[MIJB#19]

[b]General Manager Notes: Extension Day![/i]
Cap space next season, bye bye.

Yup, it's that time of year again. I'm not talking about the money generating exhibition games, but the scare moments between the notorious early pre-season impression the players give us and the start of the regular season, This is the incredibly short window of opportunity where you can realistically extend contracts.

As a result, we've extended contracts of 9 players and will make a second bid to Reggie Thongchanh, who turned our first offer down. RB Asher Ford, RB Francisco Patter, WR Branden Sandlin, C Jared Labbe, G Andre Watson, P Doug Guynes, DE Andy Russell, DT Jumbo Mojica and S Alexander Marty won't be be a free agent next off-season.

We've still got $4.7M of cap space to work with after these extensions, so we're not cap strapped... for now.

For next season, it's a different story. We're projected at $54M over the cap with 41 players signed. Some would call it crazy, for me that's our usual business. We'll be fine, I think. Just not making a splash signing like we did this off-season with Jackie Richardson.

For those wondering how we did in our two pre-season games, we won and lost. No wait, we lost and won in that order. By some random luck, we got the privilege to visit the Fairbanks Northstars (1-15 last season) and then host the Chicago Norsemen (also 1-15 last season).

We seriously crushed the Northstars, if you're beleiving in total yards numbers, but losing the turnover battle 6-1 with three pick sixes will lead to a 38-23 loss, despite 359 yards gained and 193 yards allowed. Moe Sheldon had 1 pick six, Brandon Bell 2 pick sixes. Bell also lost a couple of fumbles, as did our punt returner Courtney Blackwell. These last two are very alarming, for both this is a serious issue to make them, well, lose the position battles they are in. Were we smashmouthing it? Not quite, we ran 31 times versus throwing (or trying to) 43 times.

We seriously crushed the Norsemen as well. 366 yards versus 141 yards, only this time the turnover battle was in balance (1-1). Two missed field goal on their end made this end up as a 28-0 shutout. With 27 runs and 37 pass plays, we weren't quite smashmouthing this one either. Fun stat of this test game? We seriously punished Chicago's backup quarterback, sacking him 8 times in 26 pass plays. Our punt returner Courtney Blackwell fumbled yet again. I mean, seriously dude, you're going to cost us games. Gabe Broady, wish you were still here. The VSOD was unkind to you in '87...

So yeah, pre-season does tell us something about our team: we need to look for a different punt returner. Blackwell will be deeper down our cornerbacks depth chart, but this fumbling is just something we can't afford. We'd better let Thong' do his thing and take the 5 yards less gained for granted.

Back to that stuff before that. Brandon Bell and fumbling, does this mean Moe Sheldon will be our starter this season? Why, yes, I think he's sealed that deal. Bell seems to have really lost his confidence or whatever it is. He got sacked 7 times in those two pre-season games. And most of those behind the starters on the O-Line. For Sheldon that would be bad, he's a pocket passer, for the mobile Bell that's atrocious, below his ability to avoid the pressure. And how about Francisco Farley? He'll be the inactive third quarterback. Unless he does something even more overwhelmingly impressive in the last two pre-season games than he did in the '89 pre-season games. But most likely, we'll still give Bell the backup role, he did quite well last season, remember?

Oh yeah, have I mentioned how disappointed I am in Blackwell? Right now he's the prime suspect to become that 54 to 53 men roster cut.

Let's wrap this up for tonight. Two more pre-season games, with mostly the youngsters playing: Bell at quarterback, the undrafted guard Silvan, rookie receivers Samuels and Stuckey, second year receiver Wilkerson, tight end Clay Gaynor obviously, and on defense rookie linebackers Brady and Rayburn, and defensive backs Harmon, Brotzman and Murray.

And then the regular season, it's coming soon...