jbooma Posted October 31, 2003 Share Posted October 31, 2003 The skins are mentioned quite a bit, but no Hall http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=1648956 By Jeff Reynolds Pro Football Weekly Like chess, checkers and dating, not every move in free agency -- no matter how long it is contemplated -- turns out to be the right move. Right moves? Reggie White to Green Bay in 1993; Troy Vincent to Philadelphia in 1996; Rich Gannon to Oakland in 1999; Priest Holmes to Kansas City in 2001. Not-quite-right moves? How about this lineup: Cowboys wide receiver Alvin Harper to Tampa Bay in 1995; Andre Rison to the Cleveland in '95; cornerback Larry Brown to Oakland in '96; Sean Gilbert to Carolina in '98; wide receiver Yancey Thigpen to Tennessee in '98; cornerback Thomas Smith to Chicago 2000; Elvis Grbac to Baltimore in '01. With the help of a few personnel men, we analyze the deals made this past offseason -- right and wrong. We limited our judgment to players who changed teams and did so without being traded. The Right Moves Stephen Davis has rushed for 839 yards in seven games. 1. RB Stephen Davis (from Washington to Carolina) Panthers general manager Marty Hurney is still smiling. Getting Davis locked up for an extremely modest $2.5 million signing bonus and $15 million over five years was the equivalent of getting the Hope Diamond by using a 50 percent off coupon from Zales jewelers. In the preseason, we projected Davis would have the third-greatest impact among players who changed teams. Wide receiver Peerless Price (we know this is no excuse, but rankings were made prior to Mike Vick's injury) and Rams ORT Kyle Turley were Nos. 1 and 2. Hindsight what it is, there is no disputing that Davis, the MVP of the first-place Panthers, belongs in the top spot. 2. WR Laveranues Coles (from N.Y. Jets to Washington) Coles broke the bank as a restricted free agent. The Jets, unwilling to match the $13 million signing bonus offered by the Redskins, let their No. 1 receiver flee to greener pastures. Entering the Redskins' bye in Week Eight, Coles was second in the NFC with 42 catches and was gaining 15 yards per catch. The Jets, who gained 6.61 yards per pass with Coles in 2002, were down to 6.31. Scouts do point out that, with the cash stowed by not paying Coles, the Jets have the flexibility "to do something huge." But remember, quarterback Chad Pennington is going to need a new deal before 2005. 3. WLB Shawn Barber (from Philadelphia to Kansas City) Barber has added a speed element to the Chiefs' defense and has elevated the play of fellow linebackers Scott Fujita, especially, and Mike Maslowski. Because Barber has helped improve the coverage and pressure package for Kansas City, he and DLE Vonnie Holliday are a big reason the Chiefs are in first place. 4. QB Jake Plummer (from Arizona to Denver) Maybe Mike Shanahan is a genius. Before shoulder and foot injuries, Plummer -- a career 56.1 percent passer with 90 touchdowns and 114 interceptions with the Cardinals -- had completed 61.1 percent of his passes with eight touchdowns and three picks. The Broncos can't be faulted for Plummer's sudden lack of durability; he had missed only six games since 1998. 5. LB Takeo Spikes (from Cincinnati to Buffalo) It cost the Bills a $9 million signing bonus and a long-term contract, but the East Coast is learning what was lost on football fans outside of Cincinnati -- Spikes is a stud. The Pro Bowl linebacker has changed the attitude of the Bills' defense and taken the spotlight away from middle linebacker London Fletcher, who was asked to do too much in 2002. Honorable mention DT Sam Adams (Bills) FB Richie Anderson (Cowboys) CB Dre' Bly (Lions) LB Chris Claiborne (Vikings) DE Duane Clemons (Bengals) QB Jake Delhomme (Panthers) SS Rodney Harrison (Patriots) DE Vonnie Holliday (Chiefs) MLB Kevin Hardy (Bengals) DE Chike Okeafor (Seahawks) LB Mike Peterson (Jaguars) LB Junior Seau (Dolphins) LB Al Singleton (Cowboys) The Wrong Moves David Boston has just 29 receptions for the 1-6 Chargers. 1. WR David Boston (from Arizona to San Diego) How in the name of Andre Rison did Coach Schottenheimer, lead disciplinarian at "Camp Marty," convince himself that Boston -- a troubled, reclusive narcissist in Arizona -- could suddenly thrive under this demanding coaching staff? The Chargers' personnel chiefs certainly did their homework and guaranteed little of Boston's deal. But they ignored several warning signs and went well over what the Cardinals were willing to pay. 2. QB Kordell Stewart (from Pittsburgh to Chicago) The Bears were crossing their fingers St. Louis wouldn't pick up Kurt Warner's option bonus. They missed out when Jake Plummer chose the Broncos, which put the fate of the team -- and perhaps head coach Dick Jauron and GM Jerry Angelo -- in Stewart's unstable hands. Stewart is on the pine with a 1-4 record and passer rating of 56.0. Jauron and Angelo are wading as the water level continues to rise. 3. DE Hugh Douglas (from Philadelphia to Jacksonville) Credit Douglas for making strides as a run defender and drawing attention from upstart defensive tackle Marcus Stroud. Based on individual performance, Douglas has been a bust, especially when you consider he came to the Jaguars for a $6 million signing bonus and $27.11 million over five years. With one sack through six games, 54 players in the AFC alone had more sacks than Douglas entering last week's game with Tennessee. 