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Calvin Johnson showed the Megatron gets paid Megabucks as he landed the biggest contract in NFL history. He should continue to be a premier receiver for years, and Stafford gets some nice security.
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The Eagles also took care of their own by signing DeSean Jackson to a five-year deal. A little late as he helped the Eagles’ implosion last year, but they secured one of the game’s best playmakers.
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The Chiefs solidified their backfield by adding Peyton Hillis to the mix. His value takes a hit, but I’m not sure his style is suited for lead back carries. Jamaal Charles takes a hit too, but the same probably holds true for the speedster.
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Laurent Robinson turned his breakout 11-touchdown season into a long-term deal with the Jaguars. I’m not saying he’ll never be heard from again, but you can consider the days of using him as a WR1 or WR2 over. Sorry, but Blaine Gabbert is awful. Chad Henne was brought on board, but he isn’t much better.
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Tampa continued its overhaul by adding guard Carl Nicks and cornerback Eric Wright. They certainly aren’t sitting idle, but they are spending in Daniel Snyder mode.
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The Cowboys gave Brandon Carr $100K more than the monster deal that Finnegan signed yesterday. He should improve their secondary. They also added Kyle Orton to back up Romo. Dez, Miles, and Witten owners have to like that news.
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The Vikings wasted $11 million in guaranteed money in a five-year, $25 deal with tight end John Carlson, who missed last season. They used a second round pick on Kyle Rudolph so either that pick or this move is a mistake. Better yet, maybe they both are.
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Also check out:

• NFL Free Agent Flurry 2012: Fantasy Perspective Day 1
• 2012 NFL Mock Draft
• Sportsguy 250′s 2012 NFL Mock Draft: Picks 1-15

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There were some serious waves made today as the NFL reminded the sports universe that it reigns supreme.
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Things got kicked off with a trade. Brandon Marshall and Jay Cutler are singing “reunited and it feels so good” as the Bears landed perhaps their first legitimate number one receiver in the Super Bowl era. The odds were long that he would have been catching passes from Peyton Manning, so this is an obvious upgrade over whoever ends up slinging passes in South Beach. Meanwhile, Cutler gets his first legitimate receiving threat since, well, Brandon Marshall. The two hooked up for a pair of 100 catch seasons. Both Marshall and Cutler can be knuckleheads, but there is a potent QB-WR tandem in the Windy City. Not to mention the price tag of two future third round picks isn’t hard to swallow. The Bears also wisely added Jason Campbell to hold the clipboard and go in if Cutler goes down again.
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The same can’t be said for the contract that the Redskins handed Pierre Garcon. They already made a big splash trading up to get RG3, and now they gave him a number two receiver. Unfortunately for them, they paid him like a number one at five years for $42.5 million. The Skins also added Josh Morgan in a smaller deals, but he doesn’t hold much fantasy appeal.
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The Bucs did add a number one in Vincent Jackson, but to the tune of five years for $55.6 million. While he upgrades Tampa’s receiving corps, his fantasy value takes a hit as he’s no longer catching passes from Philip Rivers. Plus, he’s been talking about a big payday for years. I just hope he continues to put the work in to earn it.
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Jumping to the defensive side of the ball, the Rams stayed aggressive by inking cornerback Cortland Finnegan to a monster five-year, $50 million dollar deal. Jeff Fisher knows first hand what he’s getting so this is a smaller leap of faith that one might think.
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A couple of familiar faces at receiver are staying put. Drew Brees isn’t happy, but at least he still has Marques Colston to throw to. He signed on for five more years at $40 million. Peyton Manning and just about everybody else is gone in the ghost town that is Indianapolis, but Reggie Wayne (three years, $17.5 million) will give Andrew Luck a security blanket.
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It’s old news by now, but Randy Moss signed a one-year deal with San Francisco.
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Also check out:

• 2012 NFL Mock Draft
• Sportsguy 250′s 2012 NFL Mock Draft: Picks 1-15

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Joe Flacco wants top five quarterback money. That’s some funny stuff. His agent is quoted as saying ”If the game is about wins and losses, he has to be in the top five”. Yes, Mr. Linta, this game is about wins and losses. Most games are. Unfortunately for the agent that is trying to break the Ravens back, his client doesn’t play golf or tennis.
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Certainly an individual has an impact on a team, and I agree that quarterbacks more so than any other position. That is why they get paid a premium. Whatever contract Flacco gets is going to be a nice haul. He will likely get more money than Ray Rice. If you asked most Ravens fans if they would rather have Joe Flacco or Ray Rice, you probably wouldn’t get too many people clamoring for number five.
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Heck, if you asked people if they would rather have Peyton Manning or Flacco you would have more people looking to add a Hall of Famer QB in the twilight of his career.
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You don’t have to even  bother to ask the defense which player is more valuable. They aren’t picking the player that sported a goofy mustache in the playoffs.
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Flacco had a decent year throwing for 3610 yards and 20 INTs. He knocked off the Texans and put the Ravens in position to go to the Super Bowl by throwing for 306 yards against the Patriots.
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Let’s not give him too much credit though. We all know the Ravens are built on defense and running the football.
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There is simply no way Flacco deserves top five money. Drew Brees, Aaron Rodgers, Tom Brady, Matthew Stafford, Eli Manning. Not paying him more than those guys.
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Philip Rivers, Ben Roethlisberger, Tony Romo, Cam Newton, and Matt Ryan. That’s ten QBs. Jay Cutler and Michael Vick.
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Flacco is a top 15 guy, even though his passer rating ranked 18th, just behind Kevin Kolb. Sorry Flacco, but you and your agent need to stop sniffing paint fumes.
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Also check out:

• Why Peyton Manning Isn’t Right for the Jets 
• Why the Colts Should Move on Peyton Manning

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In a perfect world (at least if you are a Colts fan) it would have taking care of business in front of the home fans in Super Bowl XLVI.
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Obviously Peyton’s body had different plans and the Colts fans suffered through a humiliating 2-14 season, which was even worse than the matching 3-13 record the Colts had in the year leading up to the selection of Peyton Manning and his 1998 rookie season.
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2012 marks the fourth time the Colts landed the first overall pick since they moved to Indianapolis in 1984, a year after number one overall pick John Elway forced a trade to Denver. Two of the three years the Colts selected a quarterback with the first overall pick. Jeff George in 1990 and of course Peyton in 1998.
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Here we are 14 years later and the Colts don’t have a choice but to start over with “can’t miss” prospect Andrew Luck.
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Obviously there are factors that make the selection of Luck a foregone conclusion. Peyton will turn 36 next month. I know Brett Favre became a grandpa amd played six season at 36 or greater before he left the game in a ball of flames. Of those six seasons though, only two did Favre throw more TDs than INTs.
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Favre didn’t have the injury concern that Peyton has. Favre didn’t miss a start until he turned 41. Though Peyton never missed a start before this year, he missed an entire season. He has had multiple neck surgeries. That alone would be enough to scare off most teams.
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Sure, you could keep Peyton around and develop Andrew Luck. The problem is, you end up risking to have the same scenario that the Packers experienced when they basically had to force Brett Favre out the door. There probably won’t be a better time to move on Peyton.
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For starters, the Colts fans got a glimpse of life after Peyton and it wasn’t pretty. We have heard how good Andrew Luck has been for two years. How could even the most loyal of Peyton/Colts fans not get excited about possibly landing the next Peyton Manning? Having the Super Bowl in their backyard also helps matters. They got to experience what they were missing first hand.
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There is actually talk in some circles that Eli has become a better QB than Peyton. Maybe at this present time, and maybe over the rest of Peyton’s career, but let’s not forget what Peyton has been. Eli has two rings, but it’s a team game. Trent Dilfer is not better than Dan Marino because he won a trophy.
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The other reason why it’s time to move on for Peyton is the $28 million roster bonus that is due in March. Jim Irsay simply can’t put the organization at risk by making that payment.
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Where he lands is up for debate. To paraphrase Semisonic, he doesn’t have to go home, but he can’t stay here.

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Here are the Lester’s Legends Super Bowl XLVI fantasy football wide receiver rankings.
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He wasn’t the main factor last week, but Hakeem Nicks still has been the biggest wide receiver beast of the 2011-12 NFL Playoffs with an insane 335 yards and four TDs. He presents one heck of a match-up problem for the Patriots, who have been susceptible to the passing game all year long.
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Wes Welker could and probably should have caught 15-20 passes the last time these two teams squared off in the Super Bowl. The Giants had no answer for him. The same scenario played out in Week 9 when Welker caught nine passes for 136 yards and a touchdown. The Giants should focus on Gronk and Hernandez, which would allow Welker to pick them apart with precision.
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Victor Cruz is the biggest game breaker. He had seven games (including playoffs) with at least 119 yards and five with at least 142 yards. He “only” had 91 yards in the first meeting, though Nicks missed that game.
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Mario Manningham is the Giants’ version of Aaron Hernandez. You can’t shut down three players so when you focus on Gronk and Welker or Nicks and Cruz, someone (Manningham or Hernandez) becomes a nice target for a smart quarterback that knows to take what the defense gives him. Manningham has scored in all three playoff games.
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Deion Branch has Brady’s confidence, but he is often an afterthought. If Gronk is limited or knocked out early, Branch could see more looks.
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Julian Edelman is more likely to do damage returning a kick than in the passing game.
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Also check out:

• Super Bowl XLVI Fantasy Football QB Rankings
• Super Bowl XLVI Fantasy Football RB Rankings
• Super Bowl XLVI Fantasy Football TE Rankings
• Super Bowl XLVI Fantasy Football DEF Rankings
• Super Bowl XLVI  Fantasy Football K Rankings
• Super Bowl XLVI Pick

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This isn’t a Super Bowl that features elite running backs.  That’s nothing new though. There really hasn’t been an elite RB in the Super Bowl since Marshall Faulk. Rashard Mendenhall had good numbers last year, but I wouldn’t go so far as to call him elite.
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There isn’t a running back with at least 700 yards in Super Bowl XLVI. While they didn’t pile up a ton of yards, BenJarvus Green-Ellis, Ahmad Bradshaw, and Brandon Jacobs have 27 touchdowns between them.
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To me the top running back in this game is Ahmad Bradshaw. The Giants are a different team when he’s playing his game. He had 126 total yards in the NFC Championship as the G-Men knocked off the Niners. While he didn’t reach double-digit rushing TDs this year, he did finish with 11 total in 12 games. He has the ability to get yards both running the ball and catching it out of the backfield.
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I’ll go with BenJarvus Green-Ellis at number two, but despite 28 carries in the past two games and never having lost a fumble, you never know what Bill Belichick will do. Stevan Ridley could easily get more work. The Firm will likely get the ball at the stripe though so that gives him the edge over the remaining backs.
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At number three I like Brandon Jacobs. He is definitely going to get his touches. He will likely get a shot at the goal line. If the Giants do get a lead, his power running could help grind it out.
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At four I like Stevan Ridley. Fumbling issues cost him the chance to play during the AFC Championship, but Belichick could want him in the big game. He’ll obviously have to hold onto the ball though.
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At five I’ll rank Danny Woodhead. He could see a few carries, as well as some passes out of the backfield. If Gronk isn’t at 100 percent, the Patriots may have to use different looks.
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Also check out:

• Super Bowl XLVI Fantasy Football QB Rankings
• Super Bowl XLVI Fantasy Football WR Rankings
• Super Bowl XLVI Fantasy Football TE Rankings
• Super Bowl XLVI Fantasy Football DEF Rankings
• Super Bowl XLVI  Fantasy Football K Rankings
• Super Bowl XLVI Pick

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Here are the Lester’s Legends quarterback rankings for Super Bowl XLVI. It is a matchup of two of the elite quarterbacks in football. They are both cool under pressure and have delivered on the biggest stage.
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Eli entered the season with questions about whether or not he was elite. He had the confidence to say he was. I think he put that question to bed, throwing for more yards this year than his brother ever did. It’s not that Eli has better weapons, he just has more traditional ones, with three great wide receivers.
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Victor Cruz emerged as one of the game’s best deep threats this year. He has the ability to take the ball to the house at any time. Hakeem Nicks has that same knack, but is much tougher to bring down. Mario Manningham completes the trio.
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Tom Brady has Wes Welker, who is nearly impossible to cover. He is so quick off the ball, and is fearless. He caught 11 passes in the Super Bowl XLII, and another double-digit game is not out of the question. Deion Branch, the Super Bowl XXXIX MVP, knows how to step up in a big game. Brady’s most challenging weapons, though, are his tight ends. Rob Gronkowski (ankle) is hurt, but even a 80% Gronk is a tall order. He is so good in the red zone. Aaron Hernandez could play a bigger role for the Patriots with Gronk at less than full strength. I could see Hernandez having more yards and Gronk more scores.
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This truly should be a pretty even match-up for the Super Bowl XLVI quarterbacks. I just give Tom Brady a slight edge.
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Also check out:

• Super Bowl XLVI  Fantasy Football RB Rankings
• Super Bowl XLVI Fantasy Football WR Rankings
• Super Bowl XLVI Fantasy Football TE Rankings
• Super Bowl XLVI  Fantasy Football K Rankings
• Super Bowl XLVI  Fantasy Football DEF Rankings
• Super Bowl XLVI Pick

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