MP: eNFL - St Louis Rams 2008

[Pyser]

Well, I was hoping Northwood would bring back his excellent dynasties, but his died, as mine did, when the board crashed last fall. So I thought I'd pick up the pieces. Don't know how detailed I'll go. But I like analyzing everyone's off-season moves, so I'll probably do a fair share of critiquing here.

The main thing readers not familiar with the eNFL need to know is the Philadelphia Eagels steamrolled EVERYONE last season, going 19-0 and winning it all. The goal this season is simple: don't let that happen again. Until their win, my Rams had been the only NFC team to ever win an eNFL Bowl.

Furthermore, my Rams team had never had their season end before the NFC Championship game. But we fell royally, and turned a 6-2 start into a a 6-9 season, before winning our last game.

We hope to do much better, reclaim the West, and take down those pesky Iggles.

[Pyser]

As the new season starts, we get a look at the retirements. Absolute crap retirements this year - Favre is back (damnit!), McNabb is too (no surprise, but a guy can hope). The best retirement? 13th year Warren Sapp hung em up. Which wouldn't be a big deal if he wasn't in my division, on the Cards. Other than that, Strahan is probably the biggest retirement, but really, the Giants couldn't get past the Eagles with him, so, it's not a big deal. Then again, no one can get past the Eagles.

I think players stick around in this game way too long, but that's a rant for another day.

So we are heading off to hire some coaches. The Eagles have the best coach in the game, but he is unsigned right now (yay!). Other than that, who cares? I wont tip my hand here, but the Rams will make a bid or two. Ill go over my team soon, while we wait for the staff hirings to run their course. to anyone outside the eNFL it'll be boring as sin, but to people in the league, it'll be a nice insight into what i think of my team. and also boring as sin.

[Pyser]

okay, might as well start now.

Quarterbacks
Marc Bulger - The Franchise. 64/64, signed for 2 more years. Without Holt for the entire season, and Randle El for a large chunk, still managed 17 td/10 int, rating of 84. Not bad, and his worst of his career. Obviously not going anywhere.

Shaun King - King is on the bubble. His salary is too high for my taste (1.8m), but he saved us in our super bowl winning season in 2005, when he filled in for an injured Bulger and went 4-2. However, he's being pushed by younger and cheaper kids. 1 year left on his deal.

Ellis Kidman - 4th year QB who fell into our laps. We love this kid, and he showed us why in week 17 when he filled in for an injured Bulger, and went 21/30 for 230 yds and a TD. Unsigned, but will return.

A.J. Brandon - Another kid we are crazy about. Has even picked up a win for us. He has a career passing rating of 130, but on only 15 attempts. Both he and Kidman are well enough rated across the board, save 1 or 2 categories. Also unsigned. We will have to decide if we think the 2 kids can handle the load if Bulger goes down, or if King needs to stick around.

[Pyser]

Backfield
Shaun Alexander - Any review of our RBs is a bit muddy, because they are replacing the great Marshall Faulk. Furthermore, we were without our LT anchor of Kyle Turley for half the season, which hurt. Alexander was fine, but nothing great. The biggest problem I had with him was his inability to rip off a long run. It was like watching Rodney freaking Hampton. But he's cheap, and signed for 2 more years.

Wes Reese - A still developing 3rd year back. We gave him a few starts, and he didnt excel. But over the course of the year, he was also fine. Averaged 3.9 a carry, and will only get better. Has the ratings to be a feature back, but the production doesn't seem to be there. Still, Alexander would get cut before Reese.

Ricky Williams - Took a ratings hit last season, which is a shame, because I like the way he plays. Tried to work him in last year, but he stumbled, only averaging 3.4 a carry. Could be on his way out.

Darrell Varitek - Young. Never played. Who cares.

FB - Mack Radigonda - The apple of my eye. An undrafted find. Stepped in and started as a rookie last year, and couldn't get the coaches to keep the ball out of his hands. 32 carries for a 4.3 average, and another 30 catches. Very excited about this player. Unsigned, but sticking.

[Pyser]

Tight Ends
Freddie Jones - Old workhorse. I like this guy. Not too many drops, but not so good that he steals catches from everyone else. Cheap for 2 more years.

Itula Mili - Another old guy (11th year). But a solid backup. Could be moved if we can bring in some youth.

Bubba Craig - Unsigned young'en. 3rd TE. Could fill in as 2nd TE fine. Not much more to say.

[Pyser]

WRs
Jabbar Gaffney - Suddenly finds himself the go-to guy after Holts knee injury and ratings demise. Had an outstanding year, with over 1100 yards. Signed for 3 more years.

Torry Holt - What a sob story. Took a big ratings hit with a knee injury in the first quarter of week 1 last season. The good news is it should save us a lot of money. The bad news is we have another (4) average at best WR. He could start and be fine, and probably will, but we'll always remember what couldve been. Signed for 2 more years.

Antwaan Randle El - Missed 5 games with a knee injury, but the ratings remained in tact. Perfect 3rd WR, and a great returner to boot. The kind of role player every team needs. Signed for 2 more years, and not going anywhere.

Shawn Hitchcock - 3rd year WR who had his coming out party last year. Over 500 yards without starting. Saw a lot of time thanks to injuries to his bretheren. Has yet to find the endzone, though.

Kelly Campbell - A WR I couldn't pay to have taken off my hands last off-season, and I'm glad no one did. Came over in the Isaac Bruce trade 4 years ago, and has quietly filled in as needed. Has a nose for the endzone, and had a solid year starting for Holt. 57 catches, 850 yards, 5 tds. Cheap and staying put.

Johnny Austin - Another undrafted rookie f/a last year. I'd never carried 6 wr's before, but it sure came in handy when 2 got injured. had 8 catches, and is nothing special. Cool name, though.

[Pyser]

Center
Dominic Buehrig - 5th year guy who seems to play above his ratings. Good for 30-35% krb and about 5 sacks allowed. Cheap for 3 more years. Wouldn't mind upgrading, but only if an upgrade falls in my lap.

Gilbert Shapiro - 6th year backup. Making 860k, which is probably too much. 40%krb for his career, though. Could care less if he sticks or not. A rookie could do the job as well for much less.

[Pyser]

Guards
Marques Sullivan - The only guard I care about on the roster. 8th year now, and rated 50/50. Which shows what troubles I've had getting solid guards on my team. However, he stays healthy, krb over 30% for the career, and allows less than 10 sacks a season. "Dependable" comes to mind.

Ike Houzah - Technically a LT, but has only played a handful of games there. Starts at LG otherwise. And someday, he'll actually play the way his ratings look. Cut his sacks allowed in half last year, but cut his krb's in half, too, which is bad. An enigma - just have to find a way to get the production out of him. He's signed for 4 more years, so we've got time. Hear that, Ike? I can wait!

Gene Weber - They guy who will step in at LG as soon as I stop waiting for Ike. Which could be soon, because I love this guy. 7th round pick last year, rated very nicely. Not a boom, just a solid player that dropped. I feel like he'd be a Sullivan clone if I could work him in.

Jackie Frick - Undrafted 2nd year player. Spent his rookie campaign on IR.

Sherman Williamson - Another guard I'd feel comfortable starting. Just hasn't gotten the chance to play behind cyborg Sullivan. I'm "fine" at guard overall, but would like to be "great". Someday, we'll find a LG.

