The Football Diner Big Top 5
Defensive Free Agents On The Move In 2008
by Jody Jamieson
20/12/2007
 
Last week we had a look at 5 players on offense who will probably be testing the free agent waters this off-season. This week on Top Fives we will be looking at the other side of the ball and look at defensive players who may have a stab at making the big bucks in the off season.
 
5. Marcus Trufant - Seattle Seahawks
 
Very much an underrated part of Seattle's success this season, Trufant has not passed under the radar of organisations looking to pick up a solid defensive back in free agency this year. He is making a big splash this season after two single-pick seasons, he has been good for 7 interceptions this year. A good tackler, Trufant is looking forward to a post-season berth with the Seahawks where his stock could rise further.
 
Away from the field, Trufant is trying to help young people and under-privileged families gain a better standing in life. I would recommend checking out www.marcustrufant.org for all the information on the Trufant Family Foundation where they do a lot of good work. I think it's always good to see guys giving something back to the community.
 
As for his prospects for next season on the football field, with the possibility of Asante Samuel leaving New England, perhaps Trufant could interest the Patriots looking to pick up an impressive replacement. Another team who is crying out for help in the secondary is New Orleans. Trufant, for a corner, is a very good tackler and that fact won't be lost on teams like the Patriots and the Saints.
 
4. Jared Allen - Kansas City Chiefs
 
After missing the start of the season, Allen has come back in a big way and has been a sack machine for the Chiefs. Even showing his versatile side by catching a touchdown pass against the Chargers a couple of weeks back. Allen is a massive part of Kansas City's defense and the franchise will not want to lose one of it's star players. The nature of the beast though is that free agency gives players the chance to move around and test the waters, and Allen is well within his rights to do just that.
 
Allen is a one-man wrecking crew in an otherwise weak Chiefs defense. While not just excelling in sacking quarterbacks, his immense speed allows him to chase down running backs trying to get to the outside. Allen could be the defensive player of the year in the NFL, despite missing the first couple of games in the season due to suspension. The Chiefs will be desperate to keep Allen, and may look to franchise him. If they don't, there will be no end of potential suitors.
 
3. Albert Haynesworth - Tennessee Titans
 
The Titans will not want to lose big Albert. But what will he want to do? He is so efficient for the Titans that winning and losing this season has almost come down to whether or not he is active. When he has played, Tennessee has succeeded in shutting down opposing offense. When he has been missing, the Titans tend to struggle and give up a lot of points.
 
Haynesworth has had his moments. His temper got the better of him last season in a game against Dallas when he stamped on center Andre Gurode's head and received a five game suspension for the assault. His reputed behavioural and maturity problems were cited as part of the reason he didn't get chosen in the top five of the 2002 Draft. In his second year with the Titans, he got into a scuffle with tackle Will Ofenheusle, stormed off, and then returned with a long pole with malicious intention.
 
Despite all this, there are not many better run stoppers than Haynesworth in the game. While franchising may be an option, the Titans will really want to tie him up long term if they can. If this doesn't happen, then teams like Denver and Oakland, teams who have struggled to stop the run, may put in an offer for the defensive tackle.
 
2. Lance Briggs - Chicago Bears
 
The much vaunted Bears defense has been a little tame this season. The unit that was the main reason for the Bears making the Super Bowl last year is probably as culpable for the fact they are missing out this year. A two time pro bowler, Briggs has had his troubles off their field over the past 12 months. He made no secret of the fact he wanted to leave during the last off-season, sighting the fact that he was disillusioned by having the franchise tag placed on his head. "I'll do everything in my power to not be with this organisation" is not the quote of a happy chappy. Briggs eventually cheered up a little and has had a good, if unspectacular season.
 
Things went from bad to worse off the field just before the season started as Briggs crashed his Lamborghini and abandoned it. Not exactly the done thing in today's society. Charged with leaving the scene of an accident and not giving notice of said accident, Briggs was in a bit of trouble.
 
