San Francisco Giants - Pathetic

By Kalen Patrick

The San Francisco Giants won their first title in San Francisco not even 1 year ago after 52 years of suffering. You know who suffered too for those 50+ years? The fans. This team ended the suffering when Brian Wilson struck out Nelson Cruz and I have never seen a fan base so happy. Now fast forward to last night (August 30th 2011), the team has been struggling for a month and the fans were booing the team off the field.

A part of me is wondering if the fans are justified in booing the team that still are the defending world champs. However, when a team is struggling mightily against the likes of the Houston Astros and Cubs, that just spells bad news. The Giants often struggle to score more than 2 runs, and while the Giants lineup is far from lethal, they do have some capable hitters.

When you look at Jeff Keppinger, Carlos Beltran, Pablo Sandoval, Brandon Belt and Aubrey Huff, all of these guys can hit. And what is funny is they actually are hitting pretty well, Keppinger and Sandoval are hovering at or over .300, Beltran has been hitting over .300 with the Giants, and Belt and Huff both have pop and Belt has been hitting extremely well of late. The problem with the Giants is hitting with RISP (Runners In Scoring Position).

JEFF KEPPINGER HAS BEEN AN EXCELLENT ADDITION, EXPECT HIM TO STICK AROUND

As easy as it is to put all the blame on the hitting, the pitching has been pretty inconsistent too, even with the additions of Beltran and Keppinger, they don't even replace the loss of Posey and Freddy Sanchez. The strength of this team is the pitching and always will be. The losses of Brian Wilson and Sergio Romo certainly don't help, and Vogelsong has come right back down to Earth. To be honest, sometimes it just isn't a teams year, similarly to last year everything going right for the Giants, everything has gone wrong this year.

The future is still very bright for the Giants, young pitching staff, capable hitters, next year the 1st 4 hitters in the lineup should be Keppinger, Sanchez, Sandoval, Posey and possibly they bring back Beltran or sign another bat and with having an improved Brandon Belt. 2010 was the year of the Giants, it may be as simple to say that 2011 is not.

GOOD MEMORIES, SF GIANTS 2010 WORLD CHAMPS

My Fantasy Football Team

By Kalen Patrick

The last 2 years I have been incredibly lazy with my Fantasy Football team. But this year, this year I will be putting 110% effort in. I will be in 2 leagues, 1 with randomers and 1 with friends. I just had my draft with the random internet people.

I used the ESPN.COM Fantasy Football Draft. I joined a 12 team Non-PPR league. Based on the random order I came up with the 3rd pick. Ultimately here is the team that I ended up with

STARTERS
QB - Matt Schaub Houston Texans
RB - Chris Johnson Tennessee Titans
RB - Steven Jackson St. Louis Rams
RB/WR - Peyton Hillis Cleveland Browns
WR - Marques Colston New Orleans Saints
WR - Anquan Boldin Baltimore Ravens
TE - Owen Daniels Houston Texans
D/ST - Chiefs
K - David Akers San Francisco 49ers


BENCH
QB - Ryan Fitzpatrick Buffalo Bills
RB - Mike Tolbert San Diego Chargers
RB - Ben Tate Houston Texans
WR - Steve Smith Carolina Panthers
WR - Julio Jones Atlanta Falcons
WR - Michael Crabtree San Francisco 49ers
TE - Zach Miller Seattle Seahawks

Overall I am very happy with the team, I am seriously banking on Chris Johnson and the Titans figuring things out. With a productive CJ and the rest of my team, I could see me having a very successful year. My one other starter who I worry about is Anquan Boldin, just not sure what to expect from him this year. However, I do feel I have capable depth with Smith, Jones and Crabtree ready to step in.

Let me know what you guys think, and update your Fantasy Football teams here. Nothing more fun to talk about than Fantasy Football

49ers vs Texans Pre-Season Week 3 Review

By Kalen Patrick

Score:
San Francisco 49ers - 7
Houston Texans    -    30

The 3rd game of the Pre-Season is typically the closest you get to Regular Season Football. Coaches keep the starters in for the 1st half, so you get a decent barometer of how your team is looking. I come home from a long day at work and am eagerly anticipating the 49ers take on the Houston Texans. Having missed the majority of the first 2 pre-season games, I figured this would be by far the best chance to see Jim Harbaugh's San Francisco 49ers. Ultimately I almost wished I didn't see this game because of how pathetic of a performance it was. The score does accurately depict just how bad of a performance it was by the 49ers. Lets get in to the review of the game itself.

