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| Authored by Stephen Varcardipone - 3rd March, 2006 - 3:35 am
 When free agency begins in a few days there will be some big names available that could instantly help your team for the upcoming 2006 NFL season. And if your team needs a running back, you're in luck. There are four top backs available this year, and they all have one thing in common, money and money alone is their motivation.
The biggest name on the list is last years NFL MVP Shaun Alexander. Not only did he lead the league in rushing yards, he also had more touchdowns this year,
28 to be exact, than anyone player in any one year. If he was a poker player he would be holding all the chips. The only knock on Alexander is his age, and owners are reluctant to give him a huge contract because running backs historically break down earlier than other positions. But unlike the other free agent backs, Alexander has never had a major injury, and he has averaged more than 20 touchdowns a year for the past five years. If any of these backs deserve a huge payday, I think Alexander has the best shot. And speaking of big, he told a reporter during Pro Bowl week that he is looking for a few billion. Although a little crazy, I believe a multi-million dollar contract is in his future, and what a green future that will be.
The next big name has to be the Colts' Edgerrin James. At 28 years old, he faces the same questions about his age as Alexander does, and like Jamal Lewis, another of the big name free agent backs, James has had major reconstructive surgery to one of his knees.
That was a few years ago and over the past two seasons James has shown why he led the league in rushing his first two seasons. He is an elusive back who can rush for over a hundred yards and catch for a hundred yards consistently. He has also proven to be a smart player, you try keeping up with Peyton Manning every play.
Peyton and Marvin Harrison are obvious pro bowlers, James gives Manning the confidence to stay in the pocket because he knows where James will be and he knows that he will catch it when asked to. If the Colts can't re-sign him, there offense will suffer and another team will be automatically better.
Jamal Lewis is definitely a marquee name with some unparalleled baggage. Before last season he spent six months in jail and then another few months at a halfway house. Not the offseason training program the Ravens had in mind. And then he told reporters that it was hard for him to go all out because he didn't want to get injured and jeopardize his offseason of free agency. If he played baseball, he would have struckout. But the facts are that two seasons ago he rushed for over 2,000 yards. And you know that he is motivated by the money to be great once again. He is a bruising back and in the right system he can still produce, that is if he gets paid.
Finally we come to DeShaun Foster of the Carolina Panthers. He was tagged as their transition player so he is the only one who is not a true free agent, although you can have him for the right price, or the right draft pick. Foster, when healthy, is an explosive young back that can score from anywhere on the field. His issue has always been injuries and this offseason is no different, he is recovering from a knee injury which he suffered against the Seahawks in the playoffs.
So if your team needs a game changer, this may be the year they can get it. Alexander, James, Lewis, and Foster are all out there, for the right price that is.
And you can bet that money and money alone will make these backs truly run! |