[Pyser]

Tackles
Kyle Turley - More important than I thought, after watching the running game vanish after his injury. But the ratings are back, the contract demands will hopefully be low, and he will anchor the line until he retires.

Jon Stinchcomb - FINALLY got his chance to start after Turley went down, and I wish he hadn't. 6/24 on krbs, a sack a game allowed. Fine backup, and nothing more. Making 860k this year, which is probably cheap enough to keep, but he could moved and I wouldn't think twice.

Steve Sciullo - A pseudo-run blocker. The ratings are there, and the results...sometimes. Always a liability when we pass, but he's cheap and young (5th year, signed for 4 years). He'll do.

[Pyser]

Kicker
Jeff Wilkens - Eh. He finally had a good year, and only cost us 2 games. only makes 3 out of every 4 kicks in his career, but isn't terribly expensive, and I'm not looking to pay a kicker 2 mil to make 3 more kicks a year. I'd upgrade, but to what?

Punter
Geoff Green - Our revolving door. Landeta, Zastudil, Monroe, Green. Haven't liked any of them. Got to find a kid that kick it over 40 yards consistently. Some day.

[Pyser]

Defensive Ends
Grant Wistrom - The pride and joy of the Rams, somehow, is our DE's. The big 3 accounted for 28 sacks last year, which is absolutely phenomenal. And Wistrom, who is paid the most, did the least. 6 sacks, but played at SLB for a spell, with mixed results. Our 3 man rotation is great, though. If only Grant were a lot cheaper.

Leonard Little - We FINALLY got our situational pass rusher going, and how! 11 sacks in only 5 starts. Aging, but cheap. We hope for an encore. Have him under contract for 2 more years.

Clint Mitchell - His best season, which is good, because we are paying him like a top DE. 11 sacks, over 50 tackles. Responded very well to moving back to the right side from the left 2 years ago. Locked up for 4 more very expensive years.

Justin Carlisle - Our 4th undrafted f/a from last year to make the team. Decent ratings, but most importantly, cheap. Didn't play a down.

[Pyser]

Defensive Tackles
Damione Lewis - Where has the production gone? 62 tackles 3 years ago. Not even 70 the last 2 years combined. Not making too much, but is in danger of leaving town.

Nick Eason - Overpaid to get him in f/a last year, but should re-sign for cheaper this year. Solid backup, who may find himself logging a lot of snaps if Lewis doesn't come around quickly.

Jared Sanderson - Too early to label him a 1st round disappointment, but with his run stopping ratings, we thought he'd...you know...stop the run. Only 18 tackles, but finally started pressuring the QB. We expect him to breakout soon, but wonder if he is dragging Lewis down, or vice versa.

Gary Richard - Also had 18 tackles. In only 3 starts. 5th year player who would certainly outperform Sanderson, but I can't swallow my pride and bench Sandy.

[Pyser]

Outside LB's
Anthony Simmons - The heart and soul of the D. It's hard to tell how the defense performed last year, because we only had our premiere playmaker for 5 quarters of the entire season. Again, the blessing in disguise is that he should resign for a whole lot less than the 6-mil he's scheduled to make. Let's just hope he stays on the field this season.

Levar Fisher - Free agent signee last year who pushed Tiny for his job. Played well, but I'm not convinced. Tough call between him and Tiny, and may come down to who is cheaper. But both will probably make the team.

Pisa Tinoisamoa - Tiny made the most of his 6 starts last year, and made a strong case to return to the starting lineup. It's very tough to evaluate the players, again, since we didn't have Simmons.

Lionel Mitchell - One of our proudest draft choices. Can do everything but stop the run, I guess. Filled in for Simmons for most of the year, and proved he's nothing more than a solid backup at best. But did have an interception, and is cheap.

[Pyser]

Inside LB's
Terry Pierce - Extremely solid MLB. Only in his 6th year, and has topped 100 tackles both years for us. Could be a bit better in coverage, but with Simmons at his side, we are set at LB. Worried about his future asking price, though, but is signed for 2 more years.

Jamie Duncan - The ultimate team player. Never complained after being demoted after an 85 tackle season. Willingly plays special teams, and fiercely at that. Another role player who does the dirty work on this team. And is cheap.

Walt Morrissey - Solid run stopper who makes 860k, and needs to take a cut. Could start if needed, but could also be replaced by a younger guy.

[Pyser]

Cornerback's
Samari Rolle - Our aging anchor. In fact, age is the key word in this secondary. FOUR corners are in their 10th year or older! But Rolle had 6 picks and was fantastic for us. A keeper.

Patrick Surtain - Another old guy who never recaptured his 12 pick magic of 2003. Am thinking of trading this solid CB, who posted a pdpct over 20, and quietly had a better season than Rolle, but didn't have the picks to show for it.

Jason Sehorn - 14th year corner who has the hidden talent of moving seemlessly to safety if we need him to. Versatile and cheap, but injured almost all of last season. Will probably return, but cant be counted on much longer.

Fred Weary - 11th year corner who is absolutely stellar at man to man coverage. But, of course, was injured all last season. We welcome him back with open arms. Much more important than he looks.

Oscar Jamison - Finally, a kid. Got a ton of playing time due to injuries, and performed solidly. Might get caught in a numbers crunch, though, with all the healthy players returning. But it's tough to turn your back on youth.

Mickey Willis - Our 5th and final undrafted rookie free agent from last season. Didn't play much, and almost certainly wont be back. Currently unsigned and available in trade.

DeJuan Groce - Another cheap corner who could move to safety if we needed. 6th year, like him as a nickel back, but even more as a punt returner, which has kept him on the team. We have too many CBs, and something will have to give, but we always need special teamers, too.

[jeff061]

I'll try to give you some ammo to nail me with .

I have a couple big things I'm considering to try.

[Pyser]

Safeties
Adam Archuleta - Where did this guy go? From 7 picks to 1 in just one season. One number is an anomoly, but which is it? Regardless, this 8th year safety isn't going anywhere.

Dexter Jackson - However, this 10th year safety is. Simple math game. He will be franchised and traded by the start of free agency. He's very good, but the next player makes him expendable. If Jackson wasn't so greedy, he'd stay for sure.

Shane Walton - He's not a hard hitter, but he can cover you any way you want. Cheap and young (6th year), he will almost certainly step in and start. Logged 5 starts in a platoon with Jackson, and proved his worth.

[Pyser]

Team Review

Ok, so what does all that mean?

It means we are happy with most of our team - which is good because there are no true marquee free agents in this years group, nor do we have enough money to bid on them anyway - but we aren't happy with everyone.

First off, we are in the market for a gamebreaker at RB. The return of Turley should help, but Alexander and Reese aren't scaring anyone.

Second, we need to solidy our LG position. It can almost certainly be done internally, but if the right opportunity presented itself, we wouldn't pass on a star lineman.

Third, we must get a punter. This should really be second, but it's a freakin' punter.

Fourth, a big-time WR. We have too many marginal WR's. Philly showed just how important having 2 devastating WR's can be.

Fifth, youth in the secondary. The players we have back there are good...for now. But we have to start thinking ahead.


