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QuikSand · 12-27-2003, 07:26 AM

Free Agency

We turn down an initial trade offer for G Mickey Thornton. It’s a second rounder, but he’s a solid player with two years left on his contract, and is just rounding into his top form. I’d prefer to keep him around.

I start putting in offers for my players, and am very disappointed to see CB Deon Richmond’s demands – he wants star-type money, nearly $5m per season. That will be tough – I can afford it, but the reason I can is because I don’t overpay my players, and paying Richmond $4-5 million would be doing so. We’ll have to make a plan at CB – because I don’t see that working out, unless he revises downward a good deal.

So, as we start the FA period, the only players of my own I have a bid in for are DT Gary Cascadden (4yrs, $30m), DE Jimmy Fox, and LB Darrin Regalado (situational pass rusher, cheap).

We are looking for a new RB to add to the roster, and I’m having trouble finding anyone who really fits. The best name was come up with in the free agent market is, believe it or not, 11th year veteran Daniel Newman – who played his first four seasons with us. We put in a modest offer to Newman, but will be looking for RB talent in the upcoming rookie draft as well. I decide to pass on RB Jeremy Coble, who wants $4 million a season, and doesn’t seem to have a whole lot more to offer. And we know that Newman at least can be a major threat out of the backfield in the passing game, which can help us. Daniel Newman’s 7,200 career rushing yards rank 13th – just two spaces behind Jeremy Coble’s 7,393, but well behind Roderick Arsenault, the career leader.

After week one, we have some issues to resolve. First is that CB Deon Richmond has immediately accepted a huge offer from San Diego – to my surprise. He gets $13, over 3 yrs in a heartbeat, and is smart to take it. I wanted to pay him half that. Now we are suddenly in trouble at CB, I think.

QB Marco Clancy is also hearing from San Diego, and I have to decide now whether I want to have him aboard again. We have the money – it’s hard to suggest that we should just let him walk without a backup plan already rolling ahead. It will have to be a good deal, but I think we’ll try to lure him back. I come up with 1yr, $12 million – that’s $6 million guaranteed up front, and a chance to land another signing bonus in a year. I hope that will compete with the big money boys who are courting him for six year deals.

DT Gary Cascadden has accepted our offer – so he is delivered. We also pick up LB Clarence Frederick, who spent one season in Indy, but will return to our weak side rotation, I expect. We are the only team pursuing RB Newman, so we expect to land him also.

In week 3, QB Marco Clancy accepts our offer, and will play for us for the $12 million. That drops our available cap space to under $10 million, and limits our ability to pursue any more big players. We do pick up CB Zack Callens, after a pretty good year with Detroit he’s a free agent again, and has the man coverage skills that we like to see.

We eventually land both DE Fox and RB Newman, and bring them back aboard. At this point, with the offseason moves we have made, it looks like we’ll be in “one more shot” mode, rather than “go for it” mode – as we will be featuring mostly the same players as last season. I ad fancied the notion of picking up one or two big-time players for short-term contracts in an effort to make a big “push” – but Marco Clancy’s $12 million deal occupied the cap space that we probably needed to do that.

12-27-2003, 07:26 AM	#95
QuikSand lolzcat Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Annapolis, Md	Free Agency We turn down an initial trade offer for G Mickey Thornton. It’s a second rounder, but he’s a solid player with two years left on his contract, and is just rounding into his top form. I’d prefer to keep him around. I start putting in offers for my players, and am very disappointed to see CB Deon Richmond’s demands – he wants star-type money, nearly $5m per season. That will be tough – I can afford it, but the reason I can is because I don’t overpay my players, and paying Richmond $4-5 million would be doing so. We’ll have to make a plan at CB – because I don’t see that working out, unless he revises downward a good deal. So, as we start the FA period, the only players of my own I have a bid in for are DT Gary Cascadden (4yrs, $30m), DE Jimmy Fox, and LB Darrin Regalado (situational pass rusher, cheap). We are looking for a new RB to add to the roster, and I’m having trouble finding anyone who really fits. The best name was come up with in the free agent market is, believe it or not, 11th year veteran Daniel Newman – who played his first four seasons with us. We put in a modest offer to Newman, but will be looking for RB talent in the upcoming rookie draft as well. I decide to pass on RB Jeremy Coble, who wants $4 million a season, and doesn’t seem to have a whole lot more to offer. And we know that Newman at least can be a major threat out of the backfield in the passing game, which can help us. Daniel Newman’s 7,200 career rushing yards rank 13th – just two spaces behind Jeremy Coble’s 7,393, but well behind Roderick Arsenault, the career leader. After week one, we have some issues to resolve. First is that CB Deon Richmond has immediately accepted a huge offer from San Diego – to my surprise. He gets $13, over 3 yrs in a heartbeat, and is smart to take it. I wanted to pay him half that. Now we are suddenly in trouble at CB, I think. QB Marco Clancy is also hearing from San Diego, and I have to decide now whether I want to have him aboard again. We have the money – it’s hard to suggest that we should just let him walk without a backup plan already rolling ahead. It will have to be a good deal, but I think we’ll try to lure him back. I come up with 1yr, $12 million – that’s $6 million guaranteed up front, and a chance to land another signing bonus in a year. I hope that will compete with the big money boys who are courting him for six year deals. DT Gary Cascadden has accepted our offer – so he is delivered. We also pick up LB Clarence Frederick, who spent one season in Indy, but will return to our weak side rotation, I expect. We are the only team pursuing RB Newman, so we expect to land him also. In week 3, QB Marco Clancy accepts our offer, and will play for us for the $12 million. That drops our available cap space to under $10 million, and limits our ability to pursue any more big players. We do pick up CB Zack Callens, after a pretty good year with Detroit he’s a free agent again, and has the man coverage skills that we like to see. We eventually land both DE Fox and RB Newman, and bring them back aboard. At this point, with the offseason moves we have made, it looks like we’ll be in “one more shot” mode, rather than “go for it” mode – as we will be featuring mostly the same players as last season. I ad fancied the notion of picking up one or two big-time players for short-term contracts in an effort to make a big “push” – but Marco Clancy’s $12 million deal occupied the cap space that we probably needed to do that.