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NFL Offseason Thread 2013 - Here comes the wait

Roto:
After attending West Virginia's Pro Day on Thursday, ESPN's Ron Jaworski predicted WR Tavon Austin will be a top-15 pick.
"This guy is absolutely lightning quick," said Jaws. "He's one of the quickest guys I've ever seen and I've been around the game since 1973. This guy just accelerates when he gets the football and, although he's a little bit diminutive, I think this guy's gonna go in the top 15." Carolina would be an intriguing landing spot at No. 14. New Panthers GM Dave Gettleman -- a former Giants exec -- could see some Victor Cruz in the versatile Austin.
Moving on up

Edit: also saw this
  Matt Miller ‏ @ nfldraftscout
# Lions have been connected to Eric Fisher since the Senior Bowl. He's the pick at No. 5 if there.
 
Grossi is a douche. When I think of him though, I think of this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4dyvZ_-FADY

I had never seen that video before and I'm ashamed. lol. That is pure gold.

Love Donovan and Dieken. Grossi, definitely not so much.

temp-420-56090351.gif


This is the new Guile's theme. It goes with everything.

Yep! Right color and everything too!
 
Not big on the whole signals thing eh? Honestly if I was single I would probably do the whole online thing. Just seems easier to eliminate the whole pretense aspect of it
Online dating is terrible for actual dating in my experience.

Attracts the fat and socially awkward like freeman to the 4th meal.
 

SonnyBoy

Member
@Russellmania980 GOT HIM! My sources say Talib to the skins 3yrs inside RP source

Take it with a grain of salt... He followed that tweet by saying that he's trying to get his "sources" to help him confirm.
 
Take it with a grain of salt... He followed that tweet by saying that he's trying to get his "sources" to help him confirm.

Adam Schefter said:
RT @var78: Hey mr schefter any news Aqib Talib yet? ... When all is said and done, whenever that is, I believe he returns to New England.

Please let Schefter be right! Please let Schefter be right!
 

Kave_Man

come in my shame circle
Dear Browns-GAF that actually live in or around Cleveland:

All I ever hear is how terrible each beat reporter is. As I live outside of Cleveland these are my only portals into Believeland so please let me know if I'm missing someone on twitter that I should follow. I currently only follow:

Tony Grossi - who over time I am finding a bit grating with how he acts as a know-it-all.
Mary Kay Cabot - who doesn't really report anything just retweets what ESPN guys say.
Will Burge - Is great during press conferences but otherwise seems to be drunk or talking about girls all the time.

Anyone else that I need?
 

effzee

Member
So it's safe to say Seahawks won the Free Agent?

I like DE signings but I don't like idea of building team with FA players though.

Well you did build through the draft. A bunch of the guys who helped propel you guys last season were drafted and brought up within the system.

Personally I think you guys are being smart about this. You have the QB. You have a good team. You can't just sit and wait on it. If you think you are good enough to make a run right now go for it. I don't any of these moves severely handicap you, except for maybe Harvin. It was so painful to watch Reid and Co. refuse to go for it when McNabb came into his own and continued to rely on drafting bust after bust at WR and other skill position players. You can't just wait and hope you will be good for a decade. An injury or two, especially to a QB like Wilson who runs, could limit his run considerably.

On the Geno Smith front...

Was listening to Mike and Mike this morning and Jaws was no. He said teams are really interested in him now. Says he had a tremendous pro day and from his own film study and sit down with him he thinks he has all the tools to be a big time franchise QB. Says Jags and Raiders are very interested in him. Even the Eagles, who had a private workout with him on Monday, met him with the owner even stopping by. Supposedly the Eagles put him through the most rigorous workout with making him pass around 80 times with tons of throws on the run. Jaws did say he wouldn't fault any team that took him, that he is a definite top 10 pick, and even could see a team moving up to trade with KC to pick him #1 overall. Said he wouldn't be a bad #1 overall pick.

I don't know if the Eagles are serious about him or just trying to throw other teams off. Considering some of the moves they have made I guess I wouldn't go nuts if they drafted him at 4. I still think see a gaping hole at RT and think if Fisher is there you have to take him. Or sign Vollmer and solve that side of the line before you go for what is right now still a huge risk in Smith.

