2004 preseason
Our profits boomed last year from $21 to $34m.
I bring in a new scout—a more balanced guy, a good deal younger. I try to lure Chicago’s coach, but he’s tough. My new coach is also younger, and despite his poor defensive playcalling, he should be pretty decent.
I get a trade offer that makes me think. Tennessee offers me a late second round pick for 2nd year LB B.J. Thomason—who looks like he’ll develop into a solid, but not spectacular linebacker. I decide to take the deal. I realize that LB is a position where I need to improve, but that’s simply a good value for a 5th round pick from last year.
In free agency, I put in a bid for a decent guard, Gus Patton. Guard is a position I need to improve very seriously, and he’s a small step in the right direction. He’s the only free agent I pursue.
As I go to sign deals with my restricted free agents, I see something I don’t think I ever have before. My 3rd year RFA CB Johnny Bowie is asking for a six-year deal, complete with a nearly $5m bonus. He’s my best corner, and we’ve got money to spend, but this request is unbelievable- it would have him making $11m by its end. I decide to wait, but I doubt I can afford to make the deal.
We have pick #20, and we still have a lot of needs on this team. CB, LB, and WR are among the most pressing—it would be nice to pick up one of each in the first two rounds. Overall, I’m very pleased with the talent level available at my#20 pick—I have several high-quality players to choose from. I decide to do the unexpected—and take my third straight DE in the first round. Phil Banks is a remarkable pass rusher, and he will make a fabulous complement to Burt Horner, who is a run container first.
Amateur Draft Report:
Rnd 1 - Phil Banks, DE, Notre Dame – looks like a dominating pass rusher (54/95/86)
Rnd 2 - Buddy Henry, WR, Notre Dame – very high quality for second round (54/68/77…)
Rnd 2 - Stephen Hickson, CB, Auburn – good overall player with return skills (93/46/88…)
Rnd 3 - Darrin James, G, Oregon State – should be good run blocker (79/39/40)
Rnd 4 - Seth Preston, RB, West Alabama – decent caliber back with best ratings into 60s
Rnd 5 - Duane Winslow, T, Akron – projects to be solid (58/52/52)
Rnd 6 - Walt McCardell, DT, UCLA – projects to be solid (62/47/52)
Rnd 7 - Shawn Freeman, G, St. Cloud State – adds depth at need position (53/39/46)
I’m pleased overall with the draft, but we neglected to add anyone at LB, which will continue to be a liability. I bring in a few extra rookies at LB for camp, along with a number of other potential fill-ins and local boys, and we’re ready to find out what we’ve got this year.
Phil Banks loses a little bit of his luster, but still looks awfully good (52/85/82). Same goes for WR Buddy Henry—he’ll still be solid, but he rounds down a little bit. CB Hickson remains very sharp. A FA running back, Nick Kemp, seems to improve a good bit during camp, and he might fit into our mix very soon.
Position/Player Current Est Future Est Exp Sgnd
QB Paul de los Santos 12 16 3 2004
QB Sammy Powell 7 9 4 2004
QB Ken Weathers 6 12 2 2005
RB Max Lister 12 12 3 2005
RB Seth Preston 7 10 1 2006
RB Nick Kemp 6 10 1 2007
RB Byron Dahl 5 6 3 2005
RB Albert Compton 4 4 1 2007
FB Thomas Thomason 10 10 3 2005
FB Stan Dunkin 6 6 1 2007
TE Thurman Cox 8 11 3 2005
TE Ronald Molnar 5 5 3 2005
TE Arnold Baskey 5 10 1 2007
WR Matt McCaughey 13 13 3 2005
WR Buddy Henry 7 12 1 2007
WR Tyrus Mitchell 6 7 1 2007
WR Russell England 5 5 2 2006
WR Harvey Hanson 4 5 2 2006
C Jeff Lang 9 11 2 2006
C Thurman Chau 7 9 2 2005
C Clay Hoover 4 4 3 2005
G Gus Patton 7 8 2 2006
G Lincoln Ward 4 4 2 2006
G Darrin James 4 11 1 2006
G Shawn Freeman 4 8 1 2005
T Rufus Bozarth 9 11 2 2005
T Conrad Joslyn 7 9 4 2004
T Duane Winslow 4 11 1 2006
T Norm Drake 1 6 1 2007
P Brenden Buggelli 6 6 3 2005
K Clyde Kariya 11 13 4 2004
DE Burt Horner 10 15 2 2008
DE Phil Banks 8 14 1 2007
DE Danny Riley 7 11 2 2005
DE T.J. Neeley 7 7 4 2004
DE Rex Vaughn 4 9 2 2005
DT Dale Creaser 11 11 3 2005
DT Marvin Gregory 6 9 3 2005
DT Jay Singleton 5 10 2 2006
DT Walt McCardell 4 11 1 2005
LB Otis Whalen 7 8 4 2004
LB Reggie Peters 6 7 4 2004
LB Johnny Parry 6 7 3 2005
LB Carlos Sheldon 5 9 3 2006
LB Wally Newman 4 7 1 2007
LB Winston Bleeck 1 2 3 2005
CB Stephen Hickson 11 14 1 2006
CB Steve Ratliff 7 8 4 2004
CB Travis Rogers 7 8 3 2005
CB Charles Woodard 5 7 3 2005
CB Leon Carpenter 2 2 2 2006
S Sammie Murphy 7 7 2 2006
S Donald DeLamielleure 6 13 2 2004
S Mercury Van Anden 6 7 3 2005
I think we’re coming along well. I’m not sold on RB Lister, who my scout supports but doesn’t seem to be too effective. I’ll rotate around and look for a good mix. We’ll probably depend on our passing game, which should benefit from the pretty ready-to-start WR Buddy Henry. On defense, we’ll try to cover for our poor LB group with pass rush pressure. I don’t see the team making a huge leap forward, but I think we’ll be solid. We’ll set our sights on a playoff berth—hopefully we can avoid a late-season swoon.