GroupThink - 1993 offseason

[QuikSand]

Originally posted by primelord
Also since we landed Finley we have to decide if we want to shift him or Davison over to LDE. I am guessing we want to move Davison.

Davison has now made the switch fairly painlessly, for what that's worth.

[QuikSand]

Assuming we actually use this pick... the "best players available" might be, in some order:

CB Jessie Brady
WR Deion Perea
LB Clay Harden
C Dixon Kournikova
DT Ernest Duffy?
S Ernest Hawkins
LB Deron Hoffman

I see a lot of secound round talent on that list... not a single guy to get really worked up about.

[primelord]

We could look at a guy like LCB Jessie Brady. He isn't quite as good in zone coverage as I would like, but overall he looks very solid. It's actually pretty slim pickings at this point.

There are several guys that look solid. A guy like RDT Gus Lang or LDT Ernest Duffy look like guys who could be good picks, but they don't look like guys we would want to take in the first round.

[primelord]

Heh it seems we were thinking roughly the same thing.

[primelord]

What do our house rules say about trading picks for players? It seems likely we could trade our 1st round and maybe like a 6th round for a guy like SLB Gerald John

[wade moore]

Any consideration to FL Rayburn, considering his Special Teams contributions? Him and Perea are relatively equal everywhere (except big play receiving) in all areas beyond that... I do like Perea better as a receiver, but I wonder how much the return ability should weigh in? Although it is hard to pass up that great big play receiving..

Looking at all other offensive positions, I just can't see taking any other player besides one of these Flankers, as the talent level is just not there at the other positions... I would consider each of these guys heavily to possibly start over Hill this year, which makes them very good candidates for this low first round pick..

[wade moore]

I would be all for tradingthis pick.. my comments on teh WRs were if we actually used this pick, but it does seem like a bit of a waste for a 1st rounder..

[QuikSand]

Maybe we should try to get an extra first rounder next year in a trade? I'd be quite happy to trade out of this spot, too... and the money we'd save now could get recycled into re-signing our own decent players.

Here's a benchmark. Providence will take this pick, plus our fifth this year and third next year - all in exchange for next year's first round pick. They selected #6 overall this year... so there's a decent shot that the pick would be a good one.

How does something like that sound to you all?

[QuikSand]

By the way, if he's there for our second pick, I'll vote for LB Clay Harden. I love the name, and I think he could be better than he appears.

[Bee]

I haven't had a chance to look at the draft or anything, but the trade sounds like a good deal if there are no players who stand out. Someone might want to take a quick look at Providence and see what additions/losses they've had to their team in Free Agency and who they drafted so far. That might give us an idea of how much they've improved their team and what kind of draft pick we are talking about for next year. Just a thought, if someone has the time to do that.

[primelord]

I haven't had a chance to look at the roster like Bee suggested yet, but I am inclined to say we should make this trade too. I think most of the guys we are considering at this pick will be at the next pick. So it certainly seems to make sense to get another 1st rounder for next year and still land one of the guys we are targeting.

[QuikSand]

We make the deal with Providence. I fell like we overpaid, but that's actually kind of refreshing... we were in a tough spot, I think.

Here's how the draft has unfolded:

32. Providence - Cote, Clyde, DT, Brown
33. Fort Wayne - Schwartz, Earl, WR, Kansas State
34. Norfolk - Kovarik, Tyrus, G, North Carolina State
35. Niagara Falls - Matthews, Julio, DT, Toledo
36. Death Valley - Jarvis, Cory, OLB, Michigan State
37. Athens - Forbes, Aaron, G, Alabama
38. Providence - Mathews, Kerry, OLB, UAB
39. Thunder Bay - Buckey, Ike, C, Miami, Florida
40. Ypsilanti - Joseph, Moe, G, Adams State
41. Louisville - Lang, Gus, DT, Arizona State
42. Sault Ste. Marie - Graham, Brett, ILB, Ark. - Pine Bluff
43. Napa Valley - Rodriguez, Geoff, DT, Clemson
44. Cheyenne - Harmon, Mitchell, T, Texas
45. Puget Sound - Richard, Monty, RB, Clemson
46. Fort Knox - Kournikova, Dixon, C, Colorado
47. Bermuda - Brady, Jessie, CB, Stonehill
48. Memphis - Buchans, Rodney, OLB, Michigan State
49. Puget Sound - Rainville, Chris, T, Austin Peay
50. Tijuana - Fountaine, Van, DE, Miss. Valley St.
51. Lake Erie - Tomich, Robbie, DT, Oklahoma State
52. Hawk Mountain - Duffy, Ernest, DT, UCLA
53. Tijuana - Grant, Glen, DE, Syracuse
54. Nashua - Gaines, Robbie, T, California
55. Mazatlan - Schofer, Morris, C, North Carolina State
56. Key West - Price, Jerald, DT, Iowa State
57. Champaign - Krueger, Ethan, DE, Duke
58. Wheeling - White, Randal, CB, Georgia
59. Tulsa - Harding, Earl, DT, Maryland
60. Kitty Hawk - Everett, Bernard, CB, Sacred Heart (Conn.)
61. Norfolk - Fagundez, Alonzo, CB, Texas Christian
62. Manhattan - Battle, Lee, DT, Notre Dame
63. Sacramento - Goodwin, Eugene, G, Southern California

