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Post Your Final Roster Here

Discussion in '2011 GM League Forum' started by GridIronKing34, Apr 28, 2011.

  1. GridIronKing34

    GridIronKing34 Silently Judging You

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    Nov 22, 2007
    Denver, CO
    Please post your final roster in this thread. You may include an optional write-up, but all I really ask for is your full roster with your offense and defense depth chart. You have until May 5th, 12:01AM EST to post your final rosters; otherwise you are ineligible for voting. To see some of last year's final rosters that were submitted, click here.

    Thanks.
     
  2. Paul 13

    Paul 13 Chaotic Neutral & Unstable Genius Staff Member

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    Dec 3, 2007
    This space reserved for the New England Patriots final roster announcement / writeup. I'd also like to thank you all for such a great year. Today I am starting my new "job" back with my former boss. Working on a per diem basis and starting my "own business" at the same time. I quit my most recent job this morning, sending my boss a text resignation, along with a more formal email resignation. Gotta love technology at these moments...

    And here it is...

    Objectives

    1. Upgrade wide receiver and running back by adding playmakers
    2. Upgrade the pass rush
    3. Retain Logan Mankins, by using the franchise tag and maneuver enough pieces to still be able to spend money on other areas. Find another starting caliber tackle to replace Light
    4. Add positional flexability across the board
    5. Upgrade the secondary

    I'll address each of these at the end

    ROSTER (starters underlined)

    Quarterbacks
    Tom Brady $5,750,000

    Alex Smith $300,000
    Tyler Thigpen, $351,000

    -Obvously, this is Tom Brady's football team. What I tried to do in bringing in Smith and Thigpen was create competition at the backup qb spot with guys who have experience starting in this league and can run the type of offense the Patriots employ. I think I got great bargains in each quarterback. I think each of them could be rehabilitated in New England.

    Running Backs
    Jonathan Stewart $1,310,000
    Marcel Reece $1,500,000

    BenJarvus Green-Ellis $1,500,000
    Danny Woodhead $550,000
    Mario Fannin $400,000

    -Two guys very capable of running for 1,000 yards in Stewart and Green-Ellis, with low mileage on each of them. Stewart? your home run threat the Patriots sorely miss from the tailback position. BGE more of your goal line, short yardage back. I like Marcel Reece a lot as the starting full back, but he can do a lot of other things well. Woodhead is your third down guy. And Fannin gives me some good value, good special teams and I think he could be a good third down back as well.

    Wide Receivers
    Larry Fitzgerald $7,000,000
    Greg Jennings $1,000,000

    Devin Hester $1,583,500
    Julian Edelman $480,000
    Mohamed Massaquoi $480,000

    -four new pieces added to this group. Fitz and Jennings the obvious starters. Do I really need to go into detail about these guys? Tremendous locker room players as well though, NOT DIVA's. Hester and what he brings to the return game can't be questioned. The best return man in the history of the game. Edelman is the replacement to Welker in that slot, underneath role. Mass is the primary backup on the outside. Honestly, this is the best wr group you'll ever see.

    Tight Ends
    Rob Gronkowski $405,000

    Delanie Walker $750,000
    Dante Rosario $300,000

    -Gronkowski is the number one. All around guy... very solid. Walker and Rosario are your complimentary guys who can split out and create mismatches.

    Offensive Line
    LT Jermon Bushrod $3,000,000
    LG Logan Mankins $8,440,000
    C Dan Koppen $2,900,000
    RG Daniel Connolly $725,000
    RT Sebastian Vollmer $510,000

    T Mark LeVoir $690,000
    G Rich Ohmberger $480,000
    C Ryan Wendell $300,000
    T Eric Mensik $400,000

    -clearly, the number one goal for this group is to keep Tom Brady upright. Here's my line of thinking for the offensive line in general and why I feel it wasn't a bigger need on my objective list. I go back to that Jets playoff game. Everybody talks about the pressure that the Jets got on Brady. Nobody talks about why. If you go back and watch the tape it wasn't the offensive line's fault. Brady had PLENTY of time to find guys down field, on average. The problem were the receivers weren't getting open. The blitzes were being picked up. In fact, Ryan didn't blitz as much as he usually does. Why? Because he felt his corners could cover the Patriots slower receivers. He could bracket Welker and take him out of the game. The Patriots had nobody on the outside that could beat the Jets corners. That was why it was my primary goal to get receivers who would scare the crap out of the defense. And at worst maintain the status quo along the offensive line. Four starters return from last season. I resigned Mankins... a no brainer, no matter the cost. Vollmer is a stud in the making. I think he can play left tackle. For right now, I have him starting at RT due to the experience level in the guy I brought in to replace Light in Jermon Bushrod. Bushrod comes over from the Saints, he can pass protect well enough and I think he's an improvement in the run blocking department. Certainly younger than Light, and I think he's an improvement overall. The Saints don't help out their tackles in pass protection. Do you see Drew Brees getting injured because of it? It's possible that Vollmer would beat out Bushrod and the two would flip tackle positions, but as of this writing this is how I see it. Koppen and Connelly are both solid. I return three backups from last year's squad, they each of some level of experience and that is why I brought them back vs drafting a replacement late in the draft. Mensik is a guy I like and feel he could develop in time.

    Defensive Line
    LDE J.J. Watt $800,000
    NT Vince Wilfork $765,000
    RDE Justin Smith $7,500,000

    Phil Taylor $500,000
    Mike Wright $1,240,000
    Brandon Deaderick $405,000
    Ron Brace $586,000
    Kyle Love $405,000
    Myron Pryor $480,000

    The additions of JJ Watt, Justin Smith and Phil Taylor in my opinion upgrade the defensive front from just a good rush defense unit, to a more ferocious, multi faceted group. Justin and JJ are high motor guys who never quit. They will get after the quarterback. Justin Smith, I was willing to spend a lot of money on in free agency, because he’s worth it. I feel he is one of the most underrated players in the league. He is a top five 34 defensive end. You know what you’re getting in Wilfork, always a monster. JJ Watt, he’s going to be special. I’m starting him right away. Phil Taylor as the solid backup to Wilfork. And if we wanted to switch to a 43 look, you could conceivably put Taylor and Wilfork next to each other at the DT position with Smith and Watt on the outside, or even drop Kiwanuka into that rush end position.

    Linebackers
    LOLB Rob Ninkovich $650,000
    LILB Aaron Curry $5,076,250
    RILB Jerod Mayo $3,150,000
    ROLB Jermaine Cunningham $405,000

    Mathias Kiwanuka $4,500,000
    Eric Moore $480,000
    Antwan Barnes $300,000
    Dane Fletcher $405,000

    The big addition here was Aaron Curry, who I believe would be great next to Mayo in a 34 inside linebacker role. I also think Kiwanuka could develop into a solid force on the outside, standing up would be no problem IMO. I don't have him currently starting, but I would definitely rotate him in and have him play a lot more in the nickel and dime roles.

    Cornerbacks
    RCB Courtland Finnegan $3,293,000
    LCB Devin McCourty $405,000

    Kyle Arrington $700,000
    Maurice Leggett $300,000
    Buster Skrine $400,000

    Safeties
    SS Pat Chung $510,000
    FS Jairus Byrd, $480,000

    Quinton Carter, $400,000
    Eric Smith, $300,000

    The gem of the group is McCourty and then you build the rest around him. I like Finnegan as that complimentary 2nd corner. He’s tenacious as hell. He’s a leader on the field… something this group needs. Then you have the quack attack in Byrd and Chung (former Oregon Duck teammates) patrolling the middle of the field.

    Kickers/Punters
    Matt Prater $351,000
    Zoltan Mesko $405,000

    Switched Prater in for Gostkowski (injured last year). I think Prater is a solid kicker, very accurate. Mesko is a clutch punter... that's about all the time I want to spend discussing kickers.

    Total Salary: $73,745,750
    Free Space: $1,254,250

    Draft Picks
    1.19 DE J.J. Watt, Wisconsin
    2.49 DT Phil Taylor, Baylor
    3.93 S Quinton Carter, Oklahoma
    5.157 CB Buster Skrine, UT Chattanooga
    7.199 RB Mario Fannin, Auburn
    7.225 T Eric Mensik, Oklahoma

    Trades

    1. S James Sanders, $2,800,000 to San Francisco for 5.138

    With the Sanders to SF trade it was all about clearing some cap. This was my first trade and Alen (the 49ers GM) approached me with the offer. I've never been a big fan of Sanders and frankly didn't think he fit in with the talent we had at safety at the time. Alen sees something in Sanders though or he wouldn't have made the trade.

    2. WR Wes Welker, $2,150,000 to Tennessee for CB Cortland Finnegan and $3,293,000 and 4.108

    Ah yes, remember this one fondly. Very satisfied getting a solid corner for a slot receiver. I didn't think Welker fit with what I wanted on offense anymore. We have Julian Edelman who I think is just as good as Welker, and obviously younger and healthier. I think Welker has gone downhill the last couple of years with the injuries. Happy to get Finnegan, a fighter and he will bring a new mentality to our defense. Getting the fourth round pick was an added bonus.

    3. 3.92 to Carolina for RB Jonathan Stewart $1,310,000

    Loved this trade from our standpoint. Getting a top back, who can run inside or outside, and take it the distance. Think the Pats offense needed a home run threat from the running back position. I don't see Stewart as a guy who will play all three downs however, so we have the wiley Danny Woodhead anyway.

    4. WR Brandon Tate $480,000, TE Aaron Hernandez $405,000 and 1.28 to Arizona for WR Larry Fitzgerald $7,000,000

    Perhaps the biggest trade of my GM season. My #1 priority when I took the helm of decision maker was to get a top flight, number one receiver, at any and all costs. I approached several teams about their #1's. The most receptive to making a deal at the time was the Cardinals and their gm sports24/7. I've worked with him well before and he's a very reasonable guy. The Cards serve dual purposes by making this deal, they get three guys who can start for them and they clear roughly 10% of their cap. It's funny, when you begin negotiations on a guy you really want, you never know how it's going to end up. I had no intention of dealing Hernandez (or Gronkowski) as I thought they are great players on the cusp. But sometimes you have to give more than you want. Initially he wanted Gronkowski in the deal and I don't remember the exact offer he made, but all of a sudden when we put Hernandez in the deal it seemed much more reasonable to me. I wish I could remember the exact offers back and forth over the course of 10 days or so it took to acquire Fitzgerald. But once we put Hernandez into the package, he seemed to back off his demand which IIRC correctly was four for one. It could have been a first, second, Gronkowski and Tate originally. As much as I wanted Fitz, I thought that was just going too far. Anyway, in the end I believe both teams are happy with how it ended up. Interesting to note that Arizona traded Tate at a later time.

    5. 5.138 to Cleveland for WR Mohamed Massaquoi $480,000

    Mo Mass is just a guy I like. I think he has great ability and can be a number one for the Browns offense. Needless to say, he'll be a reserve for us. But I think he's very talented and can really take a hit. Very physical receiver... you don't take a hit from the monster James Harrison and get up too often.

    6. 1.17 to Green Bay for WR Greg Jennings $1,000,000

    This was one of those deals where you don't expect it to actually happen until it's final and done. I value Greg Jennings extremely high. He's one of the top five receivers in the game. Just a shade off of Fitz and Andre Johnson. He's extremely underrated by many. The word "diva' does not apply to either Fitz or Jennings. Both are stand up gentlemen, true representitives of the game. You can't double both of these guys. Which spells trouble for any opposing defenses. I still go back to that Packers Cards playoff game two years ago and I'm in awe from what I witnessed that game from Jennings. I reckon it was the greatest game I ever saw from a receiver.

    7. 2.60 to Chicago for WR/KR/PR Devin Hester $1,583,500

    Truth be told, prior to acquiring Jennings, I was in discussions with the Bears about Hester. They happened to get back to me after I landed Jennings and I really didn't expect to add another receiver with a high pick. But of course we all know Hester is more than a receiver. I was eager to improve the Pats return game and Hester is without a doubt the greatest return man in the game today, if not the greatest return man ever. The 60th pick of the draft was fair compensation. I wouldn't have gone any higher.

    8. QB Brian Hoyer and 6.186 to San Fran for TE/H Back Delanie Walker and 7.199

    Trading again with my dear friend Alen. Who'd a thunk it... I had a couple of guys in mind in free agency in regards to the qb position. I knew I could get one of them (I ended up getting both) so trading Hoyer was a fairly pain free deciison. I'm really high on Delanie Walker as well. Sort of a throw back player in that he'll be a tight end / full back / up back for you in a variety of formations. He's also a very powerful player. A nice replacement for Aaron Hernandez.

    9. CB Leigh Bodden $3,900,000 to Texans for OT Eric Winston $4,500,000

    Well, at the time I made this decision I thought I'd really gotten away with one. I'm high on Winston and expected him to come in and be my starting right tackle at the time. Sliding Vollmer over to left tackle. Trading the oft injured Bodden was an easy decision since I had Finnegan as my starter opposite McCourty. If they let right tackles in the Pro Bowl, I'd suspect Winston would have made it the last couple of years.

    10. OT Eric Winston $4,500,000, CB Darius Butler $582,500 and 5.156 to Washington for 2.41 and 6.172

    Now then, some time had passed between these two trades. It was never my intention to "flip" Winston like I did. I sort of fell into the free agent acquisition of Jermon Bushrod who comes over from the Saints. I know Bushrod has experience playing left tackle and although I'll try Vollmer there initially, i didn't want to be stuck without a left tackle if Vollmer had trouble making the switch. Also knew Winston couldn't play left tackle for me. So it made the decision easier to let Winston go. Although it wasn't without putting Vollmer up on the block, along with Winston, to see which player garnered more interest. That's sort of a little trick that if you've read this far you might want to pay attention to. You have two players of fairly equal value and you're not entirely convinced which one you want to keep... well, put them both on the block (this is the GML afterall, not like you're hurting their feelings, LOL) and see which one is valued higher. Clearly, Vollmer got the vast majority of interest. That was certainly the way I was leaning, but jsut to make doubly sure, see what the community is thinking. Naturally getting a high second was nice. I did have to include Darius Butler in the trade. He was a bit of a disappointment for Bill Bellichick and company last year.

    11. 2.41 and Jonathan Wilhite to Buffalo for S Jairus Byrd $480,000

    This was about a week or so after the whole Brandon Meriweather fiasco started. And whilst I truely believe Meriweather will be exhonerated of any potential charges not yet handed down, I couldn't take the risk. I also felt I could get more than I ended up getting for him.... if only I had the foresight to make this trade before the news broke. I reckon I would have gotten a first... but you can't have everything. So I use the pick from the Eric Winston trade and nab a young star in the making at free safety in Jairus Byrd. Sure he had a little sophomore slump... but it's the Bills. I think Byrd is an improvement over BM although, time will only tell if I'm correct in that prediction. I get a more athletic, naturally gifted pass defender... to the stiff, bad angled super charged Louis Oliver.

    12. S Brandon Meriweather $650,000 and 4.124 to Washington for 2.34

    So naturally after acquiring Byrd, I flipped Brandon and a late fourth for the 34th pick in the draft. I was fairly satisfied with this in the end.

    13. LB Brandon Spikes $405,000 and 3.74 to Seattle for LB Aaron Curry $5,076,250

    This was one of those late season trades where you know you can take on the salary and are more than willing to give up the value to get what we feel is a great player. I see Curry next to Mayo and that's quite a pairing at inside linebacker. Two guys that can play every down and really gives our defensive coaches some options. I'm not a big fan of Spikes. Limited in his range, so I felt I definitely upgraded the ILB spot with the addition of Curry.

    14. 2.33, 2.34, 4.108 and 6.172 to Atlanta for 1.19, 2.49 and 4.121

    After all the wheeling and dealing to get that 2nd second round pick, having that arsenal really helped me move up to get who I feel is a top 10 player in this draft, and certainly an impact guy in JJ Watt. There was no way he'd last all the way down to 33. I get Watt to upgrade the front seven, I can pair him next to Justin Smith and have Wilfork in the middle. I'd honestly put up that defensive line in an odd man front up against any in the league. I reckon had I stayed at 33 and 34, I would have dealt down as I just wasn't sold on the value at those picks. So getting the 19th pick to land Watt, and then the 49th pick to land Phil Taylor (who I feel is a steal at that spot) really really worked out for me. I finally have a guy who I feel comfortable with in Taylor as the heir apparent to Wilfork down the road.

    15. WR Taylor Price $405,000 to San Fransisco for 4.107

    Just a log jam at receiver and Price was the odd man out. San Fran get a good guy though for a mere 4th round pick. I think Price is going to be a good player for the Pats down the road in the real NFL.

    16. LB Gary Guyton $1,000,000, 4.107 and 4.121 to Chicago for 3.93 and 5.157

    Moving Guyton to a 43 defense makes sense for him. This allowed me to get the free safety I was high on in Quinton Carter, even as far up as the 2nd at the top of that round... my special teams coverage units are going to be fun to watch with some of the young guys I've amassed, particularly on defense. Mario Fannin, Buster Skrine, Quinton Carter... quite the velocity moving around on special teams.

    Free Agent Signings

    FB Marcel Reece RFA $1,500,000
    K Matt Prater $351,000
    LB Antwan Barnes $300,000
    QB Alex Smith $300,000
    LB Mathias Kiwanuka $4,500,000
    QB Tyler Thigpen $351,000
    TE Dante Rosario $300,000
    S Eric Smith $300,000
    T Jermon Bushrod $3,000,000
    DE Justin Smith $7,500,000
    CB Maurice Leggett $300,000
    C Ryan Wendell $300,000

    And so revisiting the objectives...
    Objectives

    1. Upgrade wide receiver and running back by adding playmakers
    Brought in Fitzgerald, Jennings, Stewart, Hester to name a few. Enough said

    2. Upgrade the pass rush
    Brought in Kiwanuka, JJ Watt, Justin Smith, Aaron Curry. Think the strength of this group is when we get away from our base 34 and move more into the nickel and dime packages. All four of these guys can be forces under the right conditions. It's up to new DC Kevin Greene to find those

    3. Retain Logan Mankins, by using the franchise tag and maneuver enough pieces to still be able to spend money on other areas. Find another starting caliber tackle to replace Light
    Resigned Mankins and brought in Bushrod as Light's replacement. Spending as much money as I did in ensuring Mankins would stay with the Patriots by franchise tagging him, I wanted to make sure that didn't handcuff me for the rest of the moves I needed to make... well $7m on Fitz, over $7m on Justin Smith, $4.5m on Kiwanuka and Aaron Curry who is making over $5m, along with Finnegan at over $3m... I'd say I was still free to spend as much money as I saw fit. I also spent a bit on Light's replacement at left tackle in Jermon Bushrod. Who I feel gets a bit of a bad wrap considering he gets ZERO help down in New Orleans

    4. Add positional flexability across the board
    What I meant by this was add guys who could play more than one position. That's why I bring in Marcel Reece, Delanie Walker, Mathias Kiwanuka and Aaron Curry, to name a few. Guys who are scheme diverse and can lineup in a variety of formations. Because that's what the NFL is becoming. You don't lineup strictly in a 43 or 34 anymore. You don't have a base offense on first and second down, and then lineup your 4 wide set on third down. It's all over the place. Any formation can be used at any time under any circumstance. Got to have guys that can stay on the field and adapt to whatever formation you are going to use. That keeps the opposition guessing, and gives you an advantage.

    5. Upgrade the secondary
    You move Meriweather for Byrd, a more dynamic safety who can play in a few different roles. You bring in the unheralded Cortland Finnegan. You bring in Eric Smith, Buster Skrine and Quinton Carter. You make sure Kyle Arrington is resigned. You add that to Chung and McCourty. I like to think I added playmakers and difference makers. And gave the coaches something to play with.

    Thanks for reading. See you next year?
     
    GISH, UCF FINatic, Boik14 and 4 others like this.
  3. Desides

    Desides Well-Known Member

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    Nov 28, 2007
    Pembroke Pines, FL
    [​IMG]

    CLEVELAND BROWNS

    Roster:

    HC Dick LeBeau
    DC Keith Butler
    OC Tom Moore


    FINAL ROSTER

    QUARTERBACKS
    Kerry Collins ($300,000)
    Colt McCoy ($405,000)
    Christian Ponder ($750,000)

    TAILBACKS
    Justin Forsett ($555,000)
    Willis McGahee ($350,000)
    Ovie Mughelli ($300,000)
    Pierre Thomas ($2,300,000)
    Keiland Williams ($480,000)

    WIDE RECEIVERS
    Jason Avant ($1,250,000)
    Michael Clayton ($300,000)
    Santonio Holmes ($7,898,000)
    Niles Paul ($450,000)
    Austin Pettis ($400,000)
    Michael Spurlock ($300,000)

    TIGHT ENDS
    Brent Celek ($1,250,000)
    Ben Hartsock ($300,000)
    Justin Peelle ($300,000)

    OFFENSIVE LINE
    Shawn Lauvao ($405,000)
    Mike McGlynn ($405,000)
    Tony Pashos ($300,000)
    Ryan Pontbriand ($300,000)
    Lyle Sendlein ($850,000)
    Eric Steinbach ($6,250,000)
    Byron Stingily ($400,000)
    Joe Thomas ($8,000,000)
    Marshal Yanda ($4,700,000)

    DEFENSIVE LINE
    Stephen Bowen ($500,000)
    Shaun Cody ($300,000)
    Anthony Hargrove ($300,000)
    Travis Ivey ($330,000)
    Ahtyba Rubin ($555,000)
    Randy Starks ($3,625,000)
    Gerard Warren ($300,000)

    LINEBACKERS
    Marcus “Spell Check” Benard ($700,000)
    Michael Boley ($3,500,000)
    Dan Connor ($555,000)
    A.J. Edds ($405,000)
    Chris Gocong ($1,700,000)
    Parys Haralson ($1,850,000)
    Micah Johnson ($480,000)
    Von Miller ($850,000)
    Brandon Siler ($1,000,000)

    SECONDARY
    Fred Bennett ($300,000)
    Bryant McFadden ($530,000)
    Leodis McKelvin ($1,007,500)
    William Middleton ($300,000)
    Quintin Mikell ($5,371,000)
    Charlie Peprah ($300,000)
    Gerald Sensabaugh ($300,000)
    T.J. Ward ($405,000)
    Josh Wilson ($7,500,000)

    SPECIAL TEAMS
    Brett Kern ($300,000)
    Lawrence Tynes ($300,000)

    TOTAL SALARY: $73,176,500

    Depth chart:

    OFFENSE
    QB: Colt McCoy / Christian Ponder / Kerry Collins

    RB: Pierre Thomas / Willis McGahee / Keiland Williams / Justin Forsett
    FB: Ovie Mughelli

    TE: Brent Celek / Justin Peelle / Ben Hartsock
    WR1: Santonio Holmes / Michael Clayton
    WR2: Niles Paul / Austin Pettis / Michael Clayton
    WR3: Jason Avant / Michael Spurlock

    LT: Joe Thomas / Byron Stingily
    LG: Eric Steinbach / Byron Stingily
    OC: Lyle Sendlein / Mike McGlynn / Ryan Pontbriand
    RG: Mike McGlynn / Marshal Yanda / Shawn Lauvao
    RT: Marshal Yanda / Tony Pashos


    DEFENSE
    LDE: Stephen Bowen / Gerard Warren
    NT: Ahtyba Rubin / Shaun Cody / Travis Ivey
    RDE: Randy Starks / Anthony Hargrove

    SOLB: Michael Boley / Marcus “Spell Check” Benard
    SILB: Dan Connor / Brandon Siler / Micah Johnson
    WILB: Chris Gocong / A.J. Edds
    WOLB: Von Miller / Parys Haralson

    LCB: Leodis McKelvin / Bryant McFadden / William Middleton
    SS: Quintin Mikell / Charlie Peprah
    FS: T.J. Ward / Gerald Sensabaugh
    RCB: Josh Wilson / Bryant McFadden / Fred Bennett


    SPECIALISTS
    K: Lawrence Tynes
    LS: Ryan Pontbriand
    P: Brett Kern

    KR: Michael Spurlock / Leodis McKelvin
    PR: Michael Spurlock / Justin Forsett

    Acquisitions:

    TRADES

    TE Ben Watson, WR Joshua Cribbs to New York Giants
    LB Michael Boley to Cleveland Browns
    Rationale: At this point, my priority was to shed salary and players who didn’t fit my vision of a tough, Steelers-like team. Ben Watson had a good year in 2010, but primarily due to Cleveland’s deficiencies out wide. Cribbs was among those deficiencies: he’s a superb athlete, but the fact that they couldn’t get him touches as a receiver and instead had to adopt the Wildcat just to get Cribbs on the field didn’t sit well with me. When the Giants approached about trading for these two, I leapt at the chance to convert Cribbs’ and Watson’s salaries into a top notch linebacker. Acquiring Boley also gave me free agency flexibility, meaning I wouldn’t be forced into a bidding war for Matt Roth ($2,000,000 in free agency).

    DT Shaun Rogers to Kansas City Chiefs
    4.117, 6.182 to Cleveland Browns
    Rationale: Rogers at the time was making $5,500,000 and worth less than half of that. Ahtyba Rubin had succeeded him at the nose, and an experimental move to DE was a failure. I had no room for a $5.5m backup, and was about to cut him when the Chiefs called. Their offer was fair, and I didn’t feel like pushing my good luck in negotiations.

    RB Montario Hardesty to San Francisco 49ers
    S Reggie Smith to Cleveland Browns
    Rationale: I’ve never been a fan of Hardesty. Getting a season-ending injury in training camp was the first and last straw. Needing safety depth, I eventually wore down and cajoled the 49ers into a straight swap for the talented Smith.

    CB Joe Haden, OC Alex Mack to Philadelphia Eagles
    CB Asante Samuel, TE Brent Celek, OC Mike McGlynn, WR Jason Avant to Cleveland Browns
    Rationale: Huge, blockbuster deal for both sides. Haden and Mack can both play, but I felt that Haden was out of place in LeBeau’s defense, thus for me the question was whether to give up Alex Mack. I felt that swapping a good young center for three starters and a top slot WR was well worth it, and moving Shaun Rogers allowed me to take on Asante Samuel’s salary. This trade had a huge effect on my final roster, and helped keep me out of a very thin and competitive TE/WR free agent market.

    LB Scott Fujita to San Francisco 49ers
    4.98, 7.200 to Cleveland Browns
    Rationale: I resisted this trade for a while, but eventually the 49ers and I reached an agreement. Fujita can play both in the 3-4 and 4-3, but concerns about his age and durability led me to finally pull the trigger. This turned out to be a hugely critical trade, since 4.98 later was traded for Quintin Mikell.

    WR Brian Robiskie to Arizona Cardinals
    QB Max Hall to Cleveland Browns
    Rationale: Robiskie wouldn’t have made my final roster, and at the time, I needed quarterback depth. I basically traded nothing (since Robiskie would have been cut) for a third string QB with starting experience, a true rarity.

    WR Mohamed Massaquoi to New England Patriots
    5.138 to Cleveland Browns
    Rationale: Same as above, Massaquoi would not have made my final roster. Trading nothing for something is always a win, in my book.

    6.163 to Kansas City Chiefs
    LB Micah Johnson to Cleveland Browns
    Rationale: At this point, I had some excessive late round picks, and decided to do a little shopping. My primary concern in the pre-free agency period was the linebacker group, particularly after trading Scott Fujita. A look at some of the defensive players likely available late didn’t fill me with confidence, and I decided to flip a late pick for a depth linebacker who’s proven he can fill in during emergencies.

    4.101 to Carolina Panthers
    LB Dan Connor to Cleveland Browns
    Rationale: And this is where I truly replace Scott Fujita. Connor is a great talent who only gets better. Carolina displaced him by moving Jon Beason inside, thus his price was blue lighted at a 4th round pick. Connor does get injured, but I felt I could balance that risk with free agency depth, which is why my initial bid for Brandon Siler was $1,000,000. Siler is worth three times that, so I feel like I stole two excellent linebackers for the price of one.

    RB Peyton Hillis to Miami Dolphins
    3.79, 3.95, LB A.J. Edds to Cleveland Browns
    Rationale: I resisted moving Hillis for a long time, but eventually I realized I had enough cap space to address the position in free agency. Snagging two 3s and a cover linebacker to back up Chris Gocong is nothing short of highway robbery. 3.95 was later traded back for Randy Starks, making this trade even more lopsided.

    5.138 to San Francisco 49ers
    LB Parys Haralson to Cleveland Browns
    Rationale: At this point, I had locked in to Von Miller as my must-have player in the draft, and needed a decent veteran backup behind him. I still had a surplus of late picks, so just as with Micah Johnson, I went shopping. Haralson is a steady player and an efficient pass rusher. For a 5th round pick and a backup, that’s plenty.

    CB Asante Samuel to San Francisco 49ers
    2.51 to Cleveland Browns
    2.51, 6.182 to New York Jets
    WR Santonio Holmes to Cleveland Browns
    Rationale: I’m listing these two trades as one, because they were all part of the same deal. I wanted to avoid the free agent receiver market at all costs, and I had growing doubts about Samuel’s fit in a physical defense like LeBeau’s. His Deion Sanders-like reluctance to tackle and increasing age left me increasingly uncomfortable, so when the 49ers asked about his availability, I seized the situation. Eventually working out a trade deal with the Jets for the franchised Holmes, I flipped the compensation from San Fran to New York, basically swapping Samuel for Holmes. My quarterback got another weapon, my salary cap only rose $2m thanks to moving Samuel’s salary, and I saved a few bucks by moving the late 6th round pick. Win/win for everyone, but especially me.

    4.98 to Philadelphia Eagles
    DB Quintin Mikell to Cleveland Browns
    Rationale: IMO, one of the biggest trades of the year. Mikell is one of the best safeties in the NFL, and I was lucky to get him from an Eagles owner that was looking to shed cap space and had already acquired other quality safeties to supplant Mikell. This was a perfect storm of timing, convenience, and compensation.

    3.95 to Miami Dolphins
    DL Randy Starks to Cleveland Browns
    Rationale: Another big deal, though not quite as big. Operating under the belief that Cameron Heyward would not have lasted to my 2.37, I went shopping for another defender. Starks is among the best, and I don’t need to convince fellow Dolfans of his qualities. Starks basically became an add-on to the Peyton Hillis trade, which by now looks like a massive steal for me.

    3.70 to Buffalo Bills
    DB Leodis McKelvin to Cleveland Browns
    Rationale: Fair value for a talented but still developing #2 CB. My original plan was to get both Ike Taylor and Bryant McFadden in free agency, but Taylor’s price eventually went beyond the range I was willing to pay. Not satisfied with McFadden as the #2, when Buffalo’s new owner opened shop, I approached him about McKelvin. Done deal, fairly painless. McKelvin is better than any corner that would have been available at that #70 pick.

    2.37, 3.79 to San Francisco 49ers
    1.28, 4.114 to Cleveland Browns
    Rationale: A draft-day trade that netted me QB Christian Ponder. I wasn’t satisfied with my QB situation of McCoy, Collins, and Hall, and felt that another team would have traded up for Ponder if I hadn’t. Despite criticism from BSPN, I love this move for my roster, particularly since Ponder was the last player available on my board at 37.

    4.114, 4.117, 5.134 to Buffalo Bills
    WR Niles Paul (3.69), 6.167 to Cleveland Browns
    Rationale: Another draft-day trade that landed me a legitimate #2 WR. I think Paul is hugely underrated, mainly since he comes from an offense that doesn’t feature the passing game very often. I had been looking for a big play complement to Santonio Holmes’ deep threat, and was very happy to get Paul.

    6.167, 7.198 to Buffalo Bills
    RB Keiland Williams to Cleveland Browns
    Rationale: One of my draft objectives was to get a good, young outside runner to complement my inside runners (Thomas, McGahee). My previous trades left me out of range of the RBs who fit that description, leading me to ship some now-worthless (to me) picks off for Keiland Williams, another IMO underrated player.

    DB Reggie Smith, 7.200 to Seattle Seahawks
    RB Justin Forsett, 6.169 to Cleveland Browns
    Rationale: My final trade, a deal that put me in position to draft Byron Stingily at 169 to fill out my offensive left side depth. I hated to give up Reggie Smith, but free agency at the safety position had been kind to me, and I could afford to move him. Justin Forsett replaced Ladell Betts, and gave me a second outside rusher with elusiveness to fill out my RB rotation.

    FREE AGENT SIGNINGS
    DL Stephen Bowen ($500,000)
    DB Bryant McFadden ($530,000)
    RB Willis McGahee ($350,000)
    OC Lyle Sendlein ($850,000)
    LB Brandon Siler ($1,000,000)
    OL Marshal Yanda ($4,700,000)
    FB Ovie Mughelli ($300,000)
    OL Tony Pashos ($300,000)
    K Lawrence Tynes ($300,000)
    DB Gerald Sensabaugh ($300,000)
    DB Josh Wilson ($7,500,000)
    WR Michael Clayton ($300,000)
    DL Anthony Hargrove ($300,000)
    WR/KR/PR Michael Spurlock ($300,000)
    RB Pierre Thomas ($2,300,000)
    DL Shaun Cody ($300,000)
    P Brett Kern ($300,000)
    TE Justin Peelle ($300,000)
    DL Gerard Warren ($300,000)
    DB Fred Bennett ($300,000)
    RB Ladell Betts ($300,000) (released)
    DB Charlie Peprah ($300,000)
    OL/LS Ryan Pontbriand ($300,000)
    TE Ben Hartsock ($300,000)
    DB William Middleton ($300,000)

    Writeup:

    How does a cellar dweller compete in the same division with the conference Super Bowl representative and two playoff contenders? Take their coaches and their players, force them to patch holes rather than build up. Get better as they stand still, or get worse. In other words, bridge the gap at both ends.

    At the coaching level, the Browns raided the Steelers, promoting renowned defensive mind Dick LeBeau and his heir apparent Keith Butler to head coach and defensive coordinator respectively. Tom Moore was imported from outside the AFC North, but will be no less a headache for division rivals. After assembling the chefs, a list of ingredients was compiled. The organization made an effort to sign talented players away from division rivals where it made sense, and also to strongly compete for the players those franchises targeted.

    The Browns are proud to present the results of their subterfuge campaign against the AFC North.

    OFFENSE

    Longtime Indianapolis Colts OC Tom Moore institutes his offense in Cleveland. Moore is the anti-Dan Henning, an OC who can make the game easier for a young quarterback while still producing results on the scoreboard. The offensive roster was constructed to build on the successes of the Colts offense without mindlessly mimicking what currently exists in Indy. The Browns feature strong receiving options at every offensive skill position, particularly at #1 WR (Santonio Holmes) and #1 TE (Brent Celek). Moore’s schematic tendency to throw to the tailback is also taken care of: Pierre Thomas and Willis McGahee are excellent receivers out of the backfield.

    Due to a distinct lack of Peyton Manning, however, Moore’s playbook changes to adapt to the Browns roster. In 2010, the Colts rushed the ball 393 times, ranking near the bottom of the league: the Browns will rush the ball roughly 80-100 times more. The Colts did not regularly utilize a fullback, and often did not devote a roster spot specifically to a full-time FB: the Browns will use a fullback often and have devoted a roster spot to one of the best blocking fullbacks in the league, Ovie Mughelli.

    Quarterbacks
    Colt McCoy — Slayer of the defending champion New Orleans Saints and the 14-2 New England Patriots; NCAA all-time leader in wins and single season completion percentage; making plans to hit the AFC North like a drunken co-ed.
    Christian Ponder — A highly-touted quarterback prospect with the intelligence, accuracy, and physical ability needed to excel in the NFL. Despite high faith in and respect for Colt McCoy, the Browns couldn’t pass on such a tantalizing prospect at the most important position in pro sports. The competition between Ponder and McCoy will make both better players, and the Browns need better quarterback play immediately.
    Kerry Collins — Strictly a backup at this point in his career, but a great backup. Came off the bench in 2008 to lead the Titans to the 1 Seed and a 13-3 record. The Browns are amazed at the lack of competition for his services.
    Overall — Cleveland finally has a legitimate, deep group of signal callers. McCoy and Ponder can both grow into top players. The future is bright.

    Tailbacks
    Pierre Thomas — A versatile rusher who helped fuel the Saints’ high powered offense at 4.7 yards per clip. He excels as a backfield receiver and is capable in pass protection. Thomas fits the mold of a featured—or close to featured—running back in Moore’s offense.
    Willis McGahee — Another versatile rusher with a set of skills similar to Thomas, with possibly a better nose for the end zone. McGahee is a tough runner who can punch through a defensive line and can stay on the field for third down. The Browns will use him more often than the Ravens, and consider his paltry $350,000 salary to be an utter steal relative to his talent.
    Keiland Williams — A complementary player to Thomas and McGahee, Williams is more of an outside rusher with good speed and a punishing build. He has a bright future as a change of pace back, and can be a featured player in the event of injury.
    Justin Forsett — Another complementary player. Forsett is more quick than fast, but his elusiveness is a great asset. Forsett’s high YPC (4.9 career) and great hands (74 career receptions) earn him a roster spot and guaranteed carries.
    Ovie Mughelli — One of the best lead blockers in the NFL, Mughelli paved the way for Michael Turner since 2008. His ability to open lanes and keep them open stand out. With a career 3.0 YPC, he will also be used as a short yardage back.
    Overall — A talented, versatile group that can attack a defense from every angle.

