Free Agency: Asante Samuel Signs With Philadeplhia

The NFL Free Agency Carousel has come to a stop again. This time corner back Asante Samuel, got off in Philadelphia. The Eagles are reportedly paying him $57 million over the next 6 years.

The Eagles are getting Samuel at a bargain. Expected to command a little higher price, it's likely he is in Philly as much for money as personal preference. His press conference this afternoon was full of comments about the future and helping a team that is close to the Superbowl to get there.

The Eagles have to be pleased with the addition. Having Samuel in the secondary should free up Brian Dawkins to concentrate even more heavily on playing the run. With teams likely to throw away from Samuel, Dawkins will also be able to cheat towards the other side of the field in deep coverage.

I am sure Donovan McNabb wasn't referring to cornerbacks when he said the Eagles needed play makers, but he should still be happy to see some help arrive in Philly.

Check out my Pre-Free Agency Projections for Philadelphia

Baltimore Ravens Name New Head Coach

The Baltimore Ravens have named a successor to Brian Billick. Billick was terminated after going 5-11. It wasn’t that record on it’s own that did it. It didn’t help that he posted that record following a 13-3 season that took them into the playoffs, where they lost to eventual superbowl champion Colts. The real deal breaker for Billick was the fact his vaunted defense was the only team to surrender a loss to the 1-15 Miami Dolphins.
The Ravens announced Friday that John Harbuagh will be the teams new head coach. The biggest issue that they have is that the team he is taking over doesn’t have enough offense to beat USC-as his brother, Jim did with Stanford this season.
Adding addition difficulty to his job, is that he will most likely lose Rex Ryan, who he beat out for the job, as defensive coordinator. On a team where the defense has been the lone bright spot, this loss of continuity could be devastating. Especially considering the locker room leaders; Ray Lewis, Ed Reed, even first year Raven Willis Mcgaee had spoken out in favor of Ryan. All of a sudden Jason Garrett is looking smarter and smarter for taking that 3 mil in Dallas.
John Harbaugh was previously the defensive back and special teams coach for the Philadelphia Eagles. He asked head coach Andy Reid to move from special teams to defensive backs in order to get more consideration for a head coaching position. Careful what you ask for, John. You just might get it.