- Guru Database: Deep Stats- 5 Years, customizable
- Customized Projections
- Fantasy Football Cheat Sheets, SOS Tool, Points Allowed Tool
- Best Fantasy Football Strategy Articles around
- Tons of News & Inside information
- Trade/Roster Analyzers
- Blogs, Message Boards, Expert Chats, Informative Podcasts, Video Reports, more
- Free Baseball Content
NFL Team Reports (2008 Sample)
Compiled by
Staff Writer, FantasyGuru.com
Published, March 25, 2008
Access Version 1.0 (2/22/08) here.
The bulk of free agency has come and gone. As a result, a ton of players have new homes and the complexion of many teams is starting to come into clearer focus with the 2008 regular season still five full months away. Here’s a pre-draft look at the latest relevant news concerning all 32 NFL squads with specific attention paid to the potential impact of newly acquired players.
WR
Larry Fitzgerald
signed a four-year million contract to stay with the Cardinals after
his name had been thrown around in a lot of trade rumors this
off-season. His new deal frees up some much need salary cap space
for
QB
Chris Redman
signed a two-year contract to
stay with the Falcons. As of now, Redman looks like the odds-on
favorite to be the starter in 2008. However, Atlanta will almost
certainly snatch a franchise quarterback in the draft…S
Erik Coleman
signed a four-year contract with the Falcons to help anchor
Atlanta’s defensive backfield. He has excellent range and good
instincts…RB
Michael Turner
signed a six-year contract with the Falcons.
RB
Mike Anderson
was released and free-agent RB
Musa Smith
could sign with a new team, so the Ravens have a need for running
back depth behind RB
Willis McGahee.
Look for them to address that necessity in April’s draft…C
Mike Flynn
was released…OT
Jonathan Ogden
hasn’t officially retired yet, but he has told the Ravens to proceed
this off-season under the assumption that he won’t play in 2008. He
just can’t seem to overcome the pain of a chronic toe injury…TE
Todd Heap
is recovering nicely from the torn hamstring that made him useless
in 2007. He’s reportedly been watching a lot of film of Charger TE
Antonio Gates
and observing the way he was used by new Raven OC Cam
Cameron when he was with
RB
Anthony Thomas
was released…LB
Kawika Mitchell
signed a five-year contract with the Bills.
WR
Muhsin Muhammad
signed a two-year contract to return to the Panthers after being
released by the Bears.
QB
Rex Grossman
re-signed for one year with the Bears rather than test the
free-agent market. QB
Kyle Orton
signed a one-year contract
extension on the heels of Grossman’s deal to ensure that
WR Antonio Chatman signed a two-year contract to stay with the Bengals, but he’ll likely be buried on the depth chart in 2008…DE Antwan Odom signed a five-year contract with the Bengals. Cincy’s blitz packages were anemic last season and Odom is viewed as a pass-rushing specialist who can create headaches off the edge. He’ll be needed after the loss of DE Justin Smith in free agency. Odom collected 8 sacks last season and he has the speed, strength, and athleticism to perform at an even higher level down the road…RB Chris Perry has been cleared to participate in off-season workouts and he feels he’ll be ready to contribute during the 2008 season after an ankle injury hampered him in 2007…WR Chad Johnson went on the record recently and said he wants to be with a new team in 2008, claiming he needs a “fresh start” and “change of scenery” to reach his full potential. He doesn’t plan on attending any voluntary workouts with the Bengals this spring and neither does WR T.J. Houshmandzadeh, who is displeased with his current contract situation…TE Ben Utecht signed a three-year contract with the Bengals to be their primary pass-catching tight end, as TE Reggie Kelly is more of a blocking tight end…
TE
Kellen Winslow
wants a new contract after playing through pain and performing at a
very high level the past two seasons. However, talks with the Browns
are not progressing at this point, so Winslow could be one
disgruntled player in 2008. Don’t forget that he just had another
off-season knee surgery of the arthroscopic variety to clean up scar
tissue. The bad vibes are engulfing this elite player right now…DE
Orpheus Roye
was released…DT
Corey Williams
was acquired in a trade from the Packers and DT
Shaun Rogers
was acquired in a trade from the Lions. By adding roughly 700 pounds
of beef to their D-line, the Browns can rush the quarterback more
effectively in 2008 and give their woeful secondary a fighting
chance after their pressure packages were totally lame last year.