4. RB Emmitt Smith (from Dallas to Arizona) The idea wasn't wrong -- bring in a proven veteran and natural leader to inject his winning attitude throughout a franchise so mired in losing it has become expected. But Smith had a lot of wear on his tires and there wasn't enough talent surrounding him to attract defenses from stacking the line of scrimmage to stuff Smith. With Emmitt out, the Cardinals are near the bottom of the league in rushing. 5. DT Daryl Gardener (from Washington to Denver) With the injury-prone Gardener just getting back into the lineup after a preseason wrist injury suffered in a fight kept him on the sideline, the Broncos' are getting more than many anticipated from a young and agile defensive tackle rotation. Gardener was coming off a career year in Washington, and because of his size was able to squeeze a $6 million signing bonus out of the Broncos. Honorable mention WR Curtis Conway (Jets) RB Stacey Mack (Texans) TE Jay Riemersma (Steelers) LB Dwayne Rudd (Buccaneers) WR Derrius Thompson (Dolphins) DE Marco Coleman (Jaguars) CB Tyrone Williams (Falcons) The Next Move The free-agent class of 2004, as detailed in the accompanying pages, should be a fine one. But if your team doesn't make a splash in 2004, your general manager may be stashing nickels to make the right move even further down the road. The potential '05 crop includes gems like Seahawks running back Shaun Alexander, Colts running back Edgerrin James, Raiders wide receiver Jerry Porter, Steelers wide receiver Plaxico Burress and Dolphins wide receiver Chris Chambers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bulldog Posted October 31, 2003 Share Posted October 31, 2003 I think everyone knew in a conservative scheme that Davis and Brad Johnson could be valuable players to other teams. The gamble was that we could assemble a high octane offense with players that would surpass these ex-Skins in big play potential. Up to this point, because of player personnel mistakes in 2002 (going almost a whole year with the ex-Gators), the inexperience of Ramsey and uneven play of the OL in 2003, as well as spotty protection schemes to boot, the team has not yet proven its gamble will pay off for us. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Troy Fakeman Posted October 31, 2003 Share Posted October 31, 2003 bring Plexi-Glass on over to the Burgandy and Gold Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Burgold Posted October 31, 2003 Share Posted October 31, 2003 Has Curtis Conway improved? Last I heard he got benched. Strange with all his drops he merits an honorable mention. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Symbol Posted October 31, 2003 Share Posted October 31, 2003 Originally posted by jbooma The Next Move The free-agent class of 2004, as detailed in the accompanying pages, should be a fine one. But if your team doesn't make a splash in 2004, your general manager may be stashing nickels to make the right move even further down the road. The potential '05 crop includes gems like Seahawks running back Shaun Alexander, Colts running back Edgerrin James, Raiders wide receiver Jerry Porter, Steelers wide receiver Plaxico Burress and Dolphins wide receiver Chris Chambers Can't see Shaun Alexander, Jerry Porter, or Plaxico Burress being allowed to go into the market, but Edgerrin James might be available and a real good match in Spurrier's system. Don't take this as I want Spurrier, just stating the obvious. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Awesome Posted October 31, 2003 Share Posted October 31, 2003 Conway earned honorable mention as a wrong move. As did our young friend D. Thompson. I kept looking for him during the Miami-San Diego game but never caught a glimpse. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gridironmike Posted October 31, 2003 Share Posted October 31, 2003 Originally posted by jbooma 3. WLB Shawn Barber (from Philadelphia to Kansas City) Barber has added a speed element to the Chiefs' defense and has elevated the play of fellow linebackers Scott Fujita, especially, and Mike Maslowski. Because Barber has helped improve the coverage and pressure package for Kansas City, he and DLE Vonnie Holliday are a big reason the Chiefs are in first place. I was very suprised to see Barber's name mentioned in this article. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TLusby Posted October 31, 2003 Share Posted October 31, 2003 Hall should be mentioned. He is our MVP to this point in the season. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan T. Posted October 31, 2003 Share Posted October 31, 2003 Originally posted by jbooma The potential '05 crop includes gems like Seahawks running back Shaun Alexander, Colts running back Edgerrin James, Raiders wide receiver Jerry Porter, Steelers wide receiver Plaxico Burress and Dolphins wide receiver Chris Chambers [/b] Somebody put a paper bag over Dan Snyder's mouth before he passes out hyperventilating from reading that list. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skeletor The Invincible Posted October 31, 2003 Share Posted October 31, 2003 Barber has been huge in that Chiefs D. Very active, pretty much all over the place. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Storm Posted October 31, 2003 Share Posted October 31, 2003 Originally posted by MAP16 Conway earned honorable mention as a wrong move. As did our young friend D. Thompson. I kept looking for him during the Miami-San Diego game but never caught a glimpse. he was quoted a few weeks ago about being embarrassed of having gotten such a big deal but produced so little. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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