Post by scorpion42 on Mar 15, 2009 12:45:19 GMT -7
By Albert Breer - SportingNews 2 hours, 45 minutes ago
Upset your team didn’t take a crack at a big-ticket item on the 2009 free-agent market? Disappointed that the one gem that could put your team over the top wasn’t signed?
Take heart. History shows that while supplementing a roster with free agents or trades can help—examples like James Farrior and Randy Moss are good ones—the best teams are built from within.
Six franchises have won Super Bowls this decade, all of which have experienced varying degrees of established success. Players from those clubs have earned 220 Pro Bowl berths since 2000, and 185 by homegrown players.
That’s 84.1 percent, proof that building through the draft and developing players remains the way to construct a champion.
All six Super Bowl-winning organizations—the Bucs, Colts, Giants, Patriots, Ravens and Steelers—have had more than 75 percent of their Pro Bowl berths awarded to homegrown players.
Indianapolis, in this regard, represents the gold standard. All 39 of the Colts’ Pro Bowl representatives this decade came from within.
“We always know exactly what we’re looking for,” Colts president/G.M. Bill Polian said. “We’re constantly evaluating who we need to keep, who we need to replace and how we can get better. There are always going to be guys you want to keep that you might not be able to.
“But the consistency and continuity we’ve had is an important thing.”
The free-agent market might have slowed, but the most important part of the offseason—the draft—is still to come. Plus, the trade market still hasn’t heated up.
With that in mind, here are five teams that finished above .500 in ’08 with one big need to fill:
Arizona Cardinals
Need: The Cardinals have a young, improving defense with rising stars like Darnell Dockett, Karlos Dansby and Domonique Rodgers-Cromartie but have had just one double-digit sack season by this decade—Bertrand Berry posted 14 1/2 five years ago. A premier edge rusher to complement inside rusher Dockett would be nice.
Solutions: Terrell Suggs would’ve been a target, but Baltimore kept him with the franchise tag. Julius Peppers is a possibility, but Carolina is not enthusiastic about trading him. Georgia Tech’s Michael Johnson could be a nice fit as a end/linebacker hybrid toward the end of Round 1. Running back also is a need, so LeSean McCoy might be an option.
New England Patriots
Need: With Mike Vrabel gone, an already average pass rush took another hit. New England has had problems in the secondary, but those were magnified by an inability to hurry the passer.
Solutions: With the 23rd pick, Northern Illinois pass rusher Larry English, could be a great fit, particularly since sack production tends to translate from college to the NFL. Signing Jason Taylor, who has a strong relationship with Tom Brady, is another possibility.
New York Giants
Need: Eli Manning’s poor stretch run was directly attributed to Plaxico Burress’ absence. The Giants have solid depth, but Amani Toomer also is gone and the need for a No. 1 receiver has been noted.
Solutions: Receivers generally take time to develop, so a veteran would be ideal. That’s why Anquan Boldin’s name has been floated. The Giants’ pattern, however, is not to trade draft picks for stars, so drafting a playmaker with the 29th pick might be more likely. Darrius Heyward-Bey could be a perfect fit, but Rutgers’ Kenny Britt, a big, physical target, is more likely to available.
New York Jets
Need: After bringing in Jim Leonhard, Bart Scott and Lito Sheppard, defensive guru Rex Ryan could field a special unit. The offense still looks ragged, and the Brett Favre experiment left a hole at the most important position.
Solutions: Ryan saw Joe Flacco start for an 11-5 team last year and could invest in Josh Freeman in the first round, unless Mark Sanchez slips way down draft boards. Keep an eye on the Browns here. The new Browns regime reportedly isn’t enamored of either Derek Anderson or Brady Quinn, and both are said to be available on the trade market. Would Eric Mangini deal one to his former team? Would George Kokinis’ relationship with Ryan help?
Tennessee Titans
Need: Tennessee long has needed playmakers at wide receiver—no wideout caught more than 41 passes in 2008—and coming off a 13-3 year, a sense of urgency might exist.
Solutions: The Titans made a play to trade for Torry Holt but weren’t willing to give him big money to close the deal. Holt, now a free agent, posted eight consecutive 1,000-yard seasons before tailing off last year and is still just 32. Britt could be enticing on draft day.
