2014 Rookie Draft
Into the rookie draft, we have a pretty complete team. I think we could use additions at RB and CB, and depth almost anywhere, but I don’t feel desperate at any position. Picking at #29, it’s probably a good thing that we can be flexible.
I have never made a blockbuster trade to move up to take a player – but this year, I am tempted. I really feel like a star RB would add a lot to this team, and there’s a rookie who seems to be perfectly suited. Gus Stewart from LSU looks like the real deal – and I’m convinced he’d be a difference-maker for us. But, he seems likely to go with a very early pick… so I would have to give up an awful lot to take him, I suspect.
When RB Stewart is still there at pick #3, I make an offer: My #1 this year and next, my #3 this year, and WR Elizondo to Tampa Bay for their #1 pick (#3 overall). They spit in my eye – not even close. I keep trying, and eventually it works out—we send them our first round picks this year and next year, along with this year’s second rounder and next year’s third rounder. Harold Elizondo stays put with us. This is the biggest trade that we have ever engineered, but I like the “go for it” attitude that it represents, as I’m totally willing to hitch our fortunes to RB Gus Stewart.
Code:
Amateur Draft Report:
Rnd 1 - Gus Stewart, RB, Louisiana State
Rnd 3 - Blake Stuff, ILB, Alabama
Rnd 4 - Deion Ford, T, Washington State
Rnd 5 - Mo Crain, K, Cincinnati
Rnd 6 - Curtis Sinclair, ILB, Presbyterian
Rnd 7 - Jesse Weber, C, Towson
We love Gus Stewart, and are pleased with the rest of the draft. LB Stuff (great name) should be a good run-stopper inside, and we’ll plan to move Sinclair outside. T Ford should be a solid reserve, as will C Weber. K Mo Crain should be a major upgrade.
Late Free Agency
As we are readying to round out the roster, we get word that WR Zach Blair plans to hold out for a new contract. We have cap space if we need it, but I’d really rather not commit big money to him. I’ll confess he is underpaid, but I’d rather have him here for cheap – I think we may not yield here.
On second thought – we may not have the cap space we thought, after all. Moving up for RB Stewart upended the cost of our draft – and he’s going to be expensive. With 49 players signed, we have $7.5 million remaining – but Stewart is going to cost at least $4 million for this year.
MLB Cedric Goodwin receives an offer from Detroit – and our longtime defensive leader might finally be departing. He clearly can’t start any longer – he simply breaks down. I don’t see how we can match the $1.3m/yr offer they are making, so it looks like he will be out of here.
As we approach training camp, I talk again to Zach Blair – but he’s fixated on a multi-year deal for about $3 million a season. I simply cannot afford it. So, I have signed a number of rookie receivers, and am working on a backup plan for the WR position. Tentatively, I might move Marvin Causey to start as our flanker, and use Jimmy Ellard as the backup there. We’d then have to rely on Cornelius Tilton and at least one rookie as reserve players. Not that bad – though I admittedly do prefer having the familiar face of Blair in the flanker role.
Training Camp
We spend a bit more time in the weight room this season – another attempt to cut down on the ridiculous injuries that have befallen us in past years. We’re not as deep on the DL as in the recent past, too – so staying healthy would be a great blessing.
