Here go the New York Yankees again, making their huge splashes in free agency. Who is it this time? Clemens? Kevin Brown? A-Rod?

Nope, they’ve signed heavyweights Russell Branyan and Bill Hall to minor league contracts. Both will get invites to spring training.

Hall will make $600,000 if he makes the club and there are $600,000 more worth of incentives there. He’ll most likely be used as a utility man.

And who cares what Branyan will make? He’s 36-years old and has back problems. He could pop a couple off the bench, but so what?

You can never have enough depth. For the Philadelphia Phillies, that depth is needed in the outfield. Shane Victorino is back in centerfield, but they are trusting John Mayberry to play a full season in left and maybe hoping that Dom Brown emerges in right after competing with some of the average joe’s they signed in the offseason.

So, why not roll the dice on a low-risk, decent-upside deal with a guy who was once a damn good player?

According to Jim Salisbury of CSN, that’s what the Phillies have done. He says they’ve signed Juan Pierre to a minor-league deal.

“Confirmed. Pierre agrees to minor lg deal. “@Ken_Rosenthal: Pierre minor-lge deal with #Phillies – @JSalisburyCSN reports serious talks,” Salisbury tweets.

If Pierre even has a decent spring, expect him to stay up with the club.

One of the highest profile free agents in baseball this year is/was Prince Fielder. It was believed that he was looking for a deal in the neighborhood of eight years, $200 million.

And obviously, he wasn’t worth that because no one would give it to him. Hell, that’s why he was on the market for so long.

But, it only takes one team. And that team is the Detroit Tigers.

According to SI’s Jon Heyman, the Tigers have signed Fielder to a nine-year, $214 million contract. Seriously.

Fielder is a phenomenal hitter, but is he really worth that much? He’s only 27-years old, which means I automatically like this deal better than Pujols’ deal with Anaheim. But, Fielder hit a career high .299 last year and you have to think that won’t happen again as he’s .282 for his career. He’ll always get you 30 HR’s and might even get 40 or 50. For that money, he better be north of 40 every year.

Time will tell if it’s truly a bad signing, but right now, I can’t see committing that many years and that much money to one guy.

Hope you like chubby guys, Detroit. ‘Cause you just got a very pricey one.

We’ve been wondering for a while now (not really) where former New York Mets outfielder Carlos Beltran would land. Once an elite player, Beltran has broken down physically over the last few years, even though he continues to put up some decent number.

Well, wait no more!

Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch tweets that the Cardinals have signed Beltran to a two-year contract.

“#Cardinals and Beltran have agreed upon a two-year deal, according to sources. News posted on Stltoday.com #stlcards,” he tweets.

It’s reportedly worth $26 million, which is kind of a lot for a 34-year old who has hardly been a model of fitness and health the last few years.

However, it’s tough to argue with Beltran’s numbers despite the injuries. His power isn’t remotely what it used to be, as he hit 22 bombs and just 84 RBI’s in 142 games in 2011. You’d be well within your rights to point out that he wasn’t in hitters parks in Queens and San Francisco (it’s not Russia after all), but those still aren’t dominant power stats.

However, he did hit .323 at the end of last season with the San Francisco Giants, and there wasn’t much (any) protection in that lineup.

Still, $13 million per year is a lot and he could spend most of the year on the DL.

The Kansas City Chiefs are the big winners in the Kyle Orton Sweepstakes. So, it would seem that we’ve seen the last of Tyler Palko for a while.

Or have we?

Orton was putting it out there earlier that if the Chiefs claim him, he won’t report to the team. That could be a problem.

But, he would be screwing himself over big time. Why wouldn’t he show up? The Chiefs would most likely send him a five-day letter. Basically, the five-day letter says “show up or else.” And that else is reserved/did-not-report list.

That means he’d forfeit the remaining balance of his 2011 $4.5 million salary and jeopardize his chances of free agency in 2012.

It would make absolutely no sense whatsoever for him not to show up and play.

While most Dallas Cowboys insiders weren’t surprised that the team released RB Tashard Choice, most national media were. That probably just goes to show how little the national media knows about individual teams, but we’ll leave that conversation for another day.

The truth is, Choice wasn’t playing well and he was never a favorite of Jason Garrett. That’s how you end up getting cut.

But, good news for Choice, he was claimed today by the running-back-needy Washington Redskins, according to Adam Schefter.

“The Redskins claimed former Cowboys running back Tashard Choice on waivers,” Schefter tweets.

