2016 Oakland Raiders thread (1 Viewer)

[Toomuchnv]

I get what you're saying. But the team has bigger needs. Latavius isn't the hardest runner, and I worry about his ball security, but he's adequate. I'd rather see them spend that money on the Oline and defense. 

I think I would rather have Lamar Miller if I could choose between the 3...

 

[Silver & Black]

I get what you're saying. But the team has bigger needs. Latavius isn't the hardest runner, and I worry about his ball security, but he's adequate. I'd rather see them spend that money on the Oline and defense. 

I would say you need to have thicker skin brother.  Football is a business, first and foremost for these guys and I don't really have a problem with Demarco grabbing the money like he did last year coming off a season where he carried the ball so much and had such a great season.  As for the rest, Oakland has a ton of money to spend this year.  That's the beauty of our situation right now.  Now, we can afford to grab a player like Demarco and still have plenty of money to fill needs via free agency and the draft.  I don't know if it is going to happen or not, but I would welcome Demarco with open arms if he came to the Raiders.  He's a perfect fit for our O-line and the perfect first part of a possible 1-2 punch with Latavius. 

 

[Hankmoody]

I get what you're saying. But the team has bigger needs. Latavius isn't the hardest runner, and I worry about his ball security, but he's adequate. I'd rather see them spend that money on the Oline and defense. 

We have too much money available to worry about using it wisely.  Just use it, get some talent in, churn out the misses, and fire again.  It seems easier and easier to sign contracts that are easy to get out of with minimal long term liability, and as long as we aren't exposing ourselves to that, just sign everyone that will come.

 

[massraider]

I wonder if all the excitement was about impending free agents.  That would be my first guess.

Any trade for Murray would have to include a massive contract restructuring.  He is untradeable from Phillys standpoint, unless he takes a pay cut.  Then you have to think about compensation.  I think Philly wouldn't get much, they are basically dumping an old running back.  It would cost them 5 mill to trade him right now.  His cap number is only 8 mill, but dead cap is 13 mill.  They may as well keep him.  

 

[RaiderBones]

I get what you're saying. But the team has bigger needs. Latavius isn't the hardest runner, and I worry about his ball security, but he's adequate. I'd rather see them spend that money on the Oline and defense. 

Me too to be honest. I think what Latavius needs is a good backup RB who can come in give him a breather. Maybe a mid to late round pick like Daniel Lasco.

 

[Bruno2]

If he can help us win more games I don't care if he spurned us last season. The Raiders have been bad for so long I can't blame players for not wanting to play for the Raiders in the past. Now that they Raiders are on the rise we will start to get better free agents.

I understand what you guys are saying and it makes some sense. But in the grand scheme of things bringing in a high-priced, over-rated RB like DeMarco isn't priority #1. They still have all kinds of holes on defense  (even more issues if Edwards can't play) and while the interior of the Oline is solid, the tackle spots need to be addressed. I'd rather hear buzz about bringing in Josh Norman or Mario Williams  (I know, won't happen) than DeMarco Murray. 

 

[Hankmoody]

I wonder if all the excitement was about impending free agents.  That would be my first guess.

Any trade for Murray would have to include a massive contract restructuring.  He is untradeable from Phillys standpoint, unless he takes a pay cut.  Then you have to think about compensation.  I think Philly wouldn't get much, they are basically dumping an old running back.  It would cost them 5 mill to trade him right now.  His cap number is only 8 mill, but dead cap is 13 mill.  They may as well keep him.  

I just looked again, and $9M of his dead money is guaranteed salary, which Philly doesn't eat if he's traded.  So that means he's only $4M cap hit, and with a scheduled $8M cap hit, they actually save $4M to move him.  That's a lot more realistic.

 

[Hankmoody]

For Oakland, it's paying $7M this year (with only $2M guaranteed for next) for a guy that was a beast two years ago and had a low-mileage year last year to recover.  I say bring it on.