Analysis to come...

[QuikSand]

Who's left from our list? (and who else looks decent here?)

WR Deion Perea
LB Clay Harden
LB Deron Hoffman
DE R.J. Banks
WR Randal Rayburn
SS Ernest Hawkins
RT Martin Conn
LT Randal Upshaw
...


For my money, the choice is between the two wideouts (Perea is decent and a possible breakout, Rayburn has return skills and modest downside) and the arguably best LB left Harden (also decent with possible breakout signs). Both are need positions, I think - LB more so immediately. WR definitely for next season and beyond.

You know where my heart is, but I agree you can make the case either way.

[primelord]

Quik,

I am just not seeing what you are seeing in Harden. To me he looks liek an average run defender, a below average zpne defender, and poor at diagnosing plays. Those are the three most important aspects of a LB in our system. To me it looks like he would need to be a considerable breakout in order to be much of an impact player.

WLB Deron Hoffman looks like he fits our scheme better. Of course I am not as good at spotting break out players as you are (I didn't think Kent Wolfe would be all that great ) so if you think Harden is the guy I will defer to you, but if we are looking at taking a LB Hoffman looks like the pick to me.

[QuikSand]

Well, here's another look at it. As much as I like Harden (and yes, it's practically all about his potential to exceed expectations... though I think his current green ratings are money in the bank, and I won't say that about Hoffman) there is the reality that he is listed as the 9th-rated OLB left in the draft, on the overall board (Hoffman is 6th). Poitn being - maybe we can wait a round, and then get to pick our LB in round three (maybe still chossing from between these two).

Then, we might have a similar isue with WR. Deion Perea is the #1 rated guy, so he's not going to be around much longer. (He also, incidentally, is a very solid kick returner - just so that doesn't get lost as we talk about other return options) But, Rayburn is a little better in the return game with ability to return both punts and kicks. And once again, much fo my taste for Perea lies in his potential to exceed expectations - he's another classic profile guy.

At WR, I think Perea is the guy, hands down. He is a true profile guy, he has quality ratings everywhere (Rayburn has a void at 3rd down catching), has good return skills (though not as good as Rayburn's) and has better current skills (more effective right away).

So, with that in mind, I think taking WR Perea makes sense here, and then we sit back and hope that one of both LBs are still there after 32 more selections.

[primelord]

That sounds like a good strategy to me.

[Doug5984]

I don't have FOF4 with me right now so I can't look at the players ratings, but I am all for taking one of the WRs with this pick....I think it is a good idea to surround our QB with as much talent as possible and I think this would be one of the best ways to do that. Also, I like the trade we made to trade out of the first round, we gave up some this year, but who knows maybe our pick will be a top 10 pick next year.

