Why Don't They Do This Every Year?

This year’s winner of Free Agency is undoubtedly the Philadelphia Eagles. They added big names to both sides of the ball. Ronnie Brown will now spell scat-back LeSean McCoy; Donald Lee will be a great check-down tight end for the mobile Vick; Jason Babin now becomes a dominant force at end on an already strong defensive line; and the biggest splash comes in the addition of two top 5 corners, Nnamdi and Run DRC. If you’re looking for the ultimate Madden team well look no further than the Philadelphia Eagles. But, to paraphrase the great Denis Green, teams rarely are who we thought they would be (i.e. the Dallas Cowboys of 06, 07, 08, 09… you get the picture) so I am a bit tentative to put them as the front-runner for this year’s season.

Meanwhile the Patriots who are always in contention for the Super Bowl have been overshadowed in their adding of Albert Haynesworth and, the best salsa dance in shoulder pads, Chad Ochocinco. Bill Belichick has made a career out of reviving great players who have gotten in their own way. With the accuracy of Tom Brady and the all-around greatness that radiates from Gillette Stadium, I see no reason why these two won’t be making headlines in Foxborough. And for once it will be for the right reasons. (Oh and recent reports say the Patriots have been working out former Jet and stud DE Shaun Ellis)

Peyton Manning officially tied Tom Brady following a contract negotiation for the highest paid player in the NFL. As impressive as that is, what is really amazing is the fact that he took a few million dollar cut on his salary to keep guys like Live and Let Addai. No new names are popping up in Indy but with the unity they have in the locker room the Colts will certainly be a contender.

Another team that was overlooked last year and has since primed themselves via Free Agency is the New Orleans Saints. They officially released the headache that was Reggie Bush while bringing in a quieter version in Darren Sproles. They then solidified their offensive line by signing Olin Kreutz who you should expect to be serving a pancake breakfast to his former team, the Chicago Bears, in week 3. We all know Easy Breesy can sling the rock to anybody wanting to catch it and then wealth of running backs they can rely on (even with the injury to Chris Ivory) is absolutely amazing.

Now don’t get me wrong, I expect the unofficial Miami Heat of the NFL to win not 5, not 6, not 7, not 8, but at least 10 games. But as we saw last year, once the playoffs begin the gloves come off and the standings just don’t matter. I expect to see a cast of the usual suspects in this year’s Super Bowl. Give Vick another year or two and, if his body can hold up, he’ll get himself a ring. But this year… well, Brady should probably check the ring size on his pinky.