Judge: Another smart move by Ravens
There are a lot of things about the NFL free-agency period that perplex me, but none more than teams' desire to acquire somebody else's running back, all those carries on the body and all.
Some are even foolish enough to trade draft picks and give out plenty of money, too.
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| Is Willis McGahee's best football ahead or behind him? (AP) |
What did they get? They got a running back who has a major ACL injury on his resume, one with a 3.9-yards-per-rush average. The Ravens see it differently.
"We’re getting a dynamic back who has the potential to diversify our running game," coach Brian Billick said in statement. "We've studied him, and he brings the same passion and preparation that is common to Miami players, like our Ray Lewis and Ed Reed. Getting a player as good as Willis is another example of how (general manager) Ozzie (Newsome) and his department size up the market and use our resources well."
In addition to giving up the picks, the Ravens also are in talks to sign McGahee to a long-term deal; he has one year remaining on his contract and is represented by bulldog agent Drew Rosenhaus.
I just don't get the move.
Look at the leading rushers from 2006. The top eight were all drafted or signed by the teams they were with last season. That's players like San Diego's LaDainian Tomlinson, Kansas City's Larry Johnson, San Francisco's Frank Gore and St. Louis' Steven Jackson.
Drafting running backs is the way to go -- the only way.
Yet here we are in the second week of free-agency and teams are gobbling up others' castoffs.
The Jets traded to get Thomas Jones from the Bears, the Broncos signed Travis Henry to a big deal as a free agent, Lewis gets a one-year deal from Cleveland and Ahman Green gets a big deal from the Houston Texans.
Of those five players, all but McGahee rushed for 1,000 yards in 2006, but they all have the wear-and-tear of playing in the league for a few years.
