Reviewing last years FA moves

[49ersfan_87]

With the happenings of FA this year i was thinking about the impact FA's would have. I got to wondering what last years FA's did. Post what the FA's your team signed did for your team and if they were good or bad, etc

1. Antonio Bryant,wr



Decent wr. Was great in first two games but tailed off with character issues (suspensed for 4 games) and dissapeared in many games. Also blew up at QB smith for overthrowing him in a game last year, very volatile. Decent signing, but character issues outweighed talent. Was released this offseason.

2. Larry allen, G



cap casualty by the cowboys, signed a 2 year deal. Was part of a line that opened up holes for 2nd team all-pro frank gore. Main reason for signing was to mentor young lineman, especially 2nd round pick of 05 david baas. good signing

3. Walt Harris,cb



cut by the redskins to make room for their annual FA spending spree, came in to compete for a nickelback spot and revived his career. Signed a 2 year extension and will battle for 2 spot. good signing

[CC.SD]

Marlon McCree gave the Chargers some veteran leadership and made some plays. He also got the secondary players to start watching film together instead of individually, what a concept.

Then he intercepted the ball on 4th down in the playoffs with 6 minutes to go and a touchdown lead, and then fumbled it away. Earnest Byner: the sequel. Later he said if given the chance to redo things, he would still have made the pick instead of knocking the ball down.


So yeah he gets a thumbs sideways.

[757Dawg]

Browns

LeCharles Bentley, C
--I'd rather not get too far into Bentley's situation as it's just going to make me sick. He tripped on the first play of scrimmage in training camp and tore his patellar tendon. Out for the year. Had surgery to repair the damage, but as has happened to so many Browns in recent years, he developed staph infection, which basically destroyed the repaired tendon. His career is more than likely over.

Kevin Shaffer, OT
--Brought into to fill the void at LT left by the departure of LJ Shelton. A lot of Browns fans like to think Shaffer played poorly last season, but I'm not one of them. He had to play next to a LG in Joe Andruzzi whose level of play has drastically declined since leaving New England. Shaffer still did a very good job and will only improve with the addition of Eric Steinbach.

Joe Jurevicius, WR
--Missed a few games due to injury, but still managed to put together a respectable season. His numbers weren't overly impressive, but having Charlie Frye as your QB will do that. He displayed phenomenal hands and instincts, consistently catching passes thrown his way. At 32, he still has a few more productive seasons in him. Hopefully Braylon Edwards will take the time to learn a few trade secrets from Joe.

Willie McGinest, OLB
--I was really disappointed in McGinest's play this past season. At times he seemed like he just didn't have much of an interest in the game. Going from a winning franchise in New England to a place like Cleveland has that effect I guess. Kamerion Wimbley put together a Rookie of the Year caliber season and has already established himself as one of the premier pass rushers in the AFC. I'd like to think an All-Pro like McGinest had something to do with that.

Ted Washington, DT
--It's really amazing a player that old and that size is still playing NFL football. Granted, Ted can only be counted on for 15-20 snaps a game, but he's still a quality nose tackle. The quality of play we got from our DEs was horrible, to say the least, so that didn't make Ted look any better. Thankfully, we were able to sign Robaire and Shaun Smith this offseason, so with better DE play and a young, fresh NT to rotate with, Ted should be fine for at least one more season.

[zoinks]

Titans

1.Chris Hope, SS
One of the best FA acquisitions in the league. Largely overshadowed by Troy Polamalu in Pittsburgh, Hope had a Pro Bowl caliber year for the Titans, and was among the top safeties in the league in virtually every major statistical category. An excellent leader on the field, and a great locker room guy, as well.

2. David Thornton, LB
Struggled with a shoulder injury for much of the year, but played through the injury and was quite solid...a versatile, well-rounded LB that immediately upgraded the Titans LB corps.

3. Kevin Mawae, C
Hey....he's Kevin Mawae. He's still got a lot left in the tank, and was the leader of a resurgent Titans' O-line that made Travis Henry a 1200 yard rusher.

4. David Givens, WR
Strugged with injuries almost from the day he arrived in Tennessee....a series of hamstring problems capped off by a bad knee injury. (Three torn ligaments, broken kneecap, etc....bad stuff). There's been talk that he might be done. It's a pity, too....he had a couple of very nice catches in Miami, but with all the injuries, he really never got into any kind of rhythm.

