NFL Blockbusters: Patriots and Eagles

In what's been an offseason tainted by a work stoppage that was finally put to rest on July 25 after lasting nearly four months, a flurry of moves have been made thus far, making it one of the more active offseasons in years past. While teams such as the Minnesota Vikings and the Tennessee Titans made moves to upgrade in the QB department by landing Donovan McNabb and Matt Hassselbeck, no two teams have made bigger headlines than the New England Patriots and the Philadelphia Eagles.

In New England, the Pats splashed onto the scene by acquiring two of the games more controversial players in WR Chad Ochocinco and DE Albert Haynesworth. Though both players are former Pro-Bowlers, they both bring with them some heavy luggage that would've scared away most teams. However, while many would call New England's latest additions risky, the Patriots are known for these type of signings and they always seem to work out in their favor -- i.e. Randy Moss and Corey Dillion. Not to mention they practically got both players for virtually nothing as New England sent a 5th round pick in the 2013 Draft to Washington and a 5th round pick (2012) and a 6th round pick (2013) to Cincinnati.

For Ochocinco who's served all 10 years of his NFL career with the Bengals who saw little success from QB Carson Palmer, the 6-time Pro Bowl wide-out will now have one of the greatest QB's in NFL history throwing to him in Tom Brady. As for Haynesworth who's coming off of two nightmare seasons for the Washington Redskins who signed him to a 7-year deal worth $100 Million in 2009, he'll now be taking orders from Bill Belichick who has the reputation for straightening players out and is arguably one of the best coaches in the history of the game. With two of the NFL's most troubled players now playing for one of the league's best run franchises, I'm almost 100% convinced that Belichick and co. can groom Ochocinco and Haynesworth back into the elite class they were once upon a time a part of.

Meanwhile in Philadelphia, the Eagles sprung onto the free agent frenzy by swooping in (no pun intended) on this offseason's most highly coveted free agent, signing cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha to a 5-year, $60 Million contract. The California alum who was taken in the first round of the 2003 Draft to stay put in the Bay Area to play for the Oakland Raiders who Asomugha logged four consecutive Pro Bowl seasons with, was on many teams' radar this offseason including that of the Dallas Cowboys, San Francisco 49ers and the New York Jets among others before surprising the league and announcing his decision to sign with the Eagles. Complimenting Asomugha in the back field will be All-Pro CB Asante Samuel and Dominique Rogers-Cromartie who Philly acquired from the Arizona Cardinals in exchange for backup Quarterback Kevin Kolb.

Kolb's departure then prompted Eagles head coach Andy Reid to seek an alternative for the backup role. Like the rest of the league, Reid received word of Tennessee releasing their former Rookie of the Year QB Vince Young and signed him to a 1-year deal. Though Young could very well be the starting Quarterback on a number of teams, he'll be sure to see a lot of action given how cautious the Eagles will be with the ever so injury-prone Michael Vick. Not only would Andy Reid have a proven backup QB to rely on if need be, but he'll also have a QB who wouldn't need much adjusting granted he and Vick share a similar playing style. Philadelphia's makeover didn't end there as defensive end Jason Babin and defensive tackle Cullen Jenkins were also added into the mix, forming what Babin called, "The Miami Heat of the NFL." But unless he plans on losing in the Super Bowl, that's probably not something to brag about.

With all of the recent acquisitions, one thing is almost certain and that's that the Eagles have only one thing on their mind -- a Super Bowl title. But as we all know, they'd have to get passed the defending World Champion Green Bay Packers to do so. And with their new formidable tandem of Asomugha and Rodgers-Cromartie, they appear to have established the perfect recipe to hold off Packers QB Aaron Rodgers. If the Eagles do make it to the big game in January, don't be surprised if New England is the team they're up against.