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Champ Bailey Contract Sets The Market For Free Agent Cornerbacks

Now that the Broncos have signed Champ Bailey, the value for cornerbacks in the NFL in 2011 has been set.

According to ESPN's John Clayton, Bailey is guaranteed $22 million with $15 million due this season.

Bailey will turn 33 before the 2011 season starts. Nnamdi Asomugha, who turns 30 before the season starts, is a free agent since the Raiders declined to pickup the final year on his contract.

Asomugha now has solid figures in which to bargain with. The Raiders may have been trying to save money when they didn't pick up his option last month, but they will not be saving a lot in the long run if their intention was to keep him at a discount.

The Raiders just signed Richard Seymour to a $20 million contract and they still have other needs they will have to address, so Asomugha probably is playing elsewhere in 2011.

Charles Woodson of the Packers says he'd love to have him in Green Bay, and Asomugha will want to go to a team with a chance to win a Super Bowl. The Packers just brought home a Lombardi Trophy and do have a great chance to repeat.

Sounds like a good fit.

For a look at how Bailey's contract affects the draft, check Out Some Possibilities Here.

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Blaine Gabbert Declining To Throw At NFL Combine, Is It A Big Deal?

The NFL Combine begins this weekend and it now is bigger than ever. Between the NFL Network and the general NFL Hype Machine, a bunch of guys running between orange cones and lifting weights has become a Primetime event.

Seeing the NFL Draft, an event where a bunch of guys sit in a room and pass cards around while other guys dress up in suits and shake hands, morph into a Primetime event was an amazing marketing feat. But it makes sense when you think about it because it has built in drama.

The Combine has no drama. It's just guys running through drills individually. There is some curiosity over the results, but there is no actual competition.

Which brings me to Blaine Gabbert.

One of the things quarterbacks have to go through at the Combine is some throwing drills. No event at the Combine is mandatory, though, and Gabbert has elected not to participate in the throwing drills. His reasons are sound enough (He doesn't want to risk a bad performance throwing to guys he's never thrown to before), but why go to the Combine if you are not going to fully participate?

It seems to me if you are going to put on this event, and if you are going to hype it to this degree, start putting more competition into thing and start making everyone fully participate. Even if it ends up being a glorified track meet, it would be more entertaining than what you see now.

The networks are the ones who decided to start televising it. Since it is on my TV now, I demand to be entertained. It's not asking much.

For a complete look at the draft, check out our NFL Draft Hub.

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The NFL Combine Is Important To The Draft, But Is It Useful?

As prospects, scouts, front office personnel and coaches head to Indianapolis for the NFL Combine, the eternal question over how useful the Combine is to predicting future success continues.

There are countless stories of players who "won" the Combine and then went on to have completely unremarkable careers, or became remarkable for all the wrong reasons.

The Combine is useful for getting all the prospects together and getting some measurements on them. It also is useful for the opportunity to interview the prospects without having to fly to 30 different cities over the next two months.

But the Combine is a shot in the dark when it comes to predicting future success in the NFL. There are so many intangibles when it comes to achieving success at the Pro level. The Combine is not set up to show those intangibles. It is set up to show how fast these guys can run and maneuver.

There is the Wonderlic exam, but the test is yet another attempt to measure something that can't be accurately measured.

Past success isn't an accurate indicator of future success. Being "good" at the draft is as much a matter of luck as it is skill. The "good" drafters are the ones who make the least mistakes.

For a complete look at the draft, check out our NFL Draft Hub.

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If The Broncos Pass On Patrick Peterson, Could He Fall To No. 6?

Patrick Peterson was not expected to last long on the draft board. While it is unusual for a cornerback to go in the Top 5 of an NFL Draft, Peterson is considered a rare talent who will have an immediate impact in the NFL.

The Broncos now have re-signed Champ Bailey, meaning they may pass on Peterson in favor of Da'Quan Bowers, Robert Quinn, or Nick Fairley if the Panthers do not take him.

The Browns need a wide receiver, another cornerback and some pass rushers. So the Browns can look to draft A.J. Green, Da'Quan Bowers, Robert Quinn or Peterson. All or none may be available to them at the sixth pick, depending on how crazy the draft gets.

