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NFL Free Agency Begins New Player Era

Photo – Miles Austin - Cowboys

NFL Veteran Free Agency and Trading Period - starts March 5th

NFL Free Agency opens at midnight today with no collective bargaining agreement that will have a huge impact of the player movement this offseason. As a result of no CBA agreement, every free agent will be considered a Restricted free agent that enables the current club capable of retaining a player with a qualified tendered offer. A tendered offer guarantees the current club compensation for every free agent. According to the amount tendered any player, the current club will receive compensation in the form of draft selections. Without an agreement, this will restrict player movement significantly through July 2010 with few clubs actively involved or limited in signing veteran players.

We will have a March Newsletter available Friday that focuses on the Free Agency Class of 2010

Franchised Players 2010 - received tags from current club
Player / Team / Position / 2010 salary
Aubrayo Franklin - 49ers - DT - $7.003 M
Olindo Mare - Seahawks - K - $2.814 M
Ryan Pickett - Packers - DT - $7.003 M
Jeff Reed - Steelers - K - $2.814 M
* Richard Seymour - Raiders - DE - $12.398 M
Vince Wilfork - Patriots - DT - $7.003 M

* Exclusive Free Agent - not free to sign with another club

Free Agency Labels
UFA (Unrestricted free agent)
Player in uncapped year with six or more accrued seasons whose contract has expired.

RFA (Restricted free agent)
Player in uncapped year with at least three accrued seasons whose contract has expired.

EFA (Exclusive restricted FA)
Player whose contract expires at a time when he has fewer than three accrued seasons.

Franchise
Free agent who has been designated as a franchise player.

Transition
Free agent who has been designated as a transition player.

Released
Vested veteran whose contract has been terminated and can sign with any club.

NFL Restricted Free Agents:
Accrued seasons
Player with Three Accrued Seasons
• Right of First Refusal: $1,101,000
• Right of First Refusal + pick in player's original draft round: $1,101,000*
• Right of First Refusal + 2nd round draft pick: $1,684,000*
• Right of First Refusal + 1st round draft pick: $2,396,000*
• Right of First Refusal + 1st and 3rd round draft picks: $3,043,000*
* This number figure or 110% of player's 2009 Salary whichever is higher

Player with Four Accrued Seasons
• Right of First Refusal: $1,176,000
• Right of First Refusal + pick in player's original draft round: $1,176,000*
• Right of First Refusal + 2nd round draft pick: $1,759,000*
• Right of First Refusal + 1st round draft pick: $2,521,000*
• Right of First Refusal + 1st and 3rd round draft picks: $3,168,000*
* This number figure or 110% of player's 2009 Salary whichever is higher

Player with Five Accrued Seasons
• Right of First Refusal: $1,226,000
• Right of First Refusal + pick in player's original draft round: $1,226,000*
• Right of First Refusal + 2nd round draft pick: $1,809,000*
• Right of First Refusal + 1st round draft pick: $2,621,000*
• Right of First Refusal + 1st and 3rd round draft picks: $3,268,000*

Tackles Light up NFL Combine Workout

Photo – OT Brian Bulaga of Iowa

The offensive tackle class took the spotlight on the first day of workouts on Saturday at the NFL Combine with several outstanding performances. The tackle class for the NFL Draft 2010 could provide as many as six #1 selections in April especially after many top performances in the workout drills in Indy. Tackles Russell Okung of Oklahoma St, Brian Bulaga of Iowa, Trent Williams of Oklahoma and Bruce Campbell of Maryland had huge workouts that guarantee each of them a first round grade. Okung has been our #1 tackle prospect all year and probably guaranteed himself a top ten selection with a fine performance. He ran a 5.17 time with 38 reps in the lifting at over 6’5” and 307 lbs.

Brian Bulaga of Iowa came in at 6'5” and 314 lbs. and ran a 5.25 time. He did 26 reps in the lifting and looked sharp in the agility drills. Trent Williams is one of the more versatile linemen in this class and may move into the top ten off his impressive effort. He ran a fast 4.88 time and was impressive in the agility drills. He also had a 34” vertical leap and did 23 reps in the lifting. He came in at 6’5” 315 lbs.

Bruce Campbell came in at over 6’6” and 314 lbs. and had the best performance of the first day with a 4.85 time, 32” vertical leap and 34 reps in the lifting. He is a cut tackle who entered the draft as a junior after only 17 college starts. He has super long arms of 36 ¼ arms and is the best athlete at this deep position. His overall performance moved him into the first round and maybe into the top 20 selections overall.

