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Lonestar
02-28-2010, 04:44 PM
Klis: A bad moon on the rise?
By Mike Klis
The Denver Post
POSTED: 02/28/2010 01:00:00 AM MST

INDIANAPOLIS — When the clock strikes 10:01 MST Thursday, the NFL will officially begin its final season of our lifetime.

Provided, of course, prognostications of gloom come true.

The owners and players union have issued numerous warnings of an NFL lockout in 2011.

And thousands of years ago, the Mayans predicted a world apocalypse in 2012.

The way I figure it, Broncos owner Pat Bowlen has one more chance to win one last Lombardi Trophy.

Alas, the Broncos and 31 other teams talk as if they will approach the upcoming offseason not by throwing caution to the wind, but with unusual caution.

The NFL officially opens for business Thursday night. At that point, teams can sign free agents. Teams can trade. Teams almost always address their immediate roster needs for the upcoming season.

Ordinarily, the NFL scouting combine that is going on here is the baseball equivalent of the winter meetings. Coaches and general managers broker deals in back corners of hotel coffee shops. Agents scurry from one team's hotel suite to another's.

And everybody meets at Hooters for wings and pitchers. The college prospects are an afterthought. Give them a scouting report now. Put it away until the free-agent period ends next month.

Not this time.

"I think in the past, we were seeing a lot more numbers (in free agency) that we would have been contemplating about when March 5 came around," Atlanta Falcons general manager Thomas Dimit- roff said. "I sense, speaking from our team, we are a lot more focused seemingly this year on draft preparation."

Agents at the NFL scouting combine say Broncos coach Josh McDaniels and general manager Brian Xanders issue two common words during their discussions: budgetary constraints.

Not that quality goods can't be bought on the cheap. Last year, the Broncos used the identical, bargain-rate contract of four years, $10 million to sign Jabar Gaffney, Renaldo Hill and Correll Buckhalter.

Expect the Broncos to go Target shopping in the free-agent market again this weekend. Players the Broncos may consider from unrestricted free agency, if they're not too expensive:


Quarterback — David Carr, Chris Redman;

tight end — Alge Crumpler, Benjamin Watson, Brandon Manumaleuna;

receiver — Kevin Walter, Arnaz Battle, Josh Reed;

guard — Stephen Neal, Kendall Simmons;

center — Wade Smith, Rex Hadnot;

defensive linemen — Jarvis Green, Justin Bannon, Fred Robbins; and outside

linebacker — Tully Banta-Cain.


This solid, but hardly spectacular pool of unrestricted free agents leads me to believe there will be an unusually active market in restricted free agency.

Not that this is saying much. Not one restricted free agent changed teams last year. Since 1994, roughly three restricted free agents per year change teams.

But because this is a relatively weak class of unrestricted free agents, teams will eventually realize they have no choice but to submit offer sheets toward the most talented group of restricted free agents in NFL history — another easy proclamation considering the addition of fourth- and fifth-year players in the RFA pool.

"I believe there's going to be more contemplation," Dimitroff said. "But to see who actually pulls the trigger will be very interesting."

About all the NFL and the Mayans can promise is there will be football in 2010. There's no sense in owners sparing money for the lockout in 2011 when there's a real chance to steal the Super Bowl trophy in 2010.

Or as these predictors of doom would put it: What are you waiting for?



Read more: http://www.denverpost.com/premium/broncos/ci_14485527#ixzz0grxReWJO

WARHORSE
03-01-2010, 02:49 AM
This truly IS going to be a very unusual offseason.

One like we've never seen before.

Since restricted free agents are going to garner all the attention, some teams will choose to stay away, and others will look at unconventional and clever ways to make this situation pay off for them.


My thought is, since there will be draft compensation stapled to every RFA signed, teams will be looking for discounts.

In other words, players tagged with first and third tenders are going to be auctioned off in a sense to the team willing to give closest to that value, unless theres a team simply willing to move outside their top draft picks.

Also, teams arent going to want to sign long term contracts that put themselves in straight jackets next year during a fairly probable lockout.

Contracts will have to have stipulations concerning that very probability, and this could be a sticking point not only for RFA contracts, but also the top rookie slots.

Honestly, as much as I wanted the 10th pick, we may have been given a blessing in disguise.


When it comes to RFAs that look to be the safest picks when it comes to production, Brandon Marshall has to be at the top of the list, and if I were the Broncos, I would not budge from the position of a first and a third.

Teams will have the availability of behaviorial clauses for the protection of their investments concerning Brandon.

I doubt Brandon is going to be very happy if we try to play him under a RFA tender...........I know I wouldnt be.........but hey, thats the life you live in. Talk to DeMaurice about it.


Budgetary constraints? Looks like Denver wont be doing much in the free agent market......unless theyre playin possum.

Jahri Evans would be a nice signing indeed.