NFL - Build your new team's foundation

[QuikSand]

Hytpothetical question, to help get us through a football offseason...

You're named GM and omnipotent dictator of a new NFL team. You are going to be able to make all the decisions for this new franchise.

Assume that you will not necessarily be expected to suffer the usual penalties of being an "expansion" club -- that somehow, someway, you'll be able to srock the roster with the usual assortment of veteran free agents and rookies up to a reasonable level of talent, and that the team will be fully capable of playing up to its talent level right away. (Conceptually, your team will be playing both for right now and for the future)


You are given an opportunity to *steal* five players from current NFL rosters as a foundation for your new team. Give no consideration to the teams you will be stealing from -- only to how these players can help your team win now and going forward. You also should not consider contracts as a function of this decision -- the player's current contract or expected contract demands should not be a factor in your decision (maybe they would all just automatically receive a lifetime contract with your team, regardless of position or age).


So... what five players would you build your NFL franchise around?

[st.cronin]

Tom Brady
Reggie Bush
Walter Jones
Steve Hutchinson
Troy Polamumblemumble

[NYFAN]

Great question...

Julius Peppers
Brian Urlacher
*Jonathan Ogden
*Will Shields
Peyton Manning

* - I don't really know who the best T/G are, but I think these guys would do the trick. I didn't take into account age, so maybe if there is a more obvious, but younger choice I'd go with him.

Overall...

A nasty middle linebacker, a defensive end who will cause fits, two big offensive lineman to allow for pass protection, and a running game, and a quarterback who can disect any defense, and you are going to be alright.

[Schmidty]

Shaun Rogers
Derrick Brooks
LaDainian Tomlinson
Carson Palmer
Champ Bailey

[Travis]

Give me:

LaDainian Tomlinson
Walter Jones
Steve Hutchinson
Julius Peppers
Lofa Tatupu

Tatupu is probably the wildcard of this bunch, but being a Seattle fan and having watched him as much as possible last year, the sky is the limit for this guy. He did it all last year and while he may not have the best physical skills at the position, he's proving that his ability to think the game is on another level, making all the players around him better.

[Suburban Rhythm]

Cheating a little here going with 3 guys from the home team, but...

Ben Roethlisberger
Troy Polamalu
Casey Hampton
Walter Jones
Steve Smith

Looked mainly at younger guys, who are in their prime, or just reaching it, and will contribute for the long haul as well. Also, guys who will be versatile, or, allow the guys around them to be versatile.

I want a QB who has won, so it came down to Ben and Brady, and gave Ben the nod being 6 (?) years younger.

Troy, as he's used in Pittsburgh, will make plays all over the field.

Similar thinking with Steve Smith. He's a threat deep and on quick screens, also as a returner.

Walt Jones, premier guy at his position, being able to handle his guy 1-on-1 allow the rest of the Oline to focus on the other 2-3 DL/blitzers.

Hampton...I had a hard time with this last pick. I consider Derrick Brooks, based again on making plays all over the field. But I already had that in Troy, so I took Hampton. While not versatile himself, he keeps the OL off the ILBs (of course I am playing a 3-4) and allows for shifting and confusion with the 2 DE's dropping/2 OLBs blitzing, etc.

[Izulde]

Brian Urlacher
Carson Palmer
Reggie Bush
The best tackle my scouting staff recommends
Larry Fitzgerald

[TroyF]

Tom Brady
Richard Seymour
Champ Bailey
Walter Jones
Dwight Freeney

[stevew]

Larry Fitzgerald
Ben Roethlisburger
Casey Hampton
Troy Polamalu
LT

[MizzouRah]

Peyton Manning
Torry Holt
Ray Lewis
Robert Gallery
Roy Williams

[Bubba Wheels]

Steve Hutchinson
Saun Rogers
Ben Roethlisberger
Brian Urlacher
Any RB on the level of Kevin Jones or better

[wade moore]

Any RB on the level of Kevin Jones or better

That's a pretty long list...

