Rating smartest, boldest, scariest offseason moves

Curse those New York Jets. By removing Brett Favre's name from their reserve/retired list, they made it easy for the sometimes retired quarterback to play another round of Will-He-or-Won't-He and made it hard for anyone in or around Minneapolis to figure out what's going on.

I don't get what the Vikings are doing, but, hey, I didn't understand what the Jets were doing with Favre a year ago, either. At least Minnesota hasn't signed him ... not yet, anyway ... but that hasn't stopped the Brett-to-Minnesota rumors.

While we wait for someone, anyone, from the Vikings to illuminate us, let's dissect what others have done this offseason and talk about what they got right and what they did not.

Five smartest moves

Philadelphia using its first two draft picks to acquire Jason Peters and Jeremy Maclin

The Eagles were down to nothing at right and left tackles and talked about moving a guard or two there to plug the holes. Yeah, sure. Then they acquired Stacy Andrews and swung the deal for Peters. Brilliant. I haven't seen a patient improve this much this fast since last year's Miami Dolphins checked out of the emergency ward. At his best, Peters is a dominant pass blocker. At his worst, he is Jason Peters, 2008. He has a new contract, so he should be happy. He's with a contender, so he should be happier. I don't know that he's the best left tackle in the game, as coach Andy Reid once said, but I do know he's better than anyone the Eagles had at either tackle position a year ago.

Maclin might be better than anyone they have at wide receiver, too. He's a bigger version of DeSean Jackson, can return punts and kicks, has run the ball and was one of the top two wide receivers in the draft. So how does he last until the 19th pick? Call Al Davis. Don't tell me the Eagles didn't heed Donovan McNabb's plea for more weapons. This guy averaged 202 yards per game. When they film the sequel to All the Right Moves I want Reid somewhere in the picture.

Washington adding Albert Haynesworth

There has been no more dominant interior defensive lineman the past two years than Haynesworth. In fact, there were times last season I thought he was unblockable. He can stuff the run. He can rush the passer. And he creates havoc, overwhelming opponents before he engulfs them. In short, he is the best defensive tackle out there, and the Redskins are better -- maybe a whole lot better -- with him. Haynesworth had 8.5 sacks last season, or more than one-third the Redskins' total (24) and over twice as many as their leader (Andre Carter with four). So they paid a zillion bucks to close the deal.

If Haynesworth puts them in the playoffs someone will push Daniel Snyder as the next Treasury Secretary. All I know is they had a conviction about the guy and acted. Now let's see what happens. If there's a potential problem it's not with Haynesworth's ability; it's with his motor. He never played at an All-Pro level until he had to, which means until he was playing for a contract the past two seasons. Let's see what financial security does for him ... or to him.

The Jets moving up to take Mark Sanchez

I like teams that know how to get what they need, and what the New York Jets need is a quarterback. That's not exactly a secret. It's also not exactly a secret that Kellen Clemens will not be that guy. Eric Mangini drafted him; not Rex Ryan. And he was going to lose his job to Chad Pennington last summer until Favre appeared on the radar. The Jets had a hole at the most important position until maneuvering to swing the draft-day deal for Sanchez, and they score points for trying to solve a problem. I don't know if this works.

What I do know is that the Jets did what they had to do to solve a nagging problem. They think Sanchez will be a franchise quarterback, and they acted on that conviction. Now leave him alone. Eli Manning didn't win his first start until the last game of his rookie year, remember? And he doesn't play in the same division with Tom Brady. Patience, people.

Dallas moving on without T.O., Pacman

Let's hear it for Jerry Jones. One minute he loses his mind and signs these morons; the next, he wises up and discards them. Hallelujah. I applaud Jones for admitting his mistakes. Adding Owens I could almost understand. On second thought, no, I couldn't. If Philadelphia was willing to let him go to a division opponent, just how bad could he be? Dallas found out, with the Cowboys reduced to a weekly ESPN soap opera. Maybe it makes for good TV, but it never made for great football.