[QuikSand]

Okay, here's how the draft unfolds from here - starting at the end of round two:

64. Little Rock - Perea, Deion, WR, Miami, Florida

65. Fort Wayne - Dillon, Keith, DE, Georgia Tech
66. Norfolk - Klingbiel, Leon, DE, Florida State
67. Niagara Falls - Bynum, Orlando, G, Ohio State
68. Death Valley - Sellers, Josh, DE, Missouri
69. Athens - Southward, Oscar, OLB, Tennessee
70. Providence - Rayburn, Randal, WR, Louisiana Tech
71. Thunder Bay - Hawks, Vinny, WR, Rutgers
72. Texarkana - Smithson, Oliver, DT, Juniata
73. Louisville - Cardinell, Leslie, DT, Louisville
74. Sault Ste. Marie - Upshaw, Randal, T, Virginia
75. Napa Valley - McCarthy, Paul, G, Louisiana State
76. Cheyenne - Cuthbert, Clifton, OLB, Fairfield
77. Hawk Mountain - Quinn, Clyde, OLB, UNLV
78. Fort Knox - Green, Bo, G, Ohio State
79. Bermuda - McIntyre, Jack, ILB, Mississippi State
80. Memphis - Davidson, Gilbert, ILB, Nebraska
81. Ocean City - Dawson, Willie, G, UCLA
82. Pensacola - Mahan, Artie, DE, West Chester
83. Lake Erie - Vaughn, Jon, TE, Kentucky
84. Hawk Mountain - Devine, Larry, DE, Tennessee
85. Tijuana - Finister, Marcus, RB, Louisiana-Lafayette
86. Nashua - Sanford, Renaldo, S, Louisiana - Monroe
87. Mazatlan - Carrell, Donny, DE, Tulsa
88. Key West - Lamarr, Norbert, C, Louisville
89. Champaign - Bradford, Tommy, RB, Louisville
90. Wheeling - Lynn, Randall, WR, Missouri - Rolla
91. Tulsa - Bookwalter, Tyrus, G, Louisville
92. Kitty Hawk - Gilmore, Juan, T, Arkansas
93. Texarkana - Almonte, Harvey, DE, Holy Cross
94. Manhattan - Fredrickson, Lester, RB, Wake Forest
95. Sacramento - Wheeler, Harris, OLB, Texas Tech

96. Little Rock - Harden, Clay, OLB, East Carolina

97. Fort Wayne - Banks, R.J., DE, Notre Dame
98. Norfolk - Hopkins, Alex, OLB, New Mexico
99. Niagara Falls - Gaines, Vincent, T, Georgia
100. Death Valley - Hawkins, Ernest, S, Michigan
101. Athens - Bradford, Alan, TE, Air Force
102. Providence - Bullock, Donny, FB, North Carolina A&T
103. Thunder Bay - Hoffman, Deron, OLB, Washington State
104. Ypsilanti - Manuel, J.J., S, North Carolina State
105. Death Valley - Hawes, Marvin, CB, Glenville State
106. Sault Ste. Marie - Hardt, Lamont, FB, Notre Dame
107. Napa Valley - Corbett, Kendrick, CB, North Texas
108. Cheyenne - Schulz, Steven, S, Duke
109. Puget Sound - Cox, John, G, Louisiana State
110. Fort Knox - Lyon, Jumbo, TE, Cornell
111. Key West - Bradley, Dan, OLB, Harvard
112. Memphis - Bradley, Donnie, TE, East Carolina
113. Ocean City - Leemans, Burt, CB, Virginia Tech
114. Ocean City - Glenn, Tyrell, CB, Kansas State
115. Lake Erie - Daughtry, Pat, T, Oregon State
116. Hawk Mountain - Drakeford, Rico, DT, North Alabama
117. Tijuana - McDaniel, Colin, FB, South Carolina
118. Nashua - Cox, Preston, OLB, Tennessee
119. Mazatlan - Conn, Martin, T, North Carolina State
120. Key West - Barrett, Jessie, S, Ohio State
121. Champaign - Berman, Timothy, WR, Florida State
122. Wheeling - Johnson, Clifton, ILB, California
123. Tulsa - Gisler, Lewis, DE, Virginia
124. Kitty Hawk - Shannon, Rickey, CB, Hawaii
125. Puget Sound - Foster, Lester, WR, Brown
126. Manhattan - Guevara, Randy, TE, Maryland
127. Sacramento - Lyle, Grady, C, Georgia Tech

And we are on the clock again. I'll post a file update, so we can look together (who ever "we" is anymore).

[QuikSand]

First file

[QuikSand]

second file

[QuikSand]

Okay, pickings are getting pretty slim. But if you know me, then you probably know who I'd take here...

DT Howard Hammond

He'd fit in with this draft so far - solid pick, no downside for busting, potential to be a boom player. Worst case, he's an adequate reserve for a couple of years. Best case, he'll develop a bit like Kent Wolfe. (Uh, no promises there - even I didn't thisnk Wolfe would get *that* good)

[Bee]

Did we try to trade our RG backup Newman? If so, did it go through?

