Free Agency 2009 No Thrill Ride

How many of this year's free agents would be recognized by Common Man as they walked down the street?

Not the, "Hey, I think that guy plays football..." kind of recognized but the, "That's Kurt Warner of the Arizona Cardinals and formerly of the St. Louis Rams. He used to stock shelves at the Piggly Wiggly" kind of recognized.

Well, there's Warner. And Ray Lewis. Maybe Jeff Garcia and Darren Sharper. But Common Man, even if he watches his share of the NFL, probably wouldn't know Michael Boley from Bertrand Berry and each of them is in the upper crust of this year's class.

In short, this is not a Five Star crew of available players. Don't get me wrong. There's plenty of talent but the star power is lacking. That being the case, the first 11 hours of free agency draws a, "Meh..." when it comes to thrills.

Does anyone think Albert Haynesworth was the missing piece that puts Washington over the top? Or that T.J. Houshmandzadeh's scheduled visit to Seattle tips the balance of NFC power toward the Northwest? I mean, it's interesting and noteworthy but it doesn't alter the NFL's competitive landscape. (Although it does change the finances...think Julius Peppers eyes bugged out on hearing Angry Albert's numbers?) 

More interesting to me than the individual players and where they're headed are the decisions teams are making that signal where they're headed in 2009. Tampa, for instance, made a big push for Haynesworth and lost out. Kinda puts their cost-cutting from earlier in the week in a different and not so flattering light. If they lopped all those players from the roster and the hoped-for signing of Haynesworth was part of the thought process at all, they swung and missed. The Eagles, meanwhile, get tackle Stacy Andrews. Is that a move to appease Donovan McNabb, affording him a better line? And does that mean fixtures Tra Thomas and Jon Runyan are definitely headed elsewhere? The Patriots sign Fred Taylor giving the classy back a chance at a ring after years of toiling in relative anonymity in Jacksonville. The Jets and new head coach Rex Ryan grab Bart Scott from Baltimore. Where's that put the Jets in terms of shoring up a disappointing defense loaded with names and not production? Where's that leave the Ravens? And who's going to take a run at Ray Lewis? Is the relative quiet in the first 12 hours a signal that Lewis' dominant play and persona is seen as mythical rather than real around the NFL?

Those are the things that are catching my eye early. No offense, Michael Boley.