2011 NFL Free Agency OR Draft: What's Your Poison?

Two things come to mind for every NFL fan once a season comes to an end after a Super Bowl champion is crowned, those two main events are free agency and the NFL.

By now we should all be aware of the potential lockout pending a new Collective Bargaining Agreement and everyone hopes that the two sides can reach an agreement by March 3 2011.

The draft and free agency are the periods of time when each team in the league attempts to bring in the best talent their money can buy and improve upon the previous year.

It’s the time where top rated players can bank on contracts and reshape a teams future for the unknown future and draft prospects dreams can come true.

For the purpose of this article lets pretend an agreement has been reached and the two sides (Owners & Players) both walk away happy.

Cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha (Raiders) and right tackle Logan Mankins (Patriots) will be two highly paid players once they sign a new contract. Both are dominating veterans at their position who have become quite the popular name in Philadelphia.

Asomugha was simply released by the Raiders for failing to meet certain requirements in his contract, and it appears Mankins is being ignored by the Patriots.

There are others out there however these are two positions the Eagles desperately need to upgrade if they wish to advance further into the post season than they did the last two years. Whether they sign a premier player in free agency and draft the other, address both in free agency and use the draft as quality depth, few truly know what is zipping through the mind of head coach Andy Reid this time of year.

If I was the GM I would have to strongly consider the most elite cornerback in the league to be my free agency prize. Not only would the Eagles get thee most shutdown corner in the league, but he would join a just as feared player in Asante Samuel.

On the other side of the card you have the draft where teams can find suitable NFL hopefuls, train those players to that teams way of life, and have them at their disposal for longer stretch of time while paying far less money to those players.

At the same positions mentioned earlier in the draft there are some high quality players like top ranked cornerback Patrick Peterson and offensive tackle Anthony Costanza. Both individuals are considered the best in their class at their respective positions.

So I ask the question again, which of the two off-season events do you as a fan most look forward to?

For me the answer is simple, I anticipate free agency almost like I look forward to the final preseason game ending and the start of the regular season. The players obtained through free agency have proven their worth over the years in the NFL and teams along with their fan-base know exactly what kind of player they are getting.

With the draft, you can watch the selected players grow into potential stars right out of the gate but one never knows how those players will transition over from the college level over to the NFL. I’m not saying the draft isn’t an exciting period of time because truth be told it is but there is always that concern. Throughout the history of the NFL there have been players selected with high round draft picks who have been labeled a bust, that can’t happen once you’ve already established yourself in the league.

Teams can, and will, find talented players in both phases of the off-season. How do the Philadelphia Eagles plan on executing their off-season blueprint to fill their 2010 voids is unknown at this point in time. We as fans can day dream about what could be if the Birds just add this piece here or that piece there. Over the years it has become obvious that head coach Andy Reid’s style is to have a nice mix of youth and mid to upper level veterans on the team, or “blend” as he put it.

He has his new coaching staff in place with the most recent addition being John Lynn who will join Mike Zordich as the Defensive Backs coach’s. Zordich is going to head the safeties while Lynn will work with the cornerbacks after spending five years with the San Francisco 49ers.

Now that we can begin shifting our focus over to these upcoming events, isn’t it exciting to think of the potential the Eagles will have if they approach these times diligently? If they would just bring in that one guy who you hope they do sign?

Stay tuned to Philly To Do as developements in the CBA occur and as we head into the draft. You can also follow me on Facebook and Twitter by clicking on the links below! If you would like to take part in my poll question you can do so at my blog Bleeding Eagle Green
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