Head coach Romeo Crennel believes he’ll get
Rogers, who has some dog in him and a major weight problem, to play
at a high level consistently…QB
Derek Anderson
signed a three-year contract to stay with the Browns. You have to
wonder about his decision to remain in Cleveland with QB
Brady Quinn
restlessly waiting for his
chance at the starting gig when he could have tested the market and
found a more secure, long-term gig. Quinn went on the record
recently and said confidently that he plans on competing toughly
with
LB Zach Thomas signed a four-year contract with the Cowboys…WR Terry Glenn is expected to be ready for the 2008 season. He will not have the recommended microfracture surgery on his bum knee this off-season…FB Oliver Hoyte was released…Re-signing OT Flozell Adams to a six-year deal was a must for Dallas, as he has been instrumental in keeping QB Tony Romo from getting murdered and helping the Cowboy running game break scampers to the outside…There have been widespread rumors this off-season that the Cowboys could trade up in the draft to take Arkansas RB Darren McFadden. But it’s more likely that they’ll target his teammate in college RB Felix Jones to complement RB Marion Barber in 2008. Either way, Dallas needs to draft a quick, agile sidekick to Barber…Bengal WR Chad Johnson and Titan CB Pacman Jones are two disgruntled players who have expressed the desire to play for Dallas next season…WR Isaiah Stanback should see the field more often in 2008 after a disappointing rookie season last year in which he was plagued by a shoulder injury…TE Anthony Fasano, who recently had shoulder surgery, should be fully recovered in time for training camp…TE Tony Curtis has a shot of becoming Dallas’ second tight end next season if he has a strong summer…Dallas will likely target the running back, wide receiver, and cornerback position in the draft next month. They need a viable change-of-pace to RB Marion Barber, a playmaking receiver to complement WR Terrell Owens, and some depth at corner behind CB Anthony Henry and CB Terence Newman.
WR
Javon Walker
was released after a knee injury rendered him useless in 2007…WR
Keary Colbert
signed a three-year contract with the Broncos. Given the loss of WR
Javon Walker,
Head coach Rod Marinelli
said that the team doesn’t plan to shop WR
Roy Williams
in a trade this off-season. He added that he’s excited to see
Williams and WR
Calvin Johnson
playing together next year and that he couldn’t envision Williams
leaving Detroit…S
Dwight Smith
signed a two-year contract with the Lions after being released by
the Vikings…Rumors suggest that WR
Shaun McDonald
could be dealt in a trade this off-season. And there’s also been
speculation that McDonald may have had surgery on his knee
recently…CB
Leigh Bodden
was acquired from the Browns. He should start immediately in 2008
because he’s a dynamic playmaker who can play tight, physical
coverage and support in stopping the run. It also helps his case
that Detroit’s pass defense was brutal last season…TE
Michael Gaines
signed a four-year contract with the Lions…CB
Travis Fisher
signed a three-year contract to stay with the Lions…RB
Aveion Cason
signed a one-year contract to stay with the Lions…DT
Chuck Darby signed a three-year contract with the Lions…CB
Brian Kelly
signed a three-year contract with the Lions. He’ll be a starter in
2008 if all goes well in training camp…RB
Tatum Bell
signed a one-year contract to stay with the Lions. Since RB
Kevin Jones
was released recently,
QB
Brett Favre
has announced his retirement from the NFL after 16 seasons with the
Packers. That leaves QB
Aaron Rodgers
as the starter for
WR Andre Davis signed a four-year contract to stay with the Texans. With him sticking around, the Texans officially have a stable and solid receiving corps. Davis should have the inside track for the #3 wideout job in 2008 ahead of WR Jacoby Jones because of his experience, quickness, and steady hands…CB Jacques Reeves signed a six-year contract with the Texans. With CB Dunta Robinson expected to be out until at least mid-season in 2008 with a knee injury, Houston needed a potential starter to patch up their hurting secondary…S Will Demps signed a two-year contract to stay with the Texans…RB Chris Brown signed a two-year contract with the Texans. Head coach Gary Kubiak believes Brown is a perfect fit for new assistant head coach Alex Gibbs’ one-cut-and-go, zone blocking running scheme, which Brown is familiar/comfortable with from his college days at Colorado. Brown will likely share the starting duties with RB Ahman Green in a committee situation. However, the Texans are very optimistic that RB Chris Taylor can