My annual "Best" and "Worst" moves of the offseason...

Every year at this time I post my analysis of the best and worst moves of the offseason, including FA signings... trades... and the draft.

Top 7 worst moves:

7) Browns keep Mangini. Ummmmm, yeah he is a complete impostor. Huge mistake. Oh well Cleveland, their is always 2011.

6) The NY Jets sign Jason Taylor. I have already cried and dried my eyes over this one. He is not a hungry player, he has lost more than a step, and he will do nothing to help us in the locker room or on the field. For the first time ever I will be rooting against a Jets player. Mr T signed this guy so that he could address other needs in the draft. At #29 in the first round we had Jerry Hughes and Sergio Kindle waiting for us. I like Kyle Wilson, but with no pass rush our talented DB's will be exploited by the talented QB's on our schedule in 2010.

5) The NY Jets release Alan Faneca. The #1 rushing attack in the NFL with Thomas Jones carrying the rock. Jones was a B- RB in 2009 and our O-line made him look like an A+. I know Faneca was on his way out, but this was a huge blunder. Faneca was a leader, just like Thomas Jones. Our beloved Jets have traded some good character leaders for some flashy FA's. Guys like Tomlinson and Taylor have come up short in the post season many times. I am not trying to be pessimistic, but there is very little that happened this offseason that makes me think we are a better football team.

4) Raiders pass on Jimmy Clausen twice, and trade for Jason Campbell instead. Dude, you were going to dump Russell anyway. Bring in a young signal caller with experience in a pro-style offense. You could have landed him in the second round for a reasonable contract Mr Davis. Campbell will be out of the league by 2012. Another washed up QB in Oakland... what's new?

3) Denver trades away Tony Scheffler and Brandon Marshall. In 2006 The Broncos pulled off a hat trick by landing Jay Cutler, Tony Scheffler and Brandon Marshall with their first 3 picks. That was a draft that had the potential to propel Denver to a Superbowl if their owner had not pulled the plug on Shanahan, and let McDaniels come to town and trade away these talented players. All 3 of these guys are the real deal. If Tim Tebow and McDaniels lead Denver to a world championship, I will eat my autographed picture of the great Joe Klecko.

2) Buffalo signs Chan Gailey as the new face of the franchise. Wow... Bill Cowher, John Gruden, Brian Billick, and Bill Parcells were available, all former Superbowl winning coaches. Exciting young coordinators like Brian Schottenheimer, Mike Zimmer, Mike Nolan, and Cam Cameron were also up for grabs. Taking Schotty or Cameron would have hurt an AFC East rival as well as improved their situation... thats two birds with one stone.

Instead they hire another loser to tend this chaotic flock of mammals. The 2010 Bills will be used much like their buffalo counter parts in the animal kingdom. They will provide food and sustenance to the other AFC teams and be extinct when it's all said and done.

1) The St. Louis Rams draft Sam Bradford instead of trading down and trying to fill some more holes on their swiss cheese roster. This guy has no chance with an organization as poorly run as the Rams. ESPN ran a story showing the GM of the Rams taking a poll in a local bar on who the Rams should take #1. He said that it wasn't a PR gimmick, he actually values these drunken losers opinions. WHAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The entire NFC West is a disaster area. I am calling it right now... there will be at least a dozen different QB's who play in that division in 2010.

My top 7 best moves:

7) Seahawks dump Mora unceremoniously and hire Carroll. Huge upgrade. I am shocked that he didn't make a move for Lienhart, who he probably could have landed for the same price as what Whitehurst cost them. I am also shocked that he preferred Neon Leon to McKnight. Not super loyal to his former college guys. Not very confident in Pistol Pete coaching at this level, but it will be fun to watch.

6) Jets trade for Santonio Holmes. A 5th round pick for a WR who is in his prime. He has proven himself on the biggest of stages, and is also coming off a season in which he put up elite numbers. Obviously there is a reason that the Steelers dumped him, but I think that has more to do with their big, goofy, sexually deviant QB than Santonio. I have a feeling that the Jets have landed a guy that can help us take another step closer to our ultimate goal. And if he never scores a TD for us, who cares??? We only gave up a fifth rounder. Brillant move!