 

[32 Counter Pass]

Hey guys.  I had a pretty interesting text conversation with my friend in the organization yesterday.  As usual, it was cryptic and nothing, I repeat nothing he said was definite or should be taken as gospel or anything like that.  He told me something very "big and exciting" is on the immediate horizon for the Raiders.  My first inclination was that it had something to do with the whole stadium situation and my first inquiries were along those lines.  I got the very strong indication it had nothing to do with the stadium or location issue. 

Very little of what I got was definitive, but what I did learn was that certain important people were all together yesterday and there was a high level of excitement when the gathering was concluded.  My spidey sense tells me that the big thing he was referring to may involve the Raiders trading UP at the draft to get a coveted player.  If that is the case, the situation obviously isn't as immediate as he seemed to imply.  If that is the case, I wouldn't be surprised if Oakland goes out and gets a big free agent sooner rather than later.  One name that was conspicuously not specifically mentioned was Demarco Murray.  I just pieced together snippets of what he said and then extrapolated what I recently heard about Oakland looking to have L. Murray have a lighter workload this year to make him more efficient.  Can you imagine the 1-2 Murray punch with a chip on his shoulder Demarco power rushing and Latavius spelling him and catching screen passes? 

Anyway, sorry that I don't have details or anything like that but I thought the gathering of important Raider brass and the reported air of excitement at its conclusion was worth mentioning.   My pal doesn't usually reach out to me with info unless he believes something is going on.  I'll let you know if I hear anything else, but let's see if something big happens this week....

Interesting. Maybe the brass were meeting about the announcement that Malik Jackson would test the FA market. JDR has ties and familiar with him. And maybe they were meeting to agree on him as a target, which will cost $12 million a year. Timing seems to fit.

 

[Sarlakticacid]

Interesting. Maybe the brass were meeting about the announcement that Malik Jackson would test the FA market. JDR has ties and familiar with him. And maybe they were meeting to agree on him as a target, which will cost $12 million a year. Timing seems to fit.

I like this

 

[32 Counter Pass]

Additional news that may fit the Malik Jackson narrative: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2620654-insider-buzz-raiders-wont-let-money-get-in-the-way-of-signing-top-fa-target

 

[Chadstroma]

Maybe they were excited about the King contract extension?

 

[Hankmoody]

Pure speculation, but sign-and-trade for Wilkerson?  Jets are putting non-exclusive tag on him. 

 

[Chadstroma]

Pure speculation, but sign-and-trade for Wilkerson?  Jets are putting non-exclusive tag on him. 

Now that WOULD be exciting and seems to be in the realm of possibility.

 

[Stompin' Tom Connors]

Additional news that may fit the Malik Jackson narrative: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2620654-insider-buzz-raiders-wont-let-money-get-in-the-way-of-signing-top-fa-target

With Denver franchising Vonn Miller, would ponying up the dough for both Malik Jackson and Danny Trevathan make sense? Trevathan will be one of the better LBs to hit the market, the two would not only play well together in tandem but support the team's new style/ability to pair a solid edge rush (hello, Khalil Mack) with great interior play, there's familiarity with Del Rio and they both would bring some solid intelligence into playing Denver twice a season.

 

[Hankmoody]

I love the idea of Trevathan and floated that a couple of pages ago, but I'm not so sure about Malik Jackson.  Is he a true edge speed guy?  He seems to be more of a 3-4 DE that sets the edge and kind of gets a little rush much like Justin Houston played.  I don't hate the idea of it, but I hate the idea of laying down premium money if that's all we're getting.

 

[RaiderBones]

I love the idea of Trevathan and floated that a couple of pages ago, but I'm not so sure about Malik Jackson.  Is he a true edge speed guy?  He seems to be more of a 3-4 DE that sets the edge and kind of gets a little rush much like Justin Houston played.  I don't hate the idea of it, but I hate the idea of laying down premium money if that's all we're getting.

I would think Jackson would play on the inside in a 4-3 defense. 

 

[Hankmoody]

That seems even worse.  At 290 can he even hold up inside full-time?  To the tune of the $12M a year he's going to command?

