I used to respect this site. But after seeing the grades of the team, with a horrible analysis, its starting to look like BleacherReport.
Buccaneers sign WR Vincent Jackson (5 years, $55.5M; $26M guaranteed): C+ Grade Only a C+!? The media is raving about this signing, yet I'm giving it just a C+? I obviously hate the Buccaneers!
I don't hate this signing (or the Buccaneers), but I don't like it very much either. Is that because Vincent Jackson hasn't caught more than 68 passes in a single season? No, but it doesn't help. Is that because Jackson hasn't played with a non-elite quarterback in his NFL career? No, but it doesn't help.
Here's my reasoning: Players who take tons of money in free agency, going from a playoff-caliber team to a crappy squad, have a really checkered history. Think about Sidney Rice last summer. Think about Albert Haynesworth. Think about O.J. Atogwe. Think about Zach Miller. Think about all of the bums Daniel Snyder has brought in over the years.
These players often fail because money is a greater priority for them than football. Of course money is important, but when you're getting a $55 million contract, why should $5 or so extra million command where you play football? Josh Freeman is a decent quarterback, but he won't maximize Jackson's potential like Philip Rivers could. As a consequence, Jackson's career will never be as great as it could have been. But like Rice, he doesn't care because he squeezed an extra few million out of a terrible team.
Buccaneers sign G Carl Nicks (5 years, $47.5M; $31M guaranteed): C+ Grade Once again, I can't support a signing like this. I'll repeat: Players who come from great franchises and go to bad teams solely for the money seldom pan out. It's apparent that Carl Nicks doesn't care about winning. He just wanted a few extra million that the Buccaneers were able to offer him. Now that he has his mega contract, will he give 100 percent? Will he care if Tampa Bay makes the playoffs or not? Because if he wanted to win and have the best career possible, he would have stayed with Drew Brees.
Buccaneers re-sign G Jeremy Zuttah (4 years, $16 million): C+ Grade This is from a few days ago, but contract details are now known. The Buccaneers are overpaying, but I guess Greg Schiano just wants to keep one of his former players. Jeremy Zuttah is a decent lineman capable of playing multiple positions, but he's not worth $16 million over four years.
Then this?
Rams sign CB Cortland Finnegan (5 years, $50 million): A- Grade This is a really good signing for the Rams. They're filling a big position of need with the top free agent available.
If you're wondering, I'm not penalizing the Rams for signing a guy who took the money to go to an inferior team because Cortland Finnegan wanted to play for Jeff Fisher again. Finnegan knows that Fisher will have his new squad in playoff contention in a couple of years, so his decision to go to St. Louis was a football move.
http://walterfootball.com/freeagents2012recap.php
