Quick Hail Storm
1. Tiger Woods is returning to golf. I hope he is FULLY healthy. Regardless of what you may think of the man's personal life, golf needs a healthy Tiger Woods. The game isn't the same without him.
2. Randy Moss announced his retirement. I will not get too deep into this, because I do not think he will stay retired. I think he has two or three good years left in him, if he is motivated that is.
3. There was a plethora of MLB deadline deals. I won't go into much details because there is a column forthcoming on this subject. But I will say that this is when baseball starts to get exciting.
4. Another loss for Fedor. The aura that Emelianenko once had is completely shattered now. There are rumblings he wants to fight again. I hope he hangs them up and goes out classy instead of even more of a shell of his former self.
Deals I Liked
There were tons of NFL deals when the free agency period opened up, and there are still more to come. So far, these are the deals that I liked and the reasons why.
1. Everything the Eagles have done: I love the edition of Nnamdi Asomugha. Even if they trade Asante Samuel, they will still have at least two Pro Bowl caliber DBs. If they keep Samuel, they'll have him, Asomugha, and Rodgers-Cromartie. It will be extremely difficult to pass on that secondary. I love the addition of Jason Babin even more. Adding pass rush will make that secondary even more dangerous. QBs not having time to throw + A secondary that blankets every receiver = A lot of low passing numbers for Philadelphia Eagles opponents.
2. Everything the Patriots have done: Not to be outdone Mr. Hoody himself, Bill Belichick, went out and made the New England Patriots the AFC favorites by adding his own version of a dream team. Giving Tom Brady an All-Pro threat by adding Chad OchoCinco for a 2012 fifth-rounder and a 2013 sixth-rounder is an absolute steal of a deal. You get a highly motivated Pro Bowl receiver capable of making Randy Moss a distant memory in New England and you give up picks that are easily replaceable. Great move. The Albert Haynesworth pickup is also a great move by New England. If you are getting the Tennessee Titans version of Haynesworth (which I am sure they are) then this deal makes New England's defense a highly formidable unit.
3. Kevin Kolb trade to Arizona: Now I don't know if Kevin Kolb is the real deal or not. I'll be honest, he's a mystery to me. However, you have one of the top five WRs in football in Larry Fitzgerald and he was not a happy man last year. How do you make him happy and possibly prevent him from leaving via free agency? You get that man a QB that can get him the ball when and where he needs it. That's what Arizona did with acquiring Kolb. Only time will tell if it pans out, but you can't fault Arizona for giving it a go. Also, in the NFC West, the team with the best QB will win the division. Alex Smith, Kevin Kolb, Tavaris Jackson / Charlie Whitehurst, Sam Bradford. Which one do you take? Exactly.
4. The NFL lockout ending: And finally, the deal that I liked the most was the fact that the lockout ended finally. Time to get back to the game.
Deals I Disliked
1. The 49ers resigning Alex Smith: Really? Do I even need to discuss this? I'm not even speaking as a 49er fan here, I'm speaking from a logical individual. Teams that have QBs that have proven themselves go on to have success in NFL seasons. Teams like the Steelers, Patriots, Colts, Eagles, Packers, and Falcons have all had success. Their success can be traced back to great and stable QB play. The only thing that Alex Smith has proven is that he is a bust and does not deserve another shot at starting.
2. The Cowboys not addressing their numerous needs: They should thank the Eagles for signing Nnamdi instead of them winning the bidding war. If the Cowboys had won that bidding war then they would not have had the cap room to address their defensive line needs and their need at safety. Now with the money they have saved by not making this signing, they should go out and get some DE help and add a quality Safety.
3. Sidney Rice signing with Seattle: I think Sidney Rice is a fine receiver. Had a good 2009 with Brett Favre. Is he a #1 receiver in my opinion? No, he's not. To me, he's another TJ Houshmandzadeh waiting to happen. A man who needs a great QB or a true #1 receiver on the opposite side of the field. Unfortunately for Rice, there is no true #1 receiver in Seattle, nor do they have a great QB. I think it'll be a loss season for both Rice and the Seahawks.
4. The Broncos trying to trade Kyle Orton: Kyle Orton can and has been an effective QB in the NFL for a handful of seasons. He has put up good numbers in Chicago and Denver. Tim Tebow is in his second year in the league and by all accounts still has a long way to go to be an effective NFL QB. However, Denver is ready to hand it's starting job to Tebow. Why not keep Orton one more year and let him groom Tebow for another year? Why give the job to a player who hasn't earned it yet? Because he was inspirational in college? Inspirational will get a head coach fired in the NFL. Keep Orton for another year, and then see what Tebow brings to the table next off season.
Deals I'm "Eh" To
1. Plaxico to the Jets: Plaxico was a good receiver. However, he hasn't played in multiple years due to the jail time. Braylon Edwards played last year and was the team's leading receiver. However, he is known to drop balls on a consistent basis. I'm not sure if Plax will have a big impact, but I'm not sure that he won't either. Time will tell.
2. McNabb to the Vikings: On one hand I like the deal because it keeps Christian Ponder on the bench and allows him to learn from a QB that knows his way around the league. On the other, I'm not sure how much McNabb has left in the tank. If he has a lot, then the Vikings are right back in the NFC hunt. If McNabb is running on "E", then the Vikings will be drafting very early in the first round in next year's draft.
3. Players who held out: Frank Gore, DeSean Jackson, and others decided to hold out for better contracts. That lasted all of four or five days. However, the teams need to reward the players for their great work. And the players need to show up and honor the contracts that they originally agreed to.
That's it for this edition of Tha Weatha Report. Football is in the air and the excitement is building. As always, thank you for taking the time out to read. If you haven't already, go "like" the page on Facebook. "Tha Weatha Report", can't miss it. Support the column and share with your friends. Be on the lookout for the next Report, as I will dive into the winners and losers of the MLB trade deadline. Also be on the lookout for the NFL prediction columns where I predict each division, playoffs, and Super Bowl winner. This is your one stop sports shop! Until next time...
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