The 2009 NFL Free Agency frenzy kicks off at 12:01 AM EST Friday, February 27. The free agency period is not only excited for the players involved, but for the fans as well. It still plays second fiddle to the Draft, but you can’t help but feel a little like a child on Christmas morning.

NFL fans watch the wire hoping to see their favorite team just inked a top free agency. Some teams (the Dallas Cowboys and Washington Redskins) always go after the big name, top-dollar free agents, while other teams (the Pittsburgh Steelers) usually look for cheaper guys that play solid ball. Either way, most teams will add at least one player from free agency.

As of writing this, some of the top players this year include:

QB: Kurt Warner, Kerry Collins, Rex Grossman, Byron Leftwich
RB: Fred Taylor, Cedric Benson, Derrick Ward, Deuce McAllister
WR: TJ Houshmandzadeh, Laveranues Coles, DJ Hackett, Marvin Harrison, Nate Washington
OL: Matt Birk, Jeff Saturday
LB: Ray Lewis, Takeo Spikes, Channing Crowder, Derrick Brooks
DL: Albert Haynesworth, Jonathan Babineaux
DB: Chris McAlister, Brian Dawkins, DeAngelo Hall

Good luck to your team! May they spend wisely and not sign a player who quits when he gets a big contract.

Reebok Jacksonville Jaguars #32 Maurice Jones-Drew White Replica Football Jersey
If you act now while the Super Clearance Sale is still on, you can grab a Replica Maurice Jones-Drew Jersey for only $39.96. That’s 20% off it’s normal sale price of $49.95. With a replica jersey purchase you will get:

• Mesh body
• Screen print lettering, numbers & logos
• Screen print stripes on sleeves
• Dazzle shoulders, sleeves & sides
• Embroidered NFL equipment logo at the neck
• Rib knit collar
• V-Neck
• Jock tag
• Drop tail
• Imported
• 100% Polyester

Currently, we have all sizes available from Small to 4X.

About Maurice Jones-Drew
Maurice Jones-Drew is entering the 4th year of his career as a running back for the Jacksonville Jaguars. With the recent release of Fred Taylor, the Jags will look for Maurice to handle a much larger workload. The question has brought up… can Maurice handle being a featured back? He’s only 5’6″ tall and takes a beating when he runs. Maurice is the type of player that looks for contact.

Jones-Drew has only rushed for over 20 carries in a game 5 times in his first 3 years. And in those 5 games, he’s only had one 100-yard performance. There’s no doubt that Maurice is a playmaker and has a nose for the endzone. He’s scored 38 touchdowns already and could realistically be the Jaguars all time touchdown leader in just a few more years. That is if they extend him.

Maurice Jones-Drew wants an extension that pays him as a top back. The Jaguars seem to be a bit hesitant on giving him a big deal until he proves he can be an every down back.

It’s the time of year again… the annual ‘will I’ or ‘won’t I’ retire decision brought to you by New York Jets quarterback Brett Favre. Still feels weird typing New York Jets instead of Green Bay Packers. Packer fans are disappointed about how the season has turned out, but Brett Favre drama is one thing they don’t have to cringe about this offseason.

“I’m an emotional guy, and I’m sure people are tired of seeing me get emotional. People would probably say, ‘Oh, here he goes again.’ I think it would just better for me to just thank the Jets, and I sincerely mean that. It was well worth what I invested. But I’m going to just quietly step away if that’s what happens.”

The Jets went 1-4 over their last five games. Over that span Favre (who allegedly was injured for most of those games) threw 2 touchdowns and 9 interceptions for a QB rating of about 55.

“I have the ability to turn it off just like that,” Favre said. “I don’t feel I have anything else to prove. Do I have to redeem myself for the last five games? No. I could be trying to do that until I’m 60 years old. There is nothing left out there for me from that standpoint. I’m disappointed with the last five games, sure, but I know I did everything I could have.”

What’s your take on this year’s Favre Saga? Do you think he will/should retire, or come back for one more year?

Last Friday night at a Manhattan nightclub, New York Giants wide receiver Plaxico Burress accidentally shot himself in the right thigh. Initially, you might think that it was an accident and he did it to himself… no harm no foul right? Wrong.

Burress was charged with two felony counts of criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree Monday and released on a $100,000 bond. Not only that, but by bringing a loaded pistol into a crowded nightclub is incredibly irresponsible. Innocent bystanders could have be hurt.

A grand jury will hear evidence and make a decision on whether Burress will be indicted. Illegal possession of a firearm carries a sentence of 3½ to 15 years in jail. That’s not good news for Plaxico, who just signed a five-year deal (worth around $30 million) prior to the Giants first game this season.

Burress has been in the news for all the wrong reasons this year. On October 5, he was suspended for a game and fined $117.5k for missing a team meeting. Later on October 24 he was fined $45k for three violations and penalties during the 49ers game. And just over a month ago on October 26, he was held out of the first quarter of the Pittsburgh game for missing treatments for an injury.

There’s no telling how the Giants are going to deal with his current issues. My guess is they’ll let the law takes it’s course before imposing any team sanctions. Let’s just hope that this is a lesson learned by Plaxico Burress… leading to better judgment in the future.

One of the many traditions most Americans celebrate on Thanksgiving is football. Families and friends arrange backyard games, and millions watch football on TV before and after their meals. There are three Thanksgiving Day games this year in the NFL. Detroit and Dallas play ever year, with the third game being rotated yearly.

Tennessee (10-1) vs. Detroit (0-11) at 12:30 PM EST
Seattle (2-9) vs Dallas (7-4) at 4:15 PM EST
Arizona (7-4) vs. Philadelphia (5-5-1) at 8:15 PM EST

The first two games will be broadcast on CBS and Fox, but the night game will be aired on NFL Network. That’s a bummer because the Arizona vs. Philly game is the most intriguing, yet not many people have access to the NFL Network.

I think Detroit is going to come out and play strong. They are far inferior to the Titans team, but on Thanksgiving in Detroit, anything can happen. Detroit has one of the best young wide receivers in Calvin Johnson. It will be fun to see how he matches up with a tough Titans secondary.

Since Tony Romo’s return to the Dallas Cowboys, they have won two NFC games in a row over Washington and San Francisco. Seattle must bring their “A” game if they want to compete with the Cowboys. They need to pick whether to try to stop the run or stop the pass. Either way, the Seahawks must fire on all cylinders or Dallas will beat them with their many weapons.

My score predictions for the games:

Tennessee 28 Detroit 7
Seattle 10 Dallas 31
Arizona 35 Philadelphia 31

Happy Thanksgiving!