 

[RaiderBones]

That seems even worse.  At 290 can he even hold up inside full-time?  To the tune of the $12M a year he's going to command?

Could be a situation where he plays on the outside on running downs and goes to the inside on passing plays. 

 

[massraider]

Could be a situation where he plays on the outside on running downs and goes to the inside on passing plays. 

This, a thousand times.  

Right end on running plays, and inside on passing plays.  Pretty much exactly what Mario did last year.  Dan and Jelly ARE our rush defense, and I love them both, but provide little pass rush.  Mario and Autry both did nice things as inside rushers, but both also play end.  

I'll be honest, I like our D-line with or without Malik.  I think it's the strongest part of the team.  I'm the biggest Autry fan out there, love his contributions last year.  If Edwards and/or Aldon are on the team, it's a very, very good line.  If we add Malik, it either replaces Edwards with a more advanced, better player, or adds another player that has versatility.   Although I think it's possible Edwards could be a better edge rusher. 

 

[Hankmoody]

Maybe it's just the $14M number that worries me.  That's going to come with some long term liability, and it's a a whole lot of money for a guy that got 5.5, 3.0, and 6.0 sacks the past three seasons.  Mack had more in 2015 alone.  I'd have no problem dishing out that kind of cash to a premium pass rusher, Jackson just doesn't fit that bill to me.  And I'm the one espousing spending in pretty much any form or fashion as long as it improves our overall talent.  That's just too big a chunk for that kind of production though.  Lamar Houston got $7M a year, that's the kind of contract I could live with for good run support and 6 sacks a year.

 

[massraider]

 

[Chadstroma]

Mario Williams is released and available now. I think that would be a good piece to add on D. I think he will be extra motivated to show how good he is when not misplaced in a 3-4.

 

[32 Counter Pass]

Yup. I wrote something similar upstream. Right situation, prolly comes at a slight discount and could be very motivated!

Kiper's latest mock has the Raiders taking Eli Apple, and after seeing his 40 time I became curious enough to watched some tape of Mr Apple. The Raiders do not need to draft Apple because they already have a similar player on their roster. His name is DJ Hayden, and Hayden is actually is more of a play maker than Apple from the file that I watched. 

 

[massraider]

Rams franchised Trumaine.  Bummer.  He would have been my first choice among the free agents, even Malik, because of need.

From now until March 9, no news is good news.  All the news now will be free agents re-signing.  

 

[Toomuchnv]

I hope Oakland makes a push for Olivier Vernon.  We have the cap space and could easily make an offer that Miami couldn't match.  He only received the transitional tag so it wouldn't cost us any draft picks to sign him as well.

 

[massraider]

I think Vernon is going somewhere.

I don't really know what Miami is thinking using the transition tag two years in a row, with their cap situation.  It'll be easy for someone to sign him to a deal Miami wouldn't match.  Vernon doesn't smell like a Reggie guy to me, I might be off on that tho.  

 

[Chadstroma]

Rumors starting to surface about Wilkerson trade. Perhaps that is what the excitement was about. He is a difference maker on D. Just wonder what we would have to give up for him.

 

[kaso]

Rumors starting to surface about Wilkerson trade. Perhaps that is what the excitement was about. He is a difference maker on D. Just wonder what we would have to give up for him.

This would be pretty shocking to me based on Reggie's track record of not overpaying and not making trades upwards in the draft to acquire specific prospects (big trades, not late round instances).  I'd be happy with the addition, but I don't recall any trade where Reggie gave away additional assets to bring a player in. 

 

[joey]

Making this up....

with Reggie's Green Bay heritage, maybe this is like bringing in Reggie White at his prime as a key piece to making them a playoff (and championship) team. 

Maybe he feels we're close enough with key young pieces in place that this is the off season to make some big splashes. The AFC west is there for the taking with manning riding off into the sunset. 

 

[Toomuchnv]

If trading for Wilkerson involves multiple 1st's I doubt Reggie does it and I would agree he shouldnt.  

