Lonestar
06-11-2009, 05:39 PM
by John Czarnecki
John Czarnecki has been the editorial consultant for FOX NFL Sunday since its 1994 inception. This season marks Czarnecki's 32nd year covering the NFL. He is one of 44 selectors to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Any one wonder why broncos get no love at the HOF
We keep hearing that teams (well, the owners) can't wait for 2010, the so-called uncapped season, because they will use the opportunity to drastically reduce player salaries. It is the financial black cloud hanging over any future collective bargaining negotiations. The owners view it as their big hammer, the biggest negotiating tool they can use to show the players how life and a lower payroll will be without a ballooning salary cap.
Of course, the union is snickering at these claims. They don't believe the owners, many of them who want to be competitive, will be able to really control themselves. They have never shown any signs in the past. In every free-agency period, they have thrown cash around like it is Monopoly money while the players laugh all the way to the nearest bank.
They did it again this year, judging by the following — this offseason's riskiest signings.
1. WR T.J. Houshmandzadeh, Seahawks: Yes, Housh led the Bengals last season with 92 receptions, but only for a paltry 9.8 yards a catch and four touchdowns. Yes, he is a solid receiver, but Seattle paid him like he's a No. 1 receiver, and at 32 years old he'll make $7 million. Next season the price tag rises to $8 million plus.
In a bidding war, he was able to collect $14.5 million over two seasons. The Seahawks have this thing about paying decent receivers, thinking they are as good as Larry Fitzgerald or Steve Smith. They did the same, exact thing with Deion Branch a few years back.
2. C Jake Grove, Dolphins: This ex-Oakland center and former second-round pick is a blue-collar type player, the kind that Bill Parcells loves ... when he plays, that is.
Grove missed 14 of 32 games over the last two seasons with the Raiders, yet based on that dependency he was rewarded with $14.5 million in guaranteed money. I have said all along that offensive linemen have been rewarded the most during the halcyon days of free agency. One team's good player is paid by another team as some superstar.
3. CB Andre Goodman, Broncos: This cornerback was a very average player in his first few years in the league, but he started 16 games last season in Miami and had his best year with five interceptions, the most in his seven-year career. He has 12 overall. In seven seasons.
Yet the Broncos stepped up and rewarded Goodman with a $10 million signing bonus. Believe me, he's no Champ Bailey. And he isn't that great in man-to-man coverage. Expect him to get burned by the Chargers.
4. WR Michael Clayton, Buccaneers: This receiver has been a disappointment ever since his 2004 season when he was the Offensive Rookie of the Year in Tampa Bay. Yes, he has the size (6-4 and 215) to be spectacular, but he has only two touchdown catches in the last four years.
He only had 38 catches for 484 yards last year, but the Bucs were so afraid of losing him that they gave him a $26 million contract over five seasons with $10.5 million guaranteed. Clayton loves the new offense and publicly ripped into former coach Jon Gruden. Well, Clayton had better be more productive. Tampa spent way too much money on a hunch that his production fell off solely because of not seeing eye-to-eye with Gruden.
5. S Gibril Wilson, Dolphins: The Dolphins once again are going for another so-called blue-collar player who started at safety for the Giants when they beat the Patriots. But the Giants allowed him to leave to Oakland last season, where he started and collected $8.4 million in bonuses. Al Davis couldn't wait to unload him after Wilson had just two interceptions and three fumble recoveries. Wilson doesn't run well, so Miami cut his bonus down to $5 million this year.
6. RB Cedric Benson, Bengals: This running back was finally run out of Chicago after being a first-round bust, but he's apparently found a home in Cincinnati, getting $7 million over the next two seasons.
The Bengals rewarded him for three 100-yard games last season, including 171 yards against the lowly Cleveland Browns in late December. He finished the year with 25 carries for 111 yards in another win against the Chiefs. But those were two of the league's worst run defenses a year ago. Rewarding Benson doesn't make much sense based on his past indiscretions and hefty bank account. He strikes me as a pay-as-you-go kind of player.
What does Marvin Lewis do if Cedric doesn't truly show up this season?
Will the Broncos regret throwing big bucks at the 36-year-old Dawkins? (Doug Pensinger / Getty Images)
7. S Brian Dawkins, Broncos: I love this player, but $9.5 million over two years seems a tad much for a 36-year-old safety entering his 14th season with all those welts on his body after years of big hits. The Broncos are paying for his leadership, on and off the field. Knowing "Dawk," he will give it his all, wanting to prove to the Eagles that they made a mistake allowing him to leave.
8. C Jason Brown, Rams: The Rams are taking a lot of heat for signing this ex-Raven to a five-year, $37.5 million contract that includes $20 million in guarantees, including roster bonuses.
Remember, how financially rewarding free-agency has been to offensive linemen. Brown is only 26 and a solid 320 pounds, and the Rams, whose best player in running back Steven Jackson, were desperate for an anchor to their horrible offensive line. When you are a loser like the Rams, sometimes you have to overpay for quality.
The bottom line is that Baltimore wanted to keep him at this price. Instead, they gave perennial All-Pro Matt Birk $6 million, who was disliked by the Minnesota coaching staff, to replace him.
9. OT Orlando Pace, Bears: The Bears believe they got this former All-Pro for a bargain at $6 million for this season. Yes, he's a bargain if he can protect Jay Cutler like he used to protect Kurt Warner in St. Louis.