[AlexB]

(much as I hate to admit it) Tom Brady
Walter Jones
Jason Taylor
Zach Thomas
Patrick Surtain

[AlexB]

Steve Hutchinson
Saun Rogers
Ben Roethlisberger
Brian Urlacher
Any RB with more than one leg

Fixed that for you ;)

[st.cronin]

(much as I hate to admit it) Tom Brady
Walter Jones
Jason Taylor
Zach Thomas
Patrick Surtain

attaboy

[AlexB]

attaboy

Hey - what a defence we had :)

Edit: but seriously I would not have swapped these three for any other players in the NFL when they were all in Miami - hence my choices

[tanglewood]

Tom Brady
Walter Jones
Richard Seymour
Julius Peppers
Brian Urlacher

[Julio Riddols]

Carson Palmer
Deltha O'Neal
Troy Polamalu
Odell Thurman
Walter Jones

[st.cronin]

Tom Brady
Walter Jones
Richard Seymour
Julius Peppers
Brian Urlacher

attaboy

[JPhillips]

Carson Palmer
Reggie Bush
Levi Jones
Steve Hutchinson
Brian Urlacher

[Pumpy Tudors]

I refuse to answer any of QuikSand's poll-type questions until he gives his own answers! The computer is collecting information about all of you! Don't you see it!?

[st.cronin]

Tom Brady
Richard Seymour
Laurence Maroney
Tom Ashworth
Deion Branch

attaboy

[Phoenix]

T.O.
Randy Moss
Brent Farve
Lavar Arrington
Ray Lewis

[vex]

T.O.
Randy Moss
Brent Farve
Lavar Arrington
Ray Lewis

Haha.

You are, joking, right?

[Pumpy Tudors]

attaboy
What! I have been framed!

[Phoenix]

Haha.

You are, joking, right?
Brent Farve might be a bit past his prime - we could go with Marcus Vick.;)

[WVUFAN]

Tom Brady
Ty Law
Lawrence Moroney
Brian Urlacher
Julius Peppers

[Karlifornia]

Lawrence Phillips
Rae Carruth
Mark Chmura
Jim Druckenmiller
Esera Tuaolo

[larrymcg421]

John Avery
Yatil Green
Jackie Shipp
John Bosa
Jamar Fletcher

[AlexB]

John Avery
Yatil Green
Jackie Shipp
John Bosa
Jamar Fletcher

:D - don't remember Shipp or Bosa, but I imagine they were other drafted saviours?

[Darkiller]

I would pick

- QB Peyton Manning
- RB LaDainian Tomlinson
- WR Reggie Wayne
- MLB Brian Urlacher
- DE Julius Peppers

I took the bet of not picking any any Offensive Linemen because I believe Peyton Manning is good enough with his reads that he can make the quick throws, even if his OL is average. I don't think that's a problem with Manning, he can take care of that all by himself.

Tomlinson is the best back in football right now and is also a great pass catcher, out of the backfield.

Reggie Wayne is probably the surprise pick for many but he is young and has already proved himself. He is arguably the best #2 receiver right now, and that is because he plays alongside a potential future HOFer in Marvin Harrisson.
However, Wayne is younger and will Harrison will slow down in the coming years, Reggie Wayne will only get better and better. He was wise enough to re-sign with the Colts.

I hesitated between taking a pass rusher (Peppers) or a cornerback (probably Champ Bailey) but went with the young DE from Carolina who, like Wayne, is only going to get better and better as the seasons progress.

Brian Urlacher might be "overrated" for some, but he still is a superb Linebacker and a true "football player", a warrior, and definitely the type of charismatic leader you want on your defense.

[albionmoonlight]

Ben Roethlisburger--Probably a bit crazy not to pick Brady or Manning here, but I think that any one of the three could end up having the best "next ten years" out there. Roethlisburger wins because I like him the best of the three. Carson Palmer's knee injury takes him out of consideration for me.

