The Philadelphia Eagles put together a great run to end the season, eventually making it to the NFC Championship game (again) with Donovan McNabb at quarterback. His week 12 benching seemed all but forgotten, until McNabb reminded the media that things were still kind of awkward.
Then word sprung up that McNabb and the Eagles were getting close to a new deal. But before that could happen, McNabb, according to Michael Smith at ESPN, decided to step away from negotiations, in order that he might find out what the Eagles' offseason would include before signing an extension.
Because the NFL season never ends, we present our 2009 Offseason Roadmaps for front offices to navigate through the summer.
It could be argued that the Cincinnati Bengals did well to win four games in 2008. They were missing their star quarterback, Carson Palmer, for the majority of the season. That left the job to an overmatched Ryan Fitzpatrick, who did his best, but was saddled with a bad running game, worse offensive line and not much defense. The Bengals found a way to win three straight at the end of the season, finishing 4-11-1.
As the Cincinnati Bengals begin to reconstruct their team after a disastrous season, it makes perfect sense that they would use the franchise player designation to keep a key player around. With wide receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh and offensive lineman Stacy Andrews among the potential free agents, the Bengals certainly had options for their tag.
With that in mind, I'm sure no one is surprised that they decided to use it. What should surprise a few people is how the Bengals have decided to use it.
Nate Washington has always been a enigma to Steelers fans. Some (like me) have always had a (maybe unhealthy) fascination with his big-play ability. Other Steelers fans have been constantly frustrated by his tendency to drop passes.
But as big a Washington fan as I am, I have to admit that I was surprised to see that Mike Lombardi's free agent rankings. According to Lombardi, Washington is the second-best free agent receiver available, topped only by Antonio Bryant. To Lombardi, T.J. Houshmandzadeh rates below Washington.
Compared to what Lions fans are dealing with, folks in Kansas City and Cincinnati are rooting for a team that is on the right track. Of course, we all know that isn't true, as the Chiefs just capped off a 2-14 season, their worst in franchise history.
They did manage to win two games, but this truly was one of the worst teams in NFL history. Counting last year, they have lost 23 of 25 games. The Chiefs recorded just 10 sacks this season, breaking the record for least sacks in a season (the Colts had 11 in 1982).
What is amazing is that they were sharing the field with the Cincinnati Bengals. The Bengals have been one of the worst franchises in the NFL over the past 17 years and were 1-11-1 just three weeks ago. An upset win over the Redskins and wins over the listless Browns and Chiefs gave Cincy a nice three-game winning streak to end the season. It also gives an excuse for owner Mike Brown to stay the course and keep head coach Marvin Lewis.
He cites a league source, so this could be real. However, everything would point to them placing the tag on Housh. He is a Pro Bowl receiver, he's been one of the best players on the team despite their recent swoon and they really have no one else they need to use the tag on.
Last offseason, they used the tag on offensive tackle Stacy Andrews. Just last Sunday, Andrews blew out his knee and is done for the season. It is highly doubtful that the Bengals would bother tagging him because his value has dropped this season. So the thought was that the franchise tag could be used on Houshmandzadeh.
The article says that the Bengals will instead attempt to sign Housh to a long term deal, something it hasn't been able to get done all year long. If they can't get anything done, the Bengals still could use the tag on him.
This news could also mean that Chad Johnson could still be in Cincinnati next year. No way does the team let T.J. walk out and then they deal Chad.
The NFL did a smart thing (or rather, the owners did) by naming "Franchise Tag" what they did. It implies an importance to the franchise and denotes some sort of upper echelon status for certain players. There's only one problem -- the franchise tag essentially hurts the player because, while he gets a nice one year payday, there's little in the way of long term guaranteed money.
"I don't know how I can put this," Houshmandzadeh said. "Would I be happy with it? Yeah, because it's a lot of money. But would I be happy with it? No, I wouldn't. I don't know if that makes sense.
"It's going to be my ninth year (in 2009). I didn't play (much) my first three, so I look at it as being my sixth year. You just want to know what's going to happen. If you get a franchise, they want to keep you for one year and that's it. It'd be cool, but it wouldn't be cool."
That's a pretty solid attitude to take -- other players have been vastly less amicable towards the notion of being locked down for a season, particularly since any sort of long term injury would essentially wipe out a big signing bonus that would come with a new contract.