And speaking of Vollmer :

@Jeff_McLane: They like their guys. Getting sense Vollmer, Winston and A. Smith aren't on radar. RT @jmart24: Why haven't the Eagles addressed the O Line?

Then again McLane said they had no interest in Cary Williams and they signed him just yesterday.
 
This has been such a great offseason so far. I love the Phillips signing, if he can just stay healthy. Williams seems like a solid CB who never gets hurts, he should be an upgrade over DRC and Nnamdi last year. I hear the Eagles are trying to trade Trent Cole now that they got Barwin, I will be interested to see if they can get anything for Cole. They really have remade the defense this offseason. I would like them to still get a good RT, maybe Vollmer if he is healthy, so that they can draft either Milliner or Jordan. They still really need another 3-4 DE, sucks the Colts gave RJF so much money, he would have been perfect.


Edit: effzee I heard that interview with Jaws as well. I think the Eagles are using him to make a team trade up to 4 but who knows. I wish the Eagles would sign a RT so they dont have to draft one. Todd is okay there but he is definitely better as a guard, and they have other needs so I would rather then not take OL at 4.

Why hasnt anyone else from Eagles GAF signed up for the mock draft?
 

effzee

Member
This has been such a great offseason so far. I love the Phillips signing, if he can just stay healthy. Williams seems like a solid CB who never gets hurts, he should be an upgrade over DRC and Nnamdi last year. I hear the Eagles are trying to trade Trent Cole now that they got Barwin, I will be interested to see if they can get anything for Cole. They really have remade the defense this offseason. I would like them to still get a good RT, maybe Vollmer if he is healthy, so that they can draft either Milliner or Jordan. They still really need another 3-4 DE, sucks the Colts gave RJF so much money, he would have been perfect.

Why trade Cole? I think he still has gas in the tank and we need to add pass rushers not subtract.

And at most they would get a 4th or 5th round pick for him based on his age and play last season.

Vollmer would be the perfect way to finish up the FA spending. Especially if interest in Geno Smith is real. I don't want them to have to draft a T in the 2nd or 3rd round because they didn't address it in FA. I want the draft to be mostly defensive with a focus on the secondary and LBs in rounds 2-6.
 

eznark

Banned
Anyone heard Andre Smiths name mentioned at all? I thought for sure he'd draw more interest.

Now of the Lions sign him after their retirement, that move I will praise.
 
Why trade Cole? I think he still has gas in the tank and we need to add pass rushers not subtract.

And at most they would get a 4th or 5th round pick for him based on his age and play last season.

Vollmer would be the perfect way to finish up the FA spending. Especially if interest in Geno Smith is real. I don't want them to have to draft a T in the 2nd or 3rd round because they didn't address it in FA. I want the draft to be mostly defensive with a focus on the secondary and LBs in rounds 2-6.

Cole and Barwin are going to play the same spot, and Barwin is going to do it much better. Cole needs to go to a team that runs the 4-3 and needs help at DE. Cole makes way to much money to be a rotational guy. Maybe they could ask him to take less but I doubt that happens.

Edit: EZ I have not heard of any teams even talking to Andre, seems really odd since he is a very solid player. I think all the Tackles are waiting for Long to set the market.
 

effzee

Member
Anyone heard Andre Smiths name mentioned at all? I thought for sure he'd draw more interest.

Now of the Lions sign him after their retirement, that move I will praise.

I think teams are waiting for Long to sign to see the market for offensive lineman? Its kind of surprising how little we have heard of interest in Smith or Vollmer. Only guy who has been consistently mentioned is Long. Hope that is the case. Don't think Long will get the money he wants and that should lower the asking price for the rest of the guys.

Cole and Barwin are going to play the same spot, and Barwin is going to do it much better. Cole needs to go to a team that runs the 4-3 and needs help at DE. Cole makes way to much money to be a rotational guy. Maybe they could ask him to take less but I doubt that happens.

I guess since Cole has been the lone bright spot on D and the only the guy they actually drafted who didn't become a bust I don't want to see him go.

