Lofton80

Maybe Morris plays the Kenny Davis role, getting a few touches as a change of pace guy.

Sounds like Runyon is sitting back letting the dust settle. I see him as a late addition to a playoff team like Seattle if they lose Hutch. Not sure he goes to a rebuilding Bills team at this point in his career.

Interview with Nall from Packer site. I would rather have a guy who worked with Favre and a good offense than Jamie Martin, Joey Harrington and a few other possibilities bandied about. If nothing else, Packer backups have had success elsewhere (Brunnel, Brooks, Warner, Hasselback). www.packers.com/news/stories/2004/04/05/2/ Selected on his 23rd birthday in the fifth round of the 2002 NFL draft, Craig Nall enters his third season as a backup quarterback with the Green Bay Packers. Before landing in Green Bay, Nall was forced to overcome obstacles placed before him as he spent his first four years (including a redshirt season) in a quarterback logjam at Louisiana State before transferring to Northwestern (La.) State for the 2001 campaign. That move put him less than 150 miles from the home of Packers scout Alonzo Highsmith, who saw five NSU games in 2001 and convinced the Packers coaches at February meetings to "have a look at this kid." Allocated to NFL Europe last summer, Nall led a Scottish Claymores offense that topped NFL-E with 4,169 total yards. He led the league in passing yards, with 2,050, and touchdowns, with 18. His 95.9 quarterback rating also was a league best. Nall now finds himself watching and learning from perhaps the greatest quarterback in NFL history in Brett Favre and hopes to one day create his own legacy in the green and gold. Recently, Nall sat down with Packers.com to talk about this and a few other topics in our latest edition of Random Questions. Packers.com: What is the best and worst part about playing in the NFL? Craig Nall: "The best part would have to be the money. A lot of people joke about that, and I'm not playing for the money but it really is one of the perks. But just being in this locker room is right up there, too, as far as the guys you get to meet and play with -- the Brett Favres and Darren Sharpers -- guys you get to spend time with on a daily basis. It's priceless. "As far as the worst part, probably about the middle of the season. Those meetings start to get a little monotonous. You've done it for so many weeks in a row. So that would probably be one of the main downfalls. But it is necessary." What is one word you would use to describe training camp? "Gruesome." Who is your favorite musician? "That's a good question. I have a lot of respect for anybody that makes it on their own. I listen to a lot of different types of genres. One of my favorites is Remy Shand. A lot of people don't know about him but he does all of his own music, all of his own vocals. He does it all. "In the hip-hop area, it would probably be Outkast. I'd have to put Caedmon's Call in there too. They're one of my favorite Christian bands." If you could meet any historical figure, who would it be? "Jesus. He made the ultimate sacrifice and it would be amazing to see him in person or to be able to touch him and to feel that kind of love. There's never been, nor will there ever be, anyone like that again." When did you realize you wanted to play professional football? "When did I realize I wanted to, or was going to have the opportunity to? "I realized I wanted to play professionally at a pretty early age, whenever I started playing and started to realize what the game was all about. It was just a childhood dream. "I first realized I had the opportunity to play pro ball about halfway through my senior season (at Northwestern). I started playing pretty good and was putting up some big numbers. It had been a while since I actually had gotten out on the field on a regular basis and I wasn't really sure where I stood either. So my senior year was really the first time I figured out that I had a shot to do this." What would you say is your best asset as a football player? "I don't think that I get rattled too easily. I think that Coach (Mike) Sherman, Coach (Tom) Rossley and Coach (Darrell) Bevell will echo the same comments. "They have to talk to me sometimes about showing some emotion, that I'm too even keel. But at the same time, I don't get rattled too easily and I think that -- being a quarterback -- is a strength of mine. I'm usually pretty focused and pretty calm out there on the field. Every now and then, whenever something is on the line or something bad happens, you'll see me with a little emotion." What is your favorite outdoor hobby? "Probably deer hunting. I don't get a chance to do it a lot and my girlfriend will probably say I'm stupid for answering that. It would be either deer hunting or golf." Of the two, which is your better sport? "Neither." What was your favorite cartoon growing up? "Scooby Doo." What is your favorite sports movie of all time? "Caddyshack is a great one. The Bad News Bears was pretty good too." If you could play golf in any foursome, past or present, who would be the other three members? "Bobby Jones, Tiger Woods, and Jack Nicklaus." What is the greatest adversity you've had to overcome in your life? "Probably my situation at LSU, not getting to play whenever I felt that I should have been playing, having to bounce back from that and transferring schools where I didn't really know anyone. I basically had to start over with no idea if I could really play. "I knew I had talent, everybody has talent. But until you get out there on the field and start to build some confidence, you just really don't know. And to have to overcome all of those doubts and fears and to be able to step out there and lead a team and to play well and to fulfill your dreams, that was probably the hardest time in my life." What is your first memory of playing football? "It wasn't really in a game, but when I was playing flag football my very first year -- I was about 9 or 10 years old -- we had tryouts for the positions on our teams. Obviously, being one of the tallest players on the team, I went in there and volunteered to be the quarterback. "After I took the snap and took a couple of steps back, the coach got onto me and made me do it again. After I did it again -- and I remember this as clear as day -- my best friend's dad, who is also my dentist, said 'Craig, you're not going to cut the mustard.' So I