Final word on the NFL's biggest off season winners and losers.

(above) Cleveland Brown head coach Romeo Crennel knows the formula for winning in the NFL.




This is final work on free agency’s biggest winners and losers. This list isn’t a top ten or five, it’s simply comprised of the teams that have either improved the most or declined significantly. All teams not on this list are perceived as being in a state of status quo.

WINNERS:

1. Cleveland Browns: Any time you get a chance to addressee all of your glaring weaknesses on both side of the football you have made an impact for your team’s future. The Browns picked up an excellent center and run blocker in Lecharles Bently, as well as a battled tested third down receiver in Joe Jurevicius. On the other side of the ball Cleveland went with proven winners who have skills, leadership, and good locker room attitude. All of these things were desperately needed on the Browns D, and Willie McGinest, and Ted Washington can sure provide that. Any time you can run the football, convert more third downs, and stop the run you are going to win a lot more football games.

1. Washington Redskins: Although Washington has been much criticized for the sheer mass of players they have signed, beyond that there is some real quality also. Washington played great down to down defense but they have brought in players that can help them become a big play defense. Adam Archuletta is a very underrated DB who has good cover skills, a nose for the ball, and can offer good run stopping support. Just to make sure Archuletta doesn’t have to cover for too long the Redskins added DE Andre Carter. Carter has long suffered with the pitiful 49ers and has gone overlooked, but make no mistake about it he is a dominant pass rusher. On offense the Skins looked to compliment stud receiver Santana Moss, and compliment they did. Antwaan Randle El can serve as an outstanding slot receiver and pose unique problems for defense with his speed and versatility, as well as his kick return ability. Christian Fauria will be the new tight end; this move is somewhat suspect for me because Fauria come from the Patriots. In New England Fauria had the opportunity to be utilized perfectly in red-zone situation, while the Pats used other tight end for the majority of the field (Ben Watson). My favorite move by far is the addition of form 49er’s WR Brandon Lloyd. Lloyd will be a great starting receiver for the Redskins; he was well on his way to a huge breakout season last year before San Francisco turned to a rookie quarterback. Lloyd has excellent skills, and could be the biggest bargain in all of this off-season.

1. New York Giants: There is nothing I love more than a team that knows what its weaknesses are, and addressees them as best they can. New York got a nice offensive tackle in Bob Whitfield, a player who can bring a lot of game experience. The Giants added both Sam Madison and R.W McQuarters to its defensive backfield. I know these two players aren’t exactly in their primes, but they are much better than what N.Y put on the field last season and that is improvement. R.W also ad’s outstanding kick return skills when needed, as well as a nose for the end zone. McQuarters is one of those players who has a knack for making momentum-changing plays, and that is invaluable.

1. Miami Dolphins: The addition of a great big arm in Daunte Culpepper is one of the best moves of the year. Culpepper will have an above average running game, and a great trio of receivers at his disposal. To make sure Daunte remains upright in the pocket, L.J Shelton was added to the O-line. Shelton is an above average pass protection guy. On defense Miami needs a lot more help because that side is ageing quickly, but they did pick up a nice stopgap in CB Will Allen.

1. Minnesota Vikings: This is another team that knows what direction it must take, and started heading there. The Vikings added a great run blocking full back in Tony Richardson, and someone to follow him through those holes in former Ravens RB Chester Taylor. Minnesota also acquired guard Steve Hutchinson from the Seahawks, and he’s no stranger to the power running game. We know the Vikings need a lot of help on defense, but an effective clock control running game will help out any D.

1. New Orleans Saints: The Saints finally threw its fans a life preserver (no pun intended) and landed an able quarterback. Drew Brees is a guy who can step in and do the job without all of the poor clock management, and turnovers associated with the Aaron Brooks era. Brees will have a health Duece McAllister, Joe Horn, and untapped talent Daunte Stallworth. This is one move that will allow a team to compete right away. On defense the Saints added DB Omar Stoutmire. Stoutmire isn’t the best DB available by any means, but it is a significant upgrade for the Saints.

