With FA all but over...what are your favorite/worst moves?

[49ersfan_87]

Favorite

-Love the Brandon Lloyd signing. 3/12 is a steal and i think he'll be the most productive of any FA WR with Brady/McDaniels

-Like Oakland getting a solid pair of starting CB's with Bartell and Spencer. Both are decent CB's who fell out of favor under new regimes for different reasons.

-Peyton Hillis at 1/3 is a low risk/high reward move.

-Saints in general had a solid FA period. Hawthorne, Lofton, Brunkley, and Grubbs is a pretty nice haul. I'm not a big fan of their 2011 draft and they don't pick until Round 3 in 2012 so they need this FA class to produce, and i think they will.

-I really like Josh Morgan and Robert Meachem for the Redskins/Chargers respectively. I don't think Morgan is worth 5.75 a year but its only a 2 year deal.

-Other solid values- Eric Winston, Jason Jones, Mario Manningham, Laron Landry

What i didn't like

-Laurent Robinson. This one screams FA bust to me. Came out of nowhere and had 1 good season with Romo. 1/5th of all his catches were TD's and that's a very hard if not impossible stat to repeat (i think Grantland.com had a nice article about this signing and stat)

-Eric Wright. Don't think even TB fans like the signing.

-Mario Williams (sort of). I think he has potential to be a dominant player but it just seems too much for me. Don't like that he hasn't had double digit sacks in the last 3 years (although he was on pace last year, who knows what would have happened with the injury). But i still think he can live up to his contract, just not entirely sure, which is why its a "sort of".

-John Carlson. A lot money for a TE who hasn't produced since his rookie year.

Team-wise, i really like what the Chiefs, Saints, and Raiders have done. Broncos too because they've set themselves up to make a championship run, but its all short term. I also think they might miss the loss of Brunkley, unless they can get a comparable DT in the draft (i assume that would be their priority).

What are your opinions? Favorite and least favorite signings and moves of FA?

[Rosebud]

I love that you keep calling him Brunkley.

[YAYareaRB]

hes just putting broderick and bunkley together. saves time lol

[Splat]

Eric Winston!!!

[Go_Eagles77]

I miss Bunk. Eagles probably should have kept him over Patterson.

[NY+Giants=NYG]

I like our signing of MB. I think Coughlin, Gilbride and especially Coach Pope can work with MB with now a off season and develop him. I was hoping he'd sign with us, and very glad he did.

[WCH]

The Packers actually signed players. Veteran players, from other teams. They haven't been this active in FA since they signed Woodson and Pickett.

[Matthew Jones]

A few values I really liked regarding players switching teams:

Broncos sign TE Joel Dreessen

Chiefs sign RB Peyton Hillis

Chiefs sign OT Eric Winston

Colts sign DE Cory Redding

Cowboys sign S Brodney Pool

Giants sign TE Martellus Bennett

Jaguars sign QB Chad Henne

Patriots sign WR Brandon Lloyd

Patriots sign CB Will Allen

Raiders sign CB Ronald Bartell

Redskins sign CB Cedric Griffin

Saints sign LB Chris Chamberlain

Seahawks sign DE Jason Jones

Titans sign OG Steve Hutchinson

[indyfan1985]

Dont forget about SS Tom Zbikowski to the Colts Matthew Jones. I think he could be a good pickup for us alongside Bethea.

[CJSchneider]

In short: our new LB corps

[SenorGato]

Saints kinda killed FA...got a good G for less than Nicks cost, and Grubbs is basically the LG version of their RG Evans...Bunkley is one of the better 4-3 interior run stuffers in the league...two solid LBs...good for them.

I thought the Jets did a good job...Landry is a great signing for 1/4mil (and he's a pure safety people, I have no idea when this FS/SS thing became a big deal again but a good safety is and always has been both), Pouha is locked up to a solid contract, and Schilens has some untapped potential if he can stay healthy (plus gives the height that you KNOW Jet fans themselves will call for from WR so they can just look at the skill level of draftees without worrying about size). Plus, there's the Tebow trade which, for a 4th, isn't so bad.

