MMQB Review: Free Agency Isn't So Free Edition

I started a Fantasy Baseball league in Yahoo if anyone wants to join. I have put the max teams at 10 but I would be willing to open it up to 12 teams if we had enough interest. The League ID is "420904" and the password is "eckstein." I did some default league settings with the intention of changing them later. So if anyone who wants to join has recommendations or preferences on how the league is set up, just use the message board for the league to say what you think. Anyone feel free to join and I will open it up to 12 teams if necessary.

It's Monday, which means it is the greatest day in the history of the world like every Monday is...it's the day Peter King writes his weekly MMQB. Why it takes Peter longer to do MMQB during the football offseason when he writes less and there is not as much is happening confuses me, but I am tired of whining about it. Today in MMQB, Peter talks about free agency and the pitfalls of spending a lot of money on players in free agency.

I was thinking about all the cautionary tales we'd heard about free agency, about how even though the NFL was killing the salary cap, most every team was going to sit back and let the market settle because the pool of available players was so weak. No fourth- or fifth-year unrestricted free agents, which took 212 players off the market.

I guess "most every team" didn't count the Chicago Bears and the Detroit Lions. Two teams that haven't always been as astute with the money they spend on players over the last couple of years. I don't hate these moves and Lovie Smith is going to get fired after this year if the Bears don't have a good year. So he was going to buy himself some good players and if it didn't work out, someone else will clean up the mess. As far as the Lions go, I think they overpaid for Vanden Bosch and Nate Burleson, but they have to get good players on the team somehow.

The bizarre part is while I think both teams did spend a crapload of money, I actually like most of the signings for these teams. What does Lovie Smith care that he spends a ton of money and the Lions have to get good players on their roster somehow, so they overpay a little. I want to hate these signings, but I just can't. Though I do dislike the Peppers signing the most honestly. I am not bitter, I have just seen the guy play since 2002.

Look at the number of players earning at least $2 million a year who changed teams on day one of free agency in 2009 versus 2010:

I am not going to put Peter's entire chart up, but suffice to say he is right. Very little changed. The most egregious signing in my mind was Nate Burleson. I know the Lions had to overpay to get players up there, but man, he isn't worth that much money to most teams. Of course to the Lions, I guess he is. I am not even sure why AJ Feeley signing with the Rams was news to be honest. The Anquan Boldin trade was an absolute steal for the Ravens. I know Boldin wanted a new contract, but man, a 3rd and a 4th round pick for him PLUS the Ravens also got a 5th round pick? Good job Baltimore.

What changed? Nothing that I see. Two big defensive linemen, Haynesworth and Peppers. Two big linebackers, Scott and Dansby. Two fading backs, Taylor and Taylor.

Peter is talking about Chester Taylor this year and Fred Taylor last year as the "fading backs." What Peter won't tell you is that last year he was a part of the "Fred Taylor still has some life left in him and he will be a great running back for the Patriots" fan club. He just wants us to ignore that and try to focus on the fact that NOW he thinks Taylor is washed up. Peter would implore his readers not to go back to last February/March and see the positive things he wrote about Fred Taylor. Nothing to see there.

On Sunday afternoon, Washington GM Bruce Allen put free agency in perspective quite well, saying, "Free agency isn't a day, and it's not a weekend. We think free agency runs 'til the first day of training camp. Let's see who you have a couple of months from now, not just who you have after a couple of days. What difference does it make when you sign them, if they help you?''

Then Bruce Allen added, "I am planning on signing at least 5 quarterbacks this offseason, all over the age of 35, and 90% of my draft board was currently set before the Comb---. Um, nevermind."

There's a clarion call out there, and it's screaming: Free agency is vastly overrated.

I disagree. The first couple of days of free agency are overrated. Teams signing quality players in free agency that can help their team is NOT overrated. Darren Sharper really helped the Saints last year didn't he? Teams that spend wisely on players make free agency not overrated, but the spending spree that encompasses the first couple of days of free agency is overrated. Every team is looking for a player to have a Reggie White impact, when a mid-level free agent would work out well almost as well when coupled with other smart signings.

Free agency as a whole is not overrated, but the first couple of days are.

