NFL Weekly: T.J Houshmandzadeh Signs With Seahawks, Jason Taylor, Julius Peppers To The Patriots?, Kurt Warner, & More

T.J. Houshmandzadeh: Ok, so I'm not exactly sure if T.J. Houshmandzadeh understands the benefits of free agency. He's been playing for a perennial loser for the first 8 years of his career and then he decides to sign with a team that looks like it's on it's downside and for the most part has been a perennial loser in the NFL as well. Yeah, Matt Hassleback is a good QB if he can stay healthy, but the pieces just aren't in place for the Seahawks to make it back to a Super Bowl anytime soon. Meanwhile, Houshmandzadeh passed up a chance to play with the Vikings and team up with Adrian Peterson during the prime of his career. The Vikings have way more upside than the Seahawks do since they have one of the best playmakers in the NFL and a defense that ranked 6th in the NFL last season. The Seahawks defense was a lowly 30th and I don't see any reason why it would improve much this season. The Vikings offense was dominated by the run game, which was 5th in the NFL. The offense finished just 17th overall, but considering that they were led by Tarvaris Jackson and Gus Frerotte at QB, you could definitely see their offense improving if they brought in a better QB. Now word comes out that Minnesota might be trading for Jay Cutler, who would definitely be an upgrade at QB for the Vikings. I really think Houshmandzadeh blew this one and I feel like he was shortsighted by choosing the team with the better QB, instead of just choosing the better team.

Other NFL News:

- The Cleveland Browns, Denver Broncos, Green Bay Packers, Kansas City Chiefs, New England Patriots, New York Jets, Philadelphia Eagles and San Francisco 49ers are all possible landing places for recently released DE Jason Taylor. My bet is that Taylor would like to go to the Patriots, but they may have other plans for DE. However, Bill Belichick has always spoke very highly of Taylor and loves veterans. The Patriots also need help with the pass rush and I think Taylor still has the ability to do that, so he is certainly a possibility. Of course if the Pats trade for DE Julius Peppers instead, they probably would not have a need for Taylor anymore. That certainly would be a monster move for the Patriots if they were to acquire Peppers.

- Kurt Warner is visiting the 49ers after stalled negotiations with the Cardinals. This is definitely something to keep an eye on because it could shift the balance of power in the NFC West. With Warner at QB the 49ers could very well be the favorite in the division. I still think Warner goes back to the Cardinals though because I think he's smart enough to realize that throwing to Larry Fitzgerald is a whole hell of a lot better than throwing to an aging Isaac Bruce and a bunch of other misfit WRs in San Francisco.

- Tampa Bay may solid pickup by signing RB Derrick Ward away from the Giants. I'm sure Ward will get the bulk of the carriers for the Bucs, but I don't think he will be the clear cut feature back and I expect he will be sharing at least 10-15 carries with another back throughout the season. Of course, it's always possible he has the same success as a feature back that Michael Turner did with the Falcons this year. I wouldn't expect him to put up the numbers that Turner did, but 1,200-1,500 yards and 10+ TDs doesn't seem completely unreasonable.

- The Cowboys signed LB Keith Brooking, who is a 5-time Pro Bowl selection. Brooking had 102 tackles last season for the Falcons, who he spent his entire career with until now. The Cowboys also acquired QB Jon Kitna from the Lions to backup Tony Romo.

- The Bengals and Bills are showing interest in WR Laveranues Coles. If I were him, I would stay away from the Bengals and go up to Buffalo to play opposite Lee Evans.

- The Lions are hoping that they can trade for Denver QB Jay Cutler or possibly even Browns QB Derek Anderson. Right now their # 1 QB is Daunte Culpepper, although they will probably draft a QB if they don't acquire one in a trade.

- The Saints are looking to improve their secondary, as they should be, and have talked to Darren Sharper and Shawn Springs and have offered a contract to Rams CB Ron Bartell. The Patriots are also said to be looking at Springs.

- Nate Washington left the Super Bowl champion Steelers to sign with the Titans and would have been a decent deep threat for Kerry Collins to try and stretch the field with. However, it looks like Collins has priced himself out of a job with the Titans after his contract demands were turned down by the Titans.

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