Snakebitten: A Real-Time MP FOF thread

[QuikSand]

More free agency flotasm and jetsam:

	Baltimore Ravens	QuikSand	TE Ronald Austin	3 years, $14,700,000 (Bonus: $1.2M. Salary: $4.5M, $4.5M, $4.5M.)	35	35
	Baltimore Ravens	QuikSand	SE Marco Conway	2 years, $7,480,000 (Bonus: $20K. Salary: $3.7M, $3.7M.)	27	27
	Baltimore Ravens	QuikSand	NT Alec Fuller	2 years, $26,000,000 (Bonus: $20K. Salary: $13.0M, $13.0M.)	45	45
	Baltimore Ravens	QuikSand	WLB Brad Monroe	2 years, $12,000,000 (Bonus: $20K. Salary: $6.0M, $6.0M.)	23	23
	Baltimore Ravens	QuikSand	FL Allen Slade	2 years, $7,500,000 (Bonus: $40K. Salary: $3.7M, $3.7M.)	24	24
	Baltimore Ravens	QuikSand	LCB Eugene Slechta	2 years, $14,000,000 (Bonus: $4.2M. Salary: $4.9M, $4.9M.)	46	46
	Baltimore Ravens	QuikSand	LS Toby Tamburrino	2 years, $7,480,000 (Bonus: $20K. Salary: $3.7M, $3.7M.)

[QuikSand]

DT Fuller could get playing time right away, if he doesn't disappear in preseason. Strong bars in Run D and PR Tech, he could help patch us over up front.

[QuikSand]

Draft update... my triple 4th round:

http://gml.fof-belco.com/forum/showt...ll=1#post57311

special teams and maybe an actual linebacker

http://gml.fof-belco.com/forum/showt...ll=1#post57317

I know, I don't need a RB, but he looked maxed-out at ST to me... sigh

http://gml.fof-belco.com/forum/showt...ll=1#post57325

Another guy maxed at ST by my scout, less so here...



Theme is obvious. These guys all get free affinity for a year. Let's see what we get.

[QuikSand]

Baltimore Ravens

QuikSand

SS Cole Austin

1 year, $6,000,000 (Bonus: $0K. Salary: $6.0M.)

48

48

Baltimore Ravens

QuikSand

LT Joey Dotson

2 years, $9,350,000 (Bonus: $20K. Salary: $4.4M, $4.9M.)

17

17

Baltimore Ravens

QuikSand

NT Pete Neill

1 year, $6,000,000 (Bonus: $0K. Salary: $6.0M.)

36

36

Baltimore Ravens

QuikSand

RG Brady Stuart

2 years, $7,080,000 (Bonus: $20K. Salary: $3.3M, $3.7M.)

30

32

Baltimore Ravens

QuikSand

WLB Floyd Sumner

4 years, $22,280,000 (Bonus: $6.0M. Salary: $3.7M, $3.7M, $4.4M, $4.4M.)

45

45

Baltimore Ravens

QuikSand

TE Devan Terrell

3 years, $14,250,000 (Bonus: $750K. Salary: $4.5M, $4.5M, $4.5M.)

33

40




Nothing too interesting here. TE Terrell is my sort of special-teams-only TE3. Rest are re-signings and/or marginalia.

[QuikSand]

Okay, rookie sneak peeks... at our first legit rookie class in several seasons.

1st DE Juan Helming - looks about right, solid run stopper, should develop into decent all-around front guy, a traditional 3-4 DE... boring but useful

2nd T Miguel McDonnell - the potential of those top two bars at 92,100 is enticing, but the current ratings say it'll be quite some time until anything like that happens... so, about as expected, a decent 2nd round dart

4th LB Dalton Ackerman is a low-dev all-around LB but pegs in at 78/100 ST...RB Guy Rose looks like a one-trick pony with a bit breakaway bar and nothing else, including special teams so busto... DE Bryan Caraba might be a one-bar guy as well (Run D) but we'll wait to see if the scout's "very underrated" turns him into a useful guy.

6th WR Billy Bayer, another scout pick, looks close to useless but we'll give him a shot in preseason... and 7th rounder Kent Craig actually looks like he might have some rotation-caliber potential, wow.

Not a bad draft, all told.

[QuikSand]

So, headcount:

65 players on contracts now, roster is legal
01 LB Layman still out there and seems easy to re-sign...
39 undrafted rookies I will want to sign just to kick the tires...

I need to stifle myself here.

[QuikSand]

A few notes on position battles ahead:

RB/FB/TE we basically have the 7 guys aboard who all but have heir tickets punched:

RB1 Liverwurst, RB2 Roberts (leader), 3dRB Podolyak
FB Lusignan ST 100, Pers 86, 12th yr on team
TE1 Weydahl, TE2 Austin, TE3/ST Terrell

...so why do I have another veteran RB Breedlove and a rookie RB also? No good answer. Likely cuts, both.


At OL, we have six roles basically sewn up for the final 53, barring a shocking dropoff:

LT Shepherd - LG Foreman - C Cebelak - RG Darby - RT Tompkins

OL 6 is our 2nd round T O'Donnell, unless he's catastrophic in camp.
And after that... a chem guy, a development guy, or both? T Bullock has 96 personality, but would need help to get starts this year. G Stuart is 77 personality but already started a full season with Philly, so he's activated. And T Hardy is a tricky case - a 59Ldr/99Pers guy in the 2-3 group where all my leaders are slotted now, he'd be nice to activate for future purposes, but can we afford to do that this year? Most likely winner here is G Stuart, plug and play.


I'm now too deep along the defensive line, after feeling thin coming into free agency. Sure things to make the 53 man are:

DE Mealey, pass rush specialist and big pers
DE Anthony, faded a bit but still decent and great ST
DE Helming, first round pick
NT Stevens, big bonus signing this offseason

...I will probably end up with 2-3 more guys around them, but will have to make some calls w.r.t. cohesion, youth, and talent. That will likely be tough.


Same story along the LB group, a few locked in:

ILB Tanner, high quality and leader
ILB Peterson, just re-upped to plug in long term
ILB Roybal, developing nicely into run stopper
OLB Randolph, quality guy fading a bit
OLB Ackerman, rookie with big ST potential
OLB Sumner, 6gth year guy just re-upped (meh)
OLB Schultz, $13m/yr signing, good starter

...so we may not carry anyone else active here. Brotzman and Wilkerson might stick just for chem benchers. Someone has to be inactive.

[QuikSand]

As for "not a bad draft," I should add that the BELCo robot ranks our draft #28 out of 32. So, that's nice.

http://gml.fof-belco.com/forum/showt...ll=1#post57427

[QuikSand]

Originally Posted by QuikSand

Anyway, here are the moves we DID make, with annotations:

...

