2011 preseason
Transitions and League Observations
It’s become routine, but we again escape any retirements.
I don’t notice any lingering injury issues – se we will head into the meat of the preseason, with a lot of work to do.
Front Office Decisions
Scout Myron Hampton is 72, and rapidly declining. He’d accept a new contract, but I don’t think it would make a lot of sense to give him one.
We sign Kim Donaldson, 39, whose main attractive feature is his lack of grave weaknesses. Nothing too special about him – but perhaps he can develop over time. He is pretty cheap, though.
Scout: Kim Donaldson, 39
VG: WR
GD: QB,PK,DL,LB,DB,Young Talent
AV: RB,OL
Roster Review
So, through the eyes of our new middling scout, here is a walk through the roster – with a eye on free agency coming up ahead.
Code:
Player # Pos Start Exp Current Estimate Future Estimate Cntrct
Glover, Tyrone 2 QB 8 64 64 1 yr.
Clancy, Marco 8 QB 3 37 63 2 yrs
Davis, Steven 14 QB 5 27 50 ---
Silvers, Bobby 10 QB 8 24 24 ---
Fox, Marvin 11 QB 4 24 45 ---
What to do at quarterback? Glover has been decent, but Clancy is coming along – and might be ready to take over this year. It might be an open competition in preseason, but Clancy has a legitimate shot to be our #1 this season, I think. I’m a little tired of Glover’s late-season disappearing act.
Steven Davis might be worth re-signing, though I never seem willing to actually let him start. What of Bobby Silvers? He’s immensely popular – I don’t mind keeping him around, perhaps even as our #3. Marvin Fox is probably gone – tough to keep justifying his role and paycheck (see Steven Davis).
Code:
Player # Pos Start Exp Current Estimate Future Estimate Cntrct
Arsenault, Roderick 33 RB 8 53 53 1 yr.
Ramsey, Archie 29 RB 6 51 51 1 yr.
Ramsey, Kendrick 32 RB 6 41 44 1 yr.
Adams, Donovan 28 RB 5 41 41 ---
I like this group, but we lack any long term stability – with everyone in a contract year. Arsenault is solid and productive, and extremely expensive. I sort of suspect we could get similar results giving the ball to either of the Ramsey cousins, but I’m not sure if we want to backtrack on our commitment to the run, which has borne fruit thus far. Re-signing Donovan Adams is not a high priority, but he may come cheaply.
Code:
Player # Pos Start Exp Current Estimate Future Estimate Cntrct
Woodson, Mickey 36 FB 8 50 51 1 yr.
Goodwin, Ian 23 FB 3 37 52 1 yr.
Holmes, Jonathan 18 TE 6 75 75 2 yrs
Whiting, Arnie 84 TE 8 64 64 ---
Pariso, Wade 82 TE 2 31 54 3 yrs
Both fullbacks are nice players – Woodson has the balance of skills I like at FB, while Goodwin is versatile enough to do most anything.
Holmes is good enough to be our starter at TE, and I don’t expect to pursue the brittle (but brilliant) Whiting. Pariso is a decent backup, nothing more.
Code:
Player # Pos Start Exp Current Estimate Future Estimate Cntrct
Blair, Zach 81 FL 3 48 60 2 yrs
Sasser, Marlon 85 SE 6 49 49 2 yrs
Rose, Mickey 89 SE 5 41 41 2 yrs
Goodwin, Oscar 80 SE 3 40 50 1 yr.
Causey, Marvin 86 SE 2 40 63 2 yrs
Sanders, Randall 83 SE 8 26 28 1 yr.
Zach Blair has established himself as out starter at the flanker spot, while Sasser and Causey may battle again for time at split end. Sasser is super-fast, and had a really nice season last year – but Causey shows such promise. After missing all of last year, Randall Sanders is a dead man walking – he can’t stick around, after he lost so much to injuries.
Code:
Player # Pos Start Exp Current Estimate Future Estimate Cntrct
Nichols, Kurt 56 C 8 48 48 ---
Allman, Omar 55 C 2 20 46 1 yr.
