I’m surprised you managed to type that sentence without lightning striking you dead. One absolute law of the Universe is “The Lions will find some way to take the losers options.”
Man, this IS my regular season. I wonder what all the noise is about during those 17 weeks and then emerge from my Honolulu Blue and silver fallout shelter to watch something called “playoff football”. Then the draft talk starts up and I’m excited, because people actually acknowledge the existence of the Lions, whether it’s to mock Matt Millen or to actually talk about who they might draft at their high position this year.
In a few more months, the season will start up again, I might see a game, and then the rest will be blacked out again and back into the shelter I go.
I’ve been comparing McCoy to a healthy Tommie Harris and Suh to Albert Haynesworth minus the crazy.
Anything even close to a “right in the head” Haynesworth from Suh would be incredible. But I am still refusing to get my hopes up. Still too much threat St. Louis will take him or trade down to someone who will.
I think all the QB talk for St. Louis is nothing but misinformation at this point. They will take Suh barring something unforeseen and they’ll grab a guy like LeFevour by trading up or at the top of the second. Nebraska is practically local for the Rams and the fans would flip out if they passed on him after the Big 12 Championship game.
That said, I’m not sure a “right in the head” Haynesworth is ideal, there might be some benefit to the crazy when it comes to playing DT. Suh if anything could be too passive and nice to really dominate the line the way a shithouse crazy Haynesworth does.
Mays’ time was corrected to a 4.43. How the hell did they miss by .2 seconds? Presumably the electronic timer would have the score available immediately, plus anyone hand-timing the run isn’t going to be off by that gigantic amount, right?
That is odd. I’d like to know if there’s an actual explanation that comes out. So would Mr. Mays, I bet. If that first time were truth, he’d stand to get more money than the wheelbarrow full he’s going to get anyways.
I personally think the combine weeds out some good pro players. I understand the need for numbers to provide comparisons but football playing requires more. There have been some very successful ends with far less than blazing speed. They can run routes and hang on to the ball. Many years ago the Lions had a kick returner who was supposed to be too slow. He was a Kamikazee and run up the middle of the field fearlessly. He had a very good return average. ( Bruce Maher, before your times, you never heard of him
Not sure how much stock to put into this report. Apparently Julius Peppers has previously expressed an interest in joining the Bears last year when he was pressing for a trade. He also was interested in the Pats and Eagles. All three teams will probably be bidding for him but luckily all three teams are relatively tight with the purse strings so hopefully the bidding doesn’t go through the roof. We’ll see, but presumably the Bears will be in the running for a change.
There have been persistent reports that the Bears are targeting Brandon Manumaleuna in free agency. Supposedly the blocking TE is a better fit for Martz’s system and TE is a position of depth on the Bears. They’ll be keeping Desmond Clark again and Kellen Davis has show real potential as a catch-first TE with the size to block a bit which could make Greg Olsen one of the only coveted assets on the Bears.
I really like Greg Olsen and I think he’ll be a star in the right system but I’m not confident that Martz’s system is that. If Martz is going to be here for 3+ years I’d be all for moving Olsen but it’d be really painful to move him, potentially pissing off Cutler in he process, only to see a new TE friendly OC in 2011. It’s probably less than 50-50 that this lame duck season will result in Lovie and Martz sticking around.
If Olsen is able to net us a late 1st rounder or a Brandon Marshall type player I think I’d be OK with the move, but hopefully they don’t trade him for peanuts. With Marshall having an expiring contract and a rocky relationship with Denver I think we’d need to get a pick back too, but that’s a long shot. Normally I’d be all for trading Olsen for any 1st rounder or even a high 2nd rounder, but the Bears draft so poorly that it becomes a much tougher pill to swallow.
I can’t think of a team that need the 11th best receiving TE who has suspect blocking skills/desire so bad that they would part with a first round, let alone a high second round pick for him. Maybe the Pats would ship one of their 3 second rounders, though.
