Sunday, August 3, 2008

Free Agency: Real World and Madden

The Preseason has started and there are still some decent free agents out there. Its unfortunate for these players that they don't have a place to play football. However, the silver lining is that there is a wealth of players to choose from in Madden 09. Free agents can help bolster depth in a needy area, fill in for an injured player, be a stopgap to hold you over until the next off season, or provide your team with a valuable steal. I always try and add a free agent or two to my franchise at the beginning of the season. Here are a few that I will be interested to look at in this year's version of Madden.

Ty Law CB
Legendary shutdown corner Ty Law is surprisingly still on the free agent market. Law is notorious for asking for way too much money. However, at this point in the year and being at the tail end of his career Law might have to settle for a smaller pay check if he wants to play. The last time Ty Law was mentioned in the news it was Browns GM Phil Savage saying Ty Law's asking price was too high. Kansas City fired him, the Browns think he's not worth the high price, and the Patriots have made little effort to bring back their star corner. Unfortunately for Ty Law, if he doesn't act and soon, his career will be over.

Madden Analysis:
Ty Law's speed will probably be too low to be of great value to a team. However, if Madden has brought back position changes, Ty Law will be a great Safety. His abilities will help provide stability at the safety position or a year while another player is groomed or traded for.

Kendrell Bell LB
Kendrell Bell had a great career in Pittsburgh and then joined Kansas City and did very poorly. He did not fit in at all with the 4-3 defensive structure. What is surprising is that no 3-4 team has wanted to sign him as a veteran voice . He may get a look if injuries occur, but he should have been tried out on many different squads. Kendrell Bell still has some years left in him and could become very valuable to a 3-4 team.

Madden Analysis:
Kendrell Bell will not have a very high rating after an 8 tackle season. However, he can provide depth on linebacker needy teams.

LeCharles Bentley C/G
Bentley suffered a substantial knee injury on the first day of Browns training camp in 2006. Then, he got a staph infection which took him out another year. Finally the Browns released Bentley and he now reportedly has many different offers to join squads. However, most squads are concerned about his ability to come back and play after two years. If he can indeed comeback and play at a level he used to play at, Bentley could be a veritable steal for some franchise.

Madden Analysis:
Bentley's ratings will be hindered by him not being in the NFL for two years. Depending on how kind EA is towards Bentley, he will be a free agent steal or nothing more than a backup.

Daunte Culpepper
I have said enough about Culpepper in this blog for people to know I think he could be great for some team. However, no team seems to be interested in him. It's not surprising considering that most teams solved their QB problems in the draft. However, if an injury occurs and Brett Favre isn't available Culpepper could get looked at.

Madden Analysis:
Culpepper will have a strong arm in Madden. So for those of you in need of a Strong Armed QB, Culpepper could be a cheap solution.

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