10 2011 NFL Free Agents That Didn't Live Up to Their Hype

It's been a wild and wacky 2011 season that's seen the Indianapolis Colts fall flat on their face and the Detroit Lions' return to the postseason for the first time in 12 seasons.

The decisions teams made four and five months ago in free agency have had a lot to say about whether a team succeeded or failed in the regular season. 

A team like the New Orleans Saints made a great move in letting Reggie Bush walk and signing Darren Sproles.  It has helped the Saints offense become even more prolific.  And for how poorly the Dolphins have done, Bush has been a bright spot.

There are a host of other teams that can't speak for their success in the free-agent market.  Maybe the player didn't fit into a system, or they just simply didn't live up to expectations.

Let's take a look at 10 free agents that didn't live up their preseason hype. 

10) Ray Edwards: Atlanta Falcons

Having signed a five-year, $30 million contract to play for the Falcons, Edwards simply hasn't lived up to expectations.  His 3.5 sacks is on pace to have his lowest sack total since his rookie season in 2006, far from his 8.25 sack average he had in 2009-10.

The good news is the Falcons have not suffered with the disappointing season Edwards has had, as they are on the brink of making the playoffs for a second straight season and are a sleeper pick to get to the Super Bowl. 

But with John Abraham set to turn 34 years old next season, they need Edwards to step up next year or his career as a Falcon may be a short one. 

9) Braylon Edwards: San Francisco 49ers

Perhaps it's unfair to lump Edwards on this list as he has missed considerable time due to injuries and he doesn't exactly play with Aaron Rodgers at quarterback.  But 15 receptions, 181 yards and zero touchdowns in nine games?  That's unacceptable.

It seems like a long, long time since Edwards had nearly 1,300 receiving yards and 16 touchdowns in the 2007 season when he was with the Cleavland Browns.  Heck, you can hardly remember the fact he had over 900 yards and seven touchdowns last year.

For a guy that people thought could be the No. 1 target in San Francisco, Edwards' stat line looks like he was a fifth receiver. 

8) Roy Williams: Chicago Bears

One of the more laughable predictions this year was when Chicago Bears offensive coordinator Mike Martz said Williams could catch over 70 balls just like he did five years ago when the two were together in Detroit.

While Williams hasn't been a total failure (33 catches, 447 yards and a touchdown) the guy has proven yet again to not be a team player as he hasn't developed a chemistry with any quarterback the Bears have rolled out.

It seems every other catch he makes he does a ridiculous first-down dance and he drops passes at the most inopportune times. 

Not only was Williams a disappointment this year, but he will go down as a man who never could utilize the skills he'd flash on rare occasions. 

7) Sidney Rice: Seattle Seahawks

Sidney Rice enjoyed an amazing 2009 season with the Minnesota Vikings in which he had 83 receptions for 1,312 yards and eight touchdowns.

Despite an injury-plagued 2010 season, the Seahawks signed Rice to a five-year $41 million contract with the hopes he'd be their long-lost franchise receiver. 

Well he's been hurt again this year, appearing in just nine games and his numbers have been less than stellar, receiving just 53 yards per game and just two touchdowns.

Yes, Tarvaris Jackson is not the 2009 version of Brett Favre.  But there are times that great receivers can bring the best out of below-average quarterbacks.  Rice has proven he's not up to that level. 

6) Zach Miller: Seattle Seahawks

As an Oakland Raider, Zach Miller was one of the more productive tight ends in the NFL and in fact led the Raiders in receptions last year. 

The Seattle Seahawks sought this type of production when they signed him to a five-year $34 million contract, hoping to bring in a Pro Bowl-caliber player.

While you can argue that the quarterback play in Seattle has been less than stellar, you have to think the Seahawks were hoping for more than 25 catches, 233 yards and zero touchdowns. 

Seattle is a team that went nowhere in 2011, staying around the same record as they did in 2010.  If they want to keep up with the 49ers next year, they need the Zach Miller that can catch 60 passes for 700 yards. 

