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.

College of Sports Media Game of the Night:

It’s a HUGE AFC battle tonight in the Monday-nighter as the Pittsburgh Steelers (5-2) go up against the Denver Broncos(6-1). Both teams are coming off the bye and for the first time this year Denver’s rookie coach Josh McDaniels will have to get his team ready following a loss. The Broncos suffered their first loss at the hands of the Baltimore Ravens. The Ravens pressured QB Kyle Orton all game long forcing him to check off to his backs. Tailback Corell Buckhalter led his team with six catches. In fact the Broncos only crossed into Raven territory three times over the course of the entire game and made it to the red zone once. Unfortunately for Denver, Pittsburgh plays a very similar style defence to Baltimore. Pittsburgh has won four straight and before the bye week they handed Minnesota its first loss of the season, thrashing the Vikings 27-17. In that game the Steelers D forced Brett Favre into many mistakes. The linebackers alone sacked Favre three times and scored two touchdowns. In prior season the Steelers have always been known as a run-first offence. This year they’re relying on the arm of quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. Big Ben is in the top ten for passing yards (2062) and has already thrown 11 touchdowns. If he keeps up this pace he’ll eclipse his personal best of 3,513, which he posted back in 2006. Pittsburgh has some extra motivation. The Cincinnati Bengals lead their division with a 6-2 record and a win for the Steelers bringing them into a tie. The Bengals beat the Steelers already this season and hold an edge over their division rivals. That could all be forgotten when the two battle in next week in Pittsburgh.

No, I’m not referring to the terrible 2007 Jim Carrey movie. 23 is the number of passing yards Cleveland quarterback Derek Anderson amassed on Sunday afternoon against the Buffalo Bills. 23 passing yards in a 60 minute game. Tony Romo had almost three times that amount on one play in overtime. Cleveland managed a grand total of six points on the afternoon. Pathetic. But, the Cleveland Browns picked up their first win of the season, a 6-3 decision over the Buffalo. This game was completely beyond my football understanding. Being away from TV for the Thanksgiving holiday and having to rely on a faint internet signal and the FAN 590 for my football coverage, I was almost sick upon hearing the stats of the Cleveland/Buffalo game. Derek Anderson completed two of 17 passes on the afternoon. The Browns rushing game torched the Bills for 171 yards, but they were unable to muster even a single touchdown.

The Bills, on the other hand, had 152 yards passing and 145 yards on the ground – and still no touchdowns. How can two teams be so incredibly inept? I wrote Friday night that Cleveland had only a 25% chance to go winless on the season, with the fact that they were playing the Buffalo Bills largely on my mind. But a 6-3 win? There is no excuse for that, for either team. Both of these teams have serious talent issues surrounding them, but they’ve crossed a line. I’ve never the rain of ‘boo’ last as long as Sunday afternoon at Orchard Park.

I’m done with the Denver Broncos for a while. Each week I examine how they’ll probably lose a game or crumble when their schedule gets tougher, only to see them triumph over my football beliefs. With back-to-back wins over Dallas and New England, I’m more than willing to give them a tip of my hat. But looking at their roster, I still don’t understand how they win games. So for the time being, I’m going to use some ancient wisdom I was once told: “If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all.”

And so much for my game of the week. Atlanta completely demolished San Fransisco 45-10, with 329 passing yards from Matt Ryan and 210 receiving yards from Roddy White.  Monday November 2nd is a game I’m really looking forward to right now: Atlanta at New Orleans, with the NFC South lead potentially on the line.

TWO POINT CONVERSION

- I guess Matt Hasselbeck really does make a difference in Seattle

- even without having television: turkey/potatoes + NFL = bliss. Why does this only happen twice a year?

Week Four has almost come to an end, and as I write this, I’ve only seen one team playing in the Sunday nighter. San Diego, care to show up for the second half? Right now, it looks like Pittsburgh is responding well to my claim that they needed a statement game to prove their worth to the league.

Sticking on the topic of statement games, how ’bout those Denver Broncos. After an early Marion Barber touchdown, the Broncos completely shut down the Dallas Cowboys and moved to 4-0. They’ve now won more games than I thought they’d win all year, and I’m really curious to see if their defence can keep it up.

And then there’s Tennessee. I won’t get into too much detail today… but that was pathetic. I would not want to be Jeff Fisher right now. Without further delay, let’s get into the goods.

