A Few Teams that Appear Destined for Opposite Directions

We have had two big off season moves in the past few days involving the Arizona Cardinals, Kansas City Chiefs and the Atlanta Falcons. The first big move was the trade of perennial all star Tony Gonzalez from the Chiefs to the Falcons. The Chiefs have moved into complete rebuild mode with an exciting number of draft selections and simply felt that Gonzalez deserved better. While the Falcons were destined for rebuild mode with the loss of Michael Vick they made a major impact on the league last season and seem destined for great things. Matt Ryan took over the starting QB position and the addition of Gonzalez will give him another talented option to throw to. Many were predicting that the Falcons could make a big run this 2009 season and now they look stronger than ever. It remains to be seen whether or not Gonzalez' best years are behind him, but he has a reliable set of hands and should fit into the offensive scheme nicely. No one can be too sure of what the Chiefs starting lineup will look like this season but it may be a few years before we see them in the thick of a playoff race again.

The Arizona Cardinals are coming off a surprising run to the Super Bowl but refuse to sit tight and field the same team. In rather surprising moves the team released all star RB Edgerrin James, CB Rod Hood and DE Travis Laboy. The most surprising of the cuts was James who is only 30 years and just a few years removed from his all star season with the Indianapolis Colts. The decision was made after the Cardinals managed to draft up and coming stud RB Chris Wells in the first round of the 2009 Draft. While many are curious as to what the team will look like without the veteran presence of James, there is a lot of excitement about the potential of Wells and his abilities. Most of the starting lineup will remain in tact with the presence of both Kurt Warner and stud WR Larry Fitzgerald. However there is still concern about where veteran wide out Anquan Boldin will play. Boldin is in the midst of contract disputes and does not appear happy with his current contract. Many experts feel that the team needs Boldin to even out the field. Without him, defensive schemes will revolve around Fitzgerald and he may be completely shut down. While the release of James is big news, the eventual decision when it comes to Boldin may be even bigger. With that being said, do not think James' career is over as he is sure to sign with a team looking for a dependable, veteran back.