We will have exclusive NFL Combine Reports for Subscribers this week

Top 64 Pro Prospects - NFL Draft

This is an updated Top 64 Pro Prospects for the NFL Draft 2010 prior to the start of the NFL Combine. We will have exclusive reports for subscribers from the week long event. The NFL Combine has been a key part of the final stages of the evaluation process for future NFL players. We will have further reports during and after the NFL Combine with critical information that will effect the upcoming Pro Days in March.

Photo - OT Russell Okung - Oklahoma St

Pre NFL Combine Rankings * Declared Underclassmen
Pro Prospect / Pos/ School / Ht / Wt / Sp
1. Ndamukong Suh - DT - Nebraska - 6’4” 300 - 4.9
2. * Gerald McCoy - DT - Oklahoma - 6’4” 300 - 4.9
3. * Eric Berry - FS - Tennessee - 5’11” 200 - 4.45
4. * Sam Bradford - QB - Oklahoma - 6’4” 220 - 4.8
5. * Rolando McLain - LB - Alabama - 6’2” 245 - 4.6
6. * Joe Haden - CB - Florida - 5’10” 180 - 4.35
7. * Derrick Morgan - DE - Georgia Tech - 6’5” 270 - 4.7
8 Taylor Mays - S - Southern Cal - 6’3” 235 - 4.5
9. Russell Okung - OT - Oklahoma St - 6’5” 310 - 5.1
10 * Jimmy Clausen - QB - Notre Dame - 6’3” 215 - 4.8
11. C.J. Spiller - RB - Clemson - 5’11” 195 - 4.4
12. * Brian Bulaga - OT - Iowa - 6’7” 320 - 5.0
13 * Dez Bryant - WR - Oklahoma St - 6’2” 215 - 4.45
14 * Anthony Davis - OT - Rutgers - 6’5” 325 - 5.1
15 Sergio Kindle - LB - Texas - 6’4” 255 - 4.6
16. * Carlos Dunlap - DE - Florida - 6’6” 285 - 4.7
17 * Earl Thomas - S - Texas - 5’10” 195 - 4.45
18 Brandon Graham - DE - Michigan - 6’1” 265 - 4.75
19 Jared Odrick - DT - Penn St - 6’4” 300 - 5.0
20 Mike Iupati - OG - Idaho - 6’5” 330 - 5.2
21. * Jason Pierre-Paul - DE - South Florida - 6’5” 260 - 4.7
22 * Brian Price -DT - UCLA - 6’2” 310 - 5.1
23 Trent Williams - OT - Oklahoma - 6’5” 320 - 5.3
24 Patrick Robinson - CB - Florida St - 5’11” 190 - 4.45
25. * Everson Griffen - DE - Southern Cal - 6’3” 265 - 4.65
26 * Navorro Bowman - LB - Penn St - 6’1” 225 - 4.6
27 Dan Williams - DT - Tennessee - 6’2” 300 - 5.2
28 Brandon Spikes - LB - Florida - 6’3” 255 - 4.65
29 Greg Hardy - DE - Mississippi - 6’4” 265 - 4.75
30 Sean Weatherspoon - LB - Missouri - 6’1” 240 - 4.6
31 * Arrelious Benn - WR - Illinois - 6’1” 190 - 4.45
32 * Jermaine Gresham -TE - Oklahoma - 6’6” 260 - 4.65
33 * Jonathan Dwyer - RB - Georgia Tech - 5’11” 230 - 4.5
34 * Ryan Matthews - RB - Fresno St - 5’11” 220 - 4.5
35 * Bruce Campbell - OT - Maryland - 6’6” 320 - 5.2
36. Brandon LaFell - WR - LSU - 6’3” 210 - 4.45
37 Charles Brown - OT - Southern Cal - 6’5” 295 - 5.2
38 * Damian Williams - WR - Southern Cal - 6’1” 190 - 4.45
39 * Chad Jones - S - LSU - 6’2” 225 - 4.55
40. * Golden Tate - WR - Notre Dame - 5’10” 190 - 4.5 .
41 Kyle Wilson - CB - Boise St - 5’10” 185 - 4.45
42. * Rob Gronkowski - TE - Arizona - 6'7" 270 - 4,7
43 Mardy Gilyard - WR - Cincinnati - 6’ 190 - 4.5
44 Perrish Cox - CB - Oklahoma St - 6’ 195 - 4.45
45 Jerry Hughes - DE - TCU - 6’3” 255 - 4.65
46 * Jahvid Best - RB - California - 5’9” 195 - 4.4
47. * Demaryius Thomas - WR - Georgia Tech - 6’3” 230 - 4.5
48 Terrence Cody - DT - Alabama - 6’4” 360 - 5.5
49 Ricky Sapp - LB - Clemson - 6’4” 245 - 4.6
50. * Morgan Burnett - S - Georgia Tech - 6’ 200 - 4.5
51 Nate Allen - FS - South Florida - 6’1” 210 - 4.5
52 * Donovan Warren - CB - Michigan - 6’ 190 - 4.45
53 * Jason Worilds - DE - Virginia Tech - 6’2” 245 - 4.6
54. * Kareem Jackson - CB - Alabama - 5’11” 190 - 4.5
55 Corey Wootton - DE - Northwestern - 6’6” 275 - 4.8
56 Devin McCourty - CB - Rutgers - 5’11” 190 - 4.45
57 Tim Tebow - QB - Florida - 6’3” 235 - 4.55
58 Eric Norwood - DE - South Carolina - 6’ 255 - 4.65
59 Daryl Washington - LB - TCU - 6’2” 235 - 4.6
60 * Dominique Franks - CB - Oklahoma - 6’ 185 - 4.45
62 * Joe McKnight - RB - Southern Cal - 6’ 200- 4.45
63 * Amari Spievey - CB - Iowa - 5’11” 185 - 4.45
64 Tyson Alualu - DT - California - 6’2” 300 - 5.0