What is his salary and cap hit? Don't remember him getting a monster deal.
 
I guess since Cole has been the lone bright spot on D and the only the guy they actually drafted who didn't become a bust I don't want to see him go.

What is his salary and cap hit? Don't remember him getting a monster deal.

He signed a $60m extension last year. $15m is guaranteed and he also got an $8m signing bonus.
 

squicken

Member
Anyone heard Andre Smiths name mentioned at all? I thought for sure he'd draw more interest.

Now of the Lions sign him after their retirement, that move I will praise.

Jake Long, Andre Smith, and Vollmer are represented by Tom Condon and Ben Dogra. Biggest agents in football. CAA is their agency. What they are doing, since he is a left tackle, is using Jake Long to set the market for their other clients. So Long gets his contract, and they have a number to work down from for their RT clients Vollmer and Smith

Vollmer and Smith aren't even on the market until Long signs. Both Condon and Dogra are in STL working on the Long deal (they are based in STL fwiw)
 
Jake Long, Andre Smith, and Vollmer are represented by Tom Condon and Ben Dogra. Biggest agents in football. CAA is their agency. What they are doing, since he is a left tackle, is using Jake Long to set the market for their other clients. So Long gets his contract, and they have a number to work down from for their RT clients Vollmer and Smith

Vollmer and Smith aren't even on the market until Long signs. Both Condon and Dogra are in STL working on the Long deal (they are based in STL fwiw)

Are the Rams considering Long for LT? Cosell and Caplan were saying the other day that most teams see him as a RT now and they thought that was what he would be signed to play.
 

squicken

Member
Thanks guys. I thought Rams had already signed Long.

I thought it was a done deal too, but Fisher and Demoff are very deliberate. Fisher won't sign a FA until he meets with him. Real big on the right people in a locker room. Now I think it's just down to money and whether the wife wants to leave MIA. She's tweeted that she won't be selling her house in MIA if they go to STL

Plight of the Rams. Always have to over-pay to get FAs to STL

edit: YH as far as I know they see him as a LT. They literally gave him a 12 hour physical. They know he has a beat up body. They needed to know if their training staff could manage him week to week to have him ready for Sundays. They are satisfied they can and were talking money yesterday
 

Draxal

Member
Yep, it cornered the market on "boring interactive cinema" before Heavy Rain came out. David Cage is jealous!

for the record I thought Heavy Rain was ok

Dude, did you play Indigo Prophecy/Farenheit. Cage's previous game.

Oh man the end of that game, made MGS2's like a genuine masterpiece. I can't even try to tell you how bad that story was in end of the game.
 

squicken

Member
Still don't see why Cruz doesn't get an offer. Especially since you can kind of get a year 1 discount. Anything over 2m in the first year is a raise for him, and also means you aren't paying 12m every year
 
Still don't see why Cruz doesn't get an offer. Especially since you can kind of get a year 1 discount. Anything over 2m in the first year is a raise for him, and also means you aren't paying 12m every year

Wouldnt the Giants just match any offer that has a low first year salary? I would think a team would have to go big the first few years to scare the Giants from matching.
 

Duxxy3

Member
I'd probably prefer Freeney to Abraham, but it would be cool if they were able to sign both for cheap.

Same here. Would prefer Freeney because he's two years younger than Abraham.

Would be a dream to have Freeney on one side and Abraham/Jones on the other side.

We had a good front 7 last year, but even with the improvement they couldn't protect the holes in the secondary.
 

squicken

Member
Wouldnt the Giants just match any offer that has a low first year salary? I would think a team would have to go big the first few years to scare the Giants from matching.

I just meant on average. If Wallace got 36m/3yrs, you can give Cruz 28m/3yrs. If you say the WR market is 12m a year, Cruz would get 2m this year and then 24m (26m) his first two FA years if he just signs his tender with the Giants

So give him a total of 28m on an offer sheet and he makes 2m extra over the next 3 years. Whoever did it would still have to put like 15m of first year salary on it to make sure the Giants couldn't match
 

Wellington

BAAAALLLINNN'
I really have to wonder how much Cruz is looking for that it hasn't gotten done yet. Part of me wishes the Giants would just go slightly over what they want to pay and bridge the gap to keep the guy here. Of course the problem is that this is Nick's contract year as well.