The game started out strong with LB Ahmad Brooks taking an Interception off Matt Schaub to the house. After that I don't think I can find any other positives at all from this game. Besides for the 49ers backup Punter looking solid. Seriously the only positive I can find.

I won't beat up the defense much at all on this game, why? Because the starters were taken out early, I didn't see much blitzing and I expect the defense to look a whole lot different (better) once the season starts. I did like the play of Safety Madieu Williams. Seemed to be near the ball a lot, and along with Donte Whitner, Dashon Goldson and the impending return of Reggie Smith, I like the 49ers safety group.

Now, to the offense, which to sound very cliche, was offensive to me and every other 49er fan. Fundamentally, the biggest problems of the 49ers offense are: 1- Lack of Talent at QB, 2 - New Offensive System (again) and 3- Poor O-Line play. When we talk about Pre-Season, I tend to take the playcalling out of the equation. I understand not wanting to give away plays, or anything. So I won't criticize the playcalling. However, I have to say, I cannot remember when a time I saw worse OL play....ever. Essentially every time I saw either Alex Smith or Colin Kaepernick drop back, they couldn't even finish their step back without one of two things happening. Either they are getting hit or about to get hit. It was downright pathetic.

49ERS QB COLIN KAEPNERNICK UNDER CONSTANT PRESSURE FROM HOUSTON TEXANS

I'm not here to make excuses for either QB, and believe I'm not here for some more Alexcuses, but the OL play was atrocious. There is not one QB who could have been successful with the blocking Smith and Kaepernick received. It was simple blocking assignments that were badly missed (I'm looking at you Joe Staley). There are many possible reasons to explain the poor play of the OL, not enough time to gel, new system, blah blah blah. Fact is, this team needs to be ready to play in 2 weeks, yes 2 weeks from this very day, the 49ers host the Seattle Seahawks at Candlestick Park. I just don't know how ready this team will be.

Top 5 NFC West Must Haves in Fantasy Football

By Kalen Patrick

The NFC West isn't exactly a goldmine for Fantasy Football talent, but there will be some players who will have big impacts on your teams this year. I want to take a look at who are the 5 players from this division that should be on your radar as you prepare your fantasy football teams this season.

1.  Larry Fitzgerald WR Cardinals - Fitzgerald is the one and only Cardinal who should absolutely be a starter on your team. Think about this, last season Larry Fitzgerald had a QB combination of Derek Anderson, Max Hall and John Skelton throwing to him. That in my books is one of the worst QB situations I have ever seen. What were Larry's stats last year? 90 catches for 1137 yards and 6 TD's. While Kevin Kolb is still somewhat of a mystery, he will be better than those QB's and expect another big year from Fitzgerald.

VERNON DAVIS TE 49ERS

2. Vernon Davis TE 49ers - There are many reasons why Vernon Davis is a must have in Fantasy Football this year. Antonio Gates still has lingering issues with his foot, Peyton Mannings status still seems up in the air which effects Dallas Clark. That leaves fewer TE's you can depend on. Vernon is one guy you can depend on however, he has a great connection with QB Alex Smith and the 49ers offense under Jim Harbaugh will likely lean heavily on the Tight Ends. Expect another big year for Vernon, and with other TE's value in question, Vernon is a must have.

3. Steven Jackson RB Rams - Jackson is the most reliable RB from this division, he has played 31 of 32 games the last 2 years and has gone over 1000 rushing yards every year since 2004 (rookie year). While last year he had a career low in YPR (yards per rush), he is still the one RB in this division you can absolutely depend on to get you production. And with the Rams and young Sam Bradford moving to a new offensive system, expect the Rams to lean heavily on him.

4. Frank Gore RB 49ers - If you are in a PPR league, then Frank Gore is a must have. With his injuries it will drop his draft status and allow you to get him later than normal. However, Gore has always been the focal point of the offense, and he is excellent at receiving too. He will be excellent in PPR and a great addition to any of your teams. Don't make him your feature back but having him would be a wise move. There will be weeks where he will carry your team. Expect multiple 100+ yard rushing and 50+ yard receiving with a TD or 2 thrown in. Again Gore is no longer a feature back, but he is an excellent #2 RB for your team.

5. Sidney Rice WR Seahawks - Sidney Rice has all the talent in the world, and will be reunited with Tavaris Jackson in Seattle. While Tavaris is hardly the ideal QB to have throwing to your WR, he does have a connection with Rice and so you can expect very solid numbers. Rice is made for red zone opportunities, so while his yards may not be too high, I would expect his TD's numbers to be high. Normally in this division a guy like Rice would be higher, but there are question marks surrounding him and his situation. Rice should not be your #1 option at WR, but is a solid #2.