[primelord]

What do we think about a guy like LCB Christian Galoob? Could make a pretty good nickle back.

[primelord]

I wonder if we took someone like Galoob here if Hammond wouldn't maybe fall to us at our next pick. He would have to fall two rounds, but he isn't one of the top rated DT's remaining and I think we got Wolfe around that pick.

[QuikSand]

Originally posted by Bee
Did we try to trade our RG backup Newman? If so, did it go through?

Sorry... neglected to do it until now. We got Nashua's 3rd round pick (next year) in the deal. Nice call, Bee.

It doesn't necessarily help us much right away, but it replaces the pick we dealt away nicely.

[QuikSand]

Hmmm... I confess I don't see much to like in Galoob. Right now, we have CBs on the roster. Armstrong and Boyd are the starters, Crawford is a cheap return man, and that leaves Godfrey and Battle as our "reserves." I guess Galolob could pan out to be a bit beter than Battle... but that's about it, I'd think. No upside, some downside... I don't see a lot to like.

[Bee]

I like C Kennedy Austin a lot. He's by far the best O-lineman. He might be able to move over to guard and give us a young guy there. Just a thought.


DT Howard Hammond looks like the best pick overall.

[wade moore]

Sorry I'm not around to be more active during the draft, as I've said, I cannot check at work anymore due to the crack-down of internet surfing and the evenings are very busy for me.. I'll look in detail in the morning per usual, again, I apologize for not being able to be able to be on at shorter intervals during the day... should we start recruiting new scouts? We are obviously basically down to QS at GM, prime at DC, me at OC, Bee as basically the offensive scout concentrating on the Line, and Doug as the Defensive scout doing some offense.... with a few things thrown in here by others periodically (i.e. BigDPW, etc.. sorry to those i have not mentioned)..

[wade moore]

I'd like to throw TE Leonard Day into the mix. Between him C Austin, I think those are the only two guys we consider on offense here -- unless we want to go for one of the P's (it seems that they'll be gone next round or the round after)... I think we again are relatively slim here on picks that deserve a 4 th rounder, this year's draft seems relatively thin..

[QuikSand]

After I impose my mighty will on the entire collective (or rather, I just go ahead and take the guy I like, absent any consensus to do otherwise), we go ahead and finish a rather uninspiring draft.