The Browns have gotten burned with the last several wide receivers they drafted. Braylon Edwards is a head case who can't hold on to the ball (Except for this year since it is a contract year), and Mohamed Massaquoi and Brian Robiskie just seem incapable of learning how to run a pro route.

Cornerback Eric Wright imploded last year, meaning Peterson represents a need. The Browns drafted Joe Haden in the first round last year, and putting Peterson across the field from Haden would give the Browns one of the best-looking secondaries on paper going into 2011.

There really is no "wrong" pick for the Browns, and the Champ Bailey signing only makes things more intriguing for Cleveland.

For a look at the draft, check out our NFL Draft Hub.

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The Steelers Offensive Line Is Awful, Losing Willie Colon Does Not Make It Better

Willie Colon lost the 2010 season when he ruptured his Achilles tendon last June. While the Steelers still made the Super Bowl, the patchwork offensive line was a factor in the Steelers loss to the Green Bay Packers.

As the NFL Network showed in some film breakdown, the Steelers kept pulling their tight ends back to help block in that game because of the amount of injuries to the line. In addition to Colon, Max Starks had been lost for the year and Maurkice Pouncey got injured in the AFC Championship Game.

Colon is a free agent this year and Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin would not commit to Colon since he has not been re-signed yet. The Steelers front office is known for making good decisions, and with LaMarr Woodley tagged, the team should now be focusing on getting Colon back in the fold.

The team could be waiting for a new CBA at this point, but if the Steelers enter the 2011 season with a healthy Colon, Pouncey, Starks and a fresh draft pick, that line all of a sudden is one of the best in the league.

For a look at the Steelers, check out 10 Reasons To Be Optimistic In 2011.

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NFL Labor Talks Continue In Washington, D.C.

The deadline for a potential lockout is coming fast. Both the league and the player's union have been talking in Washington, D.C., trying to come to common ground.

The fact the two sides continue to talk is a good thing. The fact no updates have been given to the public is a matter of concern if your business is to follow these talks and report on it.

Both sides were asked to not give comments and both sides have agreed to and lived up to that request.

So anything we draw from the non-comments is as speculative as it gets. That being said, if they still are talking, some progress must have happened.

The NFL is better prepared to weather a lockout than the players, and the players have to understand this. They also have to understand a lot of their rhetoric around the Super Bowl was counter-productive and based on the premise most of the people watching the promos were complete idiots.

From the owner's standpoint, a guy like Panthers Owner Jerry Richardson doesn't help matters any either. Talking down to the players only solidifies their resolve and makes negotiating tougher.

That is why they are using a mediator now and that is why there is an informal gag order on the proceedings.

Hopefully talks are progressing and a lockout will be averted. If not, it is a failure on both sides and the fans are the big losers.

For a look at the NFL Draft, check out our NFL Draft Hub.

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With Bailey Signed, Will The Broncos Look At Patrick Peterson With Second Pick?

The Broncos signed Champ Bailey to a four-year contract, ending speculation about where Bailey will finish his career. Now the question is how this affects the Broncos draft strategy.

Several mocks over the last few months have had the Broncos taking Patrick Peterson with the second pick. The very talented cornerback out of LSU made perfect sense for the Broncos, so where does he fit now?

The Broncos still may target Peterson because it then would give them two great cornerbacks. But with Bailey signed, will the Broncos then shift their first-round focus to a Da'Quan Bowers or Nick Fairley?

With new Head Coach John Fox implementing changes on defense, both players would make for a great pick. The Broncos have to upgrade several parts of their defense, and there are a lot of options at the No. 2 pick.

The Carolina Panthers may take Fairley with the first pick, but they may go in a completely different direction and then the Broncos will be able to choose any defensive prospect they want.

Even if Fairley is off the board, you still have Bowers, Robert Quinn, Peterson, Prince Amukamara and Marcell Dareus. The Broncos have a lot of options, and that should make Broncos fans very happy.

For a look at the draft, check out our NFL Draft Hub.

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Cam Newton Is Trying To Say All The Right Things, But His History Is Concerning

There are a lot of Cam Newton fans, and they are passionate about the prospects' chances of making it in the NFL. They get very upset when someone uses the word "bust" in association with Newton.

