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Tatonka's 2003 Offseason Predictions!
OK.. this is (for the second time, accidentily deleted the first one) my Offseason Prediction/Wishlist.
I am trying to be as accurate and realistic as possible. If you guys see anything (maybe regarding salary cap issues, ect) that are not a possibility, let me know. and feel free to give me your feedback.. i wouldnt have typed it all (TWICE) if i didnt want to hear back from you guys. do not, however, comment on my spelling.. cuz it sucs.. i know.
here we go..
1. FRANCHISE TAG.. We tag Price. This is really the only thing that I dont believe will happen, but would like it to. I know some think this move is not fair to Peerless, but such is life. I want a trophy for our Bills.
we tag price, with a pre-arranged deal in the works with San Diego. They get Price, we get pick number 15 in the first round. We use that pick to grab Boss Bailey ... now before some of you say, we can't have a rookie starting during our superbowl run.. i know this.. and there will be more on this later...
2. CUTS..Ahh.. Free agency.. well lets start with the cuts. we are going to let some people go, and do it early, as to show a bit of gratitude and give them plenty of time to go elsewhere for decent money. cuts are Jay Riemersma, Chris Watson, Eddie Robinson, and Billy Jenkins . That should save us about 5.5 million dollars. we now have just under 20 MILLION DOLLARS, muhahahaha /pinky finger is on the corner of my lips (Dr. Evil reference) and havent spent a penny ... YET!
3. SIGNINGS.. well.. we are going to have to jump on some of the free agents i want quick.. as they will be snatched up fast... no waiting for ages like last year, and getting retreats and old farts (well, there will be one old fart, but i digress)
we sign, in no particular order, and fast as hell...
a) Chris Claiborne - young stud LB that can play all three LB positions. great great size. Not a huge huge name, but will get plenty of attention (he was a lion, what do you expect). he played 2 years at OLB, then the moved him to MLB cuz he is just that good. he is on the verge of being a pro bowler.. and excelled on a poor defense (this will be a reoccurring theme in my picks).. great sideline to sideline guy. can tackle HARD. rush the passer, cover TE's, and even blocked a kick on Thanksgiving. I would rather see spikes here, but am sure he will be tagged, so i am not going there.. there is no one else in free agency i want as bad as this guy. he will be that much of a difference maker. he can do it all, just like spikes, but will cost less. lets say his deal is about 4 mill a year for 5 years. 3 mill cap hit for 2003. you work out the math. we are now at 17 mill left
b) Hugh Douglas - 3 years straight he led a nasty philly defense. he has been a model of consistency, much like Bruce was for us for years. he puts us sack numbers. he plays the run. he is a leader. he is a force that has shown no signs of aging yet, at 31 years old. no major injuries. can play til he is 35 easily imho. He and Pat Williams give our line instant credibility. but don't worry. it will get better. 4 year deal, 25 million-ish. cap cost 4 million against this years cap. we got 13 million to work with.
c) Mike Maslowski - last year was his first taking over for the departed Donnie Edwards in KC. much like Claiborne, he was a bright spot on an otherwise ugly defense. there were questions about his knee prior to last season, but he rehabbed well and should only get better. New England tried to nab him as a RFA last year, but KC matched the one year deal. now he is a UFA, coming off his best year as a pro. he is still young, like Claiborne, and should just be coming into his own too. excels at coverage (3 picks last year), and is a sure tacklers. good against the run. had one sack, so unknown if he can be better at that.. but we dont need all our guys to be good pass rushers. we just need them to be GOOD! 4 years, 16 million, 2 million cap hit in 2003. we are still 11 million over, and looking damn good.
d) Martay Jenkins - good, speedy, perfect for wr #3. oh yeah... he is a damn good kick returner. rodgers wont be back. I love this pick up.
5. THE NFL DRAFT!!!
* note. Boss Bailey backs up Claiborne and Maslowski. in the event one of them gets hurt.. we have a young stud waiting. if he turns out to be so good (ala Kendrel Bell, Sam Cowart) we will find a way to work him in.. or sit Maslowski.. whatever.. cant have too many good LBs! also, as i stated.. i doubt that we tag/trade price anyways.. so Bailey is just icing.. my plan is not contingent on him being here.. but would love to see him in red/white/blue.