Certainly a long shot, but I think using last season’s Kellen Winslow trade as a baseline it makes sense. Olsen has similar upside and is much healthier and is a much better locker room guy and with the poisonous situation Winslow was in in Cleveland I think the Bears have more leverage. It’s also notable that Olsen is locked up for 2 more years at a really low price. If a team is looking to potentially draft a TE in the 1st round of the draft Olsen is a better option, he’ll be cheaper and he’s a proven commodity.
I can’t remember, but is this the first post-Millen draft? Or was that last year?
While I’m on board with your reasoning here (and I also think a Winslow comparison could be a good baseline), I think you’re overselling Olsen, so far. He’s got a lot of potential and talent, but I’m not sure he has yet proven himself. And remember that Winslow’s two good years before his trade were exceptionally good years, while Olsen’s best season so far is a step or two down from Winslow’s. Also, you could reasonably say Olsen’s 2009 ended up being a major disappointment (especially if you drafted him in fantasy) That’s just a minor point against your larger idea, which I agree with. I’d consider a second and a later pick for Olsen were I running my team (and I didn’t have Celek, whose 2009 was better than anything either Winslow or Olsen has done).
Is anyone currently projecting to pick a TE in the 1st? Are there any 1st round caliber TEs this year? I’m not at all up on the draft yet.
I might be overselling him a bit, but I’ve also watched him a ton. His numbers are down artificially due to sharing time with Clark and the overall inconsistency of the Bears offense. He’s pretty much always where he’s supposed to be and makes every catch and is fearless. The guy will be a star in the right system. This is little consolation to fantasy owners (I owned him in about every league) but I think NFL scouts will see this. His blocking is a problem and unfortunately the Bears expect a lot of that from their TEs, a team who doesn’t require as much blocking from a TE would benefit greatly. Gates and Clark are crappy blockers too afterall and neither guy would have got 100% of the snaps in Chicago’s system.
It’s tricky. The right team would pay top dollar for Olsen, there won’t be a free agent TE worth anything even close to what he’s worth. He’d simply be far and away the best value. Tony Gonzalez also commanded a 2nd round pick and was due $6.5M and $7.75M in 2010 and 2011. Winslow signed a new contract following the trade for $6M per year with an extra $2M per in incentives, he was originally due $4.75M in 2010 on his rookie contract.
Olsen, under contract in 2010 and 2011 for $550K and $650K (maybe up to $1M per after incentives) is an absolutely steal. He certainly hasn’t put up numbers on par with Gonzo or a healthy Winslow but at 10% of the cost I think most teams would rather have Olsen. With the uncapped year coming and teams looking to cut costs with the floor removed, looking at fantasy numbers probably is deceptive. When you consider that his average performance over the last couple seasons is very likely not his fault it’s tough to argue that he isn’t worth a hell of a lot in picks when he’s locked up at such a cheap price.
Jermaine Gresham is the only TE out there with a 1st round grade according to Scouts Inc. and ESPN. Rob Gronkowski is close as well. Both guys are coming off serious injuries in 2009 and will have several red flags surrounding them. Dorin Dickerson put up insane Combine numbers for a TE but it very undersized and very raw. Todd McShay projected Gresham to the Bengals in his most recent Mock Draft at #21 overall. They certainly need a TE but they drafted Chase Coffman in the 3rd round last season so I’m not sure I agree with that and I don’t think Gresham is going in the first round with his injury history and spotting blocking ability.
Long story short, Olsen is much better than anyone available in the draft and most of the guys with upside are really unproven and are projects. If a team needs a TE to perform right away they probably aren’t getting him in this draft class.
Last year with one of the more successful drafts in recent history was the first post-Millen year.
Something is very strange with Mays’ 40 time. The NFL Network created a video that shows Mays ran faster than a guy who was timed at 4.34 (or 4.4, depending on who that person in black actually is). Something strange going on there.
Well, that didn’t take long. The Bengals cut Laverneus Coles after paying him a shitload of money and him having an underwhelming season.
I have a feeling the Bengals will be a player in the Brandon Marshall sweepstakes, and if not him, make a go at TO and/or Boldin. At least one of those three guys will be on the Bengals next season.
When the Rams let a guy like that go, you know he is done.
Lets talk a bit about the Restricted Free Agents!
