Free Agency is exciting. When you hear news about your team signing a big name player in the offseason, it's like finding twenty dollars on the sidewalk. You get all pumped up and tell all your friends, because that kind of thing doesn't happen too often. Its a little icing on the cake of your day, but if that's all that happened to you today its nothing really to brag about. Icing, like free agents, isn't something you want to build around. You want to have some kind of substance in place, otherwise you're just eating frosting, and although that is undeniably delicious, it isnt fulfilling.
For the most part, the players that are signed during free agency are flawed in some way, shape, or form. It's very rare when you come across a player like Nnamdi Asomugha, who is among the top three at his position and is not a potential problem for the team to deal with. Oftentimes you see guys like Antonio Cromartie pop up in free agency, extremely talented and productive, yet hard to handle and not the type of player coaches like to have. There are also guys like Jonathan Joseph who are wonderful to have when they are on the field but injury is a constant concern. Signing these drugstore diamonds can definitely bolster a teams roster, but theres a reason they are available.
If you pay attention to the teams that consistently make the playoffs and contend for titles, you see that they are built from the ground up. They get their core group of guys from the draft, and for good reason. It's not just coincidence when you see a rookies draft stock fall when they get in trouble for off the field issues or less than charming personalities, General Managers and Coaches don't want to build a team on a shaky foundation. You can pick and choose what kind of guys you want on your football team, in terms of playing style and personality rather than having to settle for someone who won't fit in quite right.
Keep this in mind, Eagles fans. It does look like you won the Offseason Super Bowl, but nothing is guaranteed once its gametime. There are no promises that a team who is very free agent heavy will have the same kind of chemistry as group of guys who has played together for years. Last year's Green Bay Packers was a perfect example of this. With homegrown players like Aaron Rodgers, A.J. Hawk, and Greg Jennings that have been together a while, everything just runs a little smoother. The players come in to training camp to sharpen their timing and refresh the things they already knew rather than coming into camp to learn everyones name.
Free agents should be utilized like tune-up or replacement parts on a car: only useful when you have somewhere to plug them in, because otherwise all they are is a bunch of extra parts. Yet there are still teams who seem to be oblivious to this. I'm talking about clubs like the Redskins with signings like Albert "Work Ethic" Haynesworth and even the Cowboys in recent years. Hey Philly fans, remember Terrell Owens? There are a handful of teams who dont draft well and try to make it all better by bringing in an aging star or a talented underachiever. Free agency is a very useful tool for GMs, but it's only one tool in a toolbox that should be filled with many.
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