RB Edwin Bush

Late FA Stage 1

turned down a contract offer: 1yrs, $2,900,000.

-dang, tried a pile of 1yr money to entice him, looked promising

So, we got another bite at the apple here, as RB Bush was left to fall into late free agency, after a solid but not brilliant rookie campaign.

So, drum roll please... today is the unwrap to see if my fairly fat 1yr offer landed him...

We got him

Okay, why pay $7m+ for a one year deal with a guy like this? If you are asking that, you're new to this thread, so welcome aboard.

Anyway...

-93 personality in the 6/7 group CHECK
-90 special teams skill at a group where we sorta need it CHECK
-85 hole recognition to tote the rock CHECK

We're happy.

...and just in case I really was seeking reaffirmation here...not only did I nail it with the dollars, but we just barely beat out some sharp front offices who wanted him, too:

2116		Late FA Stage 1	signed as an unrestricted free agent from Seattle: 1yrs, $7,300,000.
2116		Late FA Stage 1	turned down a contract offer: 1yrs, $6,370,000.
2116		Late FA Stage 1	turned down a contract offer: 1yrs, $8,100,000.
2116		Late FA Stage 1	turned down a contract offer: 3yrs, $20,880,000.
2116		Late FA Stage 1	turned down a contract offer: 3yrs, $17,880,000.

[QuikSand]

There's other news in free agency, and I have a few things to say here, too:

	Baltimore Ravens	QuikSand	RB Edwin Bush	1 year, $7,300,000 (Bonus: $4.8M. Salary: $2.6M.)	47	48
	Baltimore Ravens	QuikSand	RT Logan Knightley	1 year, $7,000,000 (Bonus: $0K. Salary: $7.0M.)	45	50
	Baltimore Ravens	QuikSand	RB Josiah Lundy	2 years, $5,120,000 (Bonus: $20K. Salary: $2.6M, $2.6M.)
	Baltimore Ravens	QuikSand	RCB Shawn Vaughn	1 year, $4,000,000 (Bonus: $0K. Salary: $4.0M.)
	Baltimore Ravens	QuikSand	FL B.J. Woods	2 years, $5,120,000 (Bonus: $20K. Salary: $2.6M, $2.6M.)

Well, T Knightley might prove interesting - a 3rd year guy with one skill, run blocking. If he sticks for this season, perhaps we slide him over to play C and plug him in to start next season there? I don't think a 95/25 profile can cut it at tackle, but at center... perhaps. He's 296lbs, too, and can't bulk up, all the more reason to think a move is in order.


RB Lundy is 55/72 in punt returning... but hard to see us ditching our (now) cheap veteran WR Mathews (46 rating) for a dude who hasn't even handled the playbook.


Now, more tricky on that front is DB Shawn Vaughn. He's 72/90 in PR, and 86/98 in ST (plus a big interceptions rating). Wow, hod did a cat like that go undrafted? Well, he's got apparent voids in two coverage skills (zone and bump) and very low in man. And for us... he's a 9-personality potential conflict with my DB leader. Is there any way we'd keep a potential chemistry negative around? Hard to say... but he got here on a contract designed to do so, so he'll get a real look, and those bars are way better than I would have guessed.



Finally, WR BJ Woods is pretty well developed (despite a 29%), he's got a little PR skill too (that's how he showed up on my target list) ... but a 15 personality might be his undoing with us. If you've got low RR, you simply must have value elsewhere.

[QuikSand]

So, allow me to speculate on our RB/FB group down the road a bit...

RB Liverwurst is a 4-5 guy with 93/72... if he stays, he'll become a so-so leader
RB Roberts is a 5th year 2-3 guy with 76/80... so he's in the mix a while
RB Bush is a 6-7 guy with 32/93, a born follower who would click with either guy
RB Podolyak (4-5, 72/20)...hard to see him claiming a stake long term, sorry Chas
FB of the future is not on the team currently, that's a wild card
QB of the future is also not on the roster, most likely

My best bet is that we end up with Liverwurst/Bush as the 1/2 punch, and grab a fullback soon to step in and play with them as an affinity fit. Could happen as soon as next year, I'd think.

[QuikSand]

Heading into training camp:

Front Office Football Eight
Baltimore Ravens Roster, Scout Overview
   
  Player                #   Pos   Start Exp  Current Estimate Future Estimate  Cntrct 
Farrell, Teddy          102 QB          14   42               42               1 yr.  
Bryant, Richie          109 QB          9    28               28               3 yrs. 
Bush, Edwin             230 RB          2    52               52               1 yr.  
Roberts, Jaylen         247 RB          5    50               50               2 yrs. 
Schweigert, Bernie      222 RB          2    43               47               3 yrs. 
Podolyak, Glenn         234 RB          5    42               42               3 yrs. 
Breedlove, Eugene       240 RB          6    37               37               3 yrs. 
Rose, Gus               243 RB          1    21               33               4 yrs. 
Lundy, Josiah           233 RB          1    16               22               2 yrs. 
Lusignan, Jackson       338 FB          12   6                6                2 yrs. 
Weydahl, Arturo         480 TE          11   43               43               2 yrs. 
Terrell, Devan          482 TE          5    36               36               3 yrs. 
Austin, Ronald          484 TE          6    35               35               3 yrs. 
Franz, Brad             517 FL          8    63               63               3 yrs. 
Dugas, Aiden            589 FL          3    42               47               1 yr.  
Woods, B.J.             583 FL          1    33               45               2 yrs. 
Slade, Allen            585 FL          6    25               25               2 yrs. 
Bayer, Billy            518 FL          1    18               35               4 yrs. 
Matthews, Ramon         586 FL          12   11               11               1 yr.  
Stocz, Lonnie           512 SE          3    57               57               2 yrs. 
Conway, Marco           581 SE          5    29               29               2 yrs. 
Hoover, Norman          588 SE          8    2                2                2 yrs. 
Cebelak, Moe            665 C           6    49               49               1 yr.  
Knightley, Logan        673 C           3    26               58               1 yr.  
Terrell, Conrad         666 C           10   2                5                ---    
Foreman, Donald         771 LG          9    60               60               2 yrs. 
Darby, Donnie           760 RG          9    54               54               2 yrs. 
Stuart, Brady           772 RG          4    29               36               2 yrs. 
Shepherd, Tyrus         863 LT          6    86               86               2 yrs. 
O'Donnell, Miguel       861 LT          1    19               77               4 yrs. 
Dotson, Joey            867 LT          10   16               16               2 yrs. 
Bullock, Juan           876 LT          3    13               21               2 yrs. 
Tompkins, Heath         875 RT          5    60               60               4 yrs. 
Hardy, Drake            874 RT          2    22               24               2 yrs. 
Frederick, Edwin        904 P           8    45               45               2 yrs. 
Thomas, Mario           1003K           2    68               85               3 yrs. 
Keith, Jimmie           1192LDE         5    64               64               4 yrs. 
Anthony, Ethan          1198LDE         7    50               50               3 yrs. 
Pearson, Isaac          1190LDE         6    40               40               1 yr.  
Mealey, Terrell         1191LDE         8    35               35               2 yrs. 
Helming, Juan           1194RDE         1    53               77               4 yrs. 
Banks, DeAndre          1193RDE         9    45               45               2 yrs. 
Stevens, Aaron          1299NT          9    58               58               3 yrs. 
Fuller, Alec            1296NT          12   44               44               2 yrs. 
Calhoun, Ramon          1295NT          13   37               37               1 yr.  
Neill, Pete             1297NT          9    35               35               1 yr.  
Caraba, Bryant          1279NT          1    17               54               4 yrs. 
Tanner, Jermaine        1305SILB        12   66               66               2 yrs. 
Layman, Caiden          1354SILB        13   44               44               ---    
Peterson, Edgar         1351SILB        4    32               49               3 yrs. 
Roybal, Giovanni        1350WILB        2    39               49               1 yr.  
Brotzman, Tucker        1352WILB        9    38               38               3 yrs. 
Wilkerson, Shane        1345WILB        4    24               24               1 yr.  
Craig, Kent             1353WILB        1    18               59               4 yrs. 
Randolph, Renaldo       1415SLB         10   59               59               2 yrs. 
Ackerman, Dalton        1455SLB         1    19               49               4 yrs. 
Schultz, Eddie          1446WLB         5    56               56               3 yrs. 
Sumner, Floyd           1458WLB         6    45               45               4 yrs. 
Monroe, Brad            1457WLB         5    24               24               2 yrs. 
Slechta, Eugene         1528LCB         11   47               47               2 yrs. 
Conway, Emmanuel        1529LCB         4    42               42               1 yr.  
Harvey, Alfred          1525LCB         7    36               36               2 yrs. 
Gallop, Samuel          1541LCB         4    32               32               1 yr.  
Creel, Harris           1531RCB         3    27               29               2 yrs. 
Vaughn, Shawn           1506RCB         1    20               40               1 yr.  
Wilson, Jeremiah        1649SS          7    56               56               3 yrs. 
Austin, Cole            1642SS          9    50               50               1 yr.  
Thomas, Thomas          1636SS          10   16               16               2 yrs. 
Douglas, Riley          1623FS          11   61               61               2 yrs. 
Conley, Calvin          1639FS          5    43               43               1 yr.  
Tamburrino, Toby        669 LS          6    17               17               2 yrs. 
   