contribute to their new style of running the football in 2008, so training camp will make this RB picture much clearer. Plus, Brown isn’t exactly the toughest, most durable player to come down the pike…WR Jacoby Jones was arrested for drunk driving…DE N.D. Kalu signed a one-year deal to stay with the Texans after finishing third on the team in sacks in 2007…QB Matt Schaub’s surgically repaired left shoulder is progressing nicely. His range of motion is almost back, but the team will play it safe and limit his involvement in their off-season conditioning program…QB Quinn Gray signed a one-year contract with the Texans to be their third-string gunslinger in 2008. However, there’s been talk that backup QB Sage Rosenfels could be shopped in a draft-day trade, so Gray could move up the depth chart in the future…
The Colts have been ultra-quiet in free agency this off-season, as they’re expected to return 20 of 22 starters in 2008. Look for them to use the draft to add depth to their already well-balanced roster. Tight end, in particular, could be a position they target in the draft since TE Ben Utecht was allowed to sign with the Bengals…WR Craphonso Thorpe, LB Rob Morris, and DT Anthony McFarland were released…DE Dwight Freeney (foot) and WR Marvin Harrison (knee) are two injured Colt stars who may not see much action in training camp. After all, the team needs them to be at 100% for the regular season…
WR Troy Williamson was acquired in a trade from the Vikings. Plagued by drops and inconsistency in his lackluster NFL career, Williamson is expected to be a deep threat for the Jags in 2008. But his positioning on the depth chart is a mystery at this point…Don’t be surprised if the loss of DT Marcus Stroud this off-season hurts the Jag run defense in 2008. He was a key reason why Jacksonville’s D-line consistently kept opposing running backs in check the past few seasons…QB Cleo Lemon signed a three-year contract with the Jags to back up QB David Garrard in the future…WR Jerry Porter signed a six-year contract with the Jags. Head coach Jack Del Rio recently called him Jacksonville’s “best receiver.” With that said, look for Porter to play the #1 wideout role next season with WR Reggie Williams likely sliding down a peg into the #2 slot…CB Drayton Florence signed a six-year contract with the Jags. He’s expected to fill the role of nickel cornerback in 2008 and bring physicality at the line of scrimmage to the Jag secondary…OT/G Maurice Williams signed a four-year contract to stay with the Jags…QB David Garrard is looking for a juicy new contract comparable to QB Tony Romo’s recent deal after posting a 100+ QB rating in his first full season as the Jag starter in 2007…
Embarrassingly, the Chiefs have not addressed their glaring need for help at the wide receiver, cornerback, and offensive line positions in free agency. Their disturbing off-season inactivity begs three important, slightly rhetorical questions. Why is Herm Edwards still the head coach? Can they possibly fill those numerous needs in the draft? Does anyone actually want to play for Kansas City?…WR Eddie Kennison, TE Jason Dunn, and CB Ty Law were released…LB Demorrio Williams signed a five-year contract with the Chiefs and should have a solid chance of starting next season…WR Devard Darling signed a three-year contract with the Chiefs. Given that KC has only one playmaking wideout in WR Dwayne Bowe, the little-used Darling could be a starter in 2008…
DT Jason Ferguson was acquired in a trade from the Cowboys to help bolster Miami’s woeful interior run defense…LB Reggie Torbor signed a four-year contract with the Dolphins to be a tackling force after Miami couldn’t stop opposing ball-carriers in 2007…WR Ernest Wilford signed a four-year contract with the Dolphins. He’s slated to compete for the #2 wideout gig in 2008…QB Josh McCown signed a two-year contract with the Dolphins. Look for McCown and QB John Beck to battle it out in training camp for the top job in 2008. Still, the Dolphins will almost certainly draft a second-tier QB in April for the future…DT Randy Starks signed a five-year contract with the Dolphins. His massive frame will improve Miami’s lame run defense and clog the middle in their new 3-4 scheme…G Justin Smiley signed a five-year contract with the Dolphins…RB Ricky Williams, who’s reportedly recovering nicely from a torn pectoral muscle, said recently that he expects to play a large role with Miami in 2008. With RB Ronnie Brown recovering quickly from a torn ACL and young RB Lorenzo Booker poised to break out as a consistent change-of-pace back, the Dolphins are looking pretty stacked at running back…K Dave Rayner signed a