November 11, 2012; Tampa, FL, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive end Michael Bennett (71) rushes as San Diego Chargers tackle Jeromey Clary (66) blocks during the second half at Raymond James Stadium. Tampa Bay Buccaneers defeated the San Diego Chargers 34-24. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times wrote that he thinks Michael Bennett has played is last game in a Tampa Bay Buccaneers uniform. The defensive end led the Buccaneers in sacks last season with 9 and pass rushers are incredibly valued and overpaid for on the free agent market.

Stroud says Bennett “is bound to have a higher maket value to other teams than he does to the Bucs.”

The Bucs could’ve franchised Bennett but he would have been paid $11 million next season. Tampa Bay has Da’quan Bowers on their roster, a 2nd round draft pick from the 2011 draft who led the nation in sacks at Clemson.

With the Bucs looking to utilize Bowers more, Bennett would’ve likely become a nickel pass rusher and $11 million is a lot for a guy used situationally.

But the free agent market might favor Bennett. Teams are desperate for pass rusher, and so far most of the free agent crop at defensive end has been older players like Dwight Freeney and John Abraham. But Bennett is only 27 and still has a lot of football ahead of him.

Stroud also points out that Bennett has exceeded expectations.

“Bennett has been an overachiever, a player who exceeded expectations when he was claimed off waivers from Seattle. But in the last two seasons, playing essentially as a starter, he has 14th sacks. That ranks 42nd in the NFL during that time span. His nine sacks last season ranked 23rd in the league.”

August 9, 2012; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Falcons defensive end John Abraham (55) warms up before the game against the Baltimore Ravens at the Georgia Dome. The Ravens beat the Falcons 31-17. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Shirey-USA TODAY Sports

As we all expected, just by the way this off-season has unfolded, a few more names just got dumped into the market.

The Atlanta Falcons, a team who were so close, but fell short in the NFC Championship game against the San Francisco 49ers, as reported by colleague Mike Dyce, they have announced the releases of Michael Turner, John Abraham and Dunta Robinson.  

Now, I also did a Top 5 for now free agent running back Michael Turner  as news broke that the Atlanta Falcons were planning to release him.

So now that John Abraham is now a free agent, you would think he would want to be brought on board with a team who could be in contention to win a Super Bowl.

Although he is 34, teams who are in for a serious run for this seasons Super Bowl, could possibly bring him in with a 2-3 year deal, somewhere around $10 million give or take. If the man can stay healthy, remember he was hurting in the playoffs from that ankle injury. Now let’s take a look at contenders who could use Abraham’s talents to help bring a Super Bowl championship to their franchise. Probably list a couple 3-4 defenses, knowing Abraham has spent time in the 4-3 scheme, but keep in mind these are contenders.

1. Green Bay Packers - Defense does need help, a veteran like Abraham could boost Green Bay’s motivation on defense as they have struggled the last few seasons. They need more help when it comes to pressuring the quarterback, so with John Abraham having 122 career and 10 last season, he should help out in that category.

2. Washington Redskins - They came out strong on offense, but their down fall as their defense. Injuries to Brian Orakpo in the last 2 years has really hurt this defense, where last year, he tore his left pectoral muscle (also injured it in 2011 along with his shoulder) so bringing in Abraham should give them depth on defense as they will more than likely look to bulk up that side of the ball. If RG3 is well and can play like he did last season, this team should be a serious threat to win the NFC. 3-4 defense or not, Abraham could help this team get to the next level.

3. New England Patriots - Now that Tom Brady restructured his contract to help the New England Patriots save money to help keep this team together, or add more pieces. John Abraham’s name should be mentioned when it comes to a list of defenders who could help their team win another Super Bowl. There is something about New England that draws in big name talent. Oh yeah that’s right, they are a dynasty. Wouldn’t be surprised if the New England Patriots actually make him an offer he can’t refuse. See what I did there? Anyways.

4. Seattle Seahawks - We all know they have one of the best defenses in the league. We all know that they could possibly be a favorite to make it deep into the playoffs. But they need their men on the front line to stay healthy so they can continue to have one of the best defenses in the league. Yeah Abraham has had some issues, but he has also performed extremely well in his career. This team wants to make sure they keep step for step with other teams who made last years playoff run, knowing they were going to come into this off-season full throttle, especially with all the big names that are floating around right now.

5. Denver Broncos - I know what you are thinking, they are stacked on defense, but putting more on board has never hurt anybody. Abraham wants to win a championship and John Elway is going to see that and I’m sure would love to have him on the roster. But for what price? That could be the only question. Elway wants to help make this team into the championship team he had back in ’97-’98 and he took the first step by bringing in Peyton Manning. You know they want the #1 seed and home-field advantage again this season so they could do it right this time, last season was the year of Ray Lewis, this coming season could be the year of Peyton Manning/John Abraham.

