2002 Pre Season:
Bennie Thompson retired.
We increased all ticket prices by 50% (it's a lot, but we didn't increase them the last 3 years, these prices will stay for another 3-4 years.)
The Detroit Lions offered us their 6th rouind draft choice for Darrin Jospeh, but we declined.
Free Agency:
The options:
Trevor Pryce, DT, age 27, well liked, better in run defense then pass rushing, his enduarnce is a bit low.
Kenny Mixon, DE, age 27, idolized, excellent run defender, All League 1st Team in 2000 (18.5 sacks), has no good endurance.
Charlie Batch, QB, age 28, still has great potentials, is no good on third downs.
Vince Amey, DT, age 27, excellent pass rusher, lacks run defense talent, also his endurance is a little too low.
Germane Crowell, WR, age 26, extremly talented receiver, has problems with carrying the ball and fails a lot on third downs.
Tarik Glenn, LG, age 26, solid, would make an excellent team with Brock Hardy and Ruben Brown.
Batch seems NOT to be the franchise QB we search for, we will meet that guy in the next draft (I hope.)
Germane Crowell is the only talented WR available, but his nose for fumbles and bad plays on 3rd downs cancels him out too.
Leaves the options Pryce/Mixon/Amey/Glenn.
Mixon is a nice addition, but DE isn't out worst position, no Mixon.
Pryce or Amey?
Trevor Pryce seems to be the better one, Amey out.
Since we already have 4 guards signed Glenn is cancelled out too.
An other look on our tackle Hardy Brock tells us he should be playing at RT and not at LT.
So we could actually use a great LT. (our OL allowed 40 sacks last season.)
So another option is named:
Flozell Adams, LT, age 27, made All League 1st Team last two years.
We go for Flozell Adams!
First we had to trade all our draft choices except for the #1 overall.
Then we offer Flozell a 7-year deal, worth $52.57M.
He didn't have to think about it and signed right away!
On to the draft!
Detroit comes back and tells us they really want Darrin Joseph...
In the mean while, San Diego offers us Wesley Walls and pick #58 for Morris Jells.
Get out of here!
Back on the Joseph offer, Feenstra recorded a better rookie year then Joseph, Feenstra seems to be the better guy.
But I decline the offer again, a backup QB who started 13 games here should be more cohessive (if that's good English
) then a rookie backup.
Looking to the draft class I'm shocked.
The best QB option is:
Cedric Lancaster, age 24, has no greater potentials then Jospeh or Feenstra.
So no QB this year!
The new options:
Bryce Shapiro, WR, age 22, excellent potentials in all aspects of a WR (except for PR/KR.)
Lamar Crawford, DE, age 21, 6'2" 269 lbs, outstanding pass rusher with excellent endurance. Is able to stop almost every running back.
Shannon Mandalari, DT, age 21, 6'5" 305 lbs
, same skills as Lamar Crawford.
Herb Sheldon, S, age 24, should be the best safety within a year. Al ready is better then 90% of the starting safeties in the NFL.
The Cleveland Browns select: Shannon Madalari from Baylor.
Due to cap problems, we signed him to a 5 year deal.
The first releases ever:
4th G Swift (since we signed a rookie with a very good future, according to my scout.)
8th LB Earnest Rivers (we signed a better rookie.)
We're on to the training camp!