NFL Final Roster Cuts Produce Many Former Superstars

So, only four days until the 2008 NFL season opens up, which means the rosters all had to be cut down to 53 players by Sunday at 6:00 pm. This means that the hopes and dreams of playing in the NFL for over 700 NFL players ended with a knock at the door Sunday evening.

Among the roster cuts were several key names that frankly were a surprise as they were team and fan favorites and at one point in their careers all pros. Getting released does not mean the end of the road for some vets, as teams will be very fast to pick them up to fill holes in their rosters, but for some it is the end.

Let's look at some of the teams releases:

NY Giants

The Giants surprised me by cutting their third quarterback to go into the season with only Manning and David Carr on the roster.

Now they could pick up recently released Jared Lorenzen who was the third string quarterback in NY last year before being released in the off season. He knows the offense and will not need any time to learn it which is a plus.

But Manning has proved capable of surviving the 16-game season without getting hurt, so the Giants might be ok with only two quarterbacks.

I'm a little surprised that London did not beat out Moss for the final receiver spot as he had more speed but he was not consistent at all and that hurt him. He will be picked up somewhere to be a practice squad player however, I'm sure.

The Giants already picked up McDougle who was released from the Eagles to compete for the vacant defensive end spot left by Osi.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The Bucs finally let go of unhappy quarterback Chris Simms. Simms has not started a game for the Bucs since his hernia injury against the Panthers in 2006. The Bucs decided to keep him for some reason through the whole training camp even with Simms begging to be released and everyone knew he was not in their plans for 2008 with Garcia, and Griese on the roster.

This relationship ended with some really bad blood between the two parties. Simms will find another job in 2008 and don't be surprised to see him in the starting unit.

I'm very surprised that kicker Matt Bryant stuck with this team after his terrible preseason but Gruden declared that the Bucs have full confidence in him going into the season. However, don't be surprised to see Tampa add another kicker the minute that Bryant starts to struggle.

Buffalo Bills

The Bills cut every tight end on their roster other then Robert Royal, so Royal must prove that he was worth this decision. If he gets hurt, or underplays the Bills will instantly regret this choice since they had two good back-ups on their roster.

Royal had a bad preseason and is coming off a 25-catch, three-score 2007 season. He'll need to get more production this year.

New England Patriots

There were a lot of shocking names on the cut list for this team.

Starting at corner, the Pats released Fernando Bryant who looked to be the replacement for Samuels this year. In 2007 Bryant picked up a very good 69 tackles and two interceptions and had held down the starting role until his cut today.

This leaves the job to second round draft choice Terrence Wheatly. I hope the Pats have patience with Terrence as he is a rookie and will certainly have growing pains this year, which might hurt the team at times.

The Pats released veteran linebacker Victor Hobson who had a good rookie season getting 62 tackles for New England. He will surely find another job as he has a nose for the football.

Backup quarterback Matt Gutierrez was released instead of Cassel. Gutierrez had a very nice preseason moving the ball and getting the Pats points while Cassel had a very poor preseason. I don't understand this move by New England but Gutierrez will most definitely find another job, maybe in Miami?

The biggest name on this list by far was Jon Lynch who came over from Denver halfway into training camp. Lynch was not happy in Denver as he found out his playing time was going to be reduced for some very good younger talent so he came over to New England to prove he did not lose a step and was still worthy to be a NFL starter. Well, he did not.

He was slow to pursue and just did not play well in the preseason games so he was cut. This might be the end of the line for John as his skills have decreased, but he could find a home if a team needs a solid back up safety. I cannot see Lynch starting another NFL game.

Philadelphia Eagles

I was shocked to see defensive end Jerome McDougle on the Eagles cut roster. He played a very solid preseason finally showing glimpses of why he was selected in the first round by the Eagles six years ago.

However, I guess the Eagles got tired of waiting for him to live up to his talent, and his injuries so they let him go. McDougle has already found a home in New York and is fighting for the starting job there.

Michael Gasperson had a very nice preseason hauling in balls for the Birds but was let go as well. I thought he could have been a solid number four receiver for Philly but the Eagles thought otherwise. Gasperson will find another home or could be brought back to Philly for the practice squad.

Cincinnati Bengals

The Bengals parted ways with running back Rudi Johnson who was expected to be the work horse in 2008. Rudi has not recovered fully from the hamstring injury and apparently this hurt him during camp and lead to his release.

This leaves Chris Perry as the starting back for the Bengals, as he will have to prove he can handle the full load in 2008 as he has not played a full season in his whole six year NFL career. 

The Bengals also cut long-time Bengal and left tackle Willie Anderson. Leg injuries led to Anderson losing his job in camp and eventually his spot on the roster. The Bengals lose a very good leader in Anderson but leadership could not make up for the salary cap costs he brought to this team.

Atlanta Falcons

The Falcons surprised me by releasing Joey Harrington on Saturday night.

Harrington was left to pick up the pieces last year after the whole Mike Vick incident and struggled in his starts. However, you can argue that Joey was not surrounded by good talent at all and that's why he struggles as well, until you remember Redman coming in and actually playing decently with the same bunch of people.

It is surprising that Joey was cut and DJ Stockley remained on the team but Harrington will find another job, maybe in Baltimore if their three quarterbacks struggle.

Rumors and News as of Sunday, August 31st

Rudi Johnson:

Rudi already is meeting with Detroit to discuss a deal which would provide depth at the running back position and possible to start. At the moment the Lions go into the 2008 season with rookie Kevin Smith, and vet Tatum Bell who has not done much while in a Detroit uniform.

Rudi would help the Lions drastically in the rush offense and take some of the pressure off of Kitna which could translate to more wins and competition in the North.

McDougle:

It did not take McDougle long to find a new home as the NY Giants inked him to a one year deal Sunday afternoon. McDougle could find himself as the starter at defensive end since Osi is out for the year.

It will all depend on how he learns the playbook and how he progresses. If the progress is good as it has been all preseason look for McDougle to be a force for the Giants.

Suspensions:

Henry was suspended one year by the league but the suspension could be longer. It all depends on the commissioner and his final decision.

Tony Gonzalez will be suspended four games, a huge blow to the already weak Chiefs offense, and Bucs offensive tackle Luke Petitgout will miss four games as well.

Patriots long time running back Kevin Faulk will miss the season opener due to violating the leagues drug policy and will be fined two game checks by New England. The loss will not be so severe as the Pats will most likely dominate the Chiefs anyway.