Housh will still probably pull, as PFT notes, somewhere between $9 and $10 million next year, which is still a pretty freaking nice payday when everything sorts itself out. But at the same time, being designated the "Franchise of the Bengals" is like being called "FanHouse's Sexiest Bachelor". Believe me, it's not that exciting.
While there are twenty or so teams trying to get into the playoffs, there are also those bottom feeders who are looking at the offseason. The Cincinnati Bengals are one of them and soon they will have to make a decision they've avoided for two years.
Housh contract is done when the season ends. He currently leads the Bengals in pretty much every receiving category and currently third in the NFL in receptions. Chad Johnson's numbers have dropped off significantly despite being one of the highest-paid receivers in the NFL.
Most people would think that the team would place the franchise tag on Houshmandzadeh and then release or trade Chad Johnson. It is almost inconceivable that the team could afford to keep both, even if some are saying Chad isn't going anywhere.
The playoffs are either upon us or one week away in the majority of fantasy football leagues. With this in mind, Fantasy FanHouse is examining what you can expect from the fantasy relevant players on each team.
Baltimore Ravens
The opposing defenses: vs. WAS (7th against pass, 7th against run), vs. PIT (1st against pass, 1st against run), at DAL (11th against pass, 10th against run) The skinny: Baltimore really got the short end of it when it came to scheduling weeks 14 through 16. With three staunch defenses, nothing is looking very safe in terms of offensive starters. The backfield is a committee at this point and the passing game is in the hands of a rookie. Joe Flacco has three multiple touchdown games in his last four outings, but his yards and attempts are still low and the consistency is not there to risk a playoff start. The Ravens do expect a bigger role from Willis McGahee down the stretch, so he could return to form soon. The only true every-game starter on the Ravens, when it comes to the fantasy playoffs, is the defense. The must-starts: D/ST The likely start:Willis McGahee The spot-start:Joe Flacco, Le'Ron McClain, Mark Clayton, Derrick Mason The no-starts: Ray Rice, Todd Heap The D/ST: The Ravens defense is just owning fantasy land as the season winds down. Start them every week without question from here on out
You have to love Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis. His shameless things aren't that bad routine is a running joke for the Cincinnati media. So much so that everyone just dismisses pretty much anything he says.
"Our football team won't have to go through another season like this. Nor will our fans," Lewis said. "Believe me."
Um, you do know what city you are in, right? This is a franchise that has just 11 winning seasons and just lost their 10th game for the 16th time in 41 seasons. These fans have seen seasons like this before and odds are they will again. There has been exactly one winning season and no playoff wins in the last 17 years. Excuse the fans if they don't believe you.
But what else can he say? Lewis is up against a wall even if his job isn't in serious jeopardy. To be fair, Cincinnati has been devastated by injuries this season -- which includes losing Carson Palmer for most of the season. Palmer will be back next year, but T.J. Houshmandzadeh and/or Chad Johnson may not. There are more questions than answers and not enough people who care to do what it takes to turn it around.
That's why Lewis' words fall on deaf ears around here.
The Philadelphia Eagles put together a great run to end the season, eventually making it to the NFC Championship game (again) with Donovan McNabb at quarterback. His week 12 benching seemed all but forgotten, until McNabb reminded the media that things were still kind of awkward.
Because the NFL season never ends, we present our 
As the Cincinnati Bengals begin to reconstruct their team after a disastrous season, it makes perfect sense that they would use the franchise player designation to keep a key player around. With wide receiver 
Nate Washington
Compared to 
Despite the feeling that 
The NFL did a smart thing (or rather, the owners did) by naming "Franchise Tag" what they did. It implies an importance to the franchise and denotes some sort of upper echelon status for certain players. There's only one problem -- the franchise tag essentially hurts the player because, while he gets a nice one year payday, there's little in the way of long term guaranteed money.
While there are twenty or so teams trying to get into the playoffs, there are also those bottom feeders who are looking at the offseason. The Cincinnati Bengals are one of them and soon they will have to make a decision they've avoided for two years.
The playoffs are either upon us or one week away in the majority of fantasy football leagues. With this in mind, 
You have to love Bengals head coach 