5) Oshiomogho Atogwe: Washington Redskins

You can say injuries (he has missed four games) are a reason for his lack of production, but Oshiomogho Atogwe hasn't looked like the same Pro Bowl-caliber safety that we saw in St. Louis.  His two interceptions isn't the only problem, but it's been his lack of tackles.

Atogwe has just 57 combined tackles this year and you can't cite injuries as an excuse as he had 74 total tackles in 2009 when he played just 12 total games. 

There is still hope that Atogwe can find himself next year, but he simply isn't the player the Redskins expected when he was one of the first big free agents to be signed in the offseason. 

4) Ronnie Brown: Philadelphia Eagles

How much did Brown underwhelm in Philadelphia?  The Eagles tried to trade him halfway through the season for Detroit Lions running back Jerome Harrison and only stayed in Philly because Harrison failed a physical when it was discovered he had a brain tumor.

That tumor has been removed and Harrison should be back next year.  In a sick way, the failures of Brown helped Harrison because if Harrison was not traded, there would have been no physical.

Brown only has 36 carries this year for 122 yards (a 3.4-yard-per-carry average) and just one touchdown.  He doesn't even have any receptions this year which is shocking considering he was thought of as one of the best pass-catching running backs in the game.

Perhaps the Eagles have not used him properly, but it really doesn't make sense considering LeSean McCoy has caught many balls outside of the backfield.

One can only hope Brown will land somewhere else next year and he will find a way to find the form that made him so successful in Miami.   

3) Nnamdi Asomugha: Philadelphia Eagles

The "Dream Team" Eagles began to earn their nickname when Philadelphia brought in Nnamdi Asomugha, a perennial Pro Bowl cornerback that had become so good in Oakland, most teams wouldn't even throw towards him.

With a five-year deal worth $60 million, the Eagles expected Asomugha to play to the level you see from Darrelle Revis.  The problem is Asomugha has epitomized the 2011 Eagles: a player who has flashes of brilliance but too often folds at the biggest moments.

The highlights of Victor Cruz of the New York Giants torching Asomugha are still displayed on various television channels. 

He still may be a very good player but Asomugha has come nowhere close to living up to his contract. 

2) Mike Sims-Walker: Jacksonville Jaguars/St. Louis Rams

You want to talk about an underachiever? 

Mike Sims-Walker was supposed to be a missing piece to a St. Louis Rams offense that looked like it was emerging last year.  Sims-Walker was going to be a No. 1 receiver for the Rams but it never worked out—not for one second.

Absolutely no chemistry was developed between Sims-Walker and Sam Bradford.  Despite his 14 touchdowns between 2009-10 with the Jacksonville Jaguars, he has caught zero this year.

His 11 catches in four games earned him a one-way ticket out of St. Louis and back to the Jaguars where he has a whopping one reception for 11 yards in two games. 

For a guy some believe was going to have a Pro Bowl season, Sims-Walker has been a disaster.  The only hope is he can believe this season never happened and start all over again. 

1) Donovan McNabb: Minnesota Vikings

There is no worse free-agent signing than the one that saw a potential Hall of Famer potentially see his career come to an end.

The Minnesota Vikings were hoping to once again resurrect the career of a fallen All-Pro.  Other notables in the past included Randall Cunningham and, of course, Brett Favre.

But the signing of McNabb quickly blew up in the Vikings' faces this year.  He threw for just 1,026 yards in six games, averaging just 171 yards per contest.  His four touchdowns in that span was simply not good enough.

Seeing their season all but lost, the Vikings went with Christian Ponder and subsequently cut McNabb who got signed by no one.

McNabb has had a good career that will sadly be remembered most by the failures he and the Philadelphia Eagles had for the better part of a decade.  His most recent struggles won't be remembered when they look at his resume and if he is a Hall of Famer.

But when you look at 2011, McNabb was the biggest flop of the year.  With the big-name expectations he had and the big-time failures, no one really comes close.