    Tight Ends
    Brent Celek — A prolific receiver, Celek fills the role of Dallas Clark. His route running and ability to exploit the middle of a defense are invaluable to this offense. Celek immediately becomes the best receiving tight end in the division.
    Justin Peelle — An understated veteran, Peelle will primarily be used as a blocker, as he was in Atlanta. He can also serve as a chain mover, picking up a first down with a short pass.
    Ben Hartsock — Purely a blocker, but a damn good one. Hartsock had a hand in the Jets’ running game in 2009 and 2010, and will find his way on the field in Cleveland.
    Overall — A well-rounded group and an effective mix of talent. Colt McCoy will appreciate the contributions of all three.

    Wide Receivers
    Santonio Holmes — A true deep threat with sure hands, Holmes is one of the best receivers in the NFL. The MVP of Super Bowl XLIII returns to the AFC North to antagonize the division again.
    Niles Paul — A quality all-around player, the Browns appreciate Paul’s ability to make plays after the catch. He can make an immediate contribution as a rookie.
    Jason Avant — One of the best slot receivers in the NFL. Avant is a perfect fit in Moore’s scheme.
    Michael Clayton — Provides veteran depth and a big body for jump ball targets.
    Austin Pettis — A touchdown magnet at Boise State, catching 229 balls for 39 scores over three years. Pettis immediately becomes a legitimate red zone target and can develop into a reliable possession receiver.
    Michael Spurlock — The primary kick and punt returner, and a somewhat underrated receiver. He’ll see some playing time in the base offense, particularly in the slot.
    Overall — A great mix of talented veterans and rookie youth that can harass secondaries at will. Legitimate targets abound.

    Offensive Linemen
    Joe Thomas — One of the best left tackles in the NFL, if not the best. Continues to embarrass every pass rusher he plays against.
    Eric Steinbach — Thomas’ trusty sidekick, he and Steinbach anchor the left side of the line together for another year. Despite being on the wrong side of 30, Steinbach is still capable of playing at a high level, and deserves the starting spot for at least one more season.
    Lyle Sendlein — Chronically underrated center from Arizona, where he received zero legitimate guard help. Cleveland corrects that oversight, pairing Sendlein between Steinbach and...
    Mike McGlynn — A breakout lineman who blocked for the mobile Michael Vick in Philadelphia. McGlynn fits nicely at right guard, and also is the immediate backup at center.
    Marshal Yanda — Another loss for Baltimore is another gain for Cleveland. Yanda is emerging as an elite right side lineman, capable of playing both tackle and guard. He’ll start at right tackle and will take over at right guard if McGlynn fills in at center. He also laughs at your silly attempts at tasing him.
    Tony Pashos — Yanda’s backup at right tackle. Pashos is a road grader capable of starting as proven during his time in Jacksonville. He provides quality depth at an important position.
    Shawn Lauvao — A 2010 3rd round selection, Lauvao can also play right guard or right tackle. He’s a powerful player who can stand his ground and can grow into a starter.
    Ryan Pontbriand — The last-ditch center. Pontbriand likely will only see the field as a long snapper, barring catastrophic injuries.
    Byron Stingily — An athletic left tackle from Louisville. He becomes a swing backup at both left tackle and left guard. The durability of both Joe Thomas and Eric Steinbach gives Stingily time to refine his technique.
    Overall — A varied cast of top talent. The left side is a rock; the right side should gel quickly. Capable depth rounds out the unit.

    DEFENSE

    The forte of head coach Dick LeBeau is handed off to his protégé, former Steelers LB coach Keith Butler. Butler oversees the same scheme as LeBeau, a 1-gap 3-4 system with an emphasis on blitzing from the ILB positions and entire secondary. Unlike the offensive, the defensive playbook remains fairly intact, perhaps with some new pages to fit the unique skills of the Browns defensive roster. This defense was assembled with depth in mind: players who are legitimate starters end up being high quality backups, allowing the Browns to throw wave after wave of talent at opposing offenses.

    Defensive Ends
    Randy Starks — A former 4-3 DT who successfully converted to 3-4 RDE in Miami before landing in the same role in Cleveland. Starks has 13 sacks over the last three seasons, establishing himself as a premier pass-rushing 3-4 DE. He can place pressure on his assigned blocker and stop the run effectively. Starks is possibly the best player in the entire defensive front seven, quite the feat given the talent around him.
    Stephen Bowen — The starting LDE for the Browns, and a “Secret Superstar” for the Cowboys, Bowen was used as a third down rush end in Dallas before taking over for the injured Marcus Spears. He immediately made an impact, and is arguably the most complete end on the Cowboys’ defensive line. His experience as a third down rush end will be invaluable in his quest to pick his teeth with the corpses of Matt Ryan, Carson Palmer, and Joe Flacco.
    Anthony Hargrove — A pass-rushing DT for the Saints, Hargrove kicks out to RDE in the 3-4. His ability to take on blockers signals an exciting transition to the outside.
    Gerard Warren — A former Brown who returns to the team. Warren started at left end in New England, and provides steady veteran play behind Stephen Bowen.
    Overall — Potentially elite starters paired with starting-caliber backups. This is a ridiculously cost-effective rotation.

    Defensive Tackles
    Ahtyba Rubin — Rubin returns to anchor the middle, having established himself as one of the best nose tackles in the NFL in 2010. Rubin is more disruptive than Steelers NT Casey Hampton, providing Keith Butler with more varied options in the middle.
    Shaun Cody — Former Texan Shaun Cody serves as Rubin’s primary backup. In the real NFL, Cody is the presumptive starting 3-4 nose tackle in Houston under Wade Phillips. More of a space-eater than a disrupter, Cody can clog his gap and direct the play elsewhere. His play at the nose should more resemble Casey Hampton’s. For the minimum salary, we’ll take that deal.
    Travis Ivey — A cheap developmental prospect who, like Cody, can also eat space. Nose tackles are made, not born, and Ivey will have every chance to make himself into a better player.
    Overall — The Browns have great depth at the most important position in the 3-4 defense. The thought of Ahtyba Rubin getting even better under Keith Butler’s coaching should keep the rest of the AFC North up at night.

    Outside Linebackers
    Von Miller — Future NFL star as a pass rusher in the mold of Cam Wake and Clay Matthews. An elite linebacker prospect who will have an immediate impact, and racked up 27 sacks in 26 games over two years at Texas A&M. Won the 2010 Butkus Award for the best linebacker in the country. Elite speed and athleticism allows him to breeze past linemen and attack the offensive backfield. Fluid and natural in pass coverage. The AFC North’s next nightmare. FootballOutsiders’ SackSEER loves him, by the way.
    Parys Haralson — Miller’s backup, a capable veteran who can contribute off the bench. Efficient as a pass rusher, able to stop the run, and decent in coverage. Does everything acceptably well.
    Michael BoleyThe man who broke Tony Romo is the new starter at SOLB. A playmaker for years as a 4-3 SOLB, his 3-4 SOLB conversion should be fluid. He can blitz, generates QB pressure, stuffs the run, and excels in pass coverage. Boley does it all and has the t-shirt to prove it.
    Marcus Benard — Boley’s backup. Benard, a two year veteran, already has 11 sacks on minimal rushes (7.5 sacks in 2010), making him one of the NFL’s most efficient, albeit underused, pass rushers. Benard will rotate on obvious passing downs, and should make a lethal rusher paired with Von Miller.
    Overall — Playmakers abound on the outside of this defense. The Browns will leave a long trail of sacks and broken clavicles in their wake.

    Inside Linebackers
    Chris Gocong — “Secret Superstar” Chris Gocong returns to his starting WILB spot, having developed into a quality 3-4 linebacker who can stuff the run and blitz past offensive linemen to pressure the quarterback. He can also cover acceptably, and can only improve as he continues his adjustment to the 3-4.
    A.J. Edds — 2011 will be Edds’ true rookie season, but his coverage skills are impressive, and the Browns trust him in the short passing lanes. A true asset on obvious passing downs.
    Dan Connor — The starting SILB. Connor’s skill set is well suited for the 3-4, and his tough play further reminds spectators that this is the “Steelers defense”. Should be considered the favorite to wear the green dot.
    Brandon Siler — Connor’s backup, a versatile starting caliber ILB formerly of the Chargers. The poster child for the Browns’ defensive depth, Siler would start on any other 3-4 team, and may very well steal the job from Connor in training camp.
    Micah Johnson — The 9th linebacker. A run-stuffer who can serve as a last-ditch body in the event of catastrophic and numerous injuries.

    Cornerbacks
    Josh Wilson — “Secret Superstar” Josh Wilson headlines this group of corners, an underrated player stolen from Seattle for a conditional 5th round pick by Ozzie Newsome. The Browns thank Newsome for featuring Wilson in 2010 and are glad to take him off Baltimore’s hands. He immediately locks down the right side of the field and is worth every penny of his salary.
    Leodis McKelvin — Opposite Wilson is Leodis McKelvin, an emerging corner acquired from Buffalo. McKelvin was an integral part of one of the NFL’s best pass defenses, and has the speed and skill to blanket his receiver.
    Bryant McFadden — Operating in the slot and as utility backup is system veteran Bryant McFadden, formerly of the Steelers. Having played for coach LeBeau for years, his familiarity with the defensive scheme and AFC North makes him a valuable addition to the defensive backfield.
    William Middleton — A backup with the Jaguars, Middleton provides quality depth as a dime corner. A strong blitzer, Middleton can be creatively employed in the classic LeBeau mold.
    Fred Bennett — The 5th and final corner. Bennett will primarily contribute on special teams, but may also see time as a slot corner if McFadden moves.
    Overall — The Steelers have devalued corners in recent years as their pass rush increased in ferocity. The Browns are confident in their pass rush, but saw no reason to not improve their defensive flanks. Between the cornerback and safety positions, opposing quarterbacks will find it nearly impossible to throw against the Browns secondary.

    Safeties
    Quintin Mikell — A longtime Eagles veteran, Mikell assumes the keystone position of this defense. Troy Polamalu struck fear into opposing quarterbacks while in Pittsburgh, and now Mikell assumes that same role in Cleveland. Mikell is an elite safety who can cover, tackle, hit, blitz, and generally harass the offense. His skill set makes him a perfect fit and “successor” to Polamalu.
    Charlie Peprah — Provides reliable depth, having revived his career as the starting SS in Dom Capers’ similar scheme in Green Bay. Peprah is more than capable, and his Super Bowl ring will be a valuable motivational tool in the locker room.
    T.J. Ward — Second year player T.J. Ward moves from SS to FS to stay on the field with Quintin Mikell. Ward is quickly growing into an elite safety in his own right, racking up 123 combined tackles and 2 INTs in his rookie season. Playing in a defense that suits his strengths and surrounded by elite talent, Ward has the opportunity to become dominant.
    Gerald Sensabaugh — A former Cowboy who also makes the move to FS. Sensabaugh is a quality cover safety who can move up and make the tackle. He also shows great ballhawking skills, reeling in 5 INTs in 2010. Despite being a backup, he will see plenty of playing time as the third coverage safety.
    Overall — Ward and Mikell form the best safety tandem in the league, and Ward is Mikell’s clear successor when the latter retires after a few more years. Sensabaugh and Peprah can both legitimately start and make big plays. One hell of a group, likely the best collection of safeties in the GML.

    SPECIAL TEAMS

    Placekicker
    Lawrence Tynes — Arriving in Cleveland from the Meadowlands, Tynes has demonstrated throughout his career an ability to deliver accurate kicks in critical cold weather games. His overtime field goal in the 2007 NFC Championship Game, one of the coldest games ever at Lambeau Field, sent the Giants to Super Bowl XLII. Another Tynes field goal proved the margin of difference against the Patriots. The Browns are ecstatic to have a reliable cold weather kicker with big game experience.

    Punter
    Brett Kern — Formerly of the Titans, Kern had a noteworthy 2010, posting 42.9 average yards per punt, frequently pinning opponents inside their 20. He immediately upgrades the Browns’ coverage units, providing more time to get down the field, and more space to pin the opponent deep.

    Long Snapper
    Ryan Pontbriand — Pontbriand continues his long snapping duties. He’s not a screwup and that’s all we ask.

    CONCLUSION

    Many times, top-heavy teams have failed to meet lofty expectations set by the media. Fully aware of these teams’ fates, the Browns have constructed a balanced roster. Top talent is available at every position; quality depth is found just behind. This roster a collection of talented players who can fit immediately into the schemes of Tom Moore and Keith Butler. But let’s examine what this roster is not.

    This is not a team that lives in someone else’s shadow. No longer are the Browns the cellar dwellers of the AFC in general or AFC North in specific. This team attacks opponents from all angles: field position on special teams, versatility in offensive playcalling and gameplanning, creative versatility and cutthroat pressure on defense. The coaches can gameplan and playcall with the best: the players can do everything asked of them and more. This team can take on the Steelers, the Ravens, the Bengals—and win.

    This is not a team that will schedule vacations in January. Not only can this team challenge for the division title, it can challenge for the AFC title. An efficient offense and a stifling defense of this caliber can go as far as they desire. And there’s an overwhelming amount of Super Bowl lust on this team. Former Ravens players, former Cowboys players, former Eagles players, all are tired of falling short in January, and all come together in Cleveland to fix that problem.

    This is not a team that will give up. This is a team that will win, and win big.

    This team is your 2011 GML Cleveland Browns.
     
    GISH, Boik14, UCF FINatic and 3 others like this.
  4. Mach

    Mach Cap Dude

    3,365
    1,460
    113
    Apr 20, 2009
    Bills roster:

    Quarter Backs
    Ryan Fitzpatrick $2,800,000
    Brady Quinn $1,000,000


    Running Backs
    Fred Jackson $1,625,000
    Mewelde Moore $550,000
    Isaac Redman $350,000

    Full Backs
    Corey McIntyre $950,000

    Wide Receivers
    Roscoe Parrish $2,000,000
    David Nelson $405,000
    Donald Jones $405,000
    Marcus Easley $405,000
    Naaman Roosevelt $480,000

    Tight Ends
    Owen Daniels $8,000,000
    Jordan Cameron $400,000
    Charlie Gantt $400,000

    Offencive Linemen
    Sean Locklear $1,100,000
    Tyson Clabo $6,750,000
    Troy Kropog $800,000
    Demetrius Bell $350,000
    Langston Walker $300,000
    Wade Smith $1,750,000
    Evan Mathis $300,000
    Ed Wang $1,000,000
    Andy Levitre $480,000
    Kraig Urbik $850,000
    Eric Wood $600,000
    Chad Rinehart $480,000

    Defencive Ends
    Alex Carrington $405,000
    Jabaal Sheard $500,000
    Greg Romeus $400,000
    Trevor Scott $555,000
    Arthur Moats $450,000

    Defencive Tackles
    Kyle Williams $1,750,000
    Marcell Dareus $900,000
    Shaun Smith $2,950,000
    Torrell Troup $405,000
    Desmond Bryant $300,000

    Linebackers
    Danny Clark $300,000
    Brian Rolle $400,000
    K. J. Wright $400,000
    Karlos Dansby $2,700,000
    Lawrence Wilson $400,000
    Brian Iwuh $300,000

    Corner Backs
    Terrence McGee $3,200,000
    Nate Clements $10,250,000
    Joselio Hanson $3,100,000
    Michael Adams $300,000
    Chris Johnson $300,000

    Safties
    Michael Huff $2,900,000
    Yeremiah Bell $3,700,000
    Rashad Johnson $480,000
    Stevie Brown $300,000

    Kickers
    Billy Cundiff $300,000

    Punters
    Shane Lechler $1,800,000

    Depth chart:

    QB: Fitzpatrick, Quinn

    RB: Jackson, Moore, Redman

    FB: McIntyre

    WR: Parrish, Nelson, Jones, Easley, Roosevelt

    TE: Daniels, Cameron, Gantt

    LT: Locklear, Bell, Kropog

    LG: Smith, Levitre

    C: Wood, Rinehart

    RG: Mathis, Urbik

    RT: Clabo, Walker, Wang

    SDE 5 tech: Carrington, Sheard, Romeus

    3 tech DT: Dareus, Bryant, Carrington

    1 tech DT: Williams, Troup, Smith

    WDE 5 tech: Sheard, Scott, Moats

    SLB: Clark, Wright, Rolle

    MLB: Dansby, Clark

    WLB: Wilson, Iwuh

    CB: McGee, Clements, Hanson, Adams, Johnson

    FS: Huff, Johnson

    SS: Bell, Brown

    K: Cundiff

    P: Lechler

    Writeup:

    Well, I took over this team with about a week in FA, PFF loves a lot of my players who either made big leaps, made their all-division teams, made their all-pro teams or are sleeper players who need more snaps. A lot of the FA signings I made, once again, late in the game, were also ranked favourably by PFF's Free Agents by position.
     
    Paul 13, GISH, Boik14 and 3 others like this.
  5. Fin-Omenal

    Fin-Omenal Initiated

    36,936
    10,264
    0
    Mar 25, 2008
    Thee...Ohio State University
    [​IMG]


    2011 Miami Dolphins Roster

    QB
    Kyle Orton, $6,890,000
    Blaine Gabbert, $900,000
    Brian Brohm, $300,000

    RB
    LeSean McCoy, $480,000
    Mike Tolbert, $700,000
    Kenneth Darby, $300,000
    Lousaka Polite, $1,250,000

    TE
    Marcedes Lewis, $5,703,400
    Martellus Bennett, $555,000
    Mickey Shuler, $405,000

    OL
    J'Marcus Webb, $405,000
    Jacob Bell, $1,500,000
    Chris Meyers, $2,700,000
    Andre Gurode, $5,750,000
    Ryan Diem, $2,250,000
    Joe Berger, $800,000
    Travelle Wharton, $300,000
    Mike Tepper, $300,000
    Rob Petit, $300,000
    Jah Reid, $400,000
    David Mims, $400,000

    WR
    Steve Johnson, $550,000
    Danny Amendola, $650,000
    Laurent Robinson, $550,000
    Leonard Hankerson,$500,000
    Dane Sanzenbacher, $400,000

    DL
    Paul Solia, $5,530,000
    Kendall Langford, $555,000
    Phillip Merling, $700,000
    Jared Odrick, $405,000
    Alan Branch, $800,000
    Isaac Sopoaga, $300,000
    Chris Kelsay, $2,000,000

    LB
    Cameron Wake, $480,000
    Brandon Graham, $405,000
    Koa Misi, $405,000
    Andra Davis, $1,100,000
    Tully Banta-Cain $300,000
    Austin Spitler, $480,000
    Larry grant, $300,000
    Kevin Bentley, $300,000
    Chase Blackburn, $300,00
    Robert Quinn, $800,000

    DB
    Mike Jenkins, $920,500
    Eric Wright, $2,000,000
    Philip Buchanon, $400,000
    Antrel Rolle, $5,250,000
    Nolan Carroll, $405,000
    Troy Polamlu, $6,400,000
    Brandon Harris, $750,000
    DeAndre McDaniel, $400,000

    K
    Dan Carpenter, $1,005,000

    P
    Brandon Fields, $726,000
    -------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    [​IMG]


    2011 NFL Draft
    Round 1 Pick 2 QB Blaine Gabbert
    Round 1 Pick 15 OLB Robert Quinn
    Round 1 Pick 26 CB Brandon Harris
    Round 2 Pick 34 WR Leonard Hankerson
    Round 4 Pick 103 S DeAndre McDaniel
    Round 4 Pick 108 OT Jah Reid
    Round 5 Pick 144 OT David Mims
    Round 5 Pick 156 WR Dane Sanzenbacher
    -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    2011 Miami Dolphins Depth Chart

    OFFENSE

    QB- Kyle Orton, Blaine Gabbert, Brian Brohm

    RB- LeSean McCoy, Mike Tolbert, Kenneth Darby

    WR- Stevie Johnson, Roberto Wallace(pending)
    WR- Leonard Hankerson, Laurent Robinson
    SLOT- Danny Amendola, Dane Sanzenbacher

    LT- J'Marcus Webb, David Mims, Rob Petit
    LG- Jacob Bell, Joe Berger, Travelle Wharton
    C- Chris Meyers, Andre Gurode
    RG- Andre Gurode, Travelle Wharton, Mike Tepper
    RT- Ryan Diem, Jah Reid, David Mims

    TE- Mercedes Lewis, Martellus Bennett
    -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Defense Base 3-4

    RDE- Jared Odrick, Chris Kelsay, Issac Sopoaga
    NT- Paul Solia, Alan Branch
    LDE- Kendal Langford, Philip Merling, Issac Sopoaga

    SOLB- Brandon Graham, Robert Quinn, Kevin Bentley
    SILB- Koa Misi, Larry Grant, Austin Spitler
    WILB- Andra Davis, Chase Blackburn, Larry Grant
    WOLB- Cameron Wake, Robert Quinn, Tully Banta-Cain

    CB- Mike Jenkins, Philip Buchanon, Brandon Harris
    CB- Eric Wright, Brandon Harris, Nolan Carroll

    SS- Antrel Rolle, DeAndre Mcdaniel
    FS- Troy Polomalu, DeAndre Mcdaniel

    P- Brandon Fields

    K- Dan Carpenter
    ------------------------------------------------------------------
    [​IMG]

    KEY TRAINING CAMP BATTLES

    Blaine Gabbert vs. Kyle Orton for QB
    Leonard Hankerson vs Laurent Robinson for #2 WR
    Andre Gurode vs Travelle Wharton for RG
    Larry Grant vs Andra Davis for WILB
    Brandon Graham vs. Robert Quinn for SOLB
    Eric Wright vs. Brandon Harris for #2 CB
    Ryan Deim vs. Jah Reid for RT
    -----------------------------------------------------------------
    DEFENSIVE SETS

    4-3

    LE Brandon Graham
    DT Alan Branch
    DT Paul Solia
    RE Cam Wake

    LOLB Larry Grant
    MLB Chase Blackburn
    ROLB Koa Misi

    CB Mike Jenkins
    CB Eric Wright

    FS Antrel Rolle
    SS Troy Plomalu


    3-3-5

    RE Jared Odrick
    NT Paul Solia
    LE Kendal Langford

    WLB Cam Wake
    MLB Koa Misi
    SLB Robert Quinn

    CB Mike Jenkins
    CB Eric Wright

    S (playing near LOS) Troy Polomalu
    FS Antrel Rolle
    SS DeAndre McDaniel
    -------------------------------------------------------------
    OFFENSIVE PHILOSOPHY

    We know what this offense was before I took it over, it was a great balance of mediocrity in the running and passing game. My hopes were to find a versatile RB, a Franchise QB, a mixture of speed and possesion WR's, and a pass catching TE. I feel like I hit a homerun at RB and TE, The QB position is upgraded although the development of Blaine Gabbert will be the key. I HAD to get Danny Amendola he is a player I like personally because he can give teams fits in the slot, I also really like Stevie Johnson he is a budding star imo, the #2 WR will have to settle for a TC battle between Hankerson and the talented but oft-injured Laurent Robinson. But I feel like this offense compliments eachother well.


    We will be running a mixture of your basic Single Back Set, and a variation of the Pistol Offense. Having LeSean McCoy as my RB really opens up options for our team, his ability to catch the ball out of the backfield (80 rec last yr) keeps the LB off balance allowing Danny Amendola to work through some of those areas where the LB will be vacant. Having Mercedes Lewis is also a huge luxury because the SS doesnt want to leave the LB on him without help. Stevie Johnson and his speed will demand extra attention wich again gives Amendola more avenues to work out of.


    QB Kyle Orton
    Kyle was brought in with the mentality that we will win NOW, his accuracy has improved every year and I believe he was just in an impossible situation in Chicago and has matured into a fine player. He was well on his way to his 2nd 4,000 yard season passing and is a perfect mentor to Blaine Gabbert.

    RB LeSean McCoy
    LeSean is a great all around RB. Only 22 years old he can break the long run, catch the ball out of the backfield and averaged over 5 YPC last seaon with over 1,000 yards. LeSean is the type of player that gives coordinators headaches because you need to keep an eye on him at all times.

    RB Mike Tolbert
    I was very suprised I got Mike so easily, he is only 25 years old and did a good job as the Chargers starting RB fending off top 15 pick Ryan Matthews all season. Mike had 11 TD's and averaged 4 YPC. He will spell McCoy from time to time and be inserted in 3rd and short and goalline situations. Im loving my thunder and lightining.

    WR Stevie Johnson
    Why so serious Stevie burst onto the scene last year, the 24 year old from Kentucky had over 1,000 yards recieving and 10 TD's while only starting 13 games. He TORCHED Jonathon Joseph and Leon Hall for 3 TD's in a game @ Cinncy. Im sold on this kid, he runs good routes can make catches over the middle and gets behind Safteys.

    WR Laurent Robinson/Leonard Hankerson
    Robinson is still only 25 and has had his career hampered by injury, a physical WR with tons of potential just needs to get over the injury bug to be effective. The Rams know this wich is why they tendered him, they dont want to see him leave. Hankerson fell in the draft further than I think ANY of us thought, personally I love his upside. He was a 1,000 yard WR with Jacory Harris as his QB at the U wich means to me he will be just fine with Orton/Gabbert geting him the ball.

    WR Danny Amendola
    I have hyped this kid 3 years in a row now and this past season I think people are seeing why. A Dynamic slot and return guy who caught 85 balls last season and racked up over 2,000 All Purpose yards! Danny(also 25) will continue to get better and in my opinion is the 2nd or 3rd best slot WR in the NFL.

    TE Mercedes Lewis
    Lewis is a big young athletic TD machine, what I like about him is he blocks well to boot. Lewis provides an instant upgrade from Fasano and caught 10 TD's last season. I think he gets another 10 in this system.

    LT J'Marcus Webb
    Webb basically came out of nowhere from a 7th Rd draft pick to a starting RT for the Bears. While he had some growing pains he showed enough to Mike Tice to be moved over to LT in 2011. A beasty run blocker who didnt go from the 7th round to a starting LT in a year for nothing.

    LG Jacob Bell
    Bell has had some tough breaks in St Louis after being one of the most sought after FA's 3 years ago, a knee surgery slowed him down a bit last year but he started to look like himself. I expect Bell to beat out Gurode for the LG spot and become the player he was in Tennessee.

    C Chris Meyers
    Chris Meyers has given up one sack in 3 years! He is a blue collar mauling Center who helped pave the way for Arian Foster last season. 29 years old from the U Meyers brings his talents back to South Florida.

    RG Andre Gurode
    This is tough because I feel Travelle Wharton is good enough to beat out Bell or Gurode...but it never hurts to have depth so Ill guess Andre holds off Wharton and plays RG. Andre was the staring Center for the NFC pro bowl this season a TANK he pushes DL backwards for a living.

    RT Ryan Diem
    Diem will warm up the RT spot for rookie Jah Reid, Diem declined a bit in 2010 due to some nagging injuries, still a quality starter in this league but will have to play well with Reid waiting in the wings.

    DEFENSIVE PHILOSOPHY

    Coming in I knew I wanted to acquire an OLB to allow to move Misi inside, I also knew the Secondary was DYING for playmakers to reward this front seven for their hard work. I knew my DL was basically not changing very much. Solia was going to be franchised and Langford nor Odrick was going anywhere. The single biggest thing i regret about this GML was trading Vontae Davis...I know i got good value getting Pouncey and I couldnt tell you what that parlayed into in the long run. But I do know Iam a huge fan of #21 and I scrambled to find a replacment for him. Infact I tightened up on Sean Smith who I personally dont like a ton but eventually offed him aswell in a deal that included a 1st Rd pick. As far as Saftey goes Iam VERY VERY happy with Antrel Rolle and Troy Polomalu, like I said this secondary needed playmakers.

    As with my other defenses in GML history I want to attack, attack, attack. I will run an aggressive 3-4 and ALL of my LB's are threats to blitz at anytime. I want to put pressure on offenses 80% of the time so the other 20% you rush into mistakes because you expect it. Ive said before that IMO an average CB can look really good when his front 7 brings the heat. I will also run a 3-3-5 on most passing downs playing Troy Polomalu near the LOS where he is a threat to hit the QB at anytime, DeAndre McDaniel is a rookie Im very high on who will be asked to play SS in this set, he is a playmaker and catches the football.


    DE Jared Odrick
    I was very excited about the kid after watching him in the preseason, he has a high motor that goes along with his rare athleticism...Odrick is healthy and will wreak havoc at this position.

    NT Paul Solia
    Solia FINALLY got his *** in gear after a few years of laziness and his talent showed. He was a dominant run stuffer and put some serious pressure on the QB. Solia became a dominant player and was rewarded with a contract that will be north of 10M dollars. He is a force.

    DE Kendall Langford
    All Kendall does is show up every Sunday and play solid football. A very underrated player has gotten the job done for the Dolphins and will continue to do so. He constantly is overlooked but is the most consistent DL on our team.

    OLB Brandon Graham/ Robert Quinn
    This will be an awesome battle imo, Graham is a much better 3-4 LB than a 4-3 DE and IMO will realize that potential here in Miami. But here we have a player many felt would have been the #1 overall pick if he played in 2010...he is a physical freak who looks like Tarzan and plays like Tarzan. A natural pass rusher who explodes to the QB. A knock was he played well against poor competition...then I saw him handling OT Anthony Costanzo. Who ever wins this battle will earn it.

    ILB Koa Misi
    Misi is moving inside wich is somewhere I really like him..a good tackler who is underrated in coverage Misi also is a threat to blitz your 'A' gaps. Misi provides the versatility needed from an ILB in this attacking system.

    ILB Andra Davis
    A sure tackler who can cover the RB or a TE out of the backfield when needed. Reunited with Mike Nolan and healthy Davis is a perfect fit for our football team.

    OLB Cameron Wake
    I dont need to tell you much, if your a Dolphins fan you saw it for yourself. The 4th Quarter sack machine was the key to the Miami Dolphins resurgant defense. When he wasnt sacking the QB he was pressuring him and when we needed it the most it seems like Wake was thier disrupting the opposition.

    CB Mike Jenkins
    Mike Jenkins digressed in a big way in 2010, after being a Pro Bowler in 09 Jenkins didnt handle being the teams #1 CB very well. In his defense he fought through injurys most of the year. But I think its obvious the Cowboys are still very confident he can rebound and so am I.

    CB Eric Wright/Brandon Harris
    Wright is in the same position as Jenkins imo, a talented CB who just had a bad year, but he didnt have much of a pass rush to help him in Cleveland. He can press well wich is something I like in this scheme. Harris will enter the NFL this year with a huge chip on his shoulder he has a load of talent and makes plays on the football. He may just steal one of the staring CB spots?

    FS Antrel Rolle
    I picked up Rolle again because he is a playmaking centerfielder who has closing speed and reacts quickly to the ball. Rolle likens to this team very well who NEEDED defenders who can change games with big plays.

    SS Troy Polomalu
    The best Saftey in football? Well it a 2 man race no matter how you see it, he is a freelancing machine who always finds himself making big plays in big moments. Troy can net the GW interception or blast your QB and create a fumble. Troy will play near the LOS in the 3-3-5 sets with Rookie DeAndre McDaniel playing the SS spot. Troy and Antrel are just what we needed as the last line of defense.
    -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    [​IMG]

    SUMMARY

    It has been a pleasure building the team we all root for, basically I tried to correct all my personal gripes with the team, mainly QB, OG, S...I know I broke some eggs to make my omelet but truthfully all in all im happy with where this team is and will be in the future.
     
    Paul 13, GISH, JMHPhin and 3 others like this.
  6. JMHPhin

    JMHPhin Season Ticket Holder Club Member

    7,684
    3,323
    113
    Nov 27, 2007
    Ohio
    PITTSBURGH STEELERS
    Keenan Lewis DB $480,000.00
    Trevard Lindley DB $405,000.00
    Dawan Landry DB $3,500,000.00
    Ryan Clark DB $2,500,000.00
    Kurt Coleman DB $405,000.00
    Dunta Robinson DB $5,500,000.00
    Vontae Davis DB $676,250.00
    Marcus Glichrist DB $400,000.00
    Shareece Wright DB $400,000.00
    Steve McLendon DL $480,000.00
    Cameron Heyward DL $500,000.00
    Ziggy Hood DL $600,000.00
    Brett Keisel DL $3,025,000.00
    Casey Hampton DL $3,910,000.00
    Jeff Owens DL $480,000.00
    Adrian Taylor DL $400,000.00
    Jason Worilds LB $405,000.00
    Stevenson Sylvester LB $405,000.00
    Larry Foote LB $2,400,000.00
    James Farrior LB $2,825,000.00
    James Harrison LB $3,660,000.00
    Kelvin Sheppard LB $450,000.00
    David Vobora LB $1,500,000.00
    HB Blades LB $300,000.00
    Sam Baker OL $1,012,500.00
    Jim Cordle OL $300,000.00
    Chris Scott OL $405,000.00
    Richie Incognito OL $1,750,000.00
    Doug Legursky OL $480,000.00
    Tom Pestock OL $300,000.00
    Ramon Foster OL $480,000.00
    Chris Kemoeatu OL $2,973,000.00
    Max Starks OL $5,140,000.00
    Matt Ryan QB $4,900,000.00
    Dennis Dixon QB $1,500,000.00
    Levi Brown QB $300,000.00
    Josh Portis QB $400,000.00
    Jonathan Dwyer RB $405,000.00
    Rashard Mendenhall RB $612,500.00
    Vonta Leach FB $400,000.00
    Jason Snelling RB $500,000.00
    Jamie Harper RB $400,000.00
    Heath Miller TE $3,386,000.00
    Evan Moore TE $300,000.00
    Andre Smith TE $400,000.00
    Devin Aromashadu WR $300,000.00
    Steve Breaston WR $2,750,000.00
    Antonio Brown WR $405,000.00
    Michael Jenkins WR $300,000.00
    Emmanuel Sanders WR $405,000.00
    Hines Ward WR $3,000,000.00
    Mason Crosby K $500,000.00
    Adam Podlesh P $300,000.00
    $69,910,250.00


    $75,000,000.00 Cap
    $69,910,250.00 Signed
    $5,089,750.00 Cap room


    Depth Chart
    Offense
    QB
    Matt Ryan
    Dennis Dixon
    Levi Brown
    Josh Portis

    RB
    Rashard Mendenhall
    Jason Snelling
    Jonathan Dwyer
    Jamie Harper

    FB
    Vonta Leach

    WR
    Hines Ward
    Steve Breaston

    Emmanuel Sanders
    Michael Jenkins
    Antonio Brown
    Devin Aromashadu

    TE
    Heath Miller
    Evan Moore
    Andre Smith

    LT
    Max Starks
    Marcus Gilbert

    LG
    Chris Kemoeatu
    Tom Pestock

    C
    Richie Incognito
    Doug Legursky

    RG
    Marcus Gilbert
    Ramon Foster
    Jim Cordle

    RT
    Sam Baker
    Chris Scott

    K
    Mason Crosby


    Defense
    RDE
    Brett Kiesal/Cameron Heyward
    Cameron Heyward/Brett Kiesal

    NT
    Casey Hampton
    Jeff Owens
    Adrian Taylor

    LDE
    Ziggy Hood
    Steve McLendon

    LOLB
    David Vobora/Chris Carter
    Chris Carter/David Vobora

    LILB
    James Farrior
    Stevenson Slvester

    RILB
    Larry Foote
    Kelvin Sheppard
    HB Blades

    ROLB
    James Harrison
    Jason Worilds

    LCB
    Vontae Davis
    Keenan Lewis
    Shareece Wright

    SS
    Dawan Landry
    Kurt Coleman

    FS
    Ryan Clark
    Marcus Gilchrist

    RCB
    Dunta Robinson
    Trevard Lindley

    P
    Adam Podlesh

    Starters in Bold


    Draft Picks

    2.43 - Cameron Heyward DE OSU
    2.63 - Chris Carter OLB Fresno State
    3.79 - Marcus Gilbert, OT Florida
    3.CA - Kelvin Sheppard, ILB LSU
    4.119 - Marcus Gilchrist, FS Clemson
    4.127 - Shareece Wright, CB USC
    6.164 - Josh Portis, QB Cal Pa.
    6.191 - Jamie Harper, RB Clemson
    7.203 - Adrian Taylor, DT, Oklahoma
    7.215 - Andre Smith, TE Va Tech


    Trades

    Steelers and falcons pull off blockbuster

    Steelers trade
    Ben Roethlisberger QB 11,600,000
    Troy Polamalu SS 6,400,000
    Mike Wallace WR 480,000

    Atlanta Trades
    Matt Ryan QB 4,900,000
    Sam Baker OT 1,012,500
    Dunta Robinson CB 5,500,000
    draft pick 4.123


    Steelers and Lions agree to trade

    Steelers trade
    picks
    1.31
    7.223

    Lions trade
    picks
    2.44
    4.106


    Steelers and Dolphins agree to trade

    steelers trade
    M Pouncey, ol $405,000
    3.95

    Dolphins trade
    V Davis, cb 676,250
    4.110


    Steelers and Eagles agree to Trade

    Pittsburg Steelers get:
    DT Jeff Owens - $480,000
    CB Trevard Lindley - $405,000
    S Kurt Coleman - $405,000
    4th round draft pick (119th)

    Philadelphia Eagles get:
    LB Lawrence Timmons - $650,000


    pitt and atl reworked trade

    pitt sends
    2.44
    4.106
    4.110
    5.159

    Atl sends
    2.43
    3.85


    Steelers Send:

    3, 85
    4. 123

    49ers Send:

    3. 79
    6. 164
    7.203
    7. 215


    FA Signings

    Tom Pestock OG 300,000
    Devin Aromashodu Wr 300,000
    Michael Jenkins Wr 300,000
    Richie Incognito OG/C 1,750,000
    Evan Moore Te 300,000.00
    Steve Breaston Wr 2,750,000.00
    Vonta Leach FB 400,000.00
    Jason Snelling Rb 500,000.00
    Mason Crosby K 500,000.00
    Adam Podlesh P 300,000.00
    Dawan Landry SS 3,500,000.00
    David Vobora OLB 1,500,000.00
    HB Blades ILB 300,000
    Levi Brown QB 300,000
    Jim Cordle OL 300,000



    Team Philosophy (write up)

    Well it is real simple, the philosophy was why kill the goose. While I believe some noticeable changes were made, the core philosophy remained the same. Physical smash smouth football. Yes some pieces were moved and other teams made more big splash wow moves than the Steelers did. The Steelers decidedly had a plan and that plan was to fix the def backfield and oline, while adding to the TE position. The object was to get younger on d-line while maintaining the integrity of the front 7 which has been and will always be a strength of this team. We feel that while a couple players moved may be suprising (aka Polomalu) it was necessary for the unit as a whole. We also got younger at qb while saving money. All of which will be discussed below.

