Fantastic Fits: NFC

While the NFL puts the finishing touches on its labor deal, we break out part two of our series detailing the fantastic free agent fits for each of the 32 teams. (If you missed the AFC, well, here it is.)

We're counting players with four years under their belts as unrestricted free agents, and giving a unique player to each team rather than duplicating guys.

 

This won't be worth the phosphorous it's printed on in a week as players actually find homes, but like Bob Seger once said, we've got tonight baby.

Arizona: QB Alex Smith

The Cardinals will probably wind up with Kevin Kolb in a trade, but if that falls through they are going to have to do something to upgrade their quarterback position. Kurt Warner basically sealed his Hall of Fame spot in 2010 as without him the Cardinals turned in the worst season of throwing since apes first flung their poo.

 

Derek Anderson (65.9 rating), John Skelton (62.3) and Max Hall (35.7) weren't the answer – but perhaps Smith could be. Smith has turned in back-to-back seasons of 81.5 and 82.1 passer ratings, and the former No. 1 overall pick is only 27 years old. Even if he just replicated those seasons in Arizona, it'd be a major upgrade.

 

The Falcons addressed their need for a deep threat with the move to get Julio Jones, but their mediocre pass defense (14th in Defensive Passer Rating) and run defense would get an enormous boost from Mikell. He's one of the most underappreciated and well-rounded DBs in the game, and a difference-maker for a team that relied heavily on Bendability (5th) to keep teams off the scoreboard.  

Carolina: WR Sidney Rice

There's plenty of debate about how good Rice is. He had more yards (1,312) in 2009 than he had in his other three pro seasons combined (817), and that's got to be troubling for any team looking to invest huge dollars. Still, Carolina's passing game was so bad (32nd in yards per attempt and passer rating) that it made the poo-flingers in Arizona look like Johnny U. with a bionic arm. The Panthers got Cam Newton to fix one problem, but need a big-time wideout to help/eventually replace Steve Smith. Rice would instantly give Carolina a top-10 tandem outside.

 

Wait, didn't Chicago ride its No. 6 Defensive Hogs to the NFC championship game? Yes, it did. However, veteran tackles Tommie Harris and Anthony Adams are both on the open market, and Matt Toeiana was seeing his first major action as a starter in 2010. The Bears need offensive line help above and beyond first-round rookie Gabe Carimi, but they also need to make sure their strengths remain strong – and Cofield is a consistent and excellent performer inside. He only missed two starts in five years as a Giant.

Dallas: CB Ike Taylor

The Cowboys have made too many big-buck deals to be a major player for Nnamdi Asomugha, so they'll be looking for bargains in their quest to improve a terrible group of pass defenders (29th in Defensive Passer Rating, 92.75). There will be interest in Taylor, but he's 31 and not considered a No. 1 corner, so he could fall in Dallas' price range.

 

The Lions are a team on the rise, but also a team that still has weaknesses in their defensive back seven. Black is a good pass defender who helped Tampa finish No. 7 in Defensive Passer Rating in 2010 (Detroit finished 23rd here), and would look good in the Lions' front-heavy 4-3.

 

The Packers won't be able to do a whole lot in the free-agent market, and they don't need to. They had no real statistical weaknesses last year, and they addressed their No. 16 Offensive Hogs in the first round with rookie tackle Anthony Sherrod. That said, if they could get Light on a one-year deal (unlikely), he'd be a nice fit on either side of the line.

 

The Vikings are a mess. They mortgaged their future to make a run at the Super Bowl in 2009, and enter 2011 with salary-cap problems and deficiencies all over the field. They were No. 22 on the Offensive Hog Index last year, and will need to be a lot better as they shift gears back to being a run-first squad. Yanda, who played well at guard and tackle in Baltimore, would be a real coup for the Vikings' beleaguered front office.

 

Jenkins has played on 4-3 and 3-4 fronts over his somewhat inconsistent career in Green Bay, but has proven pretty conclusively that when he's healthy and focused he's a dominating force. He's got 29 career sacks in 93 games (66 starts), extremely good for a guy who's the designed double-team getter on most plays. New Orleans was 17th in run defense (4.27 against) and 23rd in Negative Pass Plays forced, and Saints fans are still puking in their jambalaya thinking of last year's playoff exit in Seattle. Adding DE Cameron Jordan in the first round of the draft was a good start; Jenkins would be a big finish.

 

The Giants were one of the few teams that didn't show any major weaknesses in our Quality Stats – their worst showing was 20th in Bendability. They might not be too active in free agency, and will need to get one of their free agent running backs back in the fold. If they do get involved with newcomers, Anderson would be a nice fit in their 4-3 after a breakout season with Carolina.

 

The Eagles also displayed balance in 2010, and like the Giants, only struggled with Bendability (25th). We identified their weakness as "locker-room leadership" in our Naughty Nurse series, so maybe the answer would be to bring in a new defensive QB in Pozluzny (incumbent MLB Stewart Bradley is a UFA, and has battled injuries throughout his four years in Philadelphia.

 

While there's an unquestioned need for a quarterback in San Francisco, the 49ers also finished 26th in Defensive Passer Rating despite playing against a pass-allergic NFC West six times. Huff started playing to his No. 7 overall draft status over the past couple of seasons in Oakland, and with all the talent on San Francisco's front seven (No. 10 Defensive Hogs) could really make an impact as a free or strong safety.

 

Memories of Marshawn Lynch's amazing touchdown rumble in the Seahawks' playoff win over New Orleans are still fresh in the great Pacific Northwest, but the fact is that he's got a lifetime 3.9 YPA  average. That's not cutting it.

 

Meanwhile, Williams has quietly amassed a lifetime average of 5.01, which is pretty rarified air. To put it in perspective, even Barry Sanders didn't average five yards a crack over his first five seasons (4.74). Signing Williams will be a risk, with his age (28) and injury history (13 games missed in two years), but Seattle needs improving.

 

Even with their semi-breakout season in 2010, the Rams have a lot of work to do, and improving the No. 26 Offensive Hogs is part of that work. They went WR-WR-TE with their picks in Rounds 2-4 in this year's draft, and they picked tackles Rodger Saffold and Jason Smith in the first round in 2010 and 2009. That leaves the interior, where the tough Dahl has excelled for Atlanta.

 

The Bucs have addressed their defensive line problems with back-to-back drafts top heavy with guys for the front of their 4-3. But what about the "-3" part? UFA middle linebacker Barrett Ruud has to take some of the blame for their No. 31 Defensive Hogs, so it makes sense to go a different direction and take Morrison. Will he be a major upgrade? Maybe, maybe not. But when you're second-worst in the league up front, there's only one way to go. Oh, and they'll likely have to spend $50 million just to get to the new salary floor, so expect a lot of calls from agents in Tampa.

 

Washington: WR Mike Sims-Walker
It seems impossible that the Redskins would have salary-cap room considering their perennial mismanagement, but they've vowed to be active in the market again. They need help all over the field – making this list, there were at least 10 different position players that would have hit the spot.

 

One problem – who wants to play for Washington, with a bad reputation, polarizing head coach and little chance to contend? The answer? Someone who has never experienced winning on the highest level, and someone who wants to get paid. Welcome to Washington, Mr. Sims-Walker.

By Kerry Byrne