Off-season Ammo

A fair question would be how can we achieve those goals? First off, the impending trade of Dexter Jackson will bring something positive in return. Coupled with multiple renegotiations, we should be in position to land either 1 big-name player (which almost certainly wont exist in this free agent class), or 3-5 mid-level players in free agency.

But our biggest asset is the draft. We own the 7th and 12th picks in the first round - which means there wont be any players in this years draft that will be out of our reach. We are in position to move all the way up the top spot, if need be.

We should only be 2-3 players away from returning to the playoffs, assuming we stay healthy. Here's to trying.

[Pyser]

I just noticed DT Eason became a mentor. YES! That should really help the development of Jared Sanderson.

We are now deep in talks with 3 teams about Dexter Jackson, which is exciting. Looks like he will be moved in week 1 of free agency. We have also been contacted about several other players as well, which is nice. I won't say who, but my roster analysis above gives plenty of clues.

And finally, it's now no secret that the Rams have expressed an interest in a new offensive and defensive coordinator, as well as lead scout. We are currently in talks, but nothing seems imminent. If none of the deals come through, that's fine - all of our staffs are under contract right now, anyway. So no pressure there.

[Pyser]

Rams Press Release

The St. Louis Rams are delighted to welcome Rico Boatwright to the family. Besides his ultra-cool name, Rico also bringt a boatload of experience to the offensive side of the ball, where he will serve as our coordinator for the next 5 years.

Rico comes over from conference rival Green Bay, where his offensive schemes constantly baffled Ram defenses. In 5 years, Rico's offenses have yet to miss the playoffs.

Rams QB Marc Bulger is particularly excited, saying, "I've seen what Rico can do for quarterbacks. There is a reason Brett Favre has stuck around so long, and I know Rico was a huge part of that. I can't wait to see what kind of number I put up in his system." Favre threw 42 td's for Rico in one season alone.

The St. Louis Rams also missed out on defensive coordinator Anthony Randle, who opted for Oakland instead. GM Pyser had a short comment. "We will re-evaluate our options at defensive coordinator, but were very surprised to see Oakland swoop in. We thought we had Randle locked up. It's very disappointing."

League sources have not been shy in reporting how upset Pyser was with current defensive coordinator David Landon, but now may have no choice but to bring him back for another season.

[Pyser]

Rams Press Release 2

The St. Louis Rams have hired Ian Downs as their new lead scout. He brings a fresh set of eyes to the Rams, and is the first new scout the team has had since 2003. He has a good eye for young players, which comes in handy, as we have 2 first round picks this year.

The Rams did not succeed in bringing in a new defensive coordinator, meaning the embattled David Landon will return his post for a third year with the Rams. When GM Pyser was asked about reluctantly bringing Landon back, he developed a sudden case of amnesia, saying "Landon is an excellent young coach, and we look forward to him continuing his solid career here."

[Pyser]

OK, franchising time. No surprise here: S Dexter Jackson will get our tag, as we continue trade talks with other GMs. We are closing in on a deal, but still keeping our options open.

Pretty pissed we couldnt land a new defensive coordinator, but so it goes. I do like our new scout. The eNFL is very scout-challenged, so I think we landed a decent one, at nearly half the rate of our old scout. Doesn't sound like too big a deal, but should save us about $3-mil overall on the balance sheet.

My guess as to who will be franchised in the next stage. I'm expecting a lot of tags to be used:

TE Crumpler (ATL)
S Minter (CAR)
QB Tucker (DAL)
QB Harrington (DET)
WR Driver (GB)
G Davis (HOU)
DE Freeney (IND)
QB Grier (KC)
DE Taylor (MIA)
G Andruzzi (NE)
G Holland (NO)
RB Fargas (OAK)
S Lassiter (SD)
DT Young (SF)
S Jackson (STL)
WR Robbins (TB)
S Schulters (TEN)

[Pyser]

Ticket Prices and Tags

We raised ticket prices by $5 a seat. Coupled with a losing season, it may not have been the smartest thing to do, but our fan loyalty is at 100, and money is important these days in bidding for coaches. Our coaches deal is up at the end of this year.

Franchise tags were also announced. Let's see how my predictions held up. If nothing is written beside a name, I got it right:

Originally Posted by Pyser

TE Crumpler (ATL)
S Minter (CAR)
QB Tucker (DAL) - Can't believe they let him walk. Cannot believe it.
QB Harrington (DET)
WR Driver (GB)
G Davis (HOU)
DE Freeney (IND) - They tagged T.O. instead, and let BOTH dynamite DE's hit the open market, where they want a fortune. Jeff said he'd give me stuff to criticize, and here is my first rip. Freeney had 41 hurries last year, and 15 sacks. That's 65 pass plays alone where he forced an incompletion or worse. And he's only in his 7th year. T.O. is in his 13th. Freeney does have injury problems, but a tag is safer than a longterm deal in that regard. If they want Freeney back, it's gonna cost a LOT. He is asking for 4 year, 51m to sign. Ouch.
QB Grier (KC) - Elected not to use the tag at all. Smart move not using it, I only predicted because they announced Grier would most likely start next season.
DE Taylor (MIA)
G Andruzzi (NE) - He'd been tagged for a few seasons in a row, and has finally hit the open market. Old, though.
G Holland (NO) - Used the tag on C DiNapoli instead. I toyed with both Holland and DiNapoli here, but thought they'd go with Holland, based purely on age.
RB Fargas (OAK)
S Lassiter (SD)
DT Young (SF) - SF let him walk. No complaints here, he's ancient.
S Jackson (STL)
WR Robbins (TB)
S Schulters (TEN) - Elected not to use the tag.

Three teams used the tag that I didn't predict: Seattle on WLB Allen (eh. first defender off the field. Hope he re-signs cheaper than the tag), and the Jets on C Mawae. They have C Faine waiting in the wings, but I guess one of them started at guard last year. I must've missed that. And Jax tagged Larry Allen, who is incredibly old, but still doing his thing. Damn. I was hoping to steal him on a one year deal in free agency.

And so we hit the open market. And, of course, get our first look at the draft class. And guess what? NO F-ING RUNNING BACKS! The top rb's look like late 2nd rounders to me. Not what I was hoping for at all. In fact, the draft looks very weak to me. Again. Two years running. But there is some strength at the top of the draft, so we will get value out of our 2 high first round picks. Just not superstars, most likely. Oh well.

[Pyser]

Rams Open Negotiations

Well, we are very excited to hear from many of our star players. We asked them all what it would take for them to re-sign, and just as we had hoped, injuries have made some of our most expensive players very affordable.

We should re-sign Turley, Simmons and Holt, three huge money players, at very reasonable deals. A small consolation for missing them most of the season.

When combined with other standard renegotiations, the Rams should be small-time players in free agency. The Freeneys and Abrahams will be out of our price range, but we have our eye on a few players we hope will sneak under the radar.

It's not a bad year to have no money. After last years free agent bonanza, most teams only let bad players, or players on the wrong side of 30, hit the free agent market. As one fellow GM said, "Most decent FA's are in their twilight years and are making outrageous demands. Here is an example, take a look at QB Tucker, he thinks he is worthy of 6, 7, 9 million a year, are you freakin kidding me?"

