The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly of the 2009 NFL Offseason

It is almost here.  Can you feel the anticipation?  The last hurdle before football season starts has passed, (franchise player deadline for long term deal.) and training camp is only weeks away.

From this point forward, until camp starts, the only good news we will be hearing is rookies signings.

Taking a look back at the 2009 NFL offseason, here is my version of who is the good, who is the bad, and yes, who is the ugly!

The Good

5 - Jordan Gross, Carolina Panters.

Gross re-signed with the Carolina Panthers just days before they would have made the decision to place the Franchise tag on either him or Julius Peppers.  Had Gross waited a couple more days, the Panthers may have lost one or the other, or both.

In addition to the fact that Gross is a stud at Left Tackle, protecting the blind side of Jake Delhomme, he is a force in the running game as well.

The Panthers were not big shoppers in free agency this year, but with the money paid out to Gross, and the Franchise tag to Peppers, that is all they could afford.

4 - Stacey Andrews / Jason Peters, Philadelphia Eagles.

Donovan McNabb made a statement that the Eagles would have to improve their offense in order for him to remain happy in Philadelphia.

If you consider adding two monsters to protect him, they did exactly what they needed.

I know Peters wasn't a free agent, but Philadelphia now has one of the top offensive lines in the NFL.  If they were looking to get better on that side of the ball, their goal has been achieved.

3 - Brian Dawkins, Denver Broncos.

The Broncos lost their defensive leader when they released John Lynch.  They replaced a legend with another legend, Brian Dawkins.

I know that Dawkins is not the player he once was, but on a defense that was ranked 29th last year, Dawkins will bring leadership and experience, and if the team listens to him, they will be much improved this year.

2 - Bart Scott, New York Jets.

Rex Ryan earned his first shot at being a head coach with the New York Jets.  Now that he is there, he is expected to bring his ferociousness to the defensive side of the ball.

In order to achieve that, he had to bring in someone that knows his defense like the back of his hand.

The story goes something like this:

Just after midnight on the first day of free agency, Scott was sitting at home waiting for his phone to ring.  He heard his dogs going crazy outside, and his phone rang.

Former defensive coordinator Ryan was on the phone asking Scott to put his dogs away, because he was there to take him to New York.

One thing led to another, and now Scott is expected to be the Jets version of Ray Lewis.

Scott has the potential, and looks to improve the Jets to where their rookie signal caller is not going to have to put 20+ points on the board to have a chance to win.

1 - Terrell Suggs, Baltimore Ravens.

When Scott jumped ship, the Ravens were in danger of losing all three of their stud Linebackers.  Ray Lewis was also a free agent, and Suggs was the Ravens' top priority, so he was tagged with the Franchise tag.

Just prior to the deadline to sign Franchised players on July 15, Suggs came to an agreement with the Ravens on a six year, $62.5 million contract.

Suggs is only 26, so unless there is injury in his future, he very well could see every penny of that.

With Scott gone, and Lewis only having a year or two left, Suggs is going to be the face of the Ravens for years to come.

The Bad

5 - Marvel Smith, San Francisco 49ers.

There is little question in the ability of former Steelers Left Tackle, Marvell Smith.  When healthy, Smith can hold his own against most Defensive Ends in the league.

The only issue that prevented Pittsburgh from even trying to re-sign Smith is his history in injury.

In the last two seasons, Smith has missed a total of 15 games, including all but five last year.

The 49ers signed Smith to a contract, that if Smith can stay healthy, will be worth $10 million over the next two seasons.

4 - Matt Cassel, Kansas City Chiefs.

I will be the first to say that the Chiefs made the steal of free agency when they traded with New England for Cassel and Mike Vrabel, and it only cost them a second round pick.

The question then becomes, why did they give him such a massive contract?

Cassel signed a six year, $63 million extension, with $28 million guaranteed.

Sure, he did great last year filling in for Tom Brady. New England also had an easy schedule.

Did anyone bother to tell Kansas City that Cassel had not started a game since High School until last year?

Hey, I haven't started a game since High School either, where are my millions?

Everything that Kansas City benefited by only spending a second round pick for him was lost when they guaranteed him that kind of money with out proving what he can do with a team that is not as stacked as the Patriots.

3 - Albert Haynesworth, Washington Redskins.

Two hours after free agency started, the Washington Redskins inked Albert Haynesworth to a massive contract, the largest ever for a defensive player, over $100 million worth.

Say what you want about the blown up years at the end, he is still guaranteed $43 million, and let's be honest, he is not worth close to that.

