We are less than an hour away from free agency and football observers everywhere are anticipating a heavy amount of action in the first few hours and days of the signing period.
What everyone should also anticipate are staggering numbers. With many teams under the 2008 salary cap by significant margins, there seems to be a lot of money available to throw around at prospective free agents. With the exception of a few players, it’s hard to argue that there are many blue-chippers in this year’s class. And if there are, they don’t have much name recognition at this point.
Regardless of their status as blue-chippers or moderate prospects, the point I’m making is that the name recognition is relatively low. Yes, players like Randy Moss, Asante Samuel, Justin Smith and Alan Faneca are household names across the country. But what about players like Jake Scott or Sean Locklear? They are solid players but don’t boast the star recognition.
As a result of all that, the resounding perception from many football observers will be that of surprise. Players who are considered by many to be moderate talents (but highly valued by scouts and teams) are going to land big deals, with lots of guaranteed cash.