$$ - player is suspended, ## - player is inactive,  
** = player is injured, %% - player is on IR.  
Front Office Football Eight
   
Players Under Contract: 69
Inactive: 0
On Active Roster: 69
   
Salary Cap: $679,500,000
Cap Room: $94,290,000
Maximum for New Player: $97,220,000
Cap Room Lost (to old contracts): $2,470,000
   
Cap Room Lost Next Year (to old contracts): $10,000
Cap Room Required Next Year: $500,350,000

Been a while since I did this full-on roster dump. Feels good.

[QuikSand]

Ok, back to the good old days. A parsed-up roster dump, with commentary by position group. These ratings are post-camp but before the pre-season reveal. and I'll note my decisions as I think through each group. Fun!

  Player                #   Pos   Start Exp  Current Estimate Future Estimate  Cntrct 
Farrell, Teddy          102 QB          14   42               42               1 yr.  
Bryant, Richie          109 QB          9    28               28               3 yrs. 
Wolf, Ivan              107 QB          5    26               34               2 yrs. 

Teddy - is this his final season? Probably? He's QB1, obviously. Farrell seems like a no-brainer patch-over high-cohesion guy for when the reins become available. Wolf is a camp arm, a run-around guy with no voids... were he younger, I'd say he's a long term QB2 but instead, he's likely fodder.

  Player                #   Pos   Start Exp  Current Estimate Future EstimateBush, Edwin             230 RB          2    53               53               1 yr.  
Roberts, Jaylen         247 RB          5    50               50               2 yrs. 
Schweigert, Bernie      222 RB          2    45               47               3 yrs. 
Podolyak, Glenn         234 RB          5    42               42               3 yrs. 
Breedlove, Eugene       240 RB          6    37               37               3 yrs. 
Rose, Gus               243 RB          1    22               31               4 yrs. 
Lundy, Josiah           233 RB          1    17               22               2 yrs. 
Lusignan, Jackson       338 FB          12   6                6                2 yrs. 

Ok, I have detailed this position a bit already, mostly thinking about chemistry. Talent? Hard to say. On paper, Liverwurst and Bush look completely up to the challenge of carrying this part of the offense. Production-wise? Meh.

Cuts: Breedlove, Rose... Lundy pending my decision with the "complicated" DB/PR guy.

  Player                #   Pos   Start Exp  Current Estimate Future EstimateWeydahl, Arturo         480 TE          11   43               43               2 yrs. 
Terrell, Devan          482 TE          5    36               36               3 yrs. 
Austin, Ronald          484 TE          6    35               35               3 yrs. 

Set for now. Weydahl has given us a nice career, with over 8K in receiving yards, but he's winding down. Austin is a solid TE2, but is about to mess up our chemistry, might have to go next season. That actually clears the way for Terrell to make a surprise move from special teamer to TE1 as soon as next season - he's got decent ratings where it counts for the duty (GD and BPR both over 60, but RR only 36)... my guess is he's more of a TE2 guy and we look to improve at the position with an early draft pick or impact FA signing (like the guy we should have nabbed this offseason, grrr)

  Player                #   Pos   Start Exp  Current Estimate Future EstimateFranz, Brad             517 FL          8    63               63               3 yrs. 
Dugas, Aiden            589 FL          3    44               47               1 yr.  
Woods, B.J.             583 FL          1    35               45               2 yrs. 
Slade, Allen            585 FL          6    25               25               2 yrs. 
Bayer, Billy            518 FL          1    20               33               4 yrs. 
Matthews, Ramon         586 FL          12   11               11               1 yr.  
Stocz, Lonnie           512 SE          3    57               57               2 yrs. 
Conway, Marco           581 SE          5    29               29               2 yrs. 
Hoover, Norman          588 SE          8    2                2                2 yrs. 

Okay, I probably want to have 5-6 active guys. Affinity add-ons don't count in that total - in a one-shot zero-injury league you have to have 7 bench guys, and the only thing that matters for me is where I place the chemistry effects... WR is a perfectly sensible place to do so.

So... Franz and Stocz are the most incongruously-named starting WR pair in the league, locked in at WR 1/2. Dugas and Slade have earned field time. Hoover is the inactive chem leader, Conway is a 97 personality bench guy. That's all set - 4 active, 6 total.