one-year contract with the Dolphins and he could push K Jay Feely for the starting job next season…WR Tab Perry signed a one-year contract with the Dolphins. If he can bounce back from a pesky hip injury in 2008, he’ll likely assume the kickoff return duties and allow WR Ted Ginn to focus solely on catching the ball as Miami’s top receiving threat…It appears that the Dolphins are targeting Virginia DE Chris Long with their #1 overall pick in the 2008 NFL draft because he can immediately help their defense with his pass-rushing skills…S Keith Davis signed a two-year contract with the Dolphins and he has a shot of being a starter next season over S Yeremiah Bell…DE Jason Taylor could miss significant time in Miami’s off-season workouts and conditioning programs because he is participating in the reality TV show Dancing with the Stars…
The Vikings traded WR
Troy Williamson
to the Jaguars for a sixth-round pick in the 2008 NFL draft…OT
Bryant McKinnie
was arrested for battery and could face team and league discipline.
Head coach Brad Childress is known for his
strict team rules and he hinted recently that McKinnie may not be
with the squad next season even though he’s an integral blocker on
the left side. This was McKinnie’s fourth arrest since he’s been a
Viking and patience is wearing thin within the organization…QB
Kelly Holcomb
was released, leaving QB
Brooks Bollinger
as the backup for Minnesota…S
Madieu Williams
signed a six-year contract with the Vikings. Pass defense has been a
glaring weakness for the Vikings in recent seasons and this signing
should help improve their back end in 2008…WR
Bernard Berrian
signed a six-year contract with the Vikings. His ability to stretch
opposing defenses vertically and draw safety attention downfield
should open things up for
LB
Rosevelt Colvin
and TE
Kyle Brady
were released…RB
Kevin Faulk
was arrested for possession of marijuana and could face team and
league discipline…WR
Kelley Washington
signed a two-year contract to stay with the Patriots…LB
Junior Seau
had off-season shoulder
surgery to repair his rotator cuff after dealing with the injury for
the bulk of the 2007 season…WR
Randy Moss
signed a three-year contract to stay with the Patriots. Moss’ return
to the Pats ensures that
The Saints will play a regular season game against the Chargers in London, England in 2008…K Olindo Mare was released, opening the door for K Martin Gramatica to take over in 2008…WR Terrence Copper signed a two-year contract to stay with the Saints…LB Jonathan Vilma was acquired in a trade from the Jets. The Saints believe he can be a playmaker and a tackling-machine in their 4-3 system and quarterback their defense back to respectability. They better hope his knee can hold up though. He claims the troublesome joint is coming along nicely and approaching full strength…WR Devery Henderson signed a one-year contract to stay with the Saints…RB Aaron Stecker signed a one-year contract to stay with the Saints…CB Randall Gay signed a four-year contract with the Saints and he could easily earn a starting job in 2008 given the Saints’ immense problems in their secondary last year. He’ll likely take over for CB Jason David, who will move into the nickel cornerback role. The Saints needed to get a replacement for David after he was torched repeatedly for big plays in 2007. This move should immediately stop the bleeding in their defensive backfield…DE Bobby McCray signed a five-year contract with the Saints. New Orleans hopes McCray will bolster their weak blitz packages in 2008…WR David Patten signed a two-year contract to stay with the Saints…LB Dan Morgan signed a two-year contract with the Saints…TE Billy Miller signed a one-year contract to stay with the Saints…TE Eric Johnson signed a one-year contract to stay with the Saints…QB Mark Brunell signed a two-year contract with the Saints to back up QB Drew Brees…RB Reggie Bush and WR Robert Meachem, both of whom dealt with knee injuries in 2007, are expected to be at 100% heading into off-season workouts…WR Marques Colston had arthroscopic surgery on his knee this off-season, but he should be able to train with the team as soon as April…RB Deuce McAllister had both knees operated on in 2007 (ACL reconstruction on his left knee, microfracture procedure on his right knee), yet he’s reportedly on schedule to be recovered and ready for the 2008 campaign. However, the fact that the Saints recently chose to push back his million roster bonus a full month suggests he could be on the chopping block…DT Brian Young signed a three-year contract to stay with the Saints…
DE
Michael Strahan
won’t decide between retiring and playing until mid-April.
