Front Office Football Central - View Single Post - From 1960 On: Miami Dolphins (Yet Again!)

Izulde · 01-25-2008, 09:23 PM

Staff Hiring

Our Lead Scout, who I never liked all that much anyway, has retired, leaving us with a gap to fill.

Attribute Changes:

Head Coach Harris Wilcox
Discipline: Good to Average

Despite the downgrade, there's no way in hell I'm replacing this guy, not after he just won us the Super Bowl. Maybe after his contract runs out, we'll look elsewhere.

It's a terrible crop for rookie Lead Scouts this year, but I grab the one who looks like he has the most potential for growth at $40,000 a year for 3 years.

Lead Scout Grady Coffey (39)
QB: Fair
RB: Average
WR: VG
OL: Average
KP: Good
DL: Good
LB: Fair
DB: VG
YT: Good

Tyrus Treftz re-signed with the Cowboys on an $820,000 a year/5 year deal by the way and Dave Hanner switched teams again, going from Kansas City to Tampa Bay for $750,000 a year/4 years. Just think, if Treftz had stayed in Miami, he probably could've won a slew more Super Bowls by now instead of failing to win the big one in the Big D. Hanner I can't really blame, though. He wanted the opportunity to rebuild the Chiefs, which he did, and he'll have the same chance with the Buccaneers, who haven't been to the playoffs in a few years (1976 was their last postseason appearance).

C Fred Quillan is our summer league nod, as he'll keep filling at backup until Tom Banks either retires or takes a nosedive.

By The Numbers
QB, RB, FB, TE x 2, WR, G, T, K, FS, SS (12 new bodies total)

Danny White, as I've said ad nauseam, is our #1 priority without question. We're also going to be looking heavily for new possibilities at RG, RT, and the secondary, along with a long-term solution at TE. RG isn't critical yet, because even if I can't find a starter I like, I can always shift Mo Moorman to the right side and plug in a backup.

Week 1 Extensions/Re-signings
FB Curtis Brown - 1 year, $50k
RB Walter Payton - 5 years, $4.53 mill.
RDE Vern Den Herder - 3 years, $1.52 mill.
FL Lynn Swann - 5 years, $2.99 mill.
C Tom Banks - 3 years, $640k
LG Mo Moorman - 2 years, $400k
LDE L.C. Greenwood - 2 years, $600k

Major money to a couple of key players and some shorter deals to some old vets that I want to make sure spend the rest of their days with us. Banks' deal isn't that bad, because he was willing to take a $30k total bonus since he knows of my reputation for keeping guys that have meant a lot to us around to the end.

Week 2 Signings
TE Charle Young - 3 years, $740k (Re-signing)
-Solid TE for us last year who solves the revolving door for a few years at least.

WR Reggie Garrett - 1 year, $100k (Re-signing)
-Thought I signed him to a min-sal deal, but apparently I didn't. That's going to hurt us as we're real tight up against the cap this year. But in any case, he's a good performer to have back.

RG Noah Jackson - 3 years, $810k (Atlanta)
-Very, very good all-around guard who's already a mentor in just his 6th season. Fills the gaping hole left by Gene Upshaw's retirement and ensures we won't be hurting too terribly on the line the next few years.

RDT Mike McCoy - 1 year, $100k* (Re-signing)
-Played quite well not in terms of raw numbers, but in terms of the space he ate up. Good min-sal return.

Danny White Sweepstakes
Miami
Tucson

Figures the Titans would be gunning for him.

Week 3 Signings
WR Frank Lewis - 1 year, $100k* (Re-signing)
-The man simply doesn't drop passes and that's enough to bring him back, especially with the low, low ticket price. I'm sure glad I traded for him back in the day.

Danny White Sweepstakes
Miami
Tucson
Detroit
Washington

Haha! The Redskins realize the screwup they made and are trying to woo him back to the nation's capital.

Week 4 Signings
TE Rich McGeorge - 1 year, $100k* (Re-signing)
-Probably shouldn't have re-signed him, because I'm looking to find a hot young rookie in the draft, but oh well. I can always cut him if need be.

MLB Merv Krakau - 4 years, $1.87 mil. (Atlanta)
-I got into a huge, huge bidding war for this guy, an extremely talented middle linebacker who's a fan favorite and a mentor in his 7th season. Did I pay too much? Probably, but he's better than Ed Bradley, who I've let go to the wind. Sure, he's not Willie Lanier, but who knows? Maybe he could be in our defense.