Staff writer Albert Breer covers the NFL for Sporting News. E-mail him at abreer@sportingnews.com.
Upset your team didn’t take a crack at a big-ticket item on the 2009 free-agent market? Disappointed that the one gem that could put your team over the top wasn’t signed?
Take heart. History shows that while supplementing a roster with free agents or trades can help—examples like James Farrior and Randy Moss are good ones—the best teams are built from within.
Six franchises have won Super Bowls this decade, all of which have experienced varying degrees of established success. Players from those clubs have earned 220 Pro Bowl berths since 2000, and 185 by homegrown players.
That’s 84.1 percent, proof that building through the draft and developing players remains the way to construct a champion.
All six Super Bowl-winning organizations—the Bucs, Colts, Giants, Patriots, Ravens and Steelers—have had more than 75 percent of their Pro Bowl berths awarded to homegrown players.
Indianapolis, in this regard, represents the gold standard. All 39 of the Colts’ Pro Bowl representatives this decade came from within.
“We always know exactly what we’re looking for,” Colts president/G.M. Bill Polian said. “We’re constantly evaluating who we need to keep, who we need to replace and how we can get better. There are always going to be guys you want to keep that you might not be able to.
“But the consistency and continuity we’ve had is an important thing.”
The free-agent market might have slowed, but the most important part of the offseason—the draft—is still to come. Plus, the trade market still hasn’t heated up.
With that in mind, here are five teams that finished above .500 in ’08 with one big need to fill:
Arizona Cardinals
Need: The Cardinals have a young, improving defense with rising stars like Darnell Dockett, Karlos Dansby and Domonique Rodgers-Cromartie but have had just one double-digit sack season by this decade—Bertrand Berry posted 14 1/2 five years ago. A premier edge rusher to complement inside rusher Dockett would be nice.
Solutions: Terrell Suggs would’ve been a target, but Baltimore kept him with the franchise tag. Julius Peppers is a possibility, but Carolina is not enthusiastic about trading him. Georgia Tech’s Michael Johnson could be a nice fit as a end/linebacker hybrid toward the end of Round 1. Running back also is a need, so LeSean McCoy might be an option.
New England Patriots
Need: With Mike Vrabel gone, an already average pass rush took another hit. New England has had problems in the secondary, but those were magnified by an inability to hurry the passer.
Solutions: With the 23rd pick, Northern Illinois pass rusher Larry English, could be a great fit, particularly since sack production tends to translate from college to the NFL. Signing Jason Taylor, who has a strong relationship with Tom Brady, is another possibility.
New York Giants
Need: Eli Manning’s poor stretch run was directly attributed to Plaxico Burress’ absence. The Giants have solid depth, but Amani Toomer also is gone and the need for a No. 1 receiver has been noted.
Solutions: Receivers generally take time to develop, so a veteran would be ideal. That’s why Anquan Boldin’s name has been floated. The Giants’ pattern, however, is not to trade draft picks for stars, so drafting a playmaker with the 29th pick might be more likely. Darrius Heyward-Bey could be a perfect fit, but Rutgers’ Kenny Britt, a big, physical target, is more likely to available.
New York Jets
Need: After bringing in Jim Leonhard, Bart Scott and Lito Sheppard, defensive guru Rex Ryan could field a special unit. The offense still looks ragged, and the Brett Favre experiment left a hole at the most important position.
Solutions: Ryan saw Joe Flacco start for an 11-5 team last year and could invest in Josh Freeman in the first round, unless Mark Sanchez slips way down draft boards. Keep an eye on the Browns here. The new Browns regime reportedly isn’t enamored of either Derek Anderson or Brady Quinn, and both are said to be available on the trade market. Would Eric Mangini deal one to his former team? Would George Kokinis’ relationship with Ryan help?
Tennessee Titans
Need: Tennessee long has needed playmakers at wide receiver—no wideout caught more than 41 passes in 2008—and coming off a 13-3 year, a sense of urgency might exist.
Solutions: The Titans made a play to trade for Torry Holt but weren’t willing to give him big money to close the deal. Holt, now a free agent, posted eight consecutive 1,000-yard seasons before tailing off last year and is still just 32. Britt could be enticing on draft day.
Staff writer Albert Breer covers the NFL for Sporting News. E-mail him at abreer@sportingnews.com.