Pete_Prisco

When will NFL general managers and personnel people get the memo that states you don't pay guards or fullbacks big money -- no matter who they are.

When was the last time a guard or a fullback won a football game? Are they important pieces? They can be. But never pay either position big money.

In the past two years, the money for guards has been out of hand. Last year, Eric Steinbach (Browns), Leonard Davis (Cowboys), Kris Dielman (Chargers) and Derrick Dockery (Bills) all received deals that averaged $7 million a year.  Now we get word that the Jets are close to a deal with former Steelers guard Alan Faneca that will pay him $8 million a season.

Faneca is 31 and on the slope side of his career. And he's worth $8 million? The Dolphins gave San Francisco guard Justin Smiley $5 million a year on a five-year deal.

Guys, they're guards. Why are you paying them so much money?

I hate to be the guy who pooh-poohs every move that is made on the opening day of free agency, but I have to disagree with my partner Clark Judge. I don't think the signing of Asante Samuel by the Eagles is as great a move as some would think.

Yes, Samuel topped my list of the top-32 players I put out a few weeks ago. The reason is this is a bad free-agent class. The Eagles need help at corner, and may move Sheldon Brown to free safety, but Samuel is not the elite corner many claim he can be. One NFC coach I talked to Thursday night said Samuel doesn't tackle and freelances way too much. The coach did say he has amazing ball skills, but is that enough?

The Eagles gave Samuel a deal that will pay him a reported $9.5 million a year. Wow. That's a lot of dough. Last time I checked, he wasn't exactly Deion Sanders or Champ Bailey. Or Charles Woodson, for that matter.

There have been a lot of free-agent deals signed Friday, and a lot of contract numbers being bandied about.

Word of warning about the numbers being thrown around: They're often overblown. That's because they come from the agents. The agents will always blow up the numbers to make themselves look good. So wait until the numbers are offiicially reported before thinking they are fact.

Agents love to talk. Agents love to make themselves look good. Don't forget it.

The St. Louis Rams wanted to bring Isaac Bruce back.

He just never returned their call.

The Rams wanted to tell Bruce they would bring him back at a salary of $3 million, essentially his base salary minus the $2 million in roster bonus he was due, but Bruce never returned the phone calls the team placed to him, according to team sources. In the end, they decided to part ways.

Bruce, the only player left from the team's Los Angeles days, was a fan favorite. But the reality is, according to Rams sources, he can't run anymore. There is no separation. So even trying to keep him would have been a mistake.

Bruce might wind up in San Francisco, where he would be re-united with Mike Martz, the former Rams coach who is now an offensive coordinator with the 49ers. The 49ers need receiving help. But is an aging player who is slowing down in a big way really the answer?