Julius Peppers--Good young DEs are hard to find. Not as hard to find as the Texans think. But certainly hard.

Dwight Freeney--Who are you going to double team? I think that great pass rushers work best in tandem.

Levi Jones--five years or so younger than the current crop of great left tackles in the league (Jones, Ogden, Pace, etc.). The dropoff in talent is slight enough that I'll take the five years.

Steve Hutchinson--seems a bit weird to pick a guard here, but--as with the defensive ends--I want to compliment my strengths. Now, I have one whole side of the offense line taken care of. And, seeing as what that did for Shaun Alexander and Seattle, I think that it will make my skill position players better.

I did not pick any skill position players because it seems much easier to pick up those guys as free agents from other teams (see Joe Horn) or to grab them later in the draft. Running backs have such short shelf lives, I did not want to gamble on them. And wide receivers just seem too unpredictable. It seems much harder to get good pass rushers and good O-linemen late in the draft or off the scrap heap.

I would have loved to put Troy Polamalu on the team--and maybe I should have picked him instead of Hutch. But I am happy with my five guys. Young guys who excel at positions that it is harder to find in the draft or in free agency.

[albionmoonlight]

Two guys who almost certainly would have been on some lists a few years ago but who have gotten the big goose egg thusfar: Mike Vick and Daunte Culpepper.

A few years can make all the difference in this league for some players.

[Terps]

Peyton Manning
LaDainian Tomlinson
Steve Smith
Dwight Freeney
Brian Urlacher

[Rizon]

John Avery
Yatil Green
Jackie Shipp
John Bosa
Jamar Fletcher

Troy Stradford
Bobby Humphrey
Eddie Moore
Sammie Smith
Billy Milner

[Rizon]

Tom Brady
Ben Roethlesomething
Petyon Manning
Carson Palmer
Drew Brees

I think I can trade 4 of these guys and get a whole bunch more other guys in return.

[Ready4Anything99]

Tom Brady
LaDainian Tomlinson
Steve Hutchinson
Julius Peppers
Brian Urlacher

[ISiddiqui]

Walter Jones - Big time LT
Julius Peppers - Pass rusher extradoniare
LaDanian Tomlinson - Massive threat running or recieving
Peyton Manning - Knows how to run an offense
DeAngelo Hall - On his way to becoming one the best cover corners in the league

[Dutch]

Probably goes against the hypothetical, but I would take...

1. Tom Brady
2. Carson Palmer
3. Eli Manning
4. Peyton Manning
5. Matt Hasselback

I would then trade 4 of them for more players or package deals including 1st rounders.

I'm pretty sure I could field a winning team within a year or two with that strategy.

[Sublime 2]

Tom Brady
Levi Jones
Brian Urlacher
Richard Seymour
Chad Johnson

[Daimyo]

Peyton Manning
Julius Peppers
Dwight Freeney
LaDanian Tomlinson

I'm not sure who to take fifth... probably whoever my scouts rate as the best DT. I figure it will be easy to fill out a very strong defense if you can dominate the line of scrimage so much.

[AgustusM]

QB - Tom Brady - just win baby
RB - LaDanian Tomlinson - best and most multitalented RB in game
LT - Jonathon Ogden - tempted to go Antonio Gates here - but you need solid OL play to win at any level of football
DT - Richard Seymour - dominates the LOS
LB - Ray Lewis - still the best

[Abe Sargent]

I can't believe that some of you guys are grabbing, shudder, safeties as a foundation for your team.

The hardest positions to fill are DE, CB, OT and QB. With that in mind, I'd take a young, solid QB (Carson Palmer), a stud, young DE (Julius Peppers), a stud yound CB (Several options here, maybe Mathis, whose pretty good, or Hall), and stud, young OT (Levi Jones, or you could bet on Ferguson, who seems like a pretty sure thing). Lastly, you can grab someone who is a game changer, someone who controls the game from start to finish, an LT or an Urlacher someone like that. I think I'd go with a stud WR, and I'd choose Torry Holt. You can get RBs, LBs, but a stud WR is hard to find. Although number 2 receivers are a dime a dozen, true number one caliber receivers are much less so. If he were younger, I'd have absoilteuly taken Heines Ward.