2010 NFL Offseason Dates

Feb. 24-March 2 - NFL Scouting Combine, Indianapolis, In.
We will have 2010 NFL Combine info and Free Agency lists for Full subscribers next week

Feb. 25 - Deadline for designating Franchise players
March 5 - NFL Free Agency begins
March 21-24 - Annual owners meeting, Orlando, Florida
Early April - 2010 regular season schedule announced

April 22-24 - NFL Draft 2010 - New York City

Kurt Warner Announces Retirement

Photo – QB Kurt Warner - Cardinals

Arizona Cardinal’s QB Kurt Warner has called an end to one of the great storybook careers in sports and NFL history.
'It's been an amazing ride': Warner stated after retiring after long NFL career on Friday that took a number of unorthodox turns.

The 38-year-old veteran QB announced his retirement from the game after 12 years in the league that included two NFL season MVP awards, one Super Bowl MVP award and 5 Pro Bowl nominations. He came from nowhere to lead the lowly St. Louis Rams to two Super Bowls, winning the first of them.

Before playing in the NFL, Warner played three seasons with Iowa in the Arena Football League and one year in NFL Europe around working as a stocking grocery shelves in Iowa. He grew up in Cedar Rapids, Iowa and played at Northern Iowa as a collegian. Over his incredible NFL career, he went on to rank among the NFL's career leaders in a variety of passing statistics. He was the fastest player in NFL history to 10,000 passing yards and tied Marino as fastest to reach 30,000 yards. He made the St Louis Rams as a backup in 1998 and was thrust into the starting job in 1999 when veteran Trent Green was injured. That began an incredible season that started his career that should earn him a Hall of Fame invitation. Though not a first time Hall of Fame entry, he has all the credentials to earn a place in Canton next to other great NFL passers. His overall performance rivals and surpasses many of the current Hall of Fame passers in Canton.

What is amazing is that he made his first NFL start at the age of 28. He led the Rams to a 13-3 regular-season record that season, then a Super Bowl triumph over the Tennessee Titans. He was selected both the league and Super Bowl MVP. He also has the top three passing performances in Super Bowl history. His 1,156 passing yards in the 2008 playoffs broke the NFL record of 1,063 that he set with St. Louis in 1999.

"It's been an amazing ride," he said. "I don't think I could have dreamt it would have played out like it has, but I've been humbled every day that I woke up the last 12 years and amazed that God would choose to use me."
Warner had one of the greatest playoff performances ever in the Cardinals' 51-45 overtime wild-card victory over the Green Bay Packers on Jan. 10th. In the following playoff game vs the Saints, he sustained a brutal hit in a 45-14 divisional-round loss at New Orleans. It was the last game of his illustrious career.

In a comparison with the 14 quarterbacks to make the Hall of Fame in the last 25 years, Warner has a better career completion %, more yards per pass attempt and more yards per game. Only Dan Marino, Brett Favre and Peyton Manning had more career 300-yard passing games than Warner. In 124 regular-season games, he completed 65.5 % of his passes for 32,344 yards and 208 TDs. He and Fran Tarkenton are the only NFL passers to throw for 100 TDs and 14,000 yards for two different NFL teams. Overall, he has thrown for 32,344 yards and 208 TDs, in addition to winning a Super Bowl and playing in three - two with different franchises. Both franchises, St Louis Rams and the Arizona Cardinals were among the worst in the league, historically before Warner directed them to the title game.