IMO Cruz has proven over 2 years he can stay healthy and that he can produce even with Nicks not playing on the opposite side of the field.
 
I just meant on average. If Wallace got 36m/3yrs, you can give Cruz 28m/3yrs. If you say the WR market is 12m a year, Cruz would get 2m this year and then 24m (26m) his first two FA years if he just signs his tender with the Giants

So give him a total of 28m on an offer sheet and he makes 2m extra over the next 3 years. Whoever did it would still have to put like 15m of first year salary on it to make sure the Giants couldn't match

Okay that make sense. I gotta think the Giants would match most reasonable deals so a team would need to go crazy to get him. It is interesting that only 1 RFA has changed teams in the last 5 years.
 

LevelNth

Banned
Wow, I did not realize the Seahawks carried over almost $14m in extra cap room this year, and have spent up to it. Harvin's cap increase next year plus that puts them ~$24m over for 2014.

They really are pushing for this year hard.
 

squicken

Member
Look at Amendola catch that shit. What a guy!

I still want my Wes back, that Broncos press conference was too fucking weird

Austin Pettis caught that. That was the final play of a 14 play drive. The one before was 16 plays. SJAX had 101 yards rushing and Danny had 102 yards receiving, but scoring was still like pulling teeth. Rams had to get faster
 
Austin Pettis caught that. That was the final play of a 14 play drive. The one before was 16 plays. SJAX had 101 yards rushing and Danny had 102 yards receiving, but scoring was still like pulling teeth. Rams had to get faster

Thought I saw #16, but it is indeed #18. Oh well.
 

BigAT

Member
I really have to wonder how much Cruz is looking for that it hasn't gotten done yet. Part of me wishes the Giants would just go slightly over what they want to pay and bridge the gap to keep the guy here. Of course the problem is that this is Nick's contract year as well.

IMO Cruz has proven over 2 years he can stay healthy and that he can produce even with Nicks not playing on the opposite side of the field.

I really want to know how much the offer is the Giants have given him so far. The way they talk about it, it seems pretty significant. I would guess like $8M/yr or so.
 

evilhomer

Member
Okay that make sense. I gotta think the Giants would match most reasonable deals so a team would need to go crazy to get him. It is interesting that only 1 RFA has changed teams in the last 5 years.

I've seen the argument that teams don't want to waste the time negotiating a contract with a player just so the original team can copy it and sign the player themselves. So most won't even bother going through that process.
 

squicken

Member
Steven Jackson literally saved Bradford's life there. Damn, how do you let PWill spill straight through?

He timed it real well. But he was also splitting the 3rd string left guard and backup center. And like I said, he ran for 100 yards behind that line in the game. Lots of potential room for improvement in ATL, despite his age.
 
Don't worry. He was another guy McDaniels liked in the draft. He'll make his way to the Pats one day

This is a valid concern. Josh seems to be getting more and more control over Bill and has too much power when it comes to the GM decisions. Dude is going to fuck it all up, If they ever trade Gronk, then I quit football and become a fulltime baseball fan. Go Sawx!
 
I've seen the argument that teams don't want to waste the time negotiating a contract with a player just so the original team can copy it and sign the player themselves. So most won't even bother going through that process.

That seems like such a defeatist attitude. Teams just need to get creative. I know you cant put team or location specific clauses into contracts anymore. But what if a team signed Cruz for 3 years $30 million all guaranteed, I doubt the Giants could match that. Teams want to sign guys but they dont want to handcuff themselves going forward.
 
Dude, did you play Indigo Prophecy/Farenheit. Cage's previous game.

Oh man the end of that game, made MGS2's like a genuine masterpiece. I can't even try to tell you how bad that story was in end of the game.
Yep. The unfortunate part about Indigo is that the build up to the story was nice. It just completely fell apart at the end.

...and OMG at the QTE overload. FUCK THAT.
 
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