One month into free agency and the activity has cooled considerably. Here's my take on what NFC teams have done thus far:
HIGH TURNOVER:
ATLANTA: It makes sense. The Falcons have a new coach and an increasingly impatient owner. If WR Joe Horn is healthy, he addresses a gigantic weakness. Losing DE Patrick Kerney via free agency and trading backup QB Matt Schaub are risks, so the Falcons must make the most of the picks they got for Schaub from Houston.
DETROIT: Another offseason of massive turnover, some of which makes sense. The additions of RBs Tatum Bell and TJ Duckett means they don't expect Kevin Jones to recover from injury this season. Shoring up the offensive line with T George Foster, Gs Edwin Mulitalo and Zach Piller won't hurt either. DE Dewayne White will help the defense, but they overpaid for him. ... DE James Hall and CB Dre Bly are the biggest losses.
SAN FRANCISCO: The youth movement continues. Adding CB Nate Clements and S Michael Lewis immediately upgrades the secondary several notches. ... Among the departed: C Jeremy Newberry, WR Antonio Bryant and TE Eric Johnson.
ST. LOUIS: The De-Martz-ification of this offense continues. Smurf-like speedsters Kevin Curtis and Shaun McDonald are gone, and in their place are 6-4 WR Drew Bennett and TE Randy McMichael.
WASHINGTON: Of course the Redskins signed a lot of players, and of course they said good bye to just as many. That's been a way of life under owner Dan Snyder. Among veteran OL Jason Fabini, Todd Wade and Ross Tucker, the hope is one or two of them can help. LB London Fletcher shows no signs of slowing and should help the defense for the next year or two. Re-obtaining CB Fred Smoot seems a bit of a risk, but he played well for the Redskins in his first stint with them.
TAKING A HIT:
PHILADELPHIA: Adding LB Takeo Spikes, WR Kevin Curtis and DT Montae Reagor will help offset the losses of LB Shawn Barber, WR Donte' Stallworth and DT Darwin Walker. But the Eagles' secondary was further decimated with the departures of CB Roderick Hood and S Michael Lewis.
MAKING SOME SENSE:
DALLAS: Maybe returning to Texas will be the motivator OL Leonard Davis needs. No one doubts the massive lineman's gifts. Adding QB Brad Johnson was an excellent hedge vs. Tony Romo hitting a slump in his second season as a starter. Also like the addition of S Ken Hamlin, but like Davis, they probably overpaid for him.
ARIZONA: The Cardinals addressed two need areas, letting Davis leave and replacing him with C Al Johnson and OL Mike Gandy for less money. They also took steps to shore up their secondary by signing CB Rod Hood from the Eagles and S Terrence Holt from the Lions.
MINNESOTA: The Vikings might regret letting QB Brad Johnson leave. CB Fred Smoot underachieved in Minnesota, and his off-the-field problems didn't help. ... Two signings I really like: S Mike Doss and TE Visanthe Shiancoe.
NEW ORLEANS: The Sants are building some momentum, and I really like their additions of LB Brian Simmons, TE Eric Johnson and S Kevin Kaesvlharn. ... The emergence of Terrance Copper and Marcus Colston made WR Joe Horn expendable on the surface, but the Saints did not play as well without him as they did with him last season.
NY GIANTS: The youth movement is on as numerous veterans were shown the door (LBs Lavar Arrington and Carlos Emmons, Ts Luke Petitgout and Bob Whitfield to name a few). RB Reuben Droughns and LB Kawika Mitchell were solid signings that addressed need areas.
SEATTLE: The Seahawks again focused on defense in free agency, adding Ss Deon Grant and Brian Russell, and DE Patrick Kerney. And they needed to with Hamlin's departure and the uncertain future of DE Grant Wistrom.
TAMPA BAY: Adding QB Jeff Garcia was smart if Chris Simms isn't 100 percent. It's stupid if it retards Simms' development. The Bucs added LBs Cato June and Patrick Chukwurah via free agency to infuse some youth into their aging defense.
ALL'S CALM
CAROLINA: One of last season's biggest underachievers let go of a lot of players who have yet to be signed and have added a few role players. Pivotal year for this franchis coming up.
CHICAGO: Yes, the Bears traded RB Thomas Jones, but their only other notable loss was DT Alphonso Boone, and they signed promising Anthony Adams to fill his spot. If Tank Johnson stays out of trouble and Tommie Harris regains his health, neither transaction matters much anyway.
GREEN BAY: The Packers lost RB Ahman Green, but they weren't committed to him longterm at this stage of his career. They've added a potential nickel back in Frank Walker, but that's it. With their massive cap space, the talk of acquring WR Randy Moss won't go away.
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