This team, is young, with only Torry having any age (and WRs can play longer than other positions, like RB). I wonder how many more seasons some players have left in them, and I'd want an anchor at each of these key positions. To recap:

DE Julius Peppers
QB Carson Palmer
CB DeAngelo Hall
OT Levi Jones
WR Torry Holt



-Anxiety

[stevew]

I can't believe that some of you guys are grabbing, shudder, safeties as a foundation for your team.



Have you seen Troy P play? He fills the role of LB, SS and even CB from time to time. I can see perhaps taking DeAngelo instead, if you are looking for a lockdown corner type. My hypothetical team would use Troy in a variety of roles, where the other team would have to gameplan against him. He's a playmaker, first and foremost, which supercedes where he may be listed at as on the field.

[Rizon]

Probably goes against the hypothetical, but I would take...

1. Tom Brady
2. Carson Palmer
3. Eli Manning
4. Peyton Manning
5. Matt Hasselback

I would then trade 4 of them for more players or package deals including 1st rounders.

I'm pretty sure I could field a winning team within a year or two with that strategy.

See post #36.

[Dutch]

Fair enough. I guess that's the FOF mindset, eh? :)

[TroyF]

I'm surprised by some of the names also. I think the most important positions are QB, LT, DE, CB. I can see Troy P as the fifth guy. I went with an extra defensive end. (one bruiser type in Seymour, one speed rusher in Freeney)

I'm not sure about all of the RB's, WR's, MLB's, etc though. I love guys like LT, Chad Johnson, Holt, etc. I'm just not sure the drop off from one of those guys to a second/third tier player is anywhere near as steep as at QB, DE, CB or T.

Oh, and for the person who said Ray Lewis is still the best. Not anymore. Love the guy as a player. He was on my all time team when we drafted it. But he's not nearly the player he used to be. He gets pushed off the line easily, spends a lot of his time hurt and at the age of 30 with his style, isn't going to be back.

[st.cronin]

I'm surprised by some of the names also. I think the most important positions are QB, LT, DE, CB. I can see Troy P as the fifth guy. I went with an extra defensive end. (one bruiser type in Seymour, one speed rusher in Freeney)

I'm not sure about all of the RB's, WR's, MLB's, etc though. I love guys like LT, Chad Johnson, Holt, etc. I'm just not sure the drop off from one of those guys to a second/third tier player is anywhere near as steep as at QB, DE, CB or T.

Oh, and for the person who said Ray Lewis is still the best. Not anymore. Love the guy as a player. He was on my all time team when we drafted it. But he's not nearly the player he used to be. He gets pushed off the line easily, spends a lot of his time hurt and at the age of 30 with his style, isn't going to be back.

I think Reggie Bush could be a uniquely great running back. I would rather have him than any other rb or wr you could name.

[TroyF]

I think Reggie Bush could be a uniquely great running back. I would rather have him than any other rb or wr you could name.


I can live with that. Not sure I agree with it, but I could see it. He could be Marshall Faulk in his prime with a touch more speed. That's fine. I'll still be happy to take the extra guy to go after your QB and clog the line. :)

[wade moore]

I think Reggie Bush could be a uniquely great running back. I would rather have him than any other rb or wr you could name.

When we're talking about picking ANYONE in the NFL, I'm not banking on a "could be"...

[AgustusM]

I think Reggie Bush could be a uniquely great running back. I would rather have him than any other rb or wr you could name.

Obviously everyone is entitled to their opinion, but I can't see how anyone would choose an unproven commodity such as Bush over a player who is clearly proven like Tomlinson.