The Cowboys didn't win a playoff game with Owens. Pacman, on the other hand, is a waste of time. He seeks out trouble, even when it means messing with the security team Jerry Jones hired to keep him out of the papers. You can't make this stuff up. If he has a future it's as a supporting actor in Reno 911!

Detroit using the first pick of the draft on a QB

There are a lot of things wrong with Detroit, starting with the automobile industry and the Tigers' bullpen, but the Lions finally got something right: They picked the best quarterback in the draft. Bad teams need to start rebuilding from the ground up, and the Lions started with the most important position. Smart move. They haven't had a Pro Bowl quarterback since 1972. There was a lot of talk about Jason Smith or Aaron Curry at the top, but let's face it: You fix the most glaring hole while you can, and if you have a shot at Matthew Stafford you take it. Daunte Culpepper isn't the solution; Stafford might be. Let's find out. Give the Lions credit for doing what they should have done.

Five boldest moves

Kansas City hiring Scott Pioli

Some people automatically put this one in the win column. Not me. Not after Charlie Weis fizzled at Notre Dame and Romeo Crennel bombed out in Cleveland. OK, so they were former New England coaches, and Pioli was a decorated GM. They still fall from the same tree. The question I have is this: How much was Pioli responsible for what happened in New England? "I guess we're about to find out," said one NFC general manager.

The good news is that Thomas Dimitroff had New England ties, too, and he circled the bases in his first turn as a GM in Atlanta. The bad news: Pioli's first draft with Kansas City: There are reaches everywhere. He also reversed the team's Get Young Now policy by adding 30-something discards like Bobby Engram, Zach Thomas, Monty Beisel and Mike Vrabel. You can do that when you're at or near the top, like New England. But this is a team that lost 23 of its last 25, for crying out loud.

Chicago trading for Jay Cutler

Give Chicago GM Jerry Angelo this: He took a giant step to correct Chicago's unstable situation at quarterback. Bears' fans want to portray Josh McDaniels and Brian Xanders as modern-day Harry Frazees, but I'd be careful, people: Cutler hasn't had a winning season since high school. Sure, he has a raft of talent, throws a pretty pass and piles up yardage. So did Jeff George. Cutler also has a 17-20 record as a starter and couldn't close the deal a year ago when one win the last three weeks -- one lousy win -- would've put the Broncos in the playoffs.

The question for me is this: Will Cutler handle the winter winds in Chicago better than he handled this spring's trade rumors? If not, get ready for more whining. I also want to see who serves as Brandon Marshall. I mean, Eddie Royal. How about Brandon Stokley? I smell trouble. Second City has a lot of third receivers.

Buffalo signing Terrell Owens

You've got to be kidding me. T.O.in Buffalo? That tells you what the market was for the outspoken wide receiver. Try virtually none. The Bills think Owens can make them better on the field and more attractive at the box office, and one out of two ain't bad. They already earned an opening-night spot on Monday Night TV. There's also a reality TV show in the works. Terrific. But Owens and the Bills go together like Michael Vick and the SPCA.

Buffalo is a small market. The Bills haven't been to the playoffs in nine straight years. They run the ball better than they throw it. And they play in weather more suited to the Iditarod than Showtime. Get your popcorn ready, T.O., but instead of a show you're more likely to put on mittens and long underwear.

Denver firing Mike Shanahan

It took owner Pat Bowlen exactly two days after the season to pull the trigger, and I guarantee Shanahan never saw it coming. Once it seemed as if he would be the head coach for life. Then the Broncos dropped their last three games, blew the division and added another chapter to How Not to Play Defense. So Bowlen canned Shanahan and reached for Josh McDaniels, figuring the Broncos would be better off with a 32-year-old hot shot from the Belichick tree. Maybe.