128. Little Rock - Hammond, Howard, DT, UAB

129. Fort Wayne - Toomer, Blaine, T, Oregon State
130. Niagara Falls - Farley, Wally, S, Cincinnati
131. Niagara Falls - Boyd, Carlos, WR, California
132. Death Valley - Schultz, Edward, G, Florida State
133. Athens - Peters, Phil, ILB, Colorado
134. Providence - Vance, Brent, S, Arizona
135. Thunder Bay - Dennis, Justin, WR, Central Michigan
136. Ypsilanti - Blanchard, Ray, DE, Texas Tech
137. Louisville - Tibbs, Harry, FB, Virginia Tech
138. Sault Ste. Marie - Bergeron, Toby, S, Illinois
139. Napa Valley - Galoob, Christian, CB, New Mexico
140. Manhattan - McCarthy, Deion, OLB, Portland State
141. Puget Sound - Leska, Gilbert, WR, New Mexico
142. Fort Knox - Mabe, Gino, S, Arizona
143. Bermuda - O'Rourke, Glenn, WR, Temple
144. Memphis - Brady, Jonathan, WR, San Diego State
145. Ocean City - Riddols, Sean, WR, Wisconsin
146. Pensacola - Patterson, Jeff, T, Oregon State
147. Lake Erie - LaMarche, Leroy, CB, Hofstra
148. Hawk Mountain - Day, Leonard, TE, South Carolina
149. Tijuana - Tobar, Arnie, T, North Carolina
150. Nashua - Hollis, Darrell, G, Florida
151. Mazatlan - Greene, Myron, OLB, Washington State
152. Key West - Olin, Rusty, T, Minnesota
153. Champaign - Dimry, Chuck, CB, Colorado
154. Wheeling - Cassidy, Leland, WR, Kentucky
155. Tulsa - Mayes, Johnnie, WR, Mississippi
156. Kitty Hawk - Nedney, Cris, OLB, St. John's, NY.
157. Texarkana - Gaylor, B.J., TE, Washington
158. Manhattan - Otis, Roman, FB, Nebraska
159. Sacramento - Montenegro, Juan, RB, Minnesota
160. Providence - Crane, Ralph, S, New Hampshire
161. Fort Wayne - Forbes, Ralph, T, Purdue
162. Norfolk - Austin, Kennedy, C, Cornell
163. Niagara Falls - Kovarik, Dusty, T, Wake Forest
164. Death Valley - Monroe, Marcus, CB, Illinois
165. Athens - Keith, Irv, CB, Northwestern
166. Providence - Alston, Austin, T, Alabama
167. Thunder Bay - Linquist, Charlie, OLB, Louisiana State
168. Ypsilanti - Hickman, Lawrence, OLB, Michigan
169. Louisville - Oswald, Daniel, G, VMI
170. Sault Ste. Marie - Howard, Wally, DT, Utah
171. Napa Valley - Carpenter, William, DE, Clemson
172. Cheyenne - Rasmussen, Mercury, CB, Tennessee
173. Puget Sound - Williams, Freddie, G, Temple
174. Fort Knox - Dole, Brad, OLB, Arizona State
175. Bermuda - Caldwell, Ike, S, Southern California
176. Memphis - Moorthy, Rico, DE, Penn State
177. Ocean City - Arnold, Raymond, WR, Northwestern
178. Pensacola - Feingold, Roman, S, Nicholls State
179. Lake Erie - Jelinek, J.R., ILB, Clemson
180. Hawk Mountain - Heaton, Harold, S, Temple
181. Tijuana - Greer, Kris, CB, Louisiana - Monroe
182. Nashua - Carlisle, Aaron, OLB, Navy
183. Mazatlan - Melvin, Ellis, DE, Washington
184. Key West - Demeester, Clifton, TE, Stanford
185. Champaign - Harrison, Justin, CB, Georgia
186. Wheeling - Jarvis, Geoff, P, South Carolina
187. Tulsa - Vaughn, Jamal, WR, Oregon State
188. Kitty Hawk - Tanner, Rich, OLB, Northwestern
189. Texarkana - Munn, Gilbert, CB, Tennessee
190. Manhattan - Torres, Kendrick, DE, Maine
191. Sacramento - Oates, Darren, G, Florida State

192. Little Rock - Newton, Benjamin, QB, St. John's, NY.

193. Fort Wayne - Fernandes, Emmanuel, CB, Louisiana State
194. Manhattan - Stone, Clifton, T, Alabama
195. Niagara Falls - Hale, Stan, WR, Boston College
196. Death Valley - Garrard, Fernando, P, Washington State
197. Athens - Schultz, T.J., G, Ohio State
198. Providence - Stargell, Malcolm, CB, Boston College
199. Thunder Bay - Weaver, Mickey, T, Alma
200. Wheeling - Wilcox, Joseph, DT, Mississippi State
201. Louisville - Knight, Keith, T, Southern Methodist
202. Sault Ste. Marie - Judd, Brian, S, Hawaii
203. Napa Valley - Cole, Kenneth, DE, Florida
204. Cheyenne - Rossel, Timothy, FB, Arizona
205. Puget Sound - Wilkins, Daryl, FB, Arizona State
206. Fort Knox - McGregor, Geoff, T, Tulsa
207. Bermuda - Woodard, Deon, DE, North Carolina State
208. Memphis - Swanson, Jimmie, WR, Norfolk State
209. Ocean City - Groh, Donovan, K, Elon College
210. Pensacola - Lyle, Adam, WR, Panhandle State
211. Lake Erie - Schwarzhaupt, Marc, DE, New Mexico
212. Hawk Mountain - Watson, Troy, S, Florida State
213. Tijuana - Ingram, Terrell, S, Florida State
214. Nashua - Bobbitt, Ricardo, ILB, Oregon State
215. Mazatlan - Glaze, Travis, WR, Oregon
216. Key West - Mankey, Edward, ILB, Notre Dame
217. Champaign - Fuller, K.C., ILB, Temple
218. Wheeling - Blake, D.J., TE, Duke
219. Tulsa - Cole, Grady, S, Wisconsin
220. Kitty Hawk - Miailovich, Ross, K, West Virginia
221. Texarkana - Maloney, Junior, ILB, Washington State
222. Manhattan - Cook, Van, G, Pittsburgh
223. Sacramento - Cobbs, Leslie, CB, Rutgers

224. Little Rock - Brooks, Jerald, CB, Kansas State

My thinking with CB Brooks is that he looks like the best safety left, and has pretty good size for the potential switch. Welcome to Little Rock, Mr. Irrelevent.

