Around the NFL column: Free agency shouldn't hurt Colts, Saints
By Tom Pelissero

If this were a normal year, the list of potential free agents who might be playing their final games on Sunday for the Indianapolis Colts and New Orleans Saints would be a long and notable one.

But this is not a normal year, and the Super Bowl will provide one last reminder of the impact if new free-agency rules go into effect as expected, absent a new collective-bargaining agreement.

Of the more than 200 fourth- and fifth-year players around the NFL who would be restricted free agents, rather than unrestricted, in an uncapped year, almost 10 percent of them are on the Colts or Saints rosters.

For the Colts, that list includes two players who will start Sunday (free safety Antoine Bethea and left tackle Charlie Johnson), three key role players (cornerback Tim Jennings, linebacker Freddy Keiaho and safety Aaron Francisco) and two notable names on injured reserve (linebacker Tyjuan Hagler and cornerback Marlin Jackson).

For the Saints, there are two starters (All-Pro right guard Jahri Evans and strong safety Roman Harper) and three key role players (defensive tackle Tony Hargrove, receiver Lance Moore and tight end David Thomas).

That’s no shortage of talent that will miss out on playing the open market unless the labor situation changes dramatically between now and March 5. Barring that, the conference champions — like everyone else — primarily will be sorting through the statuses of older players.

Indianapolis likely will try to re-sign its captain, 29-year-old middle linebacker Gary Brackett, and the only other Colt scheduled for unrestricted free agency is stopgap kicker Matt Stover, 42.

New Orleans has a longer list, but the lone big decision will be on All-Pro free safety Darren Sharper, who was a bargain this season at $1.7 million despite his advancing age (34). The only other Saints starter who will be unrestricted is outside linebacker Scott Fujita, 30.

Will Martz cut it with the Bears?

There was no shortage of talent or ego in the room when Mike Martz sat down with Chicago quarterback Jay Cutler last weekend before agreeing to take the Bears’ offensive coordinator job.

Cutler has elite physical ability but questionable discipline and commitment. Martz masterminded some prolific offenses in St. Louis but also clashed with management, and he was fired from his last coordinator stops in Detroit (2006-07) and San Francisco (2008).

As one NFC scout told me in December, Cutler has “a chance to be very scary” if he commits himself to an offseason program and spends a significant amount of time with an offensive system on a daily basis. Martz must play a key role in getting that buy-in, convincing Cutler he can have the sort of success in this offense that Kurt Warner and Marc Bulger did with the Rams.

For Cutler’s part, he told the Bears’ Web site he’s “anxious to start digesting the playbook and getting back on the field.” But only time will tell if that’s a sign of change or mere lip service from a player whose every move is being scrutinized after his disastrous debut in the NFC North Division.

Bet on it

Late money coming in on New Orleans partially offset early movement on the Colts, and by Friday, the Bodog Sportsbook had the Saints as five-point underdogs in Sunday’s game.

But by Saturday, the line was back to six, where it had been most of the week.

The over/under remained sky high at 57.

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