[OSUGiants17]

The Chiefs had a fantastic offseason, adding guys like Boss, Hillis and Winston on Offense were all great moves and replacing Carr with Rout was a good signing as well

[SenorGato]

Originally Posted by OSUGiants17

The Chiefs had a fantastic offseason, adding guys like Boss, Hillis and Winston on Offense were all great moves and replacing Carr with Rout was a good signing as well

Good call, forgot about them. Hillis for 1/3 is in the same vein as Landry for 1/4, though Landry's been less of an ass towards his bad ex-team. Winston is a solid NFL RT, and Boss when healthy is a decent TE.

Do they still have Leonard Pope over there?

[Bearsfan123]

Bears:

I like the trade for Marshall, it was brought in for low cost with high reward.

I dislike the signing of Weems. I just didn't see the point. He's good, but I think the money could be used elsewhere.

And I'm sad we haven't come to a deal with Amobi Okoye.

[fenikz]

Worst: Cardinals - Adam Snyder 5/17.5
Best: Chiefs - Eric Winston 4/22

[Matthew Jones]

Originally Posted by fenikz

Worst: Cardinals - Adam Snyder 5/17.5
Best: Chiefs - Eric Winston 4/22

It's kind of amazing that Eric Winston was only able to get $22 million while Levi Brown signed for $30 million.

[vidae]

I thought the trade for Brandon Marshall was great and I really didn't get giving Eric Wright so much money.

Homer corner, I'm so happy we got Winston.

[Pat Sims 90]

Cowboys signing Nate Livings is one of the worst moves.

[zachsaints52]

Really happy with the Saints FA moves. Even with limited cap, signed two new starters for the LB core (badly overdue), got a NT whose one of the better run stuffers in the league so Ellis at the 5 tech can pass rush, Grubbs is still a solid G, and resigned Colston. Overall it was a very very good offseason signing.

[Lil Quip]

To beat a dead horse, the Chiefs picking up Winston without breaking the bank is a huge coup. I remember earlier it seemed he was scaring teams off with huge contract demands. Getting one of the better RT's at 5.5 mil a year is really nice. Plus they now have a nice set of bookends.

I will be a homer and say Brandon Lloyd. Everyone and their mother expected him to follow McDaniels. Lo and behold, it came true. He is getting up there in age, but 4 mil a year is chump change to the other contracts, and McDaniels has shown he can get great production from him. In addition, he is a different type of receiver than the ones we have been able to develop.

I have to put Mario Williams in the good category. Sure they may have overspent on him, but him in conjunction with their number 10 pick with their pretty much intact core from last year gives them the pieces to jump into the upper echelon. Sure they jumped the gun on the cap floor next year, but I think the success they will have mitigate that. Fitzpatrick buoyed by a strong run game with a healthy Jackson and Spiller can move the ball and that defense will be tough. I think overpaying a few guys to get a lot better as a team can be worth it.

[Rosebud]

People get too wrapped up in teams "overspending" in FA. Mario Williams is the best FA signing, even at the cost. A great pass rusher like that next to arguably the best DT duo in the league can give the Bills the kind of dominant defensive line that turns that Defense around right away. Sure they still need to add to turn that into a great unit, but god damn it do they have some great pieces to match with an offense that can put points on the board. Bills are really making big steps under their new regime and I think we're not very far from seeing the Bills in the playoffs, especially if they can bolster their depth well.

[AntoinCD]

Originally Posted by Rosebud

People get too wrapped up in teams "overspending" in FA. Mario Williams is the best FA signing, even at the cost. A great pass rusher like that next to arguably the best DT duo in the league can give the Bills the kind of dominant defensive line that turns that Defense around right away. Sure they still need to add to turn that into a great unit, but god damn it do they have some great pieces to match with an offense that can put points on the board. Bills are really making big steps under their new regime and I think we're not very far from seeing the Bills in the playoffs, especially if they can bolster their depth well.

I really disagree with this statement. If anything, overspending is kinda brushed off by most without realising that seldom is it a good thing to do.

I say this with no real knowledge of contract situations within the Bills, but what happens in a few years when Kyle Williams and Dareus need resigned? With all the money invested in Mario Williams, is it smart to put so much money into a certain part of your team?