I could see it for this year's 1st and maybe something later in the draft though.

 

[massraider]

Looking at free agent safeties, it's very interesting what's happening with ARI and their safeties.

They have a tight cap, and it looks like they are letting Rashad Johnson go, and they are letting Jefferson test the market.  They might lose both, and it seems like they are OK with it.  re-signing Honey Badger seems to be a priority, and Buchanon is playing LB.  I wonder if they think Jefferson and Johnson were products of the system, rather than very good safeties.  

 

[kaso]

Lots of discussion around Eric Berry over the past few weeks, maybe the Raiders do add a KC Safety... any chance that Tyvon Branch returns?  His career with Oakland wasn't solid, but neither was the entire D at that time. 

 

[Chadstroma]

Lots of discussion around Eric Berry over the past few weeks, maybe the Raiders do add a KC Safety... any chance that Tyvon Branch returns?  His career with Oakland wasn't solid, but neither was the entire D at that time. 

? Berry was tagged.

Seen some discussion about Branch surface recently. He could be added as badly needed depth but I don't think he is an answer as a starter- there are much better options available right now and perhaps even more as we are in roster cut season.

 

[kaso]

? Berry was tagged.

Seen some discussion about Branch surface recently. He could be added as badly needed depth but I don't think he is an answer as a starter- there are much better options available right now and perhaps even more as we are in roster cut season.

Sorry just meant that we had a lot of discussion on hoping we could land Berry.

 

[Chadstroma]

Sorry just meant that we had a lot of discussion on hoping we could land Berry.

Oh gotcha.

I think at this point with our need and our money available- any decent DB will be brought up as potentially coming to us. I fully expect at min 3 DB's to be signed in FA- 4 is prob the target number. We need both quality and quantity at this point at both CB and S. You have to figure we will make runs at guys like Weddle and Gipson and then fill in depth with someone like Branch as well.

 

[Chaka]

Looking at free agent safeties, it's very interesting what's happening with ARI and their safeties.

They have a tight cap, and it looks like they are letting Rashad Johnson go, and they are letting Jefferson test the market.  They might lose both, and it seems like they are OK with it.  re-signing Honey Badger seems to be a priority, and Buchanon is playing LB.  I wonder if they think Jefferson and Johnson were products of the system, rather than very good safeties.  

I think Jefferson is intriguing because of his age but I really have no idea if he is on the rise or was a product of a very well coached Arizona team.  Only one way to find out and the price should be good enough to make it worth finding out.

 

[massraider]

I think Jefferson is intriguing because of his age but I really have no idea if he is on the rise or was a product of a very well coached Arizona team.  Only one way to find out and the price should be good enough to make it worth finding out.

I watched a surprising amount of the Cards the last two years, I was infatuated with the way Bowles used the safeties, and they were fun to watch.  Rashad seems to have the better range, and I liked the idea of him at safety next to Allen, both FS-types with range.  Jefferson seemed more like Buchanon.  But all three were used all over the place (Honey Badger being the deep guy). 

Rashad's Twitter account is also heavy on the Bible verses, so you know that has to improve his chances of being in Oakland.  

FWIW:  jefferson had PFF grades last year of 76.9 coverage, 83.2 rush, and Rashad had 71.1 coverage, 62.9 rush.

 

[massraider]

First in a series upcoming the Raiders and NFL free agency, which begins March 7:

For all the good things Raiders general manager Reggie McKenzie has done in procuring talent over the past two seasons, identifying cornerbacks and safeties has been a problem area since he arrived in 2012.

Other than bringing in Charles Woodson, who had three good seasons to close out a Hall of Fame career, McKenzie has mostly swung and missed.

For three years, the Raiders looked to past-their-prime players to be starting cornerbacks, and they were predictably either injured or didn’t have enough left in the tank _ Ron Bartell and Shawntae Spencer in 2012, Mike Jenkins and Tracy Porter in 2013 and Tarell Brown and Carlos Rogers in 2014.

