Normally, I am not a fan of problematic wide receivers - such as Terrell Owens. Most of the time, they are a bigger headache and distraction than they are productive, and that always spells trouble. One receiver who's often been lumped into that category is Keyshawn Johnson. First at the Jets, then Tampa, he ran into trouble and was essentially railroaded out of town. His move to Dallas went reasonably well, except for the one high-profile explosion at QB Drew Bledsoe after an interception. Both sides swept it under the table for the most part, and that was the extent of the "trouble" that Johnson gave Dallas. Now, he moves to Carolina in a move that I think really bolsters the Panthers roster. Despite his antics and his talent, the one thing that Johnson has never really been in a true #1 receiver. But if you put him into a solid #2 possession role, the man is virtually unstoppable. He runs good routes. He's passionate about playing the game. He wants to win, and I think age and experience has given him a different perspective on what it takes to win in the NFL. Most of all, his addition means that teams can no longer double-team Steve Smith - or him - and that should open up the passing game in general. A more dangerous passing game also opens up the Panthers already-strong running game. It might come as a surprise, but in the NFL one player can make an immediate and lasting impact on the team as a whole. Keyshawn Johnson will fill that role nicely. On the flip side of good decisions are ones that make you shake your head. What was Oakland thinking? Aaron Brooks basically showed in his five years in New Orleans that he was not all that strong of a QB. He might think he is, but he's not. He can be wild and skittish in the pocket, and the one thing that the Raiders want offensively is a vertical passing game...which takes time and accuracy to deliver the ball down the field. This is another in a long series of bad decisions by Oakland. I don't know how they think that importing retreads is going to help their team. They have Randy Moss and LaMont Jordon, yet their offense stunk last year because they couldn't block in the running game or passing game well. Brooks will no doubt fall into the same trap as Kerry Collins, which is to stare at Moss and heave the ball, hoping that Moss's athleticism will allow him to fight and win the contest for the pass. Oakland is basically ensuring that they will be a bad team again in 2006. The third recent move of some note involves ex-Cowboy Larry Allen going to San Francisco. This is a solid move for San Francisco, and reverses their so-far ineffective free agency moves. San Francisco has a young quarterback, and if there's anything that can help a young QB, its having a strong offense line. The QB has to have time to learn how to make his progressive reads before he can actually make them, and Allen's ability should go a long way towards helping the cause in SF. I don't think it makes any major difference in their team's ability to win consistently, but it does put some more building blocks in place for the future. And finally, there's the recent carousel of kicker movement in the NFL. Ex-Colt Vanderjagt (VanderShank to some) moves to Dallas, where he can kick in another semi-indoor stadium. I'd like to see what Bill Parcells does to him, though, if he opens his big mouth. This is a man who slammed his teammates a few years back, and then just to show how brilliant he is...goes and shanks a makeable kick that doomed Indy's season in 2005. Parcells might have him hanging by his jock strap off of one of the goal posts if he pulls another idiotic stunt like that. I'd bet Peyton Manning would pay money just to see that happen... But, in a vicious slap in the face to rival New England, the Colts stole the game's most unflappable kicker Adam Vinateri from New England. Vinateri was a huge weapon for the Pats - they knew that if the game was on the line that Vinateri would make the kick. It was that simple. Now the Colts have that luxury of knowing their kicker is one of the most clutch of all time. If anything, it will make Peyton & Co even more reckless in their offensive approach; knowing that Vinateri's there to back them up in case they miss the touchdown will actually allow them to go for the home run even more. This is a solid move by Indy, and at least goes some of the way to repairing the damage wrought in this year's free agency market.