This kinda sounds silly, but having a team of elite players is almost more of a detriment than a blessing. Playing in the salary cap era you need to prioritise your money.

Not to keep going on, but if you look at the best teams, they don't make huge splashes in FA. GB never do, Pittsburgh, New England, NYG etc. The reason being is, if you spend big on one player and he doesn't pan out then you set the franchise back five years at least.

Good teams are built with a few elite players, good to average starters and good, quality depth. Overspending on any one player takes away your ability to build quality depth.

[CDCB14]

Originally Posted by AntoinCD

I really disagree with this statement. If anything, overspending is kinda brushed off by most without realising that seldom is it a good thing to do.

I say this with no real knowledge of contract situations within the Bills, but what happens in a few years when Kyle Williams and Dareus need resigned? With all the money invested in Mario Williams, is it smart to put so much money into a certain part of your team?

This kinda sounds silly, but having a team of elite players is almost more of a detriment than a blessing. Playing in the salary cap era you need to prioritise your money.

Not to keep going on, but if you look at the best teams, they don't make huge splashes in FA. GB never do, Pittsburgh, New England, NYG etc. The reason being is, if you spend big on one player and he doesn't pan out then you set the franchise back five years at least.

Good teams are built with a few elite players, good to average starters and good, quality depth. Overspending on any one player takes away your ability to build quality depth.

I don't agree with this. Rosebud is right.

The way free agency works nowadays you have to overpay. Now, going out and giving 5 guys each 20 million more than they are worth is terrible, but if you sign one or two good players who would be significant upgrades on your football team it's worth it if you have to overpay a little bit.

You can't fill every whole with the draft or free agent bargains. Sometimes you have to spend big to get better. There is only 1 super bowl winner among 32 teams every year... just because a team didn't win the super bowl doesn't mean their big money signing wasn't a good deal.

Take the Cowboys and Brandon Carr as an example. Is 50 million overpaying for Carr? Yeah probably, but they needed a CB and didn't want to have to be forced into taking one in the 1st round that might not even turn out to be a good player. Would you rather have them sign some bargain scrub for 2 million? No. They spent some money but they upgraded the position significantly by doing so. It needed to be done.

Big spending at the right time has it's benefits.

[Rosebud]

Originally Posted by AntoinCD

I really disagree with this statement. If anything, overspending is kinda brushed off by most without realising that seldom is it a good thing to do.

I say this with no real knowledge of contract situations within the Bills, but what happens in a few years when Kyle Williams and Dareus need resigned? With all the money invested in Mario Williams, is it smart to put so much money into a certain part of your team?

This kinda sounds silly, but having a team of elite players is almost more of a detriment than a blessing. Playing in the salary cap era you need to prioritise your money.

Not to keep going on, but if you look at the best teams, they don't make huge splashes in FA. GB never do, Pittsburgh, New England, NYG etc. The reason being is, if you spend big on one player and he doesn't pan out then you set the franchise back five years at least.

Good teams are built with a few elite players, good to average starters and good, quality depth. Overspending on any one player takes away your ability to build quality depth.

I don't disagree with you very much but IMO QB and DL are the two most important areas to invest. Only after that come DBs, WRs and OL, respectively. So if you're going to build your DL or get that QB the cost is over-stated. Just like Peyton was a great signing regardless of cost so was Mario. The Bills pass rush was awful, with Mario and those DTs it's much easier for them to bring in some young talent to groom and be patient with while having a good line for this kids to step in and contribute to.

The giants went out and signed Plax, McKenzie, Canty, O'Hara, Baas, Pierce, Boley, Rolle. Yes you don't want to build a team full of FAs, but bringing in the right FAs to fill holes you can't in the draft is by no means a sign of doom, and finding a #1 pass rusher who could give you the impact Mario will would be very tough for the Bills to do if they only looked to this draft as there isn't anybody I think will be great as a rookie, some guys could be great down the road and others could be great for a rookie, but no one will be great as a rookie.

[fenikz]

well Levi Brown got no guaranteed money