The draft brought a decent value in returning player TJ Carrie (seventh round, 2014) as a well as a potential bust (DJ Hayden, first round, 2013) while the picks of Keith McGill (fourth round, 2014) and Dexter McDonald (seventh round, 2015) remain an open question.

McKenzie and coach Jack Del Rio will give it another shot in 2016. The Raiders will need at least two new starters and possibly three. Waiver claim David Amerson, assuming he doesn’t revert to his 2014 form with Washington, should start, and Carrie could factor at either the other cornerback spot or safety.

Ideally, they Raiders will sign both a safety and a corner in free agency and then add each position in the draft as well.

The Raiders have an estimated cap space of more than $74 million, meaning they can afford anyone they want. Still, even with that much room to operate, McKenzie isn’t likely to go much over his own idea of a player’s worth. That’s the way he rolls.

A look at some free agent possibilities when free agency begins March 9, as well as returning players and their own free agents:

UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENTS

Cornerbacks

Sean Smith, Kansas City: The Chiefs franchised safety Eric Berry, which could leave Smith on the market for a big-money deal. Smith is in his prime at 28, has the size the Raiders love (6-3, 218) and Del Rio is fond of raiding division rivals (see Rodney Hudson last year).

Janoris Jenkins, Los Angeles: Jenkins (5-10, 198) was a candidate to franchised but lost out to fellow corner Trumaine Johnson. He has a knack for scoring touchdowns _ five in his career. One negative _ according to Profootballfocus.com, Jenkins has five touchdown passes in each of the last three seasons.

Casey Hayward, Green Bay: Hayward had three pretty solid seasons for the Packers, and has experience both in the slot and outside. McKenzie will always give a close look to former Packers. He will turn 27 in September.

Prince Amukamara, N.Y. Giants: Someone will sign the former first-round pick out of Nebraska. But Amukamara has missed way too much action because of injuries, playing a full 16-game schedule only once in 2013.

Safeties

Eric Weddle, San Diego: A hard-nosed player the Raiders have admired from the other side of the line of scrimmage, Weddle is 31 years old and may have too much wear and tear for McKenzie’s liking. But as Woodson showed, smart players can compensate with know-how at safety in a way they can’t at cornerback.

Reggie Nelson, Cincinnati: The best pure centerfielder in the free agent market, Nelson had a career-high eight interceptions for 115 yards in returns. One potential problem _ Nelson was a first-round pick with Jacksonville when Del Rio was coach, got himself in the doghouse after a strong rookie season and wound up being dealt for a conditional draft pick. The other issue? He’s 32 years old.

Rodney McLeod, Los Angeles: Has started 48 games for the Rams over the past three seasons and is only 25 years old. Has only five career interceptions but has the reputation of being a hard hitter with seven forced fumbles. Profootballfocus.com graded McLeod out higher than either Jenkins or Norris, the Rams starting corners.

George Iloka, Cincinnati: Classic strong safety size at 6-4, 225 but has also played in the deep middle even with Nelson around. Has shown the ability to defend against the league’s toughest tight ends. Iloka was limited to 12 games because of injury.

Walter Thurmond, Philadelphia: Has the Ken Norton factor going for him, having signed a one-year deal in Philadelphia after playing for Seattle from 2010 through 2013. Thurmond made the transition from corner to free safety last year, and the Raiders love that kind of versatility. Lots of problems with injuries until he played 16 games last season.

Tashaun Gipson, Cleveland: Coming off a poor season on a bad Browns defense, but Gipson had a high coverage grade in 2014 for Profootballfocus.com as well as six interceptions. Could be had at a nice price, and McKenzie loves the idea of a bargain.

PLAYERS UNDER CONTRACT

CB David Amerson: Hard to imagine where Raiders would have been without him. Waiver claim of the year.

CB-S TJ Carrie: Remains to be seen where the Raiders believe he will settle in. Has played 28 of 32 games, but there is concern over how often he is less than 100 percent physically.

