CHEAP SKATES

These teams have mostly home grown talent. Same with the Packers, in fact looking at all the playoff teams most of them have been built through the draft. Free agents are usually overpaid so there is not great value. How did the Eagles and Jets do this year? Not awesome. Find role players through free agency but the core of the team should be through the draft.

Buying up all the top iter free agents worked so well for Philly last year. Its now how much you spend, its how smart you spend it.

In 1996, after the Jacksonville debacle in the playoffs, Elway knew as well as anyone that we desperately needed to add Neal Smith from Kansas City in the off season. So much so that he gave up part of his salary to enable the team to sign Smith. He was also part of the group that worked to get Smith to finish hsi career as a Bronco.

The result, two back to back Super Bowl wins. There is no one more competitive than John Elway. Ask Dan Reeves if you don’t believe me. He once stated that Elway always wants to win, even if its tiddly winks, he wants to beat you.

No one knows the value of a key free agent more than John Elway and the rest of this FO. Your worry about them is misplaced. and,frankly, uninformed.

We also need to build through the draft, but one of the nice things about having cap room is that we can cherry-pick from teams that have had a competent front office over the last 3 or 4 years. Someone is going to get those FA’s that the good teams can’t afford to keep, and it might as well be us.

EFX have done a good job so far of evaluating talent, and I believe that will continue. But I also believe that Bowlen needs to spend up to the salary cap. We are two players away on defense (Goodman and Mays) from being a top ten unit. A young power RB would help this offense immensely. And an upgrade at center would make our running game unstoppable. These are facts, and we can’t just rely on the draft to solve these problems.

Draft picks are hit-or-miss. Proven NFL starters are not. We need to get a proven NFL starter at CB to play across from Champ and at MLB. If EFX think Irving can be that guy, great. But we don’t have that guy on our roster right now at CB. And we don’t have a proven NFL starter at RB, like Tolbert or Micheal Bush.

Come on Bowlen, we are close. Spend the money.

But it would be nice to resign Broderick Bunkley, Matt Prater, etc… and then go after a couple of stud free agents like Asante Samuel or maybe even Mario Williams.

$50M is a ton of cap space.

While I understand that FA can be important, it’s incredibly overrated. Most players are free agents for a reason. They either suck, are overrated, have issues, or are demanding way more money then they are worth. I hate FA and have hated FA since the Shanny days. I always threw up a little everytime I saw him bring in another overpaid, overrated player. It’s just my philosophy for sports in general and not just football. You can disagree with it all you want but this isn’t something I agree with just because EFX seem to follow the same philosophy. I blasted EFX last year for signing Ty Warren for 10 million but I also gave them credit for getting him on a 2 year deal.

That being said this is one of the few FA classes that generally excite me. For the first time in a long time there are players I think are worth splurging a little for but I still think we need to spend smart. I’d love to get my hands on Vincent Jackson or Dwayne Bowe and a solid corner or DT but the price has to be right. I don’t wanna be tied to these guys for 6 years at 8-9 million a year which is what they’d probably be asking for.

As for cheap stakes, don’t forget the Broncos gave Ty Warren 10 million last year, McGahee 20 million, and Bailey 40 million. That’s 70 million on FA’s right their.

capologist CBA guru Mike Sullivan was probably the best acquisition as he is known for wheeling and dealing player contracts and making them feel happy with less. Contracts laced with incentitives and bonuses, plus back end money and little up front money designed to make them desirable and willing to sign…Can’t wait to see how they get it done this year, because in the past we have had big name talents come in for visits only to leave for another team. If the Broncos weren’t intersted in signing them why would they even waste their time? Might the reason be former capologist Bluem and how he dealt with the players? This may be more true than not and not retaing him must have a big reason.

My take on free agency is to fill certain positions with veteran talent while the youth develop. I wouldn’t even waste my time on anything less than 2 star talent and would target younger (26-29) players who can come in and start immediately helping to mentor the rookies and 1-2 year draftees. There are some pretty good 3 star talents in this FA that I think we might see on the roster this fall, but I don’t think they will go hog wild with getting them, maybe 4-5 only while the youth learn…

I would like to see Michael Bush in Orange and Blue, Tolbert is a beast as well. They both really excite me. If we don’t go after either I will be really disappointed. I haven’t been paying much attention this off season but aren’t both those guys free agents? Dump Moreno and upgrade.