Dec 30, 2012; San Diego, CA, USA; A reflection of Qualcomm Stadium in a puddle on the field during the first quarter of a game between the Oakland Raiders and San Diego Chargers. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

The NFL has been called a quarterbacks league, a copycat league, the No Fun League, and “Not For Long” if you don’t play well enough. Increasingly, it has also become the Perception league.

Think about how our perceptions have changed, and shaped the way we think about… Joe Flacco… Ray Lewis… Randy Moss… Colin Kaepernick went from project to protege overnight. If Tom Brady yells at his teammates during a game, he’s a competitor. But when Jay Cutler does it people say he’s just a dick. Perception.

When Brady recently signed a restructured contract extension, the perception was that he “took less money” because he’s such a Great Guy who just wants to win. Of course, it was quickly pointed out that the extension is fully guaranteed, regardless of injury, so he’ll be making $9 million per year at ages 38-40. In fact, Brady has renegotiated his contract 7 times and gotten a raise each time. But the media narrative is that he’s willing to play for “less” (but still more) so the Patriots can afford to build a winner around him (just as he and his even-richer supermodel wife have built a moat around their mansion).

The perception is that the NFL has a salary cap, but the reality is there are many ways around it. Obviously Brady is only the most famous example; players all over the league are lining up to re-do their deals. (I’m still not sure what the difference is between these book-cooking “restructured” contracts and whatever it is the Cowboys and Redskins were penalized for doing during the un-capped season.)

From New England, we travel to Kansas City (like Matt Cassel, Scott Pioli, and Romeo Crennel before us). Cassel is out, now that the Chiefs have agreed to trade for former 49ers starting QB Alex Smith. The perception is that Smith is/was the top QB available this off season, a solid veteran for new coach Andy Reid to build around. But not long ago Alex Smith was the poster boy for mediocrity, declared a bust perhaps mostly due to being drafted first overall but also in part because it looked like he just wasn’t that great of a football player.

But now that he’s spent a couple years playing well under Jim Harbaugh and playing an instrumental role in the Niners rise to contention, we perceive bringing in Alex Smith to be your starting QB as a slam-dunk of a no-brainer move. I’m not saying he’s terrible or anything, but he’s 2-25 as a starter when the opponent scores 24 or more points and he’s never thrown for 20 TD’s in a season. Let’s just say he may have benefited from the dominant defense and strong running game in San Francisco.

From San Francisco, he travels to Kansas City (like Joe Montana and Elvis Grbac before him). Now he’ll be playing for Andy Reid, another test case in NFL Perception. Most view him as a “great coach,” and he was hailed as the most sought-after skipper about 12 seconds after he was officially let go from Philly. Certainly his record with the Eagles was impressive, but I still see him as a bit overrated. His play calling and clock management (or lack thereof) definitely cost them some games over the years.

It’s interesting that the Chiefs, holding the first overall pick in the upcoming 2013 NFL Draft, saw no franchise QB’s worthy of the number one pick, so they traded for a guy who was once a first overall pick because a QB-desperate team was picking first in a draft that was perceived to not have any franchise QB’s (although some guy named Aaron Rodgers did slip all the way to the 24^th pick).

Anyway, I assume the fans in and around Kansas City are thrilled about the new direction of the Chiefs…. But it wasn’t that long ago that most people would have pointed and laughed at the thought that a surefire way to turn your team around would be to bring in Alex Smith and Andy Reid!

Replacing Reid in Philadelphia is former University of Oregon head coach Chip Kelly. Once again the perception when the NFL coaching carousel started spinning was that (other than The Legendary Andy Reid) Chip Kelly was THE hottest name in coaching. Vince Lombardi reincarnated. Well, in the words of that true legend, “What the hell’s going on out here?” Again, not saying Chip Kelly stinks at coaching football. But he’s never coached at any level in the NFL, and had never been a head coach at any level of college until taking the helm at Oregon in 2009. Just 10 years ago, he was the defensive coordinator at Johns Hopkins.

College coaches have had their ups and downs when making the leap up to the NFL (and often quickly back down to the college ranks). For a while, the perception was that the big-name college coaches just couldn’t cut it (thanks to the failings of Lou Holtz, Butch Davis, Steve Spurrier, Bobby Petrino, Nick Saban, and others). Of course, now that perception has changed (thanks to Jim Harbaugh and Pete Carroll suddenly threatening to put a stranglehold on NFC domination).