    The first big move was moving Ben and Polomalu and getting Matt Ryan and Dunta Robinson (full trade can be read above, Baker was also an important piece as well) in return was essential plus added pieces but they were flexible and worked out we had to let Wallace go which hurt but was a means to an end. Now this move was predicated on a belief of getting a SS that while not Troy, was a MAN in his own right and we targeted Dawan Landry early on in the process. We let the bidding begin and even entertained the possibility of adding Eric Weddle as a new FS but alas bidding became such that we would have been out of the Landry sweepstakes at the time as we let his market define itself before we made our move. So while we liked the idea of adding both weddle and Landry, Ryan Clark is a very good FS and the cost of weddle would have precluded other moves from happening and we went all in on just Landry. We had also added Kurt Coleman in a trade so we feel like SS is once again a strength, while not Troy, is better than solid, we say top 5 to 10 for sure. We drafted Marcus Gilchrist and feel he provides solid FS depth as well as at cb if needed as he was a cb in college.

    Now Big Ben is a SB qb, but we love Matt Ryan and he has a great future in his own right and provided us MUCH needed cap space as we saved 6 mil at qb position while we feel losing nothing in ability. felt like a win-win for us.

    We then made another trade that was hard as o-line was a unit of concern as well and this trade had us giving up our young stud in Pouncey, but we got back Vontae Davis in return who we feel in well on his way to becoming one of the leagues premier corner and instantly becomes our #1 guy. We are excited to add Vontae and feel he takes our defense over the hump. We also added Trevard Lindley is is a young very quick corner that adds a solid nickel corner to our team. So with Dunta, Vontae and Trevard we feel very solid. Keenan Lewis remains from last year and we like him and we drafted Shareece Wright who we feel has potential and with our roster he can learn w/o pressure.

    We absolutely were set on Brooks Reed at 44 to replace Woodley who was stolen away like a thief in the night by the #@#!@#% Vikings, anyway I digress, but Cameron Heyward was just too good to pass up and contributes immediately in a rotaion that will keep both he and Brett Keisal healthy and fresh.

    After taking Heyward, we looked to fill that pass rushing specialist and believe we tapped some raw potential in Chris Carter from Fresno State and since we had signed David Vobora in FA felt he was just a nice fit who doesnt have to play every down while he refines his skills and develops but can contribute right away.

    From there in both FA and the draft we felt we put pieces to puzzle that added depth to our team and allowed to rotate some guys and keep them fresh.

    At WR we didnt go flash but we went with solid, we love Sanders and believe he can do for us what we lose in Wallace, while adding Steve Breaston wh battled injury in 10 but has talent and when healthy is dangerous and fearless. Michael jenkins we feel can be a help now that he isnt a focal point and expectaions are off and he can just play. He is a real value at #4.


    Overall I feel really good about this team and what I was able to do. This was my second year and felt I was much more prepared for when something didnt go as expected. I think that this team is not weak anywhere and is set up to win.

    I think it was a great time and cant wait til the simulations to see how it plays out.

    I want to end with a HUGE THANK YOU to GridironKing and everyone else who volunteered to run FA positions, monitor draft etc. I can tell you that doing 1 team is alot of work, so to do what you guys do cant tell you how much I appreciate it, Thank You Very Much.
     
    Paul 13, GISH, Boik14 and 3 others like this.
  7. UCFinfan86

    UCFinfan86 Season Ticket Holder

    2,057
    824
    113
    Mar 23, 2008
    Your 2011 Atlanta Falcons….

    The 2010 Atlanta Falcons finished 16th in offense with 341ypg. The Falcons offense suffered from the same problems that our Miami Dolphins suffered from, they lacked big plays and required long mistake free drives in order to put points on the board. I set out to change this offense into an explosive down field offensive juggernaut. We have added playmakers (Ben Roethlisberger, Miles Austin, DeSean Jackson, Mike Wallace, Nate Burleson, Brad Smith, Greg Olsen, Anthony Fasano, Mike Goodson, and Jerome Harrison) everywhere on offense.

    In 2010 the Atlanta Falcons defense finished 16th giving up 322 ypg. The defense, along with the offense, lacked playmakers and explosiveness. We infused the defense with a great mix of veterans (John Henderson, Dwan Edwards, Clint Sessions, Charles Tillman, Fabian Washington), young players (Charles Johnson, Zac Diles, Gerald McRath, Derek Cox, Chris Clemons), and rookies (Stephen Paea, Marvin Austin, Justin Houston, Bruce Carter).

    DEPTH CHART Red = Rookie
    QB – Ben Roethlisberger/Marc Buler/Scott Tolzien
    RB-Michael Turner/Mike Goodson/Jerome Harrison
    FB- Leonard Weaver
    WR- Miles Austin/Nate Burleson
    WR- Mike Wallace/Brad Smith
    WR- DeSean Jackson/Nate Burleson
    TE- Greg Olsen/Anthony Fasano/Michael Palmer
    LT- Jeff Backus/Barry Sims
    LG – Chris Spencer/Nate Garner
    C- Todd McClure/Joe Hawley
    RG- Mike Johnson/Nate Garner
    RT- Ebon Britton/Garrett Reynolds

    DE – John Abraham/Justin Houston
    DE – Charles Johnson/Kroy Biermann/Derrick Harvey
    DT – John Henderson/Marvin Austin/Dwan Edwards
    DT – Stephen Paea/Corey Peters
    OLB – Clint Sessions/Gerald McRath/Spencer Adkins
    MLB – Curtis Lofton/Omar Gaither
    OLB – Sean Weatherspoon/Bruce Carter/Zac Diles
    CB – Brent Grimes/Fabian Washington/Sheldon Brown
    CB – Charles Tillman/Derek Cox
    FS – Chris Clemons/Madieu Williams
    SS – William Moore/Tyler Sash
    K – Shayne Graham
    P – Michael Konean


    QB
    Ben Roethilsberger $11,600,000
    Scott Tolzien $300,000
    Marc Bulger $300,000
    $12,200,000

    RB
    Michael Turner $5,000,000
    Mike Goodson $480,000
    Jerome Harrison $300,000
    Leonard Weaver $350,000
    $6,130,000

    WR
    Miles Austin $8,540,000
    Mike Wallace $480,000
    Brad Smith $300,000
    Nate Burleson $400,000
    Desean Jackson $565,000
    $10,285,000

    TE
    Michael Palmer $300,000
    Anthony Fasano $1,900,000
    Greg Olsen $650,000
    $2,850,000

    OL
    Garrett Reynolds $480,000
    Todd McClure $1,700,000
    Jeff Backus $500,000
    Chris Spencer $1,000,000
    Nate Garner $300,000
    Ebon Britton $544,600
    Mike Johnson $405,000
    Joe Hawley $405,000
    Barry Sims $300,000
    $5,634,600

    DE
    John Abraham $8,000,000
    Derrick Harvey $500,000
    Charles Johnson $7,500,000
    Kroy Biermann $555,000
    Justin Houston $500,000
    $17,055,000

    DT
    John Henderson $6,000,000
    Marvin Austin $500,000
    Stephen Paea $500,000
    Corey Peters $405,000
    Dwan Edwards $550,000
    $7,955,000

    LB
    Sean Weatherspoon $405,000
    Zach Diles $300,000
    Bruce Carter $500,000
    Gerald McRath $480,000
    Omar Gaither $300,000
    Clint Sessions $300,000
    Curtis Lofton $602,000
    Spencer Adkins $300,000
    $3,187,000

    CB
    Brent Grimes $2,100,000
    Derek Cox $480,000
    Fabian Washington $700,000
    Charles Tillman $3,400,000
    Sheldon Brown $400,000
    $7,080,000

    S
    William Moore $480,000
    Chris Clemons $480,000
    Madieu Williams $300,000
    Tyler Sash $400,000
    $1,660,000

    K
    Shayne Graham $300,000

    P
    Michael Konean $300,000


    DRAFT PICKS
    2(39) - DE Justin Houston
    2(44) - DT Stephen Paea
    2(53) - OLB Bruce Carter
    3(71) - DT Marvin Austin
    4(106) - SS Tyler Sash
    6(C6C) - QB Scott Tolzien
     
    Paul 13, GISH, UCF FINatic and 3 others like this.
  8. Vengeful Odin

    Vengeful Odin Norse Mod

    21,837
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    Dec 2, 2007
    Kansas City, MO
    2011 Kansas City Chiefs

    A Vengeful Taco Production ...
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    Head Coach: Todd Haley / Offensive Coordinator: Russ Grimm / Defensive Coordinator: Romeo Crennel


    Team Overview

    Unlike past stops as a General Manager, my main goal with the Chiefs was to leave as much of the current team in place as was possible. I’ve done the whole “blow the team up and start over” method, both with the Bengals as well as with the Bucs. Because Kansas City won the AFC West last year, and because of the general talent already on their roster, I instead wanted to augment that – rather than completely starting over.

    This meant that I would have to use resources other than players – i.e. draft picks and Free Agency – to plug the holes on the roster. Because of this philosophy, I was relatively difficult to trade with. I simply didn’t want to part with guys whom I considered the “face” of the team – meaning I was very prickly when it came to fielding offers for the likes of Bowe, Charles, Flowers, and Hali.

    On offense, I was generally happy with what the Chiefs had in terms of weapons, though I wanted to find a solid #2 WR and find an upgrade to the aging Thomas Jones at power back. I also wanted to improve the Chiefs offensive line. On defense, my goal was to improve the quality of the line by fully embracing the 3-4, which would require a near full retooling of the defensive front seven. In the secondary, I felt that keeping Brandon Flowers and Brandon Carr, one of the NFL’s best young tandems, was a key. Eric Berry is also a rising playmaker, and I felt if I could find a dynamic FS to pair with him I’d have the makings of a very good secondary.

    Coaching Staff

    I wanted to continue the theme of continuity with the coaching staff. Keeping Todd Haley was a no-brainer, as was keeping defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel. With Charlie Weiss leaving for Florida, I had a hole at offensive coordinator. Local KC sports radio has suggested that one of the reasons for Weiss’s departure was his apparent power struggle with Head Coach Todd Haley. This meant that I would have to look for a different replacement. Russ Grimm is a natural fit for Kansas City, having coached with Haley in Arizona. His title is that of offensive coordinator, but in reality Grimm will spend a lot of his time focused on the offensive line, where we expect him to help Anthony Davis hit the next level. We’re going to utilize the old Cowboys split, which means that as offensive coordinator Grimm will be focused primarily on the running game, while Haley will focus more on the passing game and specialty packages.

    Offensive Philosophy

    Our plan is to split the offense into two parts, passing and running. Head Coach Todd Haley will maintain control of the passing game and develop the offensive game plans weekly. We will continue to use spread concepts, though with our weapons at TE we’re also going to borrow heavily from the Patriots offense of a year ago and run some two tight end sets. In reality we don’t expect to see much of a change from what the Chiefs did last season. That means you can expect to see a lot of quick slants, screens, and deep passes out of the passing game. With Dwayne Bowe on the roster it allows us to open up a lot of things that would otherwise be off limits. Haley will surely use one of my personal favorites, the deep cross, with Bowe creating all sorts of problems for the secondary.

    New Offensive Coordinator Russ Grimm will be focused on the running game, particularly the offensive line, which sports 3 fresh faces from last season. We’ve given him plenty of weapons, with Jamaal Charles, Mikel LeShoure, and Daniel Thomas all capable of breaking off long runs. We’ve also given him a straightforward mauler in Owen Marecic. However Grimm’s greatest challenge will be with the offensive line, where we have high hopes for youngsters Barry Richardson, Kristofer O’Dowd, and Anthony Davis. We anticipate that Grimm will continue to employ a zone-blocking scheme, which will take advantage of Jamaal Charles’s lateral quickness. In addition, we will be running some straightforward power concepts behind our very solid interior offensive line, as Marecic opens lanes for LeShoure up the middle.

    One thing we’ve been working on this season is our version of the Wildcat package, which we’ve dubbed “Mjolnir”. In this version, the Wildcat QB will actually be flanked by a HB and a FB. This is where the name comes from – when you diagram it out it looks a little bit like a hammer.

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    The primary reason we pursued James Casey was because he played in a similar formation while at Rice. In this instance he’ll be playing the FB role, though not necessarily all the time (Casey also played in the “Thor” package as a Wildcat QB while in college). Most of the time Daniel Thomas will take snaps as QB, which is something he did while at Junior College and at Kansas State. He’ll be flanked by Jamaal Charles or Mike LeShoure – really that depends on the situation at hand. Dexter McCluster or Tony Moeaki will play the slot – again, which one it is really depends on the game situation. Mjolnir will be used primarily as a power formation, as it takes advantage of Daniel Thomas’s short yardage ability in that area. In addition we’ll be using it to run some spread concepts, including things like a read-triple-option, where Thomas will be asked to read and react to the defense. Another possibility is some veer-power plays, with Casey leading the way as a power blocker. One note - We had considered leaving Matt Cassell on the field of play, but because this package has such a unique personnel grouping we felt that it wasn’t worth wasting a spot with a guy who won’t get involved in the play.

    Defensive Philosophy

    The defense will remain largely unchanged from last season to this season, though we’ve made major upgrades to the defense as a whole. Our base defense will be the 3-4. The defensive line of veterans Marcus Stroud, Shaun Rogers, and Justin Bannan will help occupy blockers, allowing the revamped linebacking crew, led by Tamba Hali and Derrick Johnson, to make plays on defense. Where Kansas City really shines is in the secondary, which boasts a pair of stud cornerbacks in Brandon Flowers and Brandon Carr and a pair of star safeties in Eric Berry and Eric Weddle. With studs across the board, we feel that Kansas City now boasts the NFL’s most fearsome secondary. From a scheme standpoint the Chiefs will look more like the Patriots than the Steelers, as Romeo Crennel, which means that while the Chiefs will be willing to blitz, they’re likely to be more standard and not of the zone variety.

    That’s not to say that the defense is going to be boring. We’ve got a wrinkle designed to combat the high-flying offenses of the AFC. We believe that the Spread Offense is here to stay. Thus far regular defenses like the 3-4 and 4-3 have been unable to defend it, because linebackers are typically too slow to be able to cover in space. The nickel (4-2-5) is imperfect as well, as the nickel defensive back is usually too small to be able to engage in the run game. For years we’ve seen teams like the Patriots kill teams with spread concepts, either by using a wide receiver out of the slot (Wes Welker), or by using screens and dump offs (every running back since Corey Dillon). It’s a copy cat league, so it’s not surprising that this offseason we’ve seen a lot of teams going bonkers on offense. The Chiefs are taking a different approach. Rather than chasing the latest trend, instead we’ve been working on how we plan to defend it, and we’re implementing what we call the “Ragnarok” package. Up front, it’s a 4 man front with two linebackers, similar to most nickel packages. The wrinkle is that we plan to play Eric Berry as Strong Safety, Eric Lewis at Weak Safety, and also bring in Kendrick Lewis to play Free Safety.

    [​IMG]

    You can see that this actually looks a lot like the old 4-4 Defense, which is I actually played in while in High School. The benefits to this formation is that it will allow us to play Cover 3 against pretty much any variation of the spread, unless the offense audibles and decides to go 5-wide. It also places Weddle and Berry closer to the line of scrimmage. The benefit to this is twofold. They can diagnose and react to running plays (or short, dump off routes in the flats) quickly and effectively. They can also wreak havoc should we decide to blitz one or both of them. The Ragnarok formation will also allow us to get our 6 best blitzers on the field at the same time. Tamba Hali will drop back down to DE, with Marcus Stroud going to his old spot at DT and Shaun Rogers staying at nose. In addition we plan to substitute Sam Acho out at the other DE spot and play Stephen Tulloch and Derrick Johnson at the ILB spots, though Kirk Morrison will get some opportunities as well. We anticipate that this formation will give opposing offensive coordinators preparation nightmares.

    Trading Summary

    As I mention at the outset, the Chiefs weren’t all that active in the trading market because we wanted to keep the team together. I’m not going to get into every trade that was made, but I did want to highlight a couple of the deals that we felt were keys to the Chiefs offseason.


    • 117 and 182 for Shawn Rogers, NT: Nose tackle was probably the Chiefs biggest need starting the offseason, and they don’t come much bigger than Shawn Rogers. This was another attempt to create continuity, as Rogers has openly praised Defensive Coordinator and had arguably his best season as a pro with Romeo in Cleveland in 2008.
    • 86 for Earl Bennett and 190: A third round choice was a steep price to pay for a WR, but considering Bennett’s age, production, and salary it was a move we felt we had to make. After NT, WR help was next on our list of offseason priorities. Bennett should mesh perfectly with what we’re trying to do on offense.
    • Glenn Dorsey and 213 for Justin Bannan and 155: I actually really like Glenn Dorsey, but he’s been consistently miscast in Kansas City and simply isn’t a fit for the 3-4. I briefly considered going to a 4-3, which would fit him a lot better, but I decided against it because Crennel has never ran it before. I was happy to get an underrated DE in Justin Bannan back in the deal and pick up 155, which turned into Owen Marecic.
    • Brandon Albert for David Diehl, 92, and 179: While I didn’t really want to part with Albert, packaging Albert in a 3-for-1 deal just made too much sense to pass up. Former Pro Bowler Diehl is an adequate LT, and can help man the position for at least another year. 92 was eventually moved as part of a package for Anthony Davis, meaning that, in effect, I traded Brandon Albert for David Diehl AND Anthony Davis. Not bad.
    • 92 and Wallace Gillberry for Anthony Davis: Another guy that I didn’t really want to part with, Wallace Gillbery simply didn’t fit what I wanted to do defensively. I wanted to keep him as a nickel rusher, but a starting RT is more valuable than someone who is only on the field part of the time. This trade was a reaction to the Free Agency Tackle prices, which were just beginning to skyrocket. I simply didn’t want to pay someone 5+ million a year for average play, at best. Instead I’ll take the former first rounder Anthony Davis, whom should be a natural on the right side. We may even experiment with him on the left, depending on how Russ Grimm helps him develop.
    Free Agency Summary

    Heading into Free Agency, we felt like there were a number of areas that we wanted to address, even though we had filled quite a few of our most pressing needs through our trading activity. Specifically, we were looking for the following players:

    • Center: We really wanted to add a top-flight center to the roster. Casey Weigmann, at 38, probably won’t be coming back for another season, and even if he does we wanted to get younger. We initially targeted Ryan Kalil but were more than happy to get Kyle Cook at a much reduced price.
    • “Bridge” SOLB: Andy Studebaker remains an unproven commodity. Our intention was always to draft a SOLB early, but we wanted someone who was more proven than Studebaker for the time being. Kirk Morrison will be more than an adequate option for the short term.
    • “Banger” ILB: Derrick Johnson is very solid in coverage, but between him and Jovan Belcher we felt like we had two coverage LBs manning the inside. Adding Stephen Tulloch to the mix should allow us to be very physical at the point of attack.
    • Impact FS: Kendrick Lewis is very serviceable at Free Safety, and last year’s starter John McGraw will always be a personal favorite of mine, but if you have a chance to add an impact Free Safety, you have to do it. In today’s NFL it’s evolved into one of the game’s most important positions. Eric Weddle would be the best safety in the AFC if Ed Reed and Troy Polomalu didn’t grab all the headlines.
    • Defensive Line Depth: Tyson Jackson remains a work in progress. We decided to go with the Patriots model in terms of what they are doing with their defensive linemen. Specifically we wanted tall players who can clog lanes, like veteran Marcus Stroud, who we were excited to land late in the process. Antonio Johnson also offers a little bit of versatility as well.

    Draft Summary

    Our plan in the draft was pretty straightforward. First and foremost we wanted to maximize our value for our draft selections. Secondly we had some positions that we wanted some help at (RB, OLB, C, etc.), but we didn’t want to limit ourselves to those positions when drafting. This meant that we could possibly end up doubling up on a position that was already strong (something that actually happened when drafting Daniel Thomas). Overall we feel like we got very good value across the board with our picks, and got ourselves some very good developmental players in the process.

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    • Round 2 Pick 38 (from Indianapolis via Tennessee via Denver via Arizona): Mikel LeShoure
    • Round 3 Pick 76 (from Minnesota via San Francisco): Sam Acho
    • Round 3 Pick 80 (from Indianapolis via Jacksonville): Luke Stocker
    • Round 4 Pick 105 (from Minnesota): Daniel Thomas
    • Round 4 Pick 113 (from Denver via Buffalo via Miami via Carolina via San Francisco via Jacksonville): Greg McElroy
    • Round 4 Pick 120 (from Minnesota via Jacksonville): Kristofer O'Dowd
    • Round 5 Pick 133 (from Arizona): Jaiquawn Jarrett
    • Round 5 Pick 155 (from Denver via Tennessee via Atlanta): Owen Marecic
    • Round 6 Pick 163 (from Cleveland): Denarius Moore
    • Round 6 Pick 182 (from New York Jets via Cleveland via Kansas City): Frank Kearse

    Official Roster

    Quarterback

    • Matt Cassel ($4,750,000) (Team Captain): After struggling in 2009, Cassel bounced back with a fantastic 2010 campaign. His play was a big reason that the Chiefs won the AFC West last year. With the new weapons on offensive, we expect Cassel to continue his solid play in 2011.
    • Matt Leinart ($300,000): Sometimes it’s about the devil you know. Leinart brings experience, having started 17 games in the NFL. He’s strictly a backup at this stage in his career, and would only see action if Cassel went down with injury, ironic considering Cassel was his backup at USC.
    • Greg McElroy ($400,000): Probably my favorite QB prospect in the draft. He exemplifies what we are looking for at the QB position – tough, gutsy, leadership. Will start the season as the #3 QB and we will groom him for the #2 spot down the road.
    Running Back

    • Jammal Charles ($2,750,000): Gish’s favorite player who has put up back to back 1000 yard seasons. One of the NFL’s most dynamic players, we’re going to do everything we can to limit his carries – while Charles has shown that he can handle the load we’re building a dynasty here – and we want him around for the long run.
    • Mikel LeShoure ($500,000): Big time power back who will be a terrific compliment to Jammal Charles, and a clear upgrade over Thomas Jones at RB. He might be my personal favorite running back in the draft.
    • Daniel Thomas ($400,000): Thomas will start the year as our #3 back, which isn’t a bad problem to have. We like him in certain goal line situations, as well as in our Mjolnir package, where he’ll likely be the trigger man.
    • Owen Marecic ($400,000): I’m mystified by the trend of the disappearing fullback in the NFL. To me, there’s just times where you want to be able to jam the ball down the other team’s throat. That’s what Marecic will allow us to do. His experience at linebacker will also allow him to be a solid contributor on special teams.
    Wide Receiver

    • Dwayne Bowe ($690,000): One of the NFL’s most physical receivers, Bowe has averaged over 1000 yards per 16 games since entering the NFL. Bowe should be in the conversation as one of the NFL’s top receivers, and we anticipate him taking another step forward this season.
    • Earl Bennett ($550,000): If you were designing a template for a #2 NFL receiver, you might end up with Earl Bennett. Bennett will help stretch the field and open things up for Bowe on the other side of the field. We felt like we had to make a move for a #2 WR, and were happy to land Bennett in Kansas City.
    • Dexter McCluster ($405,000): McCluster moves into the #3 WR role to begin this season. His speed makes him a difficult guy to match up with. We’re going to maximize his value this season, which means he’s going to see duty as a KR, PR, WR, and RB.
    • Verran Tucker ($480,000): An undrafted free agent, Tucker surprised folks by sticking with the Chiefs out of training camp. He’s an intriguing prospect, still a work in progress. He’ll be our #4 WR and be a key player for us on special team coverage units.
    • Carlton Mitchell ($300,000): Mitchell’s size (6’4) means that he’ll be Dwayne Bowe’s understudy. Like Tucker, he’ll see time on special teams. In addition, we plan on getting him into the game in certain goal line situations, where he can use his height to box out smaller defensive backs.
    • Denarius Moore ($400,000): Moore will also see action in certain situations, particularly when we go 4 wide on 3rd and Long. His speed should allow him to get behind defenses. We’re going to work with him in the slot role as well. Moore should also see time as a special teamer.

    Tight End

    • Tony Moeaki ($405,000): We’re going to continue to use Moeaki to create mismatches in the secondary. He’s too fast for linebackers and too physical for defensive backs. Replacing Tony Gonzales was always going to be difficult, but Moeaki has done admirably in filling those very large shoes.
    • James Casey ($475,000): Come on, the dude’s nickname is Thor. Did you really think he wouldn’t be a part of my team? In all seriousness, Casey is a tough physical player who will pair well with Moeaki in certain two TE situations. He will also be asked to contribute on special teams, where he made 5 tackles for the Texans last season.
    • Luke Stocker ($450,000): Third round draft choice will compete with James Casey for the #2 TE spot. Replaced Brad Cottam in Tennessee, and is doing the same in Kansas City. Developmental TE prospect that has drawn some comparisons to former Vol Jason Witten.

    Offensive Line

    • David Diehl ($3,500,000): Diehl will step in to replace Brandon Albert at LT. Veteran player who plays with a bit of a mean streak. Made the Pro Bowl in 2009, and was an All Pro in 2008.
    • Brian Waters ($3,900,000) (Team Captain): The heart and soul of the Kansas City offensive line, Waters has been one of the most consistently great guards in the NFL. Though he is entering the twilight of his career, he still has several good years ahead of him. One of the NFL’s ambassadors, both on and off the field.
    • Kyle Cook ($1,500,000): Underrated by Bengals fans, the durable Kyle Cook has started 32 consecutive games in Cincinnati. He’s not the long term solution at Center in Kansas City, but he should be a solid player for us for the next several years while we groom someone to take over.
    • Ryan Lilja ($2,000,000): Lilja resigned with the Chiefs last fall and played in 15 games. Most folks in the area, me included, felt that he outplayed Pro Bowler Brian Waters last season. Lilja gives us one of the best interior tandems in the AFC.
    • Anthony Davis ($487,500): Davis struggled a bit as a rookie, but we were willing to make a move to get a player who just last year was a Top 12 draft choice. New Offensive Coordinator Russ Grimm will be spending a lot of time working with Davis to improve the nuances of his game. Davis showed flashes last year – take a look at how he handled Clay Matthews – but we’re hoping that he puts it all together this year. Depending on his development, we may eventually flip him to LT down the line.
    • Barry Richardson ($300,000): Richardson was brought back on a minimum deal, mainly on the strength of his run blocking. He’s certainly capable of being a mauler in the run game, but is still working on the nuances of the passing game. He’ll start the season as a backup to Anthony Davis at RT.
    • Jon Asamoah ($405,000): Asamoah didn’t get a lot of playing time last season, but he did make an impression in limited time. The plan for now is to have him back up both G spots. That said, he’s surprisingly agile, which means he could also possibly move to C. We plan to give him the opportunity to compete against Kyle Cook for the starting spot, though Cook is the favorite.
    • Kristofer O’Dowd ($400,000): You can never have too many good linemen, and while we feel we have the C position covered for the conceivable future, we went ahead and draft O’Dowd out of USC. A bit of a finesse player, which is something we actually prefer out of our Cs, as we ask them to get to the second level and get out in space.
    • Kyle Kosier ($300,000): Like Kyle Cook, Koshier is another guy who seemingly went unappreciated by local fans. We’re happy to have him join the Chiefs. Koshier has started over 100 games in 9 seasons, and in addition has experience making the all-important offensive line calls during his time in Dallas.
    • Ryan O’Callaghan ($300,000): O’Callaghan would probably go into the season as the starter, if not for his penchant to be nicked up. In a lot of respects, O’Callaghan is the exact opposite of Barry Richardson – solid in pass protection but not that great in run support. He’ll be a backup T whom we can put at either spot if the need arises.

    Defensive Line

    • Shaun Rogers ($2,000,000): As I mentioned earlier, the NT spot was probably the top offseason priority. They don’t come much bigger than Shaun Rogers. Not everyone is sold on Rogers, as his motor runs hot-and-cold from time to time. We’re confident that reuniting him with Romeo Crennel will result in consistent play from him on the field.
    • Justin Bannan ($1,000,000): Classic example of a high-motor guy who just gets the job done as a 3-4 DE. Willing to do the dirty work and take on multiple blockers if that’s what the situation calls for. Can also drop down inside in an under technique if we go to 4-3 looks.
    • Marcus Stroud ($750,000): At 6’6, Stroud has the length that we like to see in our Defensive Ends. He will split snaps with Tyson Jackson, who has not quite lived up to expectations in Kansas City, and mentor him in the process. He’s also technically our backup NT, though if we suffered an injury to Rogers we’d more than likely go to a 4 man front and line Stroud up in the 3 or 2 technique.
    • Tyson Jackson ($1,790,000): Jackson remains a project at 3-4 DE, as he hasn’t been physical enough at the point of attack nor disruptive enough to get after the quarterback. As mentioned above, he’ll begin the season as a backup. Ideally Jackson will show enough progress throughout the season to eventually take over the position going into December and January, giving Stroud a break for the playoff push.
    • Frank Kearse ($400,000): A late round draft choice from tiny Alabama A&M, Kearse joins the Chiefs as a developmental prospect. We’re going to focus on getting him used to the speed of the NFL game, and we are grooming him for a shot at taking over the NT spot whenever we part ways with Shaun Rogers. In the meantime we’ll also coach him to play the other spots along the line, as his smarts and versatility will serve him well.
    • Anthony Toribio ($480,000): Another player whom we are looking at as a potential NT down the line is Anthony Toribio. For now he’ll primarily be a backup DE/DT that may see some action in certain 4-man fronts.
    • Antonio Johnson ($300,000): Johnson comes over from Indianapolis, where he started a total of 21 games in 3 years. We’re going to move him to the DE spot in most packages, though his familiarity with 4-man fronts means that he can play inside should the need arise.

    Linebacker

    • Kirk Morrison ($750,000): We’re still not quite sure how we got Kirk Morrison so cheaply. We had initially planned on using him for depth purposes only, but he’s simply too talented to leave on the bench. We are going to play him at SOLB, a position he played as a rookie in Oakland. He’s solid in both run and pass coverage, so he will see some time in special packages.
    • Derrick Johnson ($3,000,000): No one really expected Derrick Johnson to excel as an ILB in the Chiefs 3-4 scheme, but much like Miami’s Channing Crowder, he surprised everyone. The difference is that DJ actually makes plays in the opponent’s backfield. A year after being considered on the outs, Johnson bounced back with a monster 2010 campaign that saw him rack up over 120 tackles.
    • Stephen Tulloch ($4,000,000): One of our marquee free agent signings, Tulloch should make the Pro Bowl this season. It was criminal that he didn’t last year, after he racked up the second most tackles in the NFL. Tulloch is a little undersized for the 3-4 but we’re confident that he has the physicality to overcome it.
    • Tamba Hali ($9,345,000) (Team Captain): Expensive, but worth it. Another guy who should have been in the Pro Bowl last season, Hali is a versatile player capable of playing in either the 3-4 or the 4-3 at an extremely high level. Has blossomed into one of the league’s top pass rushers.
    • Sam Acho ($450,000): In some ways he reminds us of Koa Misi from last season. Acho is still a very raw prospect, and will start the season in a backup role. He’ll start by seeing action in pass rushing situations, but we’re hoping to eventually move him to SOLB in our 3-4.
    • Stephen Nicholas ($1,100,000): Nicholas comes over to the Chiefs from the Falcons, where he averaged just under 80 tackles each of the last two seasons. Solid in run support, we’ll use Nicholas as a situational player and short-term starter should someone go down with injury.
    • Jovan Belcher ($480,000): It’s tough to make the jump to the NFL, and it’s even tougher when you’re coming from Division III. Still, Belcher has done an admirable job working his way up. It’s nice to have starting-caliber players on your roster, and Belcher’s pass rushing prowess will come into play periodically, even if he’s not in the starting lineup.
    • Brandon Johnson ($750,000): We like Brandon Johnson because he’s got great size (6’5, 240 lbs) and can play pretty much any linebacker spot. Versatility is always a plus when constructing a roster, and Johnson offers plenty of that. He’s got some upside as a pass rusher, and also should be a special teams player as well.
    • Andy Studebaker ($950,000): Another guy from Division III, Studebaker surprised while spot starting for an injured Mike Vrabel in 2009. We really like Studebaker, and feel like he rounds out one of the NFL’s deepest linebacker units.

    Defensive Back

    • Brandon Flowers ($555,000): In the span of three short seasons Brandon Flowers has blossomed into one of the NFL’s best young cornerbacks. Flowers has broken up a ridiculous 50 passes since coming into the NFL. Last season he was rated as Pro Football Focus’s second best cornerback in coverage.
    • Brandon Carr ($2,100,000): The yang to Brandon Flowers’s ying, Brandon Carr has developed into a very respectable cornerback in his own right. Carr has a little bit more height and in some cases actually matches up better against the bigger NFL receivers.
    • Eric Weddle ($5,500,000): As the NFL continues to evolve into a passing league, defenses are redefining what it means to be a Free Safety. Today’s Free Safties have to be physical enough to match up with the atletic TEs of the NFL, and fast enough to help cover speedy WRs out of the slot. Weddle is also very physical against the run, which is an added bonus.
    • Eric Berry ($3,250,000) (Team Captain): My personal favorite prospect from the 2010 draft, Eric Berry did not disappoint, as a stellar rookie campaign led to a Pro Bowl selection. Like Weddle, Berry is capable of playing either safety spot, but we prefer to play him at SS, where his tenacious tackling and hard hitting is put to best use.
    • Javier Arenas ($405,000): Arenas returns kicks and punts in addition to handling nickel CB duties for the Chiefs. Arenas ranked third among rookies last season in punt return yardage. We also like him as a cornerback, as his shiftiness allows him to recover when covering receivers out of the slot.
    • Kendrick Lewis ($405,000): Lewis surprised everyone last season by stepping into the FS role and playing quite well for the Chiefs. While we won’t be asking him to start this season he should provide us very nice depth. We do plan to utlize him as part of our Ragnarok package, which from time to time will feature three safeties on the field at the same time.
    • Jaiquawn Jarrett ($400,000): Jarrett is capable of playing either safety spot, but we plan to have him act primarily as Eric Berry’s immediate backup. He is very physical and likes contact. Because of this we anticipate that he will be a terror on special teams.
    • Donald Washington ($480,000): Primarily Brandon Carr’s backup, Donald Washington will fill our dime cornerback role, though his size makes him a viable option at FS, should the need arise. In addition he’ll be asked to play on special teams, and help round out an overhauled unit that should be much improved.