Ryan Torain just hasn’t been getting it done, but then again falling behind 20-0 doesn’t help a coach stick with the run game. Tim Hightower is out for the year and all they have is Torain and Roy Helu. And knowing how Mike Shanahan rotates his backs, Choice will get a chance to show that he can play for them (if they aren’t down 20-0).

Choice averaged just 2.7-yards per carry this season, so memo to Washington D.C., you aren’t getting Barry Sanders.

However, the Redskins are getting a guy that over the last few seasons has filled in admirably when his number was called. It remains to be seen whether he’ll bet that guy, or the 2.7-yards per carry guy.

All offseason, many people were wondering why the Buffalo Bills didn’t go out and get a QB. Everyone thought they needed a QB except them. And maybe they were right with the way Ryan Fitzpatrick has been playing.

Fitzpatrick has the team off to a great start and apparently the Bills noticed. According to Joe Buscaglia of WGR, they have signed him to a pretty big extension.

“According to @john_wawrow of the AP, Ryan Fitzpatrick has agreed to a contract extension with the Buffalo Bills,” he tweets.

Rotoworld says the contract is a six-year, $59 million deal with $24 million guaranteed. This is insane. Fitzpatrick doesn’t have a ton of physical gifts, and he’s played well for periods of time before, only to fizzle out.

Don’t ignore any QB’s that might fall into your lap in the draft, Buffalo. We just don’t think he’s a great long-term solution. Especially since OTR thought the Bills should have addressed the QB situation in the offseason.

When you think of the top cornerbacks in the NFL, two names usually come up first. Nnamdi Asomugha of the Philadelphia Eagles and Darrelle Revis of the New York Jets. But there is another guy creeping into that territory and the Kansas City Chiefs obviously agree with us.

The Chiefs just locked up former second-round pick Brandon Flowers with a five-year, $50 million contract, according to Andrew Sociliano of the Red Zone channel.

“Reporting Brandon Flowers agrees to a contract extension with the Chiefs. 5yrs/$50 million – $22 million guaranteed,” he tweets.

Flower is still only 25-years old and is a hell of a player in both run support and pass coverage. That probably moves his counterpart Chris Carr to the top of the list to get a new contract after they already extended Derrick Johnson and Tamba Hali.

Many thought that last year would be Teemu Selanne’s final year of hockey. Some prayed it would be (no they didn’t). But, in a stunning turn of events (not really), Selanne has signed a one-year, $4 million contract with the Anaheim Ducks.

“Teemu Selanne to return to Ducks. Just signed for one year, $4 million,” tweets Helene Elliot of the LA Times.

Selanne had 31 goals and 80 points in just 73 games last season, so it’s clear he can still play.

This should go a long way to lifting the spirits of the Anaheim locals. Many are devastated by out-of-control spending in Washington and the huge budget deficit. This signing will go a long way towards quelling those fears and letting them know that everything is going to be okay with the world.

In other news, Israel and the Palestinians made up and agreed to stop their senseless bickering. It’s not known at this time if the Selanne signing had any impact on that outcome.

There weren’t many shocks on Saturday’s cutdown day for the NFL. Ok, maybe Tommie Harris getting let go wasn’t exactly expected. But, there wasn’t anything crazy. However, the New England Patriots cutting Brandon Meriweather certainly caused us to raise an eyebrow.

Meriweather made another Pro Bowl last season, but it was obvious the Patriots were getting sick of him. Maybe it was the off-the-field shooting stuff that they didn’t like (even though he was deemed a peacemaker in that incident). But, for whatever reason, the Patriots tried to trade him and they couldn’t, so they cut him.

And consider the Chicago Bears luckier for it. They signed the 27-year old safety to a one-year contract, with financial terms not disclosed.

This means that they don’t have to rely on second-year man Major Wright. It also means that Chris Harris can stay at his more natural position at strong safety. We’ve never thought of Meriweather as an unmitigated stud, but he’s clearly a nice addition to the Chicago secondary.

The Tennessee Titans have been waiting a long time to get stud RB Chris Johnson into camp. He was set to make some $800,000 this season and pretty much everyone agrees that he’s worth way more than that.

But, finally, the team has agreed to a contract extension with him.

“BREAKING: TItans agreed to 4-yr 53.5 million deal with Chris Johnson. 30 guaranteed,” tweets Jim Wyatt of the Tennessean.

That’s a huge chunk of money that will keep him in a Titans uniform for the next six years. Unless they cut him or trade him, but I think that’s just common sense.