Ramon Mathews, I have written plenty about. He's faded down to basically nothing but punt return skills, and only 40-something at that, with a likely drop ahead in preseason. 89 personality and 7 years on the team, but... do we put him out there for 30 targets? No way, I don't see it. So, basically an affinity guy and PR role player. In play... but again, the mystery rookie DB is a ripple effect guy here.

My 6th round draft pick Bayer was VU by my scouting, but they're way better at pure scouting than interviews. I'm inclined to write him off, especially because...

BJ Woods, grading at 35/45, looks intriguing... like he projects to be about as good as Dugas. Low RR, but complementary stuff I like. If he had high personality, he'd become a project. As it stands, he's ahead of Bayer, but not a lock to make the 53.

Cuts: Nobody yet... Mathews pending

  Player                #   Pos   Start Exp  Current Estimate Future EstimateCebelak, Moe            665 C           6    49               49               1 yr.  
Knightley, Logan        673 C           3    31               55               1 yr.  
Foreman, Donald         771 LG          9    60               60               2 yrs. 
Darby, Donnie           760 RG          9    54               54               2 yrs. 
Stuart, Brady           772 RG          4    32               36               2 yrs. 
Shepherd, Tyrus         863 LT          6    86               86               2 yrs. 
O'Donnell, Miguel       861 LT          1    24               77               4 yrs. 
Dotson, Joey            867 LT          10   16               16               2 yrs. 
Bullock, Juan           876 LT          3    14               21               2 yrs. 
Tompkins, Heath         875 RT          5    60               60               4 yrs. 
Hardy, Drake            874 RT          2    23               24               2 yrs. 

Okay, plan here is to keep 5 legit starters, two active backups mostly for chemistry, and possibly one bench chem guy. So, herd needs thinned.

Pivot guy here is C (nee left tackle) Knightley...lost position experience in the switch to C, but he has a legit shot to play center for this team, likely next season. We grade him 43/91 in run blocking, and I want a legit road grader there, after missing out on my rookie target by one lousy Patriots pick. (That guy is rated 42/90 right now, and looks like an EPIC chemistry anchor... oh I am soooo mad I missed out on him)

Okay, so right now, the sure things are LT Shepherd, LG Foreman, RG Darby, RT Tompkins, Chem Leader and mentor T Dotson, and 2nd round rookie T O'Donnell. That's 5A/6T. Two more slots to fill - the simplest way is just to keep C Cebelak in as the starter for this season, and leave C Knightley behind him as OL7 to develop along with O'Donnell. Vanilla, solid.

T Hardy is a rare 2/3 guy with leadership potential. If we retain our chem structure for a decade, he will be a guy we probably want to pigeonhole in some place. But is this the year to carry him with no chemistry effect, just to get to that place? And for a 59 leadership guy, meaning we have to move other pieces around to accommodate him? (Like... he'd never outshine Liverwusrt, so it's either OL or TE for him as leader) Doubtful. Not enough skill to warrant seeing preseason. We cut him here, in longshot hopes he latches on with an AI team and gathers a season full of starts.

G Stuart is just so easy to keep. Already has his starts, he's got 77 personality, and would probably stick around forever and be a break-glass starter at RG if needed once he's got cohesion on his side. Not a cut yet.

Cuts: T Hardy, T Bullock

  Player                #   Pos   Start Exp  Current Estimate Future EstimateFrederick, Edwin        904 P           8    45               45               2 yrs. 
Thomas, Mario           1003K           2    75               85               3 yrs. 

What's done is done. Do I wish I had a nice puzzle piece for that 2nd round pick rather than a big bars kicker? Yes, I do. Moving on.

  Player                #   Pos   Start Exp  Current Estimate Future 
Keith, Jimmie           1192LDE         5    64               64               4 yrs. 
Anthony, Ethan          1198LDE         7    50               50               3 yrs. 
Pearson, Isaac          1190LDE         6    40               40               1 yr.  
Mealey, Terrell         1191LDE         8    35               35               2 yrs. 
Helming, Juan           1194RDE         1    59               77               4 yrs. 
Banks, DeAndre          1193RDE         9    45               45               2 yrs. 
Stevens, Aaron          1299NT          9    58               58               3 yrs. 
Fuller, Alec            1296NT          12   44               44               2 yrs. 
Calhoun, Ramon          1295NT          13   37               37               1 yr.  
Neill, Pete             1297NT          9    35               35               1 yr.  
Caraba, Bryant          1279NT          1    21               50               4 yrs. 

Okay, lots of movement here. My D really depends on pressure from the front - so who do we have? The top rated guy here is DE Keith, and he is a pure run stopper, but at 269 lbs probably shouldn't play much inside. He's on a purely cut-friendly deal, on purpose. He's a bubble guy, believe it or not.

Due to RunD (R), PRush (P), contract (K), Special Teams (S), or just crazy cohesion (C), these guys are going to make the final 53 for certain:

DE Mealey P, DE Anthony K, DE Helming RK
NT Calhoun SC, NT Stevens K, DT Neill C

Honestly, six guys is all we need, especially since rookie Helming has huge endurance, he can play all day. 4th rounder Caraba looks like a cut but maybe we'll keep him for a preseason look. Sigh.

  Player                #   Pos   Start Exp  Current Estimate Future EstimateTanner, Jermaine        1305SILB        12   66               66               2 yrs. 
Peterson, Edgar         1351SILB        4    35               49               3 yrs. 
Roybal, Giovanni        1350WILB        2    43               43               1 yr.  
Brotzman, Tucker        1352WILB        9    38               38               3 yrs. 
Wilkerson, Shane        1345WILB        4    24               24               1 yr.  
Craig, Kent             1353WILB        1    22               58               4 yrs. 
Randolph, Renaldo       1415SLB         10   59               59               2 yrs. 
Ackerman, Dalton        1455SLB         1    22               40               4 yrs. 
Schultz, Eddie          1446WLB         5    56               56               3 yrs. 
Sumner, Floyd           1458WLB         6    45               45               4 yrs. 
Monroe, Brad            1457WLB         5    24               24               2 yrs. 

Another crowd. Who makes the team? Same codes as above but with P=coverage, i = inactive:

Tanner RL, Peterson P, Brotzman i, Wilkerson i, Roybal R
Randolph RP, Sumner R, Schultz K

Ackerman has the 91/100 ST I wanted, but he's also got a toxic 100/20 mix at chemistry stuff. And he can't exactly, you know, play football. So, I think he's a safe cut, despite delivering on the one thing we wanted from him.

Craig (former DE) now looks like a low-development but intriguing all-around prospect. Do we have room for that on this team?

Monroe has decent overall ratings and 72 ST... but near voids in RunD and Zone, the two things we tend to value most of all. Hard to see him making it. Cut.