Chip Kelly hails from the Pac-10 conference where Harbaugh and Carroll once operated, as does USC QB prospect Matt Barkley. He was once perceived to be a near-certain franchise QB and possible first-overall pick had he left school early for the 2012 draft. Now he’s just somewhere near the top of the pack of middling QB hopefuls in what is universally deemed to be a pretty weak draft class for franchise QBs.

The top-rated QB in the upcoming draft, one originally rumored as a possible first-overall pick by the Chiefs before they traded for Alex Smith, is West Virginia’s Geno Smith (no relation). Geno has undergone his own perception evolution. Not really on many people’s radar before the 2012 season, Geno put up some ballistic statistics early in the season in Dana Holgorsen’s high-powered Mountaineer offense. On his way to a senior season of 4205 yards with 42 TD’s and only 6 interceptions on 72% passing, he dropped 656 yards in a game against Baylor when he threw more TDs (8) than incompletions (6).

But WVU cooled off (thanks to attempting to play out the season without a defense) and Geno wasn’t even among the finalists for the Heisman. Now, he could be the key to how the first round of the draft unfolds. The perception is that he’s probably the safest bet from this QB class to be a longtime starter and possible Pro Bowler. But some say he’s not worth a top-5 or top-10 pick. Others think that quarterback-needy teams at the top of the draft (Oakland, Philadelphia, Arizona, Buffalo, the NY Jets, and possibly Cleveland) might regret passing on a poised, talented, and experienced passer like Geno Smith.

Speaking of perception, Notre Dame LB Manti Te’o went from Heisman finalist and likely top-5 pick to now being in danger of slipping out of the first round simply because of the infamous fake dead girlfriend hoax and his slow 40-yard-dash time at the NFL Combine.

Of course our perception of all these players and where they end up getting picked will change by the Monday morning after the draft, and then again when they take the field in the fall and then again many times over the next several seasons.

Which brings us back to future Hall-of-Fame quarterback Tom Brady, who was a compensatory 6^th-round draft pick, the 199^th player selected that year.

Dec 16, 2012; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Browns wide receiver Josh Cribbs (16) during a game against the Washington Redskins at Cleveland Browns Stadium. Washington won 38-21. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

We’ve all heard the praise being bestowed upon Tom Brady for taking a pay cut to help his organization, the New England Patriots. Now Cleveland Browns wide receiver Josh Cribbs has said he’d take a pay cut to stay with the Cleveland Browns.

He is currently set to be a free agent on March 12th and talked about the situation on local Cleveland station 92.3 The Fan.

“It’s at a standstill right now,” Cribbs said, via SportsRadioInterviews.com. “I’m hearing a lot of different meetings are being scheduled with different teams and everything. My plan is to stay with the team as much as possible, even to take a slight pay cut. But at the same time, not huge pay cuts. And I’m trying to work with the team. I want to be a Brown. I want to end my career here. We have the coaches to do it now, to take it to the next level, and I definitely want to be there.”

But unfortunately he alludes to the fact that the feelings might not be mutual.

“Right now, it doesn’t seem like the interest level is there with upper management,” Cribbs said. “I want to be a Brown. I want to continue my career here. I want to retire a Cleveland Brown, and that’s my intention. I’m gonna go as far as I can with the team to make a compromise.”

It’s odd that he wants to stay with an organization that he says hasn’t used him up to his full potential.

“I know I haven’t been used to my potential,” Cribbs said. “My thing with coaches and upper management — mostly with upper management — you draft guys and guys come in that’s new, they have to play. And it shouldn’t be this way. It should be the best guys that’s gonna help you win that play.”

He’s been good as a punt returner, but a very mediocre receiver. Of course he has played in Cleveland.

July 30, 2011; Bourbonnais, IL, USA; Chicago Bears defensive tackle Anthony Adams (95) interacts with fans prior to training camp at Olivet Nazarene University. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports

Anthony ‘Spice’ Adams, was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers during the 2003 draft, 2nd round, 57th pick.

I can’t be the only one to say this, but Anthony Adams is one of my favorite Chicago Bears to ever wear their uniform. A big man, but the way he exploded off the snap and swarmed the ball carrier amazed me.

I always wanted to play defense myself, but since junior tackle had a weight limit for safety reasons, I was put on the offensive line. To be a part of a defense that dominated the field, hearing your name over the P.A. system during the game after recording a tackle or instead of me protecting my quarterback from guys like Adams, being like him and disrupting offenses.

This interview was a personal highlight for me, I love this team. The Chicago Bears to my house hold is more than a professional football team, they are like family. We praise these guys during the regular, post, even off-season.

