The winners and the losers...

... the movers and shakers... the players who should have zigged when they zagged. Players and teams make important decisions during the offseason regarding those who will jump ship. Sometimes it works out for the better and sometimes... well, sometimes... not so much.

One guy who must be pretty peeved is none other than Mr. T.J. Houshmandzadeh of the Seattle Seahawks. He was stuck in Cincinnati for years. He was surrounded by a bunch of selfish thugs who made winning football games very low on their priority lists. All he did was play hard and produce... week in and week out. He played his contract out and became a free agent. He's was moderately sought after on the market and scored a nice contract with a good team. After 10 games his new team is 3-7 and the nightmare he left behind in Ohio has become a dream no one foresaw. LOSER

One the same note, Laveranues Coles begged to be released from the Jets and defected to Cincinnati. The up and coming team he left behind is in complete chaos and his new home is feeling pretty cozy right about now. WINNER

Jason Taylor was unceremoniously dumped by the Redskins, and for a while it looked like no one was going to touch him. He landed back in Miami and the Dolphins are now back in the playoff race after a 0-4 start. As for the Redskins... well things could be better in the nations capital. I'll leave it at that. WINNER

Jonathan Vilma was traded to the New Orleans Saints for very little compensation. He was coming off a knee injury and his stock had dropped dramatically. A year later he is the centerpiece for a new look defense and on his way to another Prowbowl. His team is 10-0 and if they play their cards right there may be another 'bowl' in their future even better than the Probowl. He's a special player and we really made a huge mistake letting him go. WINNER

Jay Cutler demanded to be traded and this may sound just a bit cliche, but be careful what you ask for. Chicago is the worst possible place to play QB in the NFL. Rex Grossman led the Bears to the Superbowl, and half way through the following season was sent to the bench... forever. Cutlers fragile ego and Chicago's blunt force trauma treatment of their QB's is a volatile mix... to say the least. LOSER

The two moves that really perplexed me this offseason were made by players who were 100% free agents and had complete control where they signed. Torry Holy and Terrell Owens made horrible choices electing to play for The Jags and The Bills respectively. Both teams don't have elite QB's and have struggled this year (they also have one other thing in common... they beat the Jets). I am not clear why Holt signed before the draft. I really think his stock would have gone up after WR needy teams who didn't score the players they targeted in the draft began searching the market to fill holes.

I am also curious about the advice T.O. is receiving. He couldn't have found a better deal than playing for the Bills, a horrible team (again... who we lost to) without an established QB? They play in one of the oldest stadiums in the NFL, their owner is nuts, their coach is.... well he's unemployed now, and their is also a bit of an issue regarding the weather in Buffalo this time of year. He signed for a 1 year million dollar contract. If that was his only option he should have just sat out and waited for a big injury. Imagine if Fitzgerald, Randy Moss, or Reggie Wayne were to go down this week. If Owens was still available, he could write his own pay check and coast into the playoffs. LOSER

Our two big additions this offseason were Bart Scott(FA) and Lito Sheppard(trade). Both have had very little impact. Our two big draft picks were Sanchez and Greene. Again, very little impact from the rookies. So I guess I would have to grade the Jets offseason as an 'F'. LOSERS