ended up moving to fullback. You don't really gain many yards playing fullback in flag football. "Now that I'm playing professionally -- at quarterback -- I like to remind him of that from time to time." Who in the locker room could you picture being a head coach one day? "Doug Pederson, Marco Rivera and probably Donald Driver. "They all have confidence. They have an ability to communicate and they obviously know what they're doing. "With Donald, he's such a people person and I think he would get along well with the families of his players. And he's always trying to make people smile. "Marco just seems like a down to earth guy that works really hard. "I think Doug has actually expressed some feelings about getting into coaching. I think quarterbacks make good coaches because they have to understand the entire field as opposed to just one position." How long did it take for you to fully understand your position? "I'm still not totally there. I understand it a lot better than when I got here. I can call a play in the huddle now. That was one of the most difficult parts of it when you first start out, and it still can be. You can ask Brett (Favre). We'll have plays that are 16 or 17 words long sometimes. Hopefully, those are on the wristband. "A lot of people think that radio systems in our helmets help out. They do to a certain extent, but the frequency cuts off with 15 seconds left on the play clock. So if we don't get the play in before that time, we're stuck and then you have to just hurry up and think of a play with the personnel that you have in the huddle. "The way we do it, I'll hear the play first and then the formation. But when we relay it in the huddle, we'll give the formation and then the play. The reason for that is that if you call the play first and get cut off at that 15 second mark, there's only one or two formations that you have practiced that week with that certain play and you can pick one fairly quickly. "If you give the formation and then get cut off, there are endless possibilities of plays that you can run from that formation and it gets confusing. So one of the hardest things about my position is to learn to hear the play backwards and to relay it in the huddle the right way. After a while, those plays start to get wordy and it gets pretty difficult. "When I was in Europe, we ran a similar type of offense, but all of the terminology was different, so when I came back to training camp it kind of threw me off a little bit because I was having to separate the two different terms for basically the same play. And the same thing happened when I first got to Europe." If you could change one NFL rule, what would it be? "Well, we're (QBs) pretty protected. They do a good job with us as far as late hits are concerned. So I definitely wouldn't change that at all. "I think I would probably change the pass interference rule. I think they need to let those guys play a little more. The defenders have a right to the ball as much as the receivers do. "Now if they start holding and tackling, that's different. But sometimes the offensive guy might just get a little nudge or something and the defense will get called for a penalty. It's a physical sport. I think they should let them play." Where did you grow up and what is the best thing about your hometown? "I grew up in Alexandria, La., and the best thing about it was my childhood, just being able to play a lot of sports. A lot of communities don't have that. "In 1991, we moved to a new house outside the city limits. It's a real quiet neighborhood. We don't have any street lights, it's out in the woods. We have a lake and I was able to go out there and camp with my buddies and do a lot of hunting, fishing and all those things you would think a southern boy would be able to do." What is your favorite TV show? "Seinfeld." What is your favorite video game? "Tiger Woods Golf." What is your favorite food? "Chicken. Cooked any way." What was your favorite toy as a child? "I had a number of different bikes, starting off with a BMX. Once I got older, my dad got me one that was custom built. I think it had a Diamondback frame, but it was just customized for me and I loved that thing to death." Do you have any superstitions or rituals? "Not really. I don't really believe in having to go through life having to do certain things exactly the same way every time. I believe that God is in control of everything no matter what we do." Who is the first person you call on the telephone after a game? "It's either my parents or my girlfriend. It depends on which one answers." If you weren't in the NFL, what would you be doing? "I would be working somewhere. I was majoring in construction management at LSU, but when I transferred to Northwesten, they didn't have construction management. They had industrial management, which is somewhat similar but a little bit different so I ended up getting my degree in general studies because some of my credits didn't transfer. But I would probably be doing something along those lines. "I've also been thinking about getting into coaching a lot more the last couple of years. But that's still a few yeas away." What is the best thing about being a Packer? "Being able to walk through that tunnel and seeing the fans cheer the way they do. "Understanding the rich tradition that we have here and to know that I'm a part of that and I'm in the record books as being a part of it, being a Packer. Hopefully I can say one day that I was one of the all-time greats here. "Also, just getting to sit next to a guy like Brett Favre everyday and just hearing his jokes. "It's just a special place. I feel like I've found a home here and I hope to be here for several more years." What was it like the first time you met Brett? "I was a little star-struck, definitely. I remember the first day I shook his hand and seeing him come in the locker room. He's just got that swagger to him. That confidence that he walks with just oozes out of him. "But he's been very cool with me. He's not one of those guys that is standoffish. If you saw him on the street and didn't know he was Brett Favre and walked up to him and had a conversation with him, you wouldn't know he has all the money that he does. "He's just not that type of person. He's down to earth and the way he plays on the field is how he acts off the field. He's a special guy and I'm glad I'm getting an opportunity to learn from him."

