As promised, the cuts have continued all Wednesday afternoon.  The most surprising was Laveranues Coles of the Jets.  Coles made the risky decision to pass up a $6 million guaranteed salary to hit the free agent market.  The Jets may quietly be thankful.  After all, they could have kept him if they truly wanted to. 

 

Coles is 31, often hurt, and has complained about his contract and role the last few years.  He's an extremely smart and tough player, but he's small and has lost a few steps since early in his career.  He's not a number one receiver.

Coles and his agent are betting he can make more than $6 million elsewhere in 2009.  Considering Jerry Porter got a $10 million signing bonus as a free agent last year, it's a reasonable bet.  Coles joins a lame batch of available wideouts; only T.J. Houshmandzadeh is clearly better.   But my guess is that Coles will receive less interest than he expects.  Coles may not see much more than $10 million over the next two years, but he can help a team win now as a second receiver.  There aren't many guys like that out there.

The Jets now have a huge amount of free agent dollars to spend.  They could re-invest at wide receiver, but they  have youngsters Chansi Stuckey and David Clowney ready to step into bigger roles behind Jerricho Cotchery.  Tight end Dustin Keller is essentially another wideout.  This isn't a game-breaking unit, but you can win with it.  Now all they need is a quarterback. 

- Gregg

The Bucs as we thought of them are no more.  Derrick Brooks is the second future Hall of Famer to be cut in the last 24 hours, and more big names will come soon from around the league.  Teams have only two business days to get under the salary cap, and new Bucs GM Mark Dominik did not hesitate to start re-making his roster.

Brooks, Warrick Dunn, Joey Galloway, Cato June, and Ike Hilliard are all big names held in esteem by Tampa fans.  And they are all gone now.  But June was the only name that surprised me because he's the only one under 30 years old.  His production matched his salary, which wasn't true for the other players.

June's release could indicate how far the Bucs will stray from Monte' Kiffin's usual Tampa Two system.  He's a lightweight linebacker who wouldn't fit if the team is trying to bulk up.

Brooks and Dunn are franchise legends, and it seems possible that Brooks could return at a reduced rate.  Dunn revived his career under Jon Gruden, and should be able to find a fit somewhere as a third-down back.  Galloway and Hilliard may struggle to find jobs.   

The Bucs don't have logical replacements at wideout or linebacker on the roster; Maurice Stovall at WR? Quincy Black at LB? Eh.  But Tampa is smart to get younger, cheaper, leaner.  This could also open up salary cap space to make a run at Albert Haynesworth.  Look for Tampa to be active in free agency and put a renewed emphasis in developing young talent now that GM Bruce Allen and Jon Gruden have left the building.  Along with many other big names.   

- Gregg

Update: Bucs GM Mark Dominik said that Brooks, and the other players, wouldn't be back at a lesser price.

We know the Giants don't want Marvin Harrison.  Will anyone?

Harrison's production and ability to separate fell off dramatically as he turned 36 years old last season.  The always-healthy future Hall of Famer did not respond well to off-season knee surgery.  He could not consistently get open in single coverage, which spells the beginning of the end. If he couldn't produce in his perfect situation with the Colts, with tons of weekly targets, he's unlikely to produce a lot elsewhere.

John Clayton cites Chicago, Philadelphia, and Tennessee as possible destinations, and those make sense.  But Harrison won't be a priority for any of those teams.  He is not going to be one of those players signed in the first few days of free agency.  His chance for maximum production would be to return to the Colts.

It remains to be seen, though, how he'll react to contract offers that may see him as a role player - a third receiver type off the bench.  This is a first Ballot Hall of Famer with a lot of pride.  It wouldn't shock me if Harrison decides it's not worth the trouble.  

- Gregg

The Redskins make logical sense as a suitor for Albert Haynesworth, but where is the salary cap space coming from?

 

• If the Ravens are actually close to a deal with Bart Scott, what does that mean for Ray Lewis’ future?  (If Scott does make it to free agency, I bet he winds up in New York.)

 

•  What Herm Edwards/Carl Peterson has wrought: overpaid veteran Chiefs Patrick Surtain, Donnie Edwards, and Damon Huard are released.