Now, i am not going to go through a whole draft senario, just point out a few of our picks that i hope/think will happen.
a) 1st rounder - boss bailey (see above.. unlikely, but possible)
b) 2nd rounder - Teyo Johnson, TE. could be next Gonzo. i believe he is going to be an impact guy. Moore to block. this guy to catch. at 6-7, huge target. played alot of slot/wr in college at Stanford, Coy Wire's alum.
c) 3-7 rounds - Depth picks on OL, RB, WR.. maybe throw Urlacher's little brother, Casey, in there.. see if we find another diamond in the rough.
draft, overall, costs us 5 million roughly toward this years cap(that is with Boss Bailey in there.) 6 million left to go in cap money... time for.....
6) LATE CUTS, BARGAIN SHOPPING!!
i am gonna list a few guys here that are VERY LIKELY to be available.
a) we must sign one of the following -
Henry Ford (knows system, good run stuffer. very similar to Pat Williams in size and style of play.
Daryl Gardener he is a ufa. he may have to be signed much earlier, but i am hoping he is still around. rebounded very nicely from back issues and played well for redskins, and for dirt cheap i may add. as long as his attitude is fine, and you know it would have to be for TD to sign him.. he is my ideal pick.. even though he would be somewhat costly, i dont think he would be too bad in price, 3 mill cap hit or so..
John Thorton another Titan who may be a cap cut. good run stuffer. knows system. cheap.
Hollis Thomas before his ankle injury, he was a dominating force for philly. has not played in a year and a half. will be a cap cut, due to big salary figure. I am more than willing to take a chance on him. could reap huge benifits from this, just like Jones from Tampa Bay.
b) Blaine Bishop - he sucked for Philly.. just plain stunk.. so why bring him in? veteran leadership. knowledge of the system. to help coy develope. and a great back up. he will definately be cut from philly. he was outplayed by the rookie Lewis, that the bills considered drafting. Blaine Bishop qualifies as my old fart i was taking about. vet minimum deal
IN CONCLUSION.. there you go. i made one small addition to the offense/special teams in MJenkins. Made several great additions to our defense that keeps them all in their prime for years, and we have great back ups now, like jones, edwards, bailey/urlacher, spoon, and bishop. after the late additions, we should still have about 2-3 million left for a kicker and small RFA contracts.
This plan is assuming that Drew can lead us to the promise land.. and i hope he does.. as a leader.. but not with his arm. i want henry to put up numbers, and get the touches that Ricky Williams did this year. Henry needs a good 1800 yards rushing. if that happens, with the defense we can build..
we just might get that elusive championship!
I am trying to be as accurate and realistic as possible. If you guys see anything (maybe regarding salary cap issues, ect) that are not a possibility, let me know. and feel free to give me your feedback.. i wouldnt have typed it all (TWICE) if i didnt want to hear back from you guys. do not, however, comment on my spelling.. cuz it sucs.. i know.
here we go..
1. FRANCHISE TAG.. We tag Price. This is really the only thing that I dont believe will happen, but would like it to. I know some think this move is not fair to Peerless, but such is life. I want a trophy for our Bills.
we tag price, with a pre-arranged deal in the works with San Diego. They get Price, we get pick number 15 in the first round. We use that pick to grab Boss Bailey ... now before some of you say, we can't have a rookie starting during our superbowl run.. i know this.. and there will be more on this later...
2. CUTS..Ahh.. Free agency.. well lets start with the cuts. we are going to let some people go, and do it early, as to show a bit of gratitude and give them plenty of time to go elsewhere for decent money. cuts are Jay Riemersma, Chris Watson, Eddie Robinson, and Billy Jenkins . That should save us about 5.5 million dollars. we now have just under 20 MILLION DOLLARS, muhahahaha /pinky finger is on the corner of my lips (Dr. Evil reference) and havent spent a penny ... YET!
3. SIGNINGS.. well.. we are going to have to jump on some of the free agents i want quick.. as they will be snatched up fast... no waiting for ages like last year, and getting retreats and old farts (well, there will be one old fart, but i digress)
we sign, in no particular order, and fast as hell...
a) Chris Claiborne - young stud LB that can play all three LB positions. great great size. Not a huge huge name, but will get plenty of attention (he was a lion, what do you expect). he played 2 years at OLB, then the moved him to MLB cuz he is just that good. he is on the verge of being a pro bowler.. and excelled on a poor defense (this will be a reoccurring theme in my picks).. great sideline to sideline guy. can tackle HARD. rush the passer, cover TE's, and even blocked a kick on Thanksgiving. I would rather see spikes here, but am sure he will be tagged, so i am not going there.. there is no one else in free agency i want as bad as this guy. he will be that much of a difference maker. he can do it all, just like spikes, but will cost less. lets say his deal is about 4 mill a year for 5 years. 3 mill cap hit for 2003. you work out the math. we are now at 17 mill left
b) Hugh Douglas - 3 years straight he led a nasty philly defense. he has been a model of consistency, much like Bruce was for us for years. he puts us sack numbers. he plays the run. he is a leader. he is a force that has shown no signs of aging yet, at 31 years old. no major injuries. can play til he is 35 easily imho. He and Pat Williams give our line instant credibility. but don't worry. it will get better. 4 year deal, 25 million-ish. cap cost 4 million against this years cap. we got 13 million to work with.