In order, here's the lineup for the rest of the column:

2. The Cardinals, more and more, are taking on a Steeler persona.

Did Matt Leinart sexually assault a woman in a bathroom as well? Where are the naked pictures of Larry Fitzgerald online (like Santonio Holmes did)?

6. There's a reason Albert Pujols is good, and Bill Parcells finds it out.

This is something I am only going to read to make fun of Peter. It has to be terrible.

8. Scott Fujita had $8 million reasons to jump Good Ship Saints.

We all do realize the Saints aren't really real life saints don't we? This has nothing to do with Scott Fujita, but I was just wondering.

10. You know what I learned from the Saints' Super Bowl DVD?

I honestly don't give a shit. I am sure I will learn anyway.

Shanahan, the Redskins' coach with the power, and Allen, the new general manager, worked on a long-term plan for the team in their first month on the job and gave it to Snyder just before the Super Bowl. "He said, 'Good. Do what you guys think is best,' '' Allen said Sunday.

Then Dan Snyder went out and brought in Sam Bradford into Washington on his private plane, met with Bradford and his agent at a restaurant where they could be publicly seen together, negotiated the outlines of a contract and promised Bradford the Redskins would trade up to #1 draft him.

Can anyone really believe Dan Snyder is staying out of the business of the team he owns? Peter King is so gullible if he really believes this is going to happen. I think you could pretty much sell Peter on any story and he would buy it. Snyder maybe can stay out of the team's business until something goes wrong, and then he is right back into the thick of the team's decision making.

"No,'' Allen said. "He didn't throw anything at me. And he didn't throw a tantrum. He's fine with it.''

Even Snyder's employees call them "tantrums." This man must have the least respect earned from his employees than any other owner in the NFL. Can you imagine a Steeler's front office member calling out any Rooney family member for throwing a "tantrum?" I can't even imagine anyone saying Jerry Jones threw a "tantrum." I am just happy I am not a Redskins fan sometimes, that's all.

"The music hasn't stopped, and there's still a lot of chairs to be filled,'' Allen said. At least the tune in D.C. is different this year.

Haha! Peter just can't help but write puff pieces can he? Does he really think the tune in DC is different? These NFL teams tell him the right things and stay away from a couple big name free agents in a weak market and Peter believes everything has changed. We'll see.

Strange days in the desert, and Ken Whisenhunt has been channeling his inner Steeler to makes sure he doesn't start believing the sky is falling.

"When I was in the AFC Central with Pittsburgh and Baltimore -- now it's the AFC North, of course -- I saw the Steelers lose Carnell Lake, Levon Kirkland, Rod Woodson, Jason Gildon, I'm sure there were others, and what did they do? They developed their own players. There's a lesson in that. The good teams are the ones that have a plan, and our organization has shown it's good at developing young players.''

So naturally the first thing the Cardinals did to show they were good at developing young players was to trade for a 28 year old safety who got benched last year. Maybe he meant "developing draft picks that can turn into good players we trade those draft picks for."

At linebacker, the developmental pool is weak, so the Cards will bring in former Steelers (surprise!) Larry Foote and Joey Porter this week. Porter's more of a freelance rusher, while Foote is a run player almost exclusively. The problem is that neither does the sideline-to-sideline stuff Dansby did.

That's just like the Steelers! They were always letting free agents go to other teams and replacing them with inferior, older players! Isn't this the Steelers blueprint for success? Let young guy go in free agency and then sign him with an older, inferior player?

Wait, hold on...that's not right at all. I think the Cardinals have this whole "Steelers blueprint" thing backwards.

Last year, the Lions' regular starters on the defensive line were Sammie Lee Hill and Grady Jackson inside, Jason Hunter and Cliff Avril or Dewayne White outside. Imagine if the 2010 Lion defense line was Kyle VandenBosch and Avril at end, with Corey Williams, acquired from Cleveland Friday, playing the nose and ...

Ndamukong Suh playing the other defensive tackle. Or Gerald McCoy, if Suh isn't on the board when the Lions pick secondoverall in the April 22 draft.

I really feel like the Lions know what they are doing. They have had to overpay for a couple of players but I feel like there is an overall plan or as Peter wrote in that second sentence, whoever the Lions take "secondoverall" (now it is one word?) is going to be a good draft choice.