While I disagree on Tucker (potential franchise QB entering his prime), for the most part, he is right. Our scout handed me a list of the top 20 free agents, regardless of position. Only 4 have played less than 10 seasons. Not good. Tomorrow we will open up negotiations with players outside our organization.

[jeff061]

Heh, at least I'm changing my mind on trading Brady, that's where I expected the ripping to come most.

He's asking for less than I expected(still not cheap though), and my scout saw Ingram's ratings drop, so....

[Pyser]

Rams Complete Trade

Well, we completed our first trade of the off-season. S Dexter Jackson, as expected, has been traded.

He is now a Viking. In return, we got the 4th pick of the 3rd round. As many as three teams were in the bidding, offering to plug holes for us on special teams and the offensive line. However, despite a reportedly weak draft, we decided to go with the draft pick.

We expect Shane Walton to step in and start at FS.

[Pyser]

Originally Posted by jeff061

Heh, at least I'm changing my mind on trading Brady, that's where I expected the ripping to come most.

He's asking for less than I expected(still not cheap though), and my scout saw Ingram's ratings drop, so....

Well, you heard it here first. The Colts had considered trading all-star QB Tom Brady this off-season, but now appears he will stick.

What many may not realize is Marc Bulger nearly became a Colt in 2004. The deal would have included WR Isaac Bruce, and brought QB Peyton Manning in return. However, Manning ended up being shipped to the Saints instead, and in a seperate trade, Indy landed Brady. Bulger, of course, led the Rams to two straight super bowls by staying with us.

But we now know how much Indy loves their backup QB Ingram. A Brady trade would have been a shocker, indeed.

Bold prediction here (but obvious): Look for Indy to let one of their DE's walk, and make a strong pitch for uber-affordable Detroit f/a DE Mitchell Sanders.

[Pyser]

Originally Posted by Pyser

Bold prediction here (but obvious): Look for Indy to let one of their DE's walk, and make a strong pitch for uber-affordable Detroit f/a DE Mitchell Sanders.

Shows what I know. Indy didn't even bid on this player, who looks headed for either Denver or Arizona.

In week 1 free agent news, the biggest concern to us Rams is Arizona's big bid for 5th year QB Tucker. Tucker would be a big upgrade, and a solid QB for a long time for our division rivals. We are holding out hope that someone outbids them, but few teams can match zona's cap space and promise of starting from day 1.

Some players did sign, though. Let's take a look:

Jason Hanson resigns with DET.
Mike Compton resigns with NE.
Adam Timmerman signs with NE.
Joe Horn signs with NE. 
Greg Spires signs with NO.
Orlando Ruff signs with NYG.
Mike Anderson signs with NYG.
Fred Robbins signs with ARI.
Brandon Short signs with DET.
Aaron Elling signs with IND.
Bryan Johnson (FB) signs with HOU.
Alan Harper (DT) signs with CLE.
Tank Williams resigns with CAR.
Antonio Garay signs with OAK.
Ricky Manning signs with PIT.
Donnie Nickey signs with MIA. 
Eugene Henry (G) resigns with ARI.
Peter Jarvis (FB) resigns with OAK.
Daniel Tatum (FB) signs with OAK. 
Joey White (WR) resigns with TB.
Benjamin Cribbs (G) signs with NOS.
Dusty Keith signs with SD.
Frank Galloway (S) signs with HOU.

Nothing too big. I really like the Giants signing of MLB Ruff. Fills the whole left by Barrow's retirement. They may have found a replacement in the draft, but this was an excellent insurance move.

The Pats have kissed former franchise guard Andruzzi goodbye. They signed Adam Timmerman (a former Ram). Solid signing, but Timmerman is in his 14th year. However, no one in this league retires, so its a solid move. Not crazy about all their 1 year deals - they end up overpaying for the same players every year...but at least they get their men.

Very nice cheap signing of DE Spires by N.O. However, they have a big bid in for DE Abraham, as well as a couple other DE's. So something will have to give, there.

And Pitt signed a CB. Early mock drafts had them taking a CB with the 2nd pick. Will this affect their draft?

As for us, we only bid on 2 players - P Jett, and CB Vance. We obviously like both, as punter has been a black hole for us, and our CB's are ancient. Only time will tell if they like us, though.

And a quick note on the draft - while I initially dubbed the draft "awful", I officially rescind that statement. We anticipate getting excellent value with our picks. Picks 1-5 or so wont get the value they were expecting, but we feel the draft will see some extremely solid players come out of it. What makes it look bad is the lack up outstanding talent at the very top.

[jeff061]

I had another DE in mind I liked. Spires, NO offered 500k more though and got him.

[Northwood_DK]

Cool.

Glad to see your dynasty back. This is of cause a must-read for a 49ers GM with a 2-9 record against the eNFL Rams. I thought for a long time to bring my old 49ers dynasty back, but with 3 sims a week I rather stay with my weekly power rankings and my SFOFMPHoF.

We have the #9 pick in the draft and was also looking for a RB. Now we will have to look in another direction. We have not had much success in the draft before but hope to turn that trend around this season.

[Pyser]

Thanks for checking in, fellow eNFL-ers. makes it easier to do, knowing you guys are following. lets get on with the show.


Free Agency Week 2

Well, now we are getting somewhere! HUGE transactions this week. Lets take a look:

Renegotiations:
ATL renegotiates Vick - 6 years, $59mil
PHI had McNabb turn down a 6 year, $115m contract!
SD renegotiates Brees - 4 year, $25mil

Free Agents:
NO signs S Lynch - 2 year, $10m
NYJ sign DT Young - 2 year, $7m
DEN signs WR Harrison - 2 year, $8m
IND signs DE Ellis - 3 year, $13m
SEA signs S Schulters - 4 year, $21m
NO signs DE Abraham - 3 year, $45m
NO signs DE Freeney - 4 year, $53m
GB signs WR Bryant - 1 year, $3m
TB signs G Holland - 5 year, $20m
IND signs DE Sanders - 2 year, $8m

Trades:
Minnesota gets 2008 3rd round pick.
Seattle gets T Willie Roaf and a 2009 6th round pick conditional on Roaf's retirement after one season.

Cleveland gets WR Randy Moss and 2008 4th round pick.
Minnesota gets LB Chaun Thompson, 2008 7th round pick, and 2009 1st round pick.

Cincinnati gets RB Onterrio Smith.
Minnesota gets 2008 1st round pick and 2009 first round pick.

Minnesota gets 2009 1st round pick.
New Orleans gets T Backus, WR Bruce, and 2009 4th round pick.

Going down the list:

QB's are the single most important thing in the game. ATL and PHI have 2 of the best, and they are looking to be paid that way. ATL has committed a ton of signing bonuses to Vick, so they have to hope he stays healthy. McNabb looks well on his way to crippling the Eagles cap situation, but who else could they play there? And great signing by SD, nabbing Brees cheap after a career year.

As far as free agency, I wonder if NO meant to sign both DE's. Coupled with a DE signing in week 1 of free agency, I have to assume this is a mistake. They are in a world of cap trouble next year. They have already committed about $100m to next years cap (once you figure in rookies and such), and dont have their franchise QB or LT signed beyond this season. Ouch! But what a defensive upgrade this week. They should be trouble this year.

