Michael Lombardi's take on McDaniels (Pats' personnel evaluation strategy) versus Broncos personnel evaluation strategy

by super7 on Jan 13, 2009 10:28 AM MST Comment 43 comments

This is from Lombardi's morning article on www.nationalfootballpost.com.

Seems to me that he's saying that there's a great reason that Denver's talent has been lacking for a very long time (sans the 2008 draft, Ryan Harris, and the 2006 draft).

In addition, I have to think that Bowlen wants to shift Denver's organization to be much more aligned with New England's, specifically on the talent evalutaion side.

I think this is HUGE news for all Denver Broncos fans and further reasoning for parting ways with Mike Shanahan.

Josh McDaniels might be young, but he is not limited in his experience to handle the head coaching job in Denver. Where he may face some difficulty is trying to blend his idea of football operations and procuring talent, which he learned in New England, to the current style and manner in Denver. The Broncos have done things one way for the past 14 years, and McDaniels has learned his way for the past eight years. I can say without a single doubt, the two are dramatically different. From his time with the Patriots, McDaniels received an education in procurement and knows how to build a very structured and detailed personnel department. The Broncos have functioned under a completely different style and have never been very detailed and structured when it comes to personnel. They relied more on the position coaches to make highlight tapes and then meet for two weeks and have the coaches and scouts grade the players. Their scouts did the background work, but the bulk of the decision-making was based on the presentation of the tapes.

With current personnel director Jim Goodman having the final say in deciding whom they select, he will obviously have the final say on how the department is set up. McDaniels will need to take time to evaluate the situation and will need to make sure he knows what he’s getting into in terms of personnel. He comes in with an open mind and a clean slate, and it will be very important for the members of the Denver front office to prove their knowledge and work ethic to their new head coach. Goodman may have the final say, but McDaniels has the knowledge of what he wants in each player, and Goodman will have to learn how McDaniels views the game and work accordingly. Goodman may have been a former coach, but this will be new to him as he has only been in one organization in his career. Therefore, he must make the adjustments; it will be important to minimize the transition time.

McDaniels started out working in personnel, where each coach and most of the decision makers in New England are well versed in understanding “players and plays” and how they blend. That will not be the case in the Denver personnel department, which only sees players. McDaniels will need to learn how to deal with this difference, and he will need to make sure he can install his way of procurement . That, to me, will be his greatest challenge.

Thoughts...

This is a Fan-Created Comment on MileHighReport.com. The opinion here is not necessarily shared by the editorial staff of MHR

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Wonderful

I’ve been a part of changes in several companies, and learning to recognize the needs of the people involved, maximize their skills and get past everyone’s personal style issues is always ‘interesting’. Even so -

The Goodmans and Xanders have changed the way the Broncos draft. McDaniels will change it a little more, probably a lot more. Given the fact that we became an uncomfortable bit of a joke for some years in our drafts while NE became a bit of an icon in theirs, changing towards a more efficient style seems sensible. McDaniels version of the offense, whatever it might be, and the new DC’s version of the D will need certain types of players. After the game of ‘Who are we this week?’ we played on D this season and some of the hit-and-miss play calling on O, it would be a relief to me to identify and go after the ones that could make us stronger.

In Goodman We Trust

by Emmett Smith on Jan 13, 2009 10:44 AM MST reply actions 0 recs

I do agree....

with one thing Lombardi is saying — The Patriots are a standard-bearer in the NFL right now. The Broncos need to take a good look at, and give a good listen to what McDaniels has to say. With the exception of the draft, the Broncos have done a poor job in how they acquire talent, both in terms of draft picks and free agents. It is time to take a real hard look at revamping that process.

-TSG

SBNation's Denver Broncos Blogger
MileHighReport

Questions, Comments...E-Mail Me!
milehighreport@gmail.com

by John Bena on Jan 13, 2009 10:54 AM MST reply actions 0 recs

+1

This is my GAP, there are many like it but this one is mine. Without my GAP I am useless, without me, they will run through my GAP. I will protect my GAP and have my brothers back on his. I will not be moved from my GAP, I am a crazed dog that patrols this area and will defeat all who entire it. I own this GAP, it is mine. I bought it with blood and sweat. I will not be pushed. I will not be moved. This Sunday I will make a stand and a statement.

by Tim Lynch on Jan 13, 2009 10:55 AM MST up reply actions 0 recs

By 'Draft'

I mean the 2008 Draft….

