Bang for the Buck in NFL Free Agency

As the NFL off-season continues to roll along, free agency has generated vast buzz and fanfare. While Major League Baseball franchises - not named the Yankees - have pulled in the spending reins due to these trying economic conditions, NFL teams have been more than willing to spend in record amounts. Just another reason why baseball needs a salary cap. There have been some surprises like Terrell Owens being exiled from Dallas and winding in Buffalo of all places. There have also been some head scratching behavior like Arizona allowing franchise savior Kurt Warner to hit free agency before coming to their senses.

Then there are some things that never change or surprise like the Washington Redskins' drunken spending. The Redskins and owner Daniel Snyder have become notorious with overspending on veteran players. Does anyone remember Bruce Smith, Deion Sanders, or the purging of the New York Jets roster a few years ago? Well, looks like the 'Skins have somehow worked their way back under the cap, but certainly did not learn from their mistakes.

The Redskins wasted no time breaking the bank by shelling out $100 million to former Titans' defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth. Haynesworth has proved to be a dominate force on defense, but tossing that much money at a interior linemen is a risky proposition. The only position franchises should be throwing that type of money at is quarterback. Albert Haynesworth isn't carrying his team to victory week in and week out like Peyton Manning.

If Washington's spending had stopped there then maybe the decision to acquire one of the most dominant defensive players in the NFL could have been rationalized. Not surprisingly, however, the Redskins were only getting started following up the Haynesworth signing by handing CB DeAngelo Hall $55 million over six years. The Redskins obviously saw something in Hall during his short stint in Washington last season that the rest of the NFL had missed because no other NFL team was going to pay Hall that kind of money. Over the past two seasons, Hall has looked like a player on the decline rather than one worthy of another huge contract after proving to be a bust last season in Oakland.

So for those keeping track, Washington has committed $155 million to two defensive players. For good measure, Mr. Snyder and company decided to pay Bills castoff G Derrick Dockery $26.5 million over 5 years. The grand total for the three free agent signings - roughly a cool $182 million. Meanwhile, division rival and NFC East champions, the New York Giants were able to find value in free agency to help boost the team's defensive front seven. The Giants bolster their already strong defensive line with the signing of former Dallas DE Chris Canty and Seattle DT Rock Bernard. Canty received $42 million and Bernard $16 million while Atlanta free agent OLB Michael Boley signed for $25 million.

In total, the Giants committed $83 million to three key defensive additions, which is $20 million less than Washington gave Haynesworth alone and about half of what the Redskins spent on Haynesworth and Hall combined. This is just an example of how these division rivals couldn't be any different in how they build their respective teams. The Redskins tendency to spend has consistently made headlines, but hasn't translated to victories on the field. The Giants, on the other hand, have been able to find value in free agency and develop talent through the draft that helped them win the Super Bowl last year. The way things stand right now, the money is on the New York, not Washington, to be in Miami at the end of next season.

Beasts of the East

It's the most wonderful time of the year.

The NFL season kicks off Thursday night when the Washington Redskins head to New York to take on the Super Bowl champion New York Giants. It's an early NFC East showdown and with that being the case, the Bleeding Sports NFL preview will being with a breakdown of the best division in all of football.

Washington Redskins

A late surge last year catapulted the Joe Gibbs and the 'Skins into the playoffs, but a lot has changed in Washington since then. Joe Gibbs retired...again the Daniel Synder nearly hired Jim Fassel...again before settling with Jim Zorn as the new head coach. Under the Zorn the Redskins with feature a new west coast offense and rely on the still unproven Jason Campbell to grow in the new system. Clinton Portis remains one of the most overrated running backs in league while the receiving corp is real thin.

While a Campbell led offense is a big question mark the defense is an even bigger one. Despite the addition of Jason Taylor expect the 'Skins to struggle trying to stop the opposition. Former defensive coordinator Gregg Williams did a great job with modest talent and his departure will prove to be the Washington's biggest loss. The unit's performance in the preseason against Carolina should raise a red flag. By the end of the year, Coach Zorn may be waving a white flag.

Philadelphia Eagles

The Eagles have become a trendy pick this year to go as far as the Super Bowl. to Most prognosticators point to the fact that the Eagles managed to win their last three games last season to finish 8-8. That does not sound like much of an argument. Despite free agent acquisition Asante Samuel, Philly is a team on the decline not on the rise. The offense still lacks play makers at receiver and Donovan McNabb isn't getting any younger. The argument could be made that the Eagles have actually fared better without McNabb in the lineup over the last two years. The bottom line, Philadelphia is a Brian Westbrook injury away from a four win season and even with him the Eagles look like a team on the outside looking in at the playoffs.

Dallas Cowboys

Ah, America's Team. Here are some thoughts after watching Hard Knocks. Rookie tight end Martellus Bennett will be a bust with a capital B. It's still hard to tell after watching whether Wade Phillips knows what's he doing or not. He's like a cartoon character. Jason Garrett will be a head coach somewhere next season...probably in Big D. Terrell Owens actually comes off looking like a good guy. He's counseling the young players, practicing hard, and other than peddling his t-shirts is a relatively unassuming figure. Once the season starts though that the act won't last. The Cowboys have too many combustible parts between T.O., Tank Johnson, and the Pacman. The Cowboys haven't faced much adversity the last couple of seasons so something has to give. If Dallas ends up going as far as most people feel they will this season they will definitely earn it. Most likely, however, the Cowboys lack the type of team chemistry to persevere.

New York Giants

All the Giants did last year was take down the mighty Cowboys and Brett Favre in their own backyards just to get to the Super Bowl. Then all Big Blue did was defeat a New England team being compared to the greatest in NFL history. One would think that winning a World Championship the way the Giants did would earn a franchise some respect. Yet it has been just the opposite. All the talk going into this season has been about every team in the division other than the Super Bowl champs.

The Giants have had some significant losses on defense, most notably Michael Strahan and Osi Umenyiora on the defensive line. The line, however, still features Justin Tuck while the linebackers will on the outside this season with Danny Clark and Gerris Wilkerson replacing Reggie Torbor and Kawika Mitchell. The secondary lost Gibril Wilson, but drafted a star in the making in Kenny Phillips.

Offensively, the Giants return all 11 starters from the Super Bowl last season. The offensive line remains one of the most underrated units in the league while the Giants have three running backs that could rush for over one hundred yards in any game. QB Eli Manning proved in the postseason that he is one of the elite players at his position. It is only logically to believe that Eli will take another step forward this season and be a more consistent force. The Giants' young players all played a huge role in the team's success last season and will only be better this season.

The Giants put it all together at the right time last season and their momentum brought the franchise its third Super Bowl title. The team is young, still on the rise and motivated to prove the critics wrong. A division title shouldn't be out of the question in 2008.