Do you hear what I hear?

Do you hear what I hear? I know this sound. Every year, as February gives way to March, I hear it, and every year it makes my heart pump just a little bit harder. It is the sound of gears turning. It is the sound of phones ringing. It is the sound of planes flying. And then of course of press conferences being called. It is the sound of NFL free agency, and outside of the NFL draft, nothing excites me more. As we get ready to embark on another free agency period where dollars will be spent and teams will improve, or decline, I figured it would be nice to take a look at some of the top free agents, and more specifically, what teams I think should mortgage the farm to acquire them. Please be aware, these are not rumors that I have heard, just situations I have envisioned.

The first player I want to examine is Randy Moss. I know the Patriots are going to do what they can to re-sign Randy, and the likelihood is they will get the job done, but lets for the fun of it, say they don't. Now which team do I think should lay it all on the line to go after him? How about the San Diego Chargers. I know many were hoping I'd say Dallas, and that would be scary, but just take a minute and become a defensive coordinator for a team getting ready to play the Bolts with Moss in the lineup. How on gods green earth would you cover this team? With the best TE in the game lining up in the slot, it would be almost impossible to play cover two or you'd get killed. With Chris Chambers lining up at the two, you would not have the luxury of drawing safety help to Moss' side. Rivers is an accurate passer who could make all of the throws, and then of course there is the leagues most dangerous player lining up in the backfield. With Tomlinson back there you could not play nickel or dime all day and live to tell about it, and when you shove eight in the box to shut LT down, he instead becomes a receiver and you have to try and cover him, Moss, Gates, and Chambers all at once. What a nightmare. I think an offense like that would put up bigger, badder numbers that the Pats did last year, and they have a better defense to boot.

Now lets look at the other big time New England free agent, CB, Asante Samuel. There are many teams in the league who could use a corner with Samuel's ability, but where would he fit like a glove? How about we convince the defending Superbowl champion Giants to go after the former UCF standout. Why? Lets take a look. Despite winning it all, the Giants still have some noticeable shortcomings in their secondary. Aaron Ross is awesome, but after him, things get murky. Sam Madison is as old as Dolly Madison. Corey Webster is a Nickel corner at best. Gibril Wilson is a free agent. Adding Samuel to this mix immediately makes this secondary world's better. Samuel lines up against the opposing #1 wide out. Ross blankets the 2. Webster comes off the pine to play nickle, and Madison is able to be released. The team then focuses on trying to resign Wilson, and they have a secondary worthy of a championship club. They can focus on beating big D in the regular season, and they also go into next year with a legit shot at defending their NFC crown.


Last but not least, lets look at where current Bears linebacker, Lance Briggs, could fit. Of course an easier question to answer may be who wouldn't want this outstanding playmaker, but we are not looking for easy, we are looking for which team could sign Briggs and put themselves over the top. My answer, Indianapolis. Here is the situation. How do you make a defense featuring defensive player of the year, Bob Sanders, and pass rushing demon, Dwight Freeney even better? Just add Briggs. The Colts are still set on offense, despite Harrison getting a bit older. He will be back from his injuries, and although he may not regain his previous form, don't ignore him. He will still put it all on the field. The defense has the gritty Sanders in the secondary and the nasty Freeney up front, but who is patrolling the middle? When Tony Dungy was in Tampa, building the Superbowl team, he had Derrick Brooks as his outside backer. Brooks could get after the QB, play the run, or drop into coverage, all with great effectiveness. Briggs is the same type of athlete. He would fit the Tampa Two perfectly, and help push the Colts back to the best in the AFC. Hey, maybe if this comes true we see a Manning v Manning Superbowl next year...