•  What Herm Edwards has wrought, part II: The Nuge is leaving!  (Herm and Terry Bradway, in perhaps their signature move, believed they were only a kicker away from a title in 2005 and took Mike Nugent in the second round of the draft.  Three mediocre seasons followed by an injury-filled 2008 followed.

 (Incidentally, the same post points out that the Jets have $27 million in cap room, not $37 million.  They still have plenty.)

 

• Shaun Rogers may be unhappy with Eric Mangini (already?), but he’s not going anywhere.  The Browns aren’t going to take a cap hit to get rid of their best player.  Look for Mangini to do some mend-fencing.

• The distance between the Cardinals and Anquan Boldin is, “wide as a glacier, and just as cold. 

• Fred Taylor is continuing his tour of the AFC East.  Taylor appears comfortable with being a role player moving forward, which should keep his career going at least another year.  I don't really see him as a great fit for the Bills and Patriots, though.   

• The Dolphins could be the top suitor for Ravens C/G Jason Brown, who is my favorite offensive lineman available at any position.

- Gregg

As free agency has approached, some  wondered whether Albert Haynesworth was going to get the big payday he desired.  This is a player, after all, who has only played his best football in contract years.  Is handing him $100 million a sound idea?

 

The Washington Redskins may be the team to find out.  After Peter King speculated that they were the best fit for Haynesworth Monday, Lance Zierlein, in a blog for the Houston Chronicle, reports that the Redskins will offer Haynesworth a deal, “That could could break $100 million with an average of $15 million to $16 million per.”

 

Washington doesn’t have a top of cap room, but they certainly have a huge need on the defensive line and Dan Snyder loves to make a big splash on the free agent market.  Haynesworth is possibly the best free agent defender to hit the open market since Reggie White, so he’s also worth it.  Washington would have to make corresponding moves to get under the cap, probably starting with unloading cornerback Shawn Springs.

 

Zierlein, writing on a fantasy football blog, is an odd source for such a big story.  (Not that there’s anything wrong with fantasy football blogs.)  But he’s the son of the Steelers offensive line coach and a local radio host, so he’s better connected than your average fantasy scribe. 

 

We’ll have to wait until Friday to see if the report proves true, but it passes the sniff test.  It’s easy to imagine Albert Haynesworth in burgundy and gold next year.  The NFC East hopes I’m wrong.

 

- Gregg

No team has a greater need at wide receiver than the Tennessee Titans.  Their second leading returning wideout is a second-year player named Lavelle Hawkins, who caught all of seven passes in 2008.  They could re-sign Brandon Jones and Justin McCareins, both free agents, but that's just more of the same mediocrity.

Tennessee has struggled to find decent talent in the draft at wideout for years, so they should look hard at the free agent market.  Their problem: there's not much out there. 

Their best solution could be Nate Washington of the Steelers.  Their reported interest makes a lot of sense; Washington probably has the most talent for the cheapest pricetag on the market.  Washington has questionable hands, but would bring game-breaking speed at a fraction of T.J. Houshmandzadeh's price.  The Titans still have to solve their quarterback problem, but don't be surprised if they grab a wideout like Washington first.

- Gregg

The Vikings have noticed how uninspiring the current free agent class of quarterbacks is.  That's why they are reportedly close to completing a deal for Sage Rosenfels of the Texans, possibly for a fourth-round pick.  Rosenfels is well known for his meltdown against the Colts last year, but he's a big upgrade over Tarvaris Jackson, Gus Frerotte, and free agent possibility Jeff Garcia.

Rosenfels is a rich man's Frerotte.  He can make the bone-headed mistake, but he moves an offense.  Over the last two years, he's thrown 414 passes, close to a full season.  He's thrown for 3,115 yards, with 21 touchdowns and 22 picks over that span.  That comes out to a 7.5 yards-per-attempt average, which is excellent.

Minnesota almost traded for Rosenfels last off-season, but the Texans wanted a second-round pick.  Now they seem more willing to deal him because they are confident in Matt Schaub.  One year later, the Vikings are more desperate than ever to upgrade their quarterback position.  I know Vikings fans may not be thrilled, but Rosenfels would be a big upgrade. 

