Offseason Show

It's not sour grapes. I'm content with the Minnesota Vikings being careful in free agency. It's not like the team is only a player or two away from returning to the conference championship game. Flying with an inexperienced quarterback like Christian Ponder tends to force a team to pump the breaks a little. Being competitive next year isn't out of the question. They have some talent. There's a chance. The expectations are just more modest than most in the NFC North. All that being said, I'm not going after all teams that go "all in" with free agency but I often wonder if teams spend a bunch on free agents simply to show that they can. Grab a bunch of stars from other teams to entertain a fan base suffering football withdrawals. The Washington Redskins have often signed players that simply don't fit what they do. Two words. Albert. Haynesworth. The signings frequently look fantastic on paper but do zero on the field. Many have been old. Stars a few years ago but fading now. The Philadelphia Eagles were ridiculous last summer. They were playing fantasy football for real. Nnambi Asomugha is a dynamite cornerback but his skills didn't really fit what the Eagles do. He'll no doubt adapt and be more comfortable next year but it was a stretch to assume that he'd be his usual All-Pro self right away. They'd already paired Dominique Rogers-Cromartie with Asante Samuel in the secondary. Now they had three top corners and not one was comfortable playing nickel. It just didn't work with what they were trying to do. Jason Babin was terrific so not all of their signings struck out. Free agency can become much like a poker game. Bluffs and overbidding. Teams see players that perform well in another system and assume the same production will carry. The bidding leads to overspending and increased expectations. When the player signs his name on a contract a game is won. There's a celebration within the team's facilities and with every fan. It's a game that really means nothing now. It's a show for the media and the fans.