what they can out the player's body. here's a rundown of most of these deals by team.

49ers
bryant johnson, wr (1 yr). big backup to anquan boldin and larry fitzgerald in arizona.

browns
gary baxter, s (1 yr $700k). coming back from tearing both patellar tendons - ouch!

buccaneers
warrick dunn, rb (2 yr $6 mil). undersized back with declining yard per rush average.
eugene wilson, s (1 yr $1.8 mil). injured safety that has speed for nickelback position, too.
kevin carter, de (1 yr). took a pay cut to re-sign with tampa despite other offers.

eagles
dan klecko, fb (2 yr). backup dt with three super bowl rings will attempt conversion to fb.

falcons
joey harrington, qb (2 yr). tackling dummy until brian brohm or matt ryan is ready to start.

giants
david carr, qb (1 yr $1 mil). speaking of tackling dummies...
danny clark, lb (2 yr $4 mil). versatile backer with some tread on the tires.
derrick ward, rb (1 yr $1.1 mil). another good runner in the giants stable.

jets
bubba franks, te (1 yr $1.7 mil). very good blocker, too slow down the seam these days.

ravens
frank walker, cb (2 yr $3.5 mil). hilarious, loves overalls.

saints
mark brunell, qb (2 yr). arm is shot, but good leadership for young team.
matt lehr, c/og (1 yr). will compete to replace jeff faine at center who in a way replaced him in tampa.

steelers
justin hartwig, c (2 yr $4 mil). veteran center who probably won't solve pittsburgh interior, but helps.

texans
chris brown, rb (2 yr $3.6 mil). occasionally great, occasionally average runner.
chaun thompson, lb (2 yr $2.4 mil). played well down the stretch for the browns last season.

titans
justin mccareins, wr (1 yr $1 mil). can't get the dropped game tying catch against the ravens out of my head.

vikings
ellis wyms, dt (1 yr $1 mil). depth behind the best tackle tandem in the league.
robert ferguson, wr (1 yr $1.6 mil). try hard, talented receiver who can't stay healthy, still a fuhbaw favorite.
michael boulware, s. oversized for safety, undersized for linebacker. perfect for special teams.

...


maybe you tire of this free agency news, but there's more to come. notable names are still lingering out there team-less. yet which players will command a hefty price tag due to the name recognition? and which will have to settle for modest prove-it deal?

kevin jones, rb. injuries got him cut from detroit.

kalimba edwards, de. lack of sacks got him cut from detroit.

ty law, cb. can cunning continue to make up for diminishing speed?

clark haggans, lb. steelers cut another over thirty linebacker.

darrell jackson, wr. some good years, some bad years, couldn't produce in a bad san fran offense.

takeo spikes, lb. a nose for plays, out of position too often for the disciplined eagles defense.

lorenzo neal, fb. punishing blocker but age (37) has to set in, right?

rosevelt colvin, lb. injuries shone through on a very old linebacker corps.

grady jackson, dt. run stuffer that will probably be happy to sit out of training camp.

daunte culpepper, qb. big arm quarterback that struggled in miami and oakland.

byron leftwich, qb. couldn't beat out jeoy harrington and chris redman in atlanta.

almost all these players will have jobs by the time training camp comes around. but the brutal world of pro football and the physical toll it extracts indicates these players may struggle to deliver what their name promises.

the silver and black strikes back

god bless al davis. i hope he steers the raiders ship into the next millennium. no, seriously. stop your snickering in the back row. i know it's hip to make fun of davis. he's old. his team has been consistently terrible for the last five years. he disposes head coaches like they're used kleenex. and this offseason davis is throwing around gobs of cash in a year when the salary cap is at a record high.

i criticized davis in last week's free agency update. after giving defensive tackle tommy kelly and safety gibril wilson monster contracts, davis payed top dollar for receiver javon walker. walker was cut by the broncos after being beaten out by brandon marshall as the team's number one receiver. plus, two seasons have ended in injury for walker, injuries to the same knee. oh, and add the fact walker bitched and moaned his way out of two franchises.

but davis wasn't content to stop with kelly, wilson, and walker. oakland is close to finalizing a trade with atlanta sending often disgruntled deangelo hall to the raiders for second- and sixth-round picks. the deal isn't done yet. tuesday steve wyche reported the two sides were close. and it's expected to become official some time today. while there's no shock that the falcons are trading the talented troublemaker, the preliminary terms of the contract frame a long term deal with guaranteed money in the neighborhood of asante samuel's $20 million. should the deal go through, hall will be one of the highest paid players at his position. (bargaining tactic note: jim trotter is reporting oakland might pull the deal if it's not finalized today.)

the hall trade taken in tandem with other offseason moves unleashed a mostly negative response from the media. it's easy to see why. in a strange turn, espn's john clayton uncomfortably defended davis's offseason spree. clayton's defense is more shoulder shrugging than truly contrarian. and it's especially humorous if you notice another clayton article linked on that page: in free agency, it's better to be a keeper than a shopper.

but, mr. davis, i've come around. if you're going to hand the inmates the keys of the asylum, you have to crack wide the vault, too. the nfl is a cautious, tread-light world. but oakland's success has never sprung from playing the market carefully. silver and black represents excess and a haven for misfits.

last season, the patriots drew plenty of jeers by overstocking on wide receivers. traditional nfl logic cautions against too much of a good thing. balance and team chemistry are the watchwords of this reasoning.

in direct contrast, the raiders are overloading just about everywhere. those that fear overpaying players with untapped talent worry that these players will get lazy, get fat on the new cash. but in this instance, davis is also turning over the team to these players, not forcing them into a rigid system. granted this isn't the same club that madmen like lyle alzado begged to be a part of... but maybe davis has finally figured out this generation of athletes, found the guys that love football but can't deal with the league's general rigidity.

and maybe not. a lot of dominoes will have to fall at the right time in the right line to justify oakland's offseason spending spree. every team, every season is a roll of the dice. conventional logic dictates - logic i usually endorse - minimizing chance at every turn. but that's not the oakland way, the raiders aren't west coast offenses and tampa two defenses. if the raiders end up swinging this deal for hall, then i'm on board. i feel like the guy in the war movie, snapping my fingers while saying, 'it's just so crazy it might work'. so strap on the bandoliero, al, and head out with your guns blazing... i'm right behind you.

the big quiet goodbye

two weeks ago, brett favre's retirement set off several days of media retrospectives, some of them critical, most fawning. the reaction was hardly surprising, one of the sports most lionized athletes passed a point of no return. perhaps the final page count was excessive, but favre provided a high level of entertainment - whether you hated or loved his play - in the country's most popular sport at the sport's most visible position year in and year out for sixteen seasons.

a quarterback's individual success or failure is often wrongly confused with his team's fortunes, but we know better, right? a football team is a burst and flash of swiftly moving parts, exploding in all directions before contracting again. strategy weaves through brief battles fought again and again between players. no one can do it alone, but not just anyone can do it. quarterback may be the most difficult position on the field, but the rarest athletes are the linemen, the left tackles, the nose tackles, the rush ends. such an unique blend of size, strength, and speed is merely a prerequisite to this trench warfare, to say nothing of domination.

i bring this up because of a quiet item that mds at the fanhouse dropped last friday, one of the best (and biggest) left tackles in the game plans to retire. jonathan ogden was the baltimore ravens first draft pick after the franchise relocated from cleveland following the 1995 season. for ten years, ogden was absolutely dominant at the offensive line's most important position. the past few years, he's fought injuries and seen a decline in his usually stellar level of play.

still, ogden was a cornerstone of a successful team that rarely had mere competence at quarterback. he paved the way for thousand yard rushing seasons by priest holmes and jamal lewis, even one two-thousand yard season from lewis. he neutralized speed rushers with his surprising quickness. he dominated big ends with his overpowering strength. even though his replacement jared gaither is also freakishly large, his dominance will be difficult to replicate, much less replace.

and like warren sapp, one of the most feared interior rushers of the same generation, ogden retires quietly, to little fanfare. sapp who barked and bullied his way through thirteen mostly great seasons sounded relieved to be quitting the stage in the shadow of favre, officially announcing his retirement on the same day as the green bay signal caller. it's a remarkable contrast for these careers built on organized and concerted violence to simply fade away rather than explode.

san francisco's bryant young received a rare honor in the 49ers final home game of this season. after the victory against the buccaneers, the large young was shouldered off the field by teammates amidst the lingering cheering crowd. young was a last link to the last super bowl victor in the bay. he started his career as a pass rushing tackle and ended a fixture at the nose tackle position, his considerable talents overcoming any shift in scheme. maybe the 49ers understand what they will miss with young's retirement after fourteen consistent seasons, but for the fans it may be another matter. will we remember young when teams are piling up yards on the ground game after game next season?

maybe after a career filled with so much sturm und drang, the quiet exit is the loudest signal for these men of improbably large frames and feats. a signal that they're ready to return to normal life, to raise their children, spend time with their families, chase the more modest dreams and pursuits of the average person. a lifetime of being rare losing its luster.

i'm reminded of anthony cotton's sports illustrated article chronicling jim marshall's final game, the opening lines especially:

Last Sunday in Foxboro, Mass., Jim Marshall, age 41 did what has come naturally to him on autumn Sundays for the past 19 years. He lined up at right defensive end for the start of a Minnesota Vikings game. There were no marching bands or half-time ceremonies, only a brief P.A. announcement that this time would be the last time for Jim Marshall.

so too do ogden, sapp, and young shuffle out of the spotlight after dutifully throwing their bodies around for our enjoyment year in and year out. almost every article about favre's retirement mentioned his eventual enshrinement in canton in 2013, the first year of his eligibility. i certainly believe, though it appears unlikely, that ogden, sapp, and young should accompany him in that rare honor.

fuhbaw's sure-thing draft

despite my keen interest in the nfl draft, i'm no scout and i'm no draftnik. looking for a straight up mock draft? something to provide fodder for debate? check out pro football weekly's second mock by nolan nawrocki and nfl network's march rankings by mike mayock. as i've said before and will say again, the draft produces bullshit analysis in spades. until rick gosselin unveils his first mock draft in mid-april - compiled through journalistic hustle not high-horsed punditry - these stabs in the dark must suffice.

what drives most mock drafts is fitting team need with player value. just as every pundit assigns a different value to players so do teams. is leodis mckelvin the highest rated corner in this year's class or is aqib talib? what about michael jenkins or dominique rodgers-cromartie? draft boards from team to team will vary wildly. without a seat in the war room, no one can know if the dolphins are prepared to select matt ryan, chris long, or glenn dorsey number one overall.

player value is just one side of the equation. team needs, on the other side, aren't shrouded in the same subterfuge and mystery. after sixteen regular season games, the gaping holes are apparent to anyone paying attention.

knowing what a team needs is one thing. picking the right players is a whole other matter. there are no sure things in the draft. for the sake of argument, for an unique approach to each team's most pressing need, i've compiled my own mock draft, really a non-mock draft. now matter how much pundits and draftniks claim that such-and-such player is a sure thing, the draft offers anything but. what if teams could trade in all their picks for one sure thing? sure, teams are comprised of countless moving parts. but in this completely fictitious scenario one sure thing trumps a parcel of potential busts.

in this draft, teams pick one past player and receive them at their peak production, their best years. teams select from their past rosters players who are now retired. but the draft slot for the 2008 season should have some weight. and the selection shouldn't be too easy. hmm, we're going to need some ground rules.

focusing mostly on team needs, i present fuhbaw's sure-thing non-mock draft with three rules.

1) teams must select a player formerly on their roster for at least one season but currently on no nfl roster.
2) players enshrined in canton or honored by retired jersey numbers are not eligible.
3) players cannot be selected lower than they were originally drafted into the league. for example, the bears hold the 14th overall pick in the 2008 draft; therefore, selecting jim mcmahon is out of the question because the punky qb was selected with the 5th overall selection in 1982.

all right, miami, you are now on the clock...

dolphins (1) richmond webb, left tackle. quarterback is easily the biggest need, but no one outside of hall-of-famer dan marino is worth the selection. with linebacker zach thomas gone, backer john offerdahl might warrant a selection. however, three better choices are at positions of need: nose tackle manny fernandez from the early 70s no-name defense, tackle richmond webb who protected immobile marino's backside, and end trace armstrong who produced consistently for a long, long time. fernandez's true worth might be hard to discern on a great defensive line. webb's ten or eleven great seasons beats out armstrong's fourteen very good ones.

rams (2) kevin greene, linebacker. the offensive line is shaky, however no retired ram comes close to jackie slater's production and value. when don't the rams need defensive help? outside linebacker kevin greene and his ten years of double digit sacks is mighty tempting. so is the final piece of the fearsome foursome, defensive tackle rosey grier. i don't know if grier's strange post-career obsession in macrame and needlepoint helps or hinders his selection here. the confusion leads me to picking greene.

falcons (3) brett favre, quarterback. the first big shock of the draft! packers fans everywhere are tearing out their hair and rending their clothes. given the do-over, atlanta keeps one of the most productive quarterbacks of all time and maybe even notches a super bowl win or two. how different is the falcons franchise with no dirty birds, no michael vick, no massive guilt and what-if scenarios?

raiders (4) jack tatum, safety. has there even been a more al davis-style player than the assassin? oakland's needs are myriad: offensive line, linebacker, defensive end. but the raiders will take the toughest player and hardest hitter from their 70s heyday.

chiefs (5) willie roaf, left tackle. okay, this is an easy one. kansas city is still looking for the nasty one's replacement. why not go with the original?

jets (6) james hasty, cornerback. kellen clemens may or may not be the guy, we don't know. and i like chad pennington's guts, but quarterback is far from settled for the j-e-t-s. boomer esiason would be an inspired selection for his seven or eight very good seasons between the bengals and jets. but james hasty was an incredibly solid if not true shutdown corner whose aggressive bump and run would work well in mangini's defense.

patriots (7) russ francis, tight end. andre tippett's election to the hall this year wipes out the obvious choice. new england has big question marks among the linebackers and secondary. it's tempting to wonder if belichick would pick ted johnson just to send through for another round of concussions. still, new england had very few good players before the parcells/belichick days. i'll go with best player available, tight end russ francis.

ravens (8) randall cunningham, quarterback. deion sanders would be the perfect pick, but he was selected fifth overall making him unavailable for baltimore selecting eighth. and, of course, there's the persistent problem in baltimore, who's throwing the ball. while cunningham in his scrambling tecmo prime of 87-92 would be ideal, i bet the ravens would even settle for the 98 comeback player of the year cunningham even if only for a season.

bengals (9) reggie williams, linebacker. hard hitting safety david fulcher would bring some serious aggression to the bengals defense. yet reggie williams produced year in and year out for fourteen seasons. and, boy howdy, do the bengals need some consistency at linebacker.

saints (10) rickey jackson, linebacker. pick almost anyone of those four linebackers: vaughn johnson, sam mills, pat swilling, or rickey jackson. mills may have been the anchor, and swilling may have put together the most dominant short-term run, but i'll make jackson my pick for his size, durability, and fifteen solid seasons (not so much for his huge child support payments).

bills (11) andre reed, receiver. tough, check. not afraid to go over the middle, check. long distinguished career with few injuries, check. yeah, another easy one. (by the way, i'm assuming bruce smith is already in the hall... right? right?!!)

broncos (12) randy gradishar, linebacker. denver has a gaping hole in the middle of their defense. hmmm, one of the greatest linebackers never enshrined in canton, one who played exceptionally in the 4-3 and 3-4. also, the unquestionable leader of the orange crush defense of the 70s.

panthers (13) wesley walls, tight end. obviously, the short history presents a problem with carolina and jacksonville. tight end wesley walls five pro bowl selections represent a consistency at the position the panthers haven't seen since. there's always brenston buckner's very good mid-career years to consider. and jeff mitchell was a rock at center for several years. still, walls's best seasons are probably the best choice.

bears (14) neal anderson, running back. to complicate this selection, almost every bear worth selecting is already in the hall. or the current bears are already stacked at the available position (read: linebacker). maybe i'm letting the tecmo version of anderson cloud my logic, but anderson did make four pro bowls and was great before injuries shortened his career. plus, put anderson against cedric benson and, well, you get the point.

lions (15) chris spielman, linebacker. leave this choice up to matt millen and i'm guessing he picks herman moore (ducks under airborne tomatoes). in all seriousness, with the lions biggest weakness being the middle of their defense, there are only two possible choices, defensive tackle alex karras and linebacker chris spielman. karras one of the greatest defensive tackles not in the hall (probably due in part to his wild reputation off the field) was selected tenth overall making him ineligible. i think lions fans would happily take spielman as a consolation prize.

cardinals (16) emmitt smith, running back. even though the cardinals propensity to be the franchise where great careers come to die doesn't help their real world prospects, boy does it give them some great players for my imaginary draft world. boomer esiason (wow, forgot about that one) jay novacek, clyde simmons, emmitt smith, jim mcmahon... i'm tempted to pick neil lomax just for the hell of it (plus, he had five very good seasons). still, i can't deny the rushing champ, smith in his heyday was virtually unstoppable.

vikings (17) cris carter, wide receiver. so many great players in their history. john randle and henry thomas, the great defensive tackles, don't fill a need for this tackle heavy team. edge rusher chris doleman isn't available as the fourth overall pick in 1985. randall mcdaniel, one of their most versatile offensive linemen, also doesn't represent a need. minnesota may have signed bernard berrian to a big offer sheet, but i would still take cris carter any day of the week over their current situation.

texans (18) eric moulds, wide receiver. okay, given the short tragic history of the texans (last year's 8-8 mediocrity being one of the few bright lights) this is a tough selection. i'm just going to assume that eric moulds hangs it up after last year's rough season in tennessee. in this scenario, houston gets the player they thought they were getting when they signed moulds in the first place.

eagles (19) seth joyner, linebacker. philly's biggest need may be receiver, but have they ever had a great one? (no, t.o. doesn't count in this instance.) harold carmichael and mike quick deserve a thought, but seth joyner was explosive at backer for many years and, yes, i'd rather line up with joyner than chris gocong or omar gaither.

buccaneers (20) hardy nickerson, linebacker. derrick brooks can still run and barrett ruud looks pretty good on the field, but with a short list of good-to-great players, i go with hardy nickerson for his long term durability and several exceptional seasons.

redskins (21) russ grimm, guard. washington loves receivers and they love them small so maybe gary clark is a good fit. joe jacoby or russ grimm for the hogs heyday are tempting selections. the redskins have a pretty good line as it stands. still, they suffered a lot of injuries up front last year so grimm might be the best choice.

cowboys (22) drew pearson, receiver. jerry jones wants another offensive playmaker and patrick crayton ain't it. canton snub pearson is the kind of clutch player dallas would love to have... again.

steelers (23) dermontti dawson, center. pittsburgh still hasn't recovered from the retirement of jeff hartings. but dermontti dawson was even better even if his nickname was ned flanders (thanks wikipedia, first time i heard that one). his seven pro bowl seasons made life after mike webster oh-diddly-okay for the steelers.

titans (24) chris dishman, cornerback. tennessee could use a top flight receiver. maybe drew hill or ernest givins, the most consistent receivers from the warren moon run and shoot era, deserve consideration. still, chris dishman was a big play corner that would fit in with jeff fisher and jim schwartz's gambling defense.

seahawks (25) john randle, defensive tackle. my mind keeps saying 'pick the boz, pick the boz, pick the boz' but i don't know if i harbor that kind of resentment towards the pacific northwest. instead, i'll go with john randle in his prime years, one of the best interior rushers and trash talkers in league history.

jaguars (26) jimmy smith, receiver. okay, this may be another copout, but they've been trying to fill the void left by smith since his retirement in 2005. and i don't have faith in jerry porter or troy williamson answering their considerable question marks in the receiving corps.

chargers (27) ed white, guard. the chargers don't have a glaring need on the line, as a team they lack glaring needs overall. dan fouts thinks ed white the versatile lineman should be in the hall. i'll take the word of the immobile quarterback about his blockers.

49ers (29) charles haley, linebacker/end. bryant young, nose tackle. young's retirement is bad news for the san fran defense. here i offer a younger young as the best solution to a lack of young - don't you love the internet? whoops, fell asleep on that one. with young not available, san fran turns to charles haley. haley was a headcase but a hell of a player. and does one thing well that the niners have so much trouble with, rush the passer.

packers (30) jerry kramer, guard. my first inclination would be to pick gale gillingham, probably the most athletic of the three guards from the lombardi days. but gillingham was selected 13th overall in 66. the excellent corner willie buchanon who toiled in green and gold during the dark days of the 70s is also ineligible because of a 7th overall selection. but i don't have one regret 'settling' for kramer, the centerpiece of the classic lombardi run blocking, sweeps and zone schemes.

giants (31) everson walls, cornerback. don't worry, giants fans, i won't draft tiki barber for you. even with the giants dominating run through the playoffs, new york is hardly a perfect team. another standout linebacker would help to take the place of kawika mitchell. but a feared corner like everson walls would be a big boost to their good but not great secondary.

colts (59) eugene lipscomb, defensive tackle. indianapolis could use a big body to anchor their defense. there are two great players in the colts history that would fit: eugene 'big daddy' lipscomb and tony siragusa. big daddy was one of the most feared tackles of his day. goose was impossible to run on when he was going full tilt. i'll give the nod to big daddy and his four all-pro selections.

browns (118*) frank minnifield, cornerback. since the browns don't have any first-day picks, this is a hard selection to make. no jim brown, of course, but no clay matthews, hanford dixon... hell, not even eric metcalf. undersized frank minnifield is a good consolation prize though, four straight pro bowls at the end of the 80s during the stretch in which he was a shutdown corner.

*number may change after compensatory picks are determined

if anyone has a differing opinion on a player and team fit (keeping in mind the rules set out for this little exercise) i'd love to hear it.

sonic reducer (reprise)

monday i took a slight detour from writing about football to discuss the ugly stew bubbling up between the seattle sonics owners, fans, and current city. even though the issue is an nba matter on the surface, fans of any pro sports franchise would be wise to keep in mind the politics and ensuing fallout of the seattle dustup. if you haven't already, i'll again recommend bill simmons's mailbag from last week, a long but worthy read tackling the issue from many perspectives, except ones depicting current owner clay bennett and nba commissioner david stern in a flattering light.

in my previous post, i focused on why seattle losing its only championship franchise is important despite the fact sports are inherently not. a few issues persist about the situation, buzzing around my head, ones i didn't have the space for before, and i'd like to flesh them out here before shifting focus back to the nfl offseason and failed spring-summer leagues.

the leverage used by the oklahoma city based ownership to pry the sonics from seattle revolves around the stadium. taxpayers renovated the key arena in 1995 but ownership requires more commercial space (which is admittedly limited) at the arena. in effect the sonics offered only one very expensive proposal - $500 million new arena - in a suburb. the counter offer of another key arena renovation - $100 million from taxpayers matched by another $100 million from ownership - was barely considered.

taxpayers financing stadiums for teams is more or less a fact in modern pro sports. another community hungry for the prestige and revenue streams that surround a major pro sports franchise will almost always jump at the opportunity to lure a franchise from a community reluctant to spend. it's a political game. we as fans may not like it, but let's not be naive to it.

however, a potential move is usually used as leverage by ownership to get a better stadium deal in the current city. what we're seeing in seattle is something completely different. the stadium itself is the leverage to move the team to a new city, the true intent of ownership despite any platitudes delivered to the contrary. never mind that qwest field constructed in the earlier part of this decade cost around $360 million (and that it's a football stadium seating many many more fans than a basketball arena ever will). sonics ownership merely obscured their true intentions, threw in a couple tap dance numbers, meanwhile they've been stuffing kevin durant in a suitcase the whole time.

demanding taxpayers to pay for stadium is a delicate proposition. fans already fork over money to watch their team in person. the lucrative television contracts exist because people care enough to watch their team when they can't afford an expensive trip to the game. this connection should not be taken lightly. on the one hand, teams are asking fans to invest themselves emotionally and financially in a team every season. on the other, owners reserve the right to rescind that connection. what is so sickening about the state of affairs in seattle, that connection between team and community is given no place in this delicate struggle.

each of the three major sports leagues have flagship franchises that any fan couldn't conceive of existing in another city. in the nfl, the packers, bears, giants, and steelers come to mind first. in major league baseball, the yankees, red sox, cubs, and cardinals. the nba? definitely the knicks and celtics. perhaps the pistons, too. the lakers are certainly one of the universally recognizable clubs, but they had a championship history in minnesota (man, once you learn that, the whole 'lakers' thing makes a lot more sense). perhaps, therein lies the nba's problem. granted it is younger than mlb and the nfl, still the association possesses a transient quality to its identity. it's a fitting league for free darko's liberated fandom but a bit more problematic for the average fan who simply wonders why there's no more basketball in vancouver any more.

more to the point, if david stern and the nba want to play this 'give us a stadium or we're leaving' game, they're going about it the wrong way. yes, the sonics do have history and a championship in seattle. but the nba should be focused on having their teams become such a vital part of their respective communities that the average fan couldn't conceive of them ever leaving. based on how the association and sonics owners handled this situation and the association's history of hopping cities, i wonder less and less why the seattle fans are quietly caving and accepting their fate.

the weirdest part of this seattle saga? if the seemingly inevitable does happen and the sonics move to oklahoma city, there is one nba franchise up for sale: the memphis grizzlies. it's possible that the grizzlies - which began in vancouver as an expansion team in 1995 before moving to memphis in 2001 - could return to the pacific northwest should a seattle based group of investors pull the trigger. what a strange roundabout trip for often struggling franchise. however it might solidify their base of support from seattle all the way across the northern border into british columbia.

fear not, football fanatics. next week, fuhbaw will delve back into all things football, more free agency developments, more spygate, and maybe even a mock draft (though don't expect it delivered with a straight face - more mock than draft). while you're trying to catch up on college basketball before the madness begins or checking out some hot concacaf action this weekend, spare a thought or two for the sonics fans in seattle and cross your fingers that your favorite team won't get the same treatment down the line.

the audicity of despair

here at fuhbaw it may appear i concern myself with all things nfl and only things nfl (outside of a smattering of college games). i'll be the first to admit nfl football is my first and truest sports love. but football in general is this blog's concern. a reader won't find much if anything on pop warner or junior varsity ball in these digital pages. yet i keep a vigilant eye (sometimes two) on the newest developments in our fair sport at large. which brings us to today's item.

when i first heard of the all american football league (aafl) i didn't know what to make of it. certainly, my curiosity was piqued. the concept, though exceeding novel, stood a fighting chance - at least, it appeared to on the surface. the league steadfastly refused to compete with the nfl. suffuse with nostalgia for the college game's bounded pleasures, the aafl appealed to the fanbases of major ncaa programs. offering local heroes culled from pro obscurity and vague promises of a wide-open, college-style game, the aafl hoped to co-opt all the attendant loyalty and ticket sales of college football. maybe not at once, but soon they hoped those dominoes would fall in a line.

however, as the news of the fledgling spring-summer college-pro mishmash league comes to us now, the venture will likely not survive to its first first down. the primary investor marcus katz is in the midst of financial troubles related to the subprime mortgage crisis, and can't front the capital to float the league through its first season. if the league doesn't line up new investors immediately it will postpone the season, anywhere from a few weeks to a whole year to indefinitely.

the league is not finished yet - it has a potential tv deal in place if an investor or investors can step this week - but the sword of damocles is poised. where did these modest dreams go wrong?

perhaps the aafl's aspirations were just that, too modest. they continually defined their teams only in terms of already existing college programs. this co-opted identity posed a problem. not every university targeted by the aafl signed on. in fact, only six teams are slated for the league's inaugural season, whenever, if ever, that is. one of the league's selling points, namely that former college stars would play in their alma mater's colors during the spring in front of appreciative fans, proved unwieldy and took a back seat to simply getting the league up and running. sure, the aafl imposed a complex system of territorial players which each team could designate as their own. but with so few teams gators were lumped in with seminoles, crimson tide with tigers, wolverines with buckeyes... hardly mining the passion of traditional college rivalries.

not only did it refuse to boldly define itself, its identity, the aafl codified some strange rules. football is a realm of traditionalist values. fans of the pro game gripe about players making too much money. fans of the college game rankle at juniors leaving college for the pro ranks. the aafl took these two complaints head on, setting a flat salary at $100,000 a year and requiring a four-year degree to play in the league. these initiatives may be noble, they may be idealistic... one thing is for certain, they are unnecessary to success on the football field. i have no problem with either rule, but it represents a lack of focus on the part of the aafl on what is essential to fielding a successful league. prospective players have no input in their value to league. their existence is simply the fodder of fantasy. and i think every football fan can agree that not every football player is university material, yet that doesn't reflect on their worth as human being (and whatever intelligence they may bring to the table) and certainly has no bearing on how well the play the game of football.

a brief look at a couple successful non-nfl pro leagues may throw the aafl's failings in sharp relief. the greatest challenger to the nfl was the afl in the 1960s. the afl's success was simple, there wasn't enough football being played in enough cities around the country to meet the sport's skyrocketing demand. quality players were in surplus, the traditionalist nfl was loathe to expand, owners feared cutting up smaller pieces of the television contract pie. once the afl proved it could compete with the nfl - super bowl iii was the watershed moment, but really it began when the nfl agreed to a world championship game between the rival leagues in the first place - success was virtually guaranteed.

even the usfl had limited success for a simple reason. tension was running high between labor and management in the nfl. contracts were far too limited relative to the increasing revenue teams were raking in. the usfl offered ridiculously large contracts to stars like herschel walker, steve young, and reggie white. reggie white went onto the nfl once the usfl folded and helped forced free agency for players, free agency which led to a collective bargaining agreement which has kept labor peace for 15 years in the nfl.

today, the nfl is represented in 31 separate markets across the country compared to just 15 in the 1966 season, the season of the first super bowl between the afl and nfl. and even though the nfl's collective bargaining agreement may be in trouble for the 2011 season, it remains in tact for now. taken in tandem with the lack of an unique identity and an odd obsession with trivial trappings, the aafl provided nothing that the established league lacked, attacked no niche that filled an obvious need.

i cringe to think of all those aafl players who on the promises and baseless optimism of the fledgling league already spent half of their $100,000 a year salary. maybe they put a down payment on a home, maybe they bought an eight ball and hookers every weekend, maybe they met with someone from dick's sporting goods about opening a franchise. the fact remains the aafl may have meant little to us, but to these young men, the aafl was one last shot to turn their bodies and a lifetime of training into something for themselves.

by the way, if anyone can make sense of that clint stoerner hieroglyph, i'd love to be clued in.

update: it's official, the aafl's 2008 season is scrapped. they open the door to returning in 2009.

the face of facemasks, free agency cont'd

certainly, javon walker's new contract with the raiders is puzzling. despite delivering on his ability's considerable promise only twice in six seasons and despite two injuries to his right knee hobbling him in two other seasons, walker signed a monster deal with oakland: six years, $55 million, $6 million signing bonus, and base salaries of $5 million in the each of the first two years. added to tommy kelly's and gibril wilson's fat contracts, you have an oakland franchise that is throwing cash around like, i don't know, a millionaire that doesn't have long to live. (does that hit a little too close to home, raiders fans?)

take these three big paydays in tandem and breathe in the stench of oakland desperation. but is there something else at work here? since the end of the regular season, the reports out of oakland (vehemently denied by raiders public relations) frame a power struggle between owner al davis and coach lane kiffin. the alleged row between kiffin and davis so far concerns the control over the staff. could the struggle be spreading beyond who's coaching to who's playing?

perhaps it's folly to examine every move a franchise makes through one dominating issue. any organization, even one as tightly controlled as the raiders, is large and unwieldy. spending so much time distilling the identity and import of a team, it's easy to forget every club is a collection of individuals and some decisions stand on their own.

i'm not sure which scenario is more disturbing for the raiders' fortunes? that davis is forcing a bunch of big contract underachievers on an unwilling kiffin. or that the raiders are just grabbing whoever they can convince to don silver and black by waiving money in their face. good for kelly and walker in any case, even though combined they have the same number of undamaged anterior cruciate ligaments as i do. i'm still leery of how each of these players will work out for oakland. at the very least, you have to respect al davis for continuing to gamble big as we see free agency become more and more of a crapshoot with each passing year.

...


free agency lumbered on through its first full week and second weekend. after the early flurry of big names and big contracts, we witnessed - as we do yearly - the names reported turn more anonymous, the contracts less inflated. last week, fuhbaw ran down the biggest signings and trades of the opening weekend. let me continue that analysis, casting glance at the subtler pleasures and puzzlement of free agency's second phase.

the jets were declared one of free agency's early winners (a contest and prize with little bearing on real wins and losses) with their shrewd trade for defensive tackle kris jenkins and their signing of guard alan faneca. they continued to spend freely, signing linebacker calvin pace from the cardinals and disappointing guard-tackle damien woody from the lions. the jets clearly feel the pressure to beef up their offensive and defensive fronts. but the impact pace, a serviceable but not great linebacker, and woody, a lineman maligned for his work ethic and lack of athleticism, can have on the jets fronts is doubtful. points for being bold, new york, but $22 million in guarantees to pace over six years and $11 million over five years to woody is a steep price for displaying balls.

usually content to sit out much of free agency, the tennessee titans brandished some bills last week and weekend. former pro bowl tight end alge crumpler agreed to a two-year contract valued around $5 million to become a titan, a potential bargain if crumpler can produce close to his best years. also, end jevon kearse returns to titans after a couple down seasons in philadelphia. kearse also signed a two-year contract, this one in the $6 million range. besides adding a couple aging pro bowlers, the titans locked up former colts guard jake scott to a four-year, $20 million contract to replace jacob bell. the undersized scott may not be a good fit in the titans drive blocking run game. at indianapolis, scott blocked in the zone running scheme that utilized his athleticism and masked a lack of power. still, scott may be tenacious enough to make the adjustment a seamless one.

the panthers welcomed back receiver muhsin muhammad after a couple rough seasons at the bears. how much muhammad has left in the tank is anyone's guess, but at least he's tall (i'm working on being upbeat today). the void left at receiver by muhammad's departure and bernard berrian's signing with minnesota left the bears to turn to another retread, marty booker. booker signed a two-year, $3.5 million deal after spending four very average seasons in miami. not content with merely average, the bears added former redskins receiver brandon lloyd for one-year at the veteran minimum, who has been nothing but an unqualified bust, catching only 25 passes for no touchdowns the past two seasons in washington. while booker might be a slight upgrade of the big possession receiver role muhammad filled, lloyd seems a significant downgrade from berrian in the deep threat role. considering the bears quarterback battle will once again be fought between kyle orton and rex grossman it may not matter who's dropping passes for the chicago offense.

give seattle credit, they see a need and attack it. last year, they felt their defensive line was too soft. seattle signed patrick kerney who responded with a pro bowl year at end and drafted brandon mebane who proved disruptive in the middle of the line. two years removed from his mvp campaign, shaun alexander ran hesitant and sustained many injuries. the seattle offense reworked itself into a pass first game plan to salvage teh season. in response, the seahawks signed backs tj duckett and julius jones both to multi-year deals, duckett for five years, jones for four. while jones was the second best back in dallas, it's certainly no crime to be not as good as marion barber. and duckett has never held the feature role, but could continue to provide power and size in a platoon situation. with back maurice morris and the impending cut of alexander, the seahawks have three runners who are good pros - none of them flashy, but all experienced and capable.

it's clear that the bengals are not very good at trading. their deal for lions tackle shaun rogers fell through, allowing division rival cleveland to step in and close the deal. then, a play for jets tackle dewayne robertson also toppled when robertson refused to renegotiate his contract at the pay level cincinnati offered. desperate for bulk along the defensive line, the bengals signed antwan odom from the titans. playing opposite albert haynesworth and kyle vanden bosch, how odom will perform as the main end is anyone's guess. what is apparent is the remaining void in the middle, someone to pair with domato peko and provide any semblance of run defense for a generally terrible defense.

...


the ravens quiet acquisition of special team standout and backup linebacker brendan ayanbedajo appears an unqualified upgrade. given baltimore's track record with developing linebackers and ayanbedajo's knack for the big play especially blocking punts and field goals, the four-year, $4.9 million deal should be well worth it. the rest of the free agent signings involved either damaged goods veterans or young unknowns. in fact, here's a list for each category.

risky veteran, new team. reason for wincing every time they take a shot.

trent green, rams. two seasons, two vicious shots to the head.
dan morgan, saints. receives concussions at a mcdonald's drive thru rate.
boss bailey, broncos. knees may or may not be held together by elmer's glue.
jimmy kennedy, jaguars. not injury prone, just cut by the freaking broncos.
sammy knight, giants. hard hitter but might have trouble covering jeremy zuttah.
brian kelly, lions. repeated foot injuries = bad for already slow corners.

young buck, new team. reason for checking those expectations.

jacob bell, rams. sandwiched between kevin mawae and michael roos in tennessee.
rex hadnot, browns. former miami dolphin.
travis laboy, cardinals. back up to a virtual unknown (antwan odom).
ben troupe, buccaneers. last two seasons: 18 catches, 2 touchdowns.

it bears repeating, look at the teams that have abstained from joining the free agency fray. the chargers, colts, cowboys, packers, and steelers (yes, i'm not really counting returner/back mewelde moore) have let the money and risks of early free agency pass them by. every team will sign at least a player or two, but look for each of these teams to concentrate their resources on drafting well and watching the waiver wire around training camp. and then measure that against any success they have this upcoming season.

sonic reducer

allow me a few words about the seattle supersonics impending moving to oklahoma city. maybe i am a little late to this item. bill simmons put together an important edition of his mailbag last week focusing solely on the highly contentious move. but i think many of the themes coming out of the seattle clusterfuck transcend a flickering moment in the ever revolving newsreel.

and maybe on the surface there seems little point in discussing a potential national basketball association tragedy on a football blog. but for any fan of any pro team in any league, the raw deal handed down to sonics fans should serve as an chilling cautionary tale, a tale of how a bunch of businessmen and politicians can rip the heart out of city and fanbase.

if you're unfamiliar with the sonic's current situation (or if you think simmons's mailbag is too daunting a read) let me offer the briefest of summaries. billionaire seattle based owner who intended to save the franchise suddenly sells the sonics to an oklahoma city based investment group. seattle billionaire cites bad lease at the key arena, inability to obtain public funds for arena renovation as reasons for sale. oklahoma city based investment group that played host to the new orleans hornets for a season in hurricane katrina's wake publicly claims to keep the sonics in seattle with one caveat: they need a new arena.

taxpayers weary from paying for new stadiums the mariners and seahawks now inhabit, along with the memory of the multi-million dollar renovation of the key arena in 1995, are loathe to support an entirely new basketball arena. the arena plan proposed by the new sonics ownership places the dollar amount too high and the prospective location too remote for the city and fans. meanwhile, one member of the investment group admits in a magazine interview the ownership's intention to move a team to oklahoma city all along. nba commissioner david stern pronounces the move all but inevitable, places the onus on the government who won't accept the sonics ownership one and only proposal.

this is where the sonics fans find themselves today, caught between politicians on the one hand and an outside ownership group on the other - all sets of heels dug into the sand.

ugly fights over money and stadiums sicken the heart of almost every fan. grown men and women who live in the real world, who are more than familiar how business is conducted in our country - the loud wailing of the dollar - can't help but wince at the machinations that toy with something they love, love perhaps irrationally, but love nonetheless. why should this be so?

it's important to remember there is nothing inherently meaningful about sports. yet sports radiates a certain power. that sports makes more money hand over fist for already rich people is merely a side effect. the power of sports lies in the fact that it is more than a business. sports as they exist in modern america are far from necessary to our lives. yet they become integral to how we relate with others and how we see ourselves. the sports guy says sports are about caring. bethlehem shoals at free darko says sports remind of us things that are important. in that way, sports is like literature. literature can mine truths that cannot be unearthed any other way. but sports is living narrative that unfolds before our eyes. and its meaning comes from our reactions to this spontaneous narrative.

whatever the reason to shell out $50 for tickets, $25 for t-shirts, $40 for beer, $20 for hot dogs, etc, we the fans bring this reason with us into the arena, stadium, field. the meaning of sports is abstract, elusive, and every changing, but ever changing based on our investment in the game transpiring in front of our eyes.

on saturday, i went to madison square garden to watch the knicks host the trailblazers. the knicks struggled early, the chants of 'fire isiah' unleashed through these struggles. but as little nate robinson put up 45 points making improbable shot after improbable shot, the crowd lost all sense of the world outside the game on the court. only when isiah pulled the hot-handed robinson in the middle of the contested fourth quarter did the boos rain down from the crowd again. and that too was only a momentary impinging of reality, as robinson back in the game made the regulation tying shot, sending the game into overtime.

in that moment, and the moments leading up to it, the garden was absolutely electric, the crowd jumping to their feet and cheering in unison. and the crowd was equally deflated when the young leaders of the blazers, brandon roy and lamarcus aldridge, confidently nailed their field goals in the overtime period. just as nate robinson's heroics brought the thousands assembled to the brink of hope, the young blazers' clutch turns left them stunned in defeat. it's a reminder that despite the deserved enmity between the knicks fans and their embattled head coach, they like all fans are ready to shove aside all that crap and be overwhelmed by the improbably happenings of a child's game played by grown men and women.

however the drama in seattle unfolds, it will be an unqualified tragedy if nothing is rendered to the fans, if the nba turns its back on what the fans there have invested into their team. some hold out hope that a sale to seattle investors can yet be arranged (the oklahoma city group emphatically states the team is not for sale). simmons for his part proposes that the memphis grizzlies, another nba team apparently on the block, be exchanged for the sonics with a swap of some players, namely the oklahoma city team keeping up and coming superstar kevin durant.

at the very least, seattle should give a long hard look at the bitter battle over the browns in cleveland. the historic nfl franchise moved to baltimore, but the city and fans fought to keep the team's history and identity in the city along with nfl's pledge of a new browns franchise at the next league expansion. while the move completed a triangle of spite from cleveland to baltimore to indianapolis, cleveland now has a thriving franchise that is nearly continuous with its rich history.

if keeping the identity of the sonics in seattle is the best that the nba can do, the association shouldn't hesitate. it's not much, but it's something, some small consolation for a city that has given so much to its team, some small hope where hope is everything.

shade at a premium

the ink is long since dry on randy moss's new contract with the patriots. the two sides signed the deal monday afternoon after a weekend of speculation. most commentators and fans assumed, despite not being tagged as a franchise player, randy would re-sign with new england. but most assumed a deal would be in place by the time free agency began last friday. instead, randy entertained offers from other clubs before reaching an agreement with the team that helped rebound his career with a record breaking 2007 season.

the contract is three years, $27 million, and $15 million in guarantees. according to espn's john clayton, the sticking point in negotiations was the amount of guaranteed money. in the end, the patriots moved moss more in line with the market value set during free agency's opening days. almost all the big contracts this year are six-year deals. moss's three-year deal makes one more big payday possible if he chooses not to hang it up at the end of this contract.

