Pete Prisco | cbsportsline.com

So what happened to that much-anticipated quiet first weekend of NFL free agency?

Fiscal responsibility seemed to give way to fiscal madness.

How else can we explain what we saw in the first three days of free agency? It was quick-paced, just like in years past, with money being thrown around like some baseball teams do it.

The uncapped year and all the talk of how teams would hold the line gave way to the urge to fill holes quickly. A free-agent group, which some personnel people said was the old, the lame and the sick, seemed to cash in big.

Wonder what it would have been like if they were young and healthy?

If the rules were what they were a year ago, there would have been almost 200 more free agents on the market. It would have been even worse.

Instead of marquee players -- those young, 26-ish players -- getting the deals, teams spent on what was out there: older players who are mostly on the down slope of their career, with a few exceptions.

Here's a prediction: Not one of the players who signed deals or were traded over the weekend will be the difference in their teams winning a Super Bowl.

Not one. That's why it was so hard to say good things about many of the moves. There was simply too much overspending for the sake of spending.

It sure wasn't quiet.

Here's a quick look at the first three days of free agency:

I like the move OK, but the money was way too high

Karlos Dansby is a good player. He is not worth what the Miami Dolphins paid him. The Cardinals wanted him back, but only at the right price. They didn't see him as a difference maker. The Dolphins obviously do. Paying him a contract that includes $22 million in guaranteed money to play inside is a lot of money. Good player. But the position isn't a value spot -- and they paid him that way.

Nice under-the-radar move

Tony Pashos played well for the 49ers before getting hurt last season. He is a road-grading right tackle who will help the Browns offensive line, teaming with Joe Thomas to give them a solid tandem. Pashos isn't great in pass protection, so he needs to work on that. But he didn't cost all that much.