On the flip side, the Colts added 2 replacement DE's, for quite cheap, comparitively speaking. As predicted here, Mitchell Sanders will line up at defensive end in Indy this year. Don't expect anywhere near the production from DE they are accustomed to this season, but the dropoff wont be horrible. Ellis is a nice player, though aging.

I don't understand the Jets signing of DT Young. They already have 3 solid DT's. Money poorly spent there.

Love the signing of Harrison in Denver. He will help Bullock out a lot, and pairs up nicely with Peoples at WR. Take Denver's name off the "needs a WR in the draft" list.

GB helped replace franchise WR Driver, who has been traded (details coming next week). Bryant is fine, but only signed for 1 year. I'd think GB would look to a WR in the draft this season.

TB nabbed a fine guard in Holland. Maybe this is insurance in case their own G, Lemmery, is released in a rules violation penalty (his contract doubles from the 2nd season to 3rd, an eNFL no-no)? Regardless, solid guard, though he's being paid like a tackle.

And Seattle added an expensive safety. Schulters is solid, but aging. He replaces Lynch, who is even older, though. Bit too much money in my book, but he should thrive in the northwest.

And then Minnesota gutted their team. Trades are my favorite thing to analyze, so excuse me if i get carried away:

Minnesota gets 2008 3rd round pick.
Seattle gets T Willie Roaf and a 2009 6th round pick conditional on Roaf's retirement after one season.

Essentially a rent-a-player deal. I don't get the 6th rounder. I guess Seattle gets a 6th if Roaf quits after this season? A 3rd seems right. Minnesota doesn't need him, really, and will need the picks to re-tool the team. Coupled with a trade of another T this week, you'd have to think Minn will look towards the draft to rebuild the o-line.

Cleveland gets WR Randy Moss and 2008 4th round pick.
Minnesota gets LB Chaun Thompson, 2008 7th round pick, and 2009 1st round pick.

One of the best AFC teams gets even better, though it cost them a lot. Thompson is a very solid LB, who got caught in a logjam. He should do very well in Minn, where either he or SLB Rogers will slide inside to MLB. Cleveland gets a top WR at a very cheap price for 5 more years. No downside there. Look for the first rounder to be a late 1st. Overall, a win for both teams. If Minn wasn't in full-blown rebuilding mode, I wouldn't like the deal. But coupled with other trades, what good would Moss have done on their roster?

Cincinnati gets RB Onterrio Smith.
Minnesota gets 2008 1st round pick and 2009 first round pick.

I rate this as a huge win for Minn. Smith thrived in a system built for him, and his numbers benefited from a lack of a passing game, since Culpepper was out all year. Now he wants a 5 year, $65m deal, according to my sources. It'd be a wash if Smith was a year or 2 younger, and $40m cheaper.

Minnesota gets 2009 1st round pick.
New Orleans gets T Backus, WR Bruce, and 2009 4th round pick.

What a week for NO. They land a great run blocking RT here, who is signed at a decent deal for 3 more years. And if Bruce doesn't retire, they have an amazing set of WRs. Plus, what do they need a first rounder next year for? They can't afford it, anyway.

And just like that, Minnesota has 2 first round picks this year, and 4 next year. But they are down a RB, 2 WR's, and 2 solid T's. Don't look for them to move the ball much this year.


Rams News

We are now locked in a bidding war with Detroit and Seattle for punter Jett. The money is getting a bit high, but we've got to address our terrible special teams situation. We wont quit on this player.

However, we will probably quit on CB Vance. We like him a lot, but refuse to cross the "10%" threshold. Once the contract offer hits about $12m, the bonus jumps from an arbitrary number to about $3m. We are not willing to do that, and will almost certainly see Vance walk away. Which leaves us with some unexpected money to play with. Too bad we dont love anyone else in free agency. But it does mean we may be able to afford RB's we previously thought we couldnt. Only time will tell.

[-Mojo Jojo-]

Nice to know this dynasty is here.

Originally Posted by Pyser

Cincinnati gets RB Onterrio Smith.
Minnesota gets 2008 1st round pick and 2009 first round pick.

I rate this as a huge win for Minn. Smith thrived in a system built for him, and his numbers benefited from a lack of a passing game, since Culpepper was out all year. Now he wants a 5 year, $65m deal, according to my sources. It'd be a wash if Smith was a year or 2 younger, and $40m cheaper.

I'm counting on the fact the RB's frequently reduce their salary demands (sometimes dramatically) as they get older. If I tag him in '10 I have two years to wait and see. Also I was impressed with his performance particularly because Culpepper was hurt and teams didn't have to respect the passing game, and he still ran for 4.5 per carry. His career ypc average was the primary feature that sold me on him...

[Pyser]

St. Louis Signings

The St. Louis Rams are pleased to announce they have come to terms with 3 unrestricted free agents. The newest Rams are punter John Jett, CB Harvey Foster, and safety Harvey Bradley.

Jett signed a 1 year deal worth $2.57m, but GM Pyser thinks he's worth every penny. "Our punting has been attrocious, even since Landeta retired. I couldn't watch another game where we were pinned inside our own 20, and hit a 30 yard punt or shorter. John Jett brings a huge leg, and invaluable experience." Look for last year punter, Geoff Green, to be released before the season starts.

The Rams also brought in former Philly CB Foster. Foster missed most of last season with a knee injury, and will probably never play up to his former level. But Pyser was happy to bring Foster aboard. "Foster excelled in Philly, and players don't forget how to play. That said, we aren't asking him to start. We think he will add tremendous experience to our secondary, and even better, hes only in his 5th year. Youth was absolutely key in this signing. Besides, we didn't give him a signing bonus. It's a risk-free contract."

Finally, the Rams added 6th year safety Bradley, who will back up Walton at safety.

[Pyser]

Around the League

A look at the roster moves of other eNFL GM's:

Renegotiations:

N.O. T Colin Rogers turned down a 3 year, $22m deal.
PHI signed WR Andre Johnson to a 6 year, $70m deal.
CLE CB Courtney Francis turned down a 6 year, $39m deal.


Free Agent Signings:

NE signed K Olindo Mare to a 3 year, $9.75m deal.
NYG signed G Joe Andruzzi to a 3 year, $23.5m deal.
DEN signed DE Tyrone Rogers to a 3 year, $8m deal.
TEN resigns CB Deltha O'Neal to a 3 year, $3.7m deal.
MIN signs S Colin Branch to a 5 year, $25m deal.
MIA signs CB Irv Petigout to a 4 year, $6.5m deal.
NYJ signs WR Mushin Muhammed to a 2 year, $10m deal.
SD signs K Mike Vanderjagt to a 3 year, $11m deal.
CHI signs CB Jerry Azumah to a 3 year, $5m deal.
MIN signs CB Nnamdi Asimugha to a 3 year, $11m deal.
ARI signs QB Glen Tucker to a 4 year, $31m deal.
KC signs WR Antonio Freeman to a 2 year, $5.2m deal.
SF signs MLB Larry Foote to a 2 year, $6.6m deal.
KC signs RB Sultan McCullough to a 3 year, $7.6m deal.
TB signs T Tony Pashos to a 4 year, $18.5m deal.
MIA signs G Dave Diehl to a 3 year, $10m deal.
DEN signs S Tony Dixon to a 3 year, $8m deal.
KC signs K John Kasay to a 2 year, $4m deal.
KC signs DT Ellis Johnson to a 2 year, $5.2m deal.