SIDNEY RICE WR SEAHAWKS 

Longshot Option: Danny Amendola WR Rams - If you play in a PPR league he could be a huge surprise addition for your team. He had 85 catches last year, and will now be in a Josh McDaniels offense. Expect a possible Wes Welker part 2 type of season. While he did come on to the scene last year, he will still be invaluable to the Rams in short pass yardage situations. Could turn out to be a great guy to have even at the bottom of your FF roster.

That about sums up my thoughts on the NFC West. You should avoid at all costs having an NFC West QB be a starter on your team. Sam Bradford and possibly Kevin Kolb will make solid backups for your team. The defenses to keep an eye on are the 49ers and possibly Rams.

Where Does Terrelle Pryor Fit in the NFL?

By Kalen Patrick

So not 24 hours ago, we learned that Terrelle Pryor will be available to all 32 NFL teams via the Supplemental Draft. It is almost impossible to judge what kind of draft pick teams will give up for him. Almost ZERO scouting done on the guy, yet we all know how valuable QB's are in the NFL. For me, I'd be willing to go as high as a 5th rounder. I could maybe be talked in to a 4th rounder depending on the scouting of Pryor. For the San Francisco 49ers, he really doesn't fit in what they (we) are doing. So the question then lies, where would Terrelle Pryor fit in?

COULD PRYOR AND MCCOY BAT HEADS IN THE AFC NORTH?

So we are looking for a team that has an okayish QB situation now, would be looking for a potential franchise QB in the near future, a non complicated system where Pryor's strengths could be utilized. My best guess right now, would be the Cincinnati Bengals. Why? Well the Bengals have a history of taking on questionable characters, they like to utilize the Supplemental Draft (Ahmad Brooks a few years back), and Pryor could serve as backup insurance if Andy Dalton does not work out. Dalton was a 2nd rounder, so it's not like the Bengals are 100% committed to him (especially financially). While they are making a move to more of a West Coast Offense system, its possible Pryor would have at least a year to learn the system, he is an Ohio Guy and I'm guessing a team like the Bengals would have seen more of him and been more familiar with him than most other teams.

I consider Pryor to be like a raw version of Cam Newton, big arm, athletic, will have a ton to work on to become a quality NFL QB. He definitely has the potential, and I feel that with the way things ended at Ohio State, he is gonna have the biggest chip on his shoulder to succeed. You can never underestimate how much criticism and failure can motivate people (think Michael Vick). I think there are other teams who will (should) be in the market for Terrelle Pryor's services.

Teams that come to mind are: Oakland Raiders, Buffalo Bills, Miami Dolphins, Dallas Cowboys and Detroit Lions. These are all teams with questionable QB situations (Cowboys having by far the best situation of all these teams) and I could see any one of these teams take a chance on Pryor. I think with his potential he has to be a consideration. Backup for a year or two, but a guy who has the ability to maybe one day be the franchise QB that many many teams look for.

Sidenote: I totally understand that there needs to be rules with every sport, however, I really have to disagree with the NCAA on the issue of selling items belonging to the players. I'm sorry, but if Terrelle Pryor wants to give away a game jersey for a tattoo or for money to help his family out, then he should be allowed do that. However the rules are in place and Pryor had to face the consequences, what I don't like is how the NFL is essentially punishing Pryor for breaking an NCAA rule. Sorry NFL, we all know you are big and powerful, but he broke ZERO NFL rules and thus should not have to serve a suspension of 5 games. Not that it really matters because no way Pryor starts an NFL game in 2011. This ruling here sets in motion rulings for the future where college players can get punished by the NFL. Makes no sense.

Should be exciting to not only see where he goes but to keep an eye on his development over the next few years.

Up and Coming QB's

By Kalen Patrick

I want to take a look here at some of the younger QB's who I like a lot going forward. When I say young QB's I mean rookies and QB's entering their sophomore year. Obviously the biggest names are going to be Sam Bradford and Cam Newton based on them being #1 overall picks in 2010 and 2011 respectively. While Bradford seems destined for stardom, Newton is a major major question mark. On the one hand you could see him turning in to a Donovan McNabb/Warren Moon type player but just as easily could turn in to a better version of Jamarcus Russell.