On the field it remains to be seen if the Bears will franchise him again or cut their losses on a guy that obviously would rather be somewhere else. Briggs would be a big target of many teams looking for a spark at outside linebacker.
 
1. Asante Samuel - New England Patriots
 
Samuel was likely to be franchised again in the off-season but for one little clause. The clause in his new one year deal was that if the Patriots won 12 games he couldn't be franchised again. New England picked up their 12th win in their 12 game and with that probably opened the door for the Patriots best cornerback to go and make some big money. Samuel, who dropped to the 4th round of the 2003 Draft but quickly established himself as a shutdown corner, had an excellent year last year, totalling 10 interceptions and leading the league in passes defensed (24, and is 'defenses' really a word?!) which led to New England slapping the franchise tag on Samuel's forehead. The corner didn't seem best pleased about it in the off-season, but he certainly hasn't let it bother him on the field.
 
I guess it depends on whether Samuel wants money or more rings. He has one and may pick another one up this year. Someone will pay him big bucks this year, but only time will tell as to who it will be. There are a few teams in the league with problems in the secondary. Problems which will cost a lot of money to fix if Samuel is your guy. Money well spent though if you pick him up.
 
Questionable Calls of the Week
A double whammy from the Saturday night game. An absolute outbreak of madness at Monster Park started when San Francisco - with a seven point lead with the ball on the Bengals 24 yard line - decide to go for it on 4th and 2 in the final quarter. Naturally it doesn't work and Cincinnati took over. Then Marvin Lewis had a moment of his own, challenging Chad Johnson's incomplete ruling in the endzone, despite the fact that Ocho Cinco never had control of the ball in the first place, burning an all important time out. I know there was very little at stake in this game, but if I was a fan of either of these teams I'd have been furious at their respective calls.
 
Interesting Facts
I'm sure you all know this by now for the big deal made of it, but Michael Spurlock's kickoff return for a touchdown was the first for Tampa Bay in their 32 year franchise history.
 
Useless trivia here, but the Chicago Cardinals beat the Minneapolis Red Jackets 8-0 in 1929. That was the last time a game finished with that particular scoreline till Sunday when the Browns beat the Bills in a blizzard. On a side note Phil Dawson's 49 yard field goal was reminiscent of Adam Vinatieri's field goal against Oakland in the AFC Championship Game a few years back for how difficult the conditions were. Dawson's line drive field goal was a beauty.
 
Jacksonville's twenty play drive in Pittsburgh that led to a touchdown (Garrard to Williams) was the longest drive in franchise history. However it wasn't even the longest drive of the weekend as Oakland put together a TWENTY-ONE play drive which concluded with Josh McCown hitting Ronald Curry for a touchdown.
 
And Finally...
'He who laughs last laughs loudest' couldn't ring any truer where the Houston Texans are concerned. After being lambasted for passing on Reggie Bush and Vince Young in favour of taking defensive end Mario Williams last year in the draft, the Texans have been proved so far to have made the right choice. Williams struggled last year, although in fairness his lack of production was largely down to his lack of health. Young was Roookie of the Year in 2006 while Bush was exciting if slightly unproductive as the Saints made it one game shy of the Super Bowl. Mario Williams has had his coming of age party over the last few weeks, as he has sacked everything in sight, including swallowing up Jay Cutler to record 3.5 sacks on Thursday night.
 
While I have commented on Vince Young in the past few weeks, there is no doubt he is improving and has the potential. Reggie Bush really worries me. I thought he would have a breakout year this season but he has made little if any improvement. To me it seems that New Orleans has tweaked their offense to suit Reggie Bush rather than getting Bush to try and fit into their set offense, yet it still hasn't worked. His lack of production has only been compounded by the fact that Aaron Stecker in the last two weeks since Bush got injured has done a great job, while Bush looks like a luxury that New Orleans can't afford.