Trades

Detroit gets WR Donald Driver and 2009 2nd round pick.
Green Bay gets FB Van Hancock, CB Shawn Springs, and 2009 1st round pick.

New England gets MLB Robert Thomas.
New Orleans gets 2009 5th round pick, 2010 3rd round pick, and 2010 5th round pick. 

OK. From the top.

N.O. is doing the smart thing in opening negotiations with their stud LT. Signing him also frees up the franchise tag for Carr, assuming they don't sign him longterm. Still cap hell next year, but better than letting a tackle like that walk scott free. Of course, they still need to get him to agree to a deal.

GM EaglesFan27 explains his huge money signing of WR Johnson, saying, "Andre has become a premier wide receiver, and I believe our core of WR's with Donovan throwing to them were key to our success last year. Since Andre was so young, we threw the big bucks at him. I feel that he and Jacobs along with a good third receiver will continue to lead to success. I am now assured that we will keep this trio together for at least the next 5 years."

What he fails to mention is how badly an injury can cripple his cap. Andre signed a deal with a $20m signing bonus! Taylor Jacobs renegotiated his deal, with a $15m bonus, on top of a $12m bonus last season. I don't know who the 3rd person EF speaks of in the "trio" locked up for the next 5 years, but I assume he means he will sign McNabb to a huge deal soon.

And CB Francis has turned down his 2nd offer from CLE. He is a premiere CB, and will be paid like one. No way around that.

In free agent news, we saw a number of signings that should effect the upcoming draft. Denver's signing of a safety (Dixon) and DE (Rogers) should remove their interest in adding to either position with their 2 high first rounders. Minn added a CB (Asimugha) and S (Branch), on top of their trade for S Jackson. I wouldn't expect them to look for secondary help at the top of the draft. Tenn resigned a CB (O'Neal), but I don't think that should stop them from looking at help there in the draft. And the Giants added a guard, for too much money in my book, and that should turn their attention away from the 2 top guards in the draft, should one fall to them.

Also, SF may not be looking MLB anymore, since they added MLB Foote in a 2 year deal. However, I don't like the signing bonus - over $4m!

The kickers carosel is in full effect. The Chiefs lost the excellent Mare to NE, who in turn watched their old kicker, Kasay, go to the Chiefs. The Giants stole Stover from Baltimore, who as always, have done absolutely nothing in free agency. And Indy and SD swapped kickers. Vanderjagt is a Charger, Elling a Colt.

TB added a true road-grader RT in Pashos (another loss Balt has done nothing to prevent. They didn't even bid!) But TB already had a good RT in Roehl, so unless someone is moving inside to guard, I don't get it.

And speaking of not getting it, the Jets continue to add veterans I don't think they need. This time it's WR Muhammed, who will battle with Bannister, Chrebet, and Moss for playing time.

Arizona locked up their QB of the future in Glen Tucker. Other GM's publicly announced their disdain for Tucker, saying his poor results last season scared them off. Which makes life easier for the Cards. They got a great 5th year QB, and didn't even have to get into a bidding war to land him.

And after publicly complaining about a free agent dry spell, the Chiefs went on a bonanza, adding 6 players, many of whom I like. DT Ellis in particular was a good signing. He will anchor the Chiefs line, and weaken Atl's all at the same time. A nice bonus for us NFC-ers. Out of desperation, the Chiefs added over the hill WR Freeman, but someone has to start there. Look for KC to go WR in the first round.

And now the trades.

Detroit gets WR Donald Driver and 2009 2nd round pick.
Green Bay gets FB Van Hancock, CB Shawn Springs, and 2009 1st round pick.

Interesting intra-division trade. GB replaces their retired FB, while upgrading their secondary, and moving up a round in next years draft. Meanwhile, Detroit adds the best WR, numberswise, in eNFL history, and adds an extra 2nd rounder. I'll give the win to Detroit here. They only dropped 1 round, picked up the stud player, have already signed a replacement for FB Hancock, and give up an aging CB who didn't even start half the year in Detroit last year.

New England gets MLB Robert Thomas.
New Orleans gets 2009 5th round pick, 2010 3rd round pick, and 2010 5th round pick.

And former Ram MLB Robert Thomas (the matchbox20 singer?) is on the move. N.O. cuts some salary, and picks up some 2010 draft picks, when they expect to be able to afford some rookies again. The 3rd is nice. Overall, the picks are equal to a very late first, maybe high 2nd round pick, which is excellent value for the MLB.

Phew! What a week in the eNFL. Here comes the draft! Yes!

[Eaglesfan27]

I've been silently following along

As far as the trio, I mean McNabb. As I've said before, he will remain an Eagle for life, even if I have to franchise his butt every year

Great dynasty. I'm enjoying reading it. I definitely realize the risk of an injury crippling us. I'm counting of these receiver's youth in giving them the huge signing bonus. They are both in their prime, and should have a few years until they become injury prone *crosses fingers.*

[sabotai]

"And the Giants added a guard, for too much money in my book,"

I BADLY needed a run blocking linemen up the middle. Giles is a great pass blocker, but his run blocking is only in the 50's. I probably overpaid for him, but I have plenty of cap room to afford it and even to cover it should he does suddenly retire on me.

[Kozure]

There is a possiblity that I take a corner still, but I doubt it. Right now, I have corner at No. 4 on my preference list I have at home. I doubt the three players in front of him will all get taken.

Great dynasty. Might have to start one myself from one of my leagues, probably RNLF.

[Wasabiak]

Just seeing this for the first time. Great job Py. It's so fun to read stuff like this. I have it bookmarked.

[Coop]

Good stuff. I wish I could do this but i'm lazy and need to be motivated.

[Pyser]

First Round Review

1 Tennessee Titans - RDT - Sammie Alston - Not a huge fan of this pick. But given the lack of talent they had to choose from, they could've done worse. I rate their secondary as a bigger need than their d-line.

2 Pittsburgh Steelers - MLB - Dean Brumley - Solid pick here. In a very good MLB draft, Dean was the best available. Pitt has traditionally run a 3-4, and this gives them an excellent inside tandem of Brumley and Farrior. I honestly thought they would go CB here, though, since Greenberg fell.

3 - Denver Broncos - SS - Darnell Lindsay - Tough spot for Denver to pick in. Their rapidly rebuilding team is actually strongest in the secondary. They already had 4 excellent players, but 3 of them were CB's. They wanted Brumley, and "settled" for a 4th star in the secondary.

4 - Minnesota Vikings - LT Brad Mabry - Despite trading away most of their offense, the Vikings line is in great shape. This pick gives them a very solid T, G and C, all of whom are very young. Once a RB arrives, this team will rise quickly.

5 - Denver Broncos - LG Kevin Goodge - Surprise pick here. I thought they'd grab the next best ILB, but they worked out a trade instead. I thought they were out of the guard market after signing Perry, but Goodge was too good to pass up. It's a bit of a toss-up, though, if he was even the best guard in the draft.

6 - Chicago Bears - RCB Shaun Greenberg - Well, we tried furiously to move up and grab this CB, but the Bears would wisely have none of it. I was surprised to see Greenberg fall this far. Solid pick for Chicago - it fills a need with what just happened to be the top player available.