- Gregg 

1. Someone needs to do a spot-shadow tracing of Larry Fitzgerald's route on the James Harrison interception return. It's amazing. He started 4 yards deep in the end zone, got blocked, sidestepped more blockers, went out of bounds to get clear, ran into a TEAMMATE WATCHING THE PLAY ON THE SIDELINES at the 30! and caught up to Harrison a second time but about 12 inches too late. Imagine that. In a 305-foot odyssey, he only needed to make up a foot to have saved the touchdown.

2. Marshall Faulk made a great point on the NFL Network. Santonio Holmes used the ball as a prop in his post-touchdown celebration on the climactic play. It should have resulted in Jeff Reed kicking off from the 20. That, coupled with the lack of an earnest replay after the Warner fumble/incompletion shows that the game got too madcap for the officials at the end.

3. Also, if you go by the letter of the law, Cardinals defensive tackle Bryan Robinson should have been ejected for throwing a punch in the first half during a scrum. It was blatant. And what James Harrison did to poor Aaron Francisco (a guy who was on the scene for almost every negative play for Arizona in the final quarter) was not a penalty. Period.

- Curran

TAMPA BAY - What does "best" Super Bowl mean to you? Most cleanly played? Most important? Most exciting? It's a very broad definition, isn't it?

I mean, this year's game was more exciting than the Patriots-Giants Super Bowl, but that one was more important given the history on the line for New England.

And the Patriots-Panthers Super Bowl was probably more cleanly played and nearly as explosive. But if you had to say which game had the most "Are you &%%*(@ me?" moments, it was this one.

I talked to Dan Patrick from NBC, his own show and whoever else will have him (kidding, Dan).

He said, "You could make an argument that it rivals or surpasses last year. Last year only had a great six or seven minutes to it. This game had...the longest return in Super Bowl history, a couple of questionable replay calls and then, that final quarter, that was dramatic football. I think sometimes we look at a game and call it great because it had a great finish. This wasn't a great game because I don't think the Cardinals played very well and Pittsburgh didn't put Arizona away when they should have. But when there were times for big plays, the marquee guys made plays. Roethlisberger, Holmes, Warner, Fitzgerald. So if you were tuning in to see the Cardinals, you got your money's worth. And if you tuned in to see the Pittsburgh Steelers you got your money's worth as well."

* * * * *

These are my "most exciting" Super Bowls.  

1. Cards-Steelers

2. Patriots-Panthers

3. Titans-Rams

4. Patriots-Giants

5. Patriots-Rams

6. Bills-Giants

7. Niners-Bengals II

8. Steelers-Rams

- Curran

I'm back at my hotel for a quick stop before a morning flight.  I'm not thinking straight enough to put together coherent thoughts on how the Steelers won, but here are a few stray things I learned after the game that I'd like to record before my goldfish-like memory forgets it all. 

• I stood right next to Dan Rooney as we both tried to get into a packed locker room well after the game. Even the owner of the team was having trouble going where he wanted.  I’ve never met Rooney before, of course, but I said congratulations.  I asked if championships were like kids or if you are allowed to have favorites.  I hate that question, but it just came out.  He said all championships are good, but the first one is the most special. 
• James Farrior said earlier in the week that he wasted too long with the media and missed a lot of the celebration  the last time they won.  This time, he made sure to finish up the minimum time on his podium, then run like hell out of the room while screaming in joy.
•  Gary Russell, despite being a second-year player, seemed as overwhelmed and happy as any Steeler.  Just beaming, continuing to say, “It’s better than I thought.  And I’m speechless.”  He said he didn’t get too caught up in his touchdown run because he had to get right back on the field for special teams. 
• I didn’t go into the locker room until after most of the podium speeches.  It’s a strange place to be, with so many happy players trying to enjoy their moment while out-numbered by media.  Chris Hoke and all the defensive linemen took turns taking pictures with the Lombardi trophy.  Some players dressed and bolted as fast as possible to the team buses.
• The most awkward scene in a locker room full of them was seeing ten people surround Ben Roethlisberger as he had a tearful conversation on the phone.  Everyone was maintaining a respectful 5-10 feet, but it was like we were watching the “Ben Roethlisberger Show.”
• Hines Ward teared up at the podium while holding his son and talking about what the Rooneys meant to him.  He said he “couldn’t describe” the pain he played in.  He said the injury was a 5-6 week injury.  He held up well early, but blocking wore him down.  Ward’s teammates have taken to calling him Papa Smurf.  My wife calls him Hinesy.