He’s into camp in time to get some practice reps before being thrown to the Jaguars in Week 1. So he should be good to go fantasy wise even if they work him back a little slower. If you haven’t drafted, you can safely grab him with the No. 1 pick.

I’m not exactly sure what the Dallas Cowboys are doing here, but they seem to like Orlando Scandrick. Scandrick is hardly terrible, but he’s not a starter. Yet….he’s now being paid like it.

The Cowboys have given Scandrick a five-year, $27 million extension with $10 million guaranteed. That’s not high-end starter money, but it seems to be much more than he’s worth.

Scandrick isn’t bad, but his strength is as a nickel slot guy. He’s good at that, but not great. And anytime he’s asked to play outside, he’s awful. Kind of like Dallas’ version of Joselio Hanson.

Hey, maybe the Cowboys are seeing something I’m not. Maybe Bob Ryan has plans for him in his system that we don’t know about. But, it seems like they overpaid.

The Philadelphia Eagles have shocked the football world. The very latest on the signing of free agent CB Nnamdi Asomugha was that it was down to the New York Jets and Dallas Cowboys. Both teams are heavy hitters who aren’t afraid to sling the dough around. But somehow, the Cowboys and Jets were out and Asomugha opted to sign with the Philadelphia Eagles.

It’s a five-year, $60 million deal with $25 million guaranteed. That is extremely team friendly as he was the top prize on the free agent market. Some thought he’d get in the $18 million per range.

So, now the Eagles have Nnamdi, Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and Asante Samuel. All three are very high level corners, or at the very least, have shown they are capable playing at a very high level (that last part was for you, DRC). You won’t see many (read: any) teams that have three corners this good. This is even better than when the Birds had Bobby Taylor, Troy Vincent and Al Harris.

So, will they really keep all three? They just got DRC and Nnamdi, so they are 99% staying. But, what about Asante? Could they deal him before the season? Is this his last year in Philadelphia?

It’s well known that the Eagles brass isn’t thrilled with his act. Asante does what Asante wants, when Asante wants to do it. Press coverage? No, I’ll play off. Pay attention in meetings? No thanks.

Could the Eagles keep all three? Of course. But, don’t forget that when the Eagles get their nose out of joint, it gets waayyyy out of joint. And if they think he’s freelancing and half-assing it, it’s entirely possible that they are working the phones as we speak to ship Asante out of town.

In other news, the Eagles also confirmed on Twitter Friday the signings of Johnnie Lee Higgins and Donald Lee.

The Oregonian newspaper, located in a quaint town just north of Little Rock, AK, is reporting that former Carolina Panthers QB Matt Moore has signed with the Miami Dolphins. A source tells the paper that it’s a two-year deal worth $5 million, that can be pushed to $7.5 with incentives.

So now, the pundits are saying that this takes the Dolphins out of the Kyle Orton race. Why? Matt Moore has played about four good games of NFL football. Why is he the answer? Orton isn’t Joe Montana, but he’s proven he can play well and win games consistently. This is like showing up to a NASCAR race, and when everyone asks you where your race car is, you point to your ’83 Buick Skylark and say, “no, I’m good, I brought this.”

You didn’t solve the problem.

They did the same exact thing in Seattle. “Oh, we don’t need Kevin Kolb, we solved our QB problem with Tarvaris Jackson!” No, you didn’t. Tarvaris Jackson stinks at football. The Vikings didn’t agonize over Brett Favre for two years because Jackson is a stud in the making.

So, enjoy Matt Moore, Miami. Orton might not be a Super Bowl quarterback, but he’ll give you a better chance to have a winning season than the combination of Moore and Chad Henne.

I don’t get it. Signing crappy quarterbacks does not solve your signal-caller problem. These same executives and coaches will be the ones with the stunned look on their faces on the sidelines and luxury boxes in Week 10 when they are getting their asses handed to them by the Jets 48-3.

Gee….we thought we had our guy in Matt Moore.

According to Jeff Darlington, a trade has been completed between the Miami Dolphins and New Orleans Saints for Reggie Bush. And Bush has now agreed to a new contract with his new team to complete the move.

“The early-morning negotiations that leaked beyond 2 a.m. have resulted in an agreement today between the Dolphins and RB Reggie Bush,” Darlington tweets.

Reports are that Bush agreed to a two-year, $10 million contract with the Dolphins, who sent an undisclosed late-round pick to the Saints.