7 - San Francisco 49ers - QB Pete Hines - We caught a break here. Since Dallas let their QB Tucker walk away for free, anyone who wanted Hines in the draft knew they had to deal with me. Otherwise Hines was gone at 8. SF wanted the QB, and threw us a 2nd rounder next season to move down 2 spots. Perfect deal for us since we had our eye on the top center, and were fairly sure Dallas wouldn't take him. But Hines has questions. He may not ever be an elite QB. I'm not sold on him. And he won't get any playing time in the next 2 seasons most likely, since Garcia starts in SF. Questionable pick here - we saw Buffalo get burned on a pick just like this for Bledsoe's heir who never was called to the throne.

8 - Dallas Cowboys - LDE Preston Dillon - Rudderless Dallas picks up an instant starter on their d-line, replacing DE Ellis, who left as a free agent. Solid pick, good value.

9 - St. Louis Rams - C Leonard Duncan - The top rated player in the draft. Center wasn't a huge need for us, but we couldn't let a player rated so highly get by us. May not start this year, since Beurhig is quite good, despite how his ratings look. We planned to start him at LG this year, but that changed shortly.

10 - Miami Dolphins - LT Renaldo Cochrane - Miami got stuck here. I think they wanted a WR with this pick, but there was no-one rated high enough for a top-10 selection. So they went with a LT, which is an uber-important position, and one where they could use an upgrade. Solid pick, will be interesting to see who has a better career, him or Mabry, since Cochrane had the better stats.

11 - Kansas City Chiefs - FL Bart Meier - Probably not as good as the #11 pick, but no team was more desperate for a WR than KC. Immediately after taking Bart, though, they started shopping him. Immediate buyers regret. But Meier is still a Chief, so it looks like he'll stick around. Which is good for KC, they are devoid of talent there.

12 - St. Louis Rams - LG Will Beatty - We shopped this pick pretty hard, both before and after we drafted him. But in the end, he was the last "top" player available in this shallow talent pool. We had a couple chances to slide down a few spots, but there was no one to settle on at 15-20 that we didn't like as much as Beatty. So the interior of our line should be set for 5-10 years, which is nice. I had hoped for secondary help here, but had a backup plan, just in case.

13 - Oakland Raiders - WIL Rickey Swift - Oakland sent backup RB Gephart to the Giants for this pick. Great great trade for the Giants. They needed a RB very badly, and couldnt get anyone anywhere near Gephart's value at 13. Interesting pick for Oak, though. Maybe they are going 3-4, since they are thin at tackle? They already had a star at MLB in Napoleon Harris. Maybe Harris is asking for the moon in renegotiations, and Oak grabbed a cheaper replacement?

14 - Baltimore Ravens - RT Randy Matheny - The Ravens didn't feel like picking the 14th pick of the draft until the 2nd round started, so considering who they got, it's not terrible. Matheny is only the 3rd tackle on the roster, and has a good chance of starting soon at RT. Good value for the 35th pick. Not so hot for the 14th pick.

15 - New Jersey Jets - LG Glen Coleman - The Jets fell asleep at the wheel, and when they woke up, they grabbed the 25th player in the draft at 15. Guard was certainly a need, but they couldve grabbed a player of about the same talent in the 2nd. Had they picked at 15, they couldve taken the TE, or CB Flowers.

16 - Buffalo Bills - WIL Andy Tibbs - The Bills take the third ILB of the round. He essentially replaces Crowell, who was traded to Denver earlier in the day. Not a bad deal, save some money, and still pick at 21.

17 - Minnesota Vikings - SIL Jessie Horn - Great pick for Minn here. They had no MLB to speak of, really, and got a big upgrade here. I'm sure they'd have like to go offense, especially at a skill position, but there was just no one available.

18 - San Diego Chargers - RB Stan Brink - Not a huge fan of this pick. I understand the reasoning, since Tomlinson was out all last year. But SD needs defensive help in the worst way, since the offense puts up so many points. CB Flowers would've looked good here, as SD lost CB Jammer to an injury. Brink wont be a starter until Tomlinson retires or gets traded, and at the price he plays for, it doesn't look like he's getting traded till 2011.

19 - Minnesota Vikings - LCB Vince Flowers - A fine CB, but a player I personally am not sold on. Greenberg was clearly superior, pretty big drop-off to me. But Minn needs a lot of help, and they traded up here to grab a third 1st-round pick this year. Not a player I like, but a very good pick. Minnesota had a nice round.

20 - New England Patriots - RB William Stiggers - The Pats pick another RB high, for the second year in a row. A reach pick here, but it's also a need pick. They addressed a lot of needs in f/a, and addressed many positions where they had no need, too. An offensive tackle may have been a better pick here.

21 - Buffalo Bills - RT Kyle Nall - As usual, Buffalo addresses the offensive line with a top pick. They are still stinging from their busted guard a year ago. The Bills need a guard badly, perhaps Nall will move inside. Or perhaps they'll pick a guard up somewhere else, begging the question, where will Nall play? Solid Solomon Page already lines up at RT, and there are 2 young players that were drafted high last year at LT.

22 - Green Bay Packers - TE Bubba Coleman - Good TE here for GB. Not a top need, but who is left? Should start right away in GB.

23 - Detroit Lions - RDE Al Brunson - Det gets very good value here. I thought Oak was going to take Brunson here at 13, and move him inside to tackle. And since Detroit has NO-ONE at DT (only 1 on the roster), I wouldn't be surprised to see this run-stopping specialist, who weighs a lot, to move inside.

24 - St. Louis Rams - SS T.J. Norton - Our favorite player in the draft. We liked him so much, we considered him at 12. Excellent combine scores, size, and volatility. Could excel at safety, but we are really hoping to move him to CB. He is fast enough and agile enough, it's just a matter of hoping at this point. Some may argue 24 is too high, but he was the player we wanted all along in this draft. Now I just have to hope he proves me right. Our main concern was getting in front of Philly for this pick. I don't know why, but he looked liked an EaglesFan pick to me. Just out of curiosity, would anyone reading have picked him before I picked at 2(12)?

25 - Tennessee Titans - LCB Xavier Meier - The Titans trade up here in a megadeal. They get most of Seattle's draft picks this year for the 2(1) pick this year, and their first rounder next year. CB was a huge need for Tenn, sure, but a top QB in next years draft could have been a bigger need. An almost-certain top 15 pick is tough to trade away, and if any team needed the picks, its Tennessee. The trade depends on the value the Titans get with the picks this year. Meier isn't a bad start, but he's no star.

26 - New Jersey Jets - RCB Justin Alcott - The Jets go CB here. Quite a bad round for them. Had they been ready at 15, they could have had CB Flowers, and then gone G here, where there is still plenty of value. Unfortunate turn of events there.

27 - Oakland Raiders - RDE Travis Stargell - The opposite of the Jets. I thought they'd go DE/DT at 13, and LB later. But the LB's have long since dried up, whereas they still got a solid DE here. Another end who could move inside, if he's heavy enough. At 280 pounds, it might not work.

28 - Jacksonville Jaguars - LDE Riddick Shields - Not a huge need here, but the Jags do pick up Brackens eventual replacement. The best players remaining are basically lineman, where Jax is pretty well set.

