NORTH CANAAN — These are trying times. The coronavirus has basically put our society on hold — and part of that is that all sporting events have been canceled for the foreseeable future.
For someone such as myself, who is a huge sports fan, it’s especially tough to be out of school and observing social distancing because there’s so much less to watch on television.
Thankfully, I found some solace through the NFL free agency season. This is a time when players who are not under contract can seek out deals with new teams. It has given me a little reprieve from this societal shutdown.
In this article I’ll be going over what I think are the three best free agency moves and the three worst.
Tom Brady is a Buccaneer
Up first and perhaps the most important: Tom Brady signing with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
I see this as an absolute slam dunk for both sides. Brady gets a “win-now” team to prove he doesn’t need Coach Bill Belichick to win, and the Bucs get a quarterback who isn’t going to throw 30 interceptions.
Stefon Diggs is a Bill
Next would be the Minnesota Vikings trading Stefon Diggs to the Buffalo Bills. Again, I see this as an outright win for both sides.
The Vikings get a first-round pick plus a few others in exchange for Diggs, who had a rift with quarterback Kirk Cousins.
The Bills get a young wide receiver coming off back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons to pair with their young quarterback, Josh Allen.
Gerald McCoy is a Cowboy
The last “best” free agency move belongs to my favorite team, the Dallas Cowboys. They signed defensive tackle Gerald McCoy to a three-year deal.
McCoy, an eight-time Pro- Bowl-er, fills a huge need in the middle of their defense and for below the average price.
Last season the Cowboys’ highest pressures from a defensive tackle was 11; McCoy alone had 48. A pressure is a stat that occurs when a defensive player forces the quarterback to leave the pocket.
Deandre Hopkins is a Cardinal
This next move is undeniably the worst move of free agency: The Houston Texans trading Deandre Hopkins to the Arizona Cardinals. The Texans traded an unquestionable top three wide receiver in the sport for an injury-prone running back in David Johnson plus a couple of picks.
This is a fantastic move for the Cardinals, who get to pair Hopkins with their quarterback: Offensive Rookie of the Year winner Kyler Murray.
Bad news Bears
The next two bad moves were made by the same team, and that would be the Chicago Bears.
First, they made a trade for Jacksonville Jaguars Nick Foles, who has lost his starting job to a second-year player.
It’s good to give Mitch Trubisky some competition, but they could have brought in a cheap free agent. Instead they opted to waste a pick by trading for someone who will get paid $66 million over three years.
The other move was signing former Cowboys pass rusher Robert Quinn. Quinn is still an effective player and will be in Chicago, but he’s not “$14 million a year” effective and he certainly won’t be over the next five years. He’s already 30 and it’s extremely rare for a pass rusher to be very effective after that age.
Sam Foley is a college student and Lakeville Journal reporter. He is bored after only a week in quarantine.
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CORNWALL — At the recommendation of the Cornwall Volunteer Fire Department, on Jan. 20 the Board of Selectmen voted to move forward with the purchase of two new trucks.
Greenwood Emergency Vehicles, located in North Attleboro, Massachusetts, was chosen as the manufacturer. Of the three bids received, Greenwood was the lowest bidder on the desired mini pumper and a rescue pumper.
CVFD’s Ian Ridgway sat on the truck committee and said Greenwood was not just chosen for the price, but also for the design of each vehicle. He said their models had a shorter wheelbase and more ground clearance, as well as extra storage space on board, compared to the next best bid.
After $100,000 in discounts offered by Greenwood, the combined purchase price for both vehicles was shown to be $1,200,408. The delivery time was estimated at 15 months.
CVFD raised $600,000 during its recent fundraising campaign, of which $500,000 will be given to the town to buy the trucks. That figure will be paired with $720,000 in town truck fund reserves. The additional donated funds will be used to outfit the trucks with equipment and tools.
“I want to praise the town of Cornwall,” said CVFD President Dick Sears. “We’re able to buy these beautiful new pieces of equipment courtesy of the tremendous citizenry of this town.”
FALLS VILLAGE — Robin Lee Roy, 62, of Zephyrhills, Florida, passed away Jan. 14, 2026.