Apparently, he has some vacationing to do…WR
Plaxico Burress
and TE
Jeremy Shockey
should be fully healed and ready to go in 2008…Head coach
Tom Coughlin signed a four-year million
contract extension…S
Sammy Knight
signed a three-year contract with the Giants. The team is enamored
by his toughness, experience, and instincts, so look for him to
start in 2008…QB
David Carr
signed a one-year contract with the Giants to compete for a backup
job…LB
Danny Clark
signed a two-year contract with the Giants to bring some depth to
their linebacker corps…RB
Derrick Ward
signed a one-year contract to stay with the Giants. His signing
ensures that the Giants will once again have a deep backfield to
help them execute their power-running attack in 2008…DE
Justin Tuck
has reportedly received a ton of interest from other teams this
off-season for his pass-rushing prowess. Yet, since Tuck is viewed
as a future starter by the
WR
Justin McCareins
and CB
Andre Dyson
were released…DT
Kris Jenkins
was acquired in a trade from the Panthers to give the Jets a
run-stopping force in the middle of their D-line, which was run all
over last season…G
Alan Faneca
signed a five-year contract with the Jets. He’s expected to help
mentor
There’s growing speculation that head coach
Lane Kiffin could be on the way out after he
was spotted at the NFL combine sans Raiders’ gear. Plus, he hasn’t
made any media appearances since his end-of-year press conference,
so something is rotten in the state of
DE Jevon Kearse was released…DT Mike Patterson was arrested for possession of marijuana and could face team and league discipline…CB Asante Samuel signed a six-year contract with the Eagles. Philly’s defense generated just 11 picks last season and Samuel has collected 16 INTs the past two years all by his lonesome. Clearly, the Eagles brought him in to create turnovers and give the offense extra possessions in 2008…DE Chris Clemons signed a five-year contract with the Eagles. He’s expected to be used as a versatile pass-rusher who lines up all over the place in DC Jim Johnson’s aggressive defense. Plus, he can help out on special teams…LB Takeo Spikes was released due to a failed physical…Dan Klecko, a former defensive lineman, signed a two-year contract with the Eagles to play fullback in 2008…
QB Ben Roethlisberger signed an eight-year 2 million contract extension with the Steelers after a career year in 2007…RB Mewelde Moore signed a three-year contract with the Steelers. Mainly signed for his special teams abilities and return skills, Moore will likely see action as a third-down/change-of-pace back to RB Willie Parker in 2008 due to his superb receiving talent and quickness…C Justin Hartwig signed a two-year contract with the Steelers to compete with underachieving C Sean Mahan for the starting job in 2008…WR Cedrick Wilson was released. The team cut him loose a day after he was arrested and charged with assault, harassment, and disorderly conduct after a domestic dispute with his former girlfriend…Head coach Mike Tomlin said recently that he wants his O-line to “play better” and “communicate better” in 2008 after its uninspiring performance last season. Because the Steelers love to run the rock to set up the downfield pass, the offensive line is an area that needs vast, immediate improvement, particularly with the loss of mainstay G Alan Faneca this off-season…
TE
Antonio Gates
had surgery this off-season on the dislocated toe that made him
ineffective late in 2007. He’s facing a four to six month recovery,
which puts him on track to be ready for the 2008 regular season.
However, it wouldn’t be surprising if the team allows him some extra
time to heal fully, as his feet are integral to his dynamic game…The
Chargers will play a regular season game against the Saints in
London, England in 2008…LB Derek Smith signed
a two-year contract with the Chargers. He will bring depth and
experience to the Charger defense, but he’s slated to play primarily
in a backup role in 2008…FB Lorenzo Neal, S
Marlon McCree,
and OT Shane Olivea were released…QB
Billy Volek signed a three-year contract to
stay with the Chargers.
The Seahawks hope to sign franchise player CB Marcus Trufant