One of the more interesting questions which still remains unanswered this offseason is which team if any will sign Ty Law? Law, the former Patriot and Jet, is fresh off a comeback season in which he snagged 10 interceptions, deflected eight passes and sacked the quarterback once. Law is not the player he was in his prime, but he ran well last season and he still possesses the instincts and awareness to slow down some of the game’s best receivers. Law can’t function as a reliable bump-and-run cover corner, but he will be solid in zone coverage situations with reliable safety help over the top.
Despite his ability to contribute given the right situation, Law simply is not worth the money he is asking for. At the age of 32, the potential future Hall-of-Famer is seeking $10 million or more in guaranteed payola on his next contract. While Law may provide short-term value, he is certainly not worth an eight figure bonus in the long-term unless he is open to switching to the safety position as his coverage skills erode. Unless Law comes off his demands, he may remain off the field.
The Chiefs, Patriots, Seahawks, Browns and Titans are among more than a handful of teams that are still pursuing the grizzled veteran. Despite all of these clubs desperately needing Law, none have come close to matching Law’s price.
A remarriage between Law and the Patriots would be an interesting story, and there are a couple of reasons to believe that New England could land Law some time in the next month or so. First, out of all of Law’s suitors, New England has the most cap space to burn on Law. The Patriots have nearly $15 million in unfettered cap funds. Theoretically, they could front-load Law’s deal, using around $10 million in space to support the guaranteed hit this season as opposed to prorating the bonus over six or seven years.
Second, the Patriots have a dire need to add a veteran presence to their cornerback rotation. Heading into training camp, New England’s top four cornerbacks are Ellis Hobbs, Randall Gay, Asante Samuel and Eric Warfield. Hobbs is inexperienced; Samuel is a nickel back at best and Warfield is a failed starter coming over from Kansas City who struggles against speedy receivers. Gay is perhaps the most solid player out of the group. He does a good job of staying true to his coverage responsibilities, rarely gets fooled on play-action or trick plays and has the size and length to bat down passes. That said, Gay is not a number one cornerback. He would make a solid number two, paired with Law.
At this point though, whether he goes back to New England or joins some other team, Law needs to make a decision on his plans quickly before he misses his chance to play in 2006…
A lot of big names switched jerseys in the offseason, including some of the elite kickers in the game. Ryan Longwell, Mike Vanderjagt and Adam Vinatieri received big paydays to leave their old ball clubs. The fortunes of five teams (New England, Indianapolis, Dallas, Minnesota and Green Bay) have been affected by these kickers moving during free-agency.
New England took the biggest hit in losing Vinatieri. From a monetary standpoint, Vinatieri may not have been worth keeping. But some players are worth overpaying for. Vinatieri’s clutch kicks, especially in the dead of winter when the wind is bustling, will be missed by a Patriots team that usually plays close to the vest. And his replacements (Martin Gramatica and fourth-round pick Steve Gostowski) don’t appear to be adequate subsitutes.
Conversely, the Colts may have upgraded at the kicker position by prying Vinatieri away from their arch-nemesis. Not only is he a more clutch kicker than Vanderjagt, but he is also capable of converting field goal tries in the worst weather conditions outside of the RCA dome.
Vanderjagt, the most accurate kicker in NFL history, but one of the biggest goats in playoff history, joined Dallas. Perhaps no team needed a reliable kicker more than Dallas. The Cowboys have had a pathetic kicking situation since Bill Parcells took over. Last season, Dallas lost three games primarily due to poor kicking, and those losses caught up to the team as it missed the playoffs. Vangerjagt should prove to be the difference between Dallas being two or three wins better than they were in 2005.
The Vikings also upgraded at kicker by inking Longwell. And like the Colts, the Vikings may have made two gains because by stealing Longwell away from Green Bay, they weakened a division rival while improving their special teams. The former Packer possess a powerful leg capable of cutting through the wind and providing solid depth on kick offs.
Ironically, Green Bay will go with former failed Dallas kicker Billy Cundiff to fill Longwell’s shoes. Good luck to the Packers. In four seasons as Dallas’ kicker, Cundiff has never converted more than 79 percent of his kicks. He has also missed a fair share of crucial game-tying or game-winning field goal tries in his career…
There are a number of players around the league both on offense and defense who will be counted on to step up and fill bigger than they did a year ago. Some could even have breakout seasons and the more likely candidates to do so include:
1) Matt Jones (Jacksonville): The talented sophomore is among a group of wideouts from the 2004 draft class who will be expected to produce greater numbers than they did a year ago. With the departure of Jimmy Smith, Jones will be counted on to fill in as the Byron Leftwich’s number one target in the passing game. At 6’6”, 242 pounds, the former Arkansas quarterback is built like a tight-end, but he has better straight-line speed than most receivers. Jones is a physical freak who will be given opportunities to make explosive catches down-the-field.
2) Chris Gamble (Carolina): Although he is still raw and improving, especially at the mental aspect of playing the cornerback position, Gamble appears poised to be among the better defensive backs in the NFL. His job is much easier because he plays alongside Pro Bowl defender Ken Lucas. Still, Gamble is the perfect complement to Lucas because he is physical, big, plays the run well and is able to hold his own on an island. If teams shy away from throwing towards Lucas’ side, Gamble could have the chance to pick off more passes.
3) Samkon Gado (Green Bay): Gado was the only healthy back on Green Bay’s roster at the end of last season, and as a result, he leapfrogged injured backs Ahman Green and Najeh Davenport on the depth chart. Gado will likely start out the season as either the second or third running back, but he will be used in the rotation. He is a powerful goal-line presence with deceptive speed. Given that Green may not be at 100 percent health and Davenport may not be the right fit in the Packers’ new one-cut running scheme, Gado could have the opportunity to regain his starting job.
4) Chester Taylor (Minnesota): Speaking of running backs with expanded roles, no tailback will have a greater opportunity to go from a super backup to a superstar than Taylor will. Playing in a run first scheme, the former Raven will get the carries and touches that he could not get in Baltimore playing behind Jamal Lewis. Behind the left side of Bryant McKinnie, Steve Hutchinson and Matt Birk, Taylor could produce a 1,300 yard season.
5) DeMarcus Ware (Dallas): Ware could turn in the kind of statistical performance that fellow pass-rusher Shawn Merriman produced a year ago in San Diego. Playing as the outside backer in Dallas’ 3-4 scheme, Ware will be expected to beat right tackles on the outside corner and get to the quarterback. He has the protection in front of him to succeed in one-on-one pass-rushing situations.
