Championships can be won in the offseason. The Ravens put together their surprising Super Bowl run by drafting halfback Jamal Lewis and receiver Travis Taylor, who contributed before an injury ended his season, and picking up defensive tackle Sam Adams in free agency on draft day to resolve three major needs.

Giants general manager Ernie Accorsi did the little things to make the Giants a Super Bowl team. He revamped the offensive line by adding veterans Lomas Brown, Glenn Parker and Dusty Zeigler and added power back Ron Dayne to free Tiki Barber to handle the explosive outside plays.

With teams coming out of nowhere to win Super Bowls, it's hard to see which teams made the right moves anymore. What is easy to see as the NFL heads into free agency is the decision-makers who face tough choices.

Redskins owner Dan Snyder found spending $92 million on his roster didn't produce a championship because he left his offense short on explosive players and didn't have a dependable kicker. The Bears invested more than $50 million of contracts on their defense and didn't get much better until late in the season. And the Chiefs failed to come up with a running back, one of the main reasons Gunther Cunningham is coaching linebackers in Tennessee instead of being the head coach in Kansas City.

Let's look at those who face the tough jobs this offseason.

Chiefs coach Dick Vermeil

	Vermeil has a difficult job in Kansas City.

Why come out of retirement if the salary cap forces you to put so many players out to pasture? By the time the NFL management council added in the minimum salary increases for the 2001 season, the Chiefs were $40 million over the salary cap. Vermeil's problem is making sure he doesn't take away too many leaders. Saying goodbye to defensive tackle Chester McGlockton, cornerback James Hasty, running backs Kimble Anders and Donnell Bennett and quarterback Warren Moon isn't too hard. Those were veterans for past administrations. His biggest decision involves quarterback Elvis Grbac, who has $15 million in salary and roster bonuses coming due. Vermeil is initially reluctant to commit $7 million a year needed to sign him for the next six years. Vermeil signed only a three-year contract, so if Grbac isn't his guy, he better decide now. Too bad his departure from the Rams was so bitter. He could have called up the Rams and asked to trade for Trent Green, whom he felt was good enough two years ago to start his Super Bowl run. The Rams want a first-round choice for Green and even if the Rams were nice enough to settle for a second, Vermeil's out of luck. Commissioner Paul Tagliabue took away the Chiefs' second-round choice in order to free up his move to Kansas City.

Bills president and general manager Tom Donahoe

	Tom Donahoe is on the spot in Buffalo.

So he isn't fired up about starting a new job with Rob Johnson as his quarterback. On ESPN.com last fall, he said the choice for the Bills quarterback was simple. Doug Flutie, despite his age, had a 21-9 record. Johnson, though talented and young, holds the ball too long and takes too many sacks that disrupt the offense. On Wednesday, Donahoe chose Johnson, who would have probably jumped at the chance to reunite with Chargers GM John Butler, the former Bills GM. Donahoe stuck with the younger Johnson because quarterbacks are hard to find these days. He would have had to draft someone like Purdue quarterback Drew Brees, Florida State quarterback Chris Weinke or Florida quarterback Jesse Palmer and hope Flutie could buy a year or two for new offensive coordinator Mike Sheppard to groom one of those quarterbacks. But if Flutie couldn't have made it through the season, the Bills would have sacrificed a chance at the playoffs. Plus, Johnson is a talent who is good enough to produce quarterback ratings of 100 on most NFL Sundays.

Bengals halfback Corey Dillon

	Dillon may have to return to Cincinnati.

Corey Dillon has earned the right to have the best of all worlds. He produced four 1,000-yard seasons behind horrible blocking in Cincinnati. He wants and deserves to be a winner. Unfortunately, he's on his third agent in three months and may not be able to escape the reach of the Bengals. The Browns are the only team looking for a running back that has the cap room to write a big contract that the Bengals won't match. The Chiefs and Patriots don't have those luxuries. Dillon has made it clear he wants to move to a winner. The Browns have won five games in two years, and if he can't convince them to make an offer, Dillon may go limping back to the Bengals for an unsatisfactory deal. Everyone knows that the Bengals will match virtually any offer given to Dillon. They have the cap room and the cash. It will be hard to enter a poison pill in the deal that the Bengals can't swallow.

The Entire Guard Market

	Verba may not cash in on free agency.

Free agency is constructed so that you can occasionally get players heading into their prime. Those fourth- and fifth-year starters are rare to acquire, particularly if they were high draft choices. So normally, you'd be excited about a guard market that included Jeff Hartings of the Lions, Ross Verba of the Packers, Pete Kendall of the Seahawks, Dan Neil of the Broncos, Tre' Johnson of the Redskins, Frank Middleton of the Bucs and possibly David Dixon of the Vikings, if he gets cut. Whoops. The greatest guard class in free agency history hits the market at the wrong time. With the salary cap jumping a mere $5 million a year, teams are reluctant to put $5 million a year into a guard. In fact, there are so many guards available that teams have the luxury to pick and choose them at their price. Some guards might be moved for value. Hartings, for example, might be a better investment as a center. To pay big bucks for Verba, you'd better make him a tackle. Surprisingly, guards are finding it's hard to break the $4 million-a-year barrier. Bills Pro Bowler Ruben Brown found the free agency waters dry for two months last year and was fortunate to get a nice contract to return to the Bills.

The Jacksonville franchise

	Brunell is trying to make a deal with the Jags.

Chief negotiator Michael Huyghue has to pull off a miracle. With more than $40 million to cut from the salary cap, he has to preserve the essence of the team. The plan is to redo 15 contracts, cut seven players and get under the cap. The only starters expected to be lost are safety Carnell Lake and right tackle Leon Searcy, and the Jaguars got by last year without them. Of course, they got by and didn't make the playoffs. Even if the Jags survive and find a way to keep quarterback Mark Brunell, receivers Jimmy Smith and Keenan McCardell and linebackers Kevin Hardy and Hardy Nickerson, they won't have any room to sign free agents who cost more than the minimum. Plus, they have to keep and sign all their draft choices and six or seven undrafted free agents and make sure they fill out special team's roles. It's not pretty.

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones

	Jerry Jones may move on without Troy Aikman.

All right, so Troy Aikman wants to stay. Plus, he's willing to work with Jones on that $7 million roster bonus that is due on March 9. This one decision will mark the future of the franchise. Like the 49ers a year ago with Steve Young, the Cowboys need to move on and find Aikman's replacement. If they waste this season when Emmitt Smith may be in his last year or two, they will have to find Smith's and Aikman's replacements next season despite a tight salary cap. Face it, the Cowboys are no longer a playoff team. By looking at the depleted secondary and defensive line, it's apparent the Cowboys will be lucky to win seven or eight games next season. Jones won't concede championships, but making the wrong decision on Aikman could sentence the team to years of rebuilding.

John Clayton is the senior NFL writer for ESPN.com.