I like Newton in that he does seem to have a much much better work ethic, and he does have better weapons around him in Carolina. He has a great rushing tandem in DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart behind him, and notable weapons in Steve Smith, Greg Olsen and Jeremy Shockey. I think Newton is in a very solid position to succeed, however, he is just too much of a question mark going forward to go either way. If I had to guess I say he makes an early impact in the NFL, but fades out after 5+ years.

A QB who I think deserves a lot more talk is Colt McCoy of the Cleveland Browns, he just has the look of a very very solid NFL QB. I think he can really turn in to a Matt Hasselbeck/early Tom Brady type QB. Don't expect too many 4000+ yard seasons. But he will be efficient, make the plays when you need them and win you games, and isn't that ultimately all you can ask for?

COLT MCCOY HAS THE LOOK OF A WINNER

As for a look at the other rookie QB's besides Newton. It's difficult to tell so early on, but you can also tell when a rookie QB has the "look" of an NFL caliber QB. So far based of what I saw, I came away very impressed with Jake Locker, I think a year or so behind Hasselbeck in Tennessee and he (Locker) will be good to go. From his first performance against Minnesota, I see confidence in the pocket, always looking down the field, pocket presence and great touch on the ball.

JAKE LOCKER HAS THE LOOK OF A DEVELOPING FRANCHISE QB 

As for Gabbert, Ponder, Dalton and Kaepernick? Kaepernick looks a least a year away from starting games, he is a boom or bust guy, I liked how he wasn't hesitating and is extremely athletic and accurate. Just needs to make better decisions which can be taught. Gabbert and Dalton just don't seem to have it, especially Gabbert. Of these 4 QB's I like Ponder and Kaepernick the most in the long run.

These are my thoughts on the young QB's. Of course I may end up being 100% wrong on everything I say, but early on these are the impressions I have gotten and I can't wait to see how everything unfolds. Football is back!!

San Francisco 49ers Pre-Season Week 1

By Kalen Patrick

Final Score:
San Francisco 49ers - 3
New Orleans Saints - 24

As the score suggests, the game was pretty brutal for the 49ers. Jim Harbaugh had an extremely tough task ahead of him this year. The lock-out prevented many offseason activities for the young 49er team and throw in MAJOR question marks at QB and you had to expect a very shaky first viewing. Throw in the fact Gregg Williams (Saints DC) decided to blitz the vast majority of the plays, which is typically a rarity in pre-season games.

While Alex Smith looked well like Alex Smith, the blame cannot be put completely on him. Alexcuses? Perhaps, but the o-line was awful, maybe Brady/Manning can work behind a garbage line, but 90% of the NFL QB's can't. Simple fact. The O-Line must get it together, for the 49ers to stand any chance this year. I do expect them to improve and look a whole lot better by September 11th (week 1) when they are much more comfortable in the offense. The positives on the offense were definitely at RB. Gore looked like his old self and Hunter looks like a great pick so far. Of course we can't look too much in to this. We all remember Thomas Clayton.

Colin Kaepernick got the majority of snaps at QB. And was pretty much what I expected, flashes here and there, bad decisions, and athletic. All things considered with the lockout and everything, he performed just as I thought he would.

The defense almost has the feel of the defense the 49ers have had the last few years. Bend not break, will keep the team in most games, and will need the offense to provide much more production if the 49ers aim to go anywhere this year. Aldon Smith looked very solid in his 49er debut, getting the only sack and providing a great rush all night. Newly signed Donte Whitner had a good game at safety too. Again, I feel this defense will be good enough to keep the team in games, just a matter of what the offense can do.

Harbaugh has essentially 1 month until the season opener. The offense will look better than it did tonight, the real question, is how much better will it look?

SF Giants Slumping - Fact or Fiction?

By Kalen Patrick

The San Francisco Giants have been in their biggest slump of the year and look to continue that tonight (Top of the 5th down 5-0 to the Pirates currently). So when or where did this slump come from? It's easy to point to adding Beltran and Cabrera and look at the Giants record since they joined and blame them. I however would strongly disagree with that theory. The Giants slump started right after their great series in Philly taking 2 of 3 games. Since then the Giants have gone 2-8 and things don't look to be getting better. So what has happened?

