[MIJB#19]

General Manager Notes: the '91 off-season!
Yay, new opportunities!

Will this be the season we really bounce back? Will it?

We got 44 players signed and are $66.9M over the salary cap, with the 6th most expensive draft picks collective of $28.25M. The good thing there is that we've got 9 picks as we have an additional 3rd and 5th round pick. As mentioned before, we'll be picking at 1.9 (and in the following rounds alternating between 10th and 9th). It does mean we'll have to find $95.15M from those 44 signed players, which can be tricky with Theodore Bondy in his final year of contract and Kirk Hitchcock accounting for $53M in bonus money. Still, I'm optimistic we can get enough arrangements with the 10 players that all are projected at $10M+ in their 'save if release' figure.

Three players have become street free agents: TE Renaldo Crawford, LB Moe Iveans and CB Jessie McNeil. Six players are restricted free agents, but I've mentioned that before already as well.

A result of our gigantic bonus money figure of $355M of last season and slightly more expensive staff members, we've had a record highest cost figure of $706M, making us fall to the 11th slot in the staff draft, which is quite the thing here, I can't remember ever drafting that lowly. We still made $1,091M for a profit of $384M, so, we're not exactly doing bad as a business, but drafting lowly isn't quite good for our ability to get new staff members. Perhaps we should save a buck or two next off-season, so we can improve this slot for the '92 off-season.

Another thing to note, I didn't add some potential restricted free agents to our roster during the post-season, contrary to my announcement to do so. It means we didn't save Ruben Caminiti's career, he's off into the wilderness of life after football, before playing a single down in a competitive game in the IHOF. I'm still shocked no other team even tried to sign him. But that too can be life in the IHOF.

Five players that were free agents, but spent time with us during the '80s also called it a game.

CB Tre Poloski was from our 2081 first round duo with Kirk Hitchcock. As the #14 overall pick we had high expectations, but unlike Hitchcock, Poloski never lived up to the status of a first round pick. He did play in 85 regular season games and 7 playoffs games for us, making 11 interceptions in his time as a starter for us, although he did drop to a nickelback role in his last two seasons with us. He spent 3 seasons in Arizona and was without a team in 2090.

CB/PR Courtney Blackwell was one final cut last off-season. In retrospect, he might not have fumbled much more (or less) than Reggie Thongchanh did as a punt returner, but apparently I'm too much focused on how good Gabe Broady was and can't see that after such a legend, every new punt returner will be a step back. Blackwell was a 5th round pick in 2084 for us and after not playing much at all that rookie season, he did see a lot of action from his second season and onwards, until the release. With 81 regular season games and 7 playoffs games, his role wasn't small on our defense and special teams unit, as he was also our primary punt returner in the last 3 seasons.

FB Tristan Cochrane was a 5th round pick for us in the 2081 draft and spent 7 seasons on our roster, the last 5 as a starter. We didn't utilize him enough, as he was an excellent run blocker. He played in 112 regular season games and 9 playoffs games for us, most notably the 2085 AOC Championship game. After w released him, he spent a season in Texas, Harlem and Augusta (each), but decided to not play out the second season of his contract.

TE Tyler Kotz was a 7th round pick in 2085 and didn't get any action until late in the 2087 season. In 2088 he was a fulltime member of our special teams unit, but in 2089 he was back to an inactive role and didn't make our cut in the 2090 off-season. He played in 21 games for us.

S Mason Wilson joined as an an undrafted rookie in the 2087 off-season and was eventually active in 8 regular season games and 2 playoffs games that season. He didn't survive cuts in the 2088 pre-season and played two seasons with the Moontown Darksiders in a marginal role. He was released in the 2090 pre-season after training camp and found no new team.

But enough about the past, the future begins now. I've made big claims that we want to reclaim the division this upcoming season. Well, we'll have to do well this off-season to make that happen. It won't come easy, but we're in for the challenge as well. Stay focused and positive and good things may happen for us.