Story Archive for 07/31/2011
Show/Hide Archive Navigation
NFL Transactions Continue
Published on July 31, 2011 at 11:22PM
As the first wave of preseason games, scheduled for April 11, draw ever closer, as the end of July approached, more prestigious free agents signed with NFL franchises all over the league Sunday.
The New York Jets, who were burned by their failure to procure star cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha rectified their situation somewhat by bringing in former New York Giants and Pittsburgh Steelers star Plaxico Burress.
To me, Burress could be a major coup as he still has plenty of football left in his body after being forced to spend time in prison for taking a gun into a New York nightclub in 2008.
Much like Michael Vick, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has extended the olive branch to him and he is poised and ready to make an impact, just the kind of player Jets head coach Rex Ryan loves to sign.
Additionally, the Buffalo Bills made the most noise they have in several years by signing former Packers linebacker Nick Barnett.
Barnett has been a staple of strong Green Bay teams for several years and with championship experience and lots of good football left in him, the Bills definitely made an upgrade they desperately needed.
Finally, the Arizona Cardinals brought in former Ravens tight end Todd Heap, a Mesa, Ariz. native who, if healthy, can still stretch defenses down the field while providing solid leadership in the locker room.
In addition to this, the Cardinals traded tailback Tim Hightower to the Washington Redskins for Vonnie Holliday, who is among the best locker room leaders in the NFL so Arizona acted wisely, in my opinion, by bringing in low-risks in Heap and Holliday who still have the potential to perform at a high level.
For the first time in years, the Cardinals have a chance to have sustained success and while you can accredit their new home, University of Phoenix Stadium for bringing in bonzo bucks, head coach Ken Whisenhunt deserves the most credit as even now, he is among the league’s most underrated coaches.
As August commences, expect more big NFL news while college football and all of its skeletons in the closet, shall also be addressed, in the next few days so stay tuned!