Author: Anthony Stalter (Page 938 of 1503)

Anquan Boldin having a change of heart?

February 19, 2009 / Anthony Stalter

According to Rotoworld.com (via ProFootballTalk), Anquan Boldin is willing to stay in Arizona for the right price.

Teammate Larry Fitzgerald owns the market with a four-year $40M deal, and Boldin probably won’t settle for much less. The Cards are eying deals with free agent Kurt Warner and franchise player Karlos Dansby. Darnell Dockett and Adrian Wilson also want raises, so it’s unclear if the club can fit Boldin in. Still, Boldin’s about-face shows that Arizona holds all the cards.

I would take this rumor with a grain of salt because ProFootballTalk can be hit and miss with its reports. Everything comes from unnamed “league sources.”

But let’s play along anyway.

Boldin could have realized that the Cardinals had no trade leverage if he continued to squawk about how the situation was irreparable in Arizona. So he decides to play it cool and maybe both he and the team can get what they want in the end.

Or maybe he really is willing to return to the dessert at the right price. Either way, this situation is only starting to get interesting.

NFL

Anquan Boldin Arizona Cardinals

Raiders re-sign Asomugha to complex three-year contract

February 19, 2009 / Anthony Stalter

The Oakland Raiders have managed to re-sign cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha to a three-year contract, but as Adam Schefter from NFL.com writes, the are some complexities to the deal.

Asomugha signed a three-year deal that is worth a minimum of $45 million and could reach $50 million, a league source said.
It’s a complex contract that the NFL had to sift through and approve, and it has. The deal works like this:
The first two years, worth $28.5 million, are fully guaranteed. In the third year of the contract, if Oakland wants to keep Asomugha, it must pay him the average of the top five highest-paid cornerbacks in the game or $16.875 million — whichever is greater. If the Raiders fail to pick up the option, Asomugha will become a free agent, with Oakland not having the ability to tag him again.

Leave it to Al Davis to orchestra a weird deal like this. That’s a lot of dough for one player and the Raiders are already in cap hell, but that’s not to say Asomugha isn’t worth it. He’s one of the only corners left (Champ Bailey being the other) that is a true shutdown corner who can play man-to-man. Quarterbacks don’t throw his way because he is simply that good and can blanket an entire half of the field.

The good news for Oakland is that the deal is done. Either way, they were going to have to spend big to retain him because he was the top corner on the market. But now Davis is going to have to make some roster moves in order to gain cap flexibility so the Raiders can try and address other areas. And being thrifty isn’t one of Al’s strong suits, so we’ll see what kind of moves he makes once the free agency period officially kicks off at the end of the month.

NFL

Nnamdi Asomugha Nnamdi Asomugha new deal Nnamdi Asomugha re-signed Oakland Raiders

Offseason Blueprint: Cincinnati Bengals

February 19, 2009 / Anthony Stalter

Notable Free Agents: T.J. Houshmandzadeh, WR; Stacy Andrews, OT; Shayne Graham, K (franchised); Eric Ghiaciuc, C; Cedric Benson, RB; Brandon Johnson, LB; Chris Crocker, FS.

Projected 2009 Cap Space: $22,000,000

Draft Order: 6

Top Needs: Depending on what players the Bengals choose to re-sign, the team needs to make major additions to the offensive line and could use a boost at defensive end. Running back and wide receiver will be two positions owner/GM Mike Brown looks at as well.

Offseason Outlook: Cap-wise, the Bungles aren’t in bad shape but they’ve got major question marks heading into the offseason.

The team decided not to use a franchise tag on wideout T.J. Houshmandzadeh, who more than likely will jet as soon as he officially becomes a free agent at the end of the month. And considering Cincy decided to franchise kicker Shayne Graham, there’s a good possibility they’ll lose running back Cedric Benson this offseason, too.

You can already see the wheels turning in Mike Brown’s head. If he’s unable to re-sign Housh and Benson, he might look to draft one of the skill positions with the sixth overall pick, which would be a mistake. Adding a dynamic receiving prospect like Michael Crabtree or a big back like Chris “Beanie” Wells won’t get you very far if the offensive line remains a mess.

Don’t get it twisted – Crabtree and Wells are outstanding prospects and if Brown decides to go with either one come April, he would be adding a solid piece to the Bengals’ offense. But if Brown does go that route in the draft, then he’ll need to address the offensive line woes this offseason, mainly re-signing free agent tackle Stacy Andrews and addressing the center position in the second or third round. Andrews had ACL, MCL surgery in January, but reports state that he’s ahead of schedule and should be ready to play by preseason.

Anthony Collins is an adequate backup for Andrews if he isn’t ready by the start of the season. But the Bengals have a major issue at left tackle, where Levi Jones has been a major bust. The team reportedly won’t take a cap hit by releasing Jones, but they have to address the position one way or another. That’s why taking one of the top offensive tackle prospects — Eugene Monroe, Jason Smith, Andre Smith, Michael Oher — with the sixth overall pick would serve the Bengals better than going with either Crabtree (who might not be available anyway) or Wells.

You build a team from the inside out and the Bengals have major holes at left tackle and center. If they re-sign Andrews, draft one of the top tackle prospects and then address the center position either in the second or third round, it would go a long way in improving their overall offense. Then the team can add another wide receiver (if Housh departs) and/or running back (if Benson isn’t re-signed) later in the draft after the needs along the offensive line are addressed.

Defensively, getting a healthy Jonathan Joseph and Keith Rivers back in the mix will go a long way in helping coordinator Mike Zimmer construct a successful defense. Making contract offers to restricted free agent linebackers Rashad Jeanty and Brandon Johnson are a must, so then the Bengals could concentrate on upgrading the defensive line and possibly even the middle linebacker spot, where Dhani Jones is adequate but getting long in the tooth.

Even if they do lose Housh this offseason, the Bengals could still be in good shape as long as Brown makes sound decisions, which is a huge question mark. He needs to concentrate on the offensive line and resigning guys like Andrews, Benson, Jeanty and Johnson, and not panic by trying to go all out in replacing Housh.

NFL

2009 NFL Draft Cincinnati Bengals T.J. Houshmandzadeh T.J. Houshmandzadeh rumors

Derek Anderson to Tampa trade a possibility?

February 19, 2009 / Anthony Stalter

The Tampa Tribune is reporting that a trade between the Browns and Buccaneers for quarterback Derek Anderson may be in the works.

Free agents such as Byron Leftwich, J.P. Losman and Patrick Ramsey are all being thrown around as possibilities but one possibility that is gaining steam would have the Bucs trading with the Browns for Derek Anderson.
Anderson has one of the strongest arms in the league as well as just about every physical tool you need to be a difference maker at his position. What he doesn’t have is a great understanding of defenses or the game’s nuances.
With a little work and a bit of a push he could be developed into one of the game’s better quarterbacks and word is the Brown might take as little as a third-round pick for him.
When you consider that he’s younger than Luke McCown but has more experience than McCown it doesn’t sound like a bad option for the Bucs to consider, especially with Jeff Jagodzinski running the offense.

This would be a good move for both teams if the scenario plays out. The Browns have already decided to turn the keys to the offense over to Brady Quinn and therefore don’t need Anderson anymore. The Bucs have decided not to re-sign Jeff Garcia and could use competition for McCown. As the report notes, Anderson has the physical tools to be a starter, but he took a major step back last year after his stellar 2007 campaign. It’ll be interesting to see how this story develops.

NFL

Cleveland Browns Derek Anderson