The three best decisions teams made in free-agency over the weekend:

1. The Bears being bold. What choice did they have?

Ummm...not be bold? The only reason the Bears were bold is because Lovie Smith knew that if he didn't win games this year he was going to be fired. He's playing with house money at this point. If he gets fired, at least he tried to win games and he doesn't have to deal with some of the bad contracts (presumably) he signed. If the Bears win games, he looks like a genius. Again, I don't necessarily like the signings, but isn't this what you would do if you were Lovie Smith and the front office?

But even though Julius Peppers is an overrated player, he clearly was the best player on the open market, and the Bears have no picks in the first two rounds of the April draft, and they had to do something to improve a sinking team.

I would agree. Peppers is a great signing. I think he will try hard this year and then start to mail it in in 2011, if there is even an NFL season. Peppers is the best defensive end in football when he tries and I think Rod Marinelli will make him try. The best defensive line coaches for Peppers have yelled at him and forced him to give effort and I think Marinelli will do that.

On offense, Mike Martz has a physical back, Chester Taylor, and tight end, Brandon Manumaleuna, to play around with.

I'm still not sure about the offensive line, but the season hasn't started yet, and the Bears can still do something about that.

The three worst decisions teams made:

1. Ryan Clark being unemployed. I understand that teams don't want to pay real money for a big-hitting safety who might have a short shelf life in the NFL. But there are few players in the NFL in the back end who hit as ferociously as Clark and who lead as responsibly and conscientiously as he does.

I like how Peter spends the first part of his MMQB bemoaning the fact he believes free agency is overrated and teams spend too much money on players...but then three full days into free agency, he is now bemoaning the fact a player hasn't been signed by a team yet. So in summary, free agency is overrated and players are overpaid, except for specific players of Peter King's choosing. They should be signed immediately...because THREE WHOLE DAYS have gone by in free agency and Ryan Clark is still unemployed and this is a travesty.

Then Peter starts whining about his favorite team not having a receiver and runs down the Patriots depth chart to show us how they need a receiver. Save it for a letter to the editor Peter. There have been 3 days that have gone by in free agency, I am sure the Patriots have time to improve their group of receivers.

The three decisions that I think should happen soon

1. Someone should go after Tennessee RFA defensive tackle Tony Brown. He's good, 29 and has only a first-round tender. If I'm at the bottom of the first round with a DT need (Indianapolis, San Diego), I'd think seriously about stealing Brown.

In one of the deepest drafts in the past couple of years, Peter thinks a team should spend a 1st round pick and then more money to get a player who is "good?" I am sorry, I thought free agency was overrated? I think I need a chart on which players Peter thinks are worth free agent money and which ones are not. I like Tony Brown, but a team that gets him has to give up a 1st round pick AND sign Brown. That seems like a high price for a 29 year old good player.

"The onside kick's an easy one. It's just ... you know, across the line of scrimmage, you know, to the side ... Normal set up, normal get off, and instead of kicking off, we kick it left.''
-- New Orleans coach Sean Payton, captured by NFL Films video and audio crews just before the Super Bowl, telling referee Scott Green before the game to be ready for the Saints to perform an onside kick at some point during the game.

This is historic audio that I think should be in the Smithsonian. Of course if this was put in the Smithsonian, then Sean Payton would probably go in there and then write all over the exhibit, "New Orleans Saints Super Bowl Champs 2010! Eat my ass world!"

That wouldn't be very good if it happened.

Factoid of the Week That May Interest Only Me

Last Monday, Dolphins president Bill Parcells, a huge baseball fan, stopped by the Cardinals' training facility in Jupiter, Fla., before going to the office. It was 6:50 a.m., and Parcells went looking for his good friend Tony LaRussa.

Parcells walked by the Cards' weight room. There was one man there. Albert Pujols.

"And he hadn't just gotten there either,'' Parcells said. "He was working hard, sweating. There's a reason why the great ones are great.''

Are we sure Albert Pujols is great? I mean, Peter hasn't announced it in his MMQB or anything. I was going to make a steroid joke here, but I have decided against it. This story wasn't as terrible as I thought it was going to be. In fact, it was incredibly trivial in my mind.

