Free agency? Holding your own best move of all

That led to the recent notion that maybe somebody else's trash really wasn't your treasure after all, Maybe your treasure was actually hidden right there on your roster.

"Back then," said one AFC personnel director. "We all thought it was better to sign people just for the sake of signing people. It made us look good. We didn't give our own guys the attention they deserved."

Fast forward to this year. While there has still been an early frenzy of players going from one team to another, the market was thinned greatly due to so many teams using the franchise tag on players. A record 14 players were franchised, limiting their ability to move.

"I think the franchise tags have changed over the course of free agency, and a big part of that of that is, teams are doing a much better job of keeping their own guys so there is a more limited group of free agents that are available," Colbert said.

The Atlanta Falcons were active last year in the first year of general manager Thomas Dimitroff on the job. Coming off a terrible 2007 season, the Falcons had so many holes they had to fill free agency was a strong option. They signed running back Michael Turner and handful of others.

But after an 11-5 season, and a playoff berth, the Falcons have changed their thinking. They haven't signed one free agent, but they have kept defensive end Chauncey Davis, a player they targeted.

"I think free agency in general throws a lot of things off. When you look at it from a business perspective and you look at our cap, ultimately that's not how we want to personally build," Dimitroff said. "We want to stress the draft. To throw double-digit millions in guaranteed money and a high average per year money into a player who is not a part of your system and coming from another situation, that really has me back on my heels a little bit to be honest with you."

I couldn't agree more. So if your team hasn't signed any marquee players, don't fret. In fact, give them props.

Keeping your own now is much more important than bringing in somebody else's castoffs. Teams are finely wising up to that.