NFL 06/07 Talk

[Mofoticon]

And now, if I'm Cleveland, I'm on the horn to Buffalo immediately. "Say, would you be interested in one practically mint-condition #3 pick with which you can take one slightly dinged-up stud running back from Oklahoma? Only cost you your first and, say, third or fourth."

[Vendetta]

Free agent RB Dominic Rhodes reached agreement Friday morning on a two-year, $7.5 million contract with the Oakland Raiders.

[ACCBiggz]

Droughns to the Giants.

[NobBe Nobbs]

From Barber to Droughns, poor Giants.

[JStarr]

Free agent RB Dominic Rhodes reached agreement Friday morning on a two-year, $7.5 million contract with the Oakland Raiders.

Yep, the Raiders see a guy get arrested for driving 20-some miles over the speed limit at 3 AM, half-lit, and proceeding to piss himself, and Al Davis goes, "MY KINDA FOOTBALL PLAYER!!!" Especially since Davis is probably pissing himself at this moment.

From Barber to Droughns, poor Giants.

If there's any justice in football (not likely where Tom Coughlin's concerned, but I digress), Droughns will be collecting his cash to "impart veteran wisdom" to Brandon Jacobs.

[NobBe Nobbs]

Free agent RB Dominic Rhodes reached agreement Friday morning on a two-year, $7.5 million contract with the Oakland Raiders.

Yep, the Raiders see a guy get arrested for driving 20-some miles over the speed limit at 3 AM, half-lit, and proceeding to piss himself, and Al Davis goes, "MY KINDA FOOTBALL PLAYER!!!" Especially since Davis is probably pissing himself at this moment.

[Evil Chase K]

I'm not saying Reuben Droughns is as good as Tiki Barber because that's just assinine (that's a word I learned from Tiki). But Droughns runs hard and with a good OLine might be an above average back.

[VerbalPuke]

The Lions sign TJ Duckett.

For the second time in two weeks, the Detroit Lions have bolstered their running back depth chart, with ESPN.com learning that the team on Friday night reached a contract agreement with unrestricted free agent T.J. Duckett.

A former first-round draft choice, Duckett will sign a one-year contract worth between $1.5 million-$2 million.

Last week, the Lions acquired tailback Tatum Bell from Denver in a trade that sent cornerback Dre Bly to the Broncos. There have already been reports that teams have contacted the Lions about possible deals for Bell, who led Denver in rushing in 2006, with 1,025 yards.

Detroit is stockpiling backs to provide itself options in the event that starter Kevin Jones is not fully rehabilitated from the foot injury which sidelined him for the final month of the 2006 season. Jones suffered a Lisfranc sprain and the recovery from that injury can be dicey. It is not yet known if Jones will be ready for training camp.

Duckett, 26, visited with team officials from the New York Giants and Seattle Seahawks in recent days and received inquiries from several other clubs. The deal with the Lions returns the Kalamazoo, Mich., native to his home state and provides him an opportunity to jump-start a career that slumped in 2006.

A first-round pick of Atlanta in 2002, Duckett played four seasons for the Falcons, all but one of them productive ones, but was traded to Washington last summer in a three-team deal. He played sparingly for the Redskins, however, carrying just 38 times for 132 yards and appearing in only 10 games.

For his career, Duckett has 2,307 yards and 33 touchdowns on 590 attempts, and also has 31 receptions for 249 yards. He has appeared in 65 games and started in 13 of them. His best season was in 2003, when Duckett rushed for 779 yards and 11 touchdowns while sharing the playing time workload with Warrick Dunn in the Falcons backfield.

A solid short-yardage and goal-line back, as evidenced by the 27 touchdowns he scored 2003-2005, Duckett also possesses surprising elusiveness. His goal is to re-establish himself with the Lions in 2007 and then perhaps go back into the free agent market again next spring.

Len Pasquarelli is a senior NFL writer for ESPN.com.

I love it. It's only a one year deal, but I've been a big fan of Duckett since his days in Michigan State. I always thought he would be the next Jerome Bettis, and possibly even better. That never came to fruition, but he's still a very good power back. With him, Jones, and Bell as a trio, I like our back field depth quite a bit. Even if Jones can't go until mid-season, I like Duckett and Bell as a power and speed combo. Nice signing.

[David Hassellhoff]

You know Al Davis decided on Rhodes after only watching his one game at the Super Bowl(the first game of the season where his old ass didn't fall asleep after the first quarter).

[Cactus Drags]

Is it not a little retarded to be insulting the Raiders for making a good signing?

[IAceI]

Nyeh Duckett was a bit of a waste for us, not surprised he's gone with the limited play he did see (when he should have seen more) but with how Betts ended last season, and the fact we have Clinton Portis. Not too much to worry about there on the RB front. Good pick up for Detroit.

[VerbalPuke]

It's funny, I remember when Washington drafted Betts. I remember Kiper being puzzled by the pick because the Skins still had Stephen Davis. Now the pick looks pretty good, and Betts has been a very good back up for you guys. I'm just making a bit of an observation for the hell of it.

As a side note, the Skins wanted Bly and offered Betts/Shawn Springs but the Lions liked Denver's package better.

[David Hassellhoff]

Is it not a little retarded to be insulting the Raiders for making a good signing?

[ACCBiggz]

Except Rhodes is a decent back.

When Edge went out he did very well that year, he has done well in his role since and was one of the keys to the Superbowl. He isn't a game changing RB, but he is a quality pick up.

[NobBe Nobbs]

Is it not a little retarded to be insulting the Raiders for making a good signing?

No it's not retarded when Rhodes is not a good running back; not a good signing. :thumbsdown:

[Commander Sheepard]

But that's the thing: Rhodes IS a good running back. Yeah, he's not one of the socalled "elite" backs, but he's more than adequate, and an upgrade over what they had last year. So I'd call it a good pick-up for the Raiders.

[David Hassellhoff]

Sure Rhodes is better than Oakland's previous back up RB but really that's not hard to top. Rhodes' aside from the Super Bowl had only one other good game the entire year while splitting carries with Addai. We shall see though next year I'll eat my words if Rhodes has a good year in Oakland but don't hold your breath guys.

Edited March 10, 2007 by David Hassellhoff

[Mofoticon]

As far as Droughns to the Giants goes...Watching Droughns last year was like watching a snail try to move...Droughns lost about 5 steps when he signed a new contract, and IMO doesnt have the speed capable of being a good RB anymore.

[ACCBiggz]

Sure Rhodes is better than Oakland's previous back up RB but really that's not hard to top. Rhodes' aside from the Super Bowl had only one other good game the entire year while splitting carries with Addai. We shall see though next year I'll eat my words if Rhodes has a good year in Oakland but don't hold your breath guys.

[Trey]

The Raiders appear to have a good plan. They have Rhodes, who is used to sharing carries and is a quality runner, with Jordan and a very good blocking FB to help the run game. That will take a lot of pressure off of Russell (or whoever ends up starting for them) and will open up for play action (something I think could really help them with Moss still being on the team as of right now).