[Swaggs]

QB Ben Roethlisberger
S Troy Polamalu
DE Julius Peppers
NT Casey Hampton
LT Walter Jones

[k0ruptr]

Peppers
Steve Smith
Jordan gross
Ladainian tomlinson
Kris Jenkins

[SFL Cat]

Eli Manning
LaDanian Tomlinson
Larry Fitzgerald
Adewale Ogunleye
Charles Tillman

[Daimyo]

I'm not sure about all of the RB's, WR's, MLB's, etc though. I love guys like LT, Chad Johnson, Holt, etc. I'm just not sure the drop off from one of those guys to a second/third tier player is anywhere near as steep as at QB, DE, CB or T.
I agree in theory with the point about RBs; however, with only five impact players I figure a guy like LT can be very valuable as he is so well rounded in rushing, blocking, and pass catching (a pre-injury Edgerrin James would have ideal in that role).

[Raven Hawk]

I've gotta go with the following:

QB - Ben Roethlisburger
RB - LaDanian Tomlinson
T - Bryant McKinnie
DT - Richard Seymour
CB - Nathan Vasher

I think the idea of this is to get your "core" players that you want to have with the team for years and years to come. The ones that you'd keep re-signing because they mean so much to your team.

Roethlisburger - There's no doubt that Tom Brady would be #1 on my list, but I'm looking at younger players. Big Ben is a poised QB who knows what it takes to win and has proven himself over a short career. At 23, there's a lot of gas left in the kid's tank.

Tomlinson - Not far fetched by any means. I was tempted to go with Larry Johnson, having fresher legs and all, but stayed with LT based on the fact that Tomlinson is just on of those guys that amazes me with his play week in and week out.

McKinnie - Once again looking for youth. Although McKinnie doesn't hold a candle to Walter Jones yet, he's got a promising future and happens to be 6 years younger. A little bit of a gamble here.

Seymour - 25 years old and 3 Super Bowl rings. This guy is one of my favorite players to watch play the game of football. On the D-Line he is disruptive and dominant. He's a guy that I gotta have.

Vasher - This is the biggest flyer that I'm taking. I love the idea of having playmakers in the secondary. No doubt that Polamalu is one of them. However, Vasher has slid under the radar and looks to be somebody who can play the game and play it well. 5 picks in his rookie campaign and 8 picks last season. If he can continue his 2005 production for 12 more seasons, I'd be a happy camper. This guy is a homer for me and I've seen him play ball. He is a baller, pure and simple. (And he holds the record for longest TD in NFL history).

[albionmoonlight]

Ben Roethlisburger--Probably a bit crazy not to pick Brady or Manning here, but I think that any one of the three could end up having the best "next ten years" out there. Roethlisburger wins because I like him the best of the three. Carson Palmer's knee injury takes him out of consideration for me.

Julius Peppers--Good young DEs are hard to find. Not as hard to find as the Texans think. But certainly hard.

Dwight Freeney--Who are you going to double team? I think that great pass rushers work best in tandem.

Levi Jones--five years or so younger than the current crop of great left tackles in the league (Jones, Ogden, Pace, etc.). The dropoff in talent is slight enough that I'll take the five years.

Steve Hutchinson--seems a bit weird to pick a guard here, but--as with the defensive ends--I want to compliment my strengths. Now, I have one whole side of the offense line taken care of. And, seeing as what that did for Shaun Alexander and Seattle, I think that it will make my skill position players better.

I did not pick any skill position players because it seems much easier to pick up those guys as free agents from other teams (see Joe Horn) or to grab them later in the draft. Running backs have such short shelf lives, I did not want to gamble on them. And wide receivers just seem too unpredictable. It seems much harder to get good pass rushers and good O-linemen late in the draft or off the scrap heap.

I would have loved to put Troy Polamalu on the team--and maybe I should have picked him instead of Hutch. But I am happy with my five guys. Young guys who excel at positions that it is harder to find in the draft or in free agency.

Levi Jones just got cut today. He was the weakest link on my team anyway. I'm happy with Ben, but I think that I could have done better with my other four picks, certainly. I'm still OK with having picked Hutch, though.