[QuikSand]

After getting to round six, there weren't any players left worth fighting over, believe me. So, I just went ahead and finished the draft.

We come out of the draft with 45 players signed, and $6.5m remaining under the cap limit. We need to fill spots at RB and FB, past that it's up to us - we're legal.

I'll post updated files, and let you all chip in on what to do from here...

[QuikSand]

First file update

[QuikSand]

Second file update

[Bee]

Originally posted by QuikSand
After getting to round six, there weren't any players left worth fighting over, believe me. So, I just went ahead and finished the draft.

Based on this, I assume the URFA class looks pretty bad as well. Since I can't look at anything until this evening, I'm more than inclined to let you go ahead pick up what little talent there is and move forward.

[QuikSand]

We have some work to do today - decide who among our current unsigned players we want to re-up with, and then decide how to fill in the rest of the roster. No, the URFA class doesn't seem to be very deep, but there are a few guys who are worth grabbing, I think.

By the way, CB Jerald Brooks showed some slight improvement when I bumped him over to free safety - so pencil that in (I don't think I had done so when I saved the game for the last file updates).

[Bee]

I wouldn't mind getting a young guard if there's one who looks like a potential breakout player. We are a little long in the tooth there other than Terry.

[primelord]

Hey look. Kent Wolfe has come all the way down to 93.6 million over 5 years. What a bargin.

[Bee]

Originally posted by primelord
Hey look. Kent Wolfe has come all the way down to 93.6 million over 5 years. What a bargin.

Maybe we should fire Quik and bring in Dan Snyder so we can get him under the cap.

[primelord]

Originally posted by Bee
Maybe we should fire Quik and bring in Dan Snyder so we can get him under the cap.

Now you're thinking!

[primelord]

I am kind of thinking out loud here, but see what you guys think of this.

I believe in our defense the defensive line is the key to our system. We rely on them to pressure the QB and to stop the run. So the question is given how important the line is to us would we pay Kent Wolfe the money he is asking for if we had it available?

Right now he wants 13 million in his first year and then it really escalates from there. If we think we would be willing to pay him that kind of maney then maybe we should consider trading Alonzo Armstrong. We are currently spending 13 million on him this season (save 10 million if we trade/release him) and I think we can get by with a lesser corner in our system.

I think Armstrong has been very solid for us and I would prefer to keep em both, but I think Kent Wolfe make s a bigger impact in our system. Now with that being said if we think the money he is asking for is too much whether we have that kind of cash or not then I guess the point is moot.

[primelord]

The more I think about it the more I really like that idea. Korey Godfrey isn't an all-star by any means, but he has played solid in the limited duty he has seen with us. I am comfortable with letting him start and trading Armstrong to make room for Wolfe.

We might be able to get a 1st rounder for Armstrong and can look fro a stud to replace him with one of our 3 1st round picks that would give us.

[QuikSand]

I've thought about that a little, too, primelord. I sspect we coudl get a deent deal for Armstrong, and it would free up some pretty serious coin ($11m this year).

Had we planned on this, we might have taken the top CB with out first round pick - that would give me a lot more comfort with such a move.

However, given our current situation, let's look at where we stand at DT. Ramsey is on his way to being a major force - a star of the same caliber as Kent Wolfe. Castillo will start this year, and looks like a decent run stopper - an admittdely passable fill-in. Rookie Hammond is an unknown, but is at least a passable third guy. The key is basically Castillo - he's got a 7.5 TkPct rating over his career - that's not too bad. He won't contribute much tothe pass rush, admittedly, but I think we can get by with him in there.

I look at Korey Godfrey as a potential starter at CB, and I am filled with fear. Given our already weak backups in the secondary, we'd have some guys on the field who are really way short of being up to snuff. We're going to be ahead in a lot fo games... our secondary is going to get tested this year, we know that. I'd be very uncomfortable letting Armstrong go.


