Free Agency has been underway for almost a month with some big gains and losses. Here are a couple of teams that I think have had a very good off season thus far which could result in a trip to Glendale, Arizona for Super Bowl XLII.

AFC

My vote for the AFC team that has had the most successful off season isn’t New England which seems to be the consensus among other football fanatics. I like Denver. Yes Thomas will be a stud for in the Patriots defensive scheme, but after him, they just have a bunch of underachievers. With the exception of Welker, but something tells me that he doesn’t have DBs shaking in their boots. And the WR deprived Dolphins weren’t exactly begging him to stay.

Take a look at Denver’s off season. They get a Pro Bowl cornerback to play opposite the best CB in the league. Their running game gets a big boost with the signing of potential Pro Bowler Travis Henry. Graham solidifies their TE position. Plus they added some beef to both sides of the line and a veteran backup QB. Not to mention, probably the best transaction was the signing of Jim Bates as Defensive Coordinator. This is the same guy that had the Dolphins near the top of the league for many years and somehow created a formidable defense during his brief stint with Green Bay. I am sure that he can probably come up with something for Bly and Champ.

Going into the draft, I think they should focus on getting some pass rushers and maybe a WR. Al Wilson’s injury is also a question mark. Assuming that Cutler continues to grow in this offense, with a little luck, they could push San Diego for the top spot in this division.

NFC

Without any hesitation, the best off season award goes to a team that didn’t even have their coach for most of the free agency period, the Philadelphia Eagles. They lose Jeff Garcia, Donte Stallworth, Shawn Barber and Michael Lewis, but gain Kelly Holcomb, Kevin Curtis, Takeo Spikes and Montae Reagor. Assuming that Spikes and McNabb will be back to normal, they will be back to top of the NFC. Curtis, Brown, Smith, Buckhalter and Westbrook are plenty of weapons for McNabb. The defense will be better against the run.

In the draft, I think they should seek some secondary help and add more depth across the offensive line. Dallas will remain Philly’s number one threat in the NFC East, but I will take McNabb over Romo any day. And if Chicago’s Defense plays as bad as they did to end the season, then McNabb will be on the verge of breaking some kind of NFC Championship appearance record. If not, he has to be close.

As side note, can someone please tell these teams that the Free Agency period has begun: Cincy, Pittsburgh, Chicago, NYG and Minnesota.

Hilarious. Seems like a funny guy.

Well the consensus amongst Mock Drafts and various “experts” is that the Oakland Raiders will take JaMarcus Russell as the #1 pick in this year’s NFL Draft. Initially, I had the same thoughts, but I am beginning to waiver. It would not be surprising to me if the Raiders draft Calvin Johnson. With all of the speculation about Randy Moss being traded to the Patriots, Packers, etc., that leads me to believe that Al Davis wants to get the best player in the draft. And that person is none other than Mr. Johnson. He has the size of T.O. but the freakish skills of Moss. If the Raiders do draft Johnson, that puts the Lions in a predicament. Should they draft Russell, Quinn, Thomas or trade down? My vote would be Russell or trade down. Good luck Matt. Looks like Al is going to make your job of screwing up the Lion’s draft a lot easier.

This signing could possibly send shockwaves throughout the top of the draft. It has been widely speculated that the Browns would take Adrian Peterson with the #3 pick in April’s NFL Draft. Prior to this signing, that was a very understandable possibility. It is still possible that the Browns will draft Peterson, but I think it is a little less likely. Even though they only signed Lewis to a one year contract, why would you sign him if you plan on bringing in a stud through the draft? Are they that concerned about Oakland or Detroit taking Peterson? I don’t think so. Do they want Lewis to handle the running game for a year and then hand the keys to Peterson? This is not a QB grooming, so again, I don’t think so. They have Droughns and he is good enough to handle this kind of role if that’s the role which they intend to use Lewis.

So, if I don’t think they will draft Peterson, who do I think they are focused on picking? Calvin Johnson is the best athlete in the draft class so he is always a possibility. But I think they may have Brady Quinn on their mind. Romeo and Charlie Weis have a long history together. I am sure that Crennel squeezed every drop of information that he could get from Weis and I am sure that Weis was trying to sell his understudy to a team that needs a QB.

I don’t buy the notion that Cleveland will be leery of drafting a QB because of Tim Couch. Tim who? Does anyone outside of Cleveland remember this guy? My only concern is that by drafting Quinn, Romeo could be setting up a good team for the next guy. Just like Denny Green.