Enjoyable/Aggravating Travel Note of the Week

This was the aggravating part of my weekend: My wife and I went to New Jersey to see friends and run some errands over the weekend, and I wanted to see how the new Giants Stadium was looking. So we dropped down onto the Turnpike, got off at construction-addled Exit 16W onto route 3 west for the 10-minute jaunt to Montclair, and immediately I felt it. Guy on my tail. Really on my tail. I'm driving 45 in the middle of three lanes, keeping with the flow, and he angrily weaves to the right, bursts past and, with not enough room to get ahead of me, weaves back to the right, taps his brakes and I tap mine and we all drive on. Aaaah.

I think my favorite part about Peter's traveling notes is they are things that I truly believe he feels only happens to him and him alone. Otherwise, I don't know why he would tell others who face the same annoyances everyday about what happens while he is traveling. Either that, or he is so egotistical that he thinks his readers actually give a shit about the everyday annoyances in his life. It doesn't make me angry, but I hope Peter realizes everyone deals with annoying travel and life related things in their life and hearing about other people's annoyances is not a highlight of the day. No one wants to hear Peter complain about the same annoyances we all go through.

This was the enjoyable part of the weekend: having lunch with Paul Zimmerman and his wife Linda in Morris Plains, N.J., Saturday. Matt Millen came over from eastern Pennsylvania to eat with us, and it was great to see Millen and Zim sit next to each other, with Millen spinning some of the craziest yarns I'd ever heard.

"One time I was hired by the Detroit Lions as their General Manager and then I made a bet with a friend of mine that I could draft a wide receiver in the NFL draft for three straight years. Then he bet me the Lions couldn't be the first team ever to go 0-16. Let's just say I won both those bets."

I always wondered why Peter semi-defended Matt Millen when people asked how he got a television job after being the worst GM of the past 20 years in Detroit. Peter would even compare Millen from time-to-time as having been a young John Madden (in terms of being a broadcaster) before the Lions hired him as their General Manager. Now I know. Peter is friends with Matt Millen, so he has absolutely no objectivity. Pretty typical I think.

e. Good to see, by the way, John Fox. You've been Mr. Recluse.

What NFL coach and GM hasn't been a recluse since the end of the season? Coaches and General Managers take vacations and then get ready for the Combine after the season. There is really no reason to have press conferences every week. Besides, if you were getting ready to let your franchise's best defensive player ever go in free agency, cut the most successful quarterback in the team's history, decide to start a guy at quarterback who hasn't faced real competition in his face, and start off free agency with no starters left on the defensive line from last year...you wouldn't be out in public much anyway.

k. Scott Fujita did not want to leave New Orleans. No way. But when the Browns gave him $8 million guaranteed over three years (three years, $14 million total), Fujita just had to say yes. He wouldn't have gotten half that with the Saints. Now he'll be a great role model type for a young defense and work alongside looming star D'Qwell Jackson for a year or two.

Two things Peter King may not realize about this:

1. D'Qwell Jackson's statistics over the past couple of years. If he didn't play for the Browns, he would probably already be seen as a star. Peter is borderline a little late to call Jackson "looming," it looks like he is pretty much there.

2. Jackson may not even be back with the Browns. It is a Bleacher Report article, which means it is semi-tabloidish (sometimes it feels that way), but the explanation behind why Jackson may not be back makes sense. Another team may have interest in him.

4. I think the more I hear about the players at the top of the draft, the more I think the Rams should use the first pick on one of the two top defensive tackles (Ndamukong Suh or Gerald McCoy), then trade up to the mid-20s with their second-round pick to nab Colt McCoy, the Texas quarterback. You think he'll be there with the first pick in the second round? Not sure of that. Not sure at all. I think he'll end up going in the 20s.

Now that Peter King has reported this, we can go ahead and say the Rams will not end up trading up to get Colt McCoy.

6. I think NFL Films did a heck of a job on the Saints' Super Bowl video -- with one exception. The video comes out Tuesday, and I highly recommend it for the (as usual) inside-the-game aspects that you'll never see anywhere else. I got a chance to preview the DVD this weekend, and the only thing the video doesn't capture, in my opinion, is how different this Super Bowl title was from all the others.