    Special Teams

    • Ryan Succop ($550,000): Succop will continue to handle kicking duties for the Chiefs. A seventh round draft choice just two years ago, Succop has been consistent and reliable for Kansas City, even when kicking in less-than-stellar weather conditions.
    • Dustin Colquitt ($350,000): One of the NFL’s most underrated punters, Colquitt was again stellar at pinning opponents deep beyond the 20 yard line last season, as his 33 punts inside the 20 was good for 4th best in the NFL. His raw average of 44.4 yards per punt was also good enough for 12th in the NFL.
    • Zak DeOssie ($300,000) (Team Captain): DeOssie comes over to Kansas City to take over long snapping duties, a position in which he went to the Pro Bowl for in 2008 and 2010. In addition he will serve as a key special teamer and offer linebacker depth as well.

    Starting Lineups & Depth Chart

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    [​IMG]

    Offense

    • QB: Matt Cassel / Matt Leinart / Greg McElroy
    • RB: Jamaal Charles / Mikel LeShoure / Daniel Thomas
    • FB/HB: Owen Marecic / Kris Wilson
    • WR 1 (Split): Dwayne Bowe / Carlton Mitchell
    • WR 2 (Flanker): Earl Bennett / Denarius Moore / Verran Tucker
    • WR 3 (Slot): Dexter McCluster / Verran Tucker
    • TE: Tony Moeaki / Luke Stocker / James Casey / Kris Wilson
    • LT: David Diehl / Anthony Davis
    • LG: Brian Waters / Kyle Koshier
    • C: Kyle Cook / Kristofer O'Dowd
    • RG: Ryan Lilja / Jon Asamoah
    • RT: Anthony Davis / Barry Richardson / Ryan O'Callaghan
    Offense (Wildcat - "Mjolnir")

    • QB: Daniel Thomas/ James Casey
    • FB: James Casey / Mikel LeShoure
    • RB: Jamaal Charles / Mikel LeShoure
    • WR 1: Dwayne Bowe / Carlton Mitchell
    • WR 2: Earl Bennett / Dexter McCluster / Denarius Moore
    • TE: Tony Moeaki / Luke Stocker
    • LT: David Diehl / Anthony Davis
    • LG: Brian Waters / Kyle Koshier
    • C: Kyle Cook / Kristofer O'Dowd
    • RG: Ryan Lilja / Jon Asamoah
    • RT: Anthony Davis / Barry Richardson / Ryan O'Callaghan
    Defense (3-4 Base)

    • LDE: Marcus Stroud / Tyson Jackson / Anthony Toribio
    • NT: Shaun Rogers / Frank Kearse
    • RDE: Justin Bannan / Antonio Johnson
    • SOLB: Kirk Morrison / Stephen Nicholas / Andy Studebaker
    • LILB: Derrick Johnson / Kirk Morrison
    • RILB: Stephen Tulloch / Jovan Belcher
    • ROLB: Tamba Hali / Sam Acho / Brandon Johnson
    • CB: Brandon Flowers / Javier Arenas
    • CB: Brandon Carr / Donald Washington
    • FS: Eric Weddle / Kendrick Lewis
    • SS: Eric Berry / Jaiquawn Jarrett
    Defense (4-2-5 - "Ragnarok")

    • LDE: Tamba Hali / Tyson Jackson
    • DT: Marcus Stroud / Justin Bannan
    • NT: Shaun Rogers / Frank Kearse
    • RDE: Sam Acho / Anthony Toribio
    • LILB: Derrick Johnson / Kirk Morrison
    • RILB: Stephen Tulloch / Jovan Belcher
    • SS: Eric Berry / Jaiquawn Jarrett
    • CB: Brandon Flowers / Javier Arenas
    • CB: Brandon Carr/ Donald Washington
    • DB: Kendrick Lewis / Javier Arenas
    • FS: Eric Weddle / Kendrick Lewis
    Special Teams

    • K: Ryan Succop
    • P: Dustin Colquitt
    • H: Dustin Colquitt / Greg McElroy / Matt Leinart
    • LS: Zak DeOssie / Owen Marecic / Andy Studebaker
    • KR: Javier Arenas / Dexter McCluster
    • PR: Javier Arenas / Dexter McCluster

    Closing Thoughts

    On Offense, the Chiefs look to be much improved from 2010, which saw them finish 12th overall in Yards per Game but middle of the road (14th overall) in Points per Game. The offensive line has been overhauled, with new starters David Diehl and Anthony Davis manning the tackle spots. While it was difficult to let center Casey Weigmann walk away we felt like we had to get younger at the position. Kyle Cook serves as a nice bridge. In the future we will likely turn the duties over to Jon Asamoah or Kris O’Dowd. With Ryan Lilja, and Brian Waters we feel like we have a Pro Bowl caliber guard and Kyle Koshier brings experience should one of them go down. At the skill positions, our primary goals were to acquire more weapons and improve the running game. We traded for Earl Bennett, who will give us a qualified number two option opposite of Dwayne Bowe. In addition we’re expecting big things from Dexter McCluster and the continued development of Verran Tucker and Carlton Mitchell. Our TE group has been completely overhauled and is now among the youngest and most athletic in the league. Tony Moaeki drew Rookie of the Year votes and both James Casey and Luke Stocker should add depth. The area we are the most excited about is our stable of running backs. Jamaal Charles has proven to be electric. Mikel LeShoure is a perfect “thunder” style complement to Charles and Daniel Thomas offers us versatility in specialty packages. New Fullback Owen Marecic is a throwback but we imagine that he could find his way to Hawaii in the near future. Matt Cassel made the Pro Bowl a season ago and we expect him to continue to play at a high level. Matt Leinart is getting a second chance in the NFL while we will allow Greg McElroy the chance to develop into a starting caliber quarterback somewhere down the line. Overall we expect that the offense will be much more consistent next year, which should translate into more points and yards per game.

    Like the offense, last season saw the Chiefs finish in the middle of the pack defensively. One of the things we felt was holding the Chiefs back last season was the fact that there were a number of players who seemed better suited for the 4-3 as opposed to the 3-4 defense. And while we did have some internal discussions about moving back to the 4-3 full-time, we ultimately decided to fully embrace the 3-4. With that in mind we knew that we wanted to revamp the front seven, finding ourselves a mammoth Nose Tackle and another solid pass rusher to complement Tamba Hali. We started with trading for Shaun Rogers, who has underperformed the last few seasons in Cleveland. However we’re confident that he can play a serious role for us. We traded away former first rounder Glenn Dorsey, importing the criminally underrated Justin Bannan in his place. Tyson Jackson moves to the bench, while veteran Marcus Stroud will be asked to take over the other DE spot. We’re very excited about our linebackers. Aside from Hali and the returning Derrick Johnson, we also signed Stephen Tulloch and Kirk Morrison to man the other spots. Tulloch is undersized for a 3-4 defense but we believe that he has the tenacity to overcome those physical limitations. Morrison will be asked to hold down the SOLB spot, though he will face competition from Stephen Nicholas, Sam Acho and Andy Studebaker. Our secondary should be regarded as one of the NFL’s best. Brandon Flowers and a returning Brandon Carr anchor the CB spots, while Eric Berry and Eric Weddle patrol the middle. Kendrick Lewis and Javier Arenas offer valuable depth and both will see the field in some capacity throughout the season, more than likely as part of our 4-2-5 “Ragnarok” package. Overall we anticipate that the defense will be stout against the run, and very good against the pass, a lethal combination that should lead to defense pressure and turnovers.

    I’ve been a General Manager several times in the past, but I feel like this Chiefs team is the most talented. For the first time in my three years of doing this, there isn’t a rookie starter anywhere on offense, defense, or special teams. At every position there are quality starters, with most positions offering tremendous depth that could start for other teams. The offenses and defenses are littered with young and talented players capable of multiple Pro Bowls. Several positions (RB, TE, LB, CB/S) should be considered among the NFL’s best. It all starts with the Quarterback and we feel like Matt Cassel has taken the next steps to becoming one of the NFL’s best. We’ve kept the coaching staff mostly intact, bringing in Russ Grimm, who is already very familiar with Todd Haley, having worked beside him in Arizona. We expect that familiarity will translate into results on the field. Because of this, our expectations are high. We fully expect to be back in the playoffs next season, and we are cautiously optimistic that we could be hosting a game in Arrowhead Stadium with the Super Bowl at stake.
     
    Paul 13, GISH, UCF FINatic and 3 others like this.
  9. finsbuck719

    finsbuck719 New Member

    1,459
    506
    0
    Jan 25, 2009
    First off, you guys better read this ****ing wall of text.

    ROSTER


    Quarterback ($2,277,000)
    Kevin Kolb $1,392,000
    Jimmy Clausen $405,000
    Tony Pike $480,000

    Runningback ($12,274,800)
    DeAngelo Williams $8,794,800 (franchise tag)
    Darren Sproles $3,000,000
    Tyrell Sutton $480,000
    Nic Grigsby $300,000

    Fullback ($480,000)
    Tony Fiammetta $480,000

    Wide Receiver ($7,640,000)
    Anquan Boldin $6,000,000
    Brandon LaFell $405,000
    Nate Washington $500,000
    David Gettis $405,000
    Mardy Gilyard $405,000

    Tight End ($1,440,000)
    Ed Dickson $405,000
    Cornelius Ingram $480,000
    Gary Barnidge $555,000

    Tackle ($8,815,000)
    Jordan Gross $6,000,000
    Jeff Otah $1,855,000
    Garry Williams $480,000
    Jacob Bender $480,000

    Guard ($1,515,000)
    Geoff Schwartz $480,000
    Mackenzy Bernadeau $555,000
    Duke Robinson $480,000
    Justin Boren $300,000

    Center ($0)
    Jason Spitz $400,000
    Jake Kirkpatrick $400,000

    ---------------
    Defense (3-4)

    Defensive End ($2,260,000)
    Marcus Spears $750,000
    Lawrence Guy $400,000
    Cedric Thornton $400,000
    Marques Douglas $700,000

    Nose Tackle ($980,000)
    Remi Ayodele $500,000
    Anthony Gray $400,000
    Louis Ellis $480,000

    Outside Linebacker ($5,960,000)
    James Anderson $4,300,000
    Aldon Smith $850,000
    Eric Norwood $405,000
    Quentin Groves $555,000
    Moise Fokou $300,000

    Inside Linebacker ($12,785,002)
    Jon Beason $1,380,000
    David Harris $10,700,002
    Jamar Chaney $405,000
    Corey Mays $300,000

    Cornerback ($8,569,117) -- ($14,274,017)
    Chris Gamble $6,244,117
    Richard Marshall $6,664,900 -- Transition Tag
    Jason McCourty $480,000
    Jeremy Ware $405,000
    DeMarcus Van Dyke $400,000

    Free Safety ($885,000)
    Sherrod Martin $480,000
    Jordan Pugh $405,000

    Strong Safety ($855,000)
    Charles Godfrey $555,000
    Robert Sands $400,000

    Punter ($300,000)
    Jason Baker $300,000

    Kicker ($300,000)
    Robbie Gould $300,000

    Total players: 53
    Total salary: $73,936,819 (1,063,181 under)

    ==============

    DEPTH CHART

    QB- Kevin Kolb, Jimmy Clausen, Tony Pike
    RB- DeAngelo Williams, Darren Sproles, Tyrell Sutton, Nic Grigsby
    FB- Tony Fiammetta
    WR1- Anquan Boldin, David Gettis (#4)
    WR2- Brandon LaFell, Mardy Gillyard (#5)
    WR3 (slot)- Nate Washington
    TE- Ed Dickson, Cornelius Ingram, Gary Barnidge
    LT- Jordan Gross, Jacob Bender
    LG- Mackenzy Bernadeau, Justin Boren
    C- Jason Spitz, Jake Kirkpatrick
    RG- Geoff Schwartz, Duke Robinson
    RT- Jeff Otah, Garry Williams

    ---------------------
    Defense (3-4)

    LDE- Marcus Spears, Cedric Thornton
    NT- Remi Ayodele, Anthony Gray, Louis Ellis
    RDE- Lawrence Guy, Marqes Douglas
    LOLB- James Anderson, Eric Norwood, Moise Fokou
    ILB- Jon Beason, Jamar Chaney
    ILB- David Harris, Corey Mays
    ROLB- Aldon Smith, Quentin Groves
    CB1- Chris Gamble, Jason McCourty, DeMarcus Van Dyke
    CB2- Richard Marshall, Jeremy Ware
    FS- Sherrod Martin, Jordan Pugh, Robert Sands
    SS- Charles Godfrey, Robert Sands

    ---------------------
    Special Teams:

    K- Robbie Gould
    P- Jason Baker
    KR- Darren Sproles, Mardy Gilyard, Tyrell Sutton
    PR- Darren Sproles, Jeremy Ware, Mardy Gilyard

    ==============

    WRITE UP
    Read this ****.

    I was dealt an incredible hand when I was chosen to GM the Panthers. A 2-7 off suit. Not only was my team a mess, but I found out that every player that was actually worthy of being on the field happened to be an UFA. Convenient. So, I realized that I had zero shot at turning this team into a playoff team right away (even with my stunning GM skills), so I figured I would build this team for the future.

    Offense:

    I envisioned bringing an exciting, spread/west coast offense to Carolina for one reason: The offense would be exciting to watch, so the fans could enjoy at least one aspect of the team. Even if the rest of the team sucks. This offense would consist of many 3-5WR sets, with an outside running game like none other. Lots of quick routes on the outside and underneath crossing routes to help spread the defense out. I figured that I needed a QB that could handle this, so I went out and snagged Kevin Kolb (who I think highly of).

    The next thing on my to-do list was to bring back DeAngelo Williams and upgrade my receiving corps. I worked out some trades and eventually brought in Anquan Boldin along with Mardy Gilyard, and Nate Washington through Free Agency as well. That brought many different looks to my offense. After that, I was looking at how weak my TE position was. Gary Barnidge was my most productive TE and I had to do something about that. Hello Ed Dickson, hello Cornelius Ingram. Both guys, being speedy TEs with good size (Dickson was clocked at a 4.54 and Ingram a 4.53). Having two TEs of their caliber brought more excitement to this spread offense.

    I have always been a believer in chemistry when it comes to offensive lines, so I did my best to keep them all together. I couldn't keep Kalil, because his bid price became too high, but I managed to bring in Jason Spitz through Free Agency, who I like, because he played in a similar offense in Green Bay.

    Oh, and I added Darren Sproles to my offense. Damn, this offense has some speed (no Al Davis).

    Defense:

    I focused on my offense heavily through trades, so I wanted to focus on defense heavily through the draft and free agency. Especially because I was converting from a 4-3 to a 3-4, which usually takes a few years to do so.

    I started off by hiring Dean Peas (Former NE Patriots DC) to become our DC and team up with Ron Rivera to implement a new 3-4 defense to Carolina. Not a bad tandem to do so, given that they both had success with their former teams in the 3-4 defense.

    I damn near cut or traded my entire front 7 because of the lack of talent and group of misfits I was dealt with. So, it created a challenge.

    Started off by assuring my secondary was still solid. Transition tagged Richard Marshall, brought in Jason McCourty through a trade, and Jeremy Ware as well. Kept everything else the same. After that, I didn't really have to focus on my secondary too much in FA or the draft.

    Then, I moved on to my **** hole. I mean, my front 7. When I found out that David Harris was an UFA, I had it in my mind that he will be a Panther. IDGAF what the Jets had in mind...he was going to be in Carolina. When I bid/overpaid him with a $10.7mil contract, it instantly upgrade my defense. Him and Jon Beason on the inside is frightening. But, I didn't stop there. I wanted pass rushers. There were 2 guys I targeted in the draft and I traded for Quentin Groves. I then brought back James Anderson, to create a group of 3 guys that totaled 350 tackles in 2010 (Anderson, Beason, Harris). Traded for Jamar Chaney for some depth, then added Moise Fokou and Corey Mays through FA for some more added depth to my nasty LB corps.

    Oh btw, I missed out on Lamarr Woodley also by a few hundred thousand. Imagine that LB corps: Woodley-Harris-Beason-Anderson. Oh lawd.

    For my defensive line, I wanted to get proven veterans. Started by bringing in Remi Ayodele to play NT and Marcus Spears to play the LDE position. Marques Douglas was also given a contract to help come in and add experience to that D-Line. Then, I turned to the draft to fill out my other defensive needs.

    Draft:

    Like I said before, I wanted to focus my draft with a defense heavy mindset. Kind of like the 2010 Dolphins draft.

    1st round, #10- OLB, Aldon Smith
    This was my guy from day 1. I worked on getting a deal done to move up and grab Von Miller, but since it was going to cost too much, I decided to move up for Aldon to ensure I didn't lose him at 15. I had too much on the line, since I didn't have a true starting OLB that could provide a decent pass rush. I gave up a lot for him, even if I didn't have to. Oh well, this guy is nasty.

    3rd round, #81- DE, Lawrence Guy
    Another guy I wanted from day 1. I like ASU, so I had a chance to watch him a few games throughout the season and he was clearly the leader of that defense along with Vontaze Burfict. He has a mean attitude on the field and I felt that he was one of the few standout true 3-4 DEs in the draft. Reminds me of Kendall Langford.

    4th round, #101- S, Robert Sands
    IMO, this was the steal of the draft. I had him rated as my number 1 safety and I see nothing but positives with this guy. Hell, I didn't even need a safety, since I had Godfrey, Martin, and Pugh...but I still took him anyways because of his upside, versatility, and athletic ability.

    4th round, C4A- DE, Cedric Thornton
    I didn't want to reach for Thornton, because there are a lot of questions with him. But, I felt I needed to make sure I grabbed another pure 3-4 DE before they were all gone, since I had very few needs at this point in the draft. He was one of my favorite DEs in the draft, so I reached for him, even though some people didn't even think he would get drafted in our league. Oh well.

    5th round, #154- C, Jake Kirkpatrick
    This is my John Jerry pick of the draft. 1 offensive player and it is an offensive lineman. I like Kirkpatrick. He came from an exciting offense at TCU and was apart of one of the best o-lines in the nation in 2009. He could compete for Spitz to fill in Ryan Kalil's place.

    5th round, C5C- CB, DeMarcus Van Dyke
    My Al Davis pick. I'll be honest. I only picked him cause of the speed. Plus, I had room to screw around with a pick. Didn't have anymore needs at this point and I already had 4 CBs that I liked (Gamble, Marshall, McCourty, Ware). He could be a nasty STer though.

    7th round, #183- NT, Anthony Gray
    At around the 5th round, I about **** myself. I forgot that Louis Ellis was my only backup NT, so I rushed to find the best available NT in the draft. I decided to target Ian Williams, but he was autopicked, so I then went towards Gray for the 7th round. I believe I traded up for him, but it was worth it. I ended up liking the pick a lot after I made it. I think he could be a solid backup NT in the league.

    ==============

    The end. Long wall of text, but that basically explains my mindset going into this thing. I cut my awful players (1/3 of my team), traded for a couple of solid players, hit free agency hard, and focused my draft on defense. I felt like I really turned this team around and they could easily be on the rise. I also felt like I put together a top 5 defense, even after the **** hole I was handed.
     
    Paul 13, GISH, Boik14 and 3 others like this.
  10. Tractor Traylor

    Tractor Traylor Crafty Veteran

    851
    293
    63
    Jan 5, 2008
    Kansas City, MO
    New York Jets Final Roster:

    Joseph Addai RB $2,400,000.00
    Derek Anderson QB $300,000.00
    Will Beatty OT $480,000.00
    Deon Butler WR $300,000.00
    Jason Campbell QB $450,000.00
    Nick Cole OL $300,000.00
    Kenyon Coleman DE $850,000.00
    Daryn Colledge OL $950,000.00
    John Conner RB $405,000.00
    Mike DeVito DL $2,125,000.00
    Vladimir Ducasse OL $405,000.00
    D'Brickashaw Ferguson OL $5,615,000.00
    Vernon Gholston LB $555,000.00
    Jarron Gilbert DL $480,000.00
    Shonn Greene RB $480,000.00
    Jason Hanson K $300,000.00
    Kris Jenkins DL $3,750,000.00
    Jeremy Kapinos P $300,000.00
    Dustin Keller TE $795,000.00
    Jeff King TE $300,000.00
    Jim Leonhard DB $1,950,000.00
    Dwight Lowery DB $555,000.00
    Nick Mangold OL $2,260,000.00
    Joe McKnight RB $405,000.00
    Brandon Moore OL $2,750,000.00
    Chinedum Ndukwe SS $300,000.00
    Calvin Pace LB $3,855,000.00
    Ropati Pitoitua DL $480,000.00
    Sione Pouha DL $1,030,000.00
    Tanner Purdum OL $480,000.00
    Darrelle Revis DB $7,000,000.00
    Aaron Ross CB $1,099,000.00
    Mark Sanchez QB $13,500,000.00
    Bart Scott LB $5,000,000.00
    Jonathan Scott OL $300,000.00
    Rich Seubert OL $300,000.00
    Bryan Thomas LB $3,200,000.00
    LaDainian Tomlinson RB $2,425,000.00
    Mike Williams WR $300,000.00
    Gibril Wilson FS $300,000.00
    Kyle Wilson DB $405,000.00
    Muhammed Wilkerson DE $750,000.00
    Titus Young WR $500,000.00
    Dontay Moch OLB $450,000.00
    Mark Herzlich LB $400,000.00
    Virgil Green TE $400,000.00
    Derrick Locke WR/RB $400,000.00
    Josh Bynes ILB $400,000.00
    Derek Newton OT $400,000.00
    Deunta Williams FS $400,000.00
    Chris Neild NT $400,000.00
    Zach Taylor C $400,000.00
    $74,334,000.00


    Starting Lineup:
    QB: Mark Sanchez
    RB: Shonn Greene
    FB: John Conner
    WR: Mike Williams
    WR: Titus Young
    TE: Dustin Keller
    LT: D'Brickashaw Ferguson
    LG: Brandon Moore
    C: Nick Mangold
    RG: Daryn Colledge
    RT: Vladamir Ducasse

    DE: Mike Devito
    NT: Kris Jenkins
    DE: Muhammed Wilkerson
    OLB: Calvin Pace
    ILB: Bart Scott
    ILB: Mark Herzlich
    OLB: Bryan Thomas
    CB: Darelle Revis
    FS: Aaron Ross
    SS: Jim Leonhard
    CB: Kyle Wilson

    Depth Chart:

    QB: Mark Sanchez – Jason Campbell – Derek Anderson
    RB: Shonn Greene – Joseph Addai – LaDanian Tomlinson – Joe McKnight
    FB: John Conner
    WR: Mike Williams – Deon Butler
    WR: Titus Young – Derrick Locke (3WR)
    TE: Dustin Keller – Jeff King – Virgil Green
    LT: D'Brickashaw Ferguson – Jon Scott
    LG: Brandon Moore – Will Beatty
    C: Nick Mangold – Nick Cole – Zach Taylor
    RG: Daryn Colledge – Rich Seubert
    RT: Vladimir Ducasse – Derek Newton

    DE: Mike Devito – Ropati Pitoitua
    NT: Kris Jenkins – Sione Pouha – Chris Neild
    DE: Muhammed Wilkerson – Kenyon Coleman – Jarron Gilbert
    OLB: Calvin Pace – Vernon Gholston
    ILB: Bart Scott – Josh Bynes
    ILB: Mark Herzlich – Josh Bynes
    OLB: Bryan Thomas – Dontay Moch
    CB: Darelle Revis – Dwight Lowery
    FS: Aaron Ross – Gibril Wilson – Deunta Williams
    SS: Jim Leonhard - Chinedum Ndukwe
    CB: Kyle Wilson

    KR: Derrick Locke – Joe McKnight
    PR: Joe McKnight
    K: Jason Hanson
    P: Jason Kapinos
    LS: Tanner Purdum

    Draft Picks:
    1 (30): Muhammed Wilkerson, DE, Temple
    2 (51): Titus Young, WR, Boise State
    3 (94): Dontay Moch, OLB, Nevada
    3 (98): Mark Herzlich, LB, Boston College
    4 (125): Virgil Green, TE, Nevada
    5 (158): Derrick Locke, RB/WR, Kentucky
    6 (182): Josh Bynes, ILB, Auburn
    6 (189): Derek Newton, OT, Arkansas State
    6 (193): Deunta Williams, FS, North Carolina
    7 (197): Chris Neild, NT, West Virginia
    7 (211): Zach Taylor, C, Utah

    Analysis Coming Soon.
     
    Paul 13, GISH, Boik14 and 3 others like this.
  11. sports24/7

    sports24/7 Season Ticket Holder Club Member

    32,924
    41,461
    113
    Nov 25, 2007
    [​IMG]



    2011 Arizona Cardinals


    HC Bob Stoops
    OC Pat Shurmer
    DC Todd Bowles


    ROSTER
    Quarterbacks $1,975,000
    John Skelton, QB, $405,000
    Matthew Stafford, QB, $1,170,000
    T.J. Yates, QB, $400,000 (Draft)

    Runningbacks $7,925,000
    Ahmad Bradshaw, HB, $5,000,000
    Tim Hightower, RB, $1,500,000
    Owen Schmitt, FB, $480,000
    CJ Spiller, RB, $545,000
    Jordan Todman, HB, $400,000 (Draft)

    Wide Receivers $12,245,000
    Riley Cooper, WR, $405,000
    Early Doucet, WR, $900,000
    Mario Manningham, WR, $555,000
    Sidney Rice, WR, $9,500,000
    Andre Roberts, WR, $405,000
    Brian Robiskie, WR, $480,000

    Tight Ends $805,000
    Aaron Hernandez, TE, $405,000
    Weslye Saunders, TE, $400,000 (Draft)

    Offensive Linemen $11,400,000
    Anthony Collins, OT, $300,000
    Willie Colon, OT, $2,500,000
    Brandon Fusco, OC, $400,000 (Draft)
    Todd Herremans, OL, $1,900,000
    Charlie Johnson, LT, 300k
    Davin Josepth, OG, $4,000,000
    Brandon Kieth, OL, $900,000
    Tyron Smith, OT, $800,000 (Draft)
    Bobbie Williams, OG, $300,000

    Defensive Linemen $8,875,000
    Everette Brown DE $480,000
    Brodrick Bunkley, DT, $635,000
    Trent Cole, DE, $2,900,000
    Darnell Dockett, DL, $2,350,000
    Mike Patterson, DT, $1,400,000
    Ricky Sapp, DE, $405,000
    Cameron Sheffield, DE, $405,000
    Matt Toeaina, DT, $300,000

    Linebackers $10,895,000
    Keith Bulluck, LB, $300,000
    Will Davis, LB, $480,000
    Thaddeus Gibson, LB $405,000
    Paul Posluszny, LB, $4,000,000
    O'Brien Schofield, LB, $405,000
    Daryl Washington, LB, $405,000
    D.J. Williams, LB, $4,900,000

    Defensive Backs $20,260,000
    Hussain Abdullah, S, $1,500,000
    Melvin Bullitt, S, $300,000
    Brandon Burton, CB, $450,000 (Draft)
    Kelvin Hayden, CB, $6,105,000
    Ryan Hill, CB, $300,000 (UDFA)
    Nate Ness, CB, $400,000
    Kerry Rhodes, S, $2,425,000
    Jamarca Sanford, S, $300,000
    Greg Toler, CB, $480,000
    Corey Webster, CB, $8,000,000

    Kicker/Punter $300,000
    Matt Bosher, K/P, $300,000 (UDFA)

    Total Team Salary: $74,680,000


    Pre-Camp Depth Chart
    QB: Matt Stafford; John Skelton; TJ Yates
    HB: Ahmad Bradshaw; CJ Spiller; Tim Hightower; Jordan Todman
    FB: Owen Schmitt
    WR: Sidney Rice; Andre Roberts; Brian Robiskie
    WR: Mario Manningham; Early Doucet; Riley Cooper
    TE: Aaron Hernandez; Weslye Saunders
    LT: Tyron Smith; Charlie Johnson; Anthony Collins
    LG: Todd Herrimans; Bobbie Williams
    OC: Brandon Fusco; Bobbie Williams
    RG: Davin Joseph; Bobbie Williams
    RT: Willie Colon; Brandon Keith

    Offensive Writeup: It's no secret once Kurt Warner left, the Cardinals record went down the tubes. Because of this, priority #1 was to bring in a franchise QB. We felt getting Matt Stafford (a former #1 overall pick) for the price we payed was a steal. He is a true franchise QB with enormous upside and toughness. He has had some injury woes, but we feel with a much better line than the one he had in Detroit he will be able to stay healthy and do big things for our offense. He has everything you want in a QB and has just started to scratch the surface of his ability. The afformentioned line will be consisted of some very solid to excellent players. We feel Tyron Smith is a true LT in the NFL with his athleticism and feet and was only playing RT in college because of circumstance with Kalil there. Herrimans is a very good LG and on the right side we feel we got one of the best guards in football in Davin Joseph and one of the best RTs in football (PFF ranked him #1 overall in his last healthy season in '09) in Willie Colon. Fusco is a guy who we think very highly of and despite coming from a small program, we feel he can start right away at OC. If he's not up to the challenge we feel Bobbie Williams can move over from guard to play center in our scheme. Charlie Johnson can be a swing tackle for us and has experience protecting Peyton Manning's blind side as the starter there last season. In the backfield we are very excited about our four-headed monster we've built at runningback as well as at fullback where Owen Schmitt was very good last year when called into action for the Eagles. Ahmad Bradshaw is coming off of a breakout year where he proved he can carry the load and make big plays. We feel with an improved line and other weapons around him CJ Spiller has the ability to be very special as a compliment to Bradshaw. We see Spiller in the same mold as Darren McFadden who took a year to get his feet under him before breaking out last season as one of the better backs in the league. We also have bruising tailback Tim Hightower back who can come in and push the pile in short yardage situations as well as the versitile Jordan Todman who's a threat to take it to the house on every touch. At WR we have a stable of young, talented players starting with our #1 in Sidney Rice. Rice broke out two seasons ago for the Vikings before getting injured last season. We feel he has everything you want though in a go to WR. On the other side of him will be Mario Manningham, who most people probably don't realize had almost 1800 yards and 14 TDs in the previous two seasons combined playing mainly behind Nicks and Smith in New York. In the slot we have promising Andre Roberts who had a very solid rookie year last season and has speed to burn. Also in our WR corps are 3 more players with upside in Early Doucet, Brian Robiskie, and Riley Cooper. At TE, we added one of the best seam threats in the NFL last season in Aaron Hernandez who will make an already explosive offense even more dangerous. We also added promising rookie Weslye Saunders to come in for two TE sets. Overall we feel that if this group can stay healthy, there are very few offenses in the league who are more explosive with the ability to beat you in a number of ways and can score at any moment whether it's on the ground or in the air. This group will also be headed up by one of the brightest young offensive minds in the NFL in Pat Shurmer who did wonders with very little talent (and the talent he did have was very young) last season in St. Louis.

    LE: Everette Brown; Ricky Sapp
    DT: Darnell Dockett; Mike Patterson
    DT: Broderick Bunkley; Matt Toeaina
    RE: Trent Cole; Cameron Sheffield
    SAM: Daryl Washington; Thaddeus Gibson; Will Davis
    MIKE: Paul Posluszny; Keith Bullock;
    WILL: DJ Williams; O'Brien Schofield
    CB: Corey Webster; Greg Toler; Nate Ness
    CB: Kelvin Hayden; Brandon Burton; Ryan Hill
    FS: Kerry Rhodes; Jamarca Sanford
    SS: Hussain Abdullah; Melvin Bullitt

    Defensive Writeup: First and foremost we are extremely excited about who we have leading this unit this season in Todd Bowles. We feel he was worthy of a DC position years ago and is one of the true up and comers in the NFL. We don't expect to keep him very long as he will be ready to take over a HC job very soon, but we're going to get the most out of him while we have him here. Our philosophy on defense is you win with a strong front 7 and in a 4-3, a strong line in particular. With that in mind we have built one of the better lines the NFL has seen in some time starting in the middle with our stud DTs Darnell Dockett and Broderick Bunkley. The push those guys are going to get up the middle would make it easy on any set of defensive ends, but we didn't settle for just any set of defensive ends either. We went out and got an All-Pro in Trent Cole and someone who we feel can be a future Pro Bowler in Everette Brown. But knowing any great line is as weak or strong as it's rotational players allow we made sure our backups were some of the best in the NFL as well. Our backup DTs are probably as good a pair as many starting units in Mike Patterson and Matt Toeaina and at backup DE we have two promising second-year pass rushers in Cameron Sheffield and Ricky Sapp. Both will be able to come in situationally and pressure the QB. To round out the front 7 we have an amost equally as good linebacking corps. We return Daryl Washington who is coming off an outstanding rookie season and will only get better. Via trade we added one of the most consistanty good, physical lilnebackers in the NFL in DJ Williams, and in free agency we landed one of the best up and coming linebackers in the NFL in Paul Posluzsny. To bring a veteran presence to the unit we brought in Kieth Bullock as a backup as well as adding a nice developmental player in Thad Gibson. A guy who we loved coming out of the draft last season, but was essentially red-shirted because of an ACL injury will now be fully healthy and ready to contribute is O'Brien Schofield also. At cornerback we have two very good players in Kelvin Hayden and Corey Webster who may not be Pro Bowlers, but are probably just below that level with the talent to get there at some point. Fighting it out for the nickle and dime positions will be 3 talented youngsters in Greg Toler, Brandon Burton, and Nate Ness. Ryan Hill was also added as a UDFA and while he may not have impressed all that much at "the U" neither did Sam Shields before he went on to have a break out year on the way to a Super Bowl title in Green Bay last season. Hill, like Shields was converted to CB from WR and has pretty good size and athleticism. And with the lack of coaching these players got at Miami, we feel they all have elevated upside with proper coaching. At safety Kerry Rhodes leads the way as my ballhawking center fielder backed up by Jamarca Sanford and at SS there will be a stiff competition between Hussain Abdullah and Melvin Bullitt, both whom have starting experience. This is a defense that's going to get after the QB, be aggressive, and force turnovers. They'll be an attacking defense that flies around and scares the hell out of opposing offenses.

    K: Matt Bosher
    P: Matt Bosher
    KR: CJ Spiller; Andre Roberts
    PR: CJ Spiller

    Special Teams Writeup: Matt Bosher may have had a bit of a down year, but so did most of the Miami Hurricanes. I have seen him make big kicks and outstanding punts in his career there and was the MVP of the team in '09. We feel confident he can handle both PK and P duties for us and while his kickoffs may not be elite, he will benefit from the new rules moving the kickoff up. CJ Spiller is obviously a very dangerous return man with lethal speed and should be one of the better return men in the league. Andre Roberts also has speed to burn and can handle return duties if needed.

    Trades
    49ers Send:
    LB Thaddeus Gibson - $405,000.00

    Cardinals Send:
    FS Rashad Johnson - $480,000.00
    __________________________________________________ __________________

    Kansas City sends:
    Cameron Sheffield, DE, $405,000

    Arizona sends:
    5th round pick (133)
    __________________________________________________ __________________
    San Diego sends:
    6th Round - 178 Overall

    Arizona sends:
    Stephen Williams, WR, $405,000
    __________________________________________________ __________________
    New England Sends
    1.28
    TE Aaron Hernandez $405,000
    WR Brandon Tate $480,000

    Arizona sends
    WR Larry Fitzgerald $7,000,000
    __________________________________________________ __________________
    Eagles send:
    Brodrick Bunkley, DT, $635,000
    Todd Herremans, OL, $1,900,000

    Cardinals send:
    Adrian Wilson, DB, $3,000,000
    6th round draft pick (179)
    __________________________________________________ __________________
    Broncos send:
    D.J. Williams, LB, $4,900,000
    2nd round pick (46)

    Cardinals send:
    2nd round pick (38)
    3rd round pick (69)
    __________________________________________________ ___________________
    Panthers send:
    -Everette Brown DE/OLB $480,000

    Cardinals send:
    4th round pick #102
    6th round pick #178
    __________________________________________________ ___________________
    Lions send:
    Matthew Stafford, QB, $1,170,000.00

    Cardinals Send:
    1sr round pick (28)
    6th round pick (166)
    __________________________________________________ ___________________
    Arizona Cardinals send:
    Max Hall, QB, $405,000

    Cleveland Browns send:
    Brian Robiskie, WR, $480,000
    __________________________________________________ ___________________
    Giants send Arizona:
    Mario Manningham 555,000
    Corey Webster 8,000,000

    Arizona sends NYG
    Dominique Rogers-Cromartie 950,000
    Beanie Wells 622,500
    __________________________________________________ ___________________
    Eagles send:
    CB Kelvin Hayden ($6,105,000)
    WR Riley Cooper ($405,000)
    DE Ricky Sapp ($405,000)

    Cardinals send:
    DT/NT Dan Williams ($405,000)
    __________________________________________________ ___________________
    Eagles send:
    DE Trent Cole - $2,900,000
    FB Owen Schmitt - $480,000
    DT Mike Patterson - $1,400,000

    Cardinals send:
    DE Calais Campbell - $555,000
    2nd round pick (#46)
    __________________________________________________ ___________________
    Cards sent:
    WR Brandon Tate $480k

    49ers send:
    Round 3 (81)
    Round 6 (184)
    __________________________________________________ ___________________
    Bills send:
    1.25
    2.59
    5.130
    6. 167
    CJ Spiller, RB, $545,000
    Hussain Abdullah $1,500,000

    Cardinals send:
    1.5
    __________________________________________________ ____________________
    Cardinals send:
    1.25
    2.59
    6.167

    Broncos send:
    1.16
    4.122
    __________________________________________________ _____________________
    Panthers send:
    -3rd round, #91
    -5th round, #145

    Cardinals send:
    -3rd round, #81

    I think I have built up a reputation as someone who likes to make some trades and this offseason was no different. I had some clear targets and feel like I accomplished pretty much what I was looking to do before free agency and the draft. I felt my biggest need was to get a franchise QB and went out and got one. My next biggest need was getting a line to protect him and I feel I made some moves to improve in that department as well. I am also a big believer in having a strong defensive line in a 4-3 defense and I built what I consider to be the best and deepest defensive line in football. The other moves made were supplementary moves to improve my team in my opinion.

