The National Football League has seen its fair share of interesting moves since free agency opened on March 5th. I completely struck out in my free agency predictions (Thomas Jones went to the Chiefs, come on), and there’s been some trades that have greatly benefited some teams. Here are the moves that have caught my eye the most.

THE GOOD

I absolutely love two trades thus far. Baltimore picking up Anquan Boldin and a fifth round pick from Arizona for a third and fourth rounder is a stroke of genius for the Ravens. They needed a go-to wide receiver, and Boldin will be that guy. They also resigned Derrick Mason to go with the signing of Dante Stallworth. In half a month, the Ravens have transformed their receiving core into a respectable unit.

The second trade I fully endorse went down on Sunday, with the Denver Broncos acquiring Brady Quinn. I know his numbers in Cleveland were atrocious, but he’s still just 25 years old and has plenty of potential. For a fullback (Peyton Hillis), a sixth rounder and a conditional pick (rumoured to be no higher than a fourth rounder), the Broncos have potentially found their quarterback for the future. If he’s surrounded by the right pieces and Josh McDaniels keeps his QB-friendly system, Denver has a chance at having a major steal on their hands.

On the free agent front, some of the signings I’ve been a fan of include Chester Taylor to the Bears, Karlos Dansby to the Dolphins, and Aaron Kampman to the Jaguars. All three players plugged major holes for their new teams, and Dansby especially is primed for a huge season.

THE BAD

Not too sure I understand the Larry Foote signing in Pittsburgh. Three years, $9.3 million for a guy you released before last season seems a little high to me. The Steelers must be down on Lawrence Timmons, because bringing in Foote at over three million per season to back up Timmons and James Farrior seems odd to me.

I knew Dunta Robinson would get a big contract due to the diluted cornerback market, but the six year, $57 million dollar contract he signed is ridiculous. It includes $22.5 million in guaranteed money, for a corner who averages just over two interceptions per season, including a grand total of zero last year, and has a history of knee injuries.

THE UGLY

The New York Jets confuse me to no end. The decision to cut Thomas Jones made sense to me, but the idea to sign LaDainian Tomlinson throws everything out of sorts. The Jets had Shonn Greene and Leon Washington on the roster, but still felt like replacing a productive aging running back, with a worn down aging running back.

Monday morning, Mike Holmgren said he may select a quarterback with the seventh overall pick, or even trade up to grab either Jimmy Clausen or Sam Bradford. If that’s the case why trade for Seneca Wallace and sign Jake Delhomme? Is either of those two going to be happy as a third option, or is the seventh (or higher) drafted player going to hold a clipboard all year as an emergency policy? I don’t really understand what’s going on in Cleveland, but I’m sure Holmgren has some sort of plan.

TWO POINT CONVERSION

- in my last post when I discussed the retirement of Chris Samuels, I mentioned Orlando Pace, Walter Jones and Samuels as the great tackles of this generation. As one reader pointed out, I omitted another incredible player, Johnathan Ogden. Ogden was a staple for the Ravens for twelve seasons, and clearly deserves to be mentioned among the best tackles of the past twenty years

- a story on profootballtalk.com (http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2010/03/15/scout-on-vick-he-cant-throw/) tells that a scout evaluated Mike Vick, coming to conclusion that “he can’t throw”. Why is this a story now? Anyone who watched Vick on the Falcons knew he couldn’t throw then, and sure can’t now

College of Sports Media Game of the Night:

It’s turkey day across the border and that means one thing: a full plate of NFL football. Three games on the docket today. The Green Bay Packers (6-4) take their show on the road as their in the Motor City to take on the Detroit Lions (2-8). Both teams are coming off big week 10 wins, but both got are dealing with some serious injuries. The Pack dumped the 49ers 30-24 and in the process lost both defensive end Aaron Kampman and corner back Al Harris for the season. Kampman leads the team in sacks and Harris is a great cover corner. The Lions beat the Browns 38-37 i n the final seconds of their game. Quarterback Matt Stafford dislocated his shoulder at the end of the game, but he’s toughing it out and will be behind centre today. Who knows how effective he will be.

Next up the Oakland Raiders(3-7) are in Dallas to take on the Cowboys (7-3). At first glance this one looks like it’ll be one-sided. Oakland is coming off a monster win over the AFC North leading Cincinnati Bengals last week and the Cowboys have struggled mightally on offence. The Raiders finally benched JaMarcus Russell and gave Bruce Gradkowski the starters job. He responded with two touchdown passes, including a last second score leading to the upset win. Over the last two weeks the Cowboys offence has been less then effective. Over the last two weeks the ‘Boys have scored two touchdowns. If they don’t get things together they may end up being the turkey in a Raider’s feast.

The last game is probably the best as the New York Giants (6-4) battle the Denver Broncos (6-4). Both teams limp into this one. Denver has lost four straight and they got pummeled 32-3 last week by the San Diego Chargers. New York has dropped four of five and needed overtime to beat the Atlanta Falcons 34-31. The Giants come into this one banged-up, on three days rest and have to play in the mile-high air. If Denver can take advantage they just might end their skid.