I also like the idea of bringing in Randy Moss. He would be a HUGE target for Tebow, and instantly upgrade Tebow’s abilities on the long ball and anywhere else on the field Randy roamed. Moss can get those not so perfectly thrown passes and keep the defenders off of them. I know he is not a long term answer but could be Tebow’s best friend while he continues to develop as a passer.

I’d like to see us spend big on two high end starters.

An MLB would be one, a WR, TE, OG, C or FS would be the other (based on what our scouts think of our own players) My guess is OG or C… maybe FS if Moore really does suck. Also spend a mid sized amount on another RB so we are not wasting carries on Lance Ball or relying on Moreno to make it past five games played.

IMO Bunkley will not get a BIG contract, maybe $20m 5 yrs. And also any DL probably the same. QB maybe a $5m/yr
Tracy Porter, CB, New Orleans Saints: He is a good, solid starting corner, and those guys get paid. The Saints probably won’t be able to keep him. He turns 26 in August.
Brodrick Bunkley, DT, Denver Broncos: He is coming off his best season, the timing of it coming perfectly in the final year of his deal. He turns 29 in November
Stephen Tulloch, MLB, Detroit Lions: On a one-year deal, he had 111 tackles and two picks for the Lions. He just turned 27, so age isn’t an issue. He’s a steady player.
Jason Jones, DT-DE, Tennessee Titans: He has flashed at times in his four seasons with the Titans, but he should be doing more. Has played both inside and outside for the Titans. He turns 26 in May, so he has time to become a really good player.
Dwight Lowery, DB, Jacksonville Jaguars: This former corner made a nice home at free safety for the Jaguars last season. He played above the level of expectations. The Jaguars want him back, but in a league where safety talent is at a minimum this former Jets player will get a nice deal. He just turned 26 in January.
Mike Tolbert: RB/FB SD 26 5’9" 243 Personally, i’d love this signing. He’s a tank and can play FB and RB. Would be a nice versatile weapon. Plus he’s a reliable catcher out of the backfield. He’s still young and doesnt have many miles on his legs
Sammie Lee Hill DT: Det 25 6’4’ 329 (2009-4) A solid run stuffer who got lost in the mix in Detroit. He’s young(25) and has size(6’4 330lbs) Would be a nice addition to our DL.
Dan Connor ILB: Car 26 6’2" 231 (2008-3) A favorite among many around here, and i’m one of them. Yes we have Nate Irving, but veteran depth is needed. Connor has been stuck behind John Beason, one of the best ILBer’s in the game. Would be an instant upgrade over mays.
William Middleton CB: Jac 25 5’11" 194 (2009-5) William Middleton doesn’t have much NFL experience, but he handled himself really well in relief of Derek Cox and Rashean Mathis in 2011. He’s a young corner with loads of potential.
Terrell Thomas CB: NYG 27 6’ 191 (2008-2) A solid starting corner in this league. Is coming off a Torn ACL, but it happened in August so he should be healthy by Training camp. Would come cheap after coming off injury.

It must be carefully navigated. Turnover is a good thing and like all good things, it should be practiced in moderation. I am all for bringing in guys that can help the team, but there is a right way and a wrong way to do that. We are well versed in the wrong way because Shanahan did it the wrong way. He let great talents like Trevor Pryce and Mike Anderson walk in Free Agency because he was too busy trying to buy his way into a Championship.

Teams that are perenial powers maximize their home grown talent by holding on to it. They don’t do it by splurging in Free Agency and turning over the roster constantly. Look at where this tactic has put teams like the Eagles and Redskins? Then you have a team like New England that makes very little noise in FA, but they make the Playoffs year after year. Which way do you think works the best?

The only time a team is going to have studs at every position is in the Pro Bowl, or when you’re cheating at Madden. A true team is built with stars and roleplayers. Roleplayers out number the stars in this league by a considerable margin and they are just as important to a team’s sucess as the stars. If a team has enough good roleplayers and they actually play together, they can overcome a team chock full of talent.

Too many fans want instant gratification now days. Instant gratification and building a consistent winner do not mix well. I trust EFX to do the job better than anyone here on MHR (McGeorge is an execption). They have more information on whats going on than we fans can even fathom. They get paid to do this, where as it’s a hobby for most of us.

oh. i thought this was craigslist. so you arent selling those skates?

Some of the posters on this site act like its coming out of their allowance.

si_ice, last year we were a 12 win team….if some of the teams we played against hadnt caught a few lucky breaks….

man, I love the “Yeah, but” game….