1. Tennessee Titans: This is a team with a lot of problems, but they managed to get a lot healthier this off-season. WR David Givens from the Patriots will bring a winning attitude and sure hands. DB Chris Hope also ads valuable experience fresh off of his super bowl victory with the Steelers. The best move was adding center Kevin Mawae. Mawae is still one of the finest pass and run blockers in the game today, and he is also one of the smartest. Having a player of Mawae's caliber anchor your offensive line will go a long way to a stable run game, and a lot less missed assignments. Pound for pound the titan may have come away with the best value pick-ups.

1. San Francisco 49er’s: Not a lot done here, but it is quality work. This is a young team with a lot of needs, and will mostly be rebuilt through the draft. I like the quality of moves done this off-season. 49er’s picked up former Redskins CB Walt Harris. Harris isn’t a lock down corner, but he is an excellent cover guy, a smart guy, and dependable from down to down. On offense San Francisco got a whole lot of experience on the offensive line with Larry Allen. Allen may not be the man he once was, but half of what Allen used to be is better than most linemen. He brings incredible strength to the run blocking game, and more game experience than all of the 49er’s put together. I can just see all of the young 49er’s gathered around the campfire to listen to big Larry tell tales of the ‘play-offs.’

Losers:

1. Oakland Raiders: This is truly the most baffling off-season for any of the 32 teams in pro-football. Fed up with the erratic turnover laden style of Kerry Collins the Raiders turn to the services of the erratic turnover machine Aaron Brooks. This move doesn’t make any sense; it leaves the Raiders in the exact same state they were in last year if not worse. For God’s sake the Lions got two quarterbacks who would have been better choices than Brooks. Josh McCown, and John Kitna. McCown is ripe for some good ball, and we saw flashes of that last season, and Kitna always plays great when he gets an opportunity. The best part about Kitna is how little wear and tear he has taken recently.

1. Arizona Cardinals: The Arizona Cardinals examined their team needs and came up with the dumbest possible answer. Edgerrin James?? I’m sorry but I was under the impression that the Card’s just drafted J.J Arrington at RB last year. Surely he isn’t a bust already. The Cardinals problem is that they can’t block on offense, and they can’t make enough stops on defense. Fix up that shoddy O-line and you’ll see Arrington making some pretty good runs. I think with “Edge” that is too much money going into one position on a team with multiple needs.

1. Baltimore Ravens: WOW, what’s going on? This is a football team with a lot of needs, and they didn’t addressee any of them. There were many, many free agent quarterbacks available that could have served Baltimore well if not as the starter, than certainly as a back-up plan. Brian Griese comes to mind immediately, especially for a team in need of offensive leadership. A wide receiver would have been nice, but instead Baltimore opted to “swap” power running backs. After losing Chester Taylor to the Vikings, the Ravens brought in Denver’s Mike Anderson. Don’t get me wrong, I love Mike Anderson but this is a lateral move at best. You should also consider the fact that Denver routinely produces running backs that look like world-beaters with their superior system and excellent run blocking. Personally I feel like retaining Chester Taylor is a better move here because he is a known quantity. I also think your second running back should bring something to the table that your starter doesn’t, here Jamal Lewis and Mike Anderson are almost identical in style. Where is your change of pace guy? Who’s your third down back?