[GB12]

Charles Woodson-A-
A bit of a risky pick up due to his injury history and recent lack of production, but was a very good pick up. Being paired with Harris took pressure off both of them because there was a reliable player on the other side. He ended up having one of his best years in his first in Green Bay. Big upgrade over the #2 corner the prvious year in Ahmad Carrol.

Ryan Pickett-B+
Grady Jackson was old fat and lazy, and needed to be replaced. Pickett stepped right in and played well as the primary DT. It didn't necessarily show in the stats, but his presence was felt when he was in. He is only 27 and should be a Packer for years to come.

John Ryan-B
Came in from the CFL for his first NFL season. Needs to work on hang time but has a great leg. Very powerful, can really get the ball down the feild. A little bit of accuracy problems, but they aren't too bad.

Marquan Manuel-C
Not a favorite among Packer fans, but you can't really argue the signing. He blew coverages and didn't communicate well with the rest of the secondary. He will make hard hits when given the oprotunity and is good against the run for a safety. Should improvement over the course of the season. He's not great, but he's not as bad as we make him out to be.

Ruevell Martin-C-
Would be much better as a 4WR, but did alright as a 3. At 6-4 he is our tallest WR and has decent speed. Went over 350 yards in his first year of playing. Still raw, but has high potential.

Brandon Miree-D+
Started the season behind Henderson, but he did start 3 games, as well as seeing time in most others. Good hard nosed blocker with a desire to hit. I don't think he touched the ball, but I wouldn't want him to anyway.

Tracy White-D+
Didn't see time at LB, but is a special teams beast. Will make the team next yeear because of it. Still young could improve and turn into a good back up LB, but just ST for the moment

Ben Taylor-D+
Didn't really play much but good LB depth none the less.

[BX]

Dallas Cowboys 2006 Free Agents:

Offense

Terrell Owens, WR: While not quite the distraction the media wanted him to be, T.O. still had his moments in 2006, his first with the Dallas Cowboys. His well-publicized medical incident / "suicide attempt" as perhaps the most distracting moment of the season, but T.O. quickly put it behind him. His on-the-field play didn't live up to expectations, despite leading the league with 13 regular season touchdowns. Hand injuries led to a plethora of drops (17 in all). T.O. may not have lived up to his superstar billing, but he was a productive player, and should be back for 2007.

Jason Fabini, T: Cut by the Jets in 2006, Parcells signed Fabini to compete for the right tackle spot, a job eventually won by Marc Columbo. Fabini would play sparsely during the season, and was recently cut by new coach Wade Phillips.

Kyle Kosier, G: Kosier was signed in the off-season to replace Cowboys legend Larry Allen, a cap casualty, and while he didn't come anywhere close to filling the big man's shoes, Kosier as serviceable, starting all 16 games, and figures to start 16 more in 2007.

Defense:

Akin Ayodele: A Jacksonville Jaguar OLB for the first four years of his career, Ayodele put up decent stats, but struggled somewhat. An Irving native, Ayodele came home in 2006, signing a 5-year deal with the Cowboys and converting to a 3-4 inside linebacker, where he started opposite Bradie James. His position seems safe for the foreseeable future.

Marcus Coleman: A Houston Texans castoff, he was brought in in an attempt to shore up the free safety position, the Cowboys Achilles Heel. Coleman shared starts with rookie Patrick Watkins, until a November 11th arrest for DWI in Irving. Coleman was released by the Cowboys the next day.

Special Teams:

Mike Vanderjagt: Perhaps the biggest free agent bust of the entire 2006 NFL offseason. The most accurate kicker in the history of the NFL had his worst year ever. Vanderjagt's missed kick in the 2005 playoffs appears to have destroyed his confidence. He missed one too many kicks for Parcells liking, and was released in November, replaced by Martin Gramatica.

[Space Ghost]

Larry Tripplett.

Pretty big disappointment. Didn't do anything special. Looked alright early in the season but fell off hard as the year went on. Lost a lot of playing time later in the season to some white fellers named Tim Anderson and Kyle Williams. Certainly wasn't helping our not so impressive rush defense.