Marion, Terrell 65 LG 4 50 58 ---
Gruber, Lincoln 63 RG 7 55 57 1 yr.
Hampton, Todd 67 RG 5 37 39 ---
Heinlein, Bennie 71 LT 7 52 54 1 yr.
Cox, Hugh 60 LT 3 28 48 ---
Norton, Danny 68 LT 2 10 41 2 yrs
Schroeder, Bert 74 RT 8 65 65 ---
Five-year starter Kurt Nichols had a lousy season, but it was his first one after several really good years. G Terrell Marion deserves a new deal, but his demands are steep, and might require us to look elsewhere. We have to do something at RT, as Bert Schrader is looking for pretty big money, and I don’t know. We’ve thrived behind this line, but free agency may be about to render it asunder.
Code:
Player # Pos Start Exp Current Estimate Future Estimate Cntrct
Wolf, B.J. 1 P 3 15 19 2 yrs
Vallejo, Jeremy 19 K 3 53 61 2 yrs
If our plan is to play the ball control, field position style of football that has been our hallmark, we probably need to improve at punting. Wolf’s average dropped to 35.5 last year – and that’s just not good enough. I may make landing a top-grade punter a priority for the coming year.
We’re very pleased with Vallejo, despite a dip in his performance this year also.
Code:
Player # Pos Start Exp Current Estimate Future Estimate Cntrct
Holton, Butch 97 LDE 8 57 57 1 yr.
Fox, Jimmy 93 LDE 5 50 50 ---
Huffman, Rodney 78 RDE 7 79 79 ---
Blum, Dale 77 RDE 6 39 40 ---
Burns, Johnny 96 RDE 3 18 39 1 yr.
Cascadden, Gary 72 LDT 5 66 68 1 yr.
**Gibson, Kris 95 LDT 6 52 52 1 yr.
Oliveira, Willie 76 LDT 7 38 47 2 yrs
Gustafson, Harvey 75 RDT 5 52 52 2 yrs
Wayne, Harry 79 NT 8 26 26 ---
Work to be done here. Holton is signed, but he’s the only DE we have on board. Rodney Hurrman wants $12 million per year – and considering that he has only given us 16 starts twice in his six seasons with us, that is a very hard amount to swallow. I could see us working something out if he goes unpursued through the first stage – but for now, I’m planning to be without him. Fox and Blum are fairly cheap, and either or both could return – but we will have to make a move here this year, whether by getting a veteran or a rookie, or both.
At DT, Cascadden is signed through this season, but Gibson; might not even play this year. That makes Gustafson our key player – he’s been solid, but not reliably healthy (we may need him for the DE mix as well). Oliveira and Wayne give us good depth – especially if Wayne will sign a long term deal to stick around (though my new scout doesn’t like Wayne nearly as much as my old scout did).
Code:
Player # Pos Start Exp Current Estimate Future Estimate Cntrct
Goodwin, Cedric 92 MLB 8 60 60 ---
Casey, Rick 90 MLB 8 55 58 2 yrs
Castaneda, Ronald 64 MLB 5 31 45 1 yr.
Daveria, Greg 59 SLB 3 29 59 ---
Frederick, Clarence 58 SLB 2 26 60 2 yrs
DiGiacomo, Ricky 91 WLB 4 58 71 2 yrs
Regalado, Darrin 52 WLB 3 47 54 1 yr.
Fisk, Stanley 98 WLB 5 45 45 1 yr.
Playing on a one year deal, MLB Goodwin gave us a solid season – getting over 20% of the team tackles while on the field – a high number, even for him. He was only able to start 12 games, though, adding to my injury concerns. We have Casey signed (and I think he’d be a solid starter) but we will try to work out a suitable deal for Goodwin, who has been with us since the very beginning.
Outside, we have solid potential – need to develop Frederick into a player, after he missed his entire first season on the IR. DiGiacomo fits well into the weak side role, and Regalado played well last season wherever he was slotted.