29 - Houston Texans - LT Spencer Rebstock - Huge pick here for Houston. They had no-one to line up at LT this season. Rebstock will start from day one, and benefit from lining up right next to LG Davis for the next few years.

30 - Cleveland Browns - FL Bert Lucido - The Browns go and pick up one of the top WR's in the game...and then draft a WR? What's wrong with Irving Judge and Quincy Morgan as your 2nd and 3rd WRs? The Browns must really like Lucido, because they are stacked at WR. I thought they'd look tackle, since Light isn't a lock to return healthy at LT.

31 - Indianapolis Colts - RDT Jimmy Buckner - This pick was made superfluous by a trade for the Rams DT Damione Lewis. The Colts only had 1 DT on the roster as of this pick, and he's in his 13th year. So between Buckner, who I don't really like as a player (bars missing from perhaps the 2 most important areas for a DT) and Lewis, the Colts will lineup 3 new defensive lineman this season!

32 - Philadelphia Eagles - RG Juan Schroeder - Excellent value here from Philly. Do you expect anything else. The crown jewel of eNFL drafting picks up a solid player at a position they needed depth at. Things just unravel very nicely for Philly lately, don't they?

[Pyser]

Meet Your Newest Rams

C Leonard Duncan - 5'11, 275 - Pre draft 35/88 - First look 35/86 - Pick 1(9). Leonard was the 2nd highest player on our draft board, behind CB Greenberg. We think he could have dropped to us at 1(12), but weren't willing to take the risk, after already moving back from 1(7) to 1(9) in exchange for a 2nd next year. We were looking to play Duncan at LG this season, and let him slide over to C next year, but with the addition of a guard at 1(12), he may just sit this year. We are very happy to have landed this player. He should be a monster center, one of the very best in the league.

G Will Beatty - 6'4, 215 - Pre draft 33/72 - First look 33/75 - Pick 1(12). Another offensive lineman was just about the last thing we were looking to draft with this pick, but the safety that we had our eye on went extremely early, at pick 3. We thought long and hard about S Norton with this pick. We had him pegged as a late first rounder, but at the time had no trade worked out to move in there and grab him. We had three choices: take the top player left on our board and pray we could work out a trade, trade down to around pick 20 and take Norton a bit early, or take Norton at 12. After a lot of trade talks, we decided to keep the pick, and go with the top player on our board, G Beatty. And he rewarded us with a quick ratings boost right off the bat. LG had been a trouble spot for us since we traded Adam Timmerman for cap reasons. It's no longer a problem now. In fact, we have an embarassment of riches on the line now, with 7 potential starters for only 5 spots. A nice problem to have.

S T.J. Norton - 6'2, 209 - Pre draft 34/52 - First look 35/59! - Pick 1(24) - And the gamble paid off big time. Norton was the guy we wanted most in the whole draft. We obviously couldn't rate him first on our board, but we are happier to have landed Norton than Duncan. His outstanding combine times gave us hope he'd move to CB, but alas, he can only make the move at 89%. We are debating contacting the rules committee. We have a mentor CB there, and would almost certainly start this young phenom, even over CB Surtain. Or we could keep him at safety, where he'd also start, and certainly improve even more. He is everything we'd hoped for so far. Can't wait to see how far he climbs. To get him, we traded picks 2(12), 3(12), and T Stinchomb, who performed badly for us filling in for the injured Turley. We'd pay that again in a second, gladly.

TE Earl Fones - 6'8, 278 - Pre draft 29/48 - First look 30/55! - Pick 3(4) - Another riser! This one really almost never came to be, and was pure luck that we landed him at all. Fones was certainly our target in the third round, that much we knew. But at the time pick 3(1) rolled around, only 1 TE had been taken all draft. So we thought we could nab Fones a bit lower, and worked out a trade with a team for a couple mid round picks, which we planned to use on Fones and RB Stargell. But the deal was only a go if a certain player dropped to 3(4). Well, he didn't. And with no backup deal worked out, we suddenly found ourselves on the clock. With no trade partner around, we picked Fones a good 20 spots ahead of where we thought we could get him. Then another TE went right after Fones, and RB Stargell a mere 2 picks later. So had we traded down, we almost certainly would have lost out on both players we wanted. Extremely lucky there. Fones looks like a monster player, who will almost certainly start this season. And we have a mentor TE around to help him along even more. Sweet!

LT Edgar Kerr - 6'7, 334 - Pre draft 13/45 - First look n/a - Pick 6(12) - After a long internal debate in the draft room, we took run blocking specialist Kerr to fill in as our 4th tackle, over G Gordon and DE Skerritt. We loved Skerritt, but he was a marginal upgrade at 4th DE, whereas we had no 4th tackle. And we were already swimming in guards, knocking Gordon out of the running. Kerr is no gem, but he could be servicable if called into action, which we hope doesn't happen anytime soon.

LG Rusty Gordon - 6'6, 323 - Pre draft 21/47 - First look n/a - Pick 7(12) - We had to rub our eyes to make sure Gordon had really fallen a whole round from when we almost took him. Easy choice here. We were planning on using the pick on a throwaway RB with high volatily, but instead we land a fairly solid guard who is a run blocking beast. Another bonus for our o-line, where we will now be cutting or trading 2 solid players to make room for the 4 rookies on the line.

[Pyser]

Draft Grade and Roster Moves

Most teams come out of the draft saying it went well. But in our case, it went PHENOMENALLY well. We got our 2 biggest targets, picked up a future start LG who basically fell in our lap, and added a starting TE. All in all, we should see 3 rookies starting from this draft, and it's possible we could see 4.

The big debate at this point is whether to move Norton to CB. He would take a temporary hit, but between playing time, a mentor, and his obvious natural ability, he could wind up being the 2nd best CB to come out of the draft. What do my fellow eNFLers think, if they could be objective for a few moments?

The other big news from the draft was easy to overlook. We traded DT Damione Lewis to the Colts, along with our 2nd rounder next season, for Indy's 1st rounder next year. Lewis is a solid player, but we just couldn't get him going the past 2 years. Combined with the maturing Sanderson, mentor Eason, and underrated Richard, we felt moving Lewis was an easy decision. A late first rounder is nothing to sneeze at, and Lewis' loss shouldn't really be felt on a deep defensive line. And in a bit of irony, we also signed 2nd year DT Tracy Mays...from the Colts. Mays is a 4th tackle with a lot of room to improve. Eason, our resident mentor, should make that happen quickly.

We also added RB John Scott from Philly. This looks like a throwaway roster move, but isn't. Now that we have committed to Wes Reese as our starting RB, bringing in Scott was an easy decision, since he, too, is a mentor. We look forward to him helping Reese develop.

[jeff061]

I seem to hit the top three in draft grading every year, yet my players rarely turn into solid contributors. Probably because I plug holes more than I manipulate the draft looking to steal a gem I guess.

[Pyser]

Originally Posted by jeff061

I seem to hit the top three in draft grading every year, yet my players rarely turn into solid contributors. Probably because I plug holes more than I manipulate the draft looking to steal a gem I guess.

yeah, im pretty sure the draft grade is how you address your top needs, according to the game. not the value of the actual players you drafted.