March 24, 2006

Upon further review...

By JON MOFFETT
jrm001@marietta.edu

After what seemed like an eternity of waiting, the NFL finally reached a labor agreement, which in turn brought about the beginning of Free Agency at last. Though many teams hung back and simply observed what the others were doing, there were a few teams who jumped right in with ground breaking moves.

Of the few teams that have made these major moves, the one that sticks out the most is the Cleveland Browns. The Browns have by far made the best moves of the AFC North, but it could be argued that this happened because they also need the most help. Let’s face it, whether you’re a fan of the Browns or not, you have to admit that since their return to the league in 1999 they’ve been less than spectacular. However, new head coach Romeo Crennel seems to know exactly what he’s doing, and with the moves he’s made during Free Agency, every Browns fan’s faith in him has strengthened.

The Browns have drastically improved all three areas of their team in order to be competitive this season, and show that there are indeed two Ohio teams in the AFC North. The offensive line, which was decent last year, has now become one of the, if not the best in the NFL by adding the number one Free Agent LeCharles Bentley to either center or guard, as well as tackle Kevin Shaffer. These two will find a good home with veteran guards Joe Andruzzi and Cosey Coleman, and promising center Jeff Faine.

Also added to bolster a seemingly stagnant offense was veteran wide receiver Joe Jurevicius, who will add some much needed leadership to both the Browns receiving corps and the locker room.

On the other side of the ball, the defensive line has also improved with the addition of veteran run-stopping nose tackle Ted Washington.

However, the most notable addition to the defense has to be Romeo’s good buddy Willie McGinest, who will jump-start the pass rush abilities in Cleveland. For special teams, the Browns replaced their punter Kyle Richardson, who they kicked to the curb (pun intended), with the Dave Zastudil of the Ravens.

Other AFC North happenings include your world champion Pittsburgh Steelers losing the only man who threw a touchdown pass in the Super Bowl for the champs, Antwaan Randle El to the Washington Redskins, who also happened to pick up 49ers star Brandon Lloyd to accompany the ever-talented Santana Moss. It looks like Randle El will once again be the number two, or possibly even number three receiver on the squad.

Not to worry, the Steelers said good-bye to quarterback Tommy Maddox, so their interceptions should go down tremendously. The Steel City also bid adieu to defensive end Kimo von Oelhoffen, as they sent him to the J-E-T-S Jets! Jets! Jets! This move should make Carson Palmer and all of Cincinnati happy.

Speaking of the AFC North Champions, they have recently acquired former Packers wide receiver Antonio Chatman, to replace Chris Henry, who will likely be released due to off-field issues. They also picked up veteran Safety Dexter Jackson from the Buccaneers to help their less than stellar defense, and he will.

Another huge move has “T.O.” Terrell Owens moving from Philadelphia to Dallas. How fitting that Owens is moving to the Lone Star State? Jerry Jones must be losing his memory in his old age, because how could you forget Owens’s unthinkable act? He’s letting the man who committed the ultimate sin, posing on Dallas’s sacred star at midfield, into his barracks? If Drew Bledsoe doesn’t kill him, Bill Parcells will. Since the Cowboys and the Eagles are in the same division, they’ll play each other twice. Both games will be fireworks night.