-TSG

SBNation's Denver Broncos Blogger
MileHighReport

Questions, Comments...E-Mail Me!
milehighreport@gmail.com

by John Bena on Jan 13, 2009 11:00 AM MST up reply actions 0 recs

i thought the 2006 draft was a pretty good one also

better than the 2001-2005 drafts for sure

somethings wrong, Trying to conquer these fears i thought were gone. And it's been so long, I'm dying to live in a world i don't belong

by broncfanstuckinsd on Jan 13, 2009 2:32 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs

Definitely

that was a gem amongst the last number of years of drafts

I don’t want breakaway speed. I want break-some-poor-fool-as-I-bowl-you-over power getting 6 yards off a play that should have been stopped for 2 at most.

by sadaraine on Jan 13, 2009 2:36 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs

+2

I don’t want breakaway speed. I want break-some-poor-fool-as-I-bowl-you-over power getting 6 yards off a play that should have been stopped for 2 at most.

by sadaraine on Jan 13, 2009 11:07 AM MST up reply actions 0 recs

It generally sounds like Denver has been both lazy and disorganized

I seems like he says that Denver likes to have the coaches in a room with a screen and have the scouts present their work in a video format.

Maybe McD can help the Broncos current on this

by super7 on Jan 13, 2009 12:19 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs

Even more damning

is the fact that Lombardi was an insider at one point. Have you ever read the write up he did on Javon Walker for the Broncos? Spot on… and it was pre-injury.

aka MN Bronco

by pubkeeper on Jan 13, 2009 4:05 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs

Personnel

On who will make personnel decisions

“I have met (Vice President of Football Operations/Player Personnel) Jim Goodman and his staff in the personnel department. I think it has to be a situation where we are going to collaborate on what we feel is best for the football team going forward from a personnel standpoint. Certainly Jim has done a great job of evaluating players from the college level (and) free agents and he knows this league and the players that are going to come into this league. I look forward to working with him in collaboration to try and create the best roster with the most depth that we possibly can.”

On who will have the final say if there are any disagreement in personnel choice

“Hopefully there are not many of those but Jim (Goodman) would make the call if there is an issue in terms of personnel.”

I liked this from McD

In Goodman We Trust

by Emmett Smith on Jan 13, 2009 11:15 AM MST reply actions 0 recs

Agree

This guy know his place and it sounds like this whole personnel acquisition piece is one of the reasons to bring in McD as opposed to the other candidates.

Personnel Acqusition experience/theory was just as important as any of the other hiring criteria, it seems.

I’m beginning to see that Bowlen really believes this guy is the best individual to run the team. It’s obvious that Pat thought McD was easily the most ‘well-rounded’ and I agree.

by super7 on Jan 13, 2009 11:29 AM MST up reply actions 0 recs

+2

Got to love the “I know my place” behind his statement. He’s going to be a great coach if he keeps humble and does his job well without growing too big of an ego.

I don’t want breakaway speed. I want break-some-poor-fool-as-I-bowl-you-over power getting 6 yards off a play that should have been stopped for 2 at most.

by sadaraine on Jan 13, 2009 12:50 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs

Sounds good

Needless to say the talent-evaluation i Denver needs a shake-up.

Random quotes about the raiders:
They really shouldn’t play — Chris Collinsworth (12/5/08)
This is an utter disaster — Chris Collinsworth (12/5/08)
/The great Dane - formerly known as Claaaaas!

by Claus Vestergaard on Jan 13, 2009 11:56 AM MST reply actions 0 recs

FAs

The draft evaluation process has worked well lately although I wouldn’t want to rely on what may have been partly luck. It’s an area with fewer concerns though, and I’m sure the GM crew and McDaniels will work well together there anyways.

What has been a concern however, is our ability to evaluate FAs. This would seem to be the likeliest area of the organization in need a complete revamping, and having ‘fresh eyes’ aboard, i.e., McDaniels and Nolan, may help.

by Colinski on Jan 13, 2009 12:06 PM MST reply actions 0 recs

Willie Middlebrooks Finally Explained!

