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Thread: Should The Broncos Re-Sign Champ Bailey And Move Him To Safety?

  1. #1

    Default Should The Broncos Re-Sign Champ Bailey And Move Him To Safety?

    Elway said in his interview that he "liked" Champ Bailey, but that he would have to sit down with Xanders and the new coach and "see where we're at" before extending Bailey a contract.

    Champ has indicated that he WON'T take a "pay cut" to remain with the team and that the MAIN factor influencing his decision to remain in Denver will be how quickly the Broncos can return to the playoffs. He obviously wants a chance at a championship ring.

    But, in an interview with Len Pasquarelli at last summer Champ said that he'd eventually like to move to safety to prolong his career.

    In a Tip Sheet piece for Len Pasquarelli ESPN.com, Broncos cornerback Champ Bailey revealed that he intends to eventually convert to safety in order to prolong his NFL career.

    Bailey’s current agenda, however, involves securing a payday that would align him with the top NFL cornerbacks’ salaries for “another three or four seasons.”

    This presents a dilemma for the Broncos, who are scheduled to pay Bailey $13 million in 2010, the last year of his contract. While Bailey is by all accounts still playing at an extremely high level, he is 32 years old and likely behind contract-year linebacker Elvis Dumervil in G.M. Brian Xanders’ pecking order for long-term commitments.
    The Broncos current offer to Bailey was rescinded, so it might be a moot point. They might just let him go via FA (which would be a total slap in the face to the fans who expect this team to compete anytime soon).

    But, his contract could probably be reworked to make it more "cap-friendly" by giving him a signing bonus that would be pro-rated over the life of the contract (perhaps 5 years).

    So that's probably doable IF the team wants to commit that much money to Champ. The problem is that they know his skills as a #1 CB are declining and by the next 4 years he might not be worth what they are committed to paying him.

    My thought would be to draft Patrick Peterson to replace Champ, let him be the #2 CB for a season to learn behind Champ, and then move him up to #1 CB in 2012, while moving Champ over to FS where he would play the same role as Ed Reed did with the Ravens -- a great cover safety.

    The problem with this is that you're paying him an awful lot of money for a FS. But, he'd undoubtedly be one of the best FS in football. He has great range and can cover anybody.

    And he could "poach" and would probably get a lot more picks as a safety. It would be a real problem for QBs having to watch where Bailey was lining up to avoid having him step in front of the WR and pick off the ball -- he has as good hands as any WR in football.

    Teams would NOT be able to avoid him by throwing to the other side of the field anymore.

    Normally teams can't have a guy like Champ as a safety for 2 reasons.

    #1 -- They need their best cover guys at CB and don't have enough good ones to "waste" one at safety. But, if the Broncos drafted Peterson, they'd have their #1 CB set for 2012 and could move Andre Goodman back to #2 (he'd be the #3 CB for 2011). Or else they could get rid of Goodman and get another #2 CB somewhere (they are much less expensive than #1 CBs).

    #2 -- The salary range for S is MUCH less than $13 million (or even whatever they'd re-negotiate his contract to).

    But, Denver is severely LACKING in their secondary, especially with Dawkins likely retiring, and a move like this might greatly strengthen them for the next 5 years or so.

    Champ might NOT be able to be the #1 CB at 35 or 36 (he's 32 now). But, there's no reason he couldn't still be a great S then. That might mean there's a greater possibility he could usefully play out his contract, which would make it easier to avoid a big cap hit in giving him an extended contract with a big signing bonus now.

    What do you guys think about this. Is this worth the money he'd get?
    Last edited by Cugel; 01-06-2011 at 02:44 PM.

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  3. #2
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    If they could get him to sign the same reasonable offer sheet they had for him before..
    that would be fine.

    That offer was months after the article you cited...
    it was lower than what you talked of here...
    and Bailey was en route to signing it when it was pulled.

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    he is still a top flight CB....

    in two years you can make the change to safety and he will dominate there
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    are you crazy? he's got maybe 2 years as a great corner left in him baring an injury

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    I pretty sure Champ would make a good safety.

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    Well, its not a reasonable question.

    1) Champ will have to agree to the contract offered if he thinks its fair or not.

    2) He will have to WANT to move to safety.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Northman View Post
    Well, its not a reasonable question.

    1) Champ will have to agree to the contract offered if he thinks its fair or not.

    2) He will have to WANT to move to safety.
    i thought i remembered reading that the deal we had on the table was front-loaded, with the later years of the contract paying less, in anticipation of a move to safety. maybe i just made that up.

    all i know is i want champ to be a denver bronco. bringing in peterson would be pretty awesome too, though the DL needs more help. if we're going BPA, though, peterson is probably that guy...
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  9. #8

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    Quote Originally Posted by MethoSauRuS View Post
    are you crazy? he's got maybe 2 years as a great corner left in him baring an injury
    sorry, i didn't realize you knew the future. i'll make sure champ gets the news.

  10. #9

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    I think Champ would become a top 5 safety the second he decides to start playing it.

    Great run support, ball hawk, great ball skills.

    At this point in his career I think he'd be more valuable as a safety other then CB.

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    I think Champ would make a wonderful safety. But why? He is still the best CB
    in football. Seriously, he literally shut down most of the WRs who are going to
    the Pro Bowl, and he surrendered exactly zero TDs.

    I'm all for re-signing Champ, but as a cornerback . . .

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  13. #11
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    Quote Originally Posted by shawshank24 View Post
    i thought i remembered reading that the deal we had on the table was front-loaded, with the later years of the contract paying less, in anticipation of a move to safety. maybe i just made that up.
    Certainly possible, i dont remember any specifics about the contract and although i would love to keep him it got pulled for a reason so something happened that somebody didnt like.

    all i know is i want champ to be a denver bronco. bringing in peterson would be pretty awesome too, though the DL needs more help. if we're going BPA, though, peterson is probably that guy...
    I will have a meltdown if we draft Peterson. Not because he isnt a great player but this team needs Dline help far more than DB help. This team is in a poor state and cant afford to draft guys who arent going to make a difference right away. We already have one of the best DB's in the game and yet our defense is one of the worst in the league. You only go for BPA when you can afford to do so. Denver isnt one of those teams and doenst have that luxury.

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    Bowe scored on Bailey this year.

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    Quote Originally Posted by EMB6903 View Post
    Bowe scored on Bailey this year.
    And? He's a solid reciever so im not sure what your point is.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Northman View Post
    And? He's a solid reciever so im not sure what your point is.
    He's correcting me, and he's right. Champ did give up one TD this year. It
    was last year that he surrendered no TDs.

    So that makes for one hell of a drop in performance, right?

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    Quote Originally Posted by topscribe View Post
    He's correcting me, and he's right. Champ did give up one TD this year. It
    was last year that he surrendered no TDs.

    So that makes for one hell of a drop in performance, right?

    -----
    Ahhhhhhhh. Shame on Champ.

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