pmoon6
03-29-2003, 08:53 AM
PHOENIX -- The annual March owners meeting marks the unofficial end of the initial free-agent barrage in the NFL offseason. Teams now begin to turn their attention from the open market to next month's draft.
The Broncos hope that Jake Plummer will lead Denver back to the Super Bowl.(Getty Images)
The meeting caps a one-month spending spree and often culminates with a big signing or two during the week. This year, the Emmitt Smith and Kyle Turley signings helped bring the first phase to a close.
So who scored in free agency? What better place to get a gauge than the owners meeting itself? After a week of grilling coaches, GMs and owners regarding the free-agent follies, here's the general perception of the top six offseasons thus far (at least among folks I talked to):
Buffalo Bills: They have come out of free agency with perhaps the best player on the open market in LB Takeo Spikes, another starting LB in Jeff Posey and one of the NFL's best run-stuffers in Sam Adams. They dramatically upgraded the 29th-ranked defense in the NFL. They traded Peerless Price, which will certainly hurt. But they cannot pay two receivers Eric Moulds-type money and avoided a nasty situation, yet they picked up a No. 1 in the process.
Denver: They brought in Jake Plummer, who was smart enough to realize the benefits of working with Mike Shanahan and Gary Kubiak, and convinced him to take less money than what he could have gotten from Chicago. They also landed the best DT on the market, Daryl Gardner. Plus, they re-signed some of their own players and worked with Ed McCaffrey on a restructure that prevented them from having to release him. Some teams said they actually looked up the Broncos' contracts to find out how they were able to land two huge free agents without having to shed a lot of star power.
Atlanta: Why not give up a first-rounder for a bona fide receiving threat like Price to team with MVP-in-the-making Michael Vick? Plus, they added another speedy target in MarTay Jenkins, who signed for the minimum for a chance to play with Vick. Atlanta also re-signed Pro Bowl LB Keith Brooking to a deal that didn't crush the team and upgraded the secondary with the signings of underrated safety Corey Hall and cornerback Tyrone Williams.
New England: Rosey Colvin and Rodney Harrison were very smart pickups. The addition of the hard-hitting Harrison will allow them to trade Tebucky Jones. New England also leveraged a deal with Washington to get better draft position in the third round and picked up a 2004 fourth-rounder when the Redskins needed a fifth-rounder to sign Chad Morton to an offer sheet. Great job by Scott Pioli and Bill Belichick.
Carolina: They kept with their strategy of not shelling out big bucks yet picked up a franchise running back in Stephen Davis, a solid wideout in Kevin Dyson and a starting quarterback in Jake Delhomme. Even the signing of Doug Brezinski was an upgrade for their offensive line. They also shed dead weight like Sean Gilbert. Teams loved the fact that they were active without shelling out a lot of coin like Washington, Atlanta and Arizona.
Jacksonville: Hindsight can be overwhelmingly powerful. When DE Hugh Douglas was on the open market, many teams privately questioned his knee and whether or not he can hold up. Two weeks later, the overwhelming consensus at the meeting is that Douglas has at least two more years left in him. Even his former Philly coach, Andy Reid, was preaching his gospel. Now these same teams that questioned him say they think he'll be very effective for Jacksonville but ask why he didn't hold on and wait for a better offer. Why? Because you guys were killing him three weeks ago. Douglas will be a beast with Marcus Stroud and John Henderson on the inside. The addition of Mike Peterson is also a big upgrade.
Jay Glazer-CBS Sportsline
The Broncos hope that Jake Plummer will lead Denver back to the Super Bowl.(Getty Images)
The meeting caps a one-month spending spree and often culminates with a big signing or two during the week. This year, the Emmitt Smith and Kyle Turley signings helped bring the first phase to a close.
So who scored in free agency? What better place to get a gauge than the owners meeting itself? After a week of grilling coaches, GMs and owners regarding the free-agent follies, here's the general perception of the top six offseasons thus far (at least among folks I talked to):
Buffalo Bills: They have come out of free agency with perhaps the best player on the open market in LB Takeo Spikes, another starting LB in Jeff Posey and one of the NFL's best run-stuffers in Sam Adams. They dramatically upgraded the 29th-ranked defense in the NFL. They traded Peerless Price, which will certainly hurt. But they cannot pay two receivers Eric Moulds-type money and avoided a nasty situation, yet they picked up a No. 1 in the process.
Denver: They brought in Jake Plummer, who was smart enough to realize the benefits of working with Mike Shanahan and Gary Kubiak, and convinced him to take less money than what he could have gotten from Chicago. They also landed the best DT on the market, Daryl Gardner. Plus, they re-signed some of their own players and worked with Ed McCaffrey on a restructure that prevented them from having to release him. Some teams said they actually looked up the Broncos' contracts to find out how they were able to land two huge free agents without having to shed a lot of star power.
Atlanta: Why not give up a first-rounder for a bona fide receiving threat like Price to team with MVP-in-the-making Michael Vick? Plus, they added another speedy target in MarTay Jenkins, who signed for the minimum for a chance to play with Vick. Atlanta also re-signed Pro Bowl LB Keith Brooking to a deal that didn't crush the team and upgraded the secondary with the signings of underrated safety Corey Hall and cornerback Tyrone Williams.
New England: Rosey Colvin and Rodney Harrison were very smart pickups. The addition of the hard-hitting Harrison will allow them to trade Tebucky Jones. New England also leveraged a deal with Washington to get better draft position in the third round and picked up a 2004 fourth-rounder when the Redskins needed a fifth-rounder to sign Chad Morton to an offer sheet. Great job by Scott Pioli and Bill Belichick.
Carolina: They kept with their strategy of not shelling out big bucks yet picked up a franchise running back in Stephen Davis, a solid wideout in Kevin Dyson and a starting quarterback in Jake Delhomme. Even the signing of Doug Brezinski was an upgrade for their offensive line. They also shed dead weight like Sean Gilbert. Teams loved the fact that they were active without shelling out a lot of coin like Washington, Atlanta and Arizona.
Jacksonville: Hindsight can be overwhelmingly powerful. When DE Hugh Douglas was on the open market, many teams privately questioned his knee and whether or not he can hold up. Two weeks later, the overwhelming consensus at the meeting is that Douglas has at least two more years left in him. Even his former Philly coach, Andy Reid, was preaching his gospel. Now these same teams that questioned him say they think he'll be very effective for Jacksonville but ask why he didn't hold on and wait for a better offer. Why? Because you guys were killing him three weeks ago. Douglas will be a beast with Marcus Stroud and John Henderson on the inside. The addition of Mike Peterson is also a big upgrade.
Jay Glazer-CBS Sportsline