1. St. Louis Rams: I know that the Rams aren’t in the best financial situation in all of football, but they do have some glaring weaknesses. First the health of Marc Bulger has to start becoming an issue; it is getting more and more apparent that he cannot last an entire season as the starter. A better back up plan than Martin or Fitzpatrick would have been a very wise move. It is also becoming apparent that Rams quarterbacks get injured with alarming frequency, Kurt Warner got his bell rung so many times he still hasn’t divorced that beast he’s married to. Maybe it was Mike Martz’s pass happy system, if that’s the case so be it, but perhaps that O-line needs to be addressed. Last but not least, we all know the Rams need between 10-11 new starting defensive players. St. Louis suffered a major loss in safety Adam Archuletta and replaced him with Corey Chavous. Chavous comes from Minnesota where the word defense means “lawyer up” after a scandal. Chavous is among the most overrated players in all of football, he’s been on one of the worst pass defenses for a few years now and has failed to make it any better. It is beyond me why he was sought after at all, I watch a lot of NFC north games as a Bears fan, and Chavous is frequently out of position and useless in run support. Corey may make a few highlight reel plays a season but that doesn’t make up for all of times he doesn’t know what is going on.

1. Houston Texans: The Texans are in sorry shape, but it’s not as bad as you think. David Carr can pass with the best of them, and Andre Johnson has the makings of a true stud at WR, and Dominick Davis could be a very good running back. If only Houston could block a soul up front this offense could work very well. People want to point fingers at David Carr but it’s dam hard to throw the football when your flat on your back at all times, just look at Bledsoe’s last season with Buffalo. A little blocking goes a long way to show what your skill positions can really accomplish. Defensively Houston has more problems that that. They can’t stop the run, they can’t rush the passes, and they can’t stop the pass…. I’ll stop there before I sound too much like Jim Mora. This off-season Houston signed a glut of free agents; unfortunately it is the who’s who list of nobody’s. I have never seen such a long list of signings for guys I have never heard of in my entire life. With the exception of Jeb Putzier and excellent receiving tight end from Denver. Given that they have so many holes to fill maybe that was the way to go, We’ll see. I just hope that Texans DO NOT draft Reggie Bush. The Texans need to pick up picks, and fix the line on both side of the ball so they can compete. If they take Bush it’s going to be a long couple of years watching him run for his life for ten minutes a snap to get back to the original line of scrimmage. Houston has a golden opportunity to trade their pick for a mass of picks, and get a lot better in a hurry.

1. Chicago Bears: I am a Bears fan, but I have to be a little tough on Chicago here. The Bears are a team on the cusp of being a contender but so far they are standing pat. I heard a lot of talk before this off-season started about Chicago wanting to pick up a quality tight end, a decent cornerback, and good slot receiver. So far none of this has been accomplished, and there have been players available. I will not harass them for passing on Randle El, because he got far more money than he is worth, but the other positions have gone unfilled. I like the fact that Chicago is cap healthy, but there is money to burn this year and the Bears need help in pass defense. If you think I’m crazy talking defense then watch a tape of their loss to Carolina in the playoffs. A quality tight end ( Jeb Putzier) also would have made Rex Grossman’s life a lot easier. I will give Chicago credit for getting Brian Griese, anytime you get a starting quality QB to play second string it’s a major improvement.

1. Indianapolis Colts: The Indianapolis Colts are under the impression that one of the most accurate kickers in all of football is to blame for their playoff blunders. The addition of Adam Vinatieri. Does not make this a better football team. Lets remember that the Colts should not have even been in a position to attempt that field goal, because a Troy Polamalu interception of Peyton Manning on the Colts previous touchdown drive should have stood and effectively ended the game. I think switching kickers is a strange move and paying that much for one is even stranger. Don’t get me wrong there is nothing like a clutch kicker, but I think the price was too high. If the Colts really want to know why they lose playoff games they need to examine that no-huddle offense. You may light the world on fire in the regular season, and score tons upon tons of points, but the playoffs are different. When you go three and out quickly in the playoffs, and fatigue your offensive lineman by holding them at the line of scrimmage like Manning does a team like Pittsburgh will make you pay for it. Against quality defense you can’t go 3 and out that many times to open a game, the opposition will burry you with their own ball control and blitz the heck out of your tired lineman, who are standing in position for 35 seconds a snap for no good reason. Huddle up, run the ball and don’t let your QB get impatient and call bad plays.