By Adam Schefter
NFL Analyst
(Feb. 28, 2007) -- Thanks to the millions of dollars that Redskins owner Daniel Snyder and Browns owner Randy Lerner spent at this time last year, NFL teams have been provided an easy-to-use handbook on how the free agent process works.
Or, more aptly, how it doesn't.
Neither Edgerrin James, Terrell Owens, Steve Hutchinson, Charles Woodson or LaVar Arrington -- just some of the headliners from last year's free-agent class -- helped their new teams to a single playoff win this past season.
And it goes beyond the free-agent class of 2006. More than a decade's worth of spending sprees -- many stemming from the mints in Washington and Cleveland -- has demonstrated one lesson as much as any other:
Free agency is intended to accessorize a roster, not customize it.
Indianapolis added a kicker, the most clutch kicker in postseason history, and Adam Vinatieri kicked Baltimore out of the playoffs and Indianapolis on to the AFC Championship Game.
But beyond Vinatieri, none of the other five previous Super Bowl champions -- Pittsburgh, New England and Tampa Bay -- used a newly-acquired free agent to make the difference in the standings or in a season.
In fact, New England's big free-agent splash last offseason was wide receiver Reche Caldwell, who, like his new team, dropped the ball when it looked like they were ready to move on to Miami and a game versus the Chicago Bears.
The last big-dollar, big-name, three-down free agent to catapult his new team to a world championship was tight end Shannon Sharpe, who provided leadership off the field and big plays on it. But more often than not, it's pay for lack of plays.
Now, sometimes there is free-agent gold. Just last offseason, the New Orleans Saints struck it when they signed quarterback Drew Brees. Philadelphia did the same with Jeff Garcia. But for every Brees and Garcia, there is a Scott Mitchell and a Drew Bledsoe.
And with the new free-agent signing period about to kick off, and with players such as cornerback Nate Clements and linebacker Adalius Thomas about to cash in, and with owners about to open their checkbooks in an even grander fashion than they've done in the past, they would be well advised to recognize how wasteful their spending habits often can be.
Unintentionally, millions already have been spent -- on research and lack of development.
NFL Analyst
(Feb. 28, 2007) -- Thanks to the millions of dollars that Redskins owner Daniel Snyder and Browns owner Randy Lerner spent at this time last year, NFL teams have been provided an easy-to-use handbook on how the free agent process works.
Or, more aptly, how it doesn't.
Neither Edgerrin James, Terrell Owens, Steve Hutchinson, Charles Woodson or LaVar Arrington -- just some of the headliners from last year's free-agent class -- helped their new teams to a single playoff win this past season.
And it goes beyond the free-agent class of 2006. More than a decade's worth of spending sprees -- many stemming from the mints in Washington and Cleveland -- has demonstrated one lesson as much as any other:
Free agency is intended to accessorize a roster, not customize it.
Indianapolis added a kicker, the most clutch kicker in postseason history, and Adam Vinatieri kicked Baltimore out of the playoffs and Indianapolis on to the AFC Championship Game.
But beyond Vinatieri, none of the other five previous Super Bowl champions -- Pittsburgh, New England and Tampa Bay -- used a newly-acquired free agent to make the difference in the standings or in a season.
In fact, New England's big free-agent splash last offseason was wide receiver Reche Caldwell, who, like his new team, dropped the ball when it looked like they were ready to move on to Miami and a game versus the Chicago Bears.
The last big-dollar, big-name, three-down free agent to catapult his new team to a world championship was tight end Shannon Sharpe, who provided leadership off the field and big plays on it. But more often than not, it's pay for lack of plays.
Now, sometimes there is free-agent gold. Just last offseason, the New Orleans Saints struck it when they signed quarterback Drew Brees. Philadelphia did the same with Jeff Garcia. But for every Brees and Garcia, there is a Scott Mitchell and a Drew Bledsoe.
And with the new free-agent signing period about to kick off, and with players such as cornerback Nate Clements and linebacker Adalius Thomas about to cash in, and with owners about to open their checkbooks in an even grander fashion than they've done in the past, they would be well advised to recognize how wasteful their spending habits often can be.
Unintentionally, millions already have been spent -- on research and lack of development.