So, we sit at 6 guys sure to make the roster, two of whom could be active depth or bench affinities.

Cut: LB Monroe

  Player                #   Pos   Start Exp  Current Estimate Future EstimateSlechta, Eugene         1528LCB         11   47               47               2 yrs. 
Conway, Emmanuel        1529LCB         4    42               42               1 yr.  
Harvey, Alfred          1525LCB         7    36               36               2 yrs. 
Gallop, Samuel          1541LCB         4    32               32               1 yr.  
Creel, Harris           1531RCB         3    29               29               2 yrs. 
Vaughn, Shawn           1506RCB         1    23               32               1 yr.  
Wilson, Jeremiah        1649SS          7    56               56               3 yrs. 
Austin, Cole            1642SS          9    50               50               1 yr.  
Thomas, Thomas          1636SS          10   16               16               2 yrs. 
Douglas, Riley          1623FS          11   61               61               2 yrs. 
Conley, Calvin          1639FS          5    43               43               1 yr.  

Okay, probably the trickiest group. Who's in for sure?

CB1/2 ought to be Slechta, Conway, and some S Conley I think (weak)
N/D CB should be Gallop, safeties
S1/2 ought to be Douglas, Wilson, Austin

Borderline guys are: Creel (CB2 or nothing, I think), CB Harvey (new addition, maybe CB2?) ... not wild about playing time for either guy but here we are after two semi-busted first rounders at CB

And the biggest pivot guy on the roster right now, CB Shawn Vaughn. I know I have built this team around certain things, chemistry a foundational part of that. He's a conflict waiting to happen. But... that skill set. And my scout sees him as even better, particularly at punt returns. I am salivating about this guy, and I don't think I can get over it. I have already advance him a prestige jersey number. I think he's making this team, and seeing the field - no starts, but as a deep-rotation guy in some run situations, and then as our PR /gunner.

Okay, based on that little fever dream...

Cuts: RB Lundy, WR Matthews



And after that, a few more revisitations from the Turk:

Cuts: LB Ackerman, DT Caraba, DE Keith


60. We know there are more cuts ahead to get to 53, but this was hard, as usual.

[QuikSand]

Now officially graded as the worst draft in the league. Sigh.

http://gml.fof-belco.com/forum/showt...ll=1#post57444

Still basically happy with picks 1 and 2. BenBot says the rest is trash, probably correctly so. Well, those I didn't already cut, which is... ugh.

[QuikSand]

File sent. Rest easy, Chas, your boy made the cut this year. No promises past that, though.

After last year, I genuinely don't know whether this is an elite team, or merely a decent one getting by on smoke and mirrors. I mean, not taking anything away from smoke and mirrors, that's basically my whole angle here... just saying, talent-wise we might be too shaky to really be that good.

Worried about our pass rush more than anything, and I don't think we have the horses in coverage to overcome that weakness.

I'll split the difference and forecast we go 11-5.

[Chas in Cinti]

I hope you're right on the record... My perception has always been that the Ravens have always been most successful (assuming cohesion and personality bit) with strong lines on both sides, and a couple of difference makers on either side of the ball. The OL remains strong... It feels like the DL has taken a half-step back, and I'm worried that the playmakers have grown a bit long in the tooth, or haven't developed as per usual. I'm going to be a Debbie/Downer and go with 8-8 and the end of an era, with TE Teddy finally fading to replacement-level... But... I hope you're right!

[QuikSand]

Okay, loading up the regular season.

10-6, wild card, and perfect season spoiler

Okay, 10 wins sounds about right. Solid team, but not a top tier contender. Turns out we beat 15-0 Cleveland in the regular season finale...so troubling trend for the long term there.

Lessee... what do we have here? In a bit more detail than usual...

Teddy stretched out a bit... over 7 ypa is a bit better, 20 picks a bit worse
Our 5.2 ypc was #2 in the league because REASONS (huh?)
Used Roberts more than intended, but did okay w load (Liverwurst pissed)
Our passing targets got messed up a bit (why?)... but worked out okay
WR Franz got only 105 targets, but posted 1028/6 whoa (zero drops)
Undrafted rookie WR Woods somehow got 114 targets for 800/3 okay
Opposing teams did manage strong pass rush - 22.5%, 30th
Basically tough to complain about the offense this year, other than turnovers

Pass rush was actually solid - 23.3PR% ranked 4th (whaaa?)
Despite mediocre ratings, DE Anthony put up nice year (8S, 6.9PR%)
DT Stevens has 31 hurries from the interior line, that's a difference maker
DBs continue to make plays, Wilson-Conway-Douglas all 15+ PDs
Opposing passing games posted only 5.71 ypa - league best in key stat
Gave up 4.09 ypc against the run, solid too though I don't care much
Overall... nice effort by the D, better than expected

Special teams... whatevs
K Thomas does what a star-caliber kicker ought to... 27/29, 42/43 GREAT
We're strong in the return game, top-third everywhere
CB Vaughn put up 15.3 on punt returns, ratings 68/74 PR 86/100 ST
(only one guy without a TD posted higher PR avg)


So... the obvious bad news right now is that we're in the wild card track, and that sucks. We feel like a threat to 10-6 Denver, but winning three road games is just crazy talk. I give us a shot to win one, but no shot to win three. Teddy's career likely ends tomorrow on the road. I should have done better by him.

And maybe Cleveland, by virtue of drafting themselves a serious WR1, has suddenly become the real frontrunner for our division, as we likely close our window.

[QuikSand]

Quick note... mainly for me. I think I have been targeting the X/SE slot in my 11 formations more than I realize, and a lot of that has been medium-length patterns. That's fine, but I don't think I have given that slot in the personnel page its proper due. I put the rookie Woods there this year, and it probably should have been Franz/Stocz instead. Will make mental note to adjust to that...I used to have a sheet of paper (then a cameraphone shot) of hand-written notes on position usage in each formation... maybe need to append that to my splash screen or something.

[johnnyshaka]

Originally Posted by QuikSand

And maybe Cleveland, by virtue of drafting themselves a serious WR1, has suddenly become the real frontrunner for our division, as we likely close our window.

Turns out that loss was due to a 51-yard Hail Mary.

Anyway, this will be our last season as the GM of the Browns as we're planning to take the reigns of the Vikings to embark on a new challenge. Of course, this decision was made PRIOR to one of the Browns' best seasons ever...heck, it could be THE best season ever.

But don't worry, I'll still be following along with this.

[QuikSand]

Well, we are one and out, losing in Denver.

johnny's Brownies run the table and win it all for his swansong. Awesome. Now we'll watch the dumbass AI ruin the whole thing, and I am loving that.

