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-- With Feb. 28 and the beginning of the free-agency period fast approaching, it's not enough to study the players with expiring contracts.
The obvious free agents already have been evaluated during the season and are ranked on a board in every NFL pro personnel department. But, that might be only half the potential group of players to be evaluated. There are non-free-agent players to evaluate because their present team has cap issues to deal with and the players' 2003 contracts indicate they might be "cap victims" in the next few weeks.
Teams entering this critical period with the intention of signing talent want to make sure they get the best possible players and must anticipate all the probable talent who could be available. It is not easy to have solid current information on players as they come free. A three- to five-game video study, the creation of a highlight tape, a review of recent medical problems, the gathering of information from people who coached the player in recent years -- these things take time.
