Free-agent moves in NFL perplexing
Under the title of ?what were they thinking,? we have a few questionable moves by teams across the NFL during the free agency frenzy, letting players go who were keys to success.
What were the Colts thinking when they let Edgerrin James sign with the Arizona Cardinals? This is a player who rushed for over 1,500 yards and is just hitting his stride going into his seventh season, yet the Colts busted up the three amigos (Peyton, Marvin and Edgerrin) because of the league-wide devaluing of running backs. I think this move will bite the Colts in the backside, perhaps toppling them from their lofty perch as the elite in the NFL like what happened to the Cowboys when they lost Irvin from their band of three amigos in Irving, Aikman and Emmitt.
Frankly, James is a special back, able to play as well as a receiver as a running back. He was a big part of building what they had in Indy and he will be a huge addition to the already star packed Cardinal offensive arsenal.
While the Colts get a ?what were they thinking? mention, they also are on the receiving in of someone else?s oversight as they signed former Pat kicker Adam Vinatieri.
What were the Pats thinking when they let him slip to their playoff rivals? Think back. What was the winning margin of all three Patriot Super Bowl wins? Three points, two of the winning kicks coming from Vinatieri?s foot as time expired. Shoot, if it weren?t for the most impossible kick in league history in the driving snow during the ?tuck rule game? in the playoffs against the Raiders, the Pats? run at history may have never happened. Folks, you can?t teach this clutch kicking, just ask the Colts? former kicker Mike Vanderjagt. Sure, he?s the most accurate kicker in NFL history, but he missed the big one against the Steelers. While Vinatieri?s average isn?t quite as good, he?s hit all the big kicks when they matter. Now, the Pats no longer have their magic man. It?ll be interesting to see how many games they now loose by a field goal.
And my last ?what were they thinking? question goes out to the San Diego Chargers.
What were the Chargers thinking when they let Drew Brees go to New Orleans? After nursing this project quarterback through the lean years, they finally had a Pro-Bowl caliber signal caller in Brees, and they let him go. This is like getting your favorite pillow and getting it just right so it fits your head all comfy, and then just giving it away. Why put up with the failures only to let a guy go when he?s proving himself. And what do they have to replace him? Philip Rivers? An unproven heir-appearent who threw for all of 150-yards last year. Or A.J. Feely, who couldn?t even make the grade with the run-first Dolphins.
All of this is coming from a team which was on the verge. Sure, a slow start kept them out of the playoffs last year but most people agreed that without the slow start, the Chargers would have been one of the most dangerous teams in the playoffs. Now you can pretty well throw that out the window and start over since the Bolts are having to break in a new quarterback.
Maybe these folks are just evil geniuses, and I?m just looking at the surface. Maybe they?ll prove me wrong. But, at first look, these appear to be lame-brain moves.