Category — Analysis

With coaching vacancies around the NFL — Atlanta, Miami, and Washington, most notably — the hot name on everyone’s list is, once again, Pete Carroll. The current head coach of USC, arguably the hottest college football team in the nation, despite letdowns, always seems to be in talks this time of year as teams search for the next big NFL head coach.

The problem? Carroll is a god in Southern California. Perhaps the most widely recognized coach in college football, Carroll has built a legacy and put SoCal back on the map in a big way. Year in and out his teams enter the season ranked first in the nation and find themselves in the middle of a BCS Bowl.

When the NFL season comes to a close, another begins. It may be called the offseason, but as any fan knows, the NFL is a year-round sport that doesn’t end when the games cease to be played.

Among the notable attractions of the offseason is free agency. It’s where teams will rebuild before the draft and some can become almost instant winners by acquiring the right set of playmakers on offense and defense or else fill needs with veteran players.

Whatever your team needs, it starts with free agency. With that in mind, here are the top running backs who will be either unrestricted free agents (UFA) or restricted free agents (RFA) following the 2007 season.

The Top 5

When the NFL season comes to a close, another begins. It may be called the offseason, but as any fan knows, the NFL is a year-round sport that doesn’t end when the games cease to be played.

Among the notable attractions of the offseason is free agency. It’s where teams will rebuild before the draft and some can become almost instant winners by acquiring the right set of playmakers on offense and defense or else fill needs with veteran players.

Whatever your team needs, it starts with free agency. With that in mind, here are the top quarterbacks who will be either unrestricted free agents (UFA) or restricted free agents (RFA) following the 2007 season. (Edit: Philip Rivers is also an unrestricted free agent, but because there is an almost 0% chance he leaves the Chargers, he has been left off the list.)

Despite initial reports stating Bill Parcells will be joining the Atlanta Falcons franchise to aid in finding a head coach, the latest from ESPN is that he will instead be on his way to Miami in a similar capacity. The deal with Atlanta fell through when Parcells noted that the Dolphins were interested in him.

“We gave it our best shot, and it didn’t work out. We will continue down the same overall path, proceeding with plans to hire a general manager and a head coach. We will identify and consider every strongly viable candidate for these positions, with the goal of hiring the best,” Atlanta’s Arthur Blank said, according to a statement.

According to reports from ESPN and now the AP, Bill Parcells is considering a position with the Atlanta Falcons which would basically give him the power to hire a new head coach for the Atlanta Falcons after Bobby Petrino walked out on the team last week. Parcells would likely be a fine candidate because of his experience and his network of resources is fairly widespread.

Interestingly, Parcells could, if he wanted, name himself the head coach. But given the nature of the team — its talent — it would be surprising if he did so. Besides, being let go by the Dallas Cowboys probably left a bitter taste in his mouth and, while coaching there, he didn’t appear to enjoy the work. At his age, rebuilding a team from scratch — which is about where the Falcons are at this point — may not be the best idea.

Many draft experts are calling Darren McFadden a carbon copy of Adrian Peterson. Some are going further than that. But regardless of how he compares to 2007’s rookie of the year, the ultimate consensus is that McFadden is a playmaker and the most electrifying player in the 2008 NFL draft.

The Jets, meanwhile, have a running game that limped through the 2007 season, ranking 28th in rushing touchdowns. The offseason addition of Thomas Jones can unofficially be considered a failed maneuver as he averages 3.6 yards per carry this season and has scored only one touchdown.

But does Eric Mangini believe the position needs improving? Not necessarily. In fact, he doesn’t mind the idea of a three-back system featuring Jones, Leon Washington, and Brad Smith.

We’re still several months from April’s main event, the NFL Draft, but if you want a temporary fix for your draft cravings, look no further than than the top five projected picks.

Mid-December and already talking about the draft. Got to love the NFL, right?

1. Miami Dolphins - Glenn Dorsey - DT - LSU

Picking number one overall, it makes sense that the Dolphins will take one of the best players available in the draft: Dorsey. They don’t need McFadden here, or he would likely be the pick. And while an argument can clearly be made for Jake Long, it’s not clear whether the team’s offensive line is in dire need. Dorsey, meanwhile, is a playmaker on defense, the type of player Miami would be wise to invest in.

As the Baltimore Ravens inch closer to a top five pick in the NFL Draft, questions concerning Brian Billick’s job security are raised. The Ravens coach has one of the longest tenures with one team in the current NFL — eight seasons (T-4th) — but after the Ravens endured perhaps the most painful loss this season, dropping a game to the previously winless Miami Dolphins, Billick has slid deeper onto the hotseat.

But are the team’s lack of successes as of late enough to can the coach who led the Ravens to a 13-3 record and a first round bye in the postseson?

No. At least not in my mind. And I’m sure the Ravens front office feels the same.

Bobby Petrino might be considered a sellout, exiting after a disastrous season with the Atlanta Falcons — a position he originally regarded as a “dream job” — and bolting for Arkansas. It doesn’t help matters that he left during the NFL season. But whether or not he’s a sellout, his leaving already impacts the NFL draft.

Vince Young has been nursing a sore quad for some time now, since mid-October, in fact. And during last night’s game against the Denver Broncos, he apparently bruised that same quad on a play that technically didn’t happen.