Benny and Holcomb playing so much actually hurt us.

Here is a post from KFFL on the topic. Does not look good for Bills based on this projection. Jennings being on IR and Big Pat not making Pro Bowl hurt us. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- For the fifth consecutive year and sixth overall, I’ve attempted to project all of the compensatory draft picks the NFL will award. During the past three years, I’ve averaged 24.7 out of 32 exactly correct (going to the correct team in the correct round) and have been off by only one round on an average of 4.0 more. As the NFL explains, compensatory picks are awarded to teams that lose more or better compensatory free agents than they acquire. The number of picks a team can receive equals the net loss of compensatory free agents, up to a maximum of four. Compensatory free agents are determined by a secret formula based on salary, playing time and postseason honors. Not every free agent lost or signed is covered by the formula. Although the formula has never been revealed, by studying the compensatory picks that have been awarded since they began in 1993, I’ve determined that the primary factor in the value of the picks awarded is the average annual value of the contract the player signed with his new team, with small adjustments for playing time and postseason honors. A simple method of determining for which qualifying free agents a team will be compensated is this -- for every player signed, cancel out a lost player of similar value. For example, if a team signs one qualifying player for $2 million per season and loses two qualifying players, one who got $1.8 million per season and one who got $4 million per season, the team will be compensated for the $4 million player. It is possible for a team to get a compensatory pick even if it doesn’t suffer a net loss of qualifying free agents, although those type of comp picks come at the end of the seventh round, after the normal comp picks and before the non-compensatory picks that are added if fewer than 32 comp picks are awarded. There have been eight of these type of comp picks awarded, and in each case, the combined value of the free agents lost was significantly higher than the combined value of the free agents signed. In all eight cases, those teams lost the same number of qualifying free agents as they signed. No team has ever been awarded a comp pick after signing more qualifying free agents than they lost, no matter how significant the difference in combined value. I should note that my comp pick formula is merely an attempt to project the results of the actual (secret) formula, which I’m sure is more precise and complicated than my simple simulation. I don’t pretend to know the actual formula. But I think previous results indicate that my formula is a pretty good simulation. In order to qualify for the comp equation, a player must have been a true Unrestricted Free Agent whose contract had expired or was voided after the previous season (i.e., he cannot have been released by his old team); he must sign during the UFA signing period (which ended on July 22 last year); if he signs after June 1, he must have been tendered a June 1 qualifying offer by his old team; he must sign for at least a certain amount of money per season; and he cannot have been permanently released by his new team before a certain point in the season (which seems to be after Week 10) or, possibly, before getting a certain amount of playing time, unless he was claimed off waivers by another team. Last year, the lowest-paid player who qualified for the NFL’s comp equation was Bobby Hamilton, who signed for $685,000 per season and started 15 games. The highest-paid player who did not qualify was Cornell Green, who signed for $710,000 per season and played only one play – and that was on special teams. To determine the approximate cutoff points for this year’s comps, I raised last year’s cutoffs by the same percentage as the increase in RFA tenders from 2004 to 2005, which was 4.5 percent. That means a player whose playing time in 2005 was equal to Bobby Hamilton’s in 2004, and who signed for about $715,000 per season, should qualify for the equation. But a player who signed for about $742,000 and almost never played (for reasons other than being on Injured Reserve) should not qualify. Determining whether players who signed for less than $800,000 per season