Now we know how that abomination of a draft pick happened. Or at least we can guess. The secondary coach at the time (I want to say somebody Mason) made a highlight tape of Middlebrooks,whom he’d coached at the U. Sundquist and Shanny liked the tape and decided he’d be a great CB. Good Lord.

That pick illustrates the problem on so many levels. Unsystematic drafting, ignoring the DL, taking a risk on an injured guy, drafting people high who would’ve been there in later rounds.

This is the reason I was so excited about McDaniels. I don’t know what happened in the interviews, but I know that his training is as much about running an organization as it is about X’s and O’s. I never got the sense that Spags or the others approached the game the same way. After all, Spags’ boss is a fourth-rate Woody Hayes!

by Chibronx on Jan 13, 2009 12:36 PM MST reply actions 0 recs

It was David Gibbs

Who? Why, son of Alex Gibbs, of course…more of that Shanahan nepotism that Holden Caulfield had alluded to…

by Douglas A. Lee on Jan 13, 2009 12:44 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs

Right, I was thinking of Glenn Mason the Gophers Coach.

Oh, cripes, the nepotism. They had become a parody of an organization. You didn’t just hire your buddies’ kids, you let them make tapes promoting their pet players, and then drafted based on cherrypicked highlight reels. I mean, I read that right, didn’t I? It’s crazy.

And bonus nepotism jeers to Jr. Slowik. As if one Slowik weren’t already too many!

by Chibronx on Jan 13, 2009 12:48 PM MST reply actions 0 recs

It seems to me...

…that the Denver scouting and coaching staff were as interested (if not more interested) in self preservation and a pat on the back than moving the franchise’s talent to the next level.

It seems lazy and self serving to me that these coaches would fight for kids they knew.

This is the first time I’ve said this: THANK GOD SHANNY’S GONE. For better or for worse (more worse than better), the Broncos had to part ways. The organization wasn’t built for success or accountability.

by super7 on Jan 13, 2009 1:03 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs

+1

I definitely feel more optimistic with Mac Daddy at the reins than I did at the end of the year when Shanny was still in charge.

"WTF" By Zappa. 1/5/09

I can deal with bears....sharks on the other hand.......of course, I am not talking about if I were menstrual(I’m a guy so that isn’t it), but yeah. I can deal with bears if my arm or something was bleedin’, but sharks? I’ll pass on those. The worst feeling in the world is to be out in the surf and feel something very large brush up against your leg as you were alone waiting for your next wave. I don’t think I’ve gone out past waist deep in the ocean since. lol It was probably just a damn dolphin or something, but yeah. Screw sharks and the evolutionary train they rode in on!

by papigrande on Jan 13, 2009 3:23 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs

no slowick's are better than one. that goes double for two.

taste my blintzkrieg!
2009-year of the defense.

by davecheffy on Jan 13, 2009 2:58 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs

Anyone Remember the Chris Watson Experiment?

You know, part of the ’99 draft in which they had a first, two second sand two thirds, only to come away with Al Wilson and four nobodies? Shanny picked him based on a homemade highlight tape the dude sent in. The Post thought it was a great story.

Homemade tape plus College Ball at Eastern Illinois = 3rd round pick!

Sorry to go on and on, everbody, but I just feel like this answers so much.

by Chibronx on Jan 13, 2009 1:16 PM MST reply actions 0 recs

Ugh, thanks for the reminder...

I should note, I think there is a certain amount of nepotism that’s okay in sports, it’s just a very dangerous thing to play around with. It has certainly worked for many people, including Tom Coughlin/Chris Snee, Bum/Wade Phillips (As a DC, that is), Dick/Mike Nolan, Mike/Kyle Shanahan, Gary Kubiak, Rick Dennison…it’s all about who you know, yes.

And Eastern Illinois did produce Mike Heimerdinger, Sean Payton, Brad Childress? and Tony Romo. Romo, of course, would have been a Bronco had Shanny been able to convince him he could start in Denver sooner than Dallas. Not saying I wish for it, obviously I’d rather have Cutler…but it wouldn’t have been the worst thing.