no doubt, philadelphia's run at moss helped assure more guarantees in his new england contract. it's reported the eagles offered moss more money than what he ended up with as a patriot, but randy stayed with new england because of the fit, the situation, the coach, the quarterback... the 'intangibles' that is. so, in the end, what happened is what everyone expected to happen - moss got paid, but remained with new england at a bit of a discount.

but i don't want this news to pass without offering a thought or two. randy is undoubtedly the best receiver in the game. when his lack of a contract became the most surprising non-news of free agency's opening weekend, his name was connected with several other teams: the cowboys, the packers, even the steelers.

however, only one team made a serious run at his services. this after randy transformed a very good if limited offense into a nearly unstoppable force (yes, giants fans, i said nearly). i know folks love wes welker, and all the credit in the world to his work ethic, but randy's presense, speed, and talent completely opened up new england's offense. why wasn't moss priority number one for every club in contention?

certainly, the price tag looks prohibitive. for half the contract length, moss received nearly as much in guaranteed money as the two largest receiver deals of this free agency period. bernard berrian signed with the minnesota vikings for six years, $42 million, and $16 million guaranteed. javon walker signed with the oakland raiders for six years, $55 million, and $16 million guaranteed. is randy moss worth twice as much as berrian or walker? i think i heard a 'hell' and a 'yes'. not every team, like the cash strapped ravens and redskins, could float that kind of money randy's way, but many of the contenders, like the buccaneers or jaguars, had the room to at least outbid new england.

and when i think about it, i personally harbored no real desire for randy to land with my team. it's not the history of off-field troubles. it's not the 'i play when i want to play' statements. it's certainly not the dope smoking once every blue moon. whatever it is, i don't think it has to do with randy.

while watching the midseason patriots-steelers game in a bar in dc, i was seated beside a new england fan. he was decked out in patriots merchandise - jersey, hat, probably patriot pat boxers, but that's just a guess. when the game turned into a lopsided new england victory in the second half, i asked the fan how he felt about losing receiver donte' stallworth after the season. while not as pivotal to the team as moss or welker, stallworth provided another important piece in the receiver corps. and to my mind there was no way that new england would match the sizable offers stallworth would receive. the pats fan was astounded that i even suggested that stallworth wouldn't be back. the thought upset him so much that he even called me stupid (don't worry, my ego can handle it).

stallworth did in fact accept an offer from another team, one that new england had no intentions of matching at all. but the fan's reaction is still a notable one. if our teams are successful, we like them as they are. there's some part of the average fan that chafes at free agency. i don't think it's the money that players are getting - it's a good thing that the players are getting their chunk of this sizable, lucrative pie.

instead, it's the constant flux and change of our teams's identities, at least on the star/starter level. it's just easier to love our teams when we know the players, we know what they'll do on the field - as long as they're not known for meltdowns or fumbling in clutch situations. sure, the draft and free agency is exciting, but it only presents hypotheticals, motions to possibilities. it's a renewal of hope and optimism for the worst teams with the worst players. but for the good teams and good players, it's a potential for ruining a good thing.

in the end, randy is a patriot because he wanted to remain a patriot. and some part of many of us wanted him to remain a patriot, too.

favre and back again

today jay glazer at fox sports reports brett favre is hanging up his cleats. for me this is a bittersweet moment, more bitter than sweet. after a season in which favre proved many of his doubters wrong, his considerable accomplishments won’t bear the tarnish of old age and diminished skills. leading his young packers to the nfc championship game, brett's 2007 performance ranks just a notch below his mvp years - astonishing for a 38 year old if eerily fitting for a quarterback who re-defined durability at the position.

despite the fact that favre will ride out on this relatively high note, the sudden offseason stirred in me the same gut desire that hits yearly: just one more season. the illogical pact that i renew with myself, the rationalizations of the previous year exchanged for a new set. the hope that the ravages of age will be another improbability beaten, another sack spun out of, another last minute touchdown completed in triple coverage.

and it’s the anguish just as much as the brilliance that tethers me to this now fruitless hope. it’s the extreme reactions favre’s play provokes.

it’s that, love him or hate him, favre makes people care about the game.

the entirety of my adolescence was circumscribed in years by the 90s and in geography by northern wisconsin. if you know anything of wisconsin, few things are of greater importance there than the green bay packers. if you remember adolescence, the world surrounding is a thing to set yourself against. try as i might, though, i couldn't take my eyes off the field once favre assumed it. the packers were a team relevant only to history when i was a child. with brett first, then reggie, we became a force unpredictable and dangerous if not truly dominate outside one spectacular season.

i remember the kitrick taylor game. a second year brett struggled through much of the contest. i wondered like so many in the stands why this stupid, rookie coach mike holmgren refused to give ty detmer, the heisman winning quarterback, a shot. the confusion vanished quickly during that last drive. the scrambling young southern kid whose name i wasn't at all confident pronouncing marched the team down the field and heaved the winning throw. it happened so fast. but no one mentioned detmer's name again.

his antics are the stuff of tall tales: completing passes to himself, coughing up blood before tossing touchdowns, throwing blocks like a pulling guard, zinging passes across his body and off his back foot, playing through separated shoulders, broken thumbs, bruised hips, and family tragedy…

of course, hardly everyone is sad to see the old man retire. as my friend ryan, a native chicagoan, says, ‘He's like Castro for me, I'm always wondering, When the fuck is that guy going to finally die/retire?’ add to that the schadenfreude and ennui of the sports center generation which allows the media's reflection to obscure the player. somewhere along the way, the hagiography set in. perhaps unfortunate, seemingly unavoidable.

maybe his accomplishments do fall short of his legend. yet i don't measure my love of the game by championships alone. i just know that gift favre possesses of changing around the dimensions of the field to suit the improbable play is something we as fans won't see again soon, not in the same way at least.

how i choose to remember favre is during the nfc divisional round victory against seattle, the pocket collapsing on him from the outside, the defensive tackle beating his man hard inside. at the moment the sack appears inevitable, brett spins away struggling to keep his footing, stumbling parallel to the line of scrimmage. as he tumbles to the ground, brett raises his head and lobs an underhanded toss to end donald lee. lee scampers for the first down keeping the drive alive while brett hits the snowy turf under the crush of a defensive end.

in any case, thanks, number four. like beer, brats, and cheddar, wisconsin wouldn't be the same without ya.

gotham's open arms

let me just say i am ecstatic about kris jenkins coming to new york. no, i'm not a jets fan. nor does this excitement arise from jenkins's skill as a player (make no mistake, he is a fuhbaw favorite when he's on the field and healthy). the reason why jenkins's trade to the new york jets gets me all hot and bothered is simple. kris jenkins the quote-machine is now in the epicenter of sports media.

unfamiliar with jenkins's brand of soothsaying? here are some greatest hits...

on his team's lackluster play last season:

I'm going be honest with you, it was what it was, garbage. As a team collectively we have no heart, we have no energy. We have no drive.

on suffering from depression:

You hear everybody tell you the stories how you have to learn to walk away because football is going to end at some point. But that's like somebody telling you that it hurts when you take a 40-caliber pistol and you shoot your hand with it. You're not going to know how that feels until you take that 40-caliber pistol and you shoot yourself in the hand. That's why I was depressed.

on what his teammates think about him:

Who? Me? They just started liking me a week ago. I was the fat guy swimming in the bay that was supposed to be somewhere else. I'm not a talker. For the most part, I just play and do my job and keep my mouth shut.

and, everyone's favorite, kris on warren sapp:

I hate him. Everybody says I’m supposed to be polite when I talk to you all, but I hate him. He talks too much, he doesn’t make sense, he’s fat, he’s sloppy, he acts like he’s the best thing since sliced bread. He’s ugly, he stinks, his mouth stinks, his breath stinks, and basically his soul stinks, too. Not too many people have personalities like that and survive in life. I don’t know how he does it.

jenkins is a refreshingly candid human being in a din of robotic canned quotes and calculated nonanswers. and, along with free agent signing alan faneca, jenkins is a reason for optimism among the downtrodden jets faithful. jenkins and faneca bring some big bodies and great experience on both sides of the line. i doubt faneca is worth the monster contract the team agreed to - 5 years, $40 million, $21 million guaranteed - but he should give the woeful jets line a boost especially in the run game.