qualify for the equation is one of the most difficult tasks when trying to project the comps. There were nine players on the bubble this year, including one whose case is the first of its kind. Kyle Vanden Bosch signed a one-year contract for only $480,000, but he started all 16 games and made the Pro Bowl. For years, I’ve wondered whether a Pro Bowl player automatically would qualify for the comp equation regardless of his salary, and now we should find out. I’m projecting that Vanden Bosch will qualify. The eight other bubble players are Anthony Thomas ($1.0 million, cut after eight weeks), Todd Peterson ($790,000, 16 GP/16 GS as kicker), Keith Burns ($790,000, played almost exclusively on special teams), Shad Meier ($770,000, played less than 30 plays all season), Stockar McDougle ($750,000, 8 Games Played/2 Games Started), Matt Lehr ($710,000, 15 GP/15 GS), Antowain Smith ($690,000, 16 GP/7 GS) and Roberto Garza (signed for $594,000 but renegotiated to $1.585 million in December, 16 GP/7 GS). I’m projecting that Vanden Bosch, Burns, Meier, McDougle, Lehr and Garza will qualify but Thomas (cut too soon) and Smith (salary too low) will not. Other than determining which players do or do not qualify for the equation, the most difficult thing about projecting the comp picks is determining the value range for each round. Last year, regardless of playing time or postseason honors, third-round comp players got at least $5.167 million per season, fourth-round comp players got $4.167 million to $5.5 million, fifth-round comp players got $2.6 million to $3.589 million, sixth-round comp players got $1.967 million to $2.91 million, and seventh-round players got $1.75 million or less. When determining the approximate ranges for this year’s comps, I again used a 4.5-percent increase over last year’s levels and adjusted for playing time and postseason honors. As I alluded to earlier, the NFL adds non-compensatory picks if fewer than 32 comp picks are awarded. The non-compensatory picks are given, in order, to the teams that would be drafting if there were an eighth round. If there are 28 true comps, for example, the NFL would give additional picks to the teams that would have the first four picks in the eighth round, if there were one. This year, I’m projecting that there will be only 25 true comp picks awarded, so there should be seven non-compensatory picks awarded, to Houston, New Orleans, Green Bay, San Francisco, Oakland, Tennessee and the New York Jets, in that order. Here are the projected picks, along with the compensatory player, their games played/started and their average contract value – THIRD ROUND N.Y. Jets (LaMont Jordan, $5.51 million, 14 GP/14 GS) FOURTH ROUND Denver (Reggie Hayward, $5.0 million, 15/15) Pittsburgh (Kendrell Bell, $4.974 million, 16/14) Baltimore (Gary Baxter, $5.004 million, 5/5 IR) Pittsburgh (Plaxico Burress, $4.167 million, 16/15) Baltimore (Edgerton Hartwell, $4.375 million, 5/5 IR) FIFTH ROUND Philadelphia (Derrick Burgess, $3.491 million, 16/12, Pro Bowl) Green Bay (Marco Rivera, $3.80 million, 14/14) Pittsburgh (Oliver Ross, $3.50 million, 12/11) Tampa Bay (Dwight Smith, $3.04 million, 15/15) Tennessee (Andre Dyson, $3.501 million, 10/6) Baltimore (Casey Rabach, $2.825 million, 16/16) SIXTH ROUND Philadelphia (Jermane Mayberry, $3.009 million, 11/ New England (David Patten, $2.60 million, 9/7 IR) New England (Joe Andruzzi, $2.194 million, 13/13) Indianapolis (Rick DeMulling, $2.275 million, 14/5) SEVENTH ROUND Baltimore (Bennie Anderson, $1.706 million, 16/15) Tampa Bay (Chartric Darby, $1.0 million, 14/14) St. Louis (Tommy Polley, $800,000, 16/15) St. Louis (Matt Lehr, $710,000, 15/15) Tampa Bay (Keith Burns, $790,000, 15/1) Detroit (Stockar McDougle, $750,000, (8/2) Buffalo (net value; lost $9.49 million, 19/19, IR ; signed $3.409 million, 26/23) Seattle (net value; lost $12.167 million, 47/43; signed $7.001 million, 40/35) Washington (net value; lost $10.075 million, 24/21; signed $5.425 million, 25/23 IR) Houston (non-compensatory) New Orleans (non-compensatory) Green Bay (non-compensatory) San Francisco (non-compensatory) Oakland (non-compensatory) Tennessee (non-compensatory) New York Jets (non-compensatory) Eleven of the comp picks I’ve projected appear to be on the borderline between two rounds, or at least close to the borderline. So it wouldn’t surprise me if the comp pick for Jordan is in the fourth