NFL Offseason Report

The NFL offseason has been in full swing for a while now so I am going to take a look back on what has already happened and a look ahead to the Draft.
During the Free Agency Period there were clear winners and losers. A big winner was the Baltimore Ravens who got Anquan Boldin and Donte Stallworth to pair with Derek Mason to form a top 10 Wide Receiving Corps to help the development of 3rd year star QB Joe Flacco and to take the load of off Pro Bowl Running Back Ray Rice. Another Winner was the Chicago Bears who signed Julius Peppers, Brandon Manumaleuna, and Chester Taylor which was a must considering they dont draft until the 3rd round. One Loser was the Arizona Cardinals who not only saw Kurt Warner retire but also lost Boldin, Safety Antrelle Rolle and LB Karlos Dansby. Another loser is the San Diego Chargers who saw Nosetackle Jamal Williams, RB LT, and CB Antonio Cromartie all depart for other teams.

The NFL owners meetings also produced some major changes most notably Overtime changing for the playoffs. Now if the team who wins the coin toss kicks a FG then the other team gets a chance to match it (which leads to sudden death) or score a TD to win it but if the 1st team scores a TD or the defense scores the game is over. I like the change and see it as an improvement but in my opinion they did not go far enough I would either ensure both teams at least one possession before sudden death begins or play a regular 10 to 12 minute extra period. It also needs to apply to the regular season. Other changes include making it a penalty to hit any offensive player who is defensless in the head, moving the Umpire to the offensive backfield, and blowing a play dead when a ball carrier loses their helmet. The last rule I have a slight issue with as there are times when a players helmet accidentally comes off which would end the play but also the issue is now players may rip at the helmet to get it off as out to end the play.

As for the Draft the players I like are Ndomakung Suh, Gerald McCoy, Eric Berry, Golden Tate, Rolando McClain, Sergio Kindle, and Kyle Wilson. While all the QB's are good I dont think we have any true franchise QBs in the bunch since Bradford has shown to be fragile and with a true top 5 NFL quarterback in Washington's Jake Locker coming out next year I would Pass. The Ravens need to address the following needs DE, CB, WR, K in a somewhat similar order in the First round I would go after Brandon Graham DE/LB from Michigan or Kareem Jackson CB from Alabama if Boise State CB Kyle Wilson is gone.