Code:
Player # Pos Start Exp CE FE CE FE ChgC ChgF
Clancy, Marco 8 QB 6 70 70 70 70 0 0
Houston, James 7 QB 4 54 59 57 59 3 0
Gordon, Howie 3 QB 4 35 53 40 53 5 0
Brock, Deion 2 QB 2 28 50 32 50 4 0
Stewart, Gus 39 RB 1 65 81 64 81 -1 0
Newman, Daniel 27 RB 11 38 39 38 39 0 0
Arsenault, Roderick 33 RB 11 36 37 36 37 0 0
Aguilera, Danny 30 RB 4 33 33 33 33 0 0
**Battle, Jeremy 25 RB 2 23 30 23 30 0 0
Pritchett, Eric 45 FB 3 62 62 64 64 2 2
Goodwin, Ian 23 FB 6 46 52 48 52 2 0
Norton, Devin 6 TE 6 76 76 77 77 1 1
Chambliss, Todd 85 TE 1 20 42 22 45 2 3
Lynch, Brad 89 TE 1 14 35 16 35 2 0
Blair, Zach 81 FL 6 50 50 50 50 0 0
Ellard, Jimmy 87 FL 9 40 40 40 40 0 0
Tilton, Cornelius 83 FL 2 36 37 37 37 1 0
Barton, Ben 32 FL 1 17 48 19 42 2 -6
Witcher, Frankie 37 FL 1 13 37 14 34 1 -3
Abrams, Vince 43 FL 1 8 35 8 29 0 -6
Causey, Marvin 86 SE 5 53 53 53 53 0 0
Elizondo, Harold 84 SE 11 49 49 49 49 0 0
Pond, Ellis 57 C 4 37 60 39 60 2 0
Weber, Jesse 59 C 1 17 48 18 43 1 -5
Handy, Nate 65 C 1 9 47 12 43 3 -4
Thornton, Mickey 53 LG 4 59 61 59 61 0 0
Booker, Johnnie 74 LG 2 21 38 23 38 2 0
Lyon, Edwin 64 LG 1 18 47 22 46 4 -1
Poole, Dominic 66 LG 1 12 47 15 39 3 -8
Gruber, Lincoln 63 RG 10 54 54 54 54 0 0
Heinlein, Bennie 71 LT 10 55 57 55 57 0 0
Ford, Deion 69 LT 1 16 40 18 33 2 -7
Thornton, Donnie 73 RT 8 62 62 62 62 0 0
Creighton, Lamont 9 P 4 66 66 66 66 0 0
Crain, Mo 15 K 1 78 97 83 97 5 0
Fox, Jimmy 93 LDE 8 52 52 52 52 0 0
Garner, Henry 77 LDE 7 50 50 50 50 0 0
Limon, Lincoln 95 LDE 11 36 36 36 36 0 0
Lynn, Neal 90 LDE 2 34 52 36 52 2 0
Cascadden, Gary 72 LDT 8 70 71 70 71 0 0
Oliveira, Willie 76 LDT 10 45 46 45 46 0 0
Bailey, Zach 96 LDT 3 41 68 44 68 3 0
Downs, Johnny 79 LDT 1 18 31 19 32 1 1
Lake, Ed 91 SILB 7 57 73 62 73 5 0
Davis, Curtis 55 MLB 9 69 69 69 69 0 0
Perez, K.C. 56 MLB 8 61 63 61 63 0 0
Bates, Brenden 92 MLB 1 22 35 25 39 3 4
Frederick, Clarence 58 SLB 5 39 50 41 50 2 0
Meyer, Herb 50 SLB 2 24 48 27 48 3 0
Lofton, Dwight 54 SLB 2 22 34 24 34 2 0
Sinclair, Curtis 94 SLB 1 21 56 24 55 3 -1
Regalado, Darrin 52 WLB 6 51 51 51 51 0 0
Stuff, Blake 49 WLB 1 30 64 33 62 3 -2
Wickliff, Calvin 28 LCB 10 43 43 43 43 0 0
Freeman, Jamie 44 LCB 4 35 48 39 48 4 0
Douglas, Darrell 26 RCB 4 56 56 58 58 2 2
Callens, Zack 34 RCB 11 40 40 40 40 0 0
Blades, K.C. 47 RCB 1 9 27 11 27 2 0
Weed, Kirk 24 SS 6 59 59 59 59 0 0
Eskridge, Kenneth 20 FS 3 78 78 79 79 1 1
Ellery, Deron 46 FS 7 62 62 62 62 0 0
Haven, Danny 31 FS 1 10 30 12 28 2 -2
I’m pleased to see RB Stewart retain all his forecasted ratings – now we just need to get him signed. He gets along great with Roderick Arsenault, who has also become a RB mentor. Couldn’t be a better situation for a promising young back.
I don’t think we got a whole lot with our other draft picks, all told.
Season Analysis
We finally get Gus Stewart signed, by dropping to five years. He looks as good advertised, with near-top potential in nearly every category. He will immediately step into our featured role, casting our two older vets into supporting roles. Gus Stewart sits atop the Green Page, with K Mo Crain and 2nd year QB Deion Brock also on the list. Not bad.
We have cohesion rated at 85-100(85)-93-96, pretty darned good. And after a couple of preseason games, WR Zach Blair has returned to our lineup (ending his holdout) – so we have a chance to improve on the passing game. (Indeed – our rating there jumps to 89 upon his return) Our roster rating is 96 – second only to Arizona.
This year should be a chance to get back into the think of the championship hunt. We have a potentially big impact rookie on offense, and have most of our faces returning from last season on defense. An improvement defensively overall, and perhaps more stability at QB, and we ought to be right there. A title here is the goal, and is not out of the question. Falling far short will be cause for heads to roll, possibly mine.