5) The Lions. Yep, the whole damn team. I have never witnessed a turnaround like this in such a short time. Granted... they haven't won any games yet in 2010, but I really think they could be on their way to a 6 or 7 win season. That would be a miracle after their record 0-16 season in 2008. I remember lookinmg at their roster during the 2008 season and thinking that they had a major need at almost every position. I couldn't even begin to think about how they could rebuild that mess.

When their new GM and headcoach took over it must have been like taking over an expansion team. Fast forward to the present and they are starting to look like a real football team.

Players like Calvin Johnson, Mathew Stafford, Tony Sheffler, Brandon Pettigrew, Kevin Smith, Bryant Johnson and rookie Jahvid Best may actually make some noise on the offensive side of the ball. I pronounced Stafford as D.O.A when the Lions took him #1 overall in last years draft (much like Bradford this year) but he showed some fight his rookie year.

The Lions also made some improvements on their defense. Not the least of which would be Ndamukong Suh the monster DT out of Nebraska. Some lower profile players who should make big contributions this year will be Cliff Avril and Sammy Lee Hill on the defensive line. Free agent Kyle Vanden Bosch will fill out the D-line very well.

Their LB corps. and secondary are both big question marks. If Favre doesn't come back this year I feel the Vikings will really struggle. Could that open the door for the Lions to be a wildcard team in 2010??? Not a chance in hell. But they are much better than they were 2 short years ago.

4) Redskins fleece their division rival. I am not sure if this should be in the worst moves section for Philly, or here on the best moves list for Washington. Either way, the skins' are winners no matter how you look at it. Finally a real leader behind center and at the all important headcoach post. Essentially the Eagles traded McNabb for Nathaniel Allen, the FS from South Florida. He had better develop into the next Brian Dawkins and Donavan needs to go down early with a major injury for this trade to make sense for Philly.

If the Eagles miss the post season and the Redskins squeak in as a wildcard, I think we will see a complete overhaul in Philadelphia next offseason. Dumping Dawkins last year was bad enough, but trading your franchise QB to the only team in your division with no identity or talent at the most important position on the offense... thats just nutty.

3) Baltimore trades for Boldin. Rice, Flacco and Boldin could do great things for the Ravens... if Anquan can stay healthy. I think he is one of the best WR's in football and he certainly deserves to land with a solid organization like the Ravens... but, can he start 16 games as the #1 guy and be fresh for a playoff run. He hasn't proven that yet.

2) Carolina dumps Delhomme and signs Clausen. Obviously I believe in Jimmy Clausen as I have sang his praises for months on this blog. I am 100% sure that Jake is done as an NFL QB, and I am also 100% sure that either Matt Moore or Clausen will step up and become the Panthers next long term starter. My money is on Jimmy.

This offseason should give the Panthers players a fresh energizing start. They also dumped Peppers, who is an amazing talent but was also becoming a locker room cancer and a distraction. If they can just find a WR to compliment Smith. 2010 won't be their year, but the moves they made this offseason will have long lasting positive effects... and took a lot of balls.

1) The Chiefs entire draft. They may have landed 4 future starters with their first four picks. 3 may start this year. I also love how they made it clear from day one that Jones will back up Charles. Very definitive moves by this team... they may be a real threat by 2011 if their highly overpaid QB can start living up to the hype.

Here's a final few good and bad moves... honorable and dishonorable mentions I guess you could say.

Losers

• Patriots draft a CB when they have a bunch of other glaring needs. FAIL
• Raiders release Russell after only 3 seasons. FAIL
• Vikings allow QB question to go unanswered deep into the offseason. FAIL
• Steelers bring in Leftwich to replace Big Ben for the first 4 games of the season. FAIL
• Bengals sign another delinquent problem child, Pac Man Jones. FAIL
• Pennington tries to make another comeback. FAIL

Winners

• Mike Singletary continues to give the 49ers an identity by sticking win Smith. WIN
• John Gruden stays with MNF and ESPN... love this guy. WIN
• Jerry Jones drafts Desmond Bryant and learns from his past mistakes (passing on Randy Moss). WIN
• Jets dump Kerry Rhodes. Quiet move that sent loud reverberations through the locker room. WIN! WIN! WIN!