CB DJ Hayden: Time is running out. Odds are he’ll never look like the 12th pick in the draft, but becoming a serviceable player is not out of the question.

CB Keith McGill: Injuries have limited his practice time and development. The Raiders like his classic corner build (6-3, 210) but hasn’t been able to break through at a position in need of fresh talent.

CB Dexter McDonald: Played in only six games as a rookie. Will be watched closely to see if he’s a viable NFL player in Year 2.

CB SaQwan Edwards: A late-season roster addition after Nate Allen went on injured reserve, Edwards didn’t make it out of training camp a year ago.

S Nate Allen: A big-ticket free agent a year ago, Allen spent much of the season on injured reserve/designated for return and didn’t play well when he came back. Renegotiated his contract to remain at a lower price.

S Dewey McDonald: An addition to practice squad who was promoted to 53-man roster when Marcel Reece was suspended.

UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENTS

S Taylor Mays: A physical specimen who was once a second-round pick by the 49ers, Mays played in 14 games with five starts and had a career high five passes defensed.

S Larry Asante: Played in 16 games with two starts, plus played on special teams. Could be kept around for depth. Always in top condition.

RESTRICTED FREE AGENTS

CB Neiko Thorpe: Has shown enough to play in 28 games over the past two years on special teams and occasionally at cornerback (two starts in 2015) but unlikely to be counted on as a regular rotational player.

EXCLUSIVE RIGHTS FREE AGENTS

S Tevin McDonald: The son of former 49ers safety Tim McDonald bounced between the practice squad and the 53-man roster last season.

http://www.ibabuzz.com/oaklandraiders/2016/03/03/raiders-free-agency-outlook-can-mckenzie-change-his-luck-f/

A pretty great read from Jerry Mac, regarding the DBs.  It's a very fair criticism that Reggie hasn't found solid DBs.  One Amerson doesn't make up for whiffs elsewhere.  

 

[Bruno2]

Reggie also whiffed on the QBs until  he drafted Carr. Guys like Spencer and Bartell weren't brought in as long term solutions. They were pawns or placeholders during the deconstruction period. I say keep swinging on the DBs until they find a few gems. Reggie hasn't been perfect, but he's done enough to get the team going in the right direction. 

 

[massraider]

https://audioboom.com/boos/4253064-greg-cosell-with-the-midday-180

Interview with Greg Cosell.  Go to 16:00 to hear him talk about Clemson's defensive prospects.  He really, really likes Mackensie Alexander.

 

[Bruno2]

https://audioboom.com/boos/4253064-greg-cosell-with-the-midday-180

Interview with Greg Cosell.  Go to 16:00 to hear him talk about Clemson's defensive prospects.  He really, really likes Mackensie Alexander.

I've seen quite a few mocks lately with him going to the Raiders. 

 

[massraider]

I've seen quite a few mocks lately with him going to the Raiders. 

I don't really pretend to know anything about the corners, and watching TV broadcasts of games isn't really super helpful, but unless we sign three good corners in free agency, it's still going to be a need on draft day.  If we take Hargreaves, Alexander, or even Jackson, I'll be happy.  

I'm also kind of thinking about Taylor Decker, and even Jon Bullard as a DT.  Darron Lee would be a fun pick, you know he'd start from Day 1. 

 

[massraider]

http://www.philadelphiaeagles.com/videos/videos/Film-Room-Cornerbacks-On-Display/9e2c6af1-ecad-46fc-82a5-e98a3f8365f9

Really fun video interview with Cosell regarding the free agent corners.  

http://www.philadelphiaeagles.com/videos/videos/Film-Room-Free-Agent-Safeties/f941b841-bb51-49c3-a7b3-64e10d004458

And here's  one regarding the free agent safeties.

 

[Bruno2]

I don't really pretend to know anything about the corners, and watching TV broadcasts of games isn't really super helpful, but unless we sign three good corners in free agency, it's still going to be a need on draft day.  If we take Hargreaves, Alexander, or even Jackson, I'll be happy.  