[QuikSand]

2117 TRANSACTIONS

QB Teddy Farrell	Pre-Staff Draft	retired
NT Ramon Calhoun	Pre-Staff Draft	retired
FB Jackson Lusignan	Pre-Staff Draft	retired
TE Arturo Weydahl	Pre-Staff Draft	retired

If you have been following this thread, you know how big a deal this is. No clear plan for the next steps, but things are gonna change 'round here.

[QuikSand]

So...might as well tee this one up. I have not yet looked at the free agent field at QB, but here are the obvious options on hand right now:

Mister Cohesion, Richie Bryant

Ivan Wolf

My thinking is unless there's an unusually good fit out there somehow, I just plug in Bryant for a year or two. He's not awful, maybe I'll learn something about that pesky "timing" rating, and he'd be the right guy for cohesion and chemistry for certain.

Ugh

[Chas in Cinti]

Will Teddy be a HoFer you think?

[QuikSand]

I doubt it. No rings. 10 solid years, but never an MVP or serious standout.

He's... maybe Philip Rivers? Rich Gannon?

[QuikSand]

...quick note to add... both of my incumbent QBs project to have lousy AvoidInt ratings from the BenBot analysis. So, I ought to take that under advisement.

With a run-first OL, a new face at QB, a young cadre of RBs we're excited about, a top receiving target just retiring, and a pretty good veteran defense...it really seems like we could be set up for a "game manager" situation. Go out there aiming to run for 160 yards and win the game 20-13. I basically loathe that sort of thinking, but maybe that's the right call for us, given all the personnel matters pointing that way.

[Chas in Cinti]

Richie Bryant... Rick Mirer... ?

[QuikSand]

For the longtimers...

DE Ramon Tuholski, Hall of Famer.

I don't tend to generate a lot of HOFers, I feel. But he's an easy call.

[QuikSand]

Well, stage FA 1:2 is upon us. Time to get into some... things. (h/t The Roots)

One quick observation: there's no hero QB sitting out there in free agency who's an obvious go-get for us, and about whom I will be cagey/silent here for fear of spilling the beans... nope, we're likely just looking at our two incumbent pick machines, or else someone else of comparable caliber. It would seem weird to go with a rookie here, but if that breaks our way, I guess I'd be open to it.

In a parallel universe, I would be investing the time needed to develop a solid run-heavy gameplan for this team. But that's not here on earth prime, with my modern self who now has no patience for such things, inexplicably enough.

Will hope to get to some setup thoughts later, but the basics are:

37 players signed
04 RFAs I feel very likely to sign
07 draft picks this year
---
48 players "in hand"

After last season, I need to either be a LOT better with my draft picks, or just bite the bullet and get out of the damned business. My "full draft" last year for the first time in ages has yielded a total of TWO draftees who made it to year two. That's despicable. Put alongside the fact that I tend to do pretty well with undrafted rookies (I can see their chemistry ratings, for one thing) it just seems dumb for me to be handing out bonuses by picking guys in rounds 4-7, really ever.


Meanwhile, we have right around 1/3 of the league cap available. My guess is that even after a few extensions and re-signings, we will still be looking at an opportunity to grab a high profile player or two, if we want to do so. Not sure whether we are a "try to stay up there" team, or a "reload mode" team at the moment, without a legitimate plan at QB. I don't expect to field a team that will yield a top-10 draft pick, but whether we project for pick 1.17 or 1.26 sorta matters here, in whether I'm interested in, frex, a nice-looking 9th year pass rusher.

Work to do.

[QuikSand]

One super-quick note, I thought that TE Ronald Austin was going to have to go this year, due to taking over the chemistry lead. I was wrong, not 'til next year. He might still go because of the shelf life issue, but if we want continuity, he could easily remain the TE1/TE2 mix for this season.

And, I could at least kick around the idea of letting him actually have the chem leadership, with his 79/97 that would be good on its surface. Teddy was a 6/7 guy but our next long term QB might not be. A quick skim says that would neutralize Franz and Dugas (his own convo coming up) but that's really all. So, that's in play, too, especially if there's a 4/5 QB in the draft who looks like my next "guy," or I just decide that Wolf is it for the time being.

[QuikSand]

Is there a path away from three 2-3 group leaders on this team's offense?

Current group leaders:
RB Roberts 6th, 76/80
WR Hoover 9th, 77/97
T Dotson 11th, 85/98

Overall chemistry setup, prepare to be wowed if you aren't familiar with how we do things over here in Charm City...

Front Office Football Eight
Baltimore Ravens Roster, Attitude Advisory
   
  Player                #   Pos   Start Noted Playing Time    Chemistry  
Bryant, Richie          109 QB                      3 Affinities wit  
Wolf, Ivan              107 QB                      3 Affinities wit  
Roberts, Jaylen         247 RB                      Backfield Leader  
Bush, Edwin             230 RB                      Exceptional Affi  
Schweigert, Bernie      222 RB                      Strong Affinity   
Podolyak, Glenn         234 RB                      Mild Affinity     
Austin, Ronald          484 TE                      Exceptional Affi  
Terrell, Devan          482 TE                      Potential Affini  
Slade, Allen            585 FL                      Exceptional Affi  
Dugas, Aiden            589 FL                      Exceptional Affi  
Franz, Brad             517 FL                      Affinity          
Woods, B.J.             583 FL                      Mild Affinity     
Hoover, Norman          588 SE          MN          Receivers Leader  
Conway, Marco           581 SE                      Exceptional Affi  
Stocz, Lonnie           512 SE                      Strong Affinity   
Cebelak, Moe            665 C                       Exceptional Affi  
Knightley, Logan        673 C                       Exceptional Affi  
Foreman, Donald         771 LG                      Affinity          
Darby, Donnie           760 RG          MN          Exceptional Affi  
Dotson, Joey            867 LT          MN          Offensive Line L  
Shepherd, Tyrus         863 LT          MN          Affinity          
O'Donnell, Miguel       861 LT                      Potential Affini  
Tompkins, Heath         875 RT                      Mild Affinity     
Frederick, Edwin        904 P                         
Thomas, Mario           1003K                         
Mealey, Terrell         1191LDE                     Exceptional Affi  
Anthony, Ethan          1198LDE                     Strong Affinity   
Pearson, Isaac          1190LDE                     Potential Affini  
Banks, DeAndre          1193RDE                     Exceptional Affi  
Helming, Juan           1194RDE                     Mild Affinity     
Stevens, Aaron          1299NT                        
Tanner, Jermaine        1305SILB                    Defensive Front   
Peterson, Edgar         1351SILB                    Exceptional Affi  
Wilkerson, Shane        1345WILB                    Exceptional Affi  
Roybal, Giovanni        1350WILB                    Strong Affinity   
Randolph, Renaldo       1415SLB                     Mild Affinity     
Sumner, Floyd           1458WLB                     Exceptional Affi  
Schultz, Eddie          1446WLB                     Mild Affinity     
Slechta, Eugene         1528LCB                     Strong Affinity   
Gallop, Samuel          1541LCB                     Affinity          
Conway, Emmanuel        1529LCB                       
Vaughn, Shawn           1506RCB                     Potential Confli  
Creel, Harris           1531RCB                     Strong Affinity   
Thomas, Thomas          1636SS                      Exceptional Affi  
Austin, Cole            1642SS                      Affinity          
Wilson, Jeremiah        1649SS                      Affinity          
Douglas, Riley          1623FS                      Secondary Leader  
Conley, Calvin          1639FS                      Exceptional Affi  
Tamburrino, Toby        669 LS                        

So... who doesn't register as an affinity? Short list.