She was a longtime CNA, serving others with compassion for more than 20 years before retiring from Heartland in Florida.
Robin loved the beach, sunshine, and gardening, and was known for her strength, humor, and unwavering support of those she loved.
She is survived by her daughter, Sierra R. Zinke, and brothers, Darren Roy and Todd Roy.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Sharon Thomkins Roy and Robert Roy, and her brother Nevin Roy.
No services will be held at this time.
SALISBURY — Marjorie A. Vreeland, 98, passed away peacefully at Noble Horizons, on Jan. 10, 2026.She was surrounded by her two loving children, Richard and Nancy.She was born in Bronxville, New York,on Aug. 9, 1927, to Alice (Meyer) and Joseph Casey, both of whom were deceased by the time she was 14. She attended public schools in the area and graduated from Eastchester High School in Tuckahoe and, in 1946 she graduated from The Wood School of Business in New York City.
At 19 years old, she married Everett W. Vreeland of White Plains, New York and for a few years they lived in Ithaca, New York, where Everett was studying to become a veterinarian at Cornell. After a short stint in Coos Bay, Oregon (Mike couldn’t stand the cloudy, rainy weather!) they moved back east to Middletown, Connecticut for three years where Dr. Vreeland worked for Dr. Pieper’s veterinary practice.In Aug. of 1955, Dr. and Mrs. Vreeland moved to North Kent, Connecticut with their children and started Dr. Vreeland’s Veterinary practice. In Sept. of 1968 Marjorie, or “Mike” as she wished to be called, took a “part-time job” at the South Kent School.She retired from South Kent 23 years later on Sept. 1, 1991.Aside from office help and bookkeeping she was secretary to the Headmaster and also taught Public Speaking and Typing.In other times she worked as an assistant to the Town Clerk in Kent, an office worker and receptionist at Ewald Instruments Corp. and as a volunteer at the Kent Library.
“Mike” loved the sun, sand and water and spent many summers at Westport Point, Massachusetts with the kids and their best friends, the Bauers.She was the consummate hostess, and a wonderful cook.She also appeared in several plays with The Sherman Players and also a show or two on special occasions at The Kent Community House.She took enjoyment from working outdoors doing chores around her home in North Kent.She lived in that house until she sold it and bought a condominium on North Main Street in Kent in May of 2003.She lived in the condo until 2018 after which her light began to fade and her last 8 years were spent comfortably at Noble Horizons.
“Mike” leaves behind her children, Richard (Susan) of Lakeville, her daughter Nancy Rutledge (Jim) of Salisbury; two grandchildren, Chandra Gerrard (Sean) of Litchfield, Matthew (Larissa) of Lakeville; three great grandchildren, Addison, Emilia and Everett, all of Lakeville.
She was predeceased by her beloved granddaughter Caroline in 2020.
All services are private.The Ryan Funeral Home, 255 Main St., Lakeville, is in charge of arrangements.
To offer an online condolence, please visit ryanfhct.com
SALISBURY -— Rafael A. Porro, 88, of 4 Undermountain Road, passed away Jan. 6, 2026, at Sharon Hospital. Rafael was born on April 19, 1937 in Camaguey, Cuba the son of Jose Rafael Porro and Clemencia Molina de Porro. He graduated from the Englewood School for Boys in Englewood, New Jersey and attended Columbia University School of General Studies. Rafael retired as a law library clerk from the law firm of Curtis, Mallet Prevost in 2002 and came to live in Salisbury to be nearer to his sister, Chany Wells.
Rafael is survived by his sister, Chany Wells, his nephew Conrad Wells (Gillian), and by numerous cousins in North Carolina, Florida, Wyoming, Arizona, Cuba and Canada. He was the eldest of the cousins and acknowledged family historian. He will be greatly missed.
A memorial service will be held at St. John’s Episcopal Church in June. Memorial contributions may be made to Salisbury Volunteer Ambulance Service, St. John’s Episcopal Church in Salisbury and Scoville Memorial Library.
The Kenny Funeral Home has care of arrangements.