I'm also kind of thinking about Taylor Decker, and even Jon Bullard as a DT.  Darron Lee would be a fun pick, you know he'd start from Day 1. 

Yeah me either mass. There doesn't seem to be any clear cut superstars in this draft class (I'm sure a few will emerge in a year or two) but no one is really being touted as elite at their positions except for Tunsil, Ramsey and Elliott. It seems like a deep defensive draft, perfect in my opinion for where the Raiders are sitting. They can grab a DT or CB at 14 and be hopeful he starts this year.

 

[massraider]

Ian Rapoport of NFL Media reports that the Raiders have tendered QB Matt McGloin at the second-round level on Friday.

The second-round tender will cost the $2.553 million for the 2016 season and net them a second-round pick if he receives an offer sheet from another team and they elect to pass on matching it.

McGloin, 26, wound up signing on with the Raiders as an undrafted free agent out of Penn State back in 2013. He has surprisingly made the 53-man roster each year and appears to be a player the team really values.

In 2015, McGloin appeared in two games for the Raiders and threw for 142 yards while completing 71.9 percent of his passes to go along with two touchdowns and an interception.

 

[Biabreakable]

Cardinals give safety Tony Jefferson low tender

I love Jeffersons reaction. 

 

[Chadstroma]

2nd round tender for McGloin? Sounds like a bit much but he has proven himself a solid backup. With Carr starting and McGloin backing him up- we don't have to worry about the QB position for a while. Two young guys. Nice to have that taken care of. It has been 15 years or so since I was comfortable with our QB position.

For MacKenzie and the DB's- I will only be critical of Hayden. The FA signings of the other guys were all bargain signings looking to fill holes. I don't recall FA DB's that were available at a decent price the last few years. And if Hayden panned out- the FA signings wouldn't have hurt so much. But when he took Haden in the 1st when very likely we could have got him in the 2nd- it really had a domino effect on the rest of the roster for the last couple of years. Now, we know we need to get some guys- there is a number of quality players we can go after with a deep pocket and the attractiveness of being a team on the rise. For once, the football has bounced in our favor in terms of this fumble where as for 15 years it has not.

 

[Chadstroma]

Here is my top 5 wishlist for FA. It is not a fantasy wishlist but one that I think is reasonable considering the money we have to spend and the needs we have.

1. Re-sign Penn. I am not seeing a better option right now. I would like to get younger there as Penn is getting long in the tooth and it may be costly to keep him as he is looking to cash in on his improved pay but we can't take the hit of a downgrade at LT.
   
2. Trevathan. I would love getting him. It will be costly but he would be a huge upgrade for us as a 3 down LB to plug that middle for us. He has tremendous speed and can cover which is something we need for our MLB. Gives us insight on a division rival.
   
3. Weddle. Coming off a down year but I think he is coming away from SD with some strong emotions that might refuel his tanks. Would provide veteran leadership that we are need for the defense and the young DB's. Provides some intelligence on a division rival.
   
4. Sean Smith. Would shore up our starting CB slot opposite of Amerson. Only 28 and has been good at what he does. Hey- also helps us against the last division rival.
   
5. JPP. Adds veteran leadership missing from Tuck and even with the clubbed hand was good when he got back last year. With the big question mark hovering over Mario's kneck, this moves jumps into my top 5. I considered Mario Williams here but I am not sold on Mario being an addition to the locker room where I think JPP would. Not that I would be unhappy with Williams but still.
   

I would add that I would have put re-signing Aldon Smith in the top 5 but since we can not do that until well into the year for his suspension, I will just make this special note here.

 

[Stompin' Tom Connors]

I just hope that, with our bursting coffers, we don't go out and make stupid depth moves on players with connections to staff, like picking up Roddy White, Rahim Moore, or Daryl Smith...

Would make no sense given needs, but still wary of Reggie, JDR, etc. looking at players that were "their guys" with more insularity at times than I'd like.