To be clear, this isn’t a feature role for Bush. He’ll be a third-down back while rookie Daniel Thomas is the starter. Thomas will get the bulk of the work, with Bush being the support guy.

A source tells PFT’s Mike Florio that the Carolina Panthers have agreed on a deal with defensive end Charles Johnson. The 25-year old DE got a six-year, $76 million contract with $32 million guaranteed. $30 million is in the form of a signing bonus.

Wow.

That is an absolutely huge deal for a guy who had 11.5 sacks last season. It was only his third year so they must be banking on him keeping it going and being a superstud for years to come.

Johnson was the most sought after defensive end on the market even though he didn’t really get to the market. Not sure I’d have paid that price tag anyway.

It didn’t take long for the Los Angeles Lakers to find a replacement for Phil Jackson. Not too long after guys like Andrew Bynum and Lamar Odom were thoroughly embarrassing themselves as they got rocked by the Dallas Mavericks, the Lakers have agreed to a contract with former Cleveland Cavaliers coach Mike Brown.

“Deal is done. Mike Brown and Lakers agree to 4-year, $18.25 million deal. Team option for 4th year. Brown gets $2.5 mil if option not taken,” tweets ESPN’s Chris Broussard.

Brown quickly recorded the best winning % in Cleveland Cavaliers history (maybe not that tough to do?). And his 211-117 record is the fifth-best record in the NBA over the last four seasons.

He’ll need to do something with Kobe Bryant that he couldn’t do with LeBron James: Get over the hump and win a championship.

Jeremy Shockey was bounced from the roster of the New Orleans Saints a few weeks so that the team could avoid paying him $4.7 million this year. And apparently, the Carolina Panthers have an affinity for oft-injured tight ends who run their mouth too much, because they signed him to a one-year deal.

According to Pat Yasinskas of ESPN.com, it’s worth a maximum of $3,812,500, with $1 million guaranteed regardless of what happens. Another $812,500 is guaranteed to him if he he’s on the opening day roster.

Photo Caption: Shockey’s random re-enactments of “Karate Kid” were annoying enough, but coaches preferred it to his “Top Gun” soliloquies.

Shockey can still be productive, but we think this is a lot to pay for a guy who is, in all likelihood, past his prime. The biggest question will be how long he can stay healthy. Still, he might be a nice safety valve for whatever inexperienced quarterback they throw in there.

With league transactions ceasing tonight at midnight barring an extension of the CBA, the Washington Redskins were able to slip in a fairly big signing right at the zero hour. According to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the ‘Skins signed former Rams safety O.J. Atogwe.

It’s reportedly a five-year, $26 million deal, but who really knows with football contracts? Some of that will be guaranteed and it’s borderline impossible to tell how much of that $26 million he’ll actually see over the life of the deal.

The Rams released Atogwe recently because they didn’t want to pay him an $8 million roster bonus. We don’t blame them.

However, that doesn’t mean Atogwe isn’t a nice player. He has 44 turnovers over the past five years, ranking third behind only Ed Reed and Charles Woodson amongst NFL defensive backs.

The Oakland Raiders have made some head-scratching moves over the years. And sure, some have worked out. They drafted a punter in the first round in 1973, but it turned out that it was Ray Guy. Their first-round selection of Sebastian Janikowski in 2000 looks great now as he’s been their kicker ever since.

But, they did give former Dallas Cowboys cornerback Larry Brown a big deal because he had two interceptions handed to him on a silver platter in Super Bowl XXX by Neil O’Donnell. I spoke to someone that said that the Cowboys players loved Al Davis at the time for getting Brown of their roster. They were tired of him being toasted.

This could be another one of those bad moments for Oakland. They just signed Stanford Routt to a three-year contract, according to Jason La Canfora of NFL Network.

“Routt’s 3-year deal w/Raiders worth $31.5M, and $20M over first 2 years. Very versatile CB. Very good in the slot. Strong contract. Have …,” La Canfora tweeted, presumably with a follow up tweet.

Look, Routt is a nice player, but…$20 million over the first two years? Who else in the league would give him that kind of dough? No one. The Raiders were bidding against themselves for Christ’s sake.

Safe to say that there is no way they keep Nnamdi Asomugha at this point.

So maybe he just wanted a new house. We all jumped to conclusions when Denver Broncos CB Champ Bailey put his house up for sale recently. We thought at his age, with the price he’d command, that a rebuilding Broncos defense wouldn’t want him.

We were wrong. As always.

“We are thrilled to announce that the Broncos have agreed to terms on a new four-year contract with cornerback Champ Bailey,” John Elway tweets.