Code:
Player # Pos Start Exp Current Estimate Future Estimate Cntrct
Wickliff, Calvin 42 LCB 7 56 56 ---
Gomez, Craig 27 LCB 7 41 46 1 yr.
Richmond, Deon 43 RCB 6 59 59 ---
Callens, Zack 39 RCB 8 49 49 1 yr.
Weed, Kirk 24 SS 3 55 59 2 yrs
Ellery, Deron 46 FS 4 52 57 2 yrs
Cowley, Kelly 31 FS 5 17 43 1 yr.
Deon Richmond is out of contract, but has been improving in recent years. I want to lock him up, and keep him aboard – and I think we will be able to do just that. Zack Callens is a similar player – I started him opposite Richmond last season, with decent results. Calvin Wickliff has been a nice substitute, but isn’t a great fit for us – his top skills are inn zone defenses, which we have mostly abandoned.
Kirk Weed and Deron Ellery continue to pull down big money to play (reasonably well) in our back secondary, and converted corner Cowley has work to do, but can be okay. I’m a little gun shy about drafting here, but an improvement would be welcome.
Top target positions: DE, T, G, CB, OLB, P
Free Agency
We have 38 players signed, and $16.8m in usable cap space. That’s tight, but not quite as bad as last season. So, we will have some room to move.
I have DE Jimmy Fox and CB Dean Richmond on my initial re-signing list, with more expected to follow if they remain reasonable.
C O.J. Owens looks like a very solid lineman, and a possible starter for us if we aren’t able to re-up with Nichols. Solid player, pretty good in the running game.
DE Tim Hendrix doesn’t seem to be stable enough to start regularly, but he seems decent enough – a good guy for our rotation, I think.
LB Warren Holmes looks like a contributor, and comes cheaply. Great value.
DE Cris Moseley has been underutilized by Dallas, and I think he could be a solid addition. Better against the run than pass, he might make a good platoon guy for us.
WR Jimmy Ellard is a great kick returner and would make a solid reserve wideout – he even had a 1,000-yard season with Houston a couple years back. Nice short-term pickup.
So, with seven pursuits, none for really big money, we go ahead into free agency. Even if we land everyone, we’ll still have some cash left over for re-signings of our own players. But this could help fill some need areas, if we get the guys we are after.
Things look good right away – we get two of our seven, and are along in bidding for the rest. We should land them all.
DE Huffman and TE Whiting both have big money suitors, so I expect them both to be gone. I’ll miss Huffman, but he simply hasn’t been reliable – and at over $11 million a year, I can’t see a new deal making sense – we’d have to make such great sacrifices.
Jimmy Ellard signs to play receiver, and this looks like a boom for us. He’s become our receivers leader, and we suddenly have three affinities – this could help the whole unit, even if Ellard is strictly a reserve.
Dallas signs RT Bert Schroeder, and we definitely need to something about that position. I check out the possibilities, and former first rounder Donnie Thornton is the obvious target. I put in a two year offer, and after a few weeks, we land him.
I’m surprised when C Kurt Nichols receives and accepts a contract from Arizona. I really didn’t think he’d depart – I had expected to wait him out and get him back a little more cheaply. Tough break – but new signee Owens will probably step in and become our starter. I don’t think we’ll have a chemistry problem, but we will have a cohesion loss for certain, with at least two new starters, and the LG spot still unsettled.
I’m playing the same game with MLB Cedric Goodwin – I want and expect to re-sign him, but I’m balking at the price he’s asking for. My plan is to wait until after the 20 weeks and rookie draft, and then move in with a more reasonable offer. I want to bring him back – but I have a backup plan, which is essential.
We get to the end of the first 20 weeks, and Goodwin remains unsigned. My late move here is to pick up 5th year MLB K.C. Perez, who seems to be a nice underused player from the Pats, and who would be a possible starter if we needed him to be. We have the safety net all ready in case Goodwin is unwilling to re-sign.