So here I am, putting on my armor and waiting for the spears because Newton's bust potential is big, and to say otherwise is ignoring the elephant in the room.

Newton's college history is filled with questionable off-field decisions, and his father's situation certainly didn't help him any.

But Newton had his own share of trouble and that is what NFL general managers have to look at this weekend as well as his on-field capabilities.

Newton has the skills to transition to the pro game. This transition won't happen overnight and it is going to take good coaching and some patience. Newton will have to make better decisions when it comes to preparation and understand there are no shortcuts.

Newton tells everyone who will listen his last season at Auburn was not a fluke. It is up to him to back those words up over the next few years.

For a look at the draft, check out our NFL Draft Hub.

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On A Team Devoid Of Talent, Kicker Phil Dawson Becomes The Only Tag Option

The Cleveland Browns tagged kicker Phil Dawson Tuesday afternoon, a move no one expected.

Dawson has been asking for a new contract for more than a year now and the Browns have refused to negotiate with him. Now his contract is up and the front office tags him.

Huh?!?!?!?!??

As a Browns fan, I'm happy they tagged him. Don't get me wrong. But the method the Browns front office has gone about handling Dawson raises some eyebrows.

Dawson is one of the best kickers in the league and he's one of the best cold weather kickers in the history of the game. Dawson knows the winds in Cleveland Browns Stadium, he knows the winds in Heinz Field and he's still got plenty of gas left in the tank.

Dawson is 36, but the best kickers routinely keep playing until they are 40. Dawson has wanted a long-term contract from the Browns, but they refused to negotiate. As a result, Dawson sold his home in Cleveland and moved back to Texas after the season ended.

The handling of Dawson's contract is just one of many reasons why the Browns continually finish last in the AFC North. They take 10 steps to do something that takes three and they have their priorities all screwed up.

Dawson's contract should have been settled last year but the desire to keep him didn't seem to be there. Now they want him again. Dawson is one of the few guys on the team with real talent, and the Browns need to treat him better.

For a look at the NFL Draft, check out Projecting All 32 First-Round Picks.

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Charles Woodson And Nnamdi Asomugha Would Be A Scary Secondary To Face

Charles Woodson said in a recent interview he would move to safety if the Packers signed free agent Nnamdi Asomugha. The entire Sporting News interview can be found here.

With Woodson and Asomugha on the field, bolstered by Tramon Williams, you have one heck of a secondary. Any team facing the Packers has to hope they have a good running game because these guys generally don't get beat on routes.

The Packers won the Super Bowl by having the best depth. They overcame a huge amount of injuries and won the Big Game. The Packers lost Woodson at the end of the first half with a broken collarbone and they still were able to control the passing game.

It is incredibly difficult to repeat as a Super Bowl Champion. Few teams have made the Super Bowl two years in a row and even fewer have won back-to-back titles. It can be done and the Packers are a team I am confident has the ability to do it again.

If they sign Asomugha, those chances only get better.

For a look at the NFL, check out Biggest Offseason Needs For Every Team.

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Jeremy Shockey Cut After Three Seasons With The Saints

The New Orleans Saints gave Jeremy Shockey the "It's not you, it's me" speech on Tuesday, cutting the popular tight end after three seasons in The Big Easy.

Shockey, who is 30 years old, will be replaced by Jimmy Graham, who he helped mentor during his rookie season.

This cut comes down to age and money, so Shockey should have little trouble finding another team to play for. He was scheduled to make $4.2 million in 2011, so the fact he was cut shouldn't be surprising.

Shockey's production had dropped, but it hadn't completely disappeared. Shockey still is capable of being a very effective receiving tight end in the right system. The only question now is which teams will be interested in him.

Age is a factor, but Shockey should be able to get a two- or three-year contract for around $2 million a year. That's not bad money for a football player now on the wrong side of 30 who isn't a quarterback or a running back.

Once a new collective bargaining agreement is signed, expect there to be a few teams interested in Shockey's services, if not before. Teams are doing some signings despite expectations nothing would happen before a new CBA was put in place.

For a look at Tim Tebow, check out 10 Reasons His Stay In Denver May Be Short.