We have no clue what the terms are, but we’d guess (probably incorrectly) that it boils down to a two-year deal with options on the last two. Complete speculation, but he is getting older and when the speed goes, it goes. You are now toast and a huge liability.

We may post more when we get more information. Or not.

Actually, we don’t think they had anything to do with it. But, how great would that be if WikiLeaks was the first media outlet to break the news of Rickie Weeks’ new contract? What if Julian Assange was Weeks’ agent?

Anyway, you may have heard by now that the Milwaukee Brewers have signed 2B Rickie Weeks to a new contract. Initially, it was reported as a five-year, $50 million contract. That’s not exactly the case. The Associated Press is reporting that it’s actually a four-year, $38.5 million deal, with a 2015 option that could push the total value of the contract to $50 million.

Photo Caption: The new contract is contingent on Weeks staying out of street gangs.

The fifth year could become guaranteed if certain benchmarks are reached. But also, the club can void that fifth year if Weeks isn’t an everyday player in 2013 and 2014. At first, we thought this was way too much money for a career .253 hitter who hit .269 last season. But as the details have emerged, it looks like this could be a good deal for Milwaukee.

The New York Yankees apparently have taken exception to the notion that the Philadelphia Phillies have built the best rotation in the history of baseball. As such, the Bronx Bombers are determined to field the most dominant starting pitching rotation in the history of 2003 baseball.

With CC Sabathia already in place as the team’s staff ace, the Yankees have set out to build around him in terms of 2003 MLB. First, it was the addition of Mark Prior, who was absolutely brilliant in 2003 (other than a little hiccup in the NLCS), posting a 2.43 ERA. The Yankees have just added their first building block!

But, who else is out there? Finding studs from seven years ago isn’t easy. However, they turned over a rock, and next to a few salamanders and earthworms, they found gold. Gold named Bartolo Colon! His 3.87 ERA from years ago will be invaluable!

However, the Yankees aren’t done. According to Jerry Crasnick, the team added another top-tier 2003 starting pitcher.

“Freddy Garcia has reached agreement on a minor league deal with the #Yankees, source said,” Crasnick tweets.

Holy hell and hand grenades! They really are the Evil Empire! The Yankees are clearly poised to make a deep, deep 2003 run into the playoffs.

And what if Andy Pettitte decides to stay for another year? Well shit my pants and call me Suzie! They will absolutely own the entire 2003 league if Pettitte decides to make another go of it. Maybe, once he sees the early-century-esque rotation that the Yankees have constructed, he’ll be motivated to gut it out for one final 2003 run.

The New York Mets are a mess. However, they do have some decent pitchers and R.A. Dickey is no exception. Yes, he was awful for a long time, but he came in for the Mets and did a really nice job by posting a 2.84 ERA.

Today, the Mets rewarded his good season with a two-year, $7.5 million contract that will cause them to avoid arbitration. The contract also has a club option for 2013.

This could be a great deal for the Mets if Dickey continues to pitch like he did in 2010. OTR crunched some numbers, and figures that if he pitches like crap, it will not be a good deal for the Mets. You won’t see anyone in the liberal media pointing that out.

Dickey is 36-years old, but it’s not that big of a deal because he’s a knuckleballer. Charlie Hough pitched until he was almost 50 for christ’s sake.

So much for the Philadelphia Eagles adding New Orleans Saints secondary coach Dennis Allen to their stable of coaches. Sources tell FoxSports.com‘s Alex Marvez that Allen will be the new defensive coordinator of the Denver Broncos.

The Eagles had interviewed Allen, but we aren’t sure if it was for the defensive coordinator’s job, or to replace Dick Jauron as coach of the secondary. The way it’s been going for the Eagles, Jim Washburn should just sit tight and wait to be promoted to defensive coordinator since the Birds haven’t been able to land anyone else.

I still can’t figure out whether or not the Eagles really give a rat’s behind about some of the guys they’ve been bringing in. They don’t need another young guy who is in over his head. Allen would have been a good fit as a secondary coach, but I’m not so sure about putting him in control of the defense.

Why not call Eric Mangini?

Johnny Cueto had an excellent season last year for the Cincinnati Reds. He was one of the reasons that the Reds were able to win their first NL Central title since 1995. I was going to make some reference about his team getting no-hit in Game 1 of the NLDS against the Philadelphia Phillies, but it was Edinson Volquez pitching. So, you can see how it wouldn’t have been appropriate.