But the early reviews are not encouraging. McDaniels drove away Cutler by mishandling a trade inquiry, then spent one of 10 draft picks addressing the front seven of a defense that ranked 29th. Worse, he used his first pick on a running back after signing LaMont Jordan, J.J. Arrington and Correll Buckhalter as free agents. Suddenly, they're starting to think of Mike Shanahan as a mastermind again.

The Giants moving on without Plaxico

The New York Giants weren't the same without Plaxico Burress last season, and the record proves it. They lost four of their last five games, with Eli Manning failing to find a wide receiver with a touchdown pass. Afterward, there was a struggle within the club over Burress, with coach Tom Coughlin interested in moving on without him and some of his assistants making a case to retain him. Guess who won. I can't fault Coughlin. He'd run out of patience with the troubled wide receiver and would take accountability over productivity. And so he has.

The Giants spent two of their first four draft picks on wide receivers -- including first rounder Hakeem Nicks -- and hope to find something in there to help Manning and a passing game that fizzled down the stretch. All I know is that the Run N' Shoot checked out with Burress, and that's a good thing. He was a threat, but he was a problem, too. Now he's not.

Five biggest gambles

Buffalo acquiring T.O.

See above. I can envision it now. It's mid November and sleeting in Buffalo. Owens has two catches for 15 yards in another Bills' loss. Someone calls stadium security. There's an explosion about to happen in the Bills' locker room.

Kansas City acquiring Matt Cassel

I know what he did with New England. But that was the Patriots, and tell me where you find Randy Moss, Wes Welker, Richard Seymour and Bill Belichick in the 816 area code. Cassel was surrounded by a raft of talent on the field and on the sidelines in New England, and I'm still looking for that support group here. So he produced a couple of 400-yard passing games and won 10 of 15 starts. That was nice. But I want to see him reproduce it here. OK, I know what you're thinking: What do the Chiefs have to lose -- especially when all they surrendered for Cassel and Vrabel was a second-round draft pick? Try this: They're paying Cassel $14.65 million in guaranteed salary. If he turns out to be the next Scott Mitchell I know some bean counters in red suits who will demand explanations.

Oakland passing up Michael Crabtree and Jeremy Maclin to take ... Darrius Heyward-Bey?

Are you kidding me? Anyone who can read a draft board knows you take the higher-rated receiver, and if Heyward-Bey was higher on the Raiders' board than Crabtree and Maclin the only explanation is that Casey Kasem must be doing the scouting. I know Heyward-Bey can fly. I know he has a world of potential, too. But potential means something could happen; with Crabtree and Maclin, something did: In two seasons Crabtree scored 41 times and Maclin 33. Heyward-Bey never had more than five touchdowns in a season. Maclin also led everyone in major-college football by averaging 202 all-purpose yards per game. If this was all about speed the Raiders should have hired Usain Bolt.

Cincinnati keeping Chad Johnson/Ocho Cinco

The Bengals lost T.J. Houshmandzadeh, so it figures that they keep Chad, right? You must be joking. Once this guy got a pass because he produced big catches and lots of touchdowns. Not anymore. He didn't have a 100-yard game a year ago. In fact, his best performance was 79 yards, and in all but three of his performances he couldn't reach 50. Plus, he scored four times. So it tied for the team lead. Big deal. This guy won't go over the middle and is a locker-room nightmare, a sulking prima donna who can't cut it anymore. I don't care that he once was a deep threat. He's more a threat now to the future of Marvin Lewis and the Bengals. Get rid of him.

Minnesota flirting with Brett Favre

C'mon, Brett. We can't keep going through this every year. I loved to watch you play, but it's over. O-V-E-R. The last five games last season should have told you something, and that is this: You have a better future throwing footballs with the Wrangler jeans team than you do the NFL. Brad Childress, please do everyone a favor and stop talking to Favre. I know you were infatuated with him once, but Favre turns 40 this season, and you just acquired Sage Rosenfels. So he's not Brett Favre. Neither is Brett Favre anymore.