c) Mike Maslowski - last year was his first taking over for the departed Donnie Edwards in KC. much like Claiborne, he was a bright spot on an otherwise ugly defense. there were questions about his knee prior to last season, but he rehabbed well and should only get better. New England tried to nab him as a RFA last year, but KC matched the one year deal. now he is a UFA, coming off his best year as a pro. he is still young, like Claiborne, and should just be coming into his own too. excels at coverage (3 picks last year), and is a sure tacklers. good against the run. had one sack, so unknown if he can be better at that.. but we dont need all our guys to be good pass rushers. we just need them to be GOOD! 4 years, 16 million, 2 million cap hit in 2003. we are still 11 million over, and looking damn good.
d) Martay Jenkins - good, speedy, perfect for wr #3. oh yeah... he is a damn good kick returner. rodgers wont be back. I love this pick up.
5. THE NFL DRAFT!!!
* note. Boss Bailey backs up Claiborne and Maslowski. in the event one of them gets hurt.. we have a young stud waiting. if he turns out to be so good (ala Kendrel Bell, Sam Cowart) we will find a way to work him in.. or sit Maslowski.. whatever.. cant have too many good LBs! also, as i stated.. i doubt that we tag/trade price anyways.. so Bailey is just icing.. my plan is not contingent on him being here.. but would love to see him in red/white/blue.
Now, i am not going to go through a whole draft senario, just point out a few of our picks that i hope/think will happen.
a) 1st rounder - boss bailey (see above.. unlikely, but possible)
b) 2nd rounder - Teyo Johnson, TE. could be next Gonzo. i believe he is going to be an impact guy. Moore to block. this guy to catch. at 6-7, huge target. played alot of slot/wr in college at Stanford, Coy Wire's alum.
c) 3-7 rounds - Depth picks on OL, RB, WR.. maybe throw Urlacher's little brother, Casey, in there.. see if we find another diamond in the rough.
draft, overall, costs us 5 million roughly toward this years cap(that is with Boss Bailey in there.) 6 million left to go in cap money... time for.....
6) LATE CUTS, BARGAIN SHOPPING!!
i am gonna list a few guys here that are VERY LIKELY to be available.
a) we must sign one of the following -
Henry Ford (knows system, good run stuffer. very similar to Pat Williams in size and style of play.
Daryl Gardener he is a ufa. he may have to be signed much earlier, but i am hoping he is still around. rebounded very nicely from back issues and played well for redskins, and for dirt cheap i may add. as long as his attitude is fine, and you know it would have to be for TD to sign him.. he is my ideal pick.. even though he would be somewhat costly, i dont think he would be too bad in price, 3 mill cap hit or so..
John Thorton another Titan who may be a cap cut. good run stuffer. knows system. cheap.
Hollis Thomas before his ankle injury, he was a dominating force for philly. has not played in a year and a half. will be a cap cut, due to big salary figure. I am more than willing to take a chance on him. could reap huge benifits from this, just like Jones from Tampa Bay.
b) Blaine Bishop - he sucked for Philly.. just plain stunk.. so why bring him in? veteran leadership. knowledge of the system. to help coy develope. and a great back up. he will definately be cut from philly. he was outplayed by the rookie Lewis, that the bills considered drafting. Blaine Bishop qualifies as my old fart i was taking about. vet minimum deal
IN CONCLUSION.. there you go. i made one small addition to the offense/special teams in MJenkins. Made several great additions to our defense that keeps them all in their prime for years, and we have great back ups now, like jones, edwards, bailey/urlacher, spoon, and bishop. after the late additions, we should still have about 2-3 million left for a kicker and small RFA contracts.
This plan is assuming that Drew can lead us to the promise land.. and i hope he does.. as a leader.. but not with his arm. i want henry to put up numbers, and get the touches that Ricky Williams did this year. Henry needs a good 1800 yards rushing. if that happens, with the defense we can build..
we just might get that elusive championship!
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