Free Agents do win? Is this true?

[thunderraiden]

Please no more free agents. We have enough on this team. You build winners through the draft and fill in with free agents.

The only free agent I want to see signed is maybe a safety and that's all.

I do not understand why there are so many threads started about getting other people's players and players at the end of their careers. Like these players are magically going to make this team better.

They are not. Free agents are mercenaries and mercenaries do not win wars. The people that win wars are the guys drafted or that signed up to fight and trained by that army not hired soldiers. That's the reality of war and the reality of sports.

Free agents fill in they don't win.

After cruising the giants board to see their reaction to d-will wearing a giants hat at the pro-bowl (they had none) i saw the customary Julius Peppers thread every nfl teams forum has on it. I go in and some1 bashes the idea of free agents, but I never thought about it.... are free agents really not winners? (thinks back to the video i just saw of 1996 Panthers)

[Squirrel]

After cruising the giants board to see their reaction to d-will wearing a giants hat at the pro-bowl (they had none) i saw the customary Julius Peppers thread every nfl teams forum has on it. I go in and some1 bashes the idea of free agents, but I never thought about it.... are free agents really not winners? (thinks back to the video i just saw of 1996 Panthers)

F/A's fill in missing pieces for a team it is better to build through the draft. A F/A is someone you bring in to put you over the top (ala Stephen Davis 2003).

[Nytrogen]

That statement is based on the reason said player is a free agent. It's too broad to say about all free agents.

[panthers55]

Actually the war analogy and the football analogy are not entirely correct in my opinion.. Mercenaries are hired when you want an instantly trained force which can go out and operate without years of practice and development. Most times you don't have enough of your own forces or the mission is too risky for your own people so you send in mercenaries who are expendable as you can hire more. They come at a premium and if chosen wisely are very valuable.

Likewise free agents can instantly shore up a unit and provide the necessary skills to perform at a high level. Throughout our history we used mostly free agents before 2000 and even more recently have used them to shore up positions. Look at our recent past, Ken Lucas, Na'il Diggs, Tyler Brayton, Kemo, Moose (part 2), Keydrick Vincent, Damione Lewis, Dante Wesley, Jake are all example of free agents who came here and performed well. Over our history we have a ton more who have contributed including some of our greats like Steve Beuerlein, Sam Mills, Lamar Lathon, Kevin Greene, Wesley Wall, John Kasay, Ricky Proehl, etc.

I think it a positive testament to Hurney and Fox that we have switched succesfully to mostly using our own draft picks and developing them rather than paying for expensive free agents. Because the issue with mercenaries (free agents) versus the draft (football and military) is the cost. Just like you couldn't afford to hire all mercenaries you can't aford to hire all free agents who typically come at a premium and still be able to stay under the cap. You need to fill the roster with drafted played who are pretty cheap especially under their forst rookie contract which is typically 4 or 5 years.

Plus you will lose a certain number of free agents every year and can replace them with cheap draft labor which is abosolutely necessary.

[Snake]

F/A's fill in missing pieces for a team it is better to build through the draft. A F/A is someone you bring in to put you over the top (ala Stephen Davis 2003).

Dont forget about Ricky Proehl and Jake Delhomme. LOL

That was prob our best FA year ever. Right now we are sitting in the same situation. One or two good WRs could put us over the top.