Alors pour ceux que ça intéresse... voici un petit article concernant la free agency, j´aime bien la morale de l´histoire concernant les Steelers...
ATTENTION JE VOUS PREVIENS ; C´EST LONG !
Anthony Weaver spent four years in the supporting cast of one of the best defenses in the NFL.
Baltimore ranked in the Top 6 in defense each of the last three seasons with linebackers Peter Boulware, Ray Lewis and Terrell Suggs, cornerback Chris McAlister and safety Ed Reed all representing the Ravens in Pro Bowls.
Weaver never got that invitation to Hawaii. He never managed more than five sacks in a season from his defensive end spot, and the Ravens qualified for the playoffs just once during his four years in Baltimore.
But that didn´t prevent the Houston Texans from signing Weaver in free agency last week, giving him $12 million in signing bonuses spread out over the first two years of the contract.
The player who lined up alongside Weaver, nose tackle Maake Kemoeatu, started only one season for the Ravens. He managed only one sack in 2005 but anchored a Top 10 run defense on a 6-10 team. The Carolina Panthers wooed him away from the Ravens in free agency, guaranteeing him $9.5 million in bonuses over the first two seasons.
Kevin Shaffer started at left tackle for two seasons with the Atlanta Falcons. Like the two Baltimore defenders, he´s never been to a Pro Bowl. But that didn´t prevent Cleveland from guaranteeing him $12.4 million in bonuses over the next two years to leave the 8-8 Falcons in free agency.
The extension to the collective bargaining agreement between NFL owners and players this month pumped $240 million into football´s economy. That gave every club an extra $7.5 million in salary-cap dollars to spend in 2006 – and the teams have been eager to spend it.
The NFL spent in excess of $110 million in the first week of free agency alone. But don´t look for any of the signings to tip the balance of power in the NFL. Teams have overspent on marginal upgrades as they attempt to improve themselves, at least on paper. But that´s become a way of life in the NFL.
After considerable trial and error in the 1990s, most NFL teams have figured out the salary cap. The big money is spent to retain your best players. You drafted and developed them, so you pay to keep them. They provide stability and continuity.
The players who become eligible for free agency are usually a team´s older, descending stars or younger members of the supporting cast.
The Ravens have their money invested in Pro Bowlers Lewis, Suggs, McAlister, Reed, Jonathan Ogden and Todd Heap. So the Ravens weren´t going to overpay to keep a Weaver or Kemoeatu.
But others will in free agency – and these players will become members of supporting casts elsewhere at premium prices. They were not difference-makers on their old teams, and they won´t be difference-makers on their new teams. The do represent upgrades, albeit expensive ones.
Antwan Randle El caught 35 passes as the No. 2 receiver on the Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers last season. He also has value as a punt returner. The Redskins gave him $10 million in guaranteed bonus money to lure him away in free agency.
The Redskins also gave safety Adam Archuleta $10 million in guaranteed bonuses to leave the NFL´s 30th-ranked defense in St. Louis. Jacksonville gave cornerback Brian Williams a $10 million signing bonus to leave the NFL´s 22nd-ranked pass defense in Minnesota.
New Orleans had the worst pass rush in the NFC last season with just 25 sacks. That didn´t prevent Philadelphia from giving the Saints´ second-best pass rusher, Darren Howard, $10 million in guaranteed bonuses to leave New Orleans.
Last off-season, the Cowboys gave cornerback Anthony Henry a $10 million signing bonus, Cleveland gave cornerback Gary Baxter a $9 million bonus, Oakland gave running back Lamont Jordan a $7 million bonus and Baltimore gave wide receiver Derrick Mason a $7 million bonus.
Those players signed some of the largest, most celebrated contracts in free agency last season. But not one of those four teams made the playoffs.
The only player Pittsburgh signed in free agency last off-season was backup wide receiver Cedrick Wilson. The Steelers were perceived as losers in free agency last March when they lost wide receiver Plaxico Burress and offensive tackle Oliver Ross off a 15-1 team.
But the Steelers wound up winning the Super Bowl in February. Pick a month: Would you rather be successful in March or February?
You don´t always get what you pay for in free agency. But that doesn´t stop teams from overspending