What he was able to accomplish after leaving the Giants was truly amazing. He was mired in a five-year slump and was considered only a backup from 2002 to 2006 when he threw a total of 27 TDs. He rose again to lead the long-suffering Arizona Cardinals to the Super Bowl last year.

He is a committed Christian and man of deep faith who carried his Bible to news conference, walked away with one year left on a two-year, $23 million contract, knowing he still had the skills to play at the highest level. The five-time Pro Bowler was the league Most Valuable Player in 1999, when the Rams also defeated the Tennessee Titans in Super Bowl XXXIV. Warner also was selected Super Bowl MVP. He got hurt in 2000 and wasn't the same player. In 2001, he was magic again, earning NFL MVP honors and The Cardinals He signed to a one-year contract in 2005 largely because no other team would give him a chance to be a starter. Over the next two years, his performance was erratic and when new HC Ken Whisenhunt took over as the Cardinals' coach in 2007, he was the backup to Matt Leinart. He returned to starting duty in 2007 during his third season in Arizona, replacing Leinart. He started 48 of the remaining 49 games of his late career. Over the past three seasons, he threw 83 TDs.

Warner passed for 377 yards in Super Bowl XLIII last year, continuing his tradition of stepping up big in playoff games.

Most passing yards in Super Bowl history
Player / /Team / Yards / Super Bowl
Kurt Warner / Rams / 414 / XXXIV
Kurt Warner / Cardinals / 377 / XLIII
Kurt Warner / Rams / 365 / XXXVI
Donovan McNabb / Eagles / 357 / XXXIX
Joe Montana / 49ers / 357 / XXIII

Kurt Warner’s Career
Statistic / Regular season / Playoffs
Record / 67-49 / 9-4
Completion % / 65.5 / 66.5
Passing Yards Per Game / 258.8 / 304.0
300-Yard Games / 52 (of 125) / 6 (of 13)
Touchdown Passes / 208 / 31
Interceptions / 128 / 14
Passer Rating / 93.7 / 102.8

Warner said he plans to spend time watching his children grow up, do some preaching and perhaps get into football broadcasting. And he knows what he wants his legacy to be.
"It's not the way I threw the football, it's not particular games that I won, but that they remember that here's a guy that believed, that worked hard," Warner said. "Although things didn't always go in his favor, he continued to press through, and with his faith in himself and his faith in God, he was able to accomplish great things."

First Round Selection Order - NFL Draft

Photo – Golden Tate - Notre Dame

The Rams are On the Clock
The St Louis Rams hold the first overall choice of the NFL Draft 2010 on April 22 after another horrific season that saw them win only one game all season. They avoided a winless season by beating the Detroit Lions who became the first club in league history to go 0-16 last season. The final selection order is complete except for the Super Bowl winner and future trades.

x - Ties decided by a coin flip at the NFL Combine
y - Super Bowl game will determine final order after coin flips.

Team / W-L / Opp W-L %
1 St. Louis - 1-15 - .520
2 Detroit - 2-14 - .523
3 Tampa Bay - 3-13 - .55
4 Washington - 4-12 - .49
5 Kansas City - 4-12 - .51
6 Seattle - 5-11 - .47
7 Cleveland - 5-11 - .51
8 Oakland - 5-11 - .52
9 Buffalo - 6-10 - .51
10 x - Denver (Chicago) - 7-9 - .49
10 x - Jacksonville - 7-9 - .49
12 Miami - 7-9 - .55
13 San Francisco - 8-8 - .47
14 Seattle (Denver) - 8-8 - .52
15 New York Giants - 8-8 - .535
16 x - Tennessee - 8-8 - .539
16 x - San Fran (Carolina) - 8-8 - .539
18 Pittsburgh - 9-7 - .48
19 x - Atlanta - 9-7 - .504
20 x - Houston - 9-7 - .504
21 Cincinnati - 10-6 - .49
22 New England - 10-6 - .51
23 Green Bay - 11-5 - .44
24 Philadelphia - 11-5 - .48
25 Baltimore - 9-7 - .52
26 Arizona - 10-6 - .44
27 Dallas - 11-5 - .48
28 San Diego - 13-3 - .45
29 New York Jets - 9-7 - .51
30 Minnesota - 12-4 - .44
31 y New Orleans - 13-3 - .42
32 y Indianapolis - 14-2 - .47