There are a bunch of guys out there who are RFAs and were tendered offers that essentially ensure that they will stay with their current teams and will be paid modestly for the upcoming season ($1M - $3M). I don’t think we need to talk about these guys much. However there are a bunch of guys tendered offers which make it seems likely or at least possible that they’ll be gone. I was listening to ESPN’s Football Today and they broke down a lot of guys who could be on the move and I was frankly surprised by some of them. Here’s some that stood out to me:
Brandon Marshall - This one comes as no surprise, but the Broncos gave him with a 1st round tender. This means that any team looking to land a WR in this offseason can sign Marshall to a new contract and will have to give the Broncos a 1st round pick. Marshall will be expensive, but so would any of the 1st round worthy WRs and he’s miles better than anyone in the draft and he’s young. If you’re a team targeting Dez Bryant, Arrelious Benn or Golden Tate you’re a fool if you don’t try and negotiate with Marshall instead. He’s certainly gone, where should he go and do you want him on your team for a 1st?
Leon Washington - The Jets let go of Thomas Jones and then tendered Washington with just a 2nd rounder. Now, Washington is injured and running backs tend to be diminished in value around draft day but if you’re a team in the AFC East and you can cripple the Jets you almost have to do it. If you’re the Patriots with three 2nd rounders and a need at RB would you hesitate to give that 2nd rounder to sign Washington and leave the Jets with unproven Shonn Greene at RB?
Ronnie Brown - Brown got a 1st round tender but the argument is almost identical to the one for Washington. The Dolphins really are going to count on Brown and if you can sign him to a deal and leave them RB poor you have to consider it. Obviously if you’re picking in say the top 20 you might want to think twice due to Browns injury history but don’t you think the Pats would be scary with Brown there? Maybe the Jets consider adding him if both Jones and Washington are gone?
Kirk Morrison - The Raiders starting LB and one of the few reliably good players in Oakland got just a 3rd round tender. More bizarre stuff from the Raiders who tendered benchwarming CB Standford Routt with a 1st and a 3rd. This is a pretty soft draft for interior LBs so landing a starting quality LB like Morrison for a paltry 3rd rounder seems like a no-brainer. He’s definitely gone, if I’m the Giants I think I beat down his door.
**Mike Bell ** - The Saints RB got the lowest possible tender meaning the Saints will get nothing in return if he’s signed away by another team since he was a undrafted FA. He’s only due to make $1M this year and if you’re a team looking for a platoon at RB he’d be an easy get and he has talent. If I’m the Bears I consider making him an offer to replace Kevin Jones as the 2nd RB immediately.
Vincent Jackson - The star WR got the highest possible tender of a 1st and a 3rd (as did teammate Malcolm Floyd) but if you’re one of those teams in the Brandon Marshall sweepstakes Jackson should also be on your radar. I’m not sure which guy is better but Jackson is less of a headache. If you’re willing to give a contract and a 1st for Marshall I’m not sure that tossing in a 3rd should inhibit you from getting Jackson. I think he’ll be getting a new contract from someone, either the Chargers or someone else.
Miles Austin - Same deal as above, but I think the fear of him being a one-year wonder makes giving up 2 picks a challenge. Plus the Cowboys are almost certain to resign him, but I bet another team makes an offer to drive up the price on Jerry.
O.J. Atogwe - Got the right of first refusal tag from the Rams meaning that they’ll get the opportunity to match any offer from another team, but it also means that they won’t get anything in return if he goes elsewhere. It’s unclear how strong the market would be for him and how much he’ll command, but if you’re a team in the Antrel Rolle/Darren Sharper/Ryan Clark sweepstakes there’s now another guy you can target.
**Danieal Manning ** - The Bears Nickelback got an original round tender meaning that a team would give up a 3rd rounder if they signed him. I’m a little skeptical that anyone will see clear to give up a 3rd rounder for the guy unless they see him as their primary KR/PR in addition to a FS/NB/CB but there have been a few suggestions that teams might be interested. I read one blog imploring the Eagles to consider it.
That’s a start. What do you guys think? Any RFAs with tenders that you’d be willing to match in order to add them to your team? Any tenders from your team that you disagree with or players you’re worried about (hopeful of?) losing?