What this is, is typical Dan Snyder trying to buy himself a Lombardi.  Once again, the Redskins will be watching the playoffs at home this year.

2 - Terrell Owens, Buffalo Bills.

I know that teams that have not made it to the playoffs in a while become desperate.  I understand how a fan base could revolt if the team is not at least trying to get better.

But, honestly, what were the Bills thinking?

TO is a QB killer.  He could not get along with Jeff Garcia in San Francisco.  He could not get along with Donovan McNabb in Philadelphia.  And he could not get along with Tony Romo in Dallas.  What is going to happen to Trent Edwards?

TO had a hard time catching the ball in Dallas, what is he going to do when the temperature in Buffalo drops to the negative numbers and there is a foot of snow on the ground?  Do you think his hands are going to get better?

Now, he has a reality show, and recently he purchased a new home in California.  Is there anyone out there that really doesn't think he is going to be trying for a Hollywood career when his football career is over?

He is a great actor, remember the, "That's my Quarterback" crying routine?  The man will probably be better in Hollywood than Buffalo.

1 - Brett Favre, Minnesota Vikings.

Don't give me that nonsense that Favre has not signed yet, we all know he is going to before training camp starts. 

Favre is not the player he was three years ago.  He is older, weaker, and nowhere near the competitor he used to be.

Sure, in the games against Green Bay he is going to play like he is 29, but the rest of the games he is going to look like his real age, 39.

I am sorry, but the QB position is not meant for men that are that close to the big 4-0.

Many people believe that the Vikings are only a QB away from being a Super Bowl competitor.  Favre is not the man that is going to get them there.

If they wanted a smart QB, they should have signed Chad Pennington last year when he was available.

Now, Vikings fans get to feel what the Packers fans and Jets fans alike have felt over the last few years.

The Ugly

5 - Marshawn Lynch, Buffalo Bills.

Last year, Lynch was accused of a hit and run on a pedestrian.  He later pleaded down to lesser charges, and when members of the Bills were less than cooperative, charges were downgraded to basically a traffic ticket.

This year, Lynch has been suspended for the beginning of this season for misdemeanor charges of possession of a firearm in California.

4 - Matt Jones, Former Jacksonville Jaguars.

Last summer, Matt Jones was arrested when he was caught by police "cutting up" cocaine in his car.

After he was arrested, he entered a plea deal and received probation.  This offseason, Jones was "surprise" tested by his probation officer, and tested positive for alcohol.

He was then sentenced to seven days in jail.

He is now out of jail, but still unemployed.

3 - Plaxico Burris, Former New York Giants.

On Nov. 28, 2008, Plaxico went into a New York night club wearing a pair of sweat pants and carrying a concealed weapon.  A few moments later, Plaxico shot himself in the leg.

Carrying a concealed weapon in New York is a felony charge, punishable by a minimum of three and a half years in prison.

Burriss' agent is working on a plea deal, that will possibly keep Plaxico out of prison, but the Mayor of New York is demanding that the prosecutors not take it easy.

Some people think that it is insane that a man could go to jail for more than three years for accidentally shooting himself in the leg, but it could have been worse.

Burris could have shot and killed an innocent person. The law is what it is, and if Burris is going to break it, then the punishment is what the law allows.

2 - Jerramy Stevens, Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Once again, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have shown that they really have no clue as to how to run a franchise.

This offseason, they again signed Jerramy Stevens to a contract extension.

Roger Goodall is about to determine the fate of Mike Vick, saying that playing in the NFL is a priviledge.  If that is based on the things a man does in his life outside of football, Stevens has no right to ever wear pads again.

In 1998, Stevens was arrested for second degree assault armed with a deadly weapon and fourth degree assault.  He pleaded guilty to misdemeanor assault.

A month later he spent a day in jail for testing positive for marijuana.

July 2000, was arrested for sexual assault on a 19-year-old freshman and was accused of using a drugs to do so.

2001, sited for reckless driving when he drove into a nursing home.  Yes, a building.

2003, pleaded guilty for reckless driving and driving while intoxicated, and served two days in jail.

2007, found guilty for "extreme DUI", when he was driving with a blood alcohol level of .204, more than twice the legal limit of .08.

But yet, they don't know about Mike Vick?  I guess as long as he didn't kill any dogs, right?

1 - Donte' Stallworth, Cleveland Browns.

This is not so much a re-signing, but paying an option bonus to keep Stallworth on the team.

The day before Stallworth was in an auto accident that killed a pedestrian, he was given a $4.5 million roster bonus.

Stallworth has now been released from jail, but will serve house arrest for another two years.

He has been suspended by the NFL indefinitely, and may never play again.