    Free Agent Signings
    Davin Josepth, OG, $4,000,000
    Ahmad Bradshaw, HB, $5,000,000
    Bobbie Williams, OG, $300,000
    Melvin Bullitt, S, $300,000
    Anthony Collins, OT, $300,000
    Matt Toeaina, DT, $300,000
    Sidney Rice, WR, $9,500,000
    Paul Posluszny, LB, $4,000,000
    Charlie Johnson, LT, $300,000
    Willie Colon, OT, $2,500,000
    Keith Bulluck, LB, $300,000
    Nate Ness, CB, $300,000
    Jamarca Sanford, S, $300,000
    Nick Folk, K, $300,000
    Matt Bosher, K/P, $300,000 (UDFA)
    Ryan Hill, CB, $300,000 (UDFA)

    My goal was to use free agency to fill out my remaining needs and improve my depth and personally, I feel I the Arizona Cardinals had one of the best, if not the best free agency of any team in football. My four biggest needs were finishing up my offensive line reconstruction, filling out my linebacking corps, getting a #1 WR, and getting a #1 RB. I feel I got some of the best players at those positions landing what I felt was the best guard in free agency in Davin Joseph, the best RT in Willie Colon, the best WR in free agency in Sidney Rice, the best running back in Ahmad Bradshaw, and one of the best linebackers in free agency in Paul Posluszny. The other depth players I got in Kieth Bullock, Matt Toeina, Charlie Johnson, Bobbie Williams, Melvin Bullitt, Anthony Collins, Nate Ness, and Jamarca Sanford are also nothing to sneeze at, especially at the price I got them at.

    Draft Picks
    1. 16-Tyron Smith, OT, USC
    3. 91-Brandon Burton, CB, Utah
    4. 122-Jordan Todman, HB, UConn
    5. 130-Brandon Fusco, OC, Slippery Rock
    5. 145-TJ Yates, QB, UNC
    6. 184-Weslye Saunders, TE, South Carolina

    Going into the draft I felt I had no real positional needs. I could use an upgrade at LT and OC as well as a two-way TE, but I felt I was in position where I didn't have to reach for any one position. I was however short on picks, so after a couple moves down at different spots I was able to pick up some extra picks. As Tyron Smith started to fall I decided I would move back up after trading down in the 1st because I felt he was too good to fall that far and could really upgrade my line. I felt he had more upside than any OT in the draft and at the very least would be an excellent RT although I feel he will be a fine LT. I liked Burton's size and upside and feel he has a chance to contribute early as a sub package player with the potential to be a starter eventually. Todman is a guy I liked a lot and see a lot of LeSean McCoy in him so even though I didn't have any kind of need at HB I still took him. Fusco is a guy who's upside I love and feel even though he comes from a smaller school has a chance to start at OC from day one. Yates was one of my sleepers at the QB position and even though I have two good young QBs already on my roster I liked his value and upside in the 5th round. Saunders is another upside player that I feel is a good compliment to Hernandez with his ability to block as well as catch the football.
     
    Paul 13, GISH, Boik14 and 3 others like this.
  12. alen1

    alen1 New Member

    52,811
    20,365
    0
    Dec 16, 2007
    GM - Alen1
    Team: San Francisco 49ers

    Offensive Philosophy:

    Basically what we wanted to offensively was blend the WCO and the Erhardt-Perkins offense. Tons of horizontal and vertical stretches, which is why we got the guys we did. Good route runners, solid hands.

    Defensive Philosophy:

    This defense is going to be a 4-3 Under post-snap but lined up 3-4. Post snap, the SAM backer would be a primarily coverage linebacker, which is why we got Scott Fujita there. The weak side pass rusher would be in a 2 point stance and primarily rushing the passer, which is why we got the guys we did. In this defense, the WILL is protected by the front which allows him to be able to run around in space, utilize his range and make tackles. Our front 3 (or 4) goal was to get guys who were damn good against the run and could rush teh passer. We felt that we got that. Last, our coverage is going to be Cover 2 Read. CB's read #1 until there's a threat in teh flats, then they drop down. Safeties read #2 to #1 while the OLB's carry the flats and then release it into the cornerbacks. Otherwise, they play Hook to Curl while the MIKE drops down the pipe.


    QUARTERBACKS

    1. QB David Garrard
    2. QB Brian Hoyer
    3. QB John Parker Wilson
    4. QB Ricky Stanzi




    RUNNING BACKS

    1. RB Anthony Dixon
    2. RB Montario Hardesty
    3. RB Michael Robinson


    WIDE RECEIVERS

    X. WR Josh Morgan
    Z / X / S . WR Deion Branch
    X / S / ZWR Brandon Tate
    X WR Malcolm Floyd
    WR Taylor Price

    TIGHT ENDS

    1. TE Vernon Davis
    2. TE Craig Stevens
    3. TE Julius Thomas

    OFFENSIVE TACKLES

    1. LT Joe Staley
    1. RT Danny Watkins
    2.LT/RT Vernon Carey

    OFFENSIVE GUARDS

    1. LG Mike Iupati
    2. RG Chilo Rachal
    2. LG Quinn Ojinnaka
    2. RG Daniel Loper
    3. RG Stephen Peterman

    OFFENSIVE CENTER

    1. OC Casey Weigmann
    2. OC Ryan Pugh

    DEFENSIVE ENDS

    4/4i/5. LE Ty Warren
    3/4/4i/5 RE Lamarr Houston
    3. RE Wallace Gilberry
    LE Arthur Jones

    NOSE TACKLES / UNDER TACKLES

    0/1. NT Aubrayo Franklin
    0/1/3NT/UT Ricky Jean-Francois

    OUTSIDE LINEBACKERS

    1. SOLB Scott Fujita
    2. WLB/MLB Akeem Jordan
    1. WDE/WOLB Jason Babin
    2. WDE/OLB Jacob Ford
    3. WDE/WOLB Jerry Hughes
    2. SDE/SOLB Greg Hardy



    INSIDE LINEBACKERS

    1. WLB/ILB Navarro Bowman
    1. MLB/ILB Patrick Willis
    2. MLB/ILB/WOLB Brandon Spikes
    3. MLB Will Herring

    CORNERBACKS

    1. BCB Asante Samuel
    1. FCB Alterraun Verner
    2. SB Mike Adams
    3. DB Davon House
    4. DB Frank Walker




    FREE SAFETY

    1. FS Jarrad Page
    2. FS Gerald Alexnader


    STRONG SAFETY

    1. SS James Sanders
    2. SS James Butler


    KICKER

    1. K Joe Nedney

    PUNTER

    2. P Andy Lee

    $69,348,000.00

    Free Agents


    Daniel Loper OG $300,000.00
    Quinn Ojinnaka OG $300,000.00
    Malcolm Floyd WR 8.25M
    Frank Walker CB $300,000.00
    Gerald Alexander S $300,000.00
    Jarrad Page S $300,000.00
    Ty Warren DE $3,400,000.00
    Jason Babin OLB $6,750,000.00
    Deion Branch WR $300,000.00
    Vernon Carey OT $1,100,000.00
    Akeem Jordan OLB $300,000.00
    John Parker Wilson QB $300,000.00
    Casey Weigmann OC $900,000.00
    Will Herring LB $300,000.00
    Mike Adams 300k CB/FS $300,000.00
    Jacob Ford DE/OLB 300k.

    Draft Picks

    1.23 - Danny Watkins, RT, Baylor
    2.37 - Davon House, CB, New Mexico State
    3.85 - Julius Thomas, TE, Portland State
    4.117 - Ricky Stanzi, QB, Iowa
    7.213 - Ryan Pugh, OC, Auburn

    Trades

    49ers Send:

    123
    195

    Bills Send:

    117

    ----------

    Steelers Send:

    3, 85
    4. 123

    49ers Send:

    3. 79
    6. 164
    7.203
    7. 215

    --------------

    jags send jerry hughes

    49ers send 92

    -------------


    The Seattle Seahawks send:
    LB Brandon Spikes $405,000

    The San Francisco 49ers send:
    5 (129)
    6 (169)

    -------------

    NE sends WR Taylor Price, $405,000

    SF sends 4.107

    --------------

    49ers send:

    28, 114.

    Browns send:

    37, 79.

    --------------

    49ers send DE/LB Lorenzo Alexander $650,000

    Bills send:

    7.195
    7.203
    7.213

    --------------

    49ers Send:

    5.141

    Ravens send:


    Arthur Jones, NT, $405,000

    --------------

    Bill Send:

    5.141
    6.164

    49ers Send:

    Trevor Scott LB $555,000.00

    --------------

    49ers Send:

    2.39
    Rashad Johnson DB $480,000.00

    Eagles Send:


    Alterraun Verner - $405,000

    ------------------

    Ravens Send:

    1st round 28
    5th round 129

    49ers Send:

    Trent Williams OT $1,350,000.00

    ----------------

    49ers

    Taylor Mays DB $405,000.00
    1.19

    Skins send:

    OT Trent Williams OL $1,350,000

    -------------------------

    Cards sent:

    WR Brandon Tate $480k

    49ers send:

    Round 3 (81)

    Round 6 (184)

    -----------------


    Vikings send:
    Round 1: #23

    49ers send:
    Round 2: #45
    Round 3: #76

    -----------------

    Panthers get:
    -4th round pick #113

    49ers get:
    -DE Greg Hardy $405,000

    -----------------

    Cleveland Sends:

    Asante Samuel ($5,900,000)

    San Francisco Sends:

    2.51.

    ------------------

    49ers Send:

    OLB Parys Haralson $1,850,000

    Browns Send:

    5. 138

    ------------------

    49ers Receive:
    Trevor Scott DL $555,000.00

    Raiders Receive:
    5th round- 138

    ------------------

    49ers Send:

    WR Michael Crabtree - $3,875,000
    Round 6, pick 185

    Jaguars Send:

    QB David Garrard QB $7,975,000.00
    Round 2, pick 39
    Round 4, pick 113

    ----------------

    Patriots Send:

    QB Brian Hoyer $480k
    6.184

    49ers Send:

    TE Delanie Walker $750k
    7.199

    ----------------------

    49ers Send -

    4.98
    7.200

    Browns Send -

    LB Scott Fujita $2,400.00

    --------------------

    49ers Send:

    LB Thaddeus Gibson - $405,000.00

    Cardinals Send:

    FS Rashad Johnson - $480,000.00

    -------------------

    Cleveland Browns send:
    RB Montario Hardesty $405,000.00

    San Francisco 49ers send:
    S Reggie Smith $555,000.00

    -----------------

    49ers Send:

    RB Frank Gore $2,900.00

    Buccaneers Send:

    2nd round pick - Pick 51

    ----------------

    Patriots send S James Sanders ($2,800,000)

    49ers send 5th round pick, number 138 overall

    -----------------

    Seahawks send:

    4th round pick - Pick 98

    49ers Send:

    WR Ted Ginn Jr. $1,393,750.

    -----------------

    Redskins send:

    LB Lorenzo Alexander $650,000

    49ers send:

    LB Scott McKillop $480,000
     
    Paul 13, GISH, UCF FINatic and 3 others like this.
  13. Paul 13

    Paul 13 Chaotic Neutral & Unstable Genius Staff Member

    85,620
    51,681
    113
    Dec 3, 2007
    Patriots list updated...so good, I'm going to post it again.

    This space reserved for the New England Patriots final roster announcement / writeup. I'd also like to thank you all for such a great year. Today I am starting my new "job" back with my former boss. Working on a per diem basis and starting my "own business" at the same time. I quit my most recent job this morning, sending my boss a text resignation, along with a more formal email resignation. Gotta love technology at these moments...

    And here it is...

    Objectives

    1. Upgrade wide receiver and running back by adding playmakers
    2. Upgrade the pass rush
    3. Retain Logan Mankins, by using the franchise tag and maneuver enough pieces to still be able to spend money on other areas. Find another starting caliber tackle to replace Light
    4. Add positional flexability across the board
    5. Upgrade the secondary

    I'll address each of these at the end

    ROSTER (starters underlined)

    Quarterbacks
    Tom Brady $5,750,000

    Alex Smith $300,000
    Tyler Thigpen, $351,000

    -Obvously, this is Tom Brady's football team. What I tried to do in bringing in Smith and Thigpen was create competition at the backup qb spot with guys who have experience starting in this league and can run the type of offense the Patriots employ. I think I got great bargains in each quarterback. I think each of them could be rehabilitated in New England.

    Running Backs
    Jonathan Stewart $1,310,000
    Marcel Reece $1,500,000

    BenJarvus Green-Ellis $1,500,000
    Danny Woodhead $550,000
    Mario Fannin $400,000

    -Two guys very capable of running for 1,000 yards in Stewart and Green-Ellis, with low mileage on each of them. Stewart? your home run threat the Patriots sorely miss from the tailback position. BGE more of your goal line, short yardage back. I like Marcel Reece a lot as the starting full back, but he can do a lot of other things well. Woodhead is your third down guy. And Fannin gives me some good value, good special teams and I think he could be a good third down back as well.

    Wide Receivers
    Larry Fitzgerald $7,000,000
    Greg Jennings $1,000,000

    Devin Hester $1,583,500
    Julian Edelman $480,000
    Mohamed Massaquoi $480,000

    -four new pieces added to this group. Fitz and Jennings the obvious starters. Do I really need to go into detail about these guys? Tremendous locker room players as well though, NOT DIVA's. Hester and what he brings to the return game can't be questioned. The best return man in the history of the game. Edelman is the replacement to Welker in that slot, underneath role. Mass is the primary backup on the outside. Honestly, this is the best wr group you'll ever see.

    Tight Ends
    Rob Gronkowski $405,000

    Delanie Walker $750,000
    Dante Rosario $300,000

    -Gronkowski is the number one. All around guy... very solid. Walker and Rosario are your complimentary guys who can split out and create mismatches.

    Offensive Line
    LT Jermon Bushrod $3,000,000
    LG Logan Mankins $8,440,000
    C Dan Koppen $2,900,000
    RG Daniel Connolly $725,000
    RT Sebastian Vollmer $510,000

    T Mark LeVoir $690,000
    G Rich Ohmberger $480,000
    C Ryan Wendell $300,000
    T Eric Mensik $400,000

    -clearly, the number one goal for this group is to keep Tom Brady upright. Here's my line of thinking for the offensive line in general and why I feel it wasn't a bigger need on my objective list. I go back to that Jets playoff game. Everybody talks about the pressure that the Jets got on Brady. Nobody talks about why. If you go back and watch the tape it wasn't the offensive line's fault. Brady had PLENTY of time to find guys down field, on average. The problem were the receivers weren't getting open. The blitzes were being picked up. In fact, Ryan didn't blitz as much as he usually does. Why? Because he felt his corners could cover the Patriots slower receivers. He could bracket Welker and take him out of the game. The Patriots had nobody on the outside that could beat the Jets corners. That was why it was my primary goal to get receivers who would scare the crap out of the defense. And at worst maintain the status quo along the offensive line. Four starters return from last season. I resigned Mankins... a no brainer, no matter the cost. Vollmer is a stud in the making. I think he can play left tackle. For right now, I have him starting at RT due to the experience level in the guy I brought in to replace Light in Jermon Bushrod. Bushrod comes over from the Saints, he can pass protect well enough and I think he's an improvement in the run blocking department. Certainly younger than Light, and I think he's an improvement overall. The Saints don't help out their tackles in pass protection. Do you see Drew Brees getting injured because of it? It's possible that Vollmer would beat out Bushrod and the two would flip tackle positions, but as of this writing this is how I see it. Koppen and Connelly are both solid. I return three backups from last year's squad, they each of some level of experience and that is why I brought them back vs drafting a replacement late in the draft. Mensik is a guy I like and feel he could develop in time.

    Defensive Line
    LDE J.J. Watt $800,000
    NT Vince Wilfork $765,000
    RDE Justin Smith $7,500,000

    Phil Taylor $500,000
    Mike Wright $1,240,000
    Brandon Deaderick $405,000
    Ron Brace $586,000
    Kyle Love $405,000
    Myron Pryor $480,000

    The additions of JJ Watt, Justin Smith and Phil Taylor in my opinion upgrade the defensive front from just a good rush defense unit, to a more ferocious, multi faceted group. Justin and JJ are high motor guys who never quit. They will get after the quarterback. Justin Smith, I was willing to spend a lot of money on in free agency, because he’s worth it. I feel he is one of the most underrated players in the league. He is a top five 34 defensive end. You know what you’re getting in Wilfork, always a monster. JJ Watt, he’s going to be special. I’m starting him right away. Phil Taylor as the solid backup to Wilfork. And if we wanted to switch to a 43 look, you could conceivably put Taylor and Wilfork next to each other at the DT position with Smith and Watt on the outside, or even drop Kiwanuka into that rush end position.

    Linebackers
    LOLB Rob Ninkovich $650,000
    LILB Aaron Curry $5,076,250
    RILB Jerod Mayo $3,150,000
    ROLB Jermaine Cunningham $405,000

    Mathias Kiwanuka $4,500,000
    Eric Moore $480,000
    Antwan Barnes $300,000
    Dane Fletcher $405,000

    The big addition here was Aaron Curry, who I believe would be great next to Mayo in a 34 inside linebacker role. I also think Kiwanuka could develop into a solid force on the outside, standing up would be no problem IMO. I don't have him currently starting, but I would definitely rotate him in and have him play a lot more in the nickel and dime roles.

    Cornerbacks
    RCB Courtland Finnegan $3,293,000
    LCB Devin McCourty $405,000

    Kyle Arrington $700,000
    Maurice Leggett $300,000
    Buster Skrine $400,000

    Safeties
    SS Pat Chung $510,000
    FS Jairus Byrd, $480,000

    Quinton Carter, $400,000
    Eric Smith, $300,000

    The gem of the group is McCourty and then you build the rest around him. I like Finnegan as that complimentary 2nd corner. He’s tenacious as hell. He’s a leader on the field… something this group needs. Then you have the quack attack in Byrd and Chung (former Oregon Duck teammates) patrolling the middle of the field.

    Kickers/Punters
    Matt Prater $351,000
    Zoltan Mesko $405,000

    Switched Prater in for Gostkowski (injured last year). I think Prater is a solid kicker, very accurate. Mesko is a clutch punter... that's about all the time I want to spend discussing kickers.

    Total Salary: $73,745,750
    Free Space: $1,254,250

    Draft Picks
    1.19 DE J.J. Watt, Wisconsin
    2.49 DT Phil Taylor, Baylor
    3.93 S Quinton Carter, Oklahoma
    5.157 CB Buster Skrine, UT Chattanooga
    7.199 RB Mario Fannin, Auburn
    7.225 T Eric Mensik, Oklahoma

    Trades

    1. S James Sanders, $2,800,000 to San Francisco for 5.138

    With the Sanders to SF trade it was all about clearing some cap. This was my first trade and Alen (the 49ers GM) approached me with the offer. I've never been a big fan of Sanders and frankly didn't think he fit in with the talent we had at safety at the time. Alen sees something in Sanders though or he wouldn't have made the trade.

    2. WR Wes Welker, $2,150,000 to Tennessee for CB Cortland Finnegan and $3,293,000 and 4.108

    Ah yes, remember this one fondly. Very satisfied getting a solid corner for a slot receiver. I didn't think Welker fit with what I wanted on offense anymore. We have Julian Edelman who I think is just as good as Welker, and obviously younger and healthier. I think Welker has gone downhill the last couple of years with the injuries. Happy to get Finnegan, a fighter and he will bring a new mentality to our defense. Getting the fourth round pick was an added bonus.

    3. 3.92 to Carolina for RB Jonathan Stewart $1,310,000

    Loved this trade from our standpoint. Getting a top back, who can run inside or outside, and take it the distance. Think the Pats offense needed a home run threat from the running back position. I don't see Stewart as a guy who will play all three downs however, so we have the wiley Danny Woodhead anyway.

    4. WR Brandon Tate $480,000, TE Aaron Hernandez $405,000 and 1.28 to Arizona for WR Larry Fitzgerald $7,000,000

    Perhaps the biggest trade of my GM season. My #1 priority when I took the helm of decision maker was to get a top flight, number one receiver, at any and all costs. I approached several teams about their #1's. The most receptive to making a deal at the time was the Cardinals and their gm sports24/7. I've worked with him well before and he's a very reasonable guy. The Cards serve dual purposes by making this deal, they get three guys who can start for them and they clear roughly 10% of their cap. It's funny, when you begin negotiations on a guy you really want, you never know how it's going to end up. I had no intention of dealing Hernandez (or Gronkowski) as I thought they are great players on the cusp. But sometimes you have to give more than you want. Initially he wanted Gronkowski in the deal and I don't remember the exact offer he made, but all of a sudden when we put Hernandez in the deal it seemed much more reasonable to me. I wish I could remember the exact offers back and forth over the course of 10 days or so it took to acquire Fitzgerald. But once we put Hernandez into the package, he seemed to back off his demand which IIRC correctly was four for one. It could have been a first, second, Gronkowski and Tate originally. As much as I wanted Fitz, I thought that was just going too far. Anyway, in the end I believe both teams are happy with how it ended up. Interesting to note that Arizona traded Tate at a later time.

    5. 5.138 to Cleveland for WR Mohamed Massaquoi $480,000

    Mo Mass is just a guy I like. I think he has great ability and can be a number one for the Browns offense. Needless to say, he'll be a reserve for us. But I think he's very talented and can really take a hit. Very physical receiver... you don't take a hit from the monster James Harrison and get up too often.

    6. 1.17 to Green Bay for WR Greg Jennings $1,000,000

    This was one of those deals where you don't expect it to actually happen until it's final and done. I value Greg Jennings extremely high. He's one of the top five receivers in the game. Just a shade off of Fitz and Andre Johnson. He's extremely underrated by many. The word "diva' does not apply to either Fitz or Jennings. Both are stand up gentlemen, true representitives of the game. You can't double both of these guys. Which spells trouble for any opposing defenses. I still go back to that Packers Cards playoff game two years ago and I'm in awe from what I witnessed that game from Jennings. I reckon it was the greatest game I ever saw from a receiver.

    7. 2.60 to Chicago for WR/KR/PR Devin Hester $1,583,500

    Truth be told, prior to acquiring Jennings, I was in discussions with the Bears about Hester. They happened to get back to me after I landed Jennings and I really didn't expect to add another receiver with a high pick. But of course we all know Hester is more than a receiver. I was eager to improve the Pats return game and Hester is without a doubt the greatest return man in the game today, if not the greatest return man ever. The 60th pick of the draft was fair compensation. I wouldn't have gone any higher.

    8. QB Brian Hoyer and 6.186 to San Fran for TE/H Back Delanie Walker and 7.199

    Trading again with my dear friend Alen. Who'd a thunk it... I had a couple of guys in mind in free agency in regards to the qb position. I knew I could get one of them (I ended up getting both) so trading Hoyer was a fairly pain free deciison. I'm really high on Delanie Walker as well. Sort of a throw back player in that he'll be a tight end / full back / up back for you in a variety of formations. He's also a very powerful player. A nice replacement for Aaron Hernandez.

    9. CB Leigh Bodden $3,900,000 to Texans for OT Eric Winston $4,500,000

    Well, at the time I made this decision I thought I'd really gotten away with one. I'm high on Winston and expected him to come in and be my starting right tackle at the time. Sliding Vollmer over to left tackle. Trading the oft injured Bodden was an easy decision since I had Finnegan as my starter opposite McCourty. If they let right tackles in the Pro Bowl, I'd suspect Winston would have made it the last couple of years.

    10. OT Eric Winston $4,500,000, CB Darius Butler $582,500 and 5.156 to Washington for 2.41 and 6.172

    Now then, some time had passed between these two trades. It was never my intention to "flip" Winston like I did. I sort of fell into the free agent acquisition of Jermon Bushrod who comes over from the Saints. I know Bushrod has experience playing left tackle and although I'll try Vollmer there initially, i didn't want to be stuck without a left tackle if Vollmer had trouble making the switch. Also knew Winston couldn't play left tackle for me. So it made the decision easier to let Winston go. Although it wasn't without putting Vollmer up on the block, along with Winston, to see which player garnered more interest. That's sort of a little trick that if you've read this far you might want to pay attention to. You have two players of fairly equal value and you're not entirely convinced which one you want to keep... well, put them both on the block (this is the GML afterall, not like you're hurting their feelings, LOL) and see which one is valued higher. Clearly, Vollmer got the vast majority of interest. That was certainly the way I was leaning, but jsut to make doubly sure, see what the community is thinking. Naturally getting a high second was nice. I did have to include Darius Butler in the trade. He was a bit of a disappointment for Bill Bellichick and company last year.

    11. 2.41 and Jonathan Wilhite to Buffalo for S Jairus Byrd $480,000

    This was about a week or so after the whole Brandon Meriweather fiasco started. And whilst I truely believe Meriweather will be exhonerated of any potential charges not yet handed down, I couldn't take the risk. I also felt I could get more than I ended up getting for him.... if only I had the foresight to make this trade before the news broke. I reckon I would have gotten a first... but you can't have everything. So I use the pick from the Eric Winston trade and nab a young star in the making at free safety in Jairus Byrd. Sure he had a little sophomore slump... but it's the Bills. I think Byrd is an improvement over BM although, time will only tell if I'm correct in that prediction. I get a more athletic, naturally gifted pass defender... to the stiff, bad angled super charged Louis Oliver.

    12. S Brandon Meriweather $650,000 and 4.124 to Washington for 2.34

    So naturally after acquiring Byrd, I flipped Brandon and a late fourth for the 34th pick in the draft. I was fairly satisfied with this in the end.

    13. LB Brandon Spikes $405,000 and 3.74 to Seattle for LB Aaron Curry $5,076,250

    This was one of those late season trades where you know you can take on the salary and are more than willing to give up the value to get what we feel is a great player. I see Curry next to Mayo and that's quite a pairing at inside linebacker. Two guys that can play every down and really gives our defensive coaches some options. I'm not a big fan of Spikes. Limited in his range, so I felt I definitely upgraded the ILB spot with the addition of Curry.

    14. 2.33, 2.34, 4.108 and 6.172 to Atlanta for 1.19, 2.49 and 4.121

    After all the wheeling and dealing to get that 2nd second round pick, having that arsenal really helped me move up to get who I feel is a top 10 player in this draft, and certainly an impact guy in JJ Watt. There was no way he'd last all the way down to 33. I get Watt to upgrade the front seven, I can pair him next to Justin Smith and have Wilfork in the middle. I'd honestly put up that defensive line in an odd man front up against any in the league. I reckon had I stayed at 33 and 34, I would have dealt down as I just wasn't sold on the value at those picks. So getting the 19th pick to land Watt, and then the 49th pick to land Phil Taylor (who I feel is a steal at that spot) really really worked out for me. I finally have a guy who I feel comfortable with in Taylor as the heir apparent to Wilfork down the road.

    15. WR Taylor Price $405,000 to San Fransisco for 4.107

    Just a log jam at receiver and Price was the odd man out. San Fran get a good guy though for a mere 4th round pick. I think Price is going to be a good player for the Pats down the road in the real NFL.

    16. LB Gary Guyton $1,000,000, 4.107 and 4.121 to Chicago for 3.93 and 5.157

    Moving Guyton to a 43 defense makes sense for him. This allowed me to get the free safety I was high on in Quinton Carter, even as far up as the 2nd at the top of that round... my special teams coverage units are going to be fun to watch with some of the young guys I've amassed, particularly on defense. Mario Fannin, Buster Skrine, Quinton Carter... quite the velocity moving around on special teams.

    Free Agent Signings

    FB Marcel Reece RFA $1,500,000
    K Matt Prater $351,000
    LB Antwan Barnes $300,000
    QB Alex Smith $300,000
    LB Mathias Kiwanuka $4,500,000
    QB Tyler Thigpen $351,000
    TE Dante Rosario $300,000
    S Eric Smith $300,000
    T Jermon Bushrod $3,000,000
    DE Justin Smith $7,500,000
    CB Maurice Leggett $300,000
    C Ryan Wendell $300,000

    And so revisiting the objectives...
    Objectives

    1. Upgrade wide receiver and running back by adding playmakers
    Brought in Fitzgerald, Jennings, Stewart, Hester to name a few. Enough said

    2. Upgrade the pass rush
    Brought in Kiwanuka, JJ Watt, Justin Smith, Aaron Curry. Think the strength of this group is when we get away from our base 34 and move more into the nickel and dime packages. All four of these guys can be forces under the right conditions. It's up to new DC Kevin Greene to find those

    3. Retain Logan Mankins, by using the franchise tag and maneuver enough pieces to still be able to spend money on other areas. Find another starting caliber tackle to replace Light
    Resigned Mankins and brought in Bushrod as Light's replacement. Spending as much money as I did in ensuring Mankins would stay with the Patriots by franchise tagging him, I wanted to make sure that didn't handcuff me for the rest of the moves I needed to make... well $7m on Fitz, over $7m on Justin Smith, $4.5m on Kiwanuka and Aaron Curry who is making over $5m, along with Finnegan at over $3m... I'd say I was still free to spend as much money as I saw fit. I also spent a bit on Light's replacement at left tackle in Jermon Bushrod. Who I feel gets a bit of a bad wrap considering he gets ZERO help down in New Orleans

    4. Add positional flexability across the board
    What I meant by this was add guys who could play more than one position. That's why I bring in Marcel Reece, Delanie Walker, Mathias Kiwanuka and Aaron Curry, to name a few. Guys who are scheme diverse and can lineup in a variety of formations. Because that's what the NFL is becoming. You don't lineup strictly in a 43 or 34 anymore. You don't have a base offense on first and second down, and then lineup your 4 wide set on third down. It's all over the place. Any formation can be used at any time under any circumstance. Got to have guys that can stay on the field and adapt to whatever formation you are going to use. That keeps the opposition guessing, and gives you an advantage.

    5. Upgrade the secondary
    You move Meriweather for Byrd, a more dynamic safety who can play in a few different roles. You bring in the unheralded Cortland Finnegan. You bring in Eric Smith, Buster Skrine and Quinton Carter. You make sure Kyle Arrington is resigned. You add that to Chung and McCourty. I like to think I added playmakers and difference makers. And gave the coaches something to play with.

    Thanks for reading. See you next year?
     
  14. UCF FINatic

    UCF FINatic The Miami Dolphins select

    5,783
    1,931
    113
    Apr 17, 2008
    PHILADELPHIA EAGLES

    [​IMG]

    FINAL ROSTER
    Quarterbacks
    Michael Vick - $10,720,000
    Brett Favre - $300,000
    Mike Kafka - $405,000
    QB Salary: ($11,425,000)

    Halfbacks
    Chris Johnson - $800,000
    Ricky Williams - $400,000
    Cadillac Williams $300,000
    HB Salary: ($1,500,000)

    Fullbacks
    Lawrence Vickers $300,000
    FB Salary: ($300,000)

    Wide Receivers
    Andre Johnson - $6,000,000
    Roddy White - $4,000,000
    Davone Bess - $1,013,333
    TJ Houshmandzadeh $600,000
    Brandon Stokley $300,000
    Chad Hall - $405,000
    WR Salary: ($12,318,333)

    Tight Ends
    Fred Davis - $1,700,000
    Alge Crumpler - $300,000
    Clay Harbor - $405,000
    TE Salary: ($2,405,000)

    Offensive Tackles
    Russell Okung $705,000
    Brandon Albert - $841,250
    Kevin Shaffer - $300,000
    Brandyn Dombrowski - $300,000
    Austin Howard - $405,000
    OT Salary: ($2,551,250)

    Offensive Guards
    Maurkice Pouncey - $405,000
    James Carpenter - $450,000
    Floyd Womack - $300,000
    Mike Williams - $300,000
    OG Salary: ($1,455,000)

    Centers
    Alex Mack - $774,000
    Fenuki Tupou - $480,000
    C Salary: ($1,254,000)

    Defensive Ends
    Richard Seymour - $7,500,000
    Tommy Kelly - $3,000,000
    Calais Campbell - $555,000
    Jay Richardson - $300,000
    DE Salary: ($11,355,000)

    Defensive Tackles
    Jamal Williams - $2,000,000
    Dan Williams - $405,000
    Junior Siavii - $300,000
    DT Salary: ($2,705,000)

    Outside Linebackers
    Kamerion Wimbley - $6,500,000
    Brian Cushing - $774,000
    Bobby Carpenter - $300,000
    Eric Barton - $300,000
    OLB Salary: ($7,874,000)

    Inside Linebackers
    AJ Hawk $8,000,000
    Lawrence Timmons - $650,000
    Reggie Torbor - $300,000
    ILB Salary: ($8,950,000)

    Cornerbacks
    Tramon Williams - $1,000,000
    Joe Haden - $405,000
    Brian Williams - $300,000
    Ryan Mouton - $300,000
    Jorrick Calvin - $405,000
    CB Salary: ($2,410,000)

    Strong Safeties
    Adrian Wilson - $3,000,000
    Roy Williams - $300,000
    Chris Horton - $555,000
    SS Salary: ($3,855,000)

    Free Safeties
    Aaron Williams - $500,000
    Kareem Moore - $555,000
    FS Salary: ($1,055,000)

    Kicker
    Alex Henery - $400,000
    K Salary: ($400,000)

    Punter
    Sam Koch - $300,000
    P Salary: ($300,000)

    Players: 53/53
    Total Salary: $71,792,583


    FINAL DEPTH CHART
    Quarterback
    Michael Vick 4× Pro Bowl selection (2002, 2004, 2005, 2010)

    Brett Favre 11× Pro Bowl selection (1992, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1997, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2007, 2008, 2009)

    Mike Kafka



    Halfback
    Chris Johnson 3× Pro Bowl selection (2008, 2009, 2010)

    Ricky Williams Pro Bowl selection (2002)

    Cadillac Williams


    Fullback
    Lawrence Vickers
    Wide Receivers
    Andre Johnson (Split End)5× Pro Bowl selection (2004, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010)

    Roddy White (Flanker) 3× Pro Bowl selection (2008, 2009, 2010)

    Davone Bess (Slot)

    TJ Houshmandzadeh 1× Pro Bowl selection (2007)

    Brandon Stokley

    Chad Hall


    Tight End
    Fred Davis

    Clay Harbor

    Alge Crumpler


    Left Tackle
    Russell Okung

    Brandyn Dombrowski

    Austin Howard


    Left Guard
    Brandon Albert
    Floyd Womack

    Mike Williams


    Center
    Alex Mack 1× Pro Bowl selection (2010)

    Fenuki Tupou


    Right Guard
    Maurkice Pouncey Pro Bowl selection (2010)

    Floyd Womack

    Mike Williams


    Right Tackle
    James Carpenter (Rookie)

    Kevin Shaffer

    Austin Howard


    Left Defensive End
    Calais Campbell

    Tommy Kelly Pro Bowl Alternate (2010)

    Jay Richardson


    Nose Tackle/Defensive Tackle
    Dan Williams

    Jamal Williams 3× Pro Bowl selection (2005, 2006, 2007)

    Junior Siavii


    Right Defensive End
    Richard Seymour 6× Pro Bowl selection (2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2010)

    Tommy Kelly Pro Bowl Alternate (2010)

    Jay Richardson


    Left Outside Linebacker
    Kamerion Wimbley

    Eric Barton


    Inside Linebackers
    Lawrence Timmons
    AJ Hawk

    Reggie Torbor


    Right Outside Linebacker
    Brian Cushing 1× Pro Bowl selection (2009)

    Bobby Carpenter


    Cornerbacks
    Tramon Williams 1× Pro Bowl selection (2010)

    Joe Haden

    Brian Williams

    Ryan Mouton

    Jorrick Calvin


    Strong Safety
    Adrian Wilson 4× Pro Bowl selection (2006, 2008, 2009, 2010)

    Chris Horton

    Roy Williams 5× Pro Bowl selection (2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007)


    Free Safety
    Aaron Williams (Rookie)

    Kareem Moore


    Kicker
    Alex Henery (Rookie)


    Punter
    Sam Koch
    OFFENSIVE PHILOSOPHY
    On offense I feel that my team has the personnel to run whatever offensive philosophy we want. We have the dominate offensive line a Pro Bowl HB and 2 solid back-up and a nice blocking FB to power run the ball all day. We have the Pro Bowl QB, Pro Bowl WRs, top slot WR, seem stretching TE, and offensive line to spread the defense out and pass the ball all day. This versatility will allow our offense to attack any given defense at its weakness. If the defense has a weak run defense we will run for over 200 yards, a weak passing defense and we will throw the ball for over 300 yards.

