As the free agency circus continues to overwhelm me with both dread and anticipation, I have come up with a fun way to view this season's FA antics:
Free Agency Bracketology.
Many of you may remember that my second-favorite sports "season" is March Madness. And I have been known to join a dozen office pools just because I absolutely love the bracket method of watching a bunch of teams I know little about but will see over and over again the next three weeks.
So it occurred to me that that might be a good way to both keep track of and have fun with something that is always a little depressing if not simultaneously exciting - watching our favorite guys go and wondering who may come in to replace them via NFL Free Agency.
I have set up my Free Agent "bracket" like so - I picked the top four positions I'm interested in among the Broncos' main needs and have added names of the Free Agents who are either possibilities and/or favorites of mine.
Players I hope do not become Broncos or did not want to keep are obviously not included (thanks for playing, Julius Thomas, but enjoy Jacksonville) while players who may be long shots that I still hold out hope for are on the list - hey, my game, my list ;) - so even if Terrance Knighton has his eye beyond the Rockies, I'm still holding out a glimmer of hope he remains a Bronco!
Each "bracket column" represents a day in Free Agency, which is slightly risky since all of them could go in a matter of hours. Regardless, this is how I'm keeping up with all the crazy news, rumors and occasional misinformation that surrounds this craziness we call Free Agency.
Points assessed:
- For each day that one of my chosen players remains an option for the Broncos, I get a point per player.
- If the final player I choose in my "Final Four," actually joins the Orange & Blue, I get 10 points. If my No. 2 becomes a Bronco too, 5 points. My third choice gets two. No points for number four; he's just space-filler on my list anyway. (for the record, I made my bracket long before Virgil Green and Owen Daniels signed...I swear! But I'm happy to say both joining the team gave me a whopping 15 points already today!)
- Any current Broncos player who goes to an AFC West rival (or to John Fox and the Bears) means two points off my score (luckily I made up these rules after Orlando Franklin defected to the Chargers!)
- Any player on my board who chooses the Patriots over the Broncos is -5 and earns my hate for life (ok, maybe a tad dramatic, but remember, this is my game!)
- Any player choosing the Broncos over the Pats would yield an automatic +7.
"I'm definitely ready to get to work. I'm going to earn my keep on this team." - @VGreen85 on deal with the #Broncos. pic.twitter.com/RuM3ySvsXd
— L.Lattimore-Volkmann (@docllv) March 10, 2015
Other notes:
Much like my college hoops brackets, there is no real rhyme or reason to my picks beyond, "I like them, so I hope they stay."
This methodology is pretty standard with my FA choices here, though occasionally I tried to include a little intellectual forethought and maybe pick a player who a) won't be too expensive for us; b) would actually be a good fit; and c) is a known choice of the Broncos Brass too. (or, as in the case of Rahim Moore, is probably the best choice out there right now).
But when all the obvious variables could not be known, I went with my standby - "Who would look good in Orange?"
Believe it or not, I have won a few brackets when choosing merely by colors I like.
Now it's your turn to fill out a bracket.