But what if his shoulders go out again? It's a lot of money for a former great player who started only nine games combined in the 2006-07 seasons.
http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/9662424/Nine-signings-that-GMs-will-regret-the-most
John Czarnecki has been the editorial consultant for FOX NFL Sunday since its 1994 inception. This season marks Czarnecki's 32nd year covering the NFL. He is one of 44 selectors to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Any one wonder why broncos get no love at the HOF
We keep hearing that teams (well, the owners) can't wait for 2010, the so-called uncapped season, because they will use the opportunity to drastically reduce player salaries. It is the financial black cloud hanging over any future collective bargaining negotiations. The owners view it as their big hammer, the biggest negotiating tool they can use to show the players how life and a lower payroll will be without a ballooning salary cap.
Of course, the union is snickering at these claims. They don't believe the owners, many of them who want to be competitive, will be able to really control themselves. They have never shown any signs in the past. In every free-agency period, they have thrown cash around like it is Monopoly money while the players laugh all the way to the nearest bank.
They did it again this year, judging by the following — this offseason's riskiest signings.
1. WR T.J. Houshmandzadeh, Seahawks: Yes, Housh led the Bengals last season with 92 receptions, but only for a paltry 9.8 yards a catch and four touchdowns. Yes, he is a solid receiver, but Seattle paid him like he's a No. 1 receiver, and at 32 years old he'll make $7 million. Next season the price tag rises to $8 million plus.
In a bidding war, he was able to collect $14.5 million over two seasons. The Seahawks have this thing about paying decent receivers, thinking they are as good as Larry Fitzgerald or Steve Smith. They did the same, exact thing with Deion Branch a few years back.
2. C Jake Grove, Dolphins: This ex-Oakland center and former second-round pick is a blue-collar type player, the kind that Bill Parcells loves ... when he plays, that is.
Grove missed 14 of 32 games over the last two seasons with the Raiders, yet based on that dependency he was rewarded with $14.5 million in guaranteed money. I have said all along that offensive linemen have been rewarded the most during the halcyon days of free agency. One team's good player is paid by another team as some superstar.
3. CB Andre Goodman, Broncos: This cornerback was a very average player in his first few years in the league, but he started 16 games last season in Miami and had his best year with five interceptions, the most in his seven-year career. He has 12 overall. In seven seasons.
Yet the Broncos stepped up and rewarded Goodman with a $10 million signing bonus. Believe me, he's no Champ Bailey. And he isn't that great in man-to-man coverage. Expect him to get burned by the Chargers.
4. WR Michael Clayton, Buccaneers: This receiver has been a disappointment ever since his 2004 season when he was the Offensive Rookie of the Year in Tampa Bay. Yes, he has the size (6-4 and 215) to be spectacular, but he has only two touchdown catches in the last four years.
He only had 38 catches for 484 yards last year, but the Bucs were so afraid of losing him that they gave him a $26 million contract over five seasons with $10.5 million guaranteed. Clayton loves the new offense and publicly ripped into former coach Jon Gruden. Well, Clayton had better be more productive. Tampa spent way too much money on a hunch that his production fell off solely because of not seeing eye-to-eye with Gruden.
5. S Gibril Wilson, Dolphins: The Dolphins once again are going for another so-called blue-collar player who started at safety for the Giants when they beat the Patriots. But the Giants allowed him to leave to Oakland last season, where he started and collected $8.4 million in bonuses. Al Davis couldn't wait to unload him after Wilson had just two interceptions and three fumble recoveries. Wilson doesn't run well, so Miami cut his bonus down to $5 million this year.
6. RB Cedric Benson, Bengals: This running back was finally run out of Chicago after being a first-round bust, but he's apparently found a home in Cincinnati, getting $7 million over the next two seasons.
The Bengals rewarded him for three 100-yard games last season, including 171 yards against the lowly Cleveland Browns in late December. He finished the year with 25 carries for 111 yards in another win against the Chiefs. But those were two of the league's worst run defenses a year ago. Rewarding Benson doesn't make much sense based on his past indiscretions and hefty bank account. He strikes me as a pay-as-you-go kind of player.
What does Marvin Lewis do if Cedric doesn't truly show up this season?
Will the Broncos regret throwing big bucks at the 36-year-old Dawkins? (Doug Pensinger / Getty Images)
7. S Brian Dawkins, Broncos: I love this player, but $9.5 million over two years seems a tad much for a 36-year-old safety entering his 14th season with all those welts on his body after years of big hits. The Broncos are paying for his leadership, on and off the field. Knowing "Dawk," he will give it his all, wanting to prove to the Eagles that they made a mistake allowing him to leave.
8. C Jason Brown, Rams: The Rams are taking a lot of heat for signing this ex-Raven to a five-year, $37.5 million contract that includes $20 million in guarantees, including roster bonuses.
Remember, how financially rewarding free-agency has been to offensive linemen. Brown is only 26 and a solid 320 pounds, and the Rams, whose best player in running back Steven Jackson, were desperate for an anchor to their horrible offensive line. When you are a loser like the Rams, sometimes you have to overpay for quality.
The bottom line is that Baltimore wanted to keep him at this price. Instead, they gave perennial All-Pro Matt Birk $6 million, who was disliked by the Minnesota coaching staff, to replace him.
9. OT Orlando Pace, Bears: The Bears believe they got this former All-Pro for a bargain at $6 million for this season. Yes, he's a bargain if he can protect Jay Cutler like he used to protect Kurt Warner in St. Louis.
But what if his shoulders go out again? It's a lot of money for a former great player who started only nine games combined in the 2006-07 seasons.
http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/9662424/Nine-signings-that-GMs-will-regret-the-most