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Phil Riewer -> RE: General Vikes Talk (2/26/2024 9:56:02 AM)
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ORIGINAL: Tom Sykes
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ORIGINAL: Phil Riewer
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ORIGINAL: Tom Sykes
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ORIGINAL: Mark Anderson
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ORIGINAL: Tom Sykes
The big picture is how to get better with any significance. With a thin roster, not a lot of resources, and people in charge that have been making below average personnel and draft decisions. And without handcuffing our cap in the future (like we have been the last 3 years at least).
Versus the simplified, ‘we can create 60M by making some simple moves and then we’re in a good position.
Nobody is saying we won’t sign FAs. We don’t have any choice … we simply dont have enough players, decent or otherwise at this point in time.
I've said that. We can get there without creating anymore dead cap or void years.
And yes, I do say make a splash in FA. Get a top corner for 18M per and it improves 3 positions with one move. Moving Murphy to #2 and Blackmon to nickel. With Evans being a special team/injury fill in guy. Get another difference maker($$$) at DLine and then do some bargain hunting.
It won't all get done in one year but you can fill some important holes the 1st year. Then, 2025 the void years and dead cap diminish and you have some more cap space.
Of course, the main way to improve this team is in the draft(because you need to have some starters who have small cap numbers) and finding QBOTF. If that doesn't happen, nothing we accomplished in FA will put us in a situation where we can start being a top team.
You can spend big or you can spend smart.
And by smart I don't mean cheap ... we all want good players added to the team.
Smart would not just be cap space, it would be the structure of contracts within the cap, how they are laid out for this year, and next and after. It also includes having your RT and TE NOT locking down more than your QB, top CB and Edge rusher combined – the cap has to have a semblance of positional responsibility and balance.
You can say lets cut and rework the cap space - which we can do - and then add an unnamed CB for an arbitrary 18M ... which is easy to say but neither here nor there until we know there is player like that we can sign.
Then there's the issue of Kwesi's skill as a GM in signing and drafting players.
We are not quite clear of the Spielman mess. Kwesi has started creating a his own mess and with Cousins, JJ, Darrisaw and maybe Hunter lurking out there ... it remains to be seen how much cap space we can create for this year that aren't going to be gobbled up by more lame cap management.
There are some things you have to give Kwesi/KOC credit for....Kendricks was replaced by Pace, Thielen by Addison, Cleveland by Risner, and PP by Murphy. If you also talk cap---they were in really bad shape going into 2022 and 2023. They basically had to cut Kendricks, Thielen, and Zed last year to be compliant.
Kendricks and Thielen could have easily been let go the year before. Letting them and Zed go last year gets Kwesi an 'ok, you did what you were required to do.'
Yes Addison was a good upgrade from Thielen, on all levels. Yes Pace was a good replacement for Kendricks. Risner for Cleveland ... yes but it took way too long. PP for Murphy? Not clear. From a performance standpoint, its pretty even with Peterson saving a couple of games with INTs. and Murphy cost more.
But you're right. I tend to only find the negative in Kwesi.
Not by choice. I'm open. If he changes our direction this offseason, I'll come around.
A lot has to happen first though, in my mind.
No one is ever irreplaceable (unless you replace Moss with Williamson; then it seems that way)...[&:]
As much as the old credit card rant shows up; there is more room to improve the roster then there was the last 2 years. How tight the salary cap was in 2022 may have lead Kwesi to try to hit on more players in the draft....I do like what was done last year....Addison, Blackmon, and Roy plus Pace in UDFA.
He probably needs to even do better than that to make up for 2022.
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