What does this mean for AD? Well he could slide like everyone is projecting Quinn to slide. Out of the Top 12. Only the Bills at 12 and maybe the Texans at 8 “need” a RB. He would be a GREAT steal for anyone willing to trade up in that range to pick him.
Good Luck AD. I am a fan. Hmmm, Matt, pull a Ditka. Trade all of our picks for the #3 slot. Calvin Johnson and AD. Well, if they won’t be on the Lions team, they will definitely be on my fantasy team.

Well, suffice it to say that I am not thrilled with the trade between Detroit and Denver. For those that have not heard, it has been reported that the Lions have traded Pro Bowl Cornerback Dre’ Bly to the Broncos for dadadada drum roll please……George Foster, Tatum Bell and a 5th Round pick. At first glance, you may think it was a GREAT trade for both teams. But I am here to say that Matt Millen has once again displayed his knack for finishing last as a GM.

Let’s dissect the trade.

Dre’ Bly had a sub par year, but it is the system to blame and not a sign of diminishing skills. Prior to the defensive scheme change, he posted Pro Bowl numbers for interceptions and TD returns. Arguably, Detroit’s best Defensive player next to Shaun Rogers.

What did Millen get in return? An injury proned RB that can’t figure out how to hold on to the ball and a second-tier, at best, Offensive Tackle. Hmmm. I don’t get paid the big bucks, but the fact that the Denver “Run First, Run Second, Run Third” Broncos would be willing to give up a 1000 yard back and an offensive lineman would raise red flags. Dre’s Bly is very good, but would they really be willing to scrap their running game to get him? Did Mike Bell play that well? Didn’t they give Tatum the keys to the car by trading Portis for Champ. Why would they give up on him after one year as a starter?

I’ll tell you why. Because Mike Shanahan saw blood and attacked like a wild dog. Look at the deal from his eyes. Dre’ Bly is in the last year of his contract. There is no way that he was going to re-sign with the Lions. So Detroit is desperate.

The timing is right for Denver to pull off this deal. Darrent Williams rest in peace, but I can see this deal being worked out even if he was with the team. So obviously Bly fits a need. And the draft is just around the corner so, a token draft pick can be thrown into the deal.

Most importantly, Shanahan knows that Millen is on the hot seat. He can’t let Dre’ get away for free and the Lions have more needs than a crackhead going through withdrawal.

Shanahan: “Matt, I’ll help you out. Take Tatum Bell and George Foster for Bly.”

Millen: “I don’t know Mike. Bly is pretty good.”

Shanahan: “Alright. You twisted my arm. I’ll throw in a 5th round pick.”

Millen: “You’ve got a deal.” Hangs up the phone.

Shanahan: “Hehehehehehehe”. Champ and Bly. Blitz, Blitz, Blitz, Blitz. Now I don’t have to worry about cutting Foster. But I still need to find a starting RB. Just like I planned before the trade.  Maybe I can trade Plummer or sign Ahman Green.

A 5th round pick? Foster? Bell? Foster was demoted during the season. And Bell played soooo well that he lost his starting job and had to share carries with an undrafted free agent. So, is Kevin Jones done in Detroit? If not, this deal was worse than I think. Both have similar styles, so this isn’t like a change of pace type of scenario. And both are injury proned. I would have rather gambled and taken Adrian Peterson. Guess that is out of the question.

Matt, you really don’t get it. This isn’t your Fantasy Football team that you are managing. Hell, if it was, you would be at the bottom of my league. Easy.

Believe it or not. The only thing that would make me become a little more comfortable with this deal is if Millen decides to take Calvin Johnson in the draft. He is too good to be true. Millen has his RB and OT. I can live with drafting Johnson, but I doubt he would do that because he would probably get this draft thing right for once.

5th round? We can’t even seem to tackle drafting in the 1st round. Oh well. That’s the life and times of being a Detroit Lions fan.

Finally, Chicago joined the 21st Century. I am happy to acknowledge that Lovie Smith signed a 4 year extension worth $22M. Keeping him in Chicago until 2011. His salary for the 2007-2008 season will be $3.45M and he will receive $5M per year for the following 4 years. This was long overdue, but well deserved none the less. Fortunately, this didn’t end on a sour note. Lovie handled this situation with class just like his mentor Tony Dungy. I am sure that he may have been tempted to throw a microphone at a few reporters when bombarded with contract questions during the Combine.