HapHaszard
March-14th-2007, 03:19 PM
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/writers/jeffri_chadiha/03/14/offseason/index.html?eref=si_nfl
If we've learned anything from the first few weeks of the NFL's unrestricted free agency period, it's that bigger bank accounts usually lead to riskier decisions within the marketplace. The recent increase in the NFL's salary cap -- it has grown by nearly $25 million over the last two years -- has given more teams more license to indulge in the kinds of moves that they wouldn't even consider a few years ago. I'm talking about aging running backs signing for good money and guards -- yes, guards -- finding fat paydays after years of being dismissed as the most expendable components of an offensive line. It's these types of trends that have made this offseason all the more interesting.
Seriously, there used to be a time not too long ago, when free agency wasn't that much fun to follow. Aside from a handful of moderately big-name signings, there was little intrigue associated with the process. It was as if all those teams who spent big money unwisely in the 1990s had realized it was better to invest in their own players than to throw their cash away on some over-the-hill, high-profile player looking for one last big contract. Well, now we know that free agency became boring because the money dried up. And with teams looking to spend more again, it's time to evaluate some of the more surprising trends of this offseason:
Click on the link above for the rest of the article
If we've learned anything from the first few weeks of the NFL's unrestricted free agency period, it's that bigger bank accounts usually lead to riskier decisions within the marketplace. The recent increase in the NFL's salary cap -- it has grown by nearly $25 million over the last two years -- has given more teams more license to indulge in the kinds of moves that they wouldn't even consider a few years ago. I'm talking about aging running backs signing for good money and guards -- yes, guards -- finding fat paydays after years of being dismissed as the most expendable components of an offensive line. It's these types of trends that have made this offseason all the more interesting.
Seriously, there used to be a time not too long ago, when free agency wasn't that much fun to follow. Aside from a handful of moderately big-name signings, there was little intrigue associated with the process. It was as if all those teams who spent big money unwisely in the 1990s had realized it was better to invest in their own players than to throw their cash away on some over-the-hill, high-profile player looking for one last big contract. Well, now we know that free agency became boring because the money dried up. And with teams looking to spend more again, it's time to evaluate some of the more surprising trends of this offseason:
Click on the link above for the rest of the article