pakowitz

STAFF, WIRE REPORTS

NFL free agency begins today - but the headlines are already written.

The Niners are getting rid of Jeff Garcia. Terrell Owens and Dennis Northcutt forgot to file the proper paperwork, nullifying their free agency.

Jay Fiedler is getting rid of the Dolphins. The Redskins hope to make Clinton Portis the highest-paid rusher ever.

Now, the New Orleans Saints are saying we shouldn't expect any splashy free agency moves.

Nice.

"Unlike past years," FFMastermind.com notes, "the Saints aren't in the market for any of the big-ticket players who are expected to be available."

Still, that doesn't mean it's time to panic.

As SI.com's Peter King rightly notes: "The lesson of the Patriots' two Super Bowl wins in the last three years is a simple one: Don't become entranced by the big-money free agents."

New Orleans is expected to follow that script.

Look for the Saints to be more interested in a small but smarter signing like, say, Kendrick Clancy of Pittsburgh rather than a headline-grabbing but iffy choice like Javon Kearse of Tennessee.

Partially, that's because New Orleans has a roster with only a few obvious weaknesses, and they are all on defense. Too, the Saints have already tagged Darren Howard, so they can now begin taking an earnest look at other positions of need there.



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