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revrew · 04-24-2006, 10:02 AM

The beginning of the third year was the beginning of our rise, though nothing seemed to work right away. I walked into that preseason ready to spend all the new cap room I had acquired after the penalties for cutting all the old, Northern Saints finally wore off.

The Free Agency market, however, was nearly bare of true Southerners. Most had been locked up by their teams before I could get to them. I knew the fans would be screaming at me if I didn't bring in some big free agents with the money we had available, so I went against my better judgment and laid down huge money for the only big Southerner available, 5th year tight end Randy McMichael. Thankfully, Randy signed, and I spent the rest of time signing depth and getting ready for what was going to be a huge draft for us.

A rare thing occurred that year--two blue chip prospects at the top of the draft board, both true Southerners. I knew I wasn't going to get a chance like this again, so I went to the trade board hard. I already owned the #2 pick, where I expected Spencer Knowles, the LSU can't-miss running phenom to still be available. Granted, we already had Deuce McAllister in the stable, but his contract year had come, and he was hopping mad about being stuck with a franchise tag. His future was shaky, and Knowles looked like a superstar we could build on.

But where we really needed help was at MLB. Sitting high on the draft board was C.J. Atkins, a Texas born and bred Mike backer with Hall of Fame written all over him. I cut loose the wagon and hitched it all to this young man. I traded away the bank to bring Atkins into the barn.

Finally, I searched for teams in cap trouble and found a true Southerner to anchor our defensive line. DT Marcus Tubbs was young but already proven, and his team needed to unload some salary. I put every last egg in the basket (we would have no #1 draft picks and few #2s for the next 3 years), and traded for Tubbs.

I really needed all four of these young men--McMichael, Tubbs, Knowles, and Atkins--to become stars for this team. If they bombed, so would our team...for years to come.

Rnd 1 - Spencer Knowles, RB, Louisiana State
Rnd 1 - C.J. Atkins, ILB, Texas
Rnd 2 - Brian Shaughnessy, WR, Georgia
Rnd 3 - Shannon Bensen, T, Virginia Tech
Rnd 4 - Mo McGeoghan, P, North Carolina
Rnd 7 - Joey Montgomery, DE, Texas

04-24-2006, 10:02 AM	#32
revrew Team Chaplain Join Date: Jun 2001 Location: Just outside Des Moines, IA	CHAPTER 7: The 3rd Year Overhaul The beginning of the third year was the beginning of our rise, though nothing seemed to work right away. I walked into that preseason ready to spend all the new cap room I had acquired after the penalties for cutting all the old, Northern Saints finally wore off. The Free Agency market, however, was nearly bare of true Southerners. Most had been locked up by their teams before I could get to them. I knew the fans would be screaming at me if I didn't bring in some big free agents with the money we had available, so I went against my better judgment and laid down huge money for the only big Southerner available, 5th year tight end Randy McMichael. Thankfully, Randy signed, and I spent the rest of time signing depth and getting ready for what was going to be a huge draft for us. A rare thing occurred that year--two blue chip prospects at the top of the draft board, both true Southerners. I knew I wasn't going to get a chance like this again, so I went to the trade board hard. I already owned the #2 pick, where I expected Spencer Knowles, the LSU can't-miss running phenom to still be available. Granted, we already had Deuce McAllister in the stable, but his contract year had come, and he was hopping mad about being stuck with a franchise tag. His future was shaky, and Knowles looked like a superstar we could build on. But where we really needed help was at MLB. Sitting high on the draft board was C.J. Atkins, a Texas born and bred Mike backer with Hall of Fame written all over him. I cut loose the wagon and hitched it all to this young man. I traded away the bank to bring Atkins into the barn. Finally, I searched for teams in cap trouble and found a true Southerner to anchor our defensive line. DT Marcus Tubbs was young but already proven, and his team needed to unload some salary. I put every last egg in the basket (we would have no #1 draft picks and few #2s for the next 3 years), and traded for Tubbs. I really needed all four of these young men--McMichael, Tubbs, Knowles, and Atkins--to become stars for this team. If they bombed, so would our team...for years to come. Rnd 1 - Spencer Knowles, RB, Louisiana State Rnd 1 - C.J. Atkins, ILB, Texas Rnd 2 - Brian Shaughnessy, WR, Georgia Rnd 3 - Shannon Bensen, T, Virginia Tech Rnd 4 - Mo McGeoghan, P, North Carolina Rnd 7 - Joey Montgomery, DE, Texas __________________ Winner of 6 FOFC Scribe Awards, including 3 Gold Scribes Founder of the ZFL, 2004 Golden Scribe Dynasty of the Year Now bringing The Des Moines Dragons back to life, and the joke's on YOU, NFL! I came to the Crossroad. I took it. And that has made all the difference.