GIANTS PITCHERS GOTTA START PITCHING UP TO THEIR HIGH EXPECTATIONS

Well, its the pitching. The Giants even with the additions of Beltran, Keppinger and Cabrera, are still built to be a scrappy team that wins games 4-2 and 3-1 and the always fun 1-0 games. Since the Giants left Philly, the pitching staff has given up 4,7,9,5,6,3,9,2 and 5 so far tonight. Of course the Giants pitchers like any team will have off days, but to have that many high scoring games in such a short space of time is very rare for this pitching staff. Let's not put all the blame on the pitching though, these hitters get paid to hit, and they haven't been producing runs at all.

In the 10 game slump the Giants have scored a total of 21 runs (Average 2.1 runs/game) which is pathetic. Also the Giants have been shut out twice, 8 of the 21 runs came in 1 game. You take that game out and they have 13 runs in 9 games and that equals less than 1.5 runs/game. Even more pathetic. I don't care how good your pitching staff is. Can't win if you don't score.

CARLOS BELTRAN MUST START BEING EXTREMELY PRODUCTIVE

Only when the Giants pitching staff get it together again (and I'm very confident they will) then will they start winning consistently. Also they really need a much bigger contribution from Beltran. Overall Keppinger has been a much better addition and even Cabrera when you factor in what the Giants had to give up for each player.

Only time will tell, luckily the D-Backs are also in a bit of a slump too. But the Giants have to turn it around soon or else they won't be seeing the playoffs this year.

49ers Free Agent Moves

By Kalen Patrick

Not too long ago I made a post about the doom and gloom surrounding the 49ers free agent period. Well in the last few days things have definitely made a turn for the better. The 49ers kicked off the return of Football by essentially losing David Baas, Takeo Spikes, Nate Clements, Aubrayo Franklin, Manny Lawson and Dashon Goldson. That is a lot of starters lost right there, 5 on defense. But now lets take a look at the players the 49ers brought in and how they should compare to the players lost.

First off, lets take a look at the offense. The 49ers replaced David Baas with Jonathan Goodwin. You may say Goodwin who? Goodwin was the Center for the 2009 Superbowl winning New Orleans Saints, and he was a pro-bowler that year. David Baas is an average at best Center. So right off the bat the 49ers have added a veteran and superbowl caliber Center. The most important position on the offensive line. Not only this, but the 49ers added Braylon Edwards at Wide Receiver. Now I know what you're gonna say, "drops!!" right? Well last season Edwards had only 1 drop, and he is exactly what the 49ers needed. We needed size at Wide Receiver and now we have it. Vernon Davis has basically been the lone red zone target.

JONATHAN GOODWIN, WAS THE CENTER FOR THE SB CHAMPS IN 2009

BRAYLON EDWARDS

You know have Vernon up the middle, Edwards on the side, Gore out of the backfield and Crabtree coming across the middle. While Sidney Rice may be a better player, when you factor in $$$ the 49ers did much better getting Braylon. Suddenly you have a lot of weapons on offense, Gore and Hunter/Dixon at RB, Vernon Davis and Delanie Walker at TE, and now Michael Crabtree, Braylon Edwards, Josh Morgan and Ted Ginn at WR. Not too shabby when you add in a pro-bowl center and a lot of young talent on the o-line.

Now for the defense, the 49ers did lose a bunch of players, but they are hoping some guys can step up AND they have made some very smart additions. The secondary was far and away the biggest issue with the 49ers. They dump Clements and Goldson (saving a ton of money) and add Carlos Rogers at CB, who is just as good if not better than Clements is right now, and at a much cheaper price. Last year at Safety the 49ers entered the season with Michael Lewis and Dashon Goldson at SS and FS respectively. Lewis was overrated and overpaid, and Goldson had a good 2009 but was to struggle in 2010. This year the 49ers now have a much better situation, the 49ers added Donte Whitner and Madieu Williams in Free Agency. Whitner will be a starter and Williams most likely the 3rd safety.. Although the 49ers looked in to trading Taylor Mays, he still is a guy with huge potential and ready to be a star (in my opinion) also Reggie Smith at Safety too. So you got 4 guys who can play the 2 positions well now.

CARLOS ROGERS

The biggest question marks for the 49ers are going to be a Linebacker. Spikes was a good player and a vocal leader, now the 49ers are really going to be counting on either Navarro Bowman or Scott McKillop to come up big right now. I think Bowman could (should) be ready to step in at TED. While I think the loss of Manny Lawson is quite big, it seems so far in camp rookie 7th overall pick Aldon Smith is looking very good and the guy the 49ers wanted when they drafted Manny. Aldon Smith is already drawing comparisons to some very decorated pass rushers and that would be a huge boost to the defense. Having a legitimate Pass Rusher.