When I first arrived at NFL Spin Zone, I wanted to do something big. I reached out to Anthony Adams (who I have as a friend on facebook) and asked him if he would give me the honor to interview him for NFL Spin Zone, within a few minutes I got a reply saying: ‘Let’s Do It!!!!’. Boy was I excited, I sent him a list of questions, knowing and understanding that he was a busy man, with events or his family and waited patiently.

So here we are, February 27th, 2013, with an NFL Spin Zone exclusive interview with defensive tackle free agent, Anthony Adams.

I would also like to dedicate this interview to my Grandfather and Chicago Bears fan, Charles R. Burton, who is currently battling Stomach and Pancreatic Cancer.

Q: What got you into the game of Football?

A: “My mother made me play football. I did not want to play. I was too big to play little league so I couldn’t play until I got to high school. So, one day my mom just dropped me off at a practice my high school had and peeled out the parking lot. I went up to the coach and he told me to run. The rest is history.”

Q: Were you involved in any other Sports?

A: “The other sport I played was basketball. We had a rim in my backyard and my neighbor had a roll-away. So we would either play in my backyard or in front of our houses. When I went to my high school, I played JV. I probably fouled out every game. I wanted to play varsity but every time I practiced I would somehow twist my ankle or something. So I ended up just practicing with the team every now and again. The coach was cool and he figured it could help his big men if they went up against me in the post all the time. But growing up it was always either football or basketball.”

Q: Playing Football for Penn State. How was it to play for Coach Paterno?

A: “Playing for Coach Paterno was a great experience. He was like a father figure to me. You would think he was overly concerned about what you did on the field. But I quickly found out that he was more than X’s and O’s. He was concerned about you getting to school on time, study hall, being well-groomed, meeting with tutors, appearance, etc. You couldn’t even have chin hair. No earrings in your ear, no saggy pants, no hats in the building, and you better not dare be late to ANYTHING. I will never forget what he told me about being late. Every division 1 school has about 120 players on the team. So when we had our squad meeting everyone would be present. If you were 1 minute late then he would be extremely upset. To the average person you would think why is he making a big deal out of 1 minute? But he explained to me that it is actually 120 minutes, because I took a minute away from 120 people. I learned a lot from Coach.”

Q: What was draft day like?

A: “Draft day was cool for the most part but I didn’t know what to expect. Especially with all of my friends prank calling me! A lot of Internet and magazines had predicted that I would get drafted in the 4th round and some people not at all. My agent said I could go from 1st-3rd.”

Q: Where were you at during the Draft?

A: “I was at Penn State at coach Larry Johnson’s house (my D Line coach). My mom was there, my frat brothers, my uncle, and some of my friends.”

Q: How was the energy within your family when you got that call from San Francisco?

A: “When I got drafted, it was weird because it happened on a commercial break, and my signal was fading on my cell phone. As I was talking to the GM of the San Francisco 49ers my flip phone was acting up. But I heard enough to know that my flight was leaving for San Francisco the next day! But overall it was a great experience!”

Q: What was the difference when it came to the fan base in San Francisco, compared to Chicago?

A: “The fan base in San Fran is awesome and the fan base in Chicago is awesome! The difference is at San Fran, with Oakland being so close, fans get to choose. In the same city that we would practice in (Santa Clara) there would be a lot of Raiders fans. In Chicago, the fan base is all Bears. But, I was blessed to be a part of 2 great organizations with awesome traditions and great fans!!”

Q: Putting on a Chicago Bears uniform, knowing the history of the Monsters of the Midway and the type of defenses they have had their their franchises history. What did it feel like, were you nervous?

A: “The only thing I was uneasy with was putting on #95. I told the equipment guys to give me whatever number they wanted me to have and I would make it work. But, with the Bears having so many retired numbers, I had to get #95. Richard Dent’s jersey should be retired as well. The thing that was awesome about wearing #95 was that Dent told me what I was representing and I received his blessing. I talked to him every time I saw him on the sideline as well as at off the field events and every time he would say, “You are representing Big A!” It was cool to hear him say that.”

Q: What are your thoughts on coach Lovie Smith being fired?

A: “I always felt that Coach Smith should’ve gotten a chance to coach his contract out. In addition to that, he got fired after winning 10 games.”

Q: Besides Soldier Field or Candlestick, what other stadium did you enjoy playing in?

A: “Playing in Dallas is Ridiculous! It’s almost like being a rock star!!!”

Q: Alright, I have a few questions away from football. Let’s start off with your favorite movie(s)?

A: “Favorite movie is a tough question for me, because it is so many that I grew up liking. House Party, Friday, Menace II Society, Tuskegee Airmen, Ali, Inception, Dumb and Dumber, Harlem Nights, etc.”

Q: What is your favorite Cartoon?

A: “Tom and Jerry and Looney Tunes are my favorite cartoons. Wile E Coyote and the roadrunner, Foghorn Leghorn are classics!”

Q: Favorite Musician?

A: “Stevie Wonder is the G.O.A.T!!!!”

Q: Final question, Will we see Anthony Adams back on the field?

A: “I hope I can get back on the field!”

Again, it was an honor to interview this man. In other events, Anthony Adams currently has a ‘Dancing With Chicago Celebrities’ event happening on March 8th, 2013. He is currently giving away two tickets (I’ll post a link below with details on additional info and a chance to win those tickets) for his event.

http://anthonyadams.lockerdome.com/contests/106500464

Money raised from the event is for Breast Cancer.

You can follow Anthony Adams on twitter at @spiceadams

Nov. 25, 2012; Glendale, AZ, USA: St. Louis Rams running back Steven Jackson (39) against the Arizona Cardinals at University of Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Just when everybody thought this years off-season couldn’t get any crazier, it continues to throw us curve balls.

We all know free agency starts here in about 14 days, teams are looking at spots where they could improve and are handing out pink slips. This year seems to be one of those ‘I can’t believe they released him’ type of off-season, which I really love.

I’m more of a ‘surprise’ type of person, bet you didn’t see that coming, did you? Especially when it comes to Steven Jackson. The man who has given St. Louis his all from the time he was drafted, til the final whistle of every game he was involved in.

He is one of the best and most dangerous running backs in the game, yet to win a championship. Earlier today, news broke that Steven Jackson, 29 years old, has decided to void the final year of his contract and test the market.

I understand his decision, putting in all this hard work and wanting to be able to contend for a championship. This could either be a plan of Jackson’s, to open the eyes of the organization and show them that it is either now or never, or figured it would never happen in St. Louis and decided to move on to a contender.

General Managers all over the league are probably bouncing off the walls right now. Since Jackson came into the league in 2004, he has recorded over 10,000 rushing yards, 56 rushing touchdowns, 3,300 receiving yards and 8 receiving touchdowns.

A running back who isn’t afraid to run straight through the offensive and defensive line to pick up those difficult yards, is also quick enough to bounce to the outside and out run defenders to get to the sidelines.

Steven Jackson has always been a favorite running back of mine. Just like with Marshall Faulk when he was a St. Louis Ram, Jackson will always be one of those greats you think about when you think of that organization. Only difference is, Faulk won a Championship, being a part of ‘The Greatest Show on Turf’ back in ’99, ’00 and ’01, Jackson hasn’t had that much help when it comes to competing though reaching the playoffs in his first 3 seasons in the league.

Both sides sat down to discuss a contract extension but neither side could agree on a deal. Talks broke off and St. Louis decided to give Jackson the option to play through the final year of his contract, or void out and become a free agent in March 2013.

Jackson (3x pro bowler) was in the last deal of his contract, topping 1,000 yards 8 seasons straight. Being the St. Louis Rams All-Time leading rusher, he was due to make $7 million for the 2013 season. Only 29, turning 30 in July, Jackson should also be getting high interest to other teams who need that powerful back, especially those who have trouble getting into the end-zone when they reach the red-zone.

This man is a freak of nature and what is scary, is he could probably play another 3-4 years, if not 5. So any team who wants to bring him in, will probably sign him to a deal in that length. Has had some injuries, but always bounced back or fought through and still contributed even when his team is struggling. You want to talk about Adrian Peterson carrying the Minnesota Vikings on his back? This man has been doing it for years.

With Steven Jackson leaving St. Louis, the Rams currently have the youngest roster in the NFL.

Nnamdi Asomugha wants to win a Super Bowl and the New York Jets have reached the AFC Championship game for two consecutive years, so it comes as no surprise that the two sides have been in discussions.

The New York Jets toughest competition for Asomugha are the San Francisco 49ers. Outside of the Niners and Jets, the Dallas Cowboys appear to slowly be surfacing as a contender for “Scrabble’s” services.

Nnamdi watch should hopefully be over by the end of Friday.

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Twitter: @ithinkurwright

Free agent cornerback Eric Wright will not re-sign with the Cleveland Browns. Instead, Wright has agreed to sign a contract with the Detroit Lions.

In his four years with Cleveland, Wright tallied 9 interceptions. He played a total of 59 games with the team. Wright will now attempt to help the Lions secondary.

Detroit was originally considered a contender for Nnamdi Asomugha, but Asomugha’s asking price was too steep and it took the Lions out of the race. Wright is a very solid backup option and a corner with plenty of potential.

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