    Our main formation on offense will be three wide receivers (Andre Johnson, Roddy White, and Davone Bess), a single tight end (Fred Davis), and a single halfback (Chris Johnson). Most snaps will be taken from shotgun, however snaps from center will also be taken. We will have some zone read plays allowing Vick to decide whether he should hand the ball off to Johnson or if he should tuck it and run. Vick's speed and elusiveness will also be a factor during our passing game; instead of wasting Chris Johnson's talents by keeping him in to pass protect on most passing plays he will go out into the flat or up the middle and look to catch the ball and make a play. Our wide receivers, especially Roddy White and Andre Johnson will run the entire route tree. Additionally, we will run a lot of deep routes and a couple crossing routes with them. Bess will primarily work the underneath area. I expect defenses to try to double team either White or Andre Johnson so who ever is not being double teamed will get the most looks.

    Our team will also have a package where Vick goes undercenter, Lawrence Vickers stands behind him at FB and Chris Johnson lines up behind him at HB. The unique thing about this package is that we will either take Fred Davis off the field or Davone Bess. If Davis comes off the field, our 3 dominate WRs would only really allow the defense to put 6 or 7 (which is unlikely) guys in the box, give us a numbers advantage with 5 OL, 1 FB, 1 HB and 1 QB with speed and the threat to take off. If we take Bess out during this package, Fred Davis will be split out like a wide receiver. If the team guards him with a LB he should be able to burn the LB for a huge gain, if there is a CB on him he will be able to out muscle to CB on underneath routes to pick up good chunks of yards.

    Our basic offensive strategy will be to have the best skill guys out there at a time and then to attack the defense at their weakest point. I feel that I built the personnel to wreck havoc on all types of defenses in the NFL. Our Offense scheme for the most part will look like a blend between the Packers, Patriots and Ravens. We will run a lot of spread like the Packers and our receivers will run routes similar to the Patriots. We will power run the ball like the Ravens occasionally though if that is the defenses weakness. Then like the Ravens we will lull the defense to sleep by running the ball behind Chris Johnson until the defense starts to creep more guys into the box and then hit a deep passing route for a huge gain. The offensive line is my baby and my pride and joy; I love what I did there and they are all efficent running and pass blocking allowing my offense to do whatever I want. The skill positions M. Vick, C. Johnson, A. Johnson, R.White, F. Davis and even Bess to a limited extent are all explosive players that possess the ability to score any time they touch the football.


    DEFENSIVE PHILOSOPHY
    On the Defensive side of the ball I plan to be very, very aggressive from the 3-4. My biggest goal on the defensive side was to get two of the top CBs in the NFL so that I could give QB's headaches by blitzing the hell out of them while having top notch CBs back there shutting down their WRs. If you shutdown the opponents WRs and blitz a lot you are going to create a lot of sacks, interceptions, just big plays in general. By being so aggressive could it potentially hurt us? Yes, but overall I believe that our defense has the talent to run this philosophy and make our defense create a ton of turnovers and be one of the best ranked defenses.

    I want opponent's QBs and HBs to FEAR playing us. I want them to get a sick feeling in their stomach when they see us on their schedules. I want QBs to write a Will before they play us and HBs to accept the fact that getting 80 yards on us will be an accomplishment. Speed, strength, aggressiveness, smothering, vicious and relentless will be keywords for the defense. Our defensive coaches will coach each players to be terrors on the field in the model of the Pittsburg Steelers. The biggest difference will be the fact that our defensive ends will be able to get pressure on the QB, something the real Steelers DEs have struggled to do. The DEs will also play a key role in developing our blitz strategies. We will run a lot of delay blitz up the center, which will be effective because the Guards will think we are only rushing 3 defenders and slide out to help block Seymour, Kelly, or Campbell; the second they take that outside step Timmons, Wimbley, or Cushing can head up field untouched and wreck the QB. I purposely left Hawk's name out because we won't be blitzing nearly as much as any other LB.

    As far as the secondary we will run a lot of man to man and occasionally will work in some pattern matching (a technique used by the Patriots). Adrian Wilson will line up slightly closer to the line than Aaron Williams. Williams will be allowed to free lance because of his great instincts. I also plan to try to hide our secondary schemes until the ball is hiked. All in all, I believe I am going to have one hell of a defense.

    THANK YOU!
    I just want to thank everyone that spent time making this League as fun as it always is, especially GIK and anyone that helped him out whether it was by helping with FA, the Draft Committee or anything else. I had a great time with you all this year and the GM League helped a lot of the offseason (and lockout) pass by a lot faster. This will most likely be my last year participating in the GM League as I continue my journey to become a Dentist. It was hard playing this year because I am a perfectionist and spent numerous hours a day thinking about ways to improve my team, sometimes in my Organic Chemistry II lecture or as I was making 4-methylcyclohexene in my Organic Lab lol. I had a great time this year and thank you everyone that made it special. YOU GUYS ALL ROCK!
     
    Paul 13, GISH, Fin-Omenal and 2 others like this.
  15. Boik14

    Boik14 Season Ticket Holder Club Member

    75,120
    37,638
    113
    Nov 28, 2007
    New York
    Final Roster
    QB
    Byron Leftwich QB $300,000.00
    Eli Manning QB $8,500,000.00
    QB Total: 8,800,000

    RB/FB
    Michael Bush RB $1,500,000
    Derrick Ward RB $300,000
    Beanie Wells RB $622,500
    Ryan Williams RB $500,000
    RB/FB Total: $2,922,500

    WR/TE
    Travis Beckum TE $480,000.00
    Jericho Cotchery WR $1,800,000
    Joshua Cribbs WR $832,000.00
    Jarrett Dilliard, WR, $300,000
    Tony Gonzalez TE $6,000,000
    Randy Moss WR $2,700,000
    Hakeem Nicks WR $575,000.00
    Alex Smith TE $300,000
    Ben Watson TE $2,420,000.00
    Reggie Wayne WR 5,950,000
    WR/TE Total: 21,057,000

    OL
    Anthony Castonzo LT $800,000
    Harvey Dahl RG $2,500,000
    Shaun O' Hara C $3.45M
    Mario Henderson OT $700,000
    Stephen Heyer T $300,000
    Kareem McKenzie RT $4,300,000.00
    Matt Slauson G $480,000
    Chris Snee LG $2,950,000.00
    Stefan Wisniewski C $450,000
    OL Total: 15,930,000

    DL
    Mark Anderson DL $300,000
    Tony Brown DL $700,000
    Linval Joseph DL $405,000.00
    Trevor Laws DL $555,000.00
    Jason Pierre-Paul DL $475,000.00
    Justin Tuck DL $3,450,000.00
    Osi Umenyiora DL $3,125,000.00
    Pat Williams DL $1,400,000
    DL Total: 10,410,000

    LB
    Thomas Davis LB $1,000,000
    Phillip Dillard LB $405,000.00
    Tavares Gooden LB $400,000
    Thomas Howard LB $800,000
    D'Qwell Jackson LB $2,500,000
    Pisa Tinoisamoa LB $300,000
    Phillip Wheeler LB $555,000
    LB Total: $5,960,000

    DB
    Nate Allen DB $405,000.00
    Will Allen CB $300,000
    Dominique Foxworth CB $400,000
    Chad Jones DB $405,000.00
    Nate Jones, CB, $800,000
    Kenny Phillips DB $722,500.00
    Dominique Rogers-Cromartie 950,000
    Stanford Routt $4,700,000
    Tom Zibowski $600,000
    DB Total: $9,282,500

    Special Teams
    Matt Dodge P $300,000
    Stephen Gostkowski K $300,000
    Special Teams Total: $600,000

    Total:$74,962,000 (cap room available: 80,000)

    Free Agent Signings
    Thomas Davis $1,000,000 LB
    Thomas Howard $800,000 LB
    Harvey Dahl $2,500,000 RG
    Stanford Routt $4,700,000 CB
    Tony Brown $700,000 DT
    Will Allen $300,000 CB
    Tom Zibowski $600,000 S
    Dominique Fowworth $400,000 CB
    Stephen Gostkowski $300,000 K
    Randy Moss $2,700,000 WR
    D’Qwell Jackson $2,500,000 MLB
    Tavares Gooden $400,000 MLB
    Pat Williams $1,400,000 DT
    Tony Gonzalez $6,000,000 TE
    Stephen Heyer $300,000 T
    Derrick Ward $300,000 RB
    Pisa Tinoisamoa $300,000 LB
    Mario Henderson $700,000 OT
    Matt Dodge $300,000 P
    Alex Smith $300,000 TE
    Mark Anderson $300,000 DE
    Byron Leftwich - $300,000 QB

    Draft Picks
    Draft Picks:
    Round 1/Pick 12 - Anthony Castonzo OT Boston College $800,000
    Round 2/Pick 52 - Ryan Williams RB Virginia Tech $500,000
    Round 3/Pick 66 - Stefan Wisniewski C Penn State $450,000

    Trades:
    1) To start things off, the Giants made a relatively minor deal by taking a flier on a former high pick, Fred Davis. Davis has been an underachiever at the NFL level but has shown signs of being a good receiver when being given the opportunity and looked primed for a breakout 2010 season after finishing 2009 strong. But the return of Chris Cooley cut in to his playing time and his 2010 season never really got on track. The Giants also added a 5th round pick in this deal while shedding the salary and decrepit back of Shawn Andrews. While Andrews is a good player when healthy, he is rarely healthy. We wish him the best and better health.
    Redskins Trade:
    Fifth Round Pick (24 in round, 152 overall)
    TE Fred Davis $555k

    Giants Trade:
    OL Shawn Andrews $3M

    2) Young Cleveland GM Desides did well and the Giants hated to give up Michael Boley but we wanted to give Eli some more options. With Kevin Boss and Steve Smith free agents, receiver and tight end were needs. Cribbs also fills a need on special teams that the Giants havent filled since the days of Dave Meggett, a playmaker in the return game. Watson had an overlooked year in Cleveland last year and while his run blocking leaves room to be worked on, he was actually no worse then Kevin Boss was in that regard last year. Additionally, Watson provides the ability to threaten the seams which Boss did not provide. Watson is a gifted talent and has the ability to improve.

    Cleveland Trades:
    Ben Watson 2,420,000
    Josh Cribbs 832,000

    Giants Trade:
    Michael Boley 3,500,000

    3) The Giants are not an organization that likes to trade draft picks without getting any back but we correctly felt the bidding for Steve Smith in free agency would likely approach 5-6M. We figured for that price we may as well bring in a better player and with the addition of Reggie Wayne, we feel we did. While Wayne is older, he also has a good habit of finding the end zone and having caught passes from one Manning for years, he will now catch passes from the other Manning. While Eli is not Peyton, hes still a darn good QB who will look to Wayne to finish drives and pick up needed first downs. Wayne is a premier intermediate receiver who can make plays in the open field. The loss of Terrell Thomas hurts. Even though Thomas had a middle of the pack rating, he provided solid run support. He also found his way to the ball with 4 forced fumbles and a handful of interceptions. Still, you have to give something to get something and if Thomas, a 3rd and a 5th lands me Reggie Wayne, count me in every time.

    Giants Trade:
    Terrell Thomas $555,000
    Round 3/Pick 83
    Round 5/Pick 152 (From Washington)

    Colts Trade:
    Reggie Wayne 5,950,000

    4) David Diehl looked very out of place at Left Tackle last year and it was time for a replacement. The Giants did not feel he was worth the 3.5M salary he was due but felt they could get a decent return for him and they did. While the move does create a hole at Left Tackle, its a position that needed to be upgraded anyway. In this deal the Giants also moved safety Antrel Rolle and his high salary for sorely needed help at defensive tackle and an upgrade at safety with second year player Nate Allen. Allen was in the middle of a very good rookie year and showed he could be a playmaker before having his season interrupted by injury. Allen shows good instincts in coverage, decent hands and did well in run support. The other piece to the trade was Trevor Laws. Laws was a former second round pick by Philadelphia in 2008 and when Broderick Bunkley went down in mid-season Laws not only filled in but played better then Bunkley had been playing. The Giants believe they can further develop this young kid and that he can provide solid play against the run.

    The Eagles get:
    Antrel Rolle, FS, $5,250,000.00
    David Diehl, OT, $3,500,000.00

    The Giants get:
    Nate Allen, FS, $405,000
    Trevor Laws, DT, $555,000
    5th round pick (150th overall)

    5) The chief player we wanted was Nate Jones. He was a cheap but capable 4th/5th Cb that the Giants anticipated needing. With passing being such a huge part of the game these days, your DB's need to go 4-5 deep at least with capable cover men. Jones is one of the better slot CB's around as well.
    Denver trades:
    Nate Jones, CB, $800,000
    Brady Quinn, QB, $700,000

    New York trades:
    6th round pick (180)
    7th round pick (211)

    6) Corey Webster is a fine Corner but the Giants needed speed on the outside as they plan to play more press cover 2 for Perry Fewell and less zone. Webster struggled quite a bit vs receivers with speed and elusiveness, particularly the Eagles and Cowboys WR's. The Giants felt it was prudent to get a premier cover corner. They searched out good players coming off down years and found Dominique Rogers Cromartie available. Cromartie was terrible last year as the Arizona defense generated less pressure then any other team in the league. But a player doesnt just go from being the 4th best corner in the league to awful in one year without injury if there isnt a good reason. Cromartie has been a good press corner before and he will be again with Tuck, Umenyiora and Jason Pierre Paul generating pressure and not having to cover players for 10 seconds at a time. The Giants were among the leaders in sacks last year and will be again this year with such a dynamic young trio.

    While they hated to move Manningham who is a solid young WR, they were in desperate straits to get a good young cover corner. Getting young running back Beanie Wells just made it that much easier. Wells has run behind a below average run blocking line in his two years in Arizona. Now he will run behind pro bowl LG, Chris Snee, pro bowl center, Shaun O Hara, and the games best RT, Kareem McKenzie. While the other pieces on the Giants offensive line are going to be filled in later, Wells was excited about his new start in New York. The additional cap space certainly played a role in the deal.

    New York trades:
    Mario Manningham $555,000
    Corey Webster $8,000,000

    Arizona trades:
    Dominique Rogers-Cromartie $950,000
    Beanie Wells $622,500

    7) The Giants are in the process of reforming their defensive tackle rotation and linebacking corps. Bernard was never part of that. Phillip Wheeler will get competition for the starting WOLB position but he is young, cheap and has shown himself to be a good player in the early stages of his career.

    New York Trades:
    Rocky Bernard $2,950,000

    Colts Trade:
    Phillip Wheeler $555,000

    8) In a no brainer move the Giants were offered Pick 12 and E.J. Henderson for Canty, Goff and pick 19. Canty played well after a terrible 2009 season but the Giants wanted a more physical run defense going forward. Goff played very well last year but the Giants felt that Henderson was a proven upgrade despite his salary.

    NY sends:
    Chris Canty DL $5,250,000.00
    Jonathan Goff LB $555,000.00
    Round 1 - #19

    Vikings send:
    E.J. Henderson $4,700,000.00
    Round 1 - #12

    9) As an organization, it is prudent to know when a player fits your scheme and when he doesnt. The new regime has rectified a mistake by the previous regime drafting a 3-4 player like Sintim for a 4-3 scheme. GM Boik14 doesnt believe in fitting square pegs in to round holes. Better to get something in return for your investment then nothing at all.

    Giants Receive:
    6th round- 161
    7th round- 209

    Raiders Receive:
    Clint Sintim LB $480,000.00

    10) After previously trading their #3 WR Mario Manningham and cutting last years starting right guard, Rich Seubert who missed the final few games with a gruesome knee injury, the Giants were focused on filling those two slots. Jerricho Cotchery is a proven #3 Wr who can work out of the slot or on the outside. He is a big target with reliable hands; something Eli Manning really wanted to see in any new WR the team brought in. Last years WR's dropped 17 passes that turned in to interceptions. Matt Slauson showed himself to be a power run blocker who can play LG or RG. The Giants wanted to improve their team strength along the line, a plan William Beatty never fit in to, and have done so with this trade.

    Giants Receive:
    Jerricho Cotchery $1,800,000
    Matt Slauson $480,000

    Jets Receive:
    Aaron Ross $1,099,000
    William Beatty $480,000

    11) On the eve of free agency the Giants finished their flurry of moves with a move that continued to cut cost while filling needs. The team knew they may lose Ahmad Bradshaw and Brandon Jacobs in free agency so they continued to prepare by adding a bruising runner who has speed to get to the corner in the form of Michael Bush. Adding more picks in the deal never hurts either.

    Giants agree to trade
    EJ Henderson 4.7M

    Oakland Agrees to trade:
    Mike Bush 1.5M
    5.138
    5.143

    12) Simply to condense picks as cap space was limited. Also wanted to move up for another higher quality player.

    Jacksonville trades 3rd round #96
    New York Giants trade 4th round #116
    5th round #150
    6th round #161

    13) Simply put, the Giants wanted Stefan Wisniewski badly. The Giants tried for over 20 picks to move up for Wisniewski who they had as the top rated center prospect this draft. Since the Giants didnt have the cap space to sign all their picks anyway, we figured why not give them to someone who wanted them and could afford to sign them.

    Cincinatti Bengals :
    pick 3.66

    NY Giants sends:
    picks 3.96, 5.138, 5.143, 7.209
    OL Mitch Petrus

    Hmm only 13 trades this year. Im slippin up. :lol:

    Depth Chart

    Offense

    Base Offense: 2 TE, 2 WR, 1 RB (Ace formation)
    Philosophy: There's no two ways about it, just look at my OL. I'm going to use my receivers vertically to keep your defense honest and beat the snot out of your DL and LB's. I have more thunder then lightning in my backfield but that'll do just fine. I have TE's that can block and work the seems. I have receivers that can work short and use RAC to make plays and they can all play vertical. And I am at least two deep at every spot except franchise QB. Good luck.

    QB: Eli Manning, Byron Leftwich
    HB: Michael Bush, Ryan Williams, Beanie Wells, Derrick Ward
    LT: Anthony Castonzo, Mario Henderson, Stephen Heyer (swing tackle)
    LG: Chris Snee, Matt Slauson
    C: Shaun O'Hara, Stefan Wisniewski
    RG: Harvey Dahl, Matt Slauson
    RT: Kareem McKenzie, Mario Henderson, Stephen Heyer
    Flanker: Reggie Wayne, Jericho Cotchery, Josh Cribbs
    Split End: Hakeem Nicks, Randy Moss, Jarrett Dilliard
    Slot: Cotchery, Moss, Cribbs
    TE: Tony Gonzalez, Ben Watson, Travis Beckum, Alex Smith

    Defense

    Scheme: 4-3 Cover 2 man-press. Coverages obviously change with flow of game but that is base defense. On passing downs 4 DL becomes Umenyoria-Brown-Tuck-JPP.
    Philosophy: Pressure, pressure, pressure! I want my front 4 attacking and being aggressive getting upfield with their rush. I have an experienced group at DL and I expect they can rush in their lanes with responsibility for playing the run. Tuck, Umenyiora, and Brown have proven they can do and JPP and Laws showed glimpses of it. The back 7 is deep and good in coverage and they show a willingness to play the run. The safeties are both good two way safeties and an integral part of what will make this defense successful. And should their be a brawl Tommy Zibowski has shown he will knock you the heck out both in a boxing ring and on the field! :)

    DE: Osi Umenyoria, Justin Tuck, Jason Pierre-Paul, Mark Anderson
    Over DT: Pat Williams, Linval Joseph
    Under DT: Tony Brown, Trevor Laws
    SOLB: Phillip Wheeler, Thomas Howard
    MLB: D'Qwell Jackson, Phillip Dilliard, Tavares Gooden
    WOLB: Thomas Davis, Pisa Tinoisamoa
    CB: DRC, Stanford Routt, Will Allen, Dominique Foxworth, Nate Jones
    FS: Nate Allen, Chad Jones
    SS: Kenny Phillips, Tom Zibowski

    K: Stephen Gostkowski
    P: Matt Dodge
    KR: Josh Cribbs
    PR: Josh Cribbs

    Final write up:

    When I took over this team I knew there were a few primary areas of concern as the Giants had a lot of talent last year but not enough substance to them to be a playoff team. There had to be an overhaul at the skill positions. Eli set an NFL record for interceptions off of deflections, the hands of the unit were the first and foremost concern and a primary reason the Giants lead the NFL in turnovers last season. That had to change for receivers who were more responsible catching the ball. Kevin Boss, Steve Smith, and Mario Manningham were guilty of quite a few of those. Out with the old, in with Randy Moss, Reggie Wayne, Tony Gonzalez, Ben Watson, and Jericho Cotchery.

    Second on the offensive agenda was to find some younger players on the offensive line. The Giants had 4 players over the age of 30 on the OL last year and a 5th that is 29 in Snee. David Diehl was a turnstyle last year and had to go at 3.5M. Mario Henderson will be the starter if Anthony Castonzo needs time to adjust which we dont anticipate happening. Harvey Dahl comes in as a free agent and we expect Stefan Wisniewski to challenge Shaun O' Hara for the starting gig despite O'Hara's play last year.

    And last on offense we needed some new blood in the backfield, blood that is not so easily nicked up as Bradshaw and Jacobs were. We did wish to retain those players at more reasonable cost and I was originally planning to bring in a 3rd back to share the carries and create a situation like the Giants had in 2008 all over again when they have 2-1000 yard rushers and a 3rd (Bradshaw) who really came on at the end of that year. Welcome in Michael Bush (Thunder), Ryan Williams (Lightning), Beanie Wells (Hail), and Derrick Ward (Monsoon).

    Defensively the front 4 was good at the end spots but a little too soft in the middle for my liking. Originally Barry Cofield was in the plans to be resigned but when the opportunity to get Trevor Laws via trade and then Tony Brown and Pat Williams in UFA presented itself the upgrade is quite evident. Brown also provides an interesting interior presence next to Tuck as both can get upfield from the DT spot.

    The back 7 needed more skill as a unit and to become more physical. Thomas Davis is a pro bowl player when hes healthy and we anticipate full health in 2011. D'Qwell Jackson is a physical player with good instincts Thomas Howard, Pisa Tinoisamoa, and Tavares Gooden were other free agent linebacker signings that we feel will help in addition to Phillip Wheeler being brought in via trade. Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie can now go back to being the physical press corner that he is since he will have one of the leagues best pass rushes in front of him now. Coming off a down year, the suspicion here is that DRC's year was a product of his previous environment. Stanford Routt will be our other starting corner and he will replace Corey Webster as the #2 corner. Routt comes off an excellent year and we believe the light went on instead of just flickering as in the past. Nate Jones, Dominique Foxworth, Will Allen and Tom Zibowski were brought in via trades and free agency to provide valuable depth and experience.
     
    Paul 13, GISH, Fin-Omenal and 2 others like this.
  16. GridIronKing34

    GridIronKing34 Silently Judging You

    23,388
    16,296
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    Nov 22, 2007
    Denver, CO
    DENVER BRONCOS
    [​IMG]

    TEAM OVERVIEW
    The Denver Broncos have been a cherished franchise with success in the late 90’s with the likes of John Elway and Terrell Davis. Flash forward ten years and you have question marks surrounding the entire time from quarterback to the secondary. Two teams in the AFC West are either in their prime or on the rise in the San Diego Chargers and Kansas City Chiefs; with the remaining team looking to be on the rise as well in the Oakland Raiders. Competition is stiff in the AFC West and with the roster that the 2010 Denver Broncos had… There was no option other than to blow up the team and begin to build it around our franchise quarterback: Tim Tebow.
    Coaching Staff

    COACHING STAFF
    With a vacant coaching staff, I felt the right thing to do was to go after a college head coach with an NFL bloodline in Kirk Ferentz. Ferentz had a lot of success at Iowa and is a part of that Bill Parcells tree. I added in a great offensive mind in Charlie Weiss to the staff to give Ferentz an offense coordinator that he could depend on. Weiss is a proven winner and he will get the most out of Tim Tebow and the rest of the team. Ferentz will get the opportunity to really work with the offense line while Weis focuses on developing Tim Tebow. On the other side, adding Mike Trgovac may have been an unknown quantity but he is certainly a proven one. Trgovac had success as the defense coordinator for the Carolina Panthers from 2033-2008, but stepped down to join the Green Bay Packers defensive line staff. After winning a Super Bowl as a position coach, Trgovac sets his eyes on the same goal but in a different role.

    OFFENSIVE PHILOSOPHY
    The 2011 Denver Broncos offense will depend primarily on the play of Tim Tebow and overall smart football. The Broncos will look to turn a power run game where they rely heavily on the likes of Maurice Jones-Drew and Ronnie Brown. Denver will use Brandon Lloyd and Mike Thomas heavily in intermediate routes with Eddie Royal running shorter routes in the slot. Daniel Graham will play the role as the team’s starting tight end, but expect Jared Cook to be used in the passing game too. Being implemented is the Broncos’ version of the Wildcat, known as the Wildbuck. Ronnie Brown will likely be the one to take the direct snap, with Maurice-Jones Drew motioning from the outside. Before the snap though, Tim Tebow will be on the outside and will have the option to motion in to take the snap under center. A similar philosophy was used in 2009 when the Broncos defeated the Patriots.

    DEFENSIVE PHILOSOPHY
    The Broncos will be making the switch to the 4-3 defense and have really overhauled the defense. It will feature Barry Cofield as the team’s nose tackle and Glenn Dorsey making the switch to the 4-3 as the team’s under tackle. The two should compliment each other very well. Jared Allen and Ray Edwards bring their skills to Denver as they will man the outside spots on the defensive line. Barrett Ruud is the key to the defense as he will be depended heavily in zone coverage. With Ruud’s experience in the Tampa-2, the Broncos decide to take the Tampa 2 scheme and the Cover 1 scheme and mold it into their own. Daryl Smith will play strongside linebacker as he will look to provide man coverage on the tight end. On the opposite side is Akeem Ayers who will start at weakside linebacker. Ayers who will play man coverage on the offense’s running back and also look to stop the run and rush the passer when called upon. In the secondary, Donte Whitner will be used as another linebacker in a sense as he will creep up into the box. Whitner’s role will include providing man coverage on the fullback, but will be blitzing a lot. Michael Griffin will be playing cover 1 as he will be on an island in a sense where he is the last line of defense. Griffin will be given the opportunity for a lot of playmaking ability with two shutdown cornerbacks in Champ Bailey and Sean Smith. It’s very likely that Griffin will creep towards Smith’s side to give him some added insurance due to the excellent coverage skills of Champ Bailey. While there will be various personnel packages, that will be Denver’s base 4-3 defense.

    2011 DENVER BRONCOS ROSTER

    · Tim Tebow, QB, $405,000 After finishing the season strong and giving Denver plenty of hope in the future, Tebow looks to build upon that success. After surrounding Tebow with an improve run game and some familiarity within the receiving corp., Tebow is expected to be a big time contributor.
    · Seneca Wallace, QB, $300,000 The best way to help Tim Tebow learn is to bring a quarterback who understands the mobile quarterback mentality. Wallace is a very capable second string quarterback where he really has really succeeded when called upon.
    · Charlie Batch, QB, $300,000 While we were considering bringing a young quarterback to develop, we decided it was best to bring in another mentor for Tim Tebow. Batch may not be your ideal second string quarterback, but he is a great third string quarterback.

    · Maurice Jones-Drew, RB, $4,035,000 Quite possibly one of our biggest acquisitions in 2011, Maurice Jones-Drew is young and extremely talented on the ground and through the air. As our featured back, Jones-Drew looks to be a 1,300 yard runner while tallying 10+ touchdowns.
    · Ronnie Brown, RB, $2,000,000 A free agent acquisition, Ronnie Brown will be our number two running back as we implement the Wildcat in Denver. With Brown, the Broncos have the opportunity to have Tebow, MJD, and Brown on the field at the same time in a power run package.
    · Patrick Cobbs, RB, $300,000 Another free acquisition, Patrick Cobbs will be a jack of all trades player who will mainly be our special teams ace. We wanted a third string running back that we could depend on in other facets of the game.
    · Tony Richardson, FB, $300,000 A traditional lead blocker, Richardson looks to clear the way for Maurice Jones-Drew. While Richardson is nearly 40, his play hasn’t slowed down.

    · Brandon Lloyd, WR, $1,400,000 Brandon Lloyd is coming off a career year from 2011 where he caught 77 passes for over 1,400 yards and hauled in 11 touchdowns. Lloyd will look to continue to be a major target for Tebow as he tries to prove that his 2011 season was not a fluke.
    · Mike Thomas, WR, $480,000 Mike Thomas will be the Broncos’ deep threat guy as he lines up opposite of Lloyd. Thomas is coming of a big year of catching 66 passes for over 800 yards and grabbing 4 touchdowns. Thomas will look to make some big time plays in Denver.
    · Eddie Royal, WR, $555,000 Eddie Royal hasn’t really lived up to his rookie season, but he is still a threat to take it to the house at any given moment. He caught 59 passes for 627 yards and 3 touchdowns in 2011. Royal will be the slot receiver in Denver where he can give linebackers and nickel cornerbacks a fit.
    · Eric Decker, WR, $405,000 A third round pick in 2010, Decker is an extremely athletic, but raw prospect. Decker showed a lot of promise as a rookie and he’ll look to continue to develop in 2011.
    · Terrence Toliver, WR, $400,000 Drafted in the fifth round in the 2011 GML Draft, Toliver is big receiver who has quick feet for his size. Toliver may not hit the field much in 2011, but the Broncos look for him to be a red zone target.
    · Derrell Johnson-Koulianos, WR, $300,000 An undrafted rookie, Derrell Johnson-Koulianos holds every major record for wide receivers in Iowa. Drug charges that have since been dismissed haunts DJK, but he gets his shot at the NFL in Denver.

    · Daniel Graham, TE, $500,000 One of the best blocking tight ends in the NFL, Graham re-signed with Denver at a discounted price. Graham will look to be a leader for the Broncos as he helps turn Denver into one of the most feared rushing teams in the NFL.
    · Jared Cook, TE, $480,000 Jared Cook really turned it on near the end of the 2011 season as a legitimate threat in the passing game. Cook will look to continue his development as he is used primarily in passing situations.
    · Lance Kendricks, TE, $450,000 A third round pick in the 2011 GML Draft, Kendricks has the size, strength, speed, and athletic ability to be an elite tight end in the NFL. He is listed as our third option at tight end, but he will look to change that over time.

    · Ryan Clady, OT, $1,105,000 An All Pro tackle, Ryan Clady will continue his dominance at his respective position. While many offers were sent our way for Clady’s services, we believe in keeping chemistry on our offense line. Clady is one of the best tackles in the NFL and he will continue to do what he does best in Denver.
    · Zane Beadles, OG, $405,000 A second round pick in 2010, Beadles showed a lot of promise as a left guard starting 14 games in 2010. Beadles will look to continue to develop as a starter at the left guard position.
    · J.D. Walton, OC, $405,000 A third round pick in 2010, Walton started 15 games last season at center. Walton will look to improve on his 2010 season as he looks to turn the corner as a great starting center.
    · Chris Kuper, OG, $7,000,000 One of Denver’s leaders on the offense line, Kuper was given a huge deal in 2010. Kuper is one of the best right guards in the NFL and will look to continue to be the leader of the offense line in 2011.
    · David Stewart, OT, $3,500,000 An All-Pro right tackle, David Stewart is one of the best tackles in the NFL. Stewart has started 76 games for the Tennessee Titans since 2006. Stewart will look to be Tebow’s blindside protector, luckily is a responsibility he is more than capable of handling.
    · David Baas, OG, $500,000 A versatile guard/center, Baas will play as our sixth man on the line with the ability to play three spots.
    · Trai Essex, OG, $300,000 A veteran guard/tackle, Essex will play as a backup guard with the potential of being a backup at both tackle positions.
    · Eric Heitmann, OC, $300,000 A veteran center, Heitmann will backup second year center JD Walton. Heitmann will look to play as a mentor to Walton.
    · Ray Willis, OT, $300,000 Ray Willis is a great run-blocker, but average pass-blocker. He will look to backup both Stewart and Clady.
    · Willie Smith, OT, $300,000 An undrafted rookie, Smith is full of potential but needs time to develop. Smith will look to develop into a future right tackle.

    · Jared Allen, DE, $8,779,438 Jared Allen is quite possibly the best defense end in the NFL right now. Allen has averaged nearly 12 sacks per season since bursting onto the season as a rookie in Kansas City. Allen will come to Denver as our starting right defensive end as he will do what he does best: rush the passer.
    · Glenn Dorsey, DT, $4,082,250 Glenn Dorsey is one of the best pass rushing defense tackles in the NFL, but has been played in a less than ideal spot in Kansas City’s 3-4 defense. Dorsey will look to play under tackle in Denver’s new 4-3 defense as we will use Dorsey’s pass rushing skills to our advantage.
    · Barry Cofield, DT, $2,000,000 Barry Cofield is one of the most underrated defense tackles in the game right now. Unfortunately he received little fame for being on the Giants defense line. Cofield will come to Denver as their 4-3 nose tackle as he will look to take on the double teams to free up Allen and Dorsey.
    · Ray Edwards, DE, $5,000,000 After trading for Jared Allen, we brought in his partner in crime through free agency. Ray Edwards is a well-rounded defense end who will be able to stop the run and rush the passer as well. Edwards may have left Minnesota, but he still has some familiarity opposite of him.
    · Adrian Clayborn, DE, $750,000 A first round pick in the 2011 GML Draft, Adrian Clayborn was selected based purely on value. Clayborn will come in as a rotation left end and may play under tackle as well.
    · Kevin Vickerson, DT, $300,000 Kevin Vickerson is an extremely promising defense tackle that will back up Dorsey in the under tackle position.
    · Jason Hunter, DE, $715,000 Jason Hunter returns to his natural role at defense end as he will back up Jared Allen at right end.
    · Terrell McClain, DT, $400,000 A fifth round pick in the 2011 GML Draft, McClain will play behind Barry Cofield as the teams nose tackle.
    · Pierre Allen, DE, $400,000 A seventh round pick in the 2011 GM Draft, Allen will play as the team’s third string defense end.

    · Daryl Smith, LB, $1,000,000 A versatile linebacker who has proven himself to be one of the top strongside linebackers in the NFL. Daryl Smith brings experience and versatility to the Denver Broncos as he has played every linebacker position at one point in his career. Smith will start at strongside linebacker for the Broncos.
    · Barrett Ruud, LB, $8,000,000 Barrett Ruud was one of the biggest free agent acquisitions for the Broncos as he has started at middle linebacker for the Buccaneers since 2007. Ruud is well known for his coverage skills and will be an excellent addition as the Broncos starting middle linebacker in their new 4-3 defense.
    · Akeem Ayers, LB, $750,000 A first round pick in the 2011 GML Draft, Akeem Ayers is one of the top linebacker prospects in the draft. Ayers is a well-rounded linebacker who can rush the passer, stop the run, and cover running backs and tight ends. Ayers will start at weakside linebacker for the Broncos.
    · Joe Mays, LB, $405,000 Joe Mays returns to the Broncos from 2010 based on his potential to be a contributor to Denver’s defense. Mays is known for his hard-hitting and will play as the team’s back up middle linebacker.
    · Paris Lenon, LB, $500,000 Paris Lenon was signed as an insurance policy as he can play a variety of linebacker positions. He will look to play back up weakside linebacker and may shift around to a variety of positions throughout the season.
    · Greg Jones, LB, $450,000 A second round pick in the 2011 GML Draft, Greg Jones was a leader for the Spartans defense. Jones will play as Denver’s back up strongside linebacker.

