NFL Free Agents 2011: 5 Things We've Learned from 2011 Free Agency

What a wild week of NFL Free Agency we have had. I feel like a boy on Christmas Eve. I know that I will be getting presents but I do not know what they will be. That is how NFL fans felt about their teams this past week, they knew players were going to move, but they had no idea who they were gonna grab.

The NFL is a sport based on parody but the league is also based on big names. The fact that free agency was smashed in right before training camp and the preseason meant that it was a mad rush for the last Christmas toy at 5 am, or in this case the high prized player of need. 

Teams have come out of nowhere to make signings and many of the players you wanted for your team were not picked up. The big name players of free agency have mostly signed with a couple still lingering, but all that is left are role players and non-elite type players.

This has been a much different offseason than many of us have ever seen, but I am not going to lie. I kind of liked it. It is fun to wake up and see what player your team is in the running for over a four or five day period as opposed to a four to five month period.

There are a few things that I, along with the rest of the fans of the NFL have learned in the past week about free agency.

The Rich Get Richer

The Philadelphia Eagles were by far the most active team in free agency with the biggest names being signed, most notably cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha. He was the prize of free agency and was snagged at the last minute after the Cowboys and Jets both bowed out. 

The Patriots, who were already a Super Bowl favorite, just got a little more dangerous with the signing of Chad Ochocinco and Albert Haynesworth. A receiver who likes to run his mouth and a defensive tackle who does not like to run. However, when both properly motivated, they can be forces to be reckoned with come Sundays. 

Now I know the Carolina Panthers were the worse team in the league but they signed defensive end Charles Johnson and DeAngelo Williams to some big contracts. They also re-signed Steve Smith, a huge move to give another weapon to No. 1 overall pick Cam Newton.

The Cardinals, via trade, finally got there man in Kevin Kolb and have already begun to surround him with weapons alongside Larry Fitzgerald, signing ex-Baltimore Raven Todd Heap. They also signed cornerback Richard Marshall to replace Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie.

Holding out Does Not Pay off

Osi Umenyiora has given up on his holdout with the New York Giants and has reported to camp even though he is still hoping to get a new deal or traded to another team. 

Mercedes Lewis also will be returning to camp after threatening to hold out until he received a new contract with the Jaguars.

Frank Gore will be ending his holdout today and practice Tuesday with the San Francisco 49ers.

I feel it is an easy decision when you realize that you will be fined $30,000 per day during training camp. For players who want to earn more money, loosing $30,000 per day is not the way to make that happen. 

Peyton Manning Is the Best

There are few phrases that I hardly ever hear professional athletes ever say. Two of them were said today by one athlete in one press conference. 

Peyton Manning asked his owner, Jim Irsay, of the Indianapolis Colts to not make him the highest paid quarterback in NFL history. He told him he would rather save that money to keep around players who would have become free agents and most likely not have returned had he not instructed his boss. 

Instead he is getting paid the same as Tom Brady and the contract is worth $90 million, after he told him to bring the price down.

Also in the interview, Manning said he hates to miss practice. When have you ever heard a pro athlete say that?

It just goes to show that Manning is not a typical athlete and his understanding of the game is more than just on the field. He understands the business aspect and his true love of the game that makes him great. His unselfish words and actions are why he is the best in the business.

The NFL Is a Game of Second Chances

Plaxico Burress has not played since the 2008 season, yet he will be getting paid $3 million in guaranteed money. He has been in prison for a little over two years for carrying a gun he did not have a permit for into a New York City club and shooting himself.

Now he will be a member of the New York Jets and a weapon for Mark Sanchez. 

The NFL has proven to be a league of second chances. A perfect example is Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Mike Vick who was involved in a dog fighting ring scandal and sent to jail. Now he is a Pro Bowl player leading a team considered by many as Super Bowl favorites.

Burress and Vick are lucky but I am not so sure Tiki Barber will find as much luck almost five years removed from the league.

Chris Mortensen, Adam Schefter, John Clayton, and Jason La Canfora Are the Best

I think it is more than a fair assessment that these four men—Chris Mortensen, Adam Schefter, John Clayton, and Jason La Canfora are the best in the business. They have been just about spot on about every free agent and where he most likely may be heading. 

Mortensen and Schefter are constant anchors and pillars of consistency in terms of information regarding money, contracts and length of deals for players while also breaking the news of free agent acquisitions. 

Clayton is now in the same conversation as Charlie Sheen and Lady Gaga in terms of twitter followers in record amounts of time. As of right now he has over 175,500 followers and that is just under a week of starting up a twitter account. 

La Canfora has been working tirelessly in his man cave for the happiness and knowledge of every NFL fan. We have seen his dry erase board and the crossing out of free agents.

These four men have been working for months to do what they are doing now delivering all free agent news so that people like me can write about it and people like you can read about it. 

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