Ten Best NFL Offseason Moves

Author:
SI Staff
Publish date:
Dec 15, 2006

Ten Best NFL Offseason Moves

Titans draft Vince Young

You really can't understand the impact Vince Young has had by looking at the numbers. He has one of the worst passer ratings in the NFL (65.7), but the guy just knows how to win and teammates get fired up by his competitive spirit. Many experts thought the Titans blew the No. 3 overall pick, but Young has led the Titans to an incredible late-season push. They've won their last four and should be tough to beat down the stretch.

Colts let Edge go

The Colts faced a tough decision regarding Edgerrin James, but they stuck to their guns and opted not to tie up their salary cap on a running back. Instead, they drafted Joseph Addai with the No. 30 pick and he leads all rookie rushers with 867 yards on the season. Indy does have some issues this season -- especially run defense -- but its offense still ranks No. 2 overall and the running game has been fine without James.

Eagles sign Jeff Garcia

The Eagles signed Garcia to a one-year deal in March and hardly anyone noticed. But when Donovan McNabb tore his ACL on Nov. 19 against the Titans, Philly turned to Garcia to lead its chase to the playoffs. Garcia has thrown eight touchdowns and no picks in three games and has given the Eagles a chance to reach the postseason after everyone had given up on them.

Chargers draft Marcus McNeill

Starting a rookie at left tackle doesn't sound like a wise move, especially if you're a veteran team with playoff aspirations. But the Chargers made an incredible second-round pick. McNeill, a 340-pound monster out of Auburn, has protected young quarterback Philip Rivers all season, and many of LaDainian Tomlinson's NFL record 29 touchdowns have come on the left side.

San Francisco cuts Kevan Barlow

Barlow was once considered the backbone of a young and improving 49ers team, but he never quite delivered and they traded him to the Jets for a fourth-round pick. The move allowed them to feature second-year pro Frank Gore, who has rushed for 1,491 yards through 14 games. After Barlow left, he compared San Francisco coach Mike Nolan to Adolph Hitler -- a remark he later apologized for. Barlow simply was not a good fit for the 49ers and Gore appears to be a future super star.

Cowboys extend Tony Romo

The Cowboys had no idea how soon they'd need Tony Romo to take over for Drew Bledsoe and it's doubtful they knew he'd be as good as he has been. Still, it was a good move to give him a one-year contract extension in August that locks him up through the 2007 season. He's saved their season and made everyone talk a little bit less about T.O.

Bears draft Devin Hester

The Bears turned a major weakness, punt returning, into a huge strength by drafting Hester in the second round. The former Miami Hurricane has already set the all-time NFL single-season record for return touchdowns. He has three punt-return touchdowns, two kickoff-return touchdowns and he ran a missed field goal back for a score. He scared coaches a bit at the beginning of the season, but now he's being compared to Deion Sanders.

Ravens sign Steve McNair

McNair doesn't have gaudy numbers -- he has an 83.9 passer rating -- but the former Titans star has given Baltimore enough offense to go 10-3, quite an improvement over last year's 6-10 mark. Most importantly, McNair has avoided mistakes. He hasn't thrown an interception in his last four games.

Jets, Saints choose the right coaches

Sean Payton ran the Saints through a brutal training camp and they came out much tougher. Now, they're a real contender to reach the Super Bowl. The Jets took a risk on the 35-year-old Mangini, and it's paid off. New York was 4-12 in 2005 and is 7-6 with an outside shot at reaching the playoffs this season.

Saints sign Drew Brees

Brees suffered a torn labrum in the final game of last season and the Chargers decided to go in another direction. Many teams were afraid the former Pro Bowl quarterback would never be the same, but the Saints were thrilled to sign him. Brees has thrown for 4,003 yards through 13 games and has the Saints at 9-4.

Ten Best NFL Offseason Moves