    · Champ Bailey, CB, $7,000,000 Champ Bailey is still one of the best cover cornerbacks in the NFL and that may not change for a few years. Bailey was given the transition tag and will stay a Bronco in 2011. Bailey will continue to start at the cornerback position as he looks to provide more lockdown coverage.
    · Sean Smith, CB, $480,000 Sean Smith took the next step and impressed people with his coverage skills in 2011. Smith has some mental lapses that lead to dropped interceptions, but with Bailey as a mentor, Smith will surely improve his game in 2011. Smith will start as Denver’s second cornerback.
    · Michael Griffin, FS, $1,235,000 Michael Griffin came from Tennessee through a trade and we couldn’t be happier to add a Pro Bowl free safety to the roster. Griffin’s playmaking ability will be huge for the secondary as the Broncos will depend on him for turnovers in 2011.
    · Donte Whitner, SS, $2,000,000 Donte Whitner was a free agent acquisition and is a hard hitting strong safety who plays like a safety but hits like a linebacker. Whitner will be used to stop the run as the Broncos’ defense will rely more on Ruud’s pass coverage skills.
    · Andre Goodman, CB, $1,600,000 Andre Goodman returns from injury to play as the team’s nickelback. Goodman is an experienced cornerback who can lockdown receivers and even force a turnover or two.
    · SydQuan Thompson, CB, $405,000 SydQuan Thompson returns to the team as one of the few bright spots from the 2010 defense. Thompson is still a little raw, but brings a lot of promise to the team as a cornerback.
    · Curtis Brown, CB, $450,000 Drafted in the third round of the 2011 GML Draft, Curtis Brown will be an instant hit on special teams. Brown is a good cover cornerback and will take a year or two to develop fully.
    · Darcel McBath, FS, $300,000 A 2009 second round draft pick, McBath hasn’t lived up to his draft status. However his role in 2011 will be minimal as he looks to back up Michael Griffin.
    · Da'Norris Searcy, SS, $400,000 A sixth round pick in the 2011 GML Draft, Da’Norris Searcy is a strong safety who excels in many facets of the game. While Whitner is the short-term solution at strong safety; Searcy is the long-term answer.

    · Britton Colquitt, P, $300,000 Britton Colquitt returns to the team after his first season as a starter. Colquitt averaged nearly 45 yards per punt and looks to improve on those numbers.
    · Adam Vinatieri, K, $450,000 Mr. Clutch comes to Denver and will look to provide the Broncos with some insurance at the kicker position.

    TOTAL SALARY $74,926,688

    · denotes returning player
    · denotes traded player
    · denotes signed free agent
    · denoted rookie

    2011 DENVER BRONCOS DRAFT TRADES
    Trade #1, 2/10/2011
    Trade #2, 2/12/2011
    Trade #3, 2/12/2011
    Trade #4, 2/13/2011
    Trade #5, 2/14/2011
    Trade #6, 2/18/2011
    Trade #7, 2/24/2011
    Trade #8, 3/1/2011
    Trade #9, 3/5/2011
    Trade #10, 3/10/2011
    Trade #11, 3/13/2011
    Trade #12, 3/27/2011
    Trade #13, 3/31/2011
    Trade #14, 4/3/2011
    2011 DENVER BRONCOS SIGNED FREE AGENTS
    Barrett Ruud, LB, $8,000,000
    Champ Bailey, CB, $7,000,000
    Ray Edwards, DE, $5,000,000
    David Stewart, OT, $3,500,000
    Barry Cofield, DT, $2,000,000
    Ronnie Brown, RB, $2,000,000
    Donte Whitner, SS, $2,000,000
    Andre Goodman, CB, $1,600,000
    Daryl Smith, LB, $1,000,000
    David Baas, OG, $500,000
    Daniel Graham, TE, $500,000
    Paris Lenon, LB, $500,000
    Adam Vinatieri, K, $450,000
    Charlie Batch, QB, $300,000
    Patrick Cobbs, RB, $300,000
    Trai Essex, OG, $300,000
    Darcel McBath, S, $300,000
    Ray Willis, OT, $300,000
    Kevin Vickerson, DT, $300,000
    Tony Richardson, FB, $300,000
    Britton Colquitt, P, $300,000
    Derrell Johnson-Koulianos, WR, $300,000
    Willie Smith, OT, $300,000

    2011 DENVER BRONCOS DRAFT CLASS
    Round 1 (#025 Overall) - Akeem Ayers, LB, UCLA
    Round 1 (#032 Overall) - Adrian Clayborn, DE, Iowa
    Round 2 (#059 Overall) - Greg Jones, LB, Michigan State
    Round 3 (#067 Overall) - Curtis Brown, CB, Texas
    Round 3 (#078 Overall) - Lance Kendricks, TE, Wisconsin
    Round 5 (#149 Overall) - Terrence Toliver, WR, LSU
    Round 5 (#151 Overall) - Terrell McClain, DT, South Florida
    Round 6 (#179 Overall) - Da'Norris Searcy, SS, North Carolina
    Round 7 (#194 Overall) - Pierre Allen, DE, Nebraska

    OFFENSE DEPTH CHART
    QB Tim Tebow | Seneca Wallace | Charlie Batch
    HB Maurice Jones-Drew | Ronnie Brown| Patrick Cobbs
    FB Tony Richardson
    WR1 Brandon Lloyd | Eric Decker | Terrence Toliver
    WR2 Mike Thomas | Eddie Royal | Terrence Toliver
    TE Daniel Graham | Jared Cook | Lance Kendricks
    LT Ryan Clady | Ray Willis | Willie Smith
    LG Zane Beadles | Davis Baas | Trai Essex
    C JD Walton | Eric Heitmann | David Baas
    RG Chris Kuper | David Baas | Trai Essex
    RT David Stewart | Ray Willis | Willie Smith

    DEFENSE DEPTH CHART
    LDE Ray Edwards | Adrian Clayborn | Pierre Allen
    LDT Glenn Dorsey | Terrell McClain
    RDT Barry Cofield | Kevin Vickerson
    RDE Jared Allen | Jason Hunter | Pierre Allen
    SLB Daryl Smith | Greg Jones
    MLB Barrett Ruud | Joe Mays
    WLB Akeem Ayers | Paris Lenon
    CB1 Champ Bailey | SydQuan Thompson | Curtis Brown
    CB2 Sean Smith | Andre Goodman | Curtis Brown
    FS Michael Griffin | Darcel McBath
    SS Donte Whitner | Da'Norris Searcy

    SPECIAL TEAMS DEPTH CHART
    P Britton Colquitt
    K Adam Vinatieri
    KR Eddie Royal
    PR Eddie Royal

    TEAM CAPTAINS
    OFF Tim Tebow, Maurice Jones-Drew
    DEF Daryl Smith, Champ Bailey
    ST Adam Vinatieri, Patrick Cobbs

    CLOSING THOUGHTS
    Very few teams started with a team that was not only in shambles, but also was converting from a 3-4 to a 4-3. Question marks surrounded the entire Denver Broncos organization , but it appears that Denver is looking like it is well on its way to compete in 2011. I wouldn’t be surprised if the Broncos had the talent to win the division as they have the offense molded similar to the 2008 Miami Dolphins and the 2010 Kansas City Chiefs with their reliance on certain players in specific situations. I believe that the Broncos have a vastly improved defense and an offense with an actual identity. The Denver Broncos are much better than they were in 2010 and the city of Denver should soon see another Lombardi trophy come their way.
     
    Paul 13, GISH, Boik14 and 2 others like this.
  17. Skeet84

    Skeet84 New Member

    7,661
    2,275
    0
    Dec 14, 2007
    BALTIMORE RAVENS


    QUARTERBACKS ($3,535,000)
    Joe Flacco, QB, $2,785,000
    Tarvaris Jackson, QB, $300,000
    Andy Dalton, QB, $450,000

    RUNNING BACKS ($1,755,000)
    Ray Rice, RB, $555,000
    Le'Ron McClain, FB, $300,000
    Laurence Maroney, RB, $300,000
    Roy Helu, RB, $300,000
    Shaun Chapas, FB, $300,000

    WIDE RECEIVERS ($17,408,000)
    Vincent Brown, WR, $300,000
    Louis Murphy, WR, $480,000
    James Hardy, WR, $480,000
    Eric Weems, WR, $550,000
    Derrick Mason, WR, $450,000
    Vincent Jackson, WR, $7,898,000
    Braylon Edwards, WR, $7,250,000

    TIGHT ENDS ($5,670,500)
    Matt Spaeth, TE, $450,000
    Todd Heap, TE, $4,600,000
    John Carlson, TE, $620,500

    OFFENSE LINE ($14,105,000)
    Tim Barnes, C, $300,000
    Rodney Hudson, OG/C $500,000
    Benjamin Ijalana, OT/OG $500,000
    Trent Williams, OT, $1,350,000.00
    Chris Chester, OG, $300,000
    Matt Birk, OC, $3,000,000
    Ben Grubbs, OG, $795,000
    Jason Peters, OT, $5,900,000
    Jeremy Trueblood, OT, $500,000

    DEFENSE LINE ($11,505,000)
    Brandon McKinney, DE, 300,000
    Terrence Cody, DT, $405,000
    Kelly Gregg, NT, $3,500,000
    Cory Redding, DE, $2,500,000
    Brandon Mebane, DT/DE, $3,100,000
    Ray McDonald, DT/DE, $300,000
    Shaun Ellis, DE, $1,100,000

    LINEBACKERS ($ 11,305,000)
    Brooks Reed, OLB, $500,000
    Prescott Burgess, OLB, $300,000
    Jarrett Johnson, OLB, $300,000
    Rolando McClain, ILB, $1,050,000
    Brendon Ayanbadejo, ILB, $775,000
    Ray Lewis, ILB, $4,500,000
    Jason Phillips, ILB, $480,000
    Terrell Suggs, OLB, $3,400,000

    DEFENSE BACKS ($5,815,000)
    Brandon Hogan, CB, $300,000
    Chris Conte, FS, $300,000
    Dashon Goldson, FS, $300,000
    Captain Munnerlynn, CB, $480,000
    Tyvon Branch, SS, $555,000
    Lardarius Webb, CB, $480,000
    George Wilson, SS, $300,000
    Ike Taylor, CB, $2,100,000
    Drayton Florence, CB, $1,000,000

    KICKER/PUNTER ($600,000)
    Matt Bryant, K, $300,000
    Ryan Donahue, P, $300,000

    TOTAL SALARY:$71,698,500
    TOTAL PLAYERS: 53

    -------------

    Draft Picks
    2nd round 48 - OLB Brooks Reed
    2nd round 57 - OT/OG Benjamin Ijalana
    2nd round 58 - OG/C Rodney Hudson
    3rd round 92 - QB Andy Dalton
    5th round 141 - RB Roy Helu
    5th round 150 - FS Chris Conte
    5th round 159 - C Tim Barnes
    5th round comp - WR Vincent Brown
    6th round 161 - CB Brandon Hogan
    6th round 176 - P Ryan Donahue
    7th round Comp - FB Shaun Chapas


    Depth Chart

    QB
    1. Joe Flacco
    2. Tavaris Jackson
    3. Andy Dalton

    These Rankings should not surprise anyone except for Dalton being 3rd. I really like Dalton and what he brings to the table but to start the year its better for him to sit back and learn the offense. Jackson is a guy who is still young and has proved he can win games however not consistently. Flacco has improved every year since being drafted and we upgraded the WR position a lot. We gave him a lot more speed and youth.

    RB
    1. Ray Rice
    2. Laurence Maroney
    3. Roy Helu

    Ray Rice will continue to be the work horse for the Ravens has he has proven that he has been one of the best backs in the NFL. Roy Helu will come in and give us that rare speed that few people have. We are hoping Maroney can bounce back after a disappointing year last year. He will be the main guy to get carries while Rice is out.

    FB
    1. Le'Ron McClain
    2. Shaun Chapas

    McClain is a dangerous player and as such his work load may increase. He is a good fullback and proved he can run with the ball well. Having him in there never hurts because of how much he does well, But we just don't wanna over work him. Chapas can come in and give him a break or even block for him in a goal line/short yard situation. Chapas knows how to block and will be asked to do so in some situations he probably won't receive any carries tho.

    WR
    1. Vincent Jackson
    2. Braylon Edwards
    3. Derrick Mason
    4. Louis Murphy
    5. Vincent Brown
    6. James Hardy / Eric Weems

    This was the one position that we had to upgrade with youth and speed. Vincent Jackson is one of the top WR's in the league and we expect no different here with the Ravens. Edwards is our 2 and he brings a lot to the table. He is one of the better #2 guys in the league and is only 28. Derrick Mason is as old as dirt and we know that but year after year he produces and that's all that matters. Last year he had over 800 yards and 7 TD's and while we don't expect that this year because he will not be playing as much we still expect him to be an asset to the team. Murphy is a young guy with a ton of speed and loves the deep ball. Well our QB loves the deep ball too and Murphy will play a lot of 3 to give mason a break. Brown comes in and will be asked to back up and play his role the team. James Hardy is still developing while Weems will mainly play a Special teams role

    OL

    LT
    1. Jason Peters
    2. Trent Williams

    LG
    1. Ben Grubbs
    2. Rodney Hudson

    C
    1. Matt Birk
    2. Rodney Hudson
    3. Tim Barnes

    RG
    1. Chris Chester
    2. Benjamin Ijalana / Rodney Hudson

    RT
    1. Trent Williams
    2. Jeremy Trueblood
    3. Benjamin Ijalana

    Offensive Line has changed so much since last year. We didn't have a bad line but now I think we have a great one. We have 2 amazing tackles that are going to have there way with a lot of defenses. Grubbs has been great and Birk is an aging Vet hat still plays at a high level. RG with Chester is our weakest spot, But don't think he is bad just not as good as the rest of our other starters. We drafted some young guys who will get a chance to learn from veterans and not have to worry about being thrown right in there. We do think that they could play very well if needed tho due to an injury.

    DL

    NT
    1. Kelly Gregg
    2. Brandon Mebane
    3. Terrence Cody
    4. Ray Mcdonald

    LDE
    1. Cory Redding
    2. Brandon McKinney/Shaun Ellis

    RDE
    1. Brandon Mebane
    2. Shaun Ellis/Ray McDonald


    Traded Ngata away which we do expect to hurt our defense but not as much as some might expect. We brought in some very good guys and will play depending on situations. A lot of Versatility and that's a big plus.


    LB

    LOLB
    1. Jarrett Johnson
    2. Prescott Burgess

    LILB
    1. Ray Lewis
    2. Jason Phillips

    RILB
    1. Rolando McClain
    2. Brendon Ayanbadejo

    ROLB
    1. Terrell Suggs
    2. Brooks Reed


    Very excited about what this LB core can do. We brought in two guys we expect to make impacts right away in Reed and McClain. Guys are young and talented. The other guys have been with the Ravens and are proven winners that play at high levels. Ray Lewis doesn't let you play any other way

    DB

    LCB
    1. Drayton Florence
    2. Captain Munnerlynn
    3. Brandon Hogan

    RCB
    1. Ike Taylor
    2. Lardarius Webb

    FS
    1. Dashon Goldson
    2. Chris Conte

    SS
    1. Tyvon Branch
    2. George Wilson

    This is a group that will have to put together a good year. Its the only group that is unproven to many people. We feel like the Corners will be just fine as all these guys can play in the NFL at a high level excpet for Hogan who is unproven. Goldson had a bad year stat wise last year but has sooo much talent we expect him to watch center field for us and make game changing plays. Branch is the one guy we fell in love with and expect him to be a raven for a long time. He is a great SS and at such a young age. George Wilson is a veteran guy that can teach and it doesnt hurt he is one of the best SP teams players in the NFL. Conte and Hogan need to prove they can play and learn the playbook.

    K
    Matt Bryant

    P
    Ryan Donahue

    Bryant is a solid Kicker and we expect no less this year. Donahue is the only Rookie the Ravens are really expecting to come in and start right away. He has a great leg and he will need to make good punts to help our defense and offense.
     
    Paul 13, GISH, Boik14 and 2 others like this.
  18. MonstBlitz

    MonstBlitz Nobody's Fart Catcher

    21,176
    10,130
    113
    Jan 14, 2008
    Hornell, NY
    Dukane and MonstBlitz present the

    [​IMG]

    Head Coach: Bill Cowher
    Offensive Coordinator: Mike Martz
    Defensive Coordinator: Rod Marinelli


    53 Man Roster:

    BLUE= acquired via trade
    ORANGE= acquired via FA
    RED= acquired vis draft

    Quarterback
    Jay Cutler, QB, $7,600,000
    Caleb Hanie, QB, $900,000
    Jon Kitna, QB, $300,000

    Running back
    Matt Forte, RB, $555,000
    Mike Hart, RB, $300,000
    Stanley Havili, FB, USC $400,000
    DeMarco Murray, RB, $450,000


    Wide Receiver
    Tandon Doss, WR, $500,000
    Brian Hartline, WR, $480,000
    Jacoby Jones, WR, $2,750,000
    Ben Obomanu, WR, $400,000
    Steve Smith, WR, $7,000,000


    Tight End
    Robert Royal, TE, $300,000
    Kyle Rudolph, TE, $500,000

    Offensive Line
    Clint Boling, OL, $450,000
    Roberto Garza, OL, $2,175,000
    Geoff Hangartner, OL, $300,000
    Olin Kruetz, OL, $1,000,000

    Jake Long, OL, $10,000,000
    Lance Louis, OL, $480,000
    Frank Omiyale, OL, $1,600,000
    William Rackley, OL, $500,000
    Chris Williams, OL, $1,095,000
    Edwin Williams, OL, $480,000

    Defensive Line
    Tommie Harris, DL, $2,312,500
    Marcus Harrison, DL, $555,000
    Israel Idonije, DL, $2,400,000
    Jarvis Jenkins, DL, $400,000
    Julius Peppers, DL, $900,000
    Robert Ayers, DL/LB $800,000

    Linebacker
    Lance Briggs, LB, $3,650,000
    Keyaron Fox, LB, $300,000
    Gary Guyton, LB, $1,000,000
    Leroy Hill, LB, $300,000
    Landon Johnson, LB, $300,000

    Colin McCarthy, LB, $400,000
    Joey Porter, LB, $300,000
    Ernie Sims, LB, $3,250,000

    Brian Urlacher, LB, $8,025,000
    Mike Vrabel, LB, $300,000

    Defensive Back
    Ahmad Black, DB, $400,000
    Zackary Bowman, DB, $555,000
    Chimdi Chekwa, DB, $400,000
    Corey Graham, DB, $500,000
    Chris Harris, DB, $1,095,000
    Tim Jennings, DB, $1,400,000
    Danieal Manning, DB, $800,000
    DJ Moore, DB, $480,000
    Joshua Moore, DB, $405,000
    Johnny Patrick, DB $$400,000

    Specialist
    David Akers, K, $400,000
    Richmond McGee, P, $480,000
    John Denney, LS, $300,000

    TOTAL SALARY: $73,330,100

    Depth Chart:

    QB CUTLER KITNA HANIE
    RB FORTE HART MURRAY
    FB HAVILI
    WR SMITH OBOMANU DOSS
    WR JONES HARTLINE
    TE ROYAL RUDOLPH DAVIS
    LT LONG RACKLEY
    LG WILLIAMS,C WILLIAMS,E
    C KRUETZ
    RG GARZA LOUIS
    RT OMIYALE HANGARTNER BOLING

    DE IDONIJE HARRISON
    NT HARRIS JENKINS
    DE PEPPERS AYERS
    LB PORTER HILL FOX
    LB URLACHER VRABEL MCCARTHY
    LB SIMS GUYTON
    LB BRIGGS JOHNSON
    CB JENNINGS GRAHAM CHEKWA
    CB BOWMAN MOORE,DJ PATRICK
    SS MANNING HARRIS
    FS MOORE,J BLACK

    K AKERS
    P MCGEE
    LS DENNEY

    Summary:

    Overall it was blatantly obvious for anybody who watched a Bears game last year what their biggest weakness was. Offensive line. How did we address that? Two words: Jake Long. We also shored up the interior with a a couple of solid guards we picked up in the middle rounds of the draft.

    The other big weakness was the absence of a legitimate #1 WR. We felt Devin Hester was never that guy and neither was Johnny Knox. Steve Smith, formerly of the New York football Giants is a guy we like to be that guy. Admittedly he was our second choice to Braylon Edwards, but in the end we are happy to have a guy with better hands who we ended up getting much cheaper. Also thrilled to add Brian Hartline to our roster via trade.

    We added a plethora of talented LBs mostly via free agency and trade to make the transition to a 3-4 defense as seemless as possible.

    Interesting note: Jared Allen was for a short time part of our roster. We were enthralled with what the pairing of him and Julius Peppers would have produced, but in the end we got an offer we couldn't refuse and the cap room cleared paved the way for us to make room for Jake Long. Did we mention we have Jay Cutler? And should anything happen to him we're very comfortable with Kitna and Hanie backing him up.

    In short, this is a Bears team we feel has maintained it's positions of strength and turned areas of great weakness into areas of great strength.

    BTW -

    [​IMG]
     
    Paul 13, dukane5, GISH and 2 others like this.
  19. PSG

    PSG Clear Eyes. Full Hearts.

    9,767
    3,436
    113
    Nov 24, 2007
    North of the Border
    INDIANAPOLIS COLTS

    ROSTER
    QB
    Matt Hasselbeck $6,000,000
    Matt Flynn $555,000
    Ryan Colburn (R) $400,000
    QB Salary: $6,955,000

    RB
    Brandon Jacobs $3,000,000
    Donald Brown $635,000
    Rashad Jennings $480,000
    Shane Vereen (R) $400,000
    Javarris James $405,000
    RB Salary: $4,920,000

    WR
    Lance Moore $4,250,000
    Pierre Garcon $555,000
    Austin Collie $480,000
    Anthony Gonzalez $650,000
    Blair White $480,000
    Tiquan Underwood $480,000
    WR Salary: $6,895,000

    TE
    Jacob Tamme $555,000
    Brandon Manumaleuna $500,000
    Donald Lee $750,000
    Brody Eldridge $405,000
    TE Salary: $2,210,000

    OT
    Michael Roos $5,000,000
    Nate Solder (R) $750,000
    Adam Goldberg $300,000
    Jeffrey Linkenbach $405,000
    OT Salary: $6,455,000

    OG
    Justin Blalock $3,000,000
    Kyle DeVan $700,000
    Mike Pollack $555,000
    John Moffitt (R) $400,000
    OG Salary: $4,655,000

    C
    Jeff Saturday $2,650,000
    A.Q. Shipley $480,000
    C Salary: $3,130,000

    DE
    Aaron Kampman $2,450,000
    Robert Mathis $2,410,000
    Ryan Kerrigan (R) $750,000
    Darryl Tapp $2,250,000
    DE Salary: $7,860,000

    DT
    Tyson Alualu $802,500
    Rocky Bernard $2,950,000
    Antonio Dixon $480,000
    Brandon Bair (R) $400,000
    DT Salary: $4,632,500

    LB
    Gary Brackett $2,000,000
    Chad Greenway $10,500,000
    Pat Angerer $405,000
    Brandon Chillar $300,000
    Quan Sturdivant (R) $450,000
    Kavell Conner $405,000
    LB Salary: $13,760,000

    CB
    Terrell Thomas $555,000
    Prince Amukamara (R) $850,000
    Jerraud Powers $480,000
    Justin Tryon $555,000
    Jacob Lacey $480,000
    CB Salary: $2,920,000

    SS
    Craig Dahl $1,100,000
    Chip Vaughn $480,000
    SS Salary: $1,580,000

    FS
    Antoine Bethea $4,745,000
    Corey Lynch $300,000
    FS Salary: $5,045,000

    K/P
    Jay Feely $300,000
    Pat McAfee $480,000
    K/P Salary: $480,000

    Total Salary: $72,097,500

    DEPTH CHART
    Starters in BOLD
    Rookies in Red
    QB - Hasselbeck / Flynn / Colburn
    RB - Jacobs / Brown / Jennings / Vereen / James
    WR - Moore / Garcon / Collie / Gonzalez / White / Underwood
    TE - Tamme / Manumaleuna / Lee / Eldridge
    LT - Roos / Solder / Linkenbach
    LG - Blalock / Pollack / Moffitt
    C - Saturday / Shipley
    RG - DeVan / Moffitt / Pollack
    RT - Solder / Goldberg / Linkenbach
    LDE - Mathis / Kerrigan / Tapp
    RDE - Kampman / Tapp / Kerrigan
    DT - Alualu / Bernard / Dixon / Bair
    LOLB - Greenway / Chillar
    MLB - Brackett / Sturdivant
    ROLB Angerer / Conner
    LCB - Thomas / Powers/ Lacey
    RCB - Amukamara / Tryon / Lacey
    SS - Dahl / Vaughn
    FS - Bethea / Lynch
    K - Feely
    P - McAfee

    2011 Draft Class
    Round 1: 8 (8): Prince Amukamara - CB, Nebraska
    Round 1: 21 (21): Nate Solder - OT, Colorado
    Round 1: 27 (27): Ryan Kerrigan - DE, Purdue
    Round 3: 4 (68): Quan Sturdivant - LB, North Carolina
    Round 4: 14 (110): John Moffitt - OG, Wisconsin
    Round 4: 22 (118): Shane Vereen - RB, California
    Round 7: 22 (214): Brandon Bair - DT, Oregon
    Round 7: 25 (217): Ryan Colburn - QB, Fresno St.

    FREE AGENT SIGNINGS
    QB Matt Hasselbeck ($6,000,000) - Signed 3/5
    TE Brandon Manumaleuna ($500,000) - Signed 3/6
    OG Justin Blalock ($3,000,000) Signed 3/6
    LB Chad Greenway ($10,500,000) - Signed 3/7
    RB Brandon Jacobs ($3,000,000) - Signed 3/7
    TE Donald Lee ($750,000) - Signed 3/7
    K Jay Feely ($300,000) - Signed 3/7
    FS Corey Lynch ($300,000) - Signed 3/10
    OT Adam Goldberg ($300,000) - Signed 3/10
    WR Lance Moore ($4,250,000) - Signed 3/10
    LB Brandon Chillar ($300,000) - Signed 3/12

    TRADES
    Indianapolis trades WR Reggie Wayne ($5,950,000) to New York Giants for CB Terrell Thomas ($555,000), a 3rd round pick (#83) and a 5th round pick (#152).

    Indianapolis trades TE Dallas Clark ($4,200,000) and a 6th round pick (#183) to Tennessee for a 2nd round pick (#38).

    Indianapolis trades DE Dwight Freeney ($11,420,000), DE Jerry Hughes ($405,000), DT Fila Moala ($480,000) and a 5th round pick (#152) to Jacksonville for DT Tyson Alualu ($802,500), RB Rashad Jennings ($480,000), DE Aaron Kampman ($2,450,000), WR Tiquan Underwood ($480,000) and a 3rd round pick (#80).

    Indianapolis trades LB Philip Wheeler ($555,000) to New York Giants for DT Rocky Bernard ($2,950,000).

    Indianapolis trades a 3rd round pick (#83) to Green Bay for QB Matt Flynn ($555,000).

    Indianapolis trades CB Kelvin Hayden (6,105,000) to Philadelphia for DT Antonio Dixon ($480,000) and DE Darryl Tapp (2,250,000)

    Indianapolis trades QB Peyton Manning ($36,000,000) to Tennessee for LT Russell Okung ($705,000) and a 1st round pick (#27).

    Indianapolis trades LT Russell Okung ($705,000), OT Ryan Diem ($5,400,000) and a 1st round pick (#22) to Philadelphia for LT Michael Roos ($5,000,000) LB Moise Fokou ($480,000), C A.Q. Shipley ($480,000) and a 1st round pick (#8).

    Indianapolis trades a 3rd round pick (#87) to St. Louis for SS Craig Dahl ($1,100,000).

    Indianapolis trades a 2nd round pick (#53) to Atlanta for a 3rd round pick (#68) and a 4th round pick (#110).
     
    Paul 13, GISH, Fin-Omenal and 2 others like this.
  20. adamprez2003

    adamprez2003 Senior Member

    37,392
    14,745
    113
    Nov 27, 2007
    new york ciity
    Depth Chart

    black: returning player/ red: free agent/ green: rookie

    QB Matt Schaub / QB Vince Young
    FB Anthony Sherman (R)
    RB Arian Foster / RB Ben Tate / RB Johnny White
    WR Julio Jones (r) / WR Legedu Naanee
    WR Jonathan Baldwin (r) / WR Chaz Schillens
    WR Kevin Walter / WR Dwayne Harris (R)
    H-B Dorin Dickerson
    TE Joel Dreesen / TE Brad Cottam / TE Garrett Graham
    LOT Duane Brown/ OT Ryan Harris
    LOG Max Jean Giles
    C Jamaal Jackson / C Antoine Caldwell
    ROG Mike Briesiel/ OG Shelley Smith
    ROT Michael Oher/ OT King Dunlap


    DE Mario Williams / DE Damione Lewis
    NT Earl Mitchell / NT Amobi Okoye / NT Frank Okam
    DE Antonio Smith / DE Christian Ballard (R) / DE Demario Pressley
    OLB Conner Barwin / OLB Xavier Adibi / OLB Bruce Miller (R)
    WILB Demeco Ryans / ILB Stewart Bradley
    SILB Stephen Cooper/ ILB Daryl Sharpton
    OLB Sergio Kindle / OLB Mario Addison (R) /
    CB Leigh Bodden / CB Glover Quinn
    CB Kareem Jackson / CB Ras I Dowling (R) / CB Antwuan Molden
    SS Dominique Barber / SS Haruki Nakamura
    FS Earl Thomas / FS Jeron Johnson (R)

    K Sebastion Janikowski
    P Brian Moorman


    write up to come
     
    Paul 13, GISH, Fin-Omenal and 2 others like this.
  21. PeaTearGriffin

    PeaTearGriffin Season Ticket Holder

    1,478
    403
    83
    Dec 8, 2007
    Detroit Lions Final Roster


    [​IMG]

    Quarterbacks
    -Devlin, Pat, QB. $400,000.00 (23)
    -Kaepernick, Colin, QB. $450,000.00 (23)
    -Pennington, Chad, QB. $300,000.00 (34)
    Total: $1,150,000.00

    Running Backs
    -Best, Jahvid, RB. $405,000.00 (22)
    -Clay, John, RB. $400,000.00 (23)
    -Felton, Jerome, FB. $900,000.00 (24)
    -Logan, Stefan, RB. $480,000.00 (29)
    -Smith, Kevin, RB. $1,500,000.00 (24)
    Total: $3,685,000.00

    Wide Receivers
    -Camarillo, Greg, WR. $300,000.00 (28)
    -Jean, Lester, WR. $400,000.00 (23)
    -Johnson, Calvin, WR. $10,450,482.00 (25)
    -Kerley, Jeremy, WR. $400,000.00 (22)
    -Williams, Derrick, WR. $480,000.00 (24)
    Total: $12,030,482.00

    Tight Ends
    -Pettigrew, Brandon, TE. $728,750.00 (25)
    -Scheffler, Tony, TE. $1,445,000.00 (27)
    -Smith, Lee, TE. $400,000.00 (23)
    Total: $2,573,750.00

    Offensive Line
    -Cherilus, Gosder, T. $610,000.00 (26)
    -Fox, Jason, T. $405,000.00 (22)
    -Fraley, Hank, C. $300,000.00 (33)
    -Gaither, Jared, T. $6,000,000.00 (24)
    -Hadnot, Rex, G. $300,000.00 (29)
    -Muhlbach, Don, LS. $300,000.00 (29)
    -Raiola, Dominic, C. $300,000.00 (32)
    -Sims, Rob, G. $1,385,000.00 (27)
    -Thomas, Donald, G. $480,000.00 (25)
    -Ugoh, Tony, T. $480,000.00 (27)
    Total: $10,560,000.00

    Defensive Ends
    -Avril, Cliff, DE. $2,100,000.00 (24)
    -Jackson, Lawrence, DE. $715,000.00 (25)
    -McBride, Turk, DE. $300,000.00 (25)
    -Vanden Bosch, Kyle, DE. $4,500,000.00 (32)
    Total: $7,615,000.00

    Defensive Tackles
    -Fluellen, Andre, DT. $900,000.00 (25)
    -Hill, Sammie Lee, DT. $480,000.00 (24)
    -Suh, Ndamukong, DT. $785,000.00 (24)
    -Williams, Corey, DT. $4,900,000.00 (30)
    Total: $7,065,000.00

    Linebackers
    -Barnett, Nick, LB. $4,000,000.00 (29)
    -Campbell, Caleb, LB. $700,000.00 (24)
    -Dizon, Jordon, LB. $555,000.00 (25)
    -Follett, Zack, LB. $700,000.00 (23)
    -Levy, DeAndre, LB. $480,000.00 (23)
    -Palmer, Ashlee, LB. $700,000.00 (24)
    -Woodyard, Wesley, LB. $500,000.00 (24)
    Total: $7,635,000.00

    Cornerbacks
    -Asomugha, Nnmandi, CB. $12,000,000.00 (29)
    -Bush, Jarrett, CB. $300,000.00 (26)
    -Houston, Chris, CB. $300,000.00 (26)
    -Smith, Alphonso, CB. $480,000.00 (25)
    -Smith, Jimmy, CB. $800,000.00 (22)
    -Torrence, Devon, CB. $400,000.00 (21)
    Total: $14,280,000.00

    Safeties
    -Coleman, Erik, S. $300,000.00 (28)
    -Delmas, Louis, S. $608,750.00 (23)
    -Pollard, Bernard, S. $3,000,000.00 (26)
    -Spievey, Amari, S. $405,000.00 (22)
    Total: $4,313,750.00

    Kicker/Punter
    -Harris, Nick, P. $300,000.00 (32)
    -Rackers, Neil, K. $300,000.00 (34)
    Total: $600,000.00

    Team Salary: $71,507,982.00
    Salary Cap: $75,000,000.00
    Cap Room: $3,492,018.00

    Roster Size- 53

    Depth Chart

    OFFENSE

    QB: Kaepernick | Pennington | Devlin
    RB: Best | Smith | Logan | Clay
    FB: Felton
    WR1: Johnson | Kerley | Williams
    WR2: Camarillo | Jean | Logan
    TE: Pettigrew | Scheffler | Smith
    LT: Gaither | Ugoh | Cherilus
    LG: Sims | Fraley
    C: Raiola | Fraley
    RG: Hadnot | Thomas
    RT: Cherilus | Fox

    DEFENSE

    LDE: Vanden Bosch | Jackson
    LDT: Suh | Hill
    RDT: Williams | Fluellen
    RDE: Avril | McBride
    SLB: Levy | Palmer
    MLB: Barnett | Dizon
    WLB: Woodyard | Follett | Campbell
    CB1: Asomugha | Houston | Bush
    CB2: J. Smith | A. Smith | Torrence
    FS: Delmas | Coleman
    SS: Pollard | Spievey

    SPECIAL TEAMS
    K: Rackers
    P: Harris
    KR/PR: Logan
    LS: Muhlbach
     
  22. Stitches

    Stitches ThePhin's Biggest Killjoy Luxury Box

    53,148
    31,935
    113
    Nov 23, 2007
    Katy, TX
    [​IMG]
    San Diego (Super) Chargers Final Roster


    Quarterbacks - $8,700,000
    Philip Rivers, QB, $8,400,000
    Rex Grossman, QB, $300,000

    Running Backs - $2,510,000
    Ryan Mathews, RB, $405,000
    Kendall Hunter (R), RB, $450,000
    Thomas Jones, RB, $400,000
    Dion Lewis, RB (R), $400,000
    Jacob Hester, FB, $555,000
    Lex Hilliard, FB, $300,000

    Wide Receivers - $4,510,000
    Patrick Crayton, WR, $2,350,000
    Torrey Smith (R), WR, $500,000
    Seyi Ajirotutu, WR, $405,000
    Edmund Gates (R), WR, $450,000
    Aldrick Robinson (R), WR, $400,000
    Stephen Williams, WR, $405,000

    Tight Ends - $5,800,000
    Antonio Gates, TE, $5,200,000
    Randy McMichael, TE, $300,000
    Ben Patrick, TE, $300,000

    Offensive Lineman - $20,835,000
    Marcus McNeill, LT, $10,000,000
    Kris Dielman, LG, $4,500,000
    Nick Hardwick, C, $3,675,000
    Louis Vasquez, RG, $480,000
    Gabe Carimi (R), RT, $800,000
    Tyronne Green, OL, $480,000
    Jeromy Clary, OL, $300,000
    Scott Mruczkowski, OL, $300,000
    Eric Young, OL, $300,000

    Defensive Lineman - $12,355,000
    Luis Castillo, LE, $4,500,000
    Antonio Garay, NT, $640,000
    Haloti Ngata, RE, $5,530,000
    Kenrick Ellis (R), DL, $500,000
    Cam Thomas, DL, $405,000
    Jarvis Green, DL, $300,000
    Vaughn Martin, DL, $480,000

    Linebackers - $7,650,000
    Shaun Phillips, ROLB, $3,900,000
    Kevin Burnett, ILB, $300,000
    Donald Butler, ILB, $405,000
    Ahmad Brooks, LOLB, $1,000,000
    Larry English, OLB, $740,000
    Brandon Lang, OLB, $405,000
    Ricky Elmore (R), OLB, $300,000
    Dannell Ellerbe, ILB, $300,000
    Tim Dobbins, ILB, $300,000

    Cornerbacks - $2,100,000
    Antoine Cason, CB, $665,000
    Quentin Jammer, CB, $3,750,000
    Dimitri Patterson, CB, $900,000
    Jason Allen, CB, $400,000
    Curtis Marsh (R), CB, $400,000

    Safeties - $2,100,000
    Brodney Pool, FS, $300,000
    Steve Gregory, SS, $1,020,000
    Paul Oliver, S, $300,000
    Darrell Stuckey, S, $480,000

    Specialists - $1,455,000
    Nate Kaeding, K, $300,000
    Mike Scifers, P, $1,155,000

    Total Team Salary - $72,030,000
    Cap Room - $2,970,000




    Depth Chart

    Offense

    QB: Rivers/Grossman
    RB: Mathews/Hunter/Jones/Lewis
    FB: Hester/Hilliard
    WR1: Crayton/Ajirotutu/Williams
    WR2: Smith/Gates/Robinson
    TE: Gates/McMichael/Patrick
    LT: McNiell/(Carimi)
    LG: Dielman/Green
    C: Hardwick/Mruczkowski
    RG: Vasquez/Young
    RT: Carimi/Clary

    Defense
    LE: Castillo/Green/Martin
    NT: Garay/Thomas
    RE: Ngata/Ellis
    LOLB: Brooks/Lang/Elmore
    MILB: Burnett/Ellerbe
    WILB: Butler/Dobbins
    ROLB: Phillips/English
    CB1: Cason/Patterson/Marsh
    CB2: Jammer/Allen
    FS: Pool/Oliver
    SS: Gregory/Stuckey

    Special Teams
    K: Kaeding
    P: Scifres
    KR/PR: Robinson/Lewis/Gates

    *Captains - Rivers, Ngata, Phillips, Allen (STs)
     
  23. thats what she said

    thats what she said ^ohhhh yeahhhhhh

    1,589
    479
    0
    Jan 11, 2009
    alaBAMA
    DALLAS COWBOYS

    (will get my write-up and everything else done tomorrow)

    Tony Romo QB $9,000,000.00
    Stephen McGee QB $480,000.00
    Troy Smith QB ---

    not much change, just bringing in a younger back-up in troy smith as opposed to jon kitna.