Anyway, according to Enrique Rojas of ESPN Deportes, the Reds have rewarded Cueto with a four-year, $27 million extention.

“ESPNdeportes.com: Johnny Cueto and Cincinnati agreed 4 years $27 million extension: http://es.pn/fQ6n2i,” Rojas tweets.

The deal covers all three arbitration-eligible years and the first year of free agency for the 24-year old. He had a 12-7 record in 2010, with a 3.64 ERA and 1.28 WHIP over 31 starts.

If Cueto continues to improve, this is a hell of a deal for the Reds.

Former Denver Broncos head coach Josh McDaniels has been linked to several offensive coordinator positions this offseason, but most recently he was supposedly hot and heavy with Steve Spagnuolo and the St. Louis Rams. We heard not too long ago that talks had broken down, but they apparently picked up again, because he’s accepting the job to become their next OC.

“Filed by myself and @AdamSchefter to ESPN: McDaniels to Rams as offensive coordinator is now a done deal,” Chris Mortensen tweets.

Photo Caption: McDaniels failures as a head coach in Denver can be tied directly to his numerous sneezing fits during games.

This may have had something to do with the Seattle Seahawks surprisingly dumping coordinator Jim Bates. The idea of McDaniels possibly landing with the Seahawks probably made the Rams up their offer.

Because all things being equal, would you rather run an offense with either an aging Matt Hasselbeck or Charlie “I probably cannot play at the NFL level” Whitehurst, or the young Sam Bradford? Really not a very tough choice.

Several insiders are reporting that the Oakland Raiders have made Hue Jackson the next head coach. Jackson was previously the team’s offensive coordinator.

“As expected Hue Jackson is the new coach of the Raiders. Contract finished,” ESPN‘s Michael Smith tweeted.

We don’t know for sure who the next offensive coordinator will be, but Adam Schefter thinks it will be Al Saunders. Jackson will probably be running the offense himself anyway, so who really cares?

Photo Caption: Jackson can be a bit camera shy at times.

There were reports of tension brewing between Tom Cable and Jackson, but the Raiders denied it as always. Then we find out that Cable had fired a grievance against the team for withholding money from his paycheck.

Filing grievances against the team usually isn’t a good way to keep your job. Memo to Hue Jackson: Don’t file a grievance against the Raiders while you still work for them.

And a side note because it’s Martin Luther King Day: Can we finally do away with the Rooney Rule? Plenty of black coaching candidates get high-profile head coaching jobs. There are plenty and guys like Mike Tomlin continue to prove that they can be elite coaches. The Rooney Rule is an insult to black people at this point. It served it’s purpose, now let’s do away with it.

A New York Mets team source tells Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com that the team is close to finalizing a deal with former San Diego Padre and current injury-riddled pitcher Chris Young. The deal will be completed pending an all-important physical.

Young has proven that he can pitch at a very high level in the Majors. In 2006, 2007 and 2008, he had ERA’s of 3.46, 3.12 and 3.96. Last season, he had an ERA of 0.90. The common problem with all those numbers, they came in a limited number of games. The 6′ 10″ hurler just can’t stay healthy.

“C.Y. proved at the end of the season how valuable a pitcher he can be when he is healthy,” Padres manager Bud Black said at the end of the year. “Given his height and delivery, his high fastball is very hard to catch up to.”

And he’s right. So, this is clearly an upside move and we like it. If he’s healthy, he can do a lot of damage. But, that’s a big “if.”

The 31-year old joins Mike Pelfrey, Jon Niese, R.A. Dickey and Chris Capuano as the season’s opening rotation. There is some upside in that group, but it’s riddled with question marks. The Mets will be without Johan Santana until June or July after he underwent surgery on his arm this offseason.

We found out this weekend that Philadelphia Eagles head coach Andy Reid was not telling the truth when he said Sean McDermott would remain as the team’s defensive coordinator. He was booted a couple of days ago and was made the scapegoat for what really had to do with injuries and poor defensive talent.

But, the good news is that he was only out of a job for a little less than 48 hours. New Carolina Panthers head coach Ron Rivera has brought McDermott in to be his defensive coordinator.

The two are very familiar with one another as they worked together in Philadelphia as part of the Jim Johnson coaching tree. McDermott has the title of “defensive coordinator,” but Rivera has already said that he’ll be running the defense.

This might be the perfect role for the young McDermott. To kind of be in charge of the whole defense, but not really. Could be a great position for him to learn and grow.