New faces in new places

Temperatures are starting to burn up and summer is on the way, which means football season is just around the corner.

As the NBA season winds down, training camps will be starting in the NFL. Free agency this year was huge in the NFL, and a lot of new faces will be in new places coming this fall.

Some of them are solid veteran players, like Junior Seau. Others are players that have shown high potential but just haven't put it together. Then there are the players that just jump from team to team every year like a contagious disease.

Here is a breakdown of players that have moved to new teams.

Quarterbacks:

Jake Plummer, Denver Broncos

Things just didn't work out for Plummer in Arizona. He had played football there for ten years (counting ASU) and it was just getting old. Every year the hype was up for him and he just couldn't get it done. He had his one solid year when he led the Cardinals into the playoffs and past the first round in 1998. For the majority of his career though, Plummer has been an inconsistent quarterback. He plays like a rookie every year, and just can't stop from making critical mistakes. Each year you can see his interception total equal or higher than his touchdown passes. Sure he is great at making comebacks but he wouldn't be in that situation if he didn't throw interceptions early in games. In Denver he is surround by tons of talent, and Mike Shanahan won't put up with any of Plummer's old tendencies. It is time for Plummer to play like a veteran and this is definitely the crossroad in Plummer's career. He can become a Pro Bowl quarterback, or fall off the map.

Kordell Stewart, Chicago Bears

Stewart and the Steelers finally cut ties, and it was probably for the good. Each and every year Bill Cowher stuck with Stewart, and each year Stewart forced Cowher to bench him. Stewart still has plenty of talent and has shown flashes of it the past couple of years. Like Plummer though he still makes a lot of rookie mistakes. That's the pressure of being a quarterback, but you have to minimize your mistakes. This is for sure Stewart's last chance to be a full time starter in the NFL. The Bears aren't a great team. If Stewart can win six to eight games for them, than you would have to consider it a good year. One thing I don't want to see is Chris Chandler on the field. It gets old seeing him knocked out on the field with a concussion.

Charlie Batch, Pittsburgh

Batch will start the year as a backup, but don't be surprised to see him finish the season. Out of Stewart and Plummer, Batch has shown the most consistency as a quarterback. He has great tools but has been injury prone in his career. His best year was probably a couple of years ago when Germane Crowell broke out. He fits very well in Pittsburgh, and he should be able to resurrect his career here. Tommy Maddox had a hard time staying in the lineup last year, and that usually carries over. Batch is a big sleeper this year at quarterback.

Rob Johnson, Washington

Johnson has jumped from team to team in his career. This is his third team in three years now. In Buffalo he played well in a couple games but often held in the pocket too much. He played well enough a few years ago to make the decision easy on letting Doug Flutie go. Once Flutie was gone though, he performed horrible. That forced Buffalo to let him go and last year Johnson served backup to Brad Johnson. The way Brad played last year, Rob knew he had to go to another team if he wanted a shot as a starter again. In Washington he may get that shot. Steve Spurrier loves Patrick Ramsey but every time he played last year he struggled. We know Steve Spurrier has no patience for quarterbacks. Last year he jumped from quarterback to quarterback each week. Rob Johnson has always had the arm, and will likely get another shot to prove himself this year.

Running Backs:

Emmitt Smith, Arizona

Considering the Cardinals history this could be a big mistake for Smith. Every player struggles there. The Cardinals have no wide receivers, a shaky veteran quarterback, and a young defense. All those signs remind me of the situations he has been in with the Cowboys the past couple of years. Obviously Smith made his decision to continue his career so he can continue to add to his records. He has won his rings, and I expect his stint in Arizona to be very short. The Cardinals will be lucky to win four games this year.

Stephen Davis, Carolina

The Redskins just couldn't take on Davis's huge contract. Davis is still a top ten running back in this league, and should have semi success in Carolina. The question is how well will Rodney Peete be able to perform at quarterback. If he plays well, than Davis will complement the offense extremely well. Davis is healthy now and should put up solid numbers. Remember Carolina lost a handful of games last year by less than a touchdown. Lamar Smith just wasn't getting it done last year.

Other notable signings

Olandis Gary, Buffalo: Gary is going to be buried behind Travis Henry and Willis McGahee.

Stacey Mack, Tennessee: Mack has been a solid backup his whole career. Each year Fred Taylor went down, he stepped in well. He might get that role this year with Eddie George.

Wide Receivers

Marcus Robinson, Baltimore

Robinson put up huge numbers a few years ago, and since then has been stricken with the injury bug. His size makes him a tough matchup for any cornerback.

Frank Sanders, Baltimore

The Ravens added another solid free agent receiver with Sanders. If you take a look at Sanders numbers though, they have fell off every year.

Lavernues Coles, Washington

Spurrier likes big play receivers. Last year when Coles caught the ball for the Jets it was usually a big play. He is a deep threat and should have a solid year in Spurrier's pass happy system.

Peerless Price, Atlanta

The Bills waited on Price to break out every year, and he finally did it in his contract year. Was it really Price, or was it the fact that teams put more attention on Moulds last season. It was probably a little bit of both, but he should fit in well with Michael Vick.

David Boston, San Diego

Boston bolted out of Arizona along with Frank Sanders and Martay Jenkins. Two years ago Boston's play had people talking about him as the number one receiver in the NFL. Then last year he got into trouble off the field, and had an injury plagued season towards the end. Now he has a fresh start in San Diego, and expect big numbers from him.

Curtis Conway, New York Jets

For an old veteran a lot will be put on Conway's shoulders this year. Wayne Chrebet isn't the same type of receiver he use to be, and Santana Moss is a young receiver. To add to that Conway has to play with a quarterback, that had one of the best first years ever in Chad Pennington.

Derrius Thompson, Miami

Miami will likely sign Antonio Freeman or resign Oronde Gadsden. Until then though Thompson is the number two receiver on the Dolphins chart. Thompson had a quiet solid year in Washington, and could explode this year with Chris Chambers on the other side.