DT Stevens and CB Conway are affinity guys, but their personality strength is low enough that they don't register. I consider them shadow affinities, but it admittedly does indeed pain me to view this screen and see the empty slots there.

CB Vaughn is the one polka amidst a lot of dots here. Potential conflict, but he'd never get the starts to "activate" that, if we take the game at its word here. I'm enamored, it would take a lot for him to lave this team soon.

So... basically, I don't really carry guys without chemistry. Simple rules, very narrow exceptions. On my teams, most non-chem guys are actually former chem guys who were nullified by a leader switch, but had too much cohesion/talent combo to simply deal/cut away. So, they ride it out.


The big question... on our offense, all three leaders are on the 2-3 group, meaning all our players are in the 4-5 or 6-7 groups. The league is sparse with 2-3 players, so trying to continue forever with that setup seems unwise. I'm too invested in these players to make a wholesale group change, but could we move to a 4-5 leader or a 6-7 leader in any of these groups?

Legend for below: (year, chem group, Ldr/Pers)

Key long-term assets at RB/FB:
Schweigert (3rd, 4-5, 93/72)
Bush (3rd, 6-7, 32/93)

...well, that could work out great.

Key long-term assets at TE/WR:

TE Austin (7th, 6-7, 76/97)
TE Terrell (6th, 4-5, 54/47)
WR Franz (9th, 6-7, 13/18)
WR Stocz (4th, 4-5, 34/46)
WR Woods (2nd, 4-5, 16/15)
WR Slade (7th, 4-5, 20/96)
WR Dugas (4th, 6-7, 7/59)

Okay... with the caveat that the overall talent level here without Franz is most definitely "not good enough to win" (meaning we have real work to do here regardless of chemistry) the path ahead seems pretty reasonable. If TE Auston is allowed to step into the leadership role, he will remain a hige cohesion asset, a very strong leader, and will click with everybody important other than Franz, who only has a couple seasons left.

Absent any analysis at the QB position, which I will likely have to do without quite as much transparency here... that really makes the most sense. At the very least, I will be looking more closely at rookies or free agents from the 4-5 group than from the 6-7 group, and I will not necessarily skip right past the 2-3 group as I might have otherwise.


Key assets at OL:

C Knightley (4th, 4-5, 39/78)
G Foreman (10th, 6-7, 63/34)
G Darby (10th, 6-7, 80/84)
T Shepherd (7th, 6-7, 84/42)
T O'Donnell (2nd, 6-7, 52/36)
T Tompkins (6th, 6-7, 37/7)

Okay... some uncertainty here anyway. Knightley is a candidate but not certainty to step into the starting C role. Free agency may play a role here, with two year starter Cebelak (7th, 6-7, 40/89) out there and potentially in play as well. And G Darby is fading to the point where I suspect my default for this year is likely to just slot the young T O'Donnell in at a guard position to get him developing, and suffer the cohesion consequences.

But the obvious takeaway here is that we are deeply invested in the 6-7 group in the rank-and-file here, and could ill afford a move to that group for a leader. So, the current 2-3 works, a move to 4-5 would also work, but we can't follow suit here with the TE/WR group and a 6-7 leader. The net effect of this is, mainly, to thin the pool of triple affinity QBs... no clue how big a deal that is to team effects. In a no-injury league, finding a hobo to do mopup work and otherwise just be class clown is not that hard.

Related note... QB Richie Bryant has been waiting patiently for his turn at QB. But as a minsal veteran guy with starts, I have to mention here that he himself is a (10th, 6-7, 88/100) and could make a tremendous chemistry anchor for us, like at the RB/FB group. If we decided the future was going to be at 4-5 with quarterbacks, then that could make a lot of short term sense...except Bush wouldn't click. Oh, that, darn. Hmmmm.

[QuikSand]

..short story at OL is we just need Dotson to hang in there for another 3-4 years. The league is just super-dry on guys who fit the profile to step in and lead us here.T Shepherd and his 84 leadership is going to make it hard for someone else to easily claim the leadership role, so we won't be able to skate by with my occasional "low leadership high personality" leader that works with some active pruning.

So, yeah, tough spot.

[QuikSand]

might fuck around and just start over in a position group

[QuikSand]

Made a predictable move to compress my rookie draft again:

JAX sends 2.4

BAL sends 2.24, 3.24, 4.24, 7.24


This is just smart for me. Drafting is sexy, but I am not good enough to merit using real capital that way. Or, perhaps, the chemistry constraints I place on my teams built that way render the draft an inherently inefficient tool for me, as I basically just look at the 1/6 of players who are "fits" and that's unwise, globally.

[QuikSand]

So, here's the deal.

Defensive secondary. Here's the roster right now:

Front Office Football Eight
Baltimore Ravens Roster, Scout Overview
   
  Player                #   Pos   Start Exp  Current Estimate Future Estimate  Cntrct 

Slechta, Eugene         1528LCB         12   44               44               1 yr.  
Conway, Emmanuel        1529LCB         5    44               44               ---    
Gallop, Samuel          1541LCB         5    33               33               ---    
Creel, Harris           1531RCB         4    30               30               1 yr.  
Vaughn, Shawn           1506RCB         2    25               27               ---    
Wilson, Jeremiah        1649SS          8    51               51               2 yrs. 
Austin, Cole            1642SS          10   49               49               ---    
Thomas, Thomas          1636SS          11   11               11               1 yr.  
Douglas, Riley          1623FS          12   54               54               1 yr.  
Conley, Calvin          1639FS          6    43               43               ---    
   
$$ - player is suspended, ## - player is inactive,  
** = player is injured, %% - player is on IR.  

Let's walk through this. If we "stay the course" and re-sign our free agents, we end up with an active/used rotation that looks something like this (with my letter grades for talent fit):

CB1/2 Slechta B- Conway B
CB3/4 Gallop C Creel B-
CB/S depth Conley B+
S Riley B+ Wilson B Austin C+

...and looking at ages/experience, we should expect attrition in the next few years, with Riley as the chemistry leader due soon as a 12th year guy.

