AS NFL LOCKOUT ENDS, TEAMS PREPARE FOR WILD FREE-AGENCY PERIOD

Oakland Raiders cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha is arguably the top free agent in this year's class.

We are finally ready for some football, so let the free agent frenzy begin!

At approximately 1:30 p.m. Central Time Monday, the NFL and its Players’ Association wrapped the longest work stoppage in the league’s history, paving the way in what should be a hectic free agency period.

In a normal year, free agency would begin in early March until the beginning of training camp. With the lockout taking place this year, four months worth of moves will be condensed into a week, further escalating the mayhem.

“It’s going to be very hectic, with a lot to get done in a short period of time,” agent Mark Bartelstein said to Bloomberg. “There’s a lot of moving pieces and you’ve got to get your guys in the right places.”

One free agent that looks to garner a lot of attention is Oakland Raiders cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha. Many teams are interested in him, such as the Houston Texas and the Baltimore Ravens. Asomugha is in his prime and is a great example of a shutdown corner.

On the offensive side of the ball, an intriguing name will be wide receiver Plaxico Burress. Burress missed the last two seasons due to serving his prison sentence, but his time with the New York Giants could be almost over. However according to team owner John Mara, nothing is set in stone at this time.

“I think that’s certainly something that we’re going to talk about and have talked about, and I know there will be a conversation with him at some point, but where that goes, I don’t know,” Mara said on the Michael Kay Show Monday.

It all begins Tuesday, when teams can sign undrafted free agents and their own draft picks, while they can begin signing free agents Friday.

Teams like the Ravens and the Dallas Cowboys are already planning to create salary cap space by releasing players.

ESPN reported Monday that Kelly Gregg, Todd Heap, Derrick Mason and Willis McGahee will be cut by Baltimore. On Tuesday, ESPNDallas.com reported that the Cowboys will release wide receiver Roy Williams and running back Marion Barber.

The cuts will be officially made Thursday, but this is only the tip of the iceberg as more moves will happen before teams open their training camps next week. It will be interesting to say the least.

Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Roy Williams will be cut Thursday as Dallas looks to get under the salary cap.

PLAXICO, VICK, & STALLWORTH: A BREAKDOWN IN THE LEGAL PROCESS (OR LACK THEREOF)

On August 20, 2009, Plaxico Burress was given a two-year jail sentence that began on September 22, 2009. Let's think about that for one minute. A man goes to jail for two years for accidently shooting himself? Again, the keywords in statement are accidently and himself, and that warrants someone to get the same jail time as Michael Vick and far less than Donte Stallworth? God forbid if he tried to shoot someone else in that nightclub, he might would have gotten much, much more.

First of all, setting all personal feelings aside, but Michael Vick's 18-month sentence was fair. He took part in an illegal activity where he bred dogs with the intent to kill other dogs, and if they did not perform well to expectations, the dogs were tortured to death. The legal process seemed to do good for him, however, as he is trying to rebuild his image to pre-2005 status (before Ron Mexico, the water bottle incident, and giving Falcon fans the new meaning of "Dirty Bird" by flipping two middle fingers to them), again, one can only hope that he recovers fully from this.

Next, the Plaxico Burress case was unfair from right off the bat. He was going to actually get three years of jail time, because he was going to be made an "example" out of? Seriously, be real...how do you make an example of someone who shoots himself? That's basically adding insult to injury (sorry for the pun). Granted, he had an unlicensed gun in New York, but no one would have known about it if it go off. Also, I do not think that he was going hunt someone down in the club either, he was using it for protection from himself. Come on, he caught the game-winning catch in Super Bowl XLII and is one of the more famous athletes in New York City. Obviously, he was being smart because anyone could have robbed him.

Last but not least, is the Donte Stallworth ordeal. People instantly knew that he was going to get major jail time after having alcohol in his system and striking a pedestrian in the streets of Miami. He was sentenced to 30 days in jail and only served 24? What a joke of the legal system! Killing dogs gets you 24 months, but not paying attention and killing someone gets you 24 days? Granted, the pedestrian did not cross the street at the assigned spot and essientially jaywalked, but Stallworth was clearly drunk (0.12 BAC), speeding (doing 50 in a 40), and was not paying attention. At least, he claimed to warn the man, or it could have been much worse.