WithFantasy Footballseason ready to kick in high gear, FanHouse is here to preview each and every team -- one per day until we've done them all.
Meet the ... Perennial sleepers. It seems like almost every season, people are discussing the fact that the 49ers are ready to break out and surprise people and win the NFC West. And then, almost every season, they suck. They might not be great this year either. Mike Singletary brings a more disciplined approach than even Mike Nolan, but you can't possibly expect Shaun Hill or Alex Smith to lead a team to the playoffs. Or can you? Well, actually, for fantasy purposes, who cares? There's going to be a lot of running and a lot of surprises on defense in San Fran this year, and that's going to be where you pick up the value.
No formal announcement has been made, but the Eagles' official web site has shut down because it was overloaded with traffic from running a photo of Samuel and an announcement that he will meet with the Philadelphia media this afternoon.
Samuel is one of the best cornerbacks in the NFL, and he is expected to get a contract somewhere in the neighborhood of the seven-year, $64 million deal that Nate Clements received with the 49ers last year. Giving a free agent that much money would run counter to the way the Eagles usually do things, but Samuel might be too good a player to pass up.
Asante Samuel and the Patriots have until February 29 to work out a new contract or the fifth-year cornerback hits the free-agent market. Depending on whether Nnamdi Asomugha and Marcus Trufant are franchised by their respective teams, Samuel could be the most sought after player -- at any position -- once free agency begins.
The Patriots have promised they wouldn't franchise Samuel (again) so they are faced with paying him gobs of dough or going in a different direction. If they choose to pay him, it won't come cheap (surprising, I know). But how much is the 27-year-old former fourth-round pick looking for? Samuel's agent spoke with the Boston Globe's Christopher Gasper:
Last year, Nate Clements was the top free agent cornerback and received an eight-year, $80 million deal from the San Francisco 49ers that included a $10 million signing bonus and a $10 million option bonus due this year.
But the key to Clements's deal with relation to Samuel is the $28.9 million in base salary and bonuses Clements can make in the first three years. It will likely take something in that range for the Patriots to retain Samuel, although Shavers said he and Samuel haven't settled on numbers yet.
So there you go. Guarantee Samuel somewhere in the neighborhood of $30 million in the first three years, and he's yours, New England. The Patriots have a history of letting high-priced free agents walk (Richard Seymour, Tom Brady and Corey Dillon are the obvious exceptions) and there's no reason to think they'd create future cap problems form themselves just to keep Samuel.
If the two sides can't come to an agreement, one option might be to promoteRandall Gay.
ESPN.com's K.C. Joyner spends a lot of time watching football. And after watching every play of the 2007 season, he thinks Asante Samuel's reputation precedes him. Or more precisely, that Samuel's reputation might not be worth as much as the Nate Clements-type contract he'll surely want this off-season.
According to Joyner's statistics, Samuel was much better in 2006 than last season, and his contract demands might not be worth it based on his productivity. I'm sure the Patriots have considered as much, but I wonder if they came to the same conclusion as Joyner about how to address the potential problem:
If [Samuel's drop in productivity in '07 wasn't] enough to give the Patriots pause, there are some compelling alternate options to Samuel on the free-agent market. The first of these players is already on New England's roster, nickel cornerback Randall Gay.
Gay had a superb 5.8 YPA last season and allowed zero completions on the seven vertical passes thrown his way. Those numbers indicate he has the potential to be a starter. Gay is almost certain to garner a lot of interest on the market, but he will not be priced at the elite cornerback level. He would not cost the Patriots anywhere near as much as Samuel and could potentially give them
Okay, on the surface this sounds preposterous. But then I remembered that Gay was serviceable during his rookie season (2004) when he started nine games for an injured Ty Law.
Good news: Asante Samuel wants to stay in New England. Bad news: the Pro Bowl cornerback told the Boston Globe that "it's gonna take a lot to make me and my family happy."
There's no disputing that Samuel is a top-5 NFL cornerback and will be one of the most sought after players in free agency. And with Nate Clements hauling in an eight-year, $80 million contract from the 49ers last off-season, there's no reason to think Samuel won't be looking for a similar payday.
"The [New England] fans love me and I love them back," he said. "The organization loves me and, hopefully, we can work it out." ... Asked how much he thinks he's worth, Samuel threw the question back at his interviewer: "You take a guess and see if you can hit it. It's no secret I'm looking for a big, huge, blockbuster deal."
The Patriots aren't averse to doling out huge deals (just ask Richard Seymour) but they're also not afraid to cut bait before making a long-term commitment to a player many around the league might think is worth it (just ask Ty Law).
On a scale of 1 to 10, Samuel rates his chances of returning to New England a 10, but if that falls through, there will be plenty of suitors lined up to pay him gobs of dough. Cornerback is one position where you can never have enough depth.
Adam Schefter of NFL Network reports that the Oakland Raiders are expected to put the franchise tag on cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha, who otherwise would become an unrestricted free agent at the end of this month.
For 2008, the franchise tender for cornerbacks is $9.465 million, meaning that if he wanted to, the 26-year-old Asomugha could sign the franchise offer, pocket the $9 mil, and then be a free agent again (or get a 20% pay raise) a year from now.
More likely, though, Asomugha is likely to enter into negotiations on a long-term contract extension with the team. There's no reason that Asomugha shouldn't feel entitled to a contract as valuable as the eight-year, $80 million deal Nate Clements got to sign with the 49ers last year.
But will Raiders owner Al Davis sign off on such a deal? Last year he dragged his feet for a long time on the contract offer to No. 1 overall draft pick JaMarcus Russell, and he may do the same again this year. That means we might see a lengthy holdout for Asomugha.
The Chicago Tribune's Vaughn McClure, with the help of an NFL executive, connects the dots on where soon-to-be Bears free agents, linebacker Lance Briggs and wideout Bernard Berrian, might end up next season. Both have roots in California which has fueled speculation that the Bay Area could be a likely 2008 destination.
Seeing that Patrick Willis was just named Defensive Rookie of the Year, and San Francisco spent gobs of dough for cornerback Nate Clements last off-season, it's clear the team is intent on improving the defense. And for all of head coach Mike Nolan's shortcomings, he's done exactly that. Adding Briggs would obviously improve things.
As for Berrian, who's considered the best available free-agent option at wide receiver (with Patrick Crayton signing his new deal and assuming Randy Moss stays in New England), Oakland seems like a good fit. Al Davis is all about the vertical passing game. Berrian can run like the nobody's business, and JaMarcus Russell can throw it out of the stadium. Seems like a pretty good match. Of course, it's hard to execute a seven-step drop when the offensive line is chock full of holes, but this has to be the year Robert Gallery finally puts it all together.
Clearly, some mix of the two roster-building methods is the best way to build a team, and the New England Patriots would be the most obvious example. So who might the Dolphins target this off-season? Well, according to the Miami Herald's Armando Salguero, the team should have roughly $25 million in cap space, and he writes that the defense could use an infusion of veteran playmakers.
Topping the free-agent wish list: Colts' safety Bob Sanders, followed by Pats cornerback Asante Samuel. Salguero thinks Sanders could be good for Jason Allen's development, and Samuel would be the team's first "lock-down cornerback" since Patrick Surtain and Sam Madison were in their primes. On the defensive line, Salguero shoots for the moon with Albert Haynesworth.
This is a couple of days old, but the events around Falcons HQ since Monday's debacle against the Saints have clouded an interesting rumor. I'll just let Pro Football Talk take it away (scroll down a ways):
Our moles who were in the Georgia Dome on Monday night tell us that, at one point during the game between New Orleans and Atlanta, Falcons cornerback DeAngelo Hall was overheard telling Saints coach Sean Payton, "I'll play for you for the minimum," or words to that effect.
I'm not sure how realistic of a rumor I consider this to be; besides, PFT isn't exactly the most reputable site on the tubes (just kidding, MDS!). If it is true, I'm not so sure how I feel.
On one hand, Hall is incredibly overrated (by everyone, including himself), overpaid, and has a history of attitude troubles. On the other, he's only 24 (he has time to mature as a player and person), already has four years of experience, might be rejuvenated after leaving Hell Atlanta, and despite any inflation of his abilities is still at least 10 times better at his job than Jason David.
Teams with strong character can afford to bring in risky players, especially if that player is particularly interested in said team (see: Patriots and Corey Dillon, Patriots and Randy Moss, Cowboys and Terrell Owens). Hall certainly won't play for the league minimum, but if he really is interested (and isn't looking for Nate Clements money), it's not a bad idea.
You can never have enough good cornerbacks. That's the conventional wisdom in the NFL, and while it seems obvious, it's true. The problem is that finding quality defensive backs comes at a cost. For the 49ers, the price tag was $80 million over eight years for Nate Clements.
Clements was the best available free agent last off-season. When he signed with San Francisco, he thought he was leaving behind all the losing he experienced during his six years in Buffalo. Well, the 49ers started 2-0, but have gone 1-9 since. The Bills, on the other hand, are 6-6. Yeah, it doesn't always work out as planned.
Still, despite San Francisco's record, Clements is having a solid season. I don't know if it's worth $80 million, but there's a good chance he won't see most of that money anyway. Unlike most cornerbacks, Clements not only excels in coverage, but he's one of the teams' best tacklers. Which should come in handy against Purple Jesus this afternoon.
"I'm looking forward to the challenge," Clements said. "Adrian Peterson is a stud. He's one of the most dangerous offensive players in the league. This week is a different situation. I might have to be up there (near the line of scrimmage) to support the run."
According to Football Outsiders, Clements ranks ninth in the NFL against opponents' No. 1 receivers. Pass coverage probably won't be much of an issue against the Vikings, but it's good to know Clements hasn't gotten all fat and sassy after his new deal.
With Fantasy Football season ready to kick in high gear, FanHouse is here to preview each and every team -- one per day until we've done them all.
The NFL free agency sweepstakes is less than 12 hours old, but 
Adam Schefter of NFL Network reports that the Oakland Raiders are expected to put the franchise tag on cornerback 
This is a couple of days old, but the events around Falcons HQ since Monday's debacle against the Saints have clouded an interesting rumor. I'll just let 
