With free agency set to begin late this evening, here are seven questions, along, with seven sleepers, to ponder as you watch your team engage in the high-priced, high-stakes world of talent evaluation, pro style...

How much is Haynes-worth?

Quite a bit, if the pocket collapsing tackle plays at the extremely high level he did with the Titans, who are still in the mix for their defensive stalwart, though they have some questions of their own. Of course, there is also a fear that like many a high-priced free agent, the big man’s play will dip once those guaranteed dollars, projected to be around $30 million of a rumored $100 million deal, come pouring in. Don’t count the 32 NFL teams among the concerned as they all are rumored to have contacted Haynesworth’s agent.

It will be interesting to see if Haynesworth simply takes the biggest offer on the table or factors in a legitimate chance to compete over the next few years. The Redskins are rumored to be the early favorite to land Haynesworth, but even with a talented core of players, the burgundy and gold fail to deliver more often than not and there cap situation appears murky at best. The Bucs cleared out a large swath of cap space yesterday, but they are now clearly in rebuilding mode while the Lions have major work to do just to get to the Bucs level. Of course, he could stay with the Titans, who were after all the top seed in the AFC last season and are likely his best shot to reach the Super Bowl among these options.

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Before breaking down Andre Smith's missteps, Jarron Gilbert's amazing jump and the Maryland Terrapins potential leap into the NCAA Tournament...

My apology to Brendan Jones, but somebody has to be the martyr. Frankly, I had never heard of the Australian golfer prior to scanning the bracket for this week’s Accenture Match Play Championship, but then again I don’t claim to follow the weekly results over in Japan, where the 64th ranked player in the world has won eight times. Frankly, my interest in Jones now is purely tangential to a much greater cause and he is almost assuredly to slip out of my sports conscience by this time tomorrow. So why bring him up at all? Because Jones is set to become the first golfer sacrificed at the altar of one Tiger Woods, the most important presence in all of sports.

Does anyone dispute that claim? Don’t call it a comeback, but the timing could not be more perfect for the debut of the most competitive and compelling athlete around. Upon conclusion of the NFL season, the sports nation lets out a collective, almost instinctive whine because its members do not know what to do with themselves after months of being in a three-point stance. The football diehards will focus on non-events like the draft and more recently, the combine, while the rest of the herd will impatiently wait for the calendar to hurry up so we can get to the next gripping moment.

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For the first time in my life, I watched nearly wall-to-wall coverage of the NFL Combine on Saturday (for those that have a life and were out and about this weekend, check out our combine recap for details). I watched lineman squat, bench press, run into other large men holding pads. I saw tight ends being timed in the 40 and I heard countless glowing comments, many of which would fit on a movie poster (you will not see a pass rusher perform a better shuttle run this season!  You will fall in love with his agility on the cone drill!") about size, physique and technique.

Kudos to the NFL for turning what historically was non-event for the masses into must-see-TV for all of us tackling dummies. The combine fills in the televised gap between the Super Bowl and the NFL draft and keeps the league in the sports section and on SportsCenter, allowing fans to get a non-helmet and pads look at the well-known and unheralded prospects.

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