...


as big time as new york's wheelings and dealings are, they pale in comparison to the frenzy in cleveland. short a first round draft pick, the browns focused on improving their main weakness, the defensive line, through trades. after re-signing quarterback derek anderson, the browns swung a deal with green bay for tackle/end corey williams (more on that later). then when the lions-bengals trade of tackle shaun rogers for draft picks fell through (according to peter king, over a $1 million roster bonus cincinnati would automatically pay) the browns stepped in and sent a third round pick and corner leigh bodden to detroit for the massive rogers. cleveland capped the weekend by signing free agent receiver donte' stallworth to a long term contract.

in general, spending big in free agency is risky business. very few great players make it to the market and the contracts are generally bloated. and trades rarely offer good players without good reason. for every randy moss are ten mike williamses. i like the browns' aggressiveness, i just wonder if they gave up too much for rogers. rogers is a force when he's at the top of his game. but he's often out of shape and always accompanied by whispers that he doesn't love the game. leigh bodden is a very solid corner who impressed last year especially in the second half of the season. on the off chance that lions gm matt millen hits with the third round pick, and i write this with gritted teeth, he may have gotten the upper hand in this trade.

the situation with corey williams is interesting, too. williams is a good player, but was scheduled for unrestricted free agency. eyebrows raised when packers gm ted thompson designated williams with the franchise tag. but in trading williams to cleveland the packers end up making something out of nothing. a second round pick is nothing to sneeze at especially with a very solid talent evaluator such as thompson. the packers were able to accomplish this nifty maneuver because they had plenty of cap room to keep williams, allowing them to approach a potential trade with a looseness that netted a notable gain.

the buffalo bills continued the migration of big tackles by trading for marcus stroud from jacksonville. stroud's had some injuries, but he's huge and devastating when healthy. along kawika mitchell, buffalo's big free agent signing, the bills add experience and bulk in the middle of the defense. enough to challenge new england in the afc east? tough to say. buffalo was obviously watching the super bowl closely learning the important of the front seven in disrupting brady and the patriots offense. no doubt, coach dick jauron picks mitchell's brain on just how the giants pulled off the biggest upset against the team of destiny.

elsewhere, the 49ers logged another big free agent class. receiver isaac bruce is nearing the end of his great run, but he's still better than any current san fran receiver. the 49ers are a team starved for veteran leadership which bruce brings in spades. also, end justin smith is an inspired signing. people throw around phrases like high motor and workman approach, but smith has the athelticism to run down running backs from the opposite side of the field in addition to possessing a good array of power moves. his numbers were underwhelming the last season, but that bengals defense was terrible. tackle domato peko was the only other player that stood out in the front seven. it remains to be seen if smith can adjust to a two-gap end from playing in a 4-3, but i think he's a better signing for san fran than nate clements of a year ago.

...


furious happenings in new york, cleveland, buffalo and san fran aside, free agency always encompasses three main themes: big spenders, big names, and big surprises. here's a quick look at the rest of free agency's opening weekend bearing in mind these three themes.

absence makes the heart grow fonder, or desperation opens the pocketbook. (that's the same sentiment, right?) some so-so players were bathed in big money this weekend. the biggest offender? a toss up between the raiders, vikings, and jaguars, with the buccaneers trailing somewhere close behind. oakland re-signed tackle tommy kelly to an oversized contract then followed it up with another one to free agent safety gibril wilson. both are decent players but are hardly deserving of the $18 million and $16 million they were guaranteed respectively.

minnesota did its best to one-up oakland, doling large contracts to safety madieu williams and receiver bernard berrian. williams is a player i don't know very well, but six years at $33 million looks excessive. berrian has a ton of talent, but is riddled with the same problem that ran troy williamson out of the purple and gold - a knack for dropping the big catch. berrian ended up with a six year, $42 million contract with $16 million in guarantees.

speaking of williamson, the jaguars traded for the inconsistent receiver in the hopes he can deliver on his promise through a change of zip code. perhaps recognizing that receiver was still a burning need, jacksonville then signed former raider jerry porter, a contract reported at six years and $30 million, guarantees around $10 million. jacksonville also signed corner drayton florence who presumably will hold down the nickel spot. early reports have the contract at six years at $36 million, pricey for a role player.

while tampa bay is flush with the most cap room in the league, their signing of saints center jeff faine to a monster contract is no less a head scratcher. faine is a solid if undersized center. neither the browns nor the saints rated him high enough to keep him with big money. faine ends up the highest paid center in league history at six years and $37.5 million, $15 million in guarantees.

how about the flipside, the big name players who deserve the big contracts they sign? the highest rated corner asante samuel took the eagles offer of six years, $57 million, and $20 million guaranteed. not only is the contract sweet, but samuel joins a team that has a great defensive system that generates pressure on the quarterback, pressure which makes samuel's job easier - all in all, a wise move.

michael turner backed up ladanian tomlinson for four years and teased the league with his power and speed. now, turner has a big contract in atlanta with the rebuilding falcons. turner also landed a six year contract, this one for $34.5 million with $15 million guaranteed. the task ahead of turner is no picnic, but he joins promising back jerious norwood in what could be an impressive rotation over the next several years.

also, kicker josh brown went from seattle to division rival st. louis becoming the league's highest paid kicker in the process. linebacker jonathan vilma was traded from the jets to the saints after an injury-plagued 2007. and tight end alge crumpler settled on tennessee, a team that generally doesn't jump into the early phase of free agency.

of course, the biggest name in free agency has yet to sign an offer sheet. randy moss is the subject of swirling rumors. fans in new england are desperate to know why the patriots haven't handed the sun and the moon to the record breaking receiver. various contenders such as the cowboys and packers are being linked to moss. and intermittent reports surface that the patriots and moss are close to a deal, but so far nothing concrete.

moss's continued availability isn't the only surprise of free agency. chicago linebacker lance briggs will remain a bear. last year, after the bears designated briggs for the franchise tag, a disgruntled briggs claimed he would never play a down for chicago. with $36 million over six years and $13 million guaranteed, briggs stays at halas hall for a good long time. easily the best linebacker available, briggs may have encountered a lack of interest based more on the position he plays than how well (very well) he plays it.

while free agency is far from over, the money bonfires are certainly to be less. and the biggest surprise of all may be the washington redskins not jumping headlong into party. the only transaction of note a modest one, re-signing backup quarterback todd collins. who knows if washington has bigger plans afoot. for now, they measure up with the more prudent clubs who balk at the big figures and big risks of free agency's first weekend.