Cardinals, The Cardinals enter this off season as defending NFC champions but have a lot of loose ends to take care of; first is signing unrestricted free agent quarterback Kurt Warner, the second is keeping wide receiver Anquan Boldin; fellow wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald has said that he would re-work his $40 million contract to free money to keep Boldin. Can Tim Hightower be an every down back? Edgerrin James does not want to stay with the Cardinals as of now; Hightower played well, but is not ready for the full time position just yet; JJ Arrington could step in next year and get significant work; keep Arrington in mind for fantasy as a sleeper running back for 2009….Falcons, most of the credit went to rookie Matt Ryan and running back Michael Turner for the Falcons playoff run in ‘08 but punter Michael Koenen has had the franchise tag put on him. His booming kicks not only kept the Falcons in favorable field position but it also allowed the Falcon coverage team to lead the league this year; they gave up less than 50 yards total in punt returns in 2008, in the neighborhood of the all time record set by the 1967 Green Bay Packers, who were Super Bowl II champions. Falcons will release veteran linebacker Keith Brooking, a solid 11 year veteran….Ravens, TE Todd Heap has had 5 seasons in which he played in all 16 games; his lowest reception total for any of those seasons was 57 in 2003; in 2008 he played in all 16 games and had just 35 catches, but he may have had his best year given his efficiencies as a pass blocker…
Cowboys, while The Big “D” would welcome Ray Lewis with open arms, owner Jerry Jones’ first priority is to sign all world linebacker DeMarcus Ware who led the league in 2008 with 20 sacks….Lions, perhaps the only bright spot in 2008 for the winless Lions was 17 year veteran kicker Jason Hanson’s season; he led the NFL in field goal percentage at .955, going 21-22 on attempts and was 8-8 on kicks from 50 yards or longer but being on a 0-16 team probably kept him from being voted to the Pro Bowl; Lions released cornerback Leigh Bodden who was obtained in the Shaun Rogers deal and had just one interception in 2008; the former Brown is a far better player than what his statistics say, he could be wearing Ravens’ purple in 2009…. Packers, defensive end Aaron Kampman will be moved to an outside linebacker in new defensive coordinator Dom Capers’ 3-4 scheme….
Patriots, have placed the non-exclusive franchise tag on Matt Cassel meaning that any team can sign him for 2 first round draft picks, or the Patriots can keep Cassel if they match any offer; Cassel is slated to make $14 million in 2009; if Tom Brady can show he is healthy then there is no way Cassel stays a Patriot; as of now both Cassel and Brady would take $29 million of the Patriots 2009 salary cap…Giants, 34 year old veteran wide receiver Amani Toomer will not be back with the Giants in 2009….David Carr will remain as the back up to Eli Manning….Jets, with Brett Favre retiring the Jets have Kellen Clemens, Eric Ainge, and Brett Ratcliff listed on their roster as the quarterbacks; this means that the Jets will sign a free agent quarterback and the early thinking is that Jeff Garcia will be the guy or could Kyle Boller get another chance….Raiders, Tom Cable becomes the fifth full time Raider head coach since 2002; the signing of veteran coach and scout Paul Hackett as quarterback coach for JaMarcus Russell was a step in the right direction; the Raiders first order of business now is to sign cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha to a long deal….
