Fantasy Football articles - Sports Grumblings.com

GETTING PRIMED!

The Giants have the Lombardi Trophy, the Patriots are still wondering what happened, and the Pro Bowl is in the books. So what's next for the NFL? Plenty. February kicks off seven months of planning, plotting and preparing for 2008. So what to watch for? A month-by-month primer...

February 20-26: The NFL Combine

In a nutshell: NFL scouts, coaches and execs meet in Indianapolis to observe, test, interview, and generally evaluate the best Draft-eligible players coming out of college ball.
What/Who to watch: There is still much debate about which players will be the top-ranked prospects, but it's fair to say that Arkansas RB Darren McFadden, Virginia DE Chris Long, L.S.U. DT Glenn Dorsey, Boston College QB Matt Ryan, and Louisville QB Brian Brohm will be among the candidates for top pick overall.

February 21: Franchise & Transition player deadline

In a nutshell: NFL teams still have the right to make it hard for some of their top free agents to leave. Teams that designate players with the Franchise tag can hold onto them by paying them the average of the top five NFL players at the Franchise guy's position. Transitioning isn't much different, but usually involves an offer of the average of the top 10 players at his position (while giving the club the right to match other offers).
What/Who to watch: Some holdouts, and lots of hard words by players and agents. Players obviously don't like to be hit with the Franchise tag, but they can't do an awful lot about it (as happened last season with Chicago LB Lance Briggs and New England CB Asante Samuel.

February 29: Free agency opens

In a nutshell: NFL teams become eligible to ink players who qualify for free agency.
What/Who to watch: A possible frenzy. There are a lot of very intriguing and talented free agents available this year. They include the likes of Randy Moss (if he opts for it), Titans' DT Albert Haynesworth, Chicago LB Lance Briggs, New England CB Asante Samuel (pictured), Chiefs' DT Jared Allen, Cowboys' tackle Flozell Adams, and Vikings' FB Tony Richardson, to name a few.

February 29: Trading period begins

In a nutshell: NFL teams can begin trading players (as soon as the teams are under the NFL's salary cap).
What/Who to watch: We'll see. There are lots of names out there already, including Bengals' WR Chad Johnson, Buffalo QB J.P. Losman, several of the players on the Dolphins, and many others. It also would be surprising if the Raiders didn't make a few moves.

March 30: Annual Meetings

In a nutshell: Team brass (owners, general managers, team presidents, head coaches, etc.) meet this year in Palm Beach to talk about the state of the NFL.
What/Who to watch: This season commissioner Roger Goodell may have his plate full. Along with the usual sabre-rattling over the collective bargaining agreement (especially in the wake of some tough talk by the player's union), Goodell's docket includes: Spygate, and whether to allow defensive players to have communications devices in their helmets like QBs do; the possibility of the league branching into Toronto; and some minor proposals, such as possibly tweaking the Pro Bowl.

April 26 & 27: NFL Draft

In a nutshell: The NFL's 32 teams meet in New York for two days and seven rounds of adding the nation's best college players to their rosters.
What/Who to watch: The Miami Dolphins and new team boss Bill Parcells have the privilege of picking No.1 overall. What they will do with the top pick is, of course, up to much speculation already. They mostly need offensive talent, so a QB or RB looks likely. The Rams pick No.2, and either the Falcons or Raiders go No.3. Last year, of course, QB JaMarcus Russell went No.1 overall to the Raiders, but RB Adrian Peterson wound up being the instant superstar of the draft class, at No.7 overall to the Vikings.

May to August: Rookie holdout season

In a nutshell: Since the NFL doesn't have a set scale for rookie salaries, May to August is when the top draftees set the market by holding out for more money. Sometimes it pays off, and sometimes it costs players valuable mini-camp and training camp time.
What/Who to watch: Last year top pick JaMarcus Russell saw his lengthy holdout contribute to him barely playing all season. That lesson may sink in with the top picks of this year's draft, but we'll see.

June 1: Second wave of free agency begins

In a nutshell: This June 1 deadline often means instant free agency for several quality players, often veterans. NFL teams must tender offers to unsigned free agents, restricted or unrestricted.
What/Who to watch: Players such as Seattle RB Shaun Alexander might make a splash here, since cutting him after the June 1 deadline would affect the Seahawks' salary cap differently than if he were cut before June 1. Alexander is the player most often rumored to possibly be on the move, but there are several solid veterans who may hit the market here.

July 15: Deadline to sign Franchise players to offer sheets

In a nutshell: This usually brings some resolution between free agent players and teams who have negotiating over the ÎFranchise' tags. Sometimes it leads to players leaving or being traded, but it often leads to Franchised players staying with their teams.
What/Who to watch: The top unrestricted free agents are the guys to keep an eye on here. Last season the pressure of this deadline led to some (like Detroit DT Cory Redding) getting big extensions from their current teams, while others (like Briggs and Samuel) settled for one-year re-ups with their current squads.

July 17: Training camps

In a nutshell: Teams start to show what they will mostly look like for the 2008 NFL season.
What/Who to watch: The holdouts are often still on at this point, and a few leftover free agents are scooped up and added to rosters. This is an exciting time for fans and teams, as hope springs eternal for every NFL squad.

August: Preseason games & final roster cuts

In a nutshell: Teams mostly play their prospects and second-stringers to evaluate talent and get everyone some game action heading into the season. We also get a closer look at what the rookies can do.
What/Who to watch: Position battles, injuries, and sleepers are all a big part of the Preseason. It's often amazing how much some teams change just over the course of August. From the Hall of Fame Game on Aug.3 (following the Hall of Fame inductions) teams play a month of exhibition contests to get ready for the 2008 NFL campaign.