DONTE WHITNER

I loved Aubrayo in 2009, in 2010 he had a solid year, it really could have gone either way in 2011. For the money it took I thought the 49ers should have brought back Franklin, although I do think McDonald is ready to step up as an everyday starter. I don't think there is much of a drop off on the defensive line to be honest. Isaac Sopoaga has previously played NT and all he will be asked to do is clog space, not penetrate the lines. Sopoaga is certainly capable of that. I also really like McDonald and Justin Smith on the Ends. Both are big and physical, chase Runners down well and are excellent at providing pass rush ability.

With all the recent additions I feel a lot better going in to the season than I did a week ago. I guess Harbaugh and Baalke did have a solid plan in place. The most impressive thing the 49ers accomplished? If you add the guaranteed money for ALL the 49ers players signed (Whitner, Rogers, Edwards, Williams, Goodwin) is the same as what the Oakland Raiders just gave Michael Huff. Now that is excellent General Managing by Trent Baalke.

The Best Remaining Free Agents

By Kalen Patrick

Well we all know the flurry of action that has already taken place since the NFL opened up for business, but there are still a number of solid Free Agents still available and they would/should come at a reasonable price. Lets first take a look at the offensive players still available.

OFFENSE
QB - Marc Bulger - Obvious Bulger is no longer a starter, but in this day and age when the majority of teams will start more than 1 QB in a season, I think Bulger is a very solid #2 option. I would like him in San Francisco as the #3 QB for sure. Veteran guy, very professional, willing to be a mentor for a younger QB.

RB - Ahmad Bradshaw - Bradshaw will never be a feature back and thus won't get paid like one, but like he was used in New York, he can be effective as part of a 2 headed rushing attack.

WR - Malcolm Floyd/TO/Randy Moss - For the 49ers I would love the addition of a Malcolm Floyd, big tall physical receiver, would be an awesome red zone target (the one part of the field Alex Smith excels in) and will never expect to be the #1 receiver, in SF he'd just be a part of the receiving corp. As for TO and Moss, I don't think they get signed soon, however, once Training Camp gets in to full swing, preseason starts and injuries start mounting. You know a team will come calling for their services, it really is a matter of when not if.

COULD WE SEE THIS AGAIN? 49ERS DO HAVE A SERIOUS LACK OF DEPTH AT WR.....

OL - Olin Kreutz C Shaun O'Hara C, Brian Waters OG - Both of these guys are quality Centers. Not only are they both talented players on the field, they would also provide veteran leadership to an O-Line lacking that (cough 49ERS cough). These guys can immediately step in and be the captain of the line. Again teams lacking a Center actually have some good options available. Waters is an established veteran who has had a great career for KC. He is very near the end of the line, however, I wouldn't completely count him out yet as an effective starter. KC have tried to become a much younger team. I still believe he'd help out many teams with a need at RG.

DEFENSE
DL - Aubrayo Franklin NT - It's beyond me how a guy of Franklins caliber seems to have been totally overlooked by teams this offseason. If they only looked at his excellent 2009 season and very respectable 2010 season, there should be a line of 3-4 lining up for his services. He is currently on his way back to meet with the 49ers. I doubt they let him leave without a contract.

ASANTE SAMUEL IS WORTH A 2ND ROUNDER

LB - Lofa Tatupu (available via trade) ILB/ Manny Lawson OLB - Tatupu has recently demanded a trade or release from the Seahawks, while I do feel he is overrated, any 4-3 team requiring LB help should be interested. I think if I'm the Detroit Lions, I'm getting in on this action. Suh and Fairley in the middle, with Tatupu behind? That sounds like a RB's nightmare. Also Lawson is a very solid pass rusher who wasn't asked to rush as much in SF as he should have been. He is also very athletic and capable of covering TE's and Pass catching RB's very well. He will be a great pick up for some team.

DB -  Asante Samuel (via trade)/Carlos Rogers- With the acquisition of Asomugha and DRC, the Eagles can afford to trade Asante. He has a very favorable contract and should be able to net a 2nd rounder from teams needing secondary help (Lions, 49ers). Rogers is actually a good solid cover corner, he just has the worst hands in the NFL, I know it's not exactly a DB's job to catch. But be prepared about 5+ times a year for "HOW DID HE DROP THAT EASY INTERCEPTION?!?!?!?!" Again Rogers is very solid, would make for an awesome #3 CB and good #2.

I just touched on a few players left, there are still some real solid options available, and in particular I'm hoping my 49ers can start getting in on the action.