in NFL Articles

Are you ready for some football (free-agent signings and trades)?!?! I know I am. The NFL void will soon be filled by busted brackets and the joy that is the NCAA tournament. For now, however, I am keeping track of the pro-days and the flurry of free-agent happenings in the NFL. And boy, are there some big ones! Let’s run them down:

Adalius Thomas (LB), Wes Welker (WR) to the Patriots

The Baltimore Ravens.

Thomas is a perfect fit for the Patriots, and fills a huge need for them at linebacker. With Tedy Bruschi on the downside of his career, and nobody else really prepared to take over for him, Thomas will be a welcome addition. His ability to play multiple defensive positions at 270 lbs. is astounding and he will fit in nicely with what the Patriots do defensively.

Welker, a speedy receiver from Miami, had a career year last year with 687 yards and one touchdown. His speed and route running are solid, but whether he can be the big play, go-to guy in New England is another question.

You can bet on the Patriots to win Super Bowl XLII at +750 in the .

Drew Bennett (WR) to the 

Isaac Bruce is nearing the end of his career, and Kevin Curtis is likely to leave through free-agency. The Bennett pick is a slight mystery, because it remains to be seen whether he is taking over for Bruce as the number two receiver, or for Curtis at the slot.

Bennett has been wasting away in Tennessee, and is still a good talent with great hands and good speed. His height creates good match-ups for the offense, and Bulger will be able to find him often. With Holt burning it up on the opposite side, Bennett will see a lot of one-on-one matchups. That is if Bruce is ready to give up that number two…

You can bet on the Rams to win Super Bowl XLII at +5000 in the .

Travis Henry (RB) to the

At 28, Henry is a great acquisition by the Broncos. Almost any runner can explode behind that offensive-line. We say “almost,” because Tatum Bell and Mike Bell had trouble last year. Henry is a six-year veteran who regained his form in Tennessee.

Henry has excellent acceleration, but his top-speed is not ideal. Still, he is a compact player with good vision who will be able to find the massive holes created by the monsters Denver officially refers to as “offensive linemen.” A solid pick-up by Mike Shanahan and company.

You can bet on the Broncos to win Super Bowl XLII at +1800 in the .

Fred Smoot (CB) to the

The self-proclaimed “Mouth of the South” returns to Washington after a failed two-year stint with the Minnesota Vikings. Smoot endured more then a handful of off-the-field problems last year including the death of his brother, the Love Boat and a vicious car accident. Hopefully all of those things have forced the athletic defender to settle down.

Gibbs is extremely familiar with Smoot and will know how to get the best out of the player. And Smoot should feel comfortable as a Redskin, where he is wildly popular with the fans due to his outspoken personality. Over/under on who gets more camera time between him and Clinton Portis, anybody?

You can bet on the Redskins to win Super Bowl XLII at +4500 in the .

Check the Archives section below for all three parts of this article.

Remember, if you can bet on football, you can . It's free and you'll know the teams by the time the big tournament's bracket buster rolls around.