Free Agency Update

Since the free agent market has begun to cool down some it provides a perfect opportunity to recap what has happened thus far. Instead of restructuring his deal and taking less money with the Colts, Marvin Harrison asked for and was granted his release. He has yet to be signed. The same goes for another veteran WR Torry Holt.

Bart Scot, unrestricted free agent linebacker from the Ravens, will be reunited with his defensive coordinator as he has signed with the Jets while Scot's teammate Ray Lewis has chosen to stay in Baltimore and will likely end his career as a Raven. TJ Houshmandzadeh, former Bengals WR, will now be wearing a Seahawks jersey and catching passes from Matt Hasselbeck.

Derrick Ward, the giants running back who gained over 1,000 yards last year backing up Brandon Jacobs, will now be carrying the rock for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Chris Canty former DE of the Dallas Cowboys will be staying in the NFC East as he has signed with the New York Giants.

Matt Cassel, who filled in admirably for injured Tom Brady last season, was franchised by the Patriots but then traded to Kansas City for a second round draft pick this year. Brian Dawkins, 14 year veteran safety for the Eagles, has signed with Denver. The big winner of this years free agency has to be Albert Haynesworth though. He signed a seven-year $100 million dollar contract with the Washington Redskins.

Gateway to the West

After the Rams started last season with four consecutive, lopsided loses, it was no surprise when they fired head coach Scott Linehan. Although the Rams were more competitive under interim coach Jim Haslett, their effort didn't translate into the win column, and they finished the season with a putrid 2-14 record. The upside is that they have the no. 2 pick in the draft which they will likely use on Jason Smith, offensive tackle from Baylor, after they released seven time Pro Bowl left tackle Orlando Pace.

Steve Spagnuolo the former defensive coordinator of the New York Giants, and mastermind of their Super Bowl win two years ago in which they foiled New England's bid for a perfect season, takes over as the Rams Head Coach. He brings with him former Eagles offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur to take over the same position with the Rams. This move suggests that the Rams will switch to a west coast offense which Marc Bulger has never ran before. The Rams are also likely to trade or release veteran wider reciever Tory Holt. Add all this together, and it means a slow start for the Rams. As it looks now runing back Stephen Jackson is the only viable fantasy option for the Rams next season. Consider him a top 15 back.

Former Carolina Panthers linebackers coach Ken Flajole will be the Rams new defensive coordinator, however the defense will likely be run by Spagnuolo. With Spag running the show their defensive should stay a 4-3 but will have more blitzes as Spag's defenses like to put pressure on the quarterback. Don't show up on draft day expecting the Rams to be your D/ST unit, but they could be a decent sleeper somewhere down the road next season.

Rocky Mountain High

That, admittedly, did not go as plan. I got a bit carried away, and still have eight coaching changes to analyze. These will be shorter. I hope.

-Denver-

This off-season Denver did the unthinkable when they fired Mike Shanahan, who had led the Bronocos to two Super Bowl wins during his tenure with the team. The fact is Denver went 7-9 and 8-8 the last two seasons, and missed the playoffs each year. Mike Shanahan the General Manager didn't do Mike Shanahan the coach any favors in neglecting the defensive side of the ball, which was, ultimately, the source of their downfall.

The Broncos plucked an apple off the Bill Belichick coaching tree when they snagged Josh McDaniels, the patriots offensive coordinator from 2006-2008. This bodes well for Jay Cutler, Brandon Marshall, and Eddie Royal. In 2007, under McDaniels, the Patriots' offense set records, scoring 589 points on 75 touchdowns (67 offensive, 50 passing and 17 rushing). If his offense can smoothly translate to Denver, it means big things are in store for Cutler, Marshall, and Royal in 2009. Think of Cutler as a top 5 QB, and Marshall as a top 10 WR. Eddie Royal showed that he is a play-maker gaining 980 yards and 5 touchdowns as a rookie last year. Consider him a top 20 WR, and a strong no. 2 for your fantasy team.

Former San Francisco head coach Mike Nolan was hired as the teams defensive coordinator. He will change the Broncos defense into a 3-4, moving DJ Williams into the inside linebacker position. Seeing as how bad the Broncos defense has been these past two years, from a fantasy standpoint, it is best not to rely on this D/st unit.