How do your picks look a few years down the road?

[Suburban Rhythm]

Cheating a little here going with 3 guys from the home team, but...

Ben Roethlisberger
Troy Polamalu
Casey Hampton
Walter Jones
Steve Smith

Looked mainly at younger guys, who are in their prime, or just reaching it, and will contribute for the long haul as well. Also, guys who will be versatile, or, allow the guys around them to be versatile.

I want a QB who has won, so it came down to Ben and Brady, and gave Ben the nod being 6 (?) years younger.

Troy, as he's used in Pittsburgh, will make plays all over the field.

Similar thinking with Steve Smith. He's a threat deep and on quick screens, also as a returner.

Walt Jones, premier guy at his position, being able to handle his guy 1-on-1 allow the rest of the Oline to focus on the other 2-3 DL/blitzers.

Hampton...I had a hard time with this last pick. I consider Derrick Brooks, based again on making plays all over the field. But I already had that in Troy, so I took Hampton. While not versatile himself, he keeps the OL off the ILBs (of course I am playing a 3-4) and allows for shifting and confusion with the 2 DE's dropping/2 OLBs blitzing, etc.

Not too bad.

Ben has another ring.

Troy was at his best again this season, after a couple down years.

Hampton and Jones are on the downswing of their careers, but still good players and hard to fill positions.

Smith is the wildcard. He's been injured, and crazy. But that recipe will get me some air time on the Worldwide Leader

[BishopMVP]

Who would the contenders be now?

QB - Manning, Brady, Brees
RB - AP
WR - Andre Johnson, Fitzgerald, Calvin Johnson?
OL - Clady, Roos, Gross, Joe Thomas, Snee, Dielman?
DL - Justin Tuck?, Mario Williams, Haynesworth?, Kevin Williams, Ngata? Vince Wilfork?
LB - Demarcus Ware? Willis, Beason?, Jerod Mayo?
CB - Asomugha, Finnegan, Champ Bailey? Darrelle Revis?
S - Reed, Polomalu


For my 5, I'd go
Manning
Ryan Clady
Mario Williams
Nnamdi Asomugha
Ed Reed

[Abe Sargent]

Matt Ryan would be my choice today. CB would be Not DeAngelo Hall. Torry Holt is too old now so I'd go with a different WR. Peppers has not been as consistent as I'd like so Id go elsewhere for DE.

I still like:

QB
OT
WR
CB
DE

And the 5 choices position wise.

[Schmidty]

Shaun Rogers
Derrick Brooks
LaDainian Tomlinson
Carson Palmer
Champ Bailey

I'm an idiot.

[stevew]

Lol. Was I the only one to take Fitzgerald?

nvmd, i see at least one other dude was smart too.

[Passacaglia]

:D - don't remember Shipp or Bosa, but I imagine they were other drafted saviours?

They were both awesome in Tecmo Bowl.

[Karlifornia]

Lol. Was I the only one to take Fitzgerald?

nvmd, i see at least one other dude was smart too.

That's the first thing I noticed while re-reading this just now. At the time Fitzgerald was considered a solid WR, but now he may just be the best player in the game.

[Danny]

I started reading this thread not realizing it was three years old and I was wondering why all you guys were picking old fogies past their prime.

[Julio Riddols]

Carson Palmer
Deltha O'Neal
Troy Polamalu
Odell Thurman
Walter Jones

I'd like to change some of this. :)

Nnamdi Asomugha
Aaron Curry
Ed Reed
Larry Fitzgerald
Ryan Clady

Then I'd draft Tebow 1.1 and run the wildcat all year.

[Fidatelo]

I started reading this thread not realizing it was three years old and I was wondering why all you guys were picking old fogies past their prime.

Haha, me too. All the Carson Palmer and, to a lesser extent, LDT picks were blowing my mind!

[Matthean]

I started reading this thread not realizing it was three years old and I was wondering why all you guys were picking old fogies past their prime.

Same here.