Football Jabber

Ahh yes. Time for Free Agency rumors. This is what keeps us fueled this time of year, isn’t it? What NFL Jersey will these players put on?

The Colts have tagged Dallas Clark. You could see some interesting battle here. With the Suggs drama in Baltimore, is there an argument that Clark should be tagged as a WR? How often was he lined up in the slot compared to in next to the Tackle at TE?

If you have been under a rock when it comes to the NFL right now, the Ravens slapped a franchise tag on Terrel Suggs as a linebacker. What’s the big deal you ask? About $800,000 difference in what he would get if it was as a DE. Suggs argues that he played more than half of his snaps with his hand down. Who would have thought the Hokey Pokey could make such a difference if your left hand is in?

So it appears that the Patriots have made an offer to Zach Thomas. Considering everyone they have it could be the best place for him. Somewhere he can go and not have to play every snap. But when do they start getting younger?

From There is NO Offseason member TripleW64:

Why would they want to get older at that position? Seems to me they have enough aging veterans at LB. Kinda scary if you get younger at a position by adding a soon to be 36 year old, concussed LB.

Current ages:
Seau 39
Bruschi 34
Vrabel 32
Thomas 30

That is a very valid point. Who do they plan to keep? From the article linked above at the Miami Herald…

The Patriots are interested in Thomas because both of their inside linebackers — Junior Seau and Tedy Bruschi — are free agents. Seau is 39 years old while Bruschi, three months older than Thomas, will be 35 during the 2008 season.

There likely isn’t a place in the NFL that could use an experienced MLB more than the New Orleans Saints. Thomas is in town today and the team is also going to visit with the ex-Panther, Dan Morgan. After CB, Linebacker is always mentioned as a need for the Saints in the offseason. Considering your two main targets at this point can’t seem to stay on the field the better option may be to look at the NFL Draft. A short term deal at the most would be the best move if they were to sign one of these guys and then draft a project. We all know they could sure use some leadership at the position.

There is plenty of interest for former Falcons TE Alge Crumpler according to his agent, Jason Williams…

Eleven teams have already expressed interest in the five-time Pro Bowl selection, Williams said. Crumpler’s release from the Falcons became official Tuesday, when teams could begin contacting his agent.

Of course we can expect that an agent would exaggerate those numbers a little bit. In print, the Titans (the above link), Saints, Panthers, and Colts have been mentioned.

So what is going on with Marion Barber III and the Cowboys, you ask?

Drew Rosenhaus, agent for Marion Barber, said he plans to meet with the Dallas Cowboys this week at the NFL scouting combine. The Cowboys have said they would like to sign the standout running back to a long-term deal.

Jeff Fisher recently hinted that he thinks that a 1st and 3rd rounder would be worth it to the Titans to get Barber if it comes to that. Tampering? Don’t know the real context in how he said it, just how it was reported. Apparently it was on a local TV station. Don’t look too far into it as nobody seems to have any links. Local stations usually have video of interviews.

tag: NFL, Free Agency, Free Agent, Marion Barber III, Cowboys, Alge Crumpler, Falcons, Titans, Saints, Dan Morgan, Zach Thomas, Patriots, Dallas Clark, Colts, Franchise Tag, Terrell Suggs, Ravens, Football, Football Jabber, Rumors