Danny White Sweepstakes
Carolina
Cleveland
Cincinnati
Denver
Detroit
Indianapolis
Miami
Tampa Bay
Tucson
Washington

We're up to 1/3rd of the league vying for White. What a fun battle this is.

Week 5 Signings
RT Ron Mikolajczyk - 1 year, $80k* (Re-signing)
-I was *this* close to going another direction, but Ron's cheaper price, passable play, and my odd liking for him meant that I decided to bring him back for another year as our starting RT.

K Tim Webster - 1 year, $100k* (Re-signing)
-The K who needs no introduction on his way back into a Dolphins uniform.

Danny White Sweepstakes
No change

Week 6 Signings
RB Delvin Williams - 1 year, $80k* (New England)
-A one-time Offensive Rookie of the Year (1974), Williams is younger and a better receiver than Otis Armstrong for the exact same price. Although Armstrong's a sentimental favorite of mine, Williams is a much better fit for [b]Edwin Buckley[/b['s offensive scheme.

Week 6 Losses
G Fred Sturt - 1 year, $100k (Buffalo)
-Poor Fred. Originally signed as a possible heir to Mo Moorman, he lost his spot when Jim Hough burst onto the scene as a rookie last year. That said, he was a fantastic player, one I briefly considered signing to again be the backup while I moved Moorman over to the right side, but in the end, I wanted a longer-term solution there. Hopefully he'll get a starting spot with the Bills, because he was sensational as a backup.

S Ray Oldham - 1 year, $80k*
-Crap! I forgot to look for reserve safeties! I'm not upset about losing Oldham, though. While a brilliant special teams player, he was awful in coverage and really got picked on during our Super Bowl championship run.

Danny White Sweepstakes
Carolina
Cleveland
Cincinnati
Denver
Detroit
Indianapolis
Miami
New Orleans (eh?)
Philadelphia
Tampa Bay
Tucson
Washington

A quick look at the Saints roster reveals that oh, okay, they're looking to grab White as an heir apparent to Ken Stabler, who completed just 47.6% of his passes last year, with 13 TDs to 17 INTs, the first negative ratio of his career. So we're up to 12 teams out of 32 coming calling now.

Week 7 Signings
QB Danny White - 3 years, $2.25 mill. (Re-signing)
-That giant sucking sound you just heard was almost all of our available cap money going down the drain. Now, that said, White is the Savior of the franchise. With him, we've got a shot at dynasty. Without him, we're a borderline playoff team.

S Jackie Wallace - 1 year, $80k* (Dallas)
-After losing the Super Bowl to us, Wallace wants to hop on the winning train, so he agrees to give up being a starter for a shot at a Super Bowl ring. What an absolutely terrific backup safety. This one makes me grin. Double bonus: He's an amazing punt returner.

Week 8 Signings
S Dennis Bragonier - 1 year, $80k* (Dallas)
-I want you guys to all think back to 1963 in this universe. Remember when we signed a couple of guys named Ross Fichtner and Don Fleming, best friends and teammates with the Cleveland Browns, the respective starting SS and FS, who went on to spend the rest of their careers in Miami? (They had quite terrific ones, in fact). Well, Wallace and Bragonier are mini-versions of those guys, teammates and best friends who have decided to chase the Super Bowl together, both voluntarily leaving the Cowboys to take backup roles with the Dolphins. It's an awesome story.

Unfortunately, as a result of all this free agent work, we're now so low on cash, we can't afford to sign our draft picks. Luckily, DE Julius Adams, FS Chuck Crist and LCB Lenny Dunlap come through in a big way, all agreeing to take major paycuts to give us breathing room to not only sign our picks, but have financial flexibility to make some fairly significant moves. Only Crist and Dunlap wanted an extra year; Adams was happy to oblige with a much-reduced contract.

Week 8 Losses
RB Otis Armstrong - 1 year, $80* (Indianapolis)
-He'll stay in the #2 role with the Colts, where O.J. Simpson, who I will never, ever draft in a historical league, no matter how badly I need a RB, is still going strong in his 11th season. Here's to hoping Juice gets a nasty injury and Armstrong gets to start again. Just a quality guy all-around my favorite #2 RB is. If only he didn't drop so many passes, he could've come back.

It's on to the draft, which I'll do next post because I like the draft to be the first part of the post. Makes it easier to see.

