Offseason Focus

Offseason focus needs to be on signing EVERYONE and keeping this team intact. We definately showed we can beat even a great team last night. I'd forget the high priced FAs and keep the guys we have. Sign some good medium priced guys (like we've been doing the last few years) and build depth throught the draft.

Fields aside, we didn't have a lot of major injuries this season. We need to build some depth and youth (esp on OL and depth at LB) and keep this team intact. We'll get nothing but better with time.

Lock up Delhomme! Lock up Smith! Lock up Wallace and Grant! I'd even say, keep Moose. He played HUGE in the playoffs and showed me something.

 

I hope our coaching staff waits a few weeks for the emotions to subside before making these decisions. I'm not the informed expert on this by any stretch, but isn't Moose's cap number huge? He played a hell of a game, but we need to be practical.

 

I agree. We must keep as many of the current players as possible and add to the depth chart. It is my hope that Muhammad will take an incentive glazed, low salary pay cut in order to stay with the team. He really stepped it up in the playoffs.

 

And Vinatieri would have missed that field goal, too.

 

We should be able to extend him and wash that cap number with Smitty's new contract - which will still leave us with a good bit of cap space.

Guys I'd consider replacing:

Steussie:
Huge cap hit. Aging. Not at the top of his game. Gross could slide over. I'd keep Steussie if a good RT can't be found for significantly less. Also, I don't think that Steussie has EVER missed a game from injury. Additionally, Donnalley is old and his contract is up. That means we might need to sign a guard unless nelson is the guy.

Cousins:
He might be worth keeping for depth, because he's cheap. I've thought about Manning, *unknown UFA*, Howard, Cousins, Wesley, draft pick to camp. If Cousins sucks, cut him in camp.

Brezinski:
He never played. I dunno if we save anything but cutting him, though, other than a roster spot.

Kasay:
Sorry John. Your contract is up, and I want a new face. That damned shank makes me want to throw up.

Favors: This is obvious, but I'd still like Greg for depth.

I still think our biggest needs in the OFFSEASON are OLB, Secondary, and O-line.

 

:huh:

 

Muhammad's salary is $500,000 greater than this year's. The cap hit isn't that advantageous, but with $10 mil under the cap we don't have to make a move there if we don't want. If we do, it'll be an extension. But outright cutting is foolish as hell. He should be here next year.

I'd prefer that he and Steussie stay. I'd prefer we still draft midrounds replacements for both, in the case we need to make a move down the road.

I'd prefer that Jeno and Grant come back. A good TE to pair with Wiggins coming back, and something better at CB wouldn't be bad either. I don't think we can afford to not upgrade from what we have.

Hopefully Scotty O stays and Maser does as well. Past that, I'm going to forego noting all my wants/suggestions for the offseason since I've done so a lot already.

 

Just to be clear, are we $10m under the cap with Moose counting as it does?

I guess it would have to. How much more do you think we could clear and keep Moose?

Enough to sign Troy Vincent and/or Champ Bailey and still go after a few more holes for depth like LB and OL? Maybe keep Wallace too?

 

cut? about $4 mil additionally. IN theory that sounds good, and I'm sure there are still enough people who look to take on Moose at every corner who'd find that the best possible case.

Personally, getting that down to base and adding a couple years to it, that's the best case. Too good to just let go.

Honestly. You can sign similar players for a smaller cap hit for 2004. That's a no-brainer. But you have to pay players like that their contracts, that's how the game is played. I'm sure we could find a cheaper safety than Minter, too. He makes $3.5 mil this year.
That's not the point.

But enough to sign a player isn't the issue. It's value - they can find money. They can sign a guy to a $35 mil contract and make it cost $2 mil the first year. It's not hard. It's whether we can afford to pay players later into their contracts.

 

Both Davis and Delhomme hit escalators that should cost us about $2million, I believe.

I think we'll have just over $8 million in cap space.