THE GOOD

Matt Stafford flashed his potential in the first half of Detroit’s 48-24 loss to Chicago. He led the Lions on three touchdown drives, and finished the day 24 of 36 for 296 yards, one touchdown and one interception. Detroit has to be excited about what he’s shown thus far, even if his record may not be as sparkling as the Sanchize in New York.

I’d also like to contragulate two other quarterbacks making their debuts: both Chad Henne of Miami and Josh Johnson of Tampa Bay looked comfortable under center. Henne got the Dolphins their first win of the season in a cake walk over the Bills, while Johnson kept his team close to the Redskins, only to lose by three. Great debuts for both men.

The New Orleans Saints got by the New York Jets 24-10, without a strong day from quarterback Drew Brees. He threw for only 190 and no scores, and instead the Saints were led by their… defence? Perenially a laughing stock, New Orleans’ defence is thriving under coordinator Gregg Williams, and contributed two scores – a 99 yard interception return by Darren Sharper, and a fumble recovery in the endzone by Remi Ayodele. If the defence can keep up the strong play, New Orleans will be a force come January.

 
THE BAD

Matt Stafford may have a dislocated right kneecap. The Lions did not comment on the extent of the injury after the game, and Stafford will undergo tests Monday. Tough break coming off a career day for the young signal caller.

If the Cincinatti Bengals wanted to be taken seriously following their upset win over Pittsburgh, they sure didn’t show it. Yes they beat the Browns 23-20 in overtime – but they beat the Browns 23-20 in overtime. You cannot barely escape Cleveland with a win if you want to be a contender, you need to walk all over them and move on.

 
THE UGLY

Tony Romo is crippling the Dallas Cowboys. He was 25 of 42 for 255 yards and a pick against the Broncos, and went without a passing touchdown for the second straight week. Even worse, he’s going to get someone hurt. He was constantly throwing high to his receivers, and in particular, he left Roy Williams out to dry with a high pass. Williams went up for the ball, and was drilled in the ribs by linebacker DJ Williams when he was coming down. If this keeps up, we may see Jon Kitna quarterbacking America’s Team soon.

Cleveland is bad, St. Louis is worse. 108 passing yards from Kyle Boller. 79 rushing yards from Steven Jackson. Three turnovers, all leading to San Fransisco defensive touchdowns. Right now, I’m looking at the Rams’ Week Eight matchup with Detroit and thinking that the Lions are going to blow out their opponent.

 
TWO POINT CONVERSION

- here’s how the Oakland Raiders’ last three first round picks performed against Houston; QB JaMarcus Russell (1st overall, 2007) 12 of 33 passing for 128 yards; RB Darren McFadden (4th, 2008) 6 carries, -3 yards; WR Darrius Heyward-Bey (7th, 2009) one catch for 18 yards. Yep, that sure is a black hole in Oakland alright – it’s pulling in talent and not giving it back

- the Miami Dolphins had eight different players run the ball against the Bills. Who says the Wildcat is dead?

*** NOTE ***

By the time I finished writing this, the Sunday nighter sits at 35-21 Pittsburgh. At least San Diego played 30 minutes of football.

After only three weeks of football, there are some teams in need of a statement game.  A statement game can set the tone for the remainder of the season, and tell fans and media alike where the team will be come playoff time. Here’s a couple of teams I need to see a statement from.

DENVER BRONCOS

Sure they’re 3-0, but as I wrote in Week Three’s The Good, The Bad & The Ugly, their schedule has been a cake walk. They start a grueling stretch of games this weekend against Dallas – a team they can actually beat. Denver is allowing a league low 5.3 points per game, while Dallas has the number one ranked rushing offense. Anyone who watched Dallas the past two weeks knows the team has weaknesses, and if the Denver Broncos (most notably head coach Josh McDaniels)  want to be taken seriously around the league, they need to win this game.

PITTSBURGH STEELERS

Earlier in the week I criticized the Steelers’ overall play, especially on the defensive side of the ball. And what better way to make me eat my words than by stuffing the league’s second ranked passing attack in the San Diego Chargers. On the national stage of Sunday night football, the Steelers can show the league that they’re still a force to be reckoned with.

TENNESSEE TITANS

Honestly, this is the greatest 0-3 team I’ve ever heard of. Never before have I seen NFL ‘experts’ praising a winless team the way the Titans are being heralded. They sport the third worst passing defence in the league, and last week against the Jets their special teams cost them the game. This team had the best record in the NFL last year, and now they’re in danger of falling out the race early. Good luck against a fired up Jacksonville squad Titans, I’ll be watching.