01-25-2008, 09:23 PM	#236
Izulde Head Coach Join Date: Sep 2004	Staff Hiring Our Lead Scout, who I never liked all that much anyway, has retired, leaving us with a gap to fill. Attribute Changes: Head Coach Harris Wilcox Discipline: Good to Average Despite the downgrade, there's no way in hell I'm replacing this guy, not after he just won us the Super Bowl. Maybe after his contract runs out, we'll look elsewhere. It's a terrible crop for rookie Lead Scouts this year, but I grab the one who looks like he has the most potential for growth at $40,000 a year for 3 years. Lead Scout Grady Coffey (39) QB: Fair RB: Average WR: VG OL: Average KP: Good DL: Good LB: Fair DB: VG YT: Good Tyrus Treftz re-signed with the Cowboys on an $820,000 a year/5 year deal by the way and Dave Hanner switched teams again, going from Kansas City to Tampa Bay for $750,000 a year/4 years. Just think, if Treftz had stayed in Miami, he probably could've won a slew more Super Bowls by now instead of failing to win the big one in the Big D. Hanner I can't really blame, though. He wanted the opportunity to rebuild the Chiefs, which he did, and he'll have the same chance with the Buccaneers, who haven't been to the playoffs in a few years (1976 was their last postseason appearance). C Fred Quillan is our summer league nod, as he'll keep filling at backup until Tom Banks either retires or takes a nosedive. By The Numbers QB, RB, FB, TE x 2, WR, G, T, K, FS, SS (12 new bodies total) Danny White, as I've said ad nauseam, is our #1 priority without question. We're also going to be looking heavily for new possibilities at RG, RT, and the secondary, along with a long-term solution at TE. RG isn't critical yet, because even if I can't find a starter I like, I can always shift Mo Moorman to the right side and plug in a backup. Week 1 Extensions/Re-signings FB Curtis Brown - 1 year, $50k RB Walter Payton - 5 years, $4.53 mill. RDE Vern Den Herder - 3 years, $1.52 mill. FL Lynn Swann - 5 years, $2.99 mill. C Tom Banks - 3 years, $640k LG Mo Moorman - 2 years, $400k LDE L.C. Greenwood - 2 years, $600k Major money to a couple of key players and some shorter deals to some old vets that I want to make sure spend the rest of their days with us. Banks' deal isn't that bad, because he was willing to take a $30k total bonus since he knows of my reputation for keeping guys that have meant a lot to us around to the end. Week 2 Signings TE Charle Young - 3 years, $740k (Re-signing) -Solid TE for us last year who solves the revolving door for a few years at least. WR Reggie Garrett - 1 year, $100k (Re-signing) -Thought I signed him to a min-sal deal, but apparently I didn't. That's going to hurt us as we're real tight up against the cap this year. But in any case, he's a good performer to have back. RG Noah Jackson - 3 years, $810k (Atlanta) -Very, very good all-around guard who's already a mentor in just his 6th season. Fills the gaping hole left by Gene Upshaw's retirement and ensures we won't be hurting too terribly on the line the next few years. RDT Mike McCoy - 1 year, $100k* (Re-signing) -Played quite well not in terms of raw numbers, but in terms of the space he ate up. Good min-sal return. Danny White Sweepstakes Miami Tucson Figures the Titans would be gunning for him. Week 3 Signings WR Frank Lewis - 1 year, $100k* (Re-signing) -The man simply doesn't drop passes and that's enough to bring him back, especially with the low, low ticket price. I'm sure glad I traded for him back in the day. Danny White Sweepstakes Miami Tucson Detroit Washington Haha! The Redskins realize the screwup they made and are trying to woo him back to the nation's capital. Week 4 Signings TE Rich McGeorge - 1 year, $100k* (Re-signing) -Probably shouldn't have re-signed him, because I'm looking to find a hot young rookie in the draft, but oh well. I can always cut him if need be. MLB Merv Krakau - 4 years, $1.87 mil. (Atlanta) -I got into a huge, huge bidding war for this guy, an extremely talented middle linebacker who's a fan favorite and a mentor in his 7th season. Did I pay too much? Probably, but he's better than Ed Bradley, who I've let go to the wind. Sure, he's not Willie Lanier, but who knows? Maybe he could be in our defense. Danny White Sweepstakes Carolina Cleveland Cincinnati Denver Detroit Indianapolis Miami Tampa Bay Tucson Washington We're up to 1/3rd of the league vying for White. What a fun battle this