Anthony Thomas.

Played as well as you could expect pretty much. Played fine when McGahee was injured and put up better statistics as a starter than a relief guy because of his running style (3.9 yards per carry in 2 starts against Indianapolis and Green Bay along with his 20 carries against Green Bay after McGahee was injured). He reached 109 yards against the Colts, not that impressive because that was when the Colts run defense was awful, more impressive were his 95 yards against the Packers after McGahee was hurt and behind a patched up line that had a new starters everywhere except center. Quality backup who earned his money and was resigned to have an increased role this season.

Robert Royal.

Most people thought of Robert Royal as a blocking tight-end in Washington, but he can catch and did enough of it in Buffalo under the circumstances he was. Most of the second half of the season he was kept in to block because of his skill in that area to help out 7th round rookie Terrance Pennington who was plugged into duty after the bye week when we shifted our entire line pretty much. Will get more balls thrown his way next year with the added talent on the offensive line.

Peerless Price.

Couldn't average over 10 yards per reception and saw his role go down late in the season. Isn't an ideal number two guy, but fits well in our rotation with Roscoe Parrish and Josh Reed as the 2/3 combo. If we don't bring in another wide receiver to compete and I don't expect we do so unless we get a receiver on the first day of the draft, should see more opportunities with a better understanding of the offense and a better feel for the quarterback. Not worth his salary and is just clogging up our depth chart more than anything for now.

Kiwaukee Thomas.

Played a lot better than I expected. Didn't show up on the box score often and you wouldn't know how well he played from that. A good nickel back for our scheme. Was resigned to be with the team again this year. He was great in coverage this year and was arguably better than our second corner Terrence McGee. If he had anything he could use to hold onto a football he would have had at least 5 interceptions last season, that is why he is on defense of course though.

Craig Nall.

Brought in to compete with JP Losman in training camp but he couldn't nudge the budding Losman. His signing should lead to the eventual departure of Kelly Holcomb. Provides good depth. With the new faith in Losman that the staff has now that they didn't coming in last year before camp he will even have more of an outside chance to see any action this year. Could end up being a good signing if Losman gets injured or if he plays like he did in 2005.

[HawkeyeFan]

Rams:
Todd Steussie, OL: B
- He filled in very nicely when Orlando Pace got hurt, played much better than anticipated.

Raonall Smith, LB: C
- He made a play here and there but didn't play much.

Brad Pyatt, WR: F
- Didn't make the team.

Matt Turk, P: A
- No one expected Turk to have a Pro Bowl type season, the Rams had been in search of a Punter for so long and then when we signed this old injury prone punter we were (Rams Fans) questioned and mad about it, but turns out it was a great signing, he stayed healthy all year and had a Pro Bowl type season.

Tony Fisher, RB: C
- Was a good 3rd Down back until he got hurt.

Gus Frerotte, QB: C
- Didn't use him but one game, and filled in good I guess.

Fakhir Brown, CB: B+
- He came in and started right away. He gave up a play here and there but very rarely got beat, came up to play the run well and had 3 interceptions and one which he made a great play on Anquan Boldin to pick the pass off.

Will Witherspoon, LB: A+
- This signing was questionable because no one was sure if he could play Middle Linebacker, but after this season in which he had 116 tackles, 3 FF, and 3 sacks the questioned was answered and he played great.

Corey Chavous, S: B-
- Not much was expected from him outside of his Leadership, he filled his role and had a pretty good season to go along with it. Before the snap he helped set up players where they were supposed to be and made a play here and there.

La'Roi Glover, DT: C+
- Wasn't expected to play as much as he did, but filled in solid. Had a few sacks but gave up too many yards rushing the ball.

[Xenos]

Marlon McCree gave the Chargers some veteran leadership and made some plays. He also got the secondary players to start watching film together instead of individually, what a concept.

Then he intercepted the ball on 4th down in the playoffs with 6 minutes to go and a touchdown lead, and then fumbled it away. Earnest Byner: the sequel. Later he said if given the chance to redo things, he would still have made the pick instead of knocking the ball down.

So yeah he gets a thumbs sideways.

