NFL Football: Begin the "Cull"

The alternate title for this post had to do with sci-fi movie Logan's Run, but I thought that night be too obscure.

Drew Bledsoe (at left)has been dropped by the Buffalo Bills. Bledsoe headed for the Bills after being dumped by the Patriots for Tom Brady. When he got to the Bills in his first season he broke 10 franchise records. Bledsoe ranks 10^th overall in career-yards-passing with 39,808yds. He is seventh with 3,449 completions and 18th with 221 touchdowns. By releasing him the Bills will save $2.2 million on their salary cap. They will also lose a big bunch of knowledge. He is replaced at starter by JP Losman.

Losman was the second of Buffalo's first-round picks last year, 22nd overall. He made four mop-up appearances after missing the first half of last season with a broken left leg completing 3-of-5 passes for 32 yards with one interception.

Are the Bills insane? Bledsoe described the situation like this:

"Do I think this is fair? No, I don't think it's fair," he said. "But I'm also aware that that's how it works, and I understand that. When I had the conversation with [Buffalo Coach] Mike [Mularkey] and first found out the direction they were going to go with J.P., I was beside myself. I completely disagree and can't understand their point of view."

Neither can I Drew. Maybe they hope to gain Kurt Warner or Jeff Garcia who are also on the free agent table from the NY Giants and the Cleveland Browns respectively. Surely the Bills could’ve talked Bledsoe into a one year deal that would’ve kept the salary cap down and kept all that knowledge in the team. Losman didn’t look that impressive in the games he did play; he will need an old head on the sideline helping him out. By the way Losman broke his leg when an offensive-line man stood on him during practice; that is some good pocket presence.

I am not a Drew Bledsoe fan. Nor am I a Bills fan, in fact as a NY Jets fan I am obliged to hate the Bills. But this is crazy talk. I just hope for the Bills sake that JP steps up and that they do something good with that $2.2 million. Bledsoe himself is saying that there may be home for him in Dallas, the Old Quarterbacks Home, because Dallas coach Bill Parcells drafted him into the Patriots in 1993. If Bledsoe (33) did join the Cowboys (and nobody else left), that would put the average age of the four QB’s in Dallas at 30. Would 41yr old Vinnie Testaverde, the oldest ever NFL QB, still be starting?

Garcia will officially be the first veteran to be dropped by his team this off-season followed by Bledsoe and Warner is going to void his own contract but they won’t be lonely in free agency for long (although rumour has it Garcia will be going straight to his old coach Steve Mariucci at the Lions). Other QBs expected to join the list include Brad Johnson, Rich Gannon (if he doesn’t retire), and Jay Fiedler.

The draft list can be found here. Notice that Buffalo does not have a first round pick.

In other free agent news the Vikings, who have a new owner in Arizona businessman Reggie Fowler, are looking at trading or releasing star Wide Receiver Randy Moss (top). If he does go it might be to the Jets who are showing a lot of interest. If they trade for him I hope it is for a draft pick. The Jets showed during the play-offs that they are quite strong on defence and not that bad on offence. It would also make for the only “All Moss” WR line-up as Randy would line opposite Santana Moss (below).

NFL.com notes:

It's difficult to say what a trade might bring to Minnesota. When the San Francisco 49ers traded Terrell Owens last winter, they got a second-round pick from Baltimore. But when that deal was invalidated by the league, they got only defensive lineman Brandon Whiting from Philadelphia.

But Owens was still under contract to San Francisco only because of a paperwork mistake that prevented him from becoming a free agent, while Moss is in the middle of a lucrative long-term contract. The Vikings almost certainly would need a solid veteran and a high draft-pick to be persuaded to give up one of the NFL's best playmakers.

Please, Jets, don’t give up any one you will regret. Maybe they will trade LaMont Jordan with a draft pick and try to get a good RB in the draft this year to back-up Curtis Martin.

I’ve been playing Madden too long. That’s all from me on this today, except to say try out NFL Street 2, it is excellent.