So... are we really in love with anyone here?

tick... tick... tick...


This could be the year to pull the trigger. If I could draft a build-around guy to play CB1, it could make this whole thing go much better. And rather than forcing the best chem fit available, I could just try to get my guy and then build the group around him. And this year might not be an awful window to just trot out a couple of roster fillers (undrafted rookies, minsal free agents, whatever) and get them on the field for their starts so they click forever. If we're going to be rotten at QB, then we're not a bye team anyhow.

So... mulling options here. Will be watching the rookie and free agent classes for opportunities for build-around guys both chem-wise and talent-wise.

[QuikSand]

Have stuff to do, but I'mma leave this right here for now:

QuikSand

BAL

CB Kody Lentzner (70/70) (Yr. 5)

signed as an unrestricted free agent from Minnesota

4yrs, $244.0M (Bonus: $208.0M. Salary: $9.0M, $9.0M, $9.0M, $9.0M.)

[QuikSand]

Okay, my thinking here...

-this is a team-defining free agent move (for $61m/yr it had better be)
-serious talent, obviously, and stats to back it up (good)
-monster endurance and special teams - real deal signs
-my thinking is he'll play both SS and NB for us, more than CB1/2

Prediction - someone else is going to go pay $44m (or whatever) for their not-quite-as-good DB, and we will be the ones getting the bargain.

And onto the ripple effect.

This puts in play (not "into place") a move to the 2-3/4-5/6-7 group for our secondary. This guy will (would?) be neutral as long as S Riley remains our group leader as a 11-12 guy. But Lentzner has good chem values - he could be a mediocre group leader, but he'd be better if we found someone to fit with him.

I think there's an excellent chance that this means we won't even bother pursuing CBs Conway and Gallop. They're part of the
old guard" 7-8/8-9/11-12 group, and my suspicion is that's on its way out the door here.

[Chas in Cinti]

wow... the die is cast?

[QuikSand]

...oh, and I do get that special tingle here:

2117		FA Stage 2	signed as an unrestricted free agent from Minnesota: 4yrs, $244,000,000.
2117		FA Stage 2	turned down a contract offer: 3yrs, $169,000,000.
2117		FA Stage 2	turned down a contract offer: 5yrs, $305,160,000.
2117		FA Stage 2	turned down a contract offer: 3yrs, $108,020,000.

[QuikSand]

Originally Posted by Chas in Cinti

wow... the die is cast?

i think so

[QuikSand]

I think we keep our veterans this year, well at least Riley. But next year we go all in on reinventing the secondary. This is the right year to get starts for marginal guys if we see that being important. The hope is to be too good to have that luxury later on in the cycle.

[Pyser]

yeah that cb is nuts

[Izulde]

Poor Teddy. A Rivers career. Maybe the next guy will be beringed.

[QuikSand]

Bah, I think we are spoiled by the typical dynasty threads here, people play single player and end up crushing the hapless bots... nothing to it, right? We even call 'em dynasty threads, not struggle threads.

Teddy did fine. He wraps up a career after being scrap heaped with a little bit of conversation about whether he was "great." For a guy whose actual scouted skills never even broke 50 on the 100-point scale...seems hard to lament that we're not heading out to chisel his face onto a mountainside next to, say, Leo.

[QuikSand]

In team news... first draft pick was a dilemma for me, but I went with the major "need." The all-scout ratings here are a bit disappointing, maybe I have AGAIN messed up an early pick at CB, ugh.




Baltimore: QuikSand takes CB Les Wiggins with the 1.24 pick.

Run Defense		21<->47
Man-to-Man Defense		58<->84
Zone Defense		55<->81
Bump-and-Run Defense		56<->82
Play Diagnosis		39<->65
Punishing Hitter		66<->92
Interceptions		64<->90
Punt Returning		0<->26
Kick Returning		0<->26
Endurance		29<->55
Special Teams		26<->52

HT	WT	RAW	ADJ	DASH	SOL	BENCH	AGI	BRJU	POS	%DEV
68	192	6.1	6.3	4.40	18	16	7.00	107	49	60

[QuikSand]

So, pick 24 is indeed a cover man in the 4-5 group. The die is cast.

I am now pacing the floors in hopes that my other option for pick 24 falls to us at pick 36. I really don't like any of my backup plans. If he does, I will be thrilled with our two-person draft (well, until they are both revealed to be turds) and will feel very redeemed by the trade-up to the early 2nd round.

[QuikSand]

Okay, we still got "our guy" at pick 2.4. Similar worry, my ratings look better than the consensus ones, but I'm hoping this is our new TE of the future.




Baltimore: QuikSand takes FB Leon Ogden with the 2.4 pick.

Run Blocking		61<->92
Pass Blocking		67<->97
Blocking Strength		0<->31
Power Inside		69<->99
Third Down Running		39<->69
Hole Recognition		52<->82
Blitz Pickup		49<->80
Avoid Drops		50<->81
Route Running		68<->98
Third Down Catching		70<->100
Endurance		64<->95
Special Teams		64<->94

HT	WT	RAW	ADJ	DASH	SOL	BENCH	AGI	BRJU	POS	%DEV
73	254	6.2	5.0	4.61	29	29	7.34	112	40	42

[QuikSand]

FYI, my scout sees a lot of pure max ratings, where here he shows up with a lot of 90-somethings. I see that as a big deal. Ugh.

[QuikSand]

So, I miss out, as expected, on another couple of DBs in free agency. I actually had the leading offer on a quality CB for the stage 2-3 file, but he inexplicably waited past his announced deadline to take a lesser offer elsewhere (I dropped mine, thinking I might get him really cheap). That's okay... I am happy with our overall sense of direction with the group. If the rookie Wiggins shows up at least good enough to project as a long term CB2, I think I will be fine. It is usually pretty easy for me to gather good fit free agents to fill in the DB depth chart on all my teams.

[QuikSand]

So, what is unsettled?

QB mess
RB have the guys, but keep/use all four?
FB vacancy
TE two decent but need rookie to take TE1 job
WR Franz,Stocz fine as WR1/2, depth okay, Woods/Slade/Dugas(?)
OL have 5 starters, extra T, and a T at leader/mentor
EDGE Anthony/Mealey underwhelming tbh
IDL Helming/Stevens really solid for now
ILB Tanner fading, Peterson/Roybal adequate
OLB Randolph fading, Schultz/Sumner adequate
CB Lentzner star, rookie Wiggins hopefully, need depth here
SS Douglas/Wilson for now, need bodies here too

Secondary remains the obvious need. LB really could use a talent addition, too. And shouldn't completely forget quarterback, where we are panning for copper at this point.

[QuikSand]

Why, here's a spare part for our secondary...

Kendrick McCormick

5th round pick next year lands him. Big personality will hopefully fit right in, once we put the pieces fully together.