It's a DB thing unfortunately. He said he would have done the same thing, except not fumble it away, which is okay because you don't knock the ball down if there's more than 6 minutes left. Look at the Superbowl and you see Bob Sanders, and the other corner(the one who replaced Harper) do the same thing when there was more than 3 minutes left in the game.

Also should add that since adding McCree, our pass defense has improved from 28th to 13th. Not bad at all.

[BlindSite]

Carolina

Keyshawn Johnson A
Perfect compliment to steve smith and was a good number 1 target when smith was out. Helped out immensley with 60+ catches and 700+ yards. The receiver we needed.

Maake Kemoeatu B
Good run stopper. Does all he needs to, just absorbs damage. He's a good compliment to Kris Jenkins, but he hasn't shown anything really as a pass rusher. I thought he'd collapse the pocket a lot more than he does. Some sports writers have called this a bad signing saying Kemo's fat and lazy. He's neither, he just does his job and goes home. He's not really letting anyone down but he's not excelling either.

Shaun Williams C+
Shows nothing in coverage. Was just adequate in run support and was the reason we lost a lot of games with our corners getting beat deep, he was injured a lot and failed to capitalise when he had chances to make big plays. I'm glad he's gone.

Nail Diggs B
Good pickup. Solid but unspectacular on the weakside and did everything we could've asked for.

[Shiver]

Falcons:

Lawyer Milloy - Very good in the box safety. He was a great upgrade over Bryan Scott from the year before.

Grady Jackson - PFW had him as a pro-bowl snub. He was a force against the run.

I'm not going to mention the trade acquisitions. Mostly because I wasn't fond of them.

[Caddy]

The Buccaneers didn't really make any decent moves in free agency last year. The major signing was pretty much Jamie Winborn and all he did was backup Brooks. Maybe I'm forgetting someone..

[ninerfan]

SF 49ers

Antonio Bryant: another mans trash is often .....well another mans trash

Larry Allen: mauler and leader with nasty streak - just what Nolan ordered

Walt Harris: pro bowler and playmaker on terrible defense, nice pick up

[bills_red]

[QUOTE=Space Ghost;225482]
Larry Tripplett.

Pretty big disappointment. Didn't do anything special. Looked alright early in the season but fell off hard as the year went on. Lost a lot of playing time later in the season to some white fellers named Tim Anderson and Kyle Williams. Certainly wasn't helping our not so impressive rush defense.
QUOTE]


Tim Anderson didn't dress the last 7 or so games and playes the 1t.
Kyle Williams also plays the 1t not the 3t.

[princefielder28]

Charles Woodson-A-
A bit of a risky pick up due to his injury history and recent lack of production, but was a very good pick up. Being paired with Harris took pressure off both of them because there was a reliable player on the other side. He ended up having one of his best years in his first in Green Bay. Big upgrade over the #2 corner the prvious year in Ahmad Carrol.

Ryan Pickett-B+
Grady Jackson was old fat and lazy, and needed to be replaced. Pickett stepped right in and played well as the primary DT. It didn't necessarily show in the stats, but his presence was felt when he was in. He is only 27 and should be a Packer for years to come.

John Ryan-B
Came in from the CFL for his first NFL season. Needs to work on hang time but has a great leg. Very powerful, can really get the ball down the feild. A little bit of accuracy problems, but they aren't too bad.

Marquan Manuel-C
Not a favorite among Packer fans, but you can't really argue the signing. He blew coverages and didn't communicate well with the rest of the secondary. He will make hard hits when given the oprotunity and is good against the run for a safety. Should improvement over the course of the season. He's not great, but he's not as bad as we make him out to be.

Ruevell Martin-C-
Would be much better as a 4WR, but did alright as a 3. At 6-4 he is our tallest WR and has decent speed. Went over 350 yards in his first year of playing. Still raw, but has high potential.

Brandon Miree-D+
Started the season behind Henderson, but he did start 3 games, as well as seeing time in most others. Good hard nosed blocker with a desire to hit. I don't think he touched the ball, but I wouldn't want him to anyway.

Tracy White-D+
Didn't see time at LB, but is a special teams beast. Will make the team next yeear because of it. Still young could improve and turn into a good back up LB, but just ST for the moment

Ben Taylor-D+
Didn't really play much but good LB depth none the less.

It was terrific how Woodson lived up to the money the Packers gave him :)