I know, I know...the city was rejuvenated, babies that were going to be born with birth defects were born healthy, God came down and promised to sing the national anthem before a game next year, and Sean Payton was "knighted." I get it, but I am telling you, this Super Bowl is really not that different from others. It may feel that way, but I promise it isn't.

This Super Bowl was a win as much for the community and Saints Nation as it was for the team.

This goes for nearly every Super Bowl winning city. Not all, but almost all. The New Orleans city has had a hard time, I do get that, but other teams are happy to win Super Bowls as well. Whatever, maybe I still don't get it.

b. You'll see from two more NFL Films angles how easy a time Brett Favre would have had running for the first down on the play he threw the interception to lose the NFL title game. I know he said he couldn't have run for it, and maybe he couldn't -- but from my view, he had such an open field in front of him, he easily could have made the five or six yards that would have made the winning field goal by Ryan Longwell conceivable.

Two straight weeks of a Favre mention. I think Peter can go two years if Favre keeps playing.

d. What a playoff season Reggie Bush had. They have to keep him, even at $8 million for the year, in 2010.

He had a great playoff season but the Saints didn't have to keep him. I can't see justifying spending half of the MMQB whining about Peppers and Dansby being overpaid and making a ton of money in free agency, while Reggie Bush, who is a kick returner and change of pace back mostly gets $8 million to play this year and Peter thinks the Saints had to keep him at that price. I just don't know how to justify these two positions of Peter's.

k. Payton to an inactive player late in the game: "I want a piece of Juicy Fruit! Is this Juicy Fruit? ... It's good.''

Juicy Fruit?! Hilarious, Sean Payton is a god among men. I am starting to openly root against Sean Payton. It doesn't help he coaches in the same division as my favorite team.

7. I think I haven't spoken to one coach or personnel man in the last three days who thinks Seattle would be smart to deal the sixth pick in this draft for Brandon Marshall. It just makes no sense. He's a great player, potentially, but you're giving up a cornerstone pick in the best draft in years and paying an incendiary player at least $8 million a year on a long-term deal.

Why pay $8 million dollars a year for a wide receiver that can make a difference on a team because he has a bad attitude when you can pay a kick return and change of pace back $8 million this year to give you 500 total yards of offense? Reggie Bush is such a deal!

8. I think I don't understand one thing about the Cardinals' deal of Anquan Boldin: They had the Chiefs on the hook, and K.C. had to be willing to give its third-round pick to be in the discussion; The Chiefs' third pick was the 68th pick in the draft. Even if Kansas City wanted something minor in addition, isn't the 68th pick better than the 88th pick that Baltimore gave -- along with the Ravens giving their fourth in exchange for the Cards' fifth rounder to even out the deal? That's 20 slots in a very good draft.

I agree with Peter here. I can't believe the Cardinals only got this much value for Boldin. In this situation, the 5th round pick given to the Ravens pretty much evens out with the 4th round pick and moving back 20 spots from the 3rd round pick the Chiefs were willing to give up. I would have done the Chiefs deal if I were the Cardinals. Of course they are using the Steelers plan and I can't possibly question that can I?

d. Coffeenerdness: Great to be back in my Upper Montclair Starbucks for a while over the weekend, and to see so many familiar faces. The more things change, the more they stay the same: Martin's still the mayor of the place.

Martin, you crazy bastard. Thanks for sticking around and buying $4 lattes. You got a mention in Peter King's MMQB, that is the 2nd highest honor you can receive.

e. Thank you, Academy, for voting the Best Supporting Actor to the "Inglorious Basterds'' Nazi, Christoph Waltz. Incredible job.

Academy of Arts and Sciences, you have just received the highest honor you can receive. You got a mention in Peter King's MMQB and Peter's seal of approval for choosing the right person to win Best Supporting Actor. You should be honored. Christoph Waltz did the greatest acting job Peter King has ever seen in his lifetime (which means the last 20 years).

One last thing before I quit writing. Everyone cheer for Appalachian State tonight against Wofford in the Southern Conference championship game. It would be App's 1st bid in the NCAA Tournament since 2000 (damn you Steph Curry!). It's a crazy year in North Carolina when Appalachian State makes the NCAA Tournament and UNC-CH doesn't. Actually, you don't have to cheer for them if you don't want to, I just thought I would mention it.