But yes, I certainly remember Chris Watson. I remember a lot of strange early-round picks that all the so-called pundits questioned immediately. Obviously, they’re just opinions, but it’s never good when you pull up every draft pick summary and see….

“Has questionable size for an NFL player” (except when talking linemen)
“Projects as a 4th or 5th-rounder” (for the Broncos’ 2nd-round pick of that year)
“Was injured early in senior season and should be ready for training camp”
“Raw talent, would benefit from another year in college”

Those sorts of quotes were ALWAYS popping up…Watson, Middlebrooks, Watts, Lelie, Nash, Toviessi, etc.

by Douglas A. Lee on Jan 13, 2009 2:05 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs

That's an excruciating memory

I saw Nick Eason in a Steelers jersey on Sunday, speaking of failed experiments. He was part of the vaunted 2003 draft:

George Foster
Terry Pierce
Quentin Griffin
Nick Eason*
Bryant McNeil*
Ben Claxton
Adrian Madise
Aaron Hunt
Clint Mitchell
Ahmaad Galloway

So 10 picks, no victories. Not one. The * shows the 2 Defensive Linemen that Denver drafted from Clemson. This was a precursur to the “Brown-cos” a few years later. Shanny had a tendencey to try to fix things in “one fell swoop”. He figured that they’d come in and it would just be fixed.

The funny thing is that Denver’s defense under Larry Coyer was fantastic for the most part. Didn’t his defenses finish in the top 10 for 3 straight years including the year they fired him?

by super7 on Jan 13, 2009 2:08 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs

Curious about...

I was thinking about players and how they mature. A sort of “Talent Curve”. I’m wondering if anyone has thoughts on different positions and how quickly they can 1) make an impact and 2) be considered a “successful choice” at their position.

So, maybe a Qb, by year 3 makes the leap usually and an LB by week 10 of his rookie year usually shows how well he’ll be.

by super7 on Jan 13, 2009 2:29 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs

how about the 3 corners drafted?

good observation super, shanny did use a find it and fix it approach to the perceived problems with the team. i still would take shanny in mac’s role right now(new dc, gm), offensive assistants intact, but obviously that wasn’t going to happen. coyer is much better than the last 2 clowns, but his inability to adjust(see 2005 afc championship game), and the d’s fade at the end of games/seasons made him expendable. nolan is much better, i just don’t want to see the rumored 3-4 switch. this won’t help the next 2 seasons, and doesn’t give our currently younger/cheaper o a good chance to win it in the near future.

taste my blintzkrieg!
2009-year of the defense.

by davecheffy on Jan 13, 2009 3:11 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs

decision theory

….. seems to be something they never heard of. I’m not down on Shanahan from a personal POV but internal dynamics explain their decision making process far better than well-thought out analysis. People who’ve achieved success are often the victims of their past success. Moreover, the most common cognitive bias that powerful people suffer from is over-confidence, and it’s one that supremely confident people are least likely to embrace as a flaw.

by Colinski on Jan 13, 2009 3:25 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs

I think that's been the secret of...

NE’s continued success. Just as we developed a system for running the ball (instead of relying on heroic individual effort) NE has developed a system for consistently acquiring quality players rather than relying on brilliant instincts.

Shanny always seemed to be looking for the next Terrel Davis, that player everyone else overlooked, instead of just continually acquiring good players and relying on a superior system.

by SlowWhiteGuy on Jan 13, 2009 3:31 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs

Who?

Who, who, who, who, who, who, who, and who? That wasn’t a good draft so much, was it?

"WTF" By Zappa. 1/5/09

by papigrande on Jan 13, 2009 3:25 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs

Watson did play in the NFL for awhile in Denver and Buffalo....

There have been worse Broncos picks, definitely

"I am not one of those who think that coming in second or third is winning." -- Robert F. Kennedy

by Ted Bartlett on Jan 13, 2009 2:27 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs

How about Paul Toviessi?

"I am not one of those who think that coming in second or third is winning." -- Robert F. Kennedy

by Ted Bartlett on Jan 13, 2009 2:28 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs

So, I'd like to see a list of guys shanny drafted by position

I think we’d see 80% + evaluation failure on defense and 60% + evaluation failure on offense. I’d wonder how that stacks up.

