Forget March Madness- the NFL has a March Madness of their own that's just as interesting. Free agency started today (March 5th) and it came with surprises, surprises.. and oh, surprises. Who says the NFL is from September to February? Not anymore. Let's take a look at the free agency headlines around the league:

Anquan Boldin to Ravens-

My Baltimore Ravens FINALLY got a proven WR on their roster. The Ravens traded a 2010 3rd and 4th round pick for Cardinals WR Anquan Boldin and a 5th round pick. Boldin also signed a new 4 year deal, worth $28 million. This is probably the best move of the day. Not because the Ravens are my squad, but because this fills a HUGE need on a team that was in dire need of a WR.



Peppers, Taylor, Manumaleuna headed to Chicago-

The Chicago Bears have been the busiest team out of any today, as they signed DE Julius Peppers, RB Chester Taylor and TE Brandon Manumaleuna to bolster their roster. Peppers comes in to help a Bears defense ranked 13th in sacks in 2009.

Chester Taylor will look to challenge Matt Forte for the starting job at RB and Manumaleuna will be used to help block for QB Jay Cutler. While these upgrades are great, the Bears struggled to address their 2 biggest needs- WR and personnel on the offensive line. Remember, the Bears also do not have a 1st round draft pick from the Cutler trade last year. My guess is they willl address these issues in the draft, but I'm shocked they didn't at least make an attempt in free agency.



Vanden Bosch reunites with Schwartz in Detroit-

Titans DT Kyle Vanden Bosch signed a 4-year, $26 million deal to reunite him with his former defensive coordinator in Jim Schwartz. The Lions have also been busy today, acquiring WR Nate Burleson and T Corey Williams to new deals. All 3 signings are great pickups for the Lions. Vanden Bosch played his best years in Schwartz's defense. The additions of Burleson and Williams brings depth to a rebuilding Lions team. I like what Schwartz is doing with this squad.



Robinson To Falcons To Bolster Defensive Backfield-

CB Dunta Robinson agreed in principle to a 6 year deal with the Atlanta Falcons. I was really hoping the Ravens would pursue Robinson, because he would be a great asset to just about any defense. But I realized, the Falcons defense is pretty bad. They could use him a lot more than we could.

Cribbs, Brackett, Wilfork Staying Put- The Browns finally gave return specialist Josh Cribbs a new deal. It is believed the 3 year deal has $7 million guaranteed. Cribbs is the brightest spot on the Browns. Had he left, it would've got ugly in Cleveland. Colts LB Gary Brackett and Patriots DT Vince Wilfork also signed new deals to stay with their respected organizations.

Brandon Marshall A Seahawk??

Looks like BMarsh is just as shocked as I am about the news. We don't know for sure but the disgruntled Broncos receiver is scheduled to meet with Seattle tomorrow. Denver is really looking to finally get rid of this headache in #15, and only added a 1st round tender on Marshall if a team does decide to add him to their roster. The bigger issue with Seattle is, who is going to throw to him? Matt Hasslebeck looks like his career is on a major decline, due to injury and Seneca Wallace doesn't seem to be the clear cut answer at QB either. Watching where Marshall goes will be interesting to see in the coming days or weeks.

Carolina Panthers Has Garage Sale- That's what it seems like,. The Panthers let Peppers go, and released Maake Kemoeatu, Damione Lewis, Na'il Diggs, Landon Johnson and the biggest shocker in QB Jake Delhomme. It's a shock to me, because Delhomme JUST received a new contract this time last year, with $20 million guaranteed. Although Delhomme sucked during the 2008 playoffs and the 2009 season, the fact they the Panthers still owe him $12.6 million after dumping him is a HUGE deal in the NFL.

From the looks of this press conference, Delhomme was just as shocked as I was.




Keep ya head up Jake!

The Biggest Surprise Of The Day Goes To..................................

The Washington Redskins for being QUIET during the first day of free agency! Who would ever think that Mike Shanahan could come in and bring normalcy to a dysfunctional franchise in just a short time. Congrats to you, Redskins, for not overpaying old players who are shells of their former selves.

Dear Ozzie Newsome,

First off, let me commend you. You're one of the best GMs in this league, alongside Bill Polian, Bill Belichick and A.J. Smith. I trust your judgment in free agency and on draft day to the fullest. You've brought more diamonds than cubic zirconias to this still-growing Baltimore Ravens organization. You're awesome at what you do and for that, I thank you personally.

Okay, enough of the brown nosing. Let's get to the point of this open letter. The Ravens are a good team. I can't complain there. With the addition of Coach Harbs and Cam Cameron, the Ravens have once again become a quality team and have the tools to be consistent in the playoffs every year. But that's simply not enough anymore. Fans have tasted the playoffs for 2 consecutive years, (the first since 2000-2001 seasons) and even an AFC Championship appearance. But now, we are ready to take the next step- A Super Bowl berth and another Lombardi Trophy on display at The Castle-AKA-1 Winning Dr, Owings Mills, MD. So I'm sending this letter out of love. With the NFL Combine and draft coming, I figured I could help you with the glaring problems we have. You know.... in case you're too busy to notice.

The first thing the Ravens need is an upgrade at WR. They needed it last year, and they damn sure need it a year later. Their top 3 WRs on the team-Mason, Clayton and Washington- all are free agents. They were aiiiight for the 2009 season. But we still needed a #1 WR on this team to help Joe Flacco develop into the QB we all want him to be. And with all of them set to test the waters of free agency, this could get real ugly. The addition of Donte Stallworth was cool, especially since it was for peanuts. But let's be real, dude is a #3 WR at best. We need a #1. My suggestion- Bring back Mason, offer Clayton a deal, and make a move for Malcolm Floyd OR push for a Anquan Boldin/Brandon Marshall trade.


I like the idea of drafting the likes of Dez Bryant, Jordan Shipley or Golden Tate to this roster. But let's be real, your drafting of WRs has been like a game of Russian Roulette. Bring in an established guy who will help this team immediately and help my man Joe out.

The Ravens also need a CB, almost as bad as they do a WR. Fabian Washington is nothing but speedy CB who can't cover, LarDarius Webb may not be 100% by training camp, and Frank Walker sure as hell doesn't give me great confidence when he steps onto the field. It's cool if we could draft one this year. But if you take my advice and trade for Boldin or Marshall, then my guess is the 1st round pick is a goner. My next suggestion to you: Looking into Dunta Robinson. The Texans have said they are not going to franchise tag him for a 2nd year. We could really use a guy like him on this defense. Another suggestion is Antonio Cromartie of the San Diego Chargers. AJ Smith says he's shopping him around, and at one point the Ravens staff loved Cromartie coming out of the draft. He hasn't played as well he has did in previous years, but with Ray Ray being the ultimate motivator, I'm sure we can get more out of him.

Also, I need you to get rid of Frank Walker, the walking yellow flag, and bring in Leigh Bodden as a nickel corner. While I don't think Bodden is a starter like he used to be, he would be a great addition to this team for 3 or more wideout situations. I wanted him last year, but you didn't hear my plea. Well, I'm saying it again, so this time you can get the picture.

And lastly Oz.... I can call you Oz, right?! Lastly, please re-sign Haltoi Ngata soon, before it's too late. Ngata has 2 years left from his rookie deal and has played better and better as the years have gone on. Haloti finally got recognition and was voted to his first Pro Bowl this past season. But you and I both know he should have been added after his 2nd NFL season. Dude is a beast!

If you wait until his contract is up, he will almost guarantee more money than he would if you did it now. We saw what happened with Chris McAlister and Terrell Suggs, tagging them for 2 years before signing them to new deals. Let's not do that to Haloti. He's a great player and a good guy. Let's give him what he's due... Go ahead and pay that man.

That's it for now. Again, you rock. But this Ravens fan is tired of getting a taste and not getting it all. With the uncapped year and possible stoppage coming, the time is now to start gearing up. I'm not asking you to spend crazy money. I'm asking you to look into these avenues because we are a couple of key pieces away from being kinda like a big deal. I think I've covered everything the Ravens need to do immediately. Let me know if you need any more advice. I'm willing to help out anyway I can.

Sincerely,


Your Ravens Fan, Reeta-The NFL Chick

P.S.- Is it too much to ask about looking into bringing Julius Peppers here?! It is??? Okay....................................