Month: February 2009 (Page 4 of 57)

Houshmandzadeh to visit Seahawks

According to FOXSports.com, free agent wide receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh will make a visit to Seattle on Friday.

T.J. HoushmandzadehHoushmandzadeh has averaged 89 catches for 1,012 yards and seven touchdowns in five seasons as a Bengals starter. But he also will be 32 in September, which may scare some teams from offering the lucrative long-term contract Houshmandzadeh is seeking.

The Seahawks failed to have a wide receiver crack the 500-yard mark in 2008 — the first time that had happened in a non-strike season since the franchise’s inception in 1976.

Two of Seattle’s top four receivers — Bobby Engram and Koren Robinson — are now free agents.

Hopefully Housh enjoys blocking because if he signs with Seattle, he’ll be doing a lot of it in Greg Knapp’s West Coast Offense. Not that he wouldn’t be a fit for the Seahawks because they do need dependable wide receivers (some mock drafts have the Hawks taking Texas Tech wideout Michael Crabtree in the first round), but Knapp has been known to frustrate receivers before (Terrell Owens and Peerless Price are just two examples) and Housh isn’t the type to bite his tongue if he’s unhappy about his role.

Housh also told ESPN 950 that if the Eagles want him that he’d, “be an Eagle tomorrow.” But does Philly want him?

Jets sign underrated free agent LB Bart Scott

One of the small notions when it comes to the NFL offseason is never to sign a free agent defender from the Baltimore Ravens. Because usually once they get out of the Ravens’ 3-4 defensive scheme, they never live up to their high free agent billing. (See Ed Hartwell for just one example.)

But considering the man that ran the Ravens’ defense for the better part of a decade is now the head coach for the New York Jets, it was probably safe to take the chance on Baltimore free agent linebacker Bart Scott.

According to the National Football Post, the Jets signed Scott to a multi-year deal on Friday, which Adam Schefter of the NFL Network reports will probably be worth roughly $8 mil a year. Scott will reunite with his former defensive coordinator, Rex Ryan, who is now the Jets new head coach.

Scott was overshadowed by teammates Ray Lewis and Terrell Suggs over the past couple years, but he’s one of the more underrated linebackers in the AFC. Over the past three seasons, he’s posted at least 60 solo tackles and in 2005, he added 9.5 sacks and two interceptions. Scott has good size and strength and he’s an excellent tackler. He also can be an effective blitzer and at 28, he still has plenty of football left in him.

Scott will hopefully shore up a linebacker position that was a weak spot for the Jets’ defense last year. Scott will join David Harris in the middle of NY’s 3-4 defense, while ’08 free agent signing Calvin Pace will occupy one outside linebacker spot and Bryan Thomas will battle first round disappointment Vernon Gholston on the other.

The key will be what Ryan can do with Gholston, who is a physical marvel and a pass-rushing talent, but was also completely befuddled in his rookie season and didn’t get onto the field much. If Ryan could somehow turn Gholston into a junior Terrell Suggs, the Jets will have one of the better linebacker corps in the league next year.

Redskins sign Haynesworth for $100 mil – are Snyder and Cerrato out of their minds?

The Washington Redskins have agreed to terms with free agent defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth on a seven-year, $100 million contract. The deal also includes $41 million in guaranteed money and the deal could reach $115 million in total.

Redskins fans are either jumping for joy right now or jumping off a bridge. If they’re smart, they might take the latter route, because Vinny Cerrato and Dan Snyder might have just sunk the fate of the franchise into one player.

Haynesworth is no doubt the best free agent on the market. His blend of size and athleticism make him one of the most feared defensive tackles in the league and he can dominate on a weekly basis. He truly can be a one-man wrecking crew when he wants to and is talent is unquestioned.

That said, there’s a very good chance now that Haynesworth is the highest paid defensive player in the league, that he could become awfully complacent. There’s an even better chance that he never lives up to his contract and this could be a move that costs Cerrato is job (which I’m sure Redskin fans wouldn’t mind).

The other issue here is that the Skins didn’t have any cap space to begin with. They started the free agency period $1 mil under the cap, so how they were able to sign Haynesworth to a $100 million contract is beyond me. Massive cuts have got to be coming because Haynesworth is set to receive $41 million in the first three years. Shawn Springs is probably a goner, but who else?

On the bright side, if one player was worth the money this free agency period, it was Haynesworth. He’ll make life easier for guys like Jason Taylor and Washington defensive coordinator Greg Blanche will probably sleep well this weekend knowing the possibilities he has with his front seven. It’s not like the Redskins overpaid for a mediocre talent; Haynesworth is elite, but for the sake of Redskin fans, I hope he plays elite throughout the length of his contract.

Woods loses to Tim Clark in match play

Tiger was hoping for a better return than this.

Woods had no complaints with his game or his knee, but he had no answer Thursday for Tim Clark of South Africa, who played 16 holes without a bogey and knocked the world’s No. 1 player out of the Accenture Match Play Championship.

His swing looked as good as it did eight months ago when he won the U.S. Open. His knee felt so strong that when Woods discovered his tee shot into the desert on the 15th hole hit a cart path and went out of bounds — a shot that ended any hope of a rally — he chose to walk 350 yards back to the tee instead of accepting a ride in the cart.

“I knew I had to play out of my mind to beat him,” Clark said.

And he did, pouring in six birdies and constantly putting the pressure on Woods throughout a sunny day in the high desert. Clark won, 4 and 2, when he hit his tee shot to four feet that Woods conceded for birdie after failing to chip in from off the green.

NFL Free Agency: No deal for Warner, Colts re-sign Saturday, Rex Grossman the Lion?

According to NFL.com, Kurt Warner and the Cardinals remain far apart on a new contract, which means the quarterback will hit the open market at 12:01 a.m. Friday morning. Warner is still likely to re-sign with Arizona, but the Cards can’t feel entirely comfortable that he’ll be allowed to test the market.

– Despite saying he would like to play for the Steelers, Jeff Saturday re-signed with the Colts for three more years. Saturday was apparently willing to play guard if he went to Pittsburgh, but he’s a fan favorite in Indianapolis and apparently well liked by new head coach Jim Caldwell.

– Free agent quarterback Rex Grossman (Bears) says he would be interested in playing for the Lions next season. He must think he can beat out the other 95 quarterbacks that Detroit has on its roster.

The National Football Post is reporting that there’s a 70% chance that T.J. Houshmandzadeh stays a Bengal. Not that the report is inaccurate by any means, but I highly doubt Housh stays in Cincy if a contender comes along and outbids the Bengals. Still, this is positive news for Cincy fans.

– In a series of moves, the Dolphins signed free agent free safety Gibril Wilson, who was cut by the Raiders earlier this week, and re-signed strong safety Yeremiah Bell to a new four-year, $20 million contract.

According to FOXSports.com, the Cowboys are reportedly shopping strong safety Roy Williams. So if any team is in need of an extra linebacker that they can line up at safety, Williams might be their guy.

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