is. Week 5 Signings RT Ron Mikolajczyk - 1 year, $80k* (Re-signing) -I was this close to going another direction, but Ron's cheaper price, passable play, and my odd liking for him meant that I decided to bring him back for another year as our starting RT. K Tim Webster - 1 year, $100k* (Re-signing) -The K who needs no introduction on his way back into a Dolphins uniform. Danny White Sweepstakes No change Week 6 Signings RB Delvin Williams - 1 year, $80k* (New England) -A one-time Offensive Rookie of the Year (1974), Williams is younger and a better receiver than Otis Armstrong for the exact same price. Although Armstrong's a sentimental favorite of mine, Williams is a much better fit for [b]Edwin Buckley[/b['s offensive scheme. Week 6 Losses G Fred Sturt - 1 year, $100k (Buffalo) -Poor Fred. Originally signed as a possible heir to Mo Moorman, he lost his spot when Jim Hough burst onto the scene as a rookie last year. That said, he was a fantastic player, one I briefly considered signing to again be the backup while I moved Moorman over to the right side, but in the end, I wanted a longer-term solution there. Hopefully he'll get a starting spot with the Bills, because he was sensational as a backup. S Ray Oldham - 1 year, $80k* -Crap! I forgot to look for reserve safeties! I'm not upset about losing Oldham, though. While a brilliant special teams player, he was awful in coverage and really got picked on during our Super Bowl championship run. Danny White Sweepstakes Carolina Cleveland Cincinnati Denver Detroit Indianapolis Miami New Orleans (eh?) Philadelphia Tampa Bay Tucson Washington A quick look at the Saints roster reveals that oh, okay, they're looking to grab White as an heir apparent to Ken Stabler, who completed just 47.6% of his passes last year, with 13 TDs to 17 INTs, the first negative ratio of his career. So we're up to 12 teams out of 32 coming calling now. Week 7 Signings QB Danny White - 3 years, $2.25 mill. (Re-signing) -That giant sucking sound you just heard was almost all of our available cap money going down the drain. Now, that said, White is the Savior of the franchise. With him, we've got a shot at dynasty. Without him, we're a borderline playoff team. S Jackie Wallace - 1 year, $80k* (Dallas) -After losing the Super Bowl to us, Wallace wants to hop on the winning train, so he agrees to give up being a starter for a shot at a Super Bowl ring. What an absolutely terrific backup safety. This one makes me grin. Double bonus: He's an amazing punt returner. Week 8 Signings S Dennis Bragonier - 1 year, $80k* (Dallas) -I want you guys to all think back to 1963 in this universe. Remember when we signed a couple of guys named Ross Fichtner and Don Fleming, best friends and teammates with the Cleveland Browns, the respective starting SS and FS, who went on to spend the rest of their careers in Miami? (They had quite terrific ones, in fact). Well, Wallace and Bragonier are mini-versions of those guys, teammates and best friends who have decided to chase the Super Bowl together, both voluntarily leaving the Cowboys to take backup roles with the Dolphins. It's an awesome story. Unfortunately, as a result of all this free agent work, we're now so low on cash, we can't afford to sign our draft picks. Luckily, DE Julius Adams, FS Chuck Crist and LCB Lenny Dunlap come through in a big way, all agreeing to take major paycuts to give us breathing room to not only sign our picks, but have financial flexibility to make some fairly significant moves. Only Crist and Dunlap wanted an extra year; Adams was happy to oblige with a much-reduced contract. Week 8 Losses RB Otis Armstrong - 1 year, $80* (Indianapolis) -He'll stay in the #2 role with the Colts, where O.J. Simpson, who I will never, ever draft in a historical league, no matter how badly I need a RB, is still going strong in his 11th season. Here's to hoping Juice gets a nasty injury and Armstrong gets to start again. Just a quality guy all-around my favorite #2 RB is. If only he didn't drop so many passes, he could've come back. It's on to the draft, which I'll do next post because I like the draft to be the first part of the post. Makes it easier to see. __________________ 2006 Golden Scribe Nominee 2006 Golden Scribe Winner Best Non-Sport Dynasty: May Our Reign Be Green and Golden (CK Dynasty) Rookie Writer of the Year Dynasty of the Year: May Our Reign Be Green and Golden (CK Dynasty)