    Tashard Choice RB $555,000.00
    Stevan Ridley RB --
    Felix Jones RB $1,023,750.00
    Chris Gronkowski RB $405,000.00

    again, marion barber III is gone, leaving it it up to choice and felix to get the bulk of the carries. i really like what ridley has to bring to the table as a bruiser, and what he did in the sec, says a lot.

    Jeremy Maclin
    Dez Bryant WR $1,112,500.00
    Johnny Knox WR
    Roy Williams WR $500,000
    Damian Williams WR $500,000

    i REALLY didnt want to trade miles austin, but it was too much to pass up. not to mention it get back 2 young wr's, one in maclin who's got damn good potential in this offense opposite of dez bryant, and with knox in the slot. cut roy williams and got him at a much cheaper price...damian williams, i still like his potential. pretty solid batch of wr's imo.

    Jason Witten TE $3,391,000.00
    John Phillips TE $480,000.00
    Clark Harris $300,000

    one of the best te's in the game with witten, john phillips who the year before outperformed martellus bennet imo. clark harris, eh #3 te.

    Robert Brewster OL $480,000.00
    Doug Free OL OL TWENTY FREAKIN MILLION DOLLARS
    John Jerry OL
    Mike Pouncey OL ---
    Marc Colombo OL $1,900,000.00
    Zach Hurd OL ---
    Eugene Amano OL $2,500,000
    Derrick Sherrod OL ---
    Sam Young OL $405,000.00
    Alan Faneca OL $500,000

    oline - brutal changes, yet needed. we're all aware of the doug free epic auction. was rewarded mike pouncey in the 1st round after a long week of blackouts and me not knowing wtf was going on. had to go after eugene amano after releasing andre gurode - solid pick up imo and almost $3mil cheaper. picked up john jerry in the trade for miles austin, and got derrick sherrod late in the first. if any struggles with sherrod, marc columbo is still on the roster. also have young back-ups in zach hurd, robert brewster and sam young with alan faneca back-up to jerry.

    Igor Olshansky DL $2,750,000.00
    Jay Ratliff DL $3,750,000.00
    Justin Harrell DL $300,000
    Jacques Cesaire $300,000
    Aaron Smith DL $500,000
    Jason Hatcher $500,000
    Clifton Ryan $300,000
    Josh Brent DL $405,000.00

    probably the most solid position on the team from top to bottom. smith, igor and jay ratt are the starters. and the depth is just as good with josh brent price given another year to develop. back-ups all have experience in the 34 and if justin harrell can pan out, a bonus.

    Bradie James LB $3,500,000.00
    Sean Lee LB $405,000.00
    Anthony Spencer LB $1,001,000.00
    DeMarcus Ware LB $6,700,000.00
    Martez Wilson LB ---
    Jason Williams
    Markus White LB ---
    Victor Butler LB $480,000.00

    another solid position with ware, james, lee, and spencer as starters. martez wilson can spell james in the nickle d and he was just too good a pick to pass up and is the eventual replacement to james. wilson + leee = good stuff. not to mention ware is bad *** as always. counting on spencer to have that break out year...he's a solid 34 olb, but just doesnt have the numbers to back it up. victor butler is also a good situational passer to spell either ware or spencer.

    Barry Church DB $405,000.00
    Bryan McCann DB $480,000.00
    Danny McCray DB $405,000.00
    Akwasi Owusu-Ansah DB $405,000.00
    Perrish Cox DB
    Orlando Scandrick DB $555,000.00
    Chris Culliver DB ---
    Major Wright DB ---
    Carlos Rogers DB $3,100,000
    Sabby Piscitelli DB $500,000

    David Buehler K $480,000.00
    Mat McBriar P $1,000,000

    QB - Tony Romo
    RB - Felix Jones
    WR - Dez Bryant
    WR - Jeremy Maclin
    WR - Johnny Knox
    TE - Jason Witten
    LT - Doug Free
    LG - Mike Pouncey
    C - Eugene Amano
    RG - John Jerry
    RT - Derek Sherrod

    LE - Aaron Smith
    NT - Jay Ratliff
    RE - Igor Olshansky
    LOLB - Anthony Spencer
    LILB - Bradie James
    RILB - Sean Lee
    ROLB - Demarcus Ware
    CB - Carlos Rodgers
    FS - Major Wright
    SS - Sabby Piscitelli
    CB - Perrish Cox

    K - David Buehler
    P - Mat McBriar
     
  24. Silverphin

    Silverphin Well-Known Member

    11,035
    4,419
    113
    Nov 25, 2007
    The Seattle Seahawks
    [​IMG]

    Offense


    Quarterback:
    Cam Newton - $900,000
    Daunte Culpepper - $300,000
    Nate Davis - $700,000
    Tyrod Taylor $400,000

    Silverphin's Notes: All of these quarterbacks, with the exception of Tyrod Taylor, represent something I like in all my quarterback: Effectiveness in the pocket with the ability to elude the rush and make a postive play out of potentially negative play. Also, each quarterback also has a great arm, allowing this offense to pose a vertical threat. Tyrod Taylor will be playing multiple positions. Wildcat potential?

    Full Back:
    Ryan Powdrell - $480,000

    Silverphin's Notes: See Running back notes

    Running Back:
    Marion Barber (1a) - $6,000,000
    Marshawn Lynch (1b) - $1,140,000
    Da'Rell Scott - $400,000
    Tyrod Taylor (?)

    Silverpin's Notes: One of the biggest goals this offseason was to improve the running. And with the pick up of Marion Barber, we did just that. As noted, Barber and Lynch will be splitting snaps, with Da'Rell Scott added in to provide speed. Scott himself could also be used as a receiver, making him a great mismatch against linebackers. This group will definitely take the pressure off of Newton and transfer it on to the defense. Once again, can Tyrod play this position? We'll see, but for now, no. As for Powdrell, all he'll have to do is block his man, and have his hands ready.

    Wide Receiver:
    Golden Tate - $405,000
    Benjamin Obamanu - $1,101,000
    Ted Ginn, Jr. - $1,393,750
    Mike Williams - 1,750,000
    Ricardo Lockette - $400,000
    Tyrod Taylor

    Silverphin's Notes: The incumbents of Tate, Obamanu, and (surprisingly) Williams proved rather effective last season. So, we decided to inject some speed into this group for good measure. Ted Ginn, Jr., while unlikely to ever become a number one receiver, creates a mismatch for nickel back across his way. Ricardo Lockette, fastest wider receiver at the combine, will be a project, but is someone who can be used early in certain packages. Once again, Tyrod Taylor is being looked at this position. Can he become a Cribbs clonee?

    Tight End:
    Visanthe Shiancoe - $3,100,000
    Rob Housler - $400,000
    Cameron Morrah - $480,000

    Silverphin's Notes: Shiancoe and Housler will be used a lot in two tight end sets. Housler brings immense speed and height from an offense that uses the tight end position a lot. With Shiancoe already established as a pretty good tight end and Housler being very fast for his position, they will be excellent weapons for a rookie quarterback such as Newton.

    Left Tackle:
    Bryant McKinnie - $4,900,000
    Tyler Polumbus - $300,000

    Left Guard:
    Stacy Andrews - $5,250,000
    Maurice Hurt - $400,000

    Center:
    Chris White - $300,000
    Ryan Bartholomew - $400,000

    Right Guard:
    Leonard Davis - $2,000,000
    Mike Gibson - $480,000

    Right Tackle:
    Winston Justice - $2,700,000
    William Robinson - $480,000

    Silverphin's Notes: This offensive line is a veteran group with a couple of possible future startes in Hurt and Bartholomew. They should be able to create enough push to give room for our backs, and also provide protection against the pass rush.

    Offense


    Left Defensive End:
    Dave Ball - $300,000
    Christian Anthony - $400,000

    Left Defensive Tackle:
    Colin Cole - $3,750,000
    Red Bryant - $555,000

    Right Defensive Tackle:
    Kentwan Balmer - $622,000
    Sealver Siliga - $400,000

    Right Defensive End:
    Chris Clemons - $2,300,000
    Phillip Hunt - $5,500,000

    Silverphin's Notes: This is a very dangerous group. The 4-3 defense allows us to put two space eaters up fronts, leaving room our defensive ends to attack the quarterback. Both starting ends have the ability to get after the quarterback, while Anthony and Hunt sustain the pressure while developin as defensive ends. Hopefully, Hunt can be our version of Cameron Wake.

    Weakside Linebacker:
    Kaluka Maiava - $300,000
    Adrian Moten - $400,000

    Middle Linebacker:
    Will Witherspoon - $3,000,000
    Nick Roach - $300,000

    Strongside Linebacker:
    Dexter Davis -$405,000
    Anthony Heygood - $330,000

    Silverphin's Notes: I'm iffy about the group. One one hand, we have tackling machines in Witherspoon and Roach. On the other hand, the departures of Lofa Tatupu, Aaron Curry, and David Hawthorne left some pretty big shoes to fill. Moten, Davis, and Maiava have a lot to prove.

    Right Cornerback:
    Ellis Hobbs - $300,000
    Roy Lewis - $300,000

    Strong Safety:
    Bob Sanders - $2,000,000
    Kam Chancellor - $405,000

    Free Safety:
    Brian Dawkins - $1,500,000
    Reggie Smith - $555,000

    Left Cornerback:
    Marcus Trufant - $5,900,000
    Marcus Brown - $330,000
    Ashton Youboty - $300,000

    Silverphin's Notes: This group, I feel, has potential on becoming an improved group from last year. But there are questions. Does Dawkins still have it? Can Sanders and Hobbs stay healthy? If the answers to those questions are yes, then we'll have a ball hawking secondary that'll make even the most prestigious of quarterbacks think twice about where he's throwing.

    Special Teams


    Kicker:
    Olindo Mare - $400,000

    Punter:
    Jon Ryan - $1,100,000

    Long Snapper:
    Clint Gresham - $405,000

    KR:
    Ted Ginn, Jr.
    Ricardo Lockette

    PR:
    Ted Ginn, Jr.
    Da'Rell Scott

    Silverphin's Notes: Not much to say here. Ginn, Lockette, and Scott should ignite our return game.

    Total Salary:
    $68,616,750
     
  25. Stringer Bell

    Stringer Bell Post Hard, Post Often Club Member

    44,356
    22,480
    113
    Mar 22, 2008
    UPDATED:

    Roster:
    SECONDARY $15,445,000.00
    Sam Shields CB $405,000.00
    B Underwood CB $480,000.00
    Charles Woodson CB $5,500,000.00
    Josh Gordy CB $405,000.00
    Chris Carr CB $3,000,000.00
    Patrick Peterson CB $900,000.00
    Rafael Bush CB $300,000.00
    Drew Coleman CB $300,000.00
    Morgan Burnett S $405,000.00
    Nick Collins S $2,600,000.00
    Joseph Lefeged S $400,000.00
    Derrick Martin S $750,000.00

    DEFENSIVE LINE $9,210,000.00
    Howard Green NT $765,000.00
    Cullen Jenkins DE $3,500,000.00
    Mike Neal DE $405,000.00
    Ryan Pickett DE/NT $2,700,000.00
    B.J. Raji NT $955,000.00
    C.J. Wilson DE $405,000.00
    Jarius Wynn DE $480,000.00

    LINEBACKER $8,068,000.00
    Clay Matthews OLB $660,000.00
    Cheta Ozougwu OLB $400,000.00
    Erik Walden OLB $555,000.00
    Rob Francois OLB $405,000.00
    Manny Lawson OLB $4,000,000.00
    Desmond Bishop ILB $1,118,000.00
    Nate Irving ILB $450,000.00
    Diyral Briggs LB $480,000.00

    OFFENSIVE LINE $15,330,000.00
    Bryan Bulaga T $405,000.00
    Chad Clifton T $5,750,000.00
    T.J. Lang T $480,000.00
    Mark Tauscher T $4,100,000.00
    M Newhouse G/T $405,000.00
    Josh Sitton G $555,000.00
    E Dietrich-Smith C/G $480,000.00
    Nick McDonald C/G $405,000.00
    Scott Wells C $2,750,000.00

    SPECIAL TEAMS $1,340,000.00
    Brett Goode LS $560,000.00
    Tim Masthay P $480,000.00
    Gareth Rowlands K $300,000.00

    QUARTERBACK $7,655,000.00
    Graham Harrell QB $405,000.00
    Aaron Rodgers QB $7,250,000.00
    RUNNING BACK $4,305,000.00
    Ryan Grant RB $3,500,000.00
    Noel Devine RB $400,000.00
    James Starks RB $405,000.00

    TIGHT END $1,440,000.00
    Tom Crabtree TE $480,000.00
    Jer Finley TE $555,000.00
    Andrew Quarless TE $405,000.00

    WIDE RECEIVER $6,965,000.00
    Donald Driver WR $4,100,000.00
    Jordy Nelson WR $565,000.00
    Justin Gage WR $1,000,000
    Randall Cobb WR $500,000
    Greg Little WR $500,000
    Sam Hurd WR $300,000
    $69,758,000.00

    Depth Chart:

    CB: Charles Woodson/Patrick Peterson/Sam Shields/Chris Carr/Rafael Bush/Drew Coleman/B Underwood/Josh Gordy

    S: Nick Collins/Morgan Burnett/Joseph Lefeged/Derrick Martin

    DE: Cullen Jenkins/Ryan Pickett/CJ Wilson/Mike Neal/Jarius Wynn

    NT: BJ Raji/Howard Green/Ryan Pickett

    WOLB: Clay Matthews/ Cheta Ozougwe

    SOLB: Manny Lawson/ Erik Walden

    LILB: Nate Irving/ Diyral Briggs

    RILB: Desmond Bishop/ Rob Francois

    T: Chad Clifton/ Mark Tauscher/ Bryan Bulaga/ TJ Lang

    G: Josh Sitton/ Marshall Newhouse/ TJ Lang/ Evan Dietrich-Smith/ Nick McDonald

    C: Scott Wells/ Nick McDonald/ Evan Dietrich-Smith

    QB: Aaron Rodgers/ Graham Harrell/ Randall Cobb

    RB: James Starks/ Ryan Grant/ Noel Devine

    TE: Jermichael Finley/ Andrew Quarless/ Tom Crabtree

    WR: Donald Driver/ Jordy Nelson/ Justin Gage/ Randall Cobb/ Sam Hurd/ Greg Little
     
  26. Sean

    Sean FIST PUMP ON!

    1,507
    370
    0
    Dec 2, 2007
    Code:
    WASHINGTON REDSKINS
    
    QUARTERBACK ($4,300,000.00) (3)
    Donovan McNabb $2,500,000
    Charlie Whitehurst $1,500,000
    David Carr $300,000
    
    
    RUNNING BACK ($1,980,000.00) (4) 
    Clinton Portis $500,000
    Ryan Torain $480,000.00
    Steve Slaton $300,000
    Jacquizz Rodgers $400,000 <= SCAT BACK
    
    
    
    Full Backs ($400,000) (1)
    Brian Leonard $400,000
    
    
    
    WIDE RECEIVER ($5,280,000.00) (6)
    Lee Evans $3,225,000
    Anthony Armstrong $405,000.00
    Bey-Bey (Demaryius) Thomas $405,000
    Greg Salas $400,000
    Cecil Shorts III $400,000
    Brandon Banks $405,000.00
    
    
    TIGHT END ($4,180,000.00 (2))
    Chris Cooley, $3,700,000.00
    Logan Paulsen 480,000.00
    
    Left Tackles ($3,730,000) (2)
    Andrew Whitworth $3,250,000
    Selvish Capers $480,000
    
    Left Guards ($1,180,000) (2)
    Derrick Dockery $700,000
    Kory Lichtensteiger $480,000
    
    
    Centers ($780,000) (2) 
    Max Unger $480,000
    Ben Hamilton $300,000
    
    Right Guards ($3,300,000) (2)
    Shawn Andrews $3,000,000
    Mansfield Wrotto $300,000
    
    Right Tackles ($4,800,000) (2) 
    Eric Winston $4,500,000
    Alex Barron $300,000
    
    
    Nose Tackles ($700,000) (2) 
    Anthony Adams $300,000
    Ian Williams $400,000
    
    Left Defensive End ($4,920,000) (2)
    Jonathan Babineaux $3,500,000
    Adam Carriker $1,420,000
    
    Right Defensive End ($1,175,000) (2)
    Peria Jerry $695,000
    Jeremy Jarmon $480,000
    
    "Mike" Inside ($5,300,000) (2)
    London Fletcher $4,900,000.00
    Casey Matthews $400,000
    
    "Jack" Inside ($2,980,000) (2)
    Channing Crowder $2,500,000
    Scott McKillop $480,000.00
    
    Left Outside Linebacker ($3,800,000) (2)
    Rocky McIntosh $3,500,000
    Antwan Applewhite $300,000
    
    Right Outside Linebacker ($565,000) (2) 
    Brian Orakpo $565,000
    Daniel Te'o-Nesheim $405,000
    
    Left Cornerback ($4,905,000)(2) 
    DeAngelo Hall $4,500,000
    Brandon Hughes $405,000.00
    
    Right Cornerback ($5,550,000) (2) 
    Terence Newman $5,250,000
    Chris Maragos $300,000
    
    Nickel Cornerback ($582,000) (2)
    Darius Butler $582,500
    
    
    Free Safeties ($1,365,000) (2)
    Brandon Meriweather $650,000
    Taylor Mays "Or Die" $405,000
    
    Strong Safety ($4,195,000) (2)
    LaRon Landry $3,715,000.00
    Don Carey $480,000
    
    Kickers ($500,000) (1)
    Phil Dawson $500,000
    
    Punters ($480,000) (1)
    Sam Paulescu $480,000.00
    
    Long Snapper ($405,000) (1) 
    Nick Sundberg $405,000
    
    PR- DeAngelo Hall, Brandon Banks
    KR- Brandon Banks, DeAngelo Hall
    
    *Depth Chart ordered inside the Roster
    
    TEAM SALARY:
    $66,686,500.00 ($8,313,500.00 UNDER) cap: $75,000,000 
     
  27. GISH

    GISH ~mUST wARN oTHERS~

    19,893
    9,750
    113
    Nov 23, 2007
    Over Yonder
    My primary objective was to build a team that can win the AFC South. Since the AFC South has been won by the team with Peyton Manning every single time, I figured that was a good starting point. Once I came to terms with what it would cost to get Manning, I began to build an offense that he could step into and instantly succeed.

    Each weapon in this offense is a matchup nightmare for defenses. Brandon Marhsall and Kenny Britt have proven to be tough, physical, dominant wide receivers. Each more than capable of shredding a one on one matchup. Dallas Clark and wes Welker are among the best in the NFL when it comes to owning the middle of the field. Clark brings the chemistry factor with Peyton from Indy. Madden NFL 12 cover athlete, and 105% rhinoceros, Peyton Hillis offers hard nose running as well as another dimension to the air attack. Finally, Charles Clay can thrive in a offense with so many other big names. His receiving ability will not be overlooked when Peyton is scanning the field for the open guy. All of these weapons combine to complete an arsenal unmatched in today's NFL.

    Obviously building such a great offense in one season came at a cost. Defensively there just wasn't any cap space left. Many of the defenders are veterans with a lot of experience, with a young guy gnawing at his toes for an opportunity. Players like Julian Peterson, Mike Peterson, Ben Leber, Rod Hood, Lito Sheppard are being challenged by players like Derrick Morgan, Rennie Curran, Jason Williams, Robert Johnson, and Chykie Brown. This group isn't being asked to win games. It's just being asked to make one more stop than the other team. Judging by how many points Manning is going to put up, that isn't a very tall order.

    More than anything, this year was a lesson in cap management for me. It's not easy building a team when one player takes nearly half of your cap. It takes creativity and commitment to a plan. I stuck with what I wanted to accomplish, and I came up $15k under the cap. At the end of the day, I had to beg borrow and steal to do it, but Peyton Manning is a Tennessee Titan, and the Colts are completely ****ed.

    [​IMG]

    Quarterbacks
    Peyton Manning QB $29,000,000.00
    Sage Rosenfels QB $300,000.00
    Rusty Smith QB $300,000.00

    Runningbacks
    Charles Clay FB/TE $400,000.00 (DRAFT)
    Peyton Hillis, RB $555,000.00
    Stafon Johnson RB $330,000.00
    Javon Ringer RB $480,000.00

    Wide Receivers
    Kenny Britt WR $575,000.00
    Marc Mariani WR/KR $405,000.00
    Brandon Marshall WR $6,500,000.00
    Limas Sweed WR $300,000.00
    Wes Welker WR $2,150,000.00

    Tight Ends
    Dallas Clark TE $4,200,00.00
    Bo Scaife TE $300,000.00

    Offensivemen
    Flozell Adams OT $300,000.00
    Ken Amano LS $300,000.00
    Jammal Brown LT $10,500,000.00
    Ryan Durand OG $300,000.00
    Leroy Harris LG $2,500,000.00
    Kevin Matthews OC $480,000.00
    Jason Pinkston OT $400,000.00 (DRAFT)
    Jake Scott RG $3,000,000.00
    Fernando Velasco OC $480,000.00
    Keith Williams OG $400,000.00 (DRAFT)

    Defensive Linemen
    Jurrell Casey NT $450,000.00 (DRAFT)
    Sione Fua DE $400,000.00 (DRAFT)
    William Hayes DE $555,000.00
    Jason Jones DE $555,000.00
    SenDerrick Marks NT $480,000.00
    Martin Parker DE $400,000.00 (DRAFT)

    Linebackers
    Charlie Anderson OLB $300,000.00
    Akin Ayodele ILB $300,000.00
    Rennie Curran LB $405,000.00
    Marcus Howard OLB $405,000.00
    Ben Leber ILB $300,000.00
    Derrick Morgan OLB $405,000.00
    Julian Peterson OLB $300,000.00
    Mike Peterson ILB $300,000.00
    Brady Poppinga ILB $300,000.00
    Jason Williams ILB $300,000.00

    Defensive Backs
    Al Afalava S $300,000.00
    Atari Bigby SS $300,000.00
    Chykie Brown CB $400,000.00 (DRAFT)
    Roderick Hood CB $300,000.00
    Pete Ittersagen DB $405,000.00
    Robert Johnson CB $405,000.00
    Reshad Jones FS $405,000.00
    Myron Rolle DB $480,000.00
    Nick Schommer S $480,000.00
    Lito Sheppard CB $300,000.00

    Kickers
    Rob Bironas PK $300,000.00
    Sav Rocca P $300,000.00

    Total Team Salary: $74,985,000.00
    Under Cap: $15,000.00



    [​IMG]
    [​IMG][​IMG][​IMG][​IMG][​IMG][​IMG][​IMG]

    QB: Peyton Manning / Sage Rosenfels / Rusty Smith
    HB: Peyton Hillis / Javon Ringer / Stafon Johnson
    FB: Charles Clay
    WR1: Brandon Marshall / Kenny Britt / Limas Sweed / Marc Mariani
    WR2: Kenny Britt / Wes Welker / Limas Sweed / Marc Mariani
    SLOT: Wes Welker / Marc Mariani / Limas Sweed
    TE: Dallas Clark / Charles Clay / Bo Sciafe
    LT: Jammal Brown / Flozell Adams
    LG: Leroy Harris / Ryan Durand
    OC: Kevin Matthews / Fernando Felasco
    RG: Jake Scott / Keith Williams
    RT: Flozell Adams / Jason Pinkston

    LE: William Hayes / Sione Fua
    NT: SenDerrick Marks / Jurrell Casey
    RE: Jason Jones / Martin Parker
    SOLB: Julian Peterson / Marcus Howard
    SILB: Mike Peterson / Brady Poppinga / Rennie Curran
    WILB: Ben Leber / Akin Ayodele / Jason Williams
    WOLB: Derrick Morgan / Charlie Anderson
    CB1: Roderick Hood / Lito Sheppard / Chykie Brown
    CB2: Lito Sheppard / Robert Johnson / Pete Ittersagan
    NICKLE: Robert Johnson / Chykie Brown
    FS: Rashad Jones / Al Alfalava / Nick Schommer
    SS: Atari Bigby / Myron Rolle / Nick Schommer

    KR: Marc Mariani
    PR: Marc Mariani
    K: Rob Bironas
    P: Sav Rocca
    LS: Ken Amano

    [​IMG]



     
    Paul 13, Vengeful Odin and Fin-Omenal like this.
  28. Skull Destroyer

    Skull Destroyer Well-Known Member

    751
    503
    93
    Jan 7, 2009
    Orlando
    Cincinnati Bungals Final Roster
    [​IMG]

    Quaterbacks
    Carson Palmer QB $11,500,000.00
    Dan LeFevour QB $405,000.00
    Adam Weber QB $400,000.00
    Total $12,305,000.00

    Running Backs
    Cedric Benson RB $2,000,000.00
    Bernard Scott RB $480,000.00
    Fui Vakapuna RB $480,000.00
    John Kuhn RB $300,000.00
    Delone Carter RB $400,000.00
    Total $3,660,000.00

    Wide Receivers
    Chad Ochocinco WR $6,000,000.00
    A.J Green WR $900,000.00
    Terrell Owens WR $2,000,000.00
    Santana Moss WR $2,000,000.00
    Andre Caldwell WR $555,000.00
    Jerome Simpson WR $555,000.00
    Jordan Shipley WR $405,000.00
    Shay Hodge WR $330,000.00
    Total $12,745,000.00

    Tight Ends
    Chase Coffman TE $480,000.00
    Jermaine Gresham TE $405,000.00
    Total $885,000.00

    Offensive Line
    Matt Light OL $6,000,000.00
    Anthony Herrera OL $500,000.00
    Andre Smith OL $490,000.00
    Casey Rabach OL $500,000.00
    Mitch Petrus OL $405,000.00
    Joseph Barksdale OL $450,000.00
    Lee Ziemba OL $400,000.00
    Alex Linnenkohl OL $400,000.00
    Andrew Jackson OL $400,000.00
    Guy Whimper OL $300,000.00
    Total $9,845,000.00

    Defensive Line
    Elvis Dumervil DL $11,000,000.00
    Domata Peko DL $3,100,000.00
    Pat Sims DL $555,000.00
    Corey Liuget DL $500,000.00
    Raheem Brock DL $300,000.00
    Carlos Dunlap DL $405,000.00
    Geno Atkins DL $405,000.00
    Total $16,265,000.00

    Linebackers
    Keith Rivers LB $1,735,000.00
    Djani Jones LB $1,000,000.00
    Rey Maualuga LB $480,000.00
    Michael Johnson LB $480,000.00
    Vincent Rey LB $480,000.00
    Mario Harvey LB $400,000.00
    Roddrick MuckelroyLB $405,000.00
    Total $4,980,000.00

    Defensive Backs
    Rashean Mathis DB $4,450,000.00
    Chris Crocker DB $1,750,000.00
    Leon Hall DB $1,162,500.00
    Reggie Nelson DB $957,500.00
    Pacman Jones DB $640,000.00
    Morgan Trent DB $480,000.00
    Rico Murray DB $480,000.00
    Jonathan Wade DB $480,000.00
    Brandon Ghee DB $405,000.00
    Rashad Carmichael DB $400,000.00
    Total $11,205,000.00

    K/P
    Dave Rayner K $300,000.00
    Ben Graham P $300,000.00
    Total $600,000.00

    Total Roster $72,490,000.00

    Starters

    Offense

    QB-Carson Palmer
    RB-Cedric Benson
    WR-AJ Green
    WR-Santana Moss
    LT-Matt Light
    LG-Anthony Herrera
    C-Casey Rabach
    RG-Joseph Barksdale
    RT-Andre Smith
    TE-Jermaine Gresham
    WR-Chad Ochocinco

    Defense:
    DE-Carlos Dunlap
    DT-Domata Peko
    DT-Corey Liuget
    DE-Elvis Dumervil
    LB-Kieth Rivers
    LB-Rey Maualuga
    LB-Dhani Jones
    CB-Rashean Mathis
    S-Reggie Nelson
    S-Chris Crocker
    CB-Leon Hall

    Special Teams:

    K-Dave Rayner
    P-Ben Graham

    Draft Picks
    1.04 AJ Green
    2.35 Corey Liuget
    3.96 Joseph Barksdale
    5.131 Mario Harvey
    5.138 Delone Carter
    5.143 Lee Ziemba
    6.162 Rashad Carmichael
    C6E Alex Linnenkohl
    7.196 Andrew Jackson
    7.209 Adam Weber

    Free Agent Signings
    DE Elvis Dumervil 11.0
    OL Matt Light 6.0
    WR Santana Moss 2.0
    WR Terrell Owens 2.0
    RB Cedric Benson 2.0
    LB Dhani Jones 1.0
    OL Casey Rabach
    OL Anthony Herrera 500,000
    RB John Kuhn 300,000
    DE Raheem Brock 300,000

    Trades
    Cincinatti Bengals sends:
    pick 3.66

    NY Giants sends:
    picks 3.96, 5.138, 5.143, 7.209
    OL Mitch Petrus



    Bengals send
    Andrew whitworth. 3,250,000
    Pick4.100

    Redskins send
    Rashean Mathis 4,450,000
    K Dave Rayner 300,000
    P Ben Graham 300,000
    OL Guy Whimper 300,000
     
  29. schisno

    schisno Well-Known Member

    2,972
    1,769
    113
    Jan 3, 2008
    Just because I can, my final roster.

    MINNESOTA VIKINGS

    QUARTERBACK ($1,450,000)

    NATHAN ENDERLE $400,000.00
    Chad Henne $550,000.00*
    JAKE LOCKER, (Washington) $500,000.00

    RUNNINGBACK ($1,805,000)

    Toby Gerhart $405,000.00
    TAIWAN JONES (Eastern Washington) $400,000.00
    Knowshown Moreno $1,000,000.00*

    WIDERECIEVER ($3,160,000)

    Bernard Berrian $950,000.00
    Percy Harvin $655,000.00
    JERREL JERNIGAN $450,000.00
    Antwaan Randel-El $300,000.00
    COURTNEY SMITH (South Alabama) $400,000.00
    Joe Webb $405,000.00

    TIGHTEND ($1,180,000.00)

    Jim Kleinsasser $300,000.00
    Shawn Nelson $480,000.00*
    SHUYLAR OORDT $400,000.00

    OFFENSIVE LINEMAN ($13,190,000)

    Offensive Tackle

    CHRIS HAIRSTON (Clemson) $400,000.00
    Nick Kaczur $300,000.00
    Phil Loadholt $480,000.00

    Offensive Guard

    MARCUS CANNON $500,000.00
    Ryan Cook $300,000.00
    Chris DeGeare $405,000.00

    Offensive Center

    Ryan Kalil $10,250,000.00
    John Sullivan $555,000.00


    DEFENSIVE TACKLE ($23,035,000)

    Chris Canty $5,500,000.00
    Letroy Guion $555,000.00
    Albert Haynesworth $10,500,000.00
    Henry Melton $480,000.00*
    Kevin Williams $6,000,000.00

    DEFENSIVE END ($1,810,000.00)

    Jamaal Anderson $300,000.00
    UGO CHINASA (Oklahoma State) $400,000.00
    Everson Griffen $405,000.00
    PARNELL MCPHEE (Mississippi State) $400,000.00
    Brian Robinson $300,000.00
    Corey Wooten $405,000.00*

    LINEBACKER ($16,013,055)

    Jonathan Goff $555,555.00*
    David Hawthorne $900,000*
    ROSS HOMAN (Ohio State) $400,000.00
    Aaron Maybin $757,500.00*
    MIKE MOHAMED (California) $400,000.00
    LaMarr Woodley $13,000,000.00*

    SAFETY ($2,105,000)

    Alan Ball $300,000.00
    Abram Elam $300,000.00
    JERMALE HINES (Ohio State) $400,000.00
    Tyrell Johnson $555,000.00
    Mike Mitchell $550,000.00

    CORNERBACK ($2,040,000)

    Asher Allen $480,000.00
    JALIL BROWN $450,000.00
    Chris Cook $405,000.00
    William Gay $300,000.00
    Walter Thurmond III $405,000*

    SPECIAL TEAMS ($1,000,000.00)
    Chris Kluwe $300,000.00
    Ryan Longwell $300,000.00
    DANNY AIKEN (Virginia) $400,000.00


    TOTAL Salary: $66,788,055.00


    Vikings Depth Chart

    OFFENSE

    Quarterback

    Chad Henne – Jake Locker – Nathan Enderle

    Fullback

    Jim Kleinsasser

    Runningback

    Knowshown Moreno – Toby Gerhart – Taiwan Jones

    Wide Receiver

    Bernard Berrian – Courtney Smith – Joe Webb
    Percy Harvin – Antwaan Randel-El – Jerrel Jernigan
    Jerrel Jernigan – Joe Webb *Slot

    Tight End

    Shawn Nelson – Shuylar Oordt – Jim Kleinsasser

    Offensive Line (LT-LG-C-RG-RT)

    Marcus Cannon – Chris Hairston
    Ryan Cook – Chris DeGeare
    Ryan Kalil – John Sullivan
    Nick Kaczur – John Sullivan
    Phil Loadholt – Chris Hairston



    DEFENSE

    Defensive Line (LE-LT-RT-RE)

    Corey Wooten – Everson Griffin – Parnell McPhee
    Chris Canty – Letroy Guion – Henry Melton
    Kevin Williams – Albert Haynesworth
    Brian Robinson – Jamaal Anderson – Ugo Chinasa – Aaron Maybin

    Linebackers (LOLB-MLB-ROLB)

    LaMarr Woodley – Ross Homan – Aaron Maybin
    Jonathan Goff – Mike Mohamed
    David Hawthorne – Ugo Chinasa

    Safties (SS-FS)

    Mike Mitchell – Tyrell Johnson – Jermale Hines
    Abram Elam – Jermale Hines – Alan Ball

    Cornerbacks (LCB-RCB)

    William Thurmond III – Jalil Brown
    Asher Allen – William Gay – Chris Cook
    Jalil Brown – William Gay *Nickel



    SPECIAL TEAMS (K-P-LS)

    Ryan Longwell
    Chris Kluwe
    Danny Aiken
     

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