Minnesota Vikings trade for Donovan McNabb
Donovan McNabb had always been a quarterback that played well, but was alienated from his teammates in one way or another. Last season when McNabb was a part of the horrid Washington Redskins a year ago, coach Mike Shanahan eventually benched him for the artist formerly known as Rex Grossman. But yesterday, McNabb finally managed to escape from the clutches of the Redskins and landed with the Minnesota Vikings.
The Vikings needed a quarterback like Turner needed Hooch, and by shipping sixth round picks in the 2012 and 2013 drafts, the Vikings filled their biggest need. There is little question that at 34 McNabb is on the downside of his career. However, because Minnesota already drafted Christian Ponder in this year's draft, McNabb will be a solid bridge between the Brett Favre era and when Ponder is ready to play.
The Vikings have a soild team in place. Minnesota's defense may not be as good as the 'purple people eaters' defense, but they ranked eighth in the league in total defense a year ago. And with running back Adrian Peterson, the pressure is not squarely on McNabb's shoulders the way it was in D.C. The Vikings did loose their best receiver Sidney Rice to free agency this year, but Percy Harvin and Visanthe Shiancoe are still good targets for McNabb.
Final Verdict: A good quarterback can get you two or three extra wins in a season, and McNabb will do that for the Vikings. And now that Minnesota has a quarterback, the Chicago Bears and Detroit Lions have something to worry about. That being said, the NFC north still runs through Green Bay and the rest of the NFC is too crowded for the Vikings to sneak into the playoffs.
Overall grade for McNabb to Vikings: B+
Let us transition from current Vikings to former Vikings with the Seattle Seahawks signing Sidney Rice.
Sidney Rice burst on to the scene two years ago when the Brett Favre led Vikings went all the way to the NFC championship game. But after the early success and offseason hip surgery, Rice had 17 catches, 280 yards and only two touchdowns in six games last season. Still, the 24 year old Rice had a bright future and a big payday ahead of him when he became a free agent after last season.
The Seattle Seahawks enjoyed success for the first time since they lost to the Steelers in Superbowl XL. The Seawhaks won the NFC West with a 7-9 record a year ago, and upset the New Orleans Saints in the first round of the playoffs. However, the Seahawks ranked 28th in total offense a year ago, and that number should not improve much after Matt Hasselbeck left town.
That all being said, the Seahawks will still be in the NFC race simply because their division is awful. Marshawn Lynch had a dynamic run against the Saints during the playoff win, and can be a solid running back. Defensively, there is not much. Despite a healthy season from Lofa Tatupu, Seattle still ranked 27th in the league in total defense.
Final Verdict: If Rice wanted to win, he would have signed with a contender. This is a typical case of a young man taking the most money offered to him. But Rice is a good player and there is nothing wrong with a player taking the most money offered to him. Rice will make defensive coordinators have to plan a little more against the Seahawks, but the Hasselbeck departure will hurt more than Rice's help.
Overall grade for Rice to the Seahawks: C+
Speaking of Matt Hasselbeck, he is now a member of the Tennessee Titans.
Matt Hasselbeck has been a solid quarterback forever with the Seahawks. Hasselbeck is Seattle's all time leader in Passing yards, passer rating, competed passes, and most 400 yard passing games. But when the Saint Louis Rams went into Quest Field in week 17 with a playoff berth on the line, the Seahawks started Charlie Winehurst over Hasselbeck in a game they had to win. Despite Hasselbeck leading the Seahawks to an upset over the Saints, Seattle had written on the wall in week 17 that they could win without Hasselbeck.
The Tennessee Titans needed stability at the quarterback position after the Jeff Fisher vs Vince Young mess that tore the team apart and sent Young packing. The Titans desperately needed a quarterback after ranking 25th in the league in passing offense in 2010. And although the Titans drafted Jake Locker in April, there were concerns that Locker would not be the best choice for the start of the regular season.
The Titans may have a shiny new quarterback, but Hasselbeck cannot solve their defensive woes. The Titans ranked 26th in the league in total defense in 2010, and have not done much to improve on that side of the ball. Tennessee's most notable defensive player is cornerback Cortland Finnegan; who is best known for losing to Andre Johnson in a fight during a game.
Final Verdict: Matt Hasselbeck is the best available solution to the Titans quarterback problems. Hasselbeck will provide stability to a team that desperately needs it, and a mentor for the young Locker. However, Tennessee will not challenge the Indianapolis Colts with that terrible defense. Hasselbeck should take the Titans out of the AFC south cellar, but don't expect much more than that.
Overall grade for Hasselbeck to Titans: B-
Next we shift the focus to the AFC East, where the Miami Dolphins aquired running back Reggie Bush in a trade with the New Orleans Saints
The New Orleans Saints had another good year in 2010, no thanks to the contributions from Reggie Bush. Bush missed six weeks with a broken bone in his right leg in 2010, and has been injured four out of five years over the course of his career. Plus Bush has simply not panned out as an NFL running back over the course of his career. Bush has 2,090 rushing yards in his career, or 418 rushing yards a season.
The Miami Dolphins were a team with some pieces, but could not bust through against the Patriots and Jets in the AFC East. Part of the reason the Dolphins did not do well was their surprisingly bad running game in 2010. Miami ranked 21st in the league in rushing last year, and the once dynamic duo of Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams has lost it's punch.
Final Verdect: By making this deal, Miami has decided to back up the injury prone Brown with the overrated and twice as injury prone Reggie Bush. I don't know if Bush's public relations people thought Bush's celebrity personality would do better in Maimi, but from a football standpoint, this trade makes no sense.
Overall grade for Reggie Bush to Dolphins: F
Finally, we wrap up the first part of the free agent/trading whirlwind tour with Albert Haynesworth being traded to the New England Patriots.
The Washington Redskins were one of the biggest sources of turmoil in the NFL a year ago, and Haynesworth did not help the situation. Big Al arrived into training camp overweight and failed his physicals multiple times. He clashed with Mike Shanahan on numerous occasions and was suspended for the final four games of the regular season for conduct detrimental to a hopeless team.
The New England Patriots meanwhile had a great regular season in 2010, until the playoffs that is. The Pats went 14-2 and earned a first round bye before being ousted by the rival New York Jets in the divisional round of the playoffs. The Pats defense that ranked 25th in the league because they could not sack a chair. But New England's record and offense masked their defensive woes.
The Patriots have a history of taking talented players with baggage and turning them into gold. Players such as Corey Dillon and Randy Moss have been the most noteworthy players that have flourished with the Patriots. But Haynesworth may prove to be the biggest challenge yet. When Haynesworth is not coming into camp out of shape or refusing to work out, he is stomping on players' heads. Clearly, something's got to give here.
Final Verdict: It will be interesting to see who caves in the battle of wills between Haynesworth and Pats coach Bill Belichick. But given the fact that the Patriots only gave up a fifth round pick in 2013, getting Haynesworth is a low risk, high reward deal. Big Al is a force on the defensive line when he wants to be, and the Pats need to improve on defense. And the Patriots are contenders even if Haynesworth quits on yet another team.
Overall grade on Haynesworth to Pats: B-
This circus is far from ending and there are a lot of big deals that need to get done. But all of this activity and NFL buzz means that real games are just around the corner.
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