All that said, look at the actual players who were in at DL for us last year, as we marched to our title. Our DL was decimated, and we still were higly ranked in both defensive categories. While conceptually having a strong DL is important... there's some evidence to suggest that it doesn't need to be as strong as we think.


All told, I think that if we wanted to re-sign DT Kent Wolfe, we have to look elsewhere. RB Oksenberg or MLB Lonnie Bell would be, in my mind, the most logical choices. Indeed, Bell is a candiate anyway - he'd save us $8 million, we have a rookie who shoudl be capable ot stepping into the starting lineup this year in Clay Harden... that cut might make sense.

Then, we're right back to our original question about DT Wolfe. Is he worth the ungodly sum he's seeking? It would keep us strapped for years to come, no doubt.

[QuikSand]

Hmmm... we seem to have a problem at LB. Both Alan martinez and rookie Clay Harden are natural weak-side backers, and are both undersized to the point where they cannot switch to another LB spot, only the secondary. That foils part of my LB reshuffling scheme that might have freed up funding for DT Wolfe.

$#!&

Makes me think that the $4-5m that SLB Gerald John is asking for is looking more reasonable with every look.

[Bee]

Whle I like Wolfe alot, I dont think he's worth that much money.

[Doug5984]

Originally posted by Bee
Whle I like Wolfe alot, I dont think he's worth that much money.

same here, he is a very good player...and it would be nice to be able to keep the players we drafted- that is just such a high amount of money that would keep us cap strapped for years to come.

Is it possible to restructure the contract so that it is a smaller signing bonous and smaller years up front (8-10 million season for the first 2 years) so that we could use Wolfe for another season or 2 then cut him. Just another idea.

[primelord]

I have no problem cutting Bell. His skills are declining very rapidly now. The reason I liked the idea of moving Armstrong is because he gives us more flexibility to sign another of our players than if we cut Bell.

One thing to keep in mind is if you were planning on sliding Harden over to fill the MLB spot he doesn't weigh enough to switch positions. He actually doesn't even weigh enough to play the WLB position. So we would have to fill that hole with someone else. I hit the button to switch Wilkerson to MLB and it said he will suffer a large experience reduction if we move him. So I am not sure that we want to do that.

Now if we cut Bell we can move Wilkerson over to the strong side, play Peabody in the middle as a stop gap for this season and look for a new starting MLB in the offseason. I don't think Peabody will be much worse than Bell.

I think you make a good point that we did very well on defense even with a injury riddled dline, but I can't stop salivating over the idea of having both Wolfe and Ramsey in the middle. Plus by cutting bell we keep our vert strong secondary in tact too.

If you're willing to shell out the money on Wolfe I would like to see us make these moves.

[QuikSand]

Just to see how the numbers work out, here's a possible plan to lock up DT Kent Wolfe:

Cut MLB Lonnie Bell
Move LB Wilkerson to the strong side (the loss isn't awful)
Sign DT Wolfe for 4yrs, $72.5m ($14m this year)

And therefore, at that point we would be sitting at 45 players, and $500,000 under the salary cap. We'd need to do a good deal more cutting just to fill up our roster with URFAs.

Just FYI... we need more pieces to this puzzle if we're going to make it work. Wolfe costs a ton of money, and there's relatively little wiggle room in his contract demands.

[Bee]

Something we might want to look at before signing Wolfe is how it will affect us next year. Don't we have a couple free agents coming up who are fan favorites?

I'm just thinking that we might sign Wolfe this season and then next year have to cut him with a huge salary cap hit just to make the minimum offers to our fan favorites.

*I haven't looked at this at all, just something that we should look at IMO*

[primelord]

Free Agents After This Season:

RB Duane Crawford - Idolized
TE Lamont Dresow - Fan Favorite
FL Wayne Hill - Fan Favorite
SS Donnie Bridgeman - Fan Favorite
FB Ethan Brock
TE Marc Loftis
RT Marshall Cunningham
P Damon Metz
LDE C.J. Davison
RDT Marshall Castillo
WLB Donnell Wilkerson
LCB Rob Battle
RCB Korey Godfrey
FS Walter Wetherbee

So we have 4 guys that it looks like we will have to offer contracts to. Although we can renegotiate with Donnie Bridgeman now if we want to. He fits our "classy veteran" status.

[Bee]

I'm guessing that Crawford and Hill will want big bucks next year. Those are generally positions that want lots of money.