During my countless hours of football reading a day, I come across many different writers. The other day, I found quite the interesting piece. A certain writer on a prominent site had this wonderful idea: “It might be time for the Eagles to trade Vick”. Really? It might be time to trade a guy who’s taken 11 snaps in three years at quarterback? Why is this? Because Vick said he thought he’d return to the NFL as a starting quarterback. I’m sorry, I’m having a hard time digesting this one. There is no way a team could justify giving up anything more than a late round pick for Vick right now, he’s too tough to guage. Let’s give him a couple of weeks (and a couple of completed passes) before we start wondering what team Vick will be starting for.

TWO POINT CONVERSION

- on an episode of Pardon the Interruption, Chad Ochocinco thanked three people for his turnaround this season: Ray Lewis, Deion Sanders, and ….. Denzel Washington. Who doesn’t belong?

- Mark Sanchez has been given the greatest nickname ever by his teammates and coach – “Sanchize”

Yet another interesting day in the wonderful world of the NFL. First and foremost, congratulations to the Detroit Lions’… fans. You’ve been waiting almost two calendar years for win, so kudos for sticking with the team. Now, onto the action.

THE GOOD

The Denver Broncos are 3-0. That is not a typo. At the beginning of the year, I didn’t expect this team to win three games in total, so Josh McDaniels deserves to be left alone… for  a little while. Sure they’ve topped the Bengals, but the Browns and Raiders? Not exactly talented squads. Their next five games: Dallas, New England, San Diego, Baltimore, Pittsburgh. Good luck with that. But for now, well done Denver.

The New York Jets answered my challenge, and moved to 3-0 with a win over the Tennessee Titans. After blowing a 14 point lead, the Jets rebounded and held the Titans scoreless for the final 26 minutes. Rex Ryan, you should have been a head coach well before this year.

THE BAD

There’s no question as to which injury is hurting its team the most – the Pittsburgh Steelers need Troy Polamalu. They look completely lost on defence (side note: which defence has allowed the fewest points this year? The Denver Broncos’ stop unit). I’m not writing the Steelers off by any means, they’re still too talented to miss the playoffs, but they need to make some adjustments now.

Another person answered my challenge, quarterback JaMarcus Russell. He completed 57% of his passes this afternoon – to go with 61 yards passing and two picks. Come on JaMarcus, give Al Davis something other than a guy who looks bigger than some of his offensive lineman.

A funny point to the Raiders’ performance – on Yahoo Sports’ website, the top performer from Oakland was running back Michael Bush… with six rushes for 20 yards.

THE UGLY

Washington Redskins – and I’ll leave it at that.

Dear Seattle Seahawks; never do that again. I’m not talking about the close loss to Chicago, but their disgusting excuse for jerseys Sunday afternoon. If you haven’t had a chance to see them, check out the team’s website. I’ve never seen a team look that bad, and I played houseleague sports.

TWO POINT CONVERSION

- it’s a toss up for my pick for best team in the league right now, Ravens or Giants

- I’m sick of all the Brett Favre stories, but he earned it this time. What a throw to crush the 49ers

College of Sports Media Game of the Night:

The NFL regular season is less then two weeks away from starting and most preseason games are no longer tryouts, but are being played as warm ups for week 1. Fro anyone who caught the Chicago Bears and Denver Broncos clash last night the first three quarters felt like a play off game. I guess Jay Cutler making his return to the Mile High State had something to do with that.

Tonight the Minnesota Vikings and the Brett Favre Experiment make their way to the Lone Star state to take on the Houston Texans. There are several rumours out there that the Vikings locker room is divided into three – Favre supporters, Sage Rosenfels backers and Tarvaris Jackson followers. Favre will get the start and if he struggles expect the critics to get louder. The Houston Texans look to be in great position to improve on their 8-8 record last year. They have young gunslinger, Matt Schaub, behind centre and arguably one of the most talented wide receivers in the game Andre Johnson. Add to the mix second year running back Steve Slaton and you have one of the most potent offences in the AFC. Slaton rushed for 1282 yards, nine touchdowns and led the conference in yards from scrimmage. If the defence can play as well as the offence this Houston team could challenge New England, Pittsburgh, Tennessee and San Diego.