I know not every pick is a success, but we went entire years without more than 1 productive guy on defense getting drafted. It’s not like Al Wilson was a gamble! He was an easy (and high) pick. I’d actually argue that DJ Williams has NOT lived up to the hype.

Thoughts…

by super7 on Jan 13, 2009 2:33 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs

That one was excruciating because it illustrated problem #3 in NYCs Tpology

He had a bad knee, right? Everybody knew he had a bad knee. They said: Jason Taylor, but bad knee. The Broncos took him, he tore it up in training camp. And then — get this — bad knee.

Chris Watson, who saw time in the NFL is by no means the worst pick. I brought him up because his selection illustrates the insane approach of determining draft picks via the combination of:

a) Cherry-picked highlight tapes. In this case, they responded to the highlight reel of a guy promoting himself! and

b) Some other tic, such as familiar college, relationship with the coaching staff, or playing a position that Shanny decided he was going to draft to death in one year.

Maybe we should start another thread in which we draw on everyone’s knowledge to categorize which draft picks were compromised — and in which way — by the Broncos’ insane selection process. The point would be to separate it out from their other bad tics, such as focusing on undersized, injured players with bad attitudes. That’s a separate discussion.

by Chibronx on Jan 13, 2009 2:36 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs

Go for it!

It’s not very funny that when you really look at the draft and Free Agency moves Denver made from 1996-2008, that there are extreme amounts of players drafted without any level of success with Denver.

Aside from Mike Anderson, Ian Gold, Reggie Hayward, Clinton Portis, TD, Pryce, Dan Neil, John Mobely, Al Wilson, who has Denver drafted that was considered a great pick by Denver before the 2006 draft?

That’s 9 guys. That’s gotta be the average number of one draft class. So, 1995-2005, in 10 years, Shanny averaged just less than ONE productive player a year.

That’s not just BAD, that’s a COLOSSAL failure.

I’ve said it in the past and I’ll say it again: Shanny’s knowledge of X’s and O’s is his biggest asset and his biggest achilles heel. He’s so friggin good that he can mask poor talent behind a clever scheme, but it only lasts so long, eventually he has to acquire somebody new.

by super7 on Jan 13, 2009 2:54 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs

Those are just the draft picks, the free agents are the same story though

Darryl Gardner, D-Rob, Plummer (was just OKAY in 2005, but he’s on the line)?

Shanny brought in Al Williams and Neil Smith, Eddie Mac…who else?

by super7 on Jan 13, 2009 2:56 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs

dont forget Romo

hate the guy but he was very important for the defense. Also he brought back Tyrone Braxton, Vaughn hebron, Derrick Loville, Darrien Gordon thats to name a few. He also drafted Tory James, while not a stud, he was a good player who lasted a long time in this league

somethings wrong, Trying to conquer these fears i thought were gone. And it's been so long, I'm dying to live in a world i don't belong

by broncfanstuckinsd on Jan 13, 2009 3:11 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs

and how could forget he got Stink to come to Denver

somethings wrong, Trying to conquer these fears i thought were gone. And it's been so long, I'm dying to live in a world i don't belong

by broncfanstuckinsd on Jan 13, 2009 3:12 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs

past FA crops

An important distinction with the FAs is that they could be described as self-selecting. Denver’s golden age of FAs (mid-90s) was a time when many FAs came to Denver because they WANTED TO COME to Denver. They also supplemented a defense whose nucleus had already been established before Shanahan arrived.

The drafts up till around 2000 did produce some players, and it’s misleading to expect that more players should have been produced without seeing the league statistics on this, but many of those players in the 2000’s left via free agency. However, I’m not trying gloss over the problems with personnel evaluation, but it’s important to look at how other ‘experts’ evaluated some of our choices, since they weren’t widely considered poor in many cases. Luck had something to do with it in some cases, but luck is exactly what you’re seeking to avoid with a formal decision making process.

by Colinski on Jan 13, 2009 3:49 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs

Shanny brought in Al Williams and Neil Smith, Eddie Mac…who else?

Gary Zimmerman

Fear is the mind killer. Fear is the little death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. When the fear has gone past, I will turn to see fear’s path. Where the fear has gone, there will be nothing. Only I will remain.

Bene Gesserit saying. (From Dune, by Frank Herbert)

by bradley on Jan 14, 2009 11:36 AM MST up reply actions 0 recs

Ouch

In Goodman We Trust

by Emmett Smith on Jan 13, 2009 7:09 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs

let's not forget

the wild success of undrafted fa’s, and the acquisition of some excellent players, by trade or fa. man, are people ripping on shanny now. is this part of the healing process, to distance oneself? i wonder

taste my blintzkrieg!
2009-year of the defense.

by davecheffy on Jan 13, 2009 3:15 PM MST reply actions 0 recs

good point....

But I think the critique here isn’t that Shanny never did anything good. It’s that he went about it in a slapdash and unsystematic way. Instead of looking back and concluding that he had a good system and a good eye for talent, it looks to me like he rolled the dice a lot. He got lucky early and drew in some good guys (back when people wanted to play with Elway and he had the SF ties). Then he stopped getting lucky. It’s nice to be lucky. But it’s better to be good.

At the beginning, when free agency was new and good players were making it to the open market, he could cover himself. But teams quickly adapted and locked up the young folks of value. Shanny didn’t adapt.

This is a long way of saying that he could roll the dice in the draft early on and make up for it elsewhere. But that got harder and harder to do, especially as other teams became so much more sophisticated in player acquisition.

by Chibronx on Jan 13, 2009 3:39 PM MST up reply actions 1 recs

yes, I agree

Early fears of overspending seem to have led to a number of FAs leaving for greener pastures in the mid-90s with Denver benefiting at that time. Teams soon learned to protect important talent and the well dried up by the late 90s (or did then here). Values had disappeared, and players often had character issue to go with their high price tags (e.g., Dale Carter). And even this description overstates things somewhat because the FAs were many and only few succeeded and even their success was often unforeseeable.

Here’s a quick listing of the record:

————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

1993 — Signed: RB Rod Bernstine (San Diego), RB Robert Delpino (Los Angeles Rams), G Brian Habib (Minnesota), T Don Maggs (Houston), LB Dave Wyman (Seattle).

Lost: LB Michael Brooks (New York Giants), WR Mark Jackson (N.Y. Giants).

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

1994 — Signed: WR Jeff Campbell (Detroit), CB Ray Crockett (Detroit), LB Richard Harvey (Buffalo), CB Randy Hilliard (Cleveland), WR Anthony Miller (San Diego).

Lost: WR Vance Johnson (San Diego).

————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

1995 — Signed: RB Aaron Craver (Miami), LB Britt Hager (Philadelphia), S Tim Hauck (Green Bay), DT James Jones (Cleveland), OL Bill Lewis (Arizona), DT Mike Lodish (Buffalo), WR Ed McCaffrey (San Francisco), T Reggie McElroy (Minnesota), QB Bill
Musgrave (San Francisco), DT Michael Dean Perry (Cleveland), G Mark Schlereth (Washington), T Bill Schultz (Houston), CB Eric Thomas (N.Y. Jets), T Broderick Thompson (Philadelphia), CB Lionel Washington (L.A. Raiders).

Lost: LB Richard Harvey (New Orleans), T Kirk Scrafford (San Francisco), DT Ted Washington (Buffalo), C/G Dave Widell (Jacksonville).

——————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

1996 — Signed: CB Toi Cook (New Orleans), DT Jumpy Geathers (Atlanta), RB Vaughn Hebron (Philadelphia), LB Bill Romanowski (Philadelphia), WR Mike Sherrard (N.Y. Giants), DE Aaron Wallace (Oakland), DE Alfred Williams (49ers).

Lost: DT Shane Dronett (Atlanta).

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

1997 — Signed: LB Arnold Ale (San Diego), WR Flipper Anderson (Washington), QB Bubby Brister, S Dedrick Dodge (San Francisco), CB Darrien Gordon (San Diego), WR Willie Green (Carolina), FB Howard Griffith (Carolina), RB Derek Loville (San Francisco), RB Anthony Lynn (San Francisco), LB Godffrey Myles (Dallas), DE Neil Smith (Kansas City), T Harry Swayne (San Diego), DT Keith Traylor (Kansas City).

Lost: RB Aaron Craver (San Diego), S Tim Hauck (Seattle), S Rondell Jones (Baltimore), DE Jeff Robinson (St. Louis), OL Ralph Tamm (Kansas City).

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

1998 — Signed: QB Doug Nussmeier (New Orleans), DE Marvin Washington (San Francisco).

Lost: LB Allen Aldridge (Detroit), G Brian Habib (Seattle).

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

1999 — Signed: T Tony Berti (Seattle), CB Dale Carter (Kansas City), DE Carl Reeves (Chicago). Lost: LB Keith Burns (Chicago), WR Willie Green (Miami), T Harry Swayne (Baltimore), DE Marvin Washington (San Francisco).

———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

2000 — Signed: DE Lester Archambeau (Atlanta), G David Diaz-Infante (Philadelphia), QB Gus Frerotte (Detroit), DT Bob Kuberski (New England), CB Jeremy Lincoln (N.Y. Giants), LB Ricardo McDonald (Chicago), DE Kavika Pittman (Dallas), CB Darryl Pounds (Washington).

Lost: DT Paul Grasmanis (Philadelphia), CB Tory James (Oakland), TE Shannon Sharpe (Baltimore).

————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

2001 — Signed: T Ethan Brooks (Arizona), FB Tony Carter (New England), LB Henri Crockett (Atlanta), T Todd Fordham (Jacksonville), TE Patrick Hape (Tampa Bay), WR Eddie Kennison (Chicago), DT Leon Lett (Dallas), CB Denard Walker (Tennessee).

Lost:CB Ray Crockett (Kansas City), TE Byron Chamberlain (Minnesota).

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

2002 — Signed: DT Lional Dalton (Baltimore), LB Terry Killens (San Francisco), S Izell Reese (Dallas), T Ephraim Salaam (Atlanta).

Lost: CB Eric Davis (Detroit), QB Gus Frerotte (Cincinnati), T Trey Teague
(Buffalo).

———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

2003 — Signed: DT Daryl Gardener (Washington), G Heath Irwin (St. Louis), QB Jake Plummer (Arizona).

Lost: RB Olandis Gary (Buffalo), CB Tyrone Poole (New England), DT Montae Reagor (Indianapolis), Izell Reese (Buffalo).

——————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

2004 — Signed: DE Marco Coleman (Philadelphia), T Cornell Green (Tampa Bay), QB Mike Quinn (Houston), TE O.J. Santiago (Oakland), TE Jed Weaver (San Francisco).

Lost: DE Bertrand Berry (Arizona), LB Keith Burns (Tampa Bay), WR Chris Cole
(Oakland), LB Ian Gold (Tampa Bay).

————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

2005 — Signed: TE Stephen Alexander (Detroit), LB Keith Burns (Tampa Bay), RB Ron Dayne (N.Y. Giants), G Cameron Spikes (Arizona).

Lost: DE Reggie Hayward (Jacksonville), S Kenoy Kennedy (Detroit), LB Donnie Spragan (Miami).

———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

2006 — Signed: LB Nate Webster (Cincinnati).

Lost: DT Monsanto Pope (N.Y. Jets).

————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

2007 — Signed: TE Daniel Graham (New England), LB Warrick Holdman (Washington), G Montrae Holland (New Orleans), LB D.D. Lewis (Seattle), P Todd Sauerbrun (New England), RB Paul Smith (St. Louis).

Lost: G Cooper Carlisle (Oakland), DE Patrick Chukwurah (Tampa Bay), DT Michael Myers (Cincinnati).

———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

2008 — Signed: LB Boss Bailey (Detroit), WR Keary Colbert (Carolina), LB Niko Koutouvides (Seattle), S Marquand Manuel (Carolina), WR Samie Parker (Kansas City), RB Michael Pittman (Tampa Bay), C Casey Wiegmann (Kansas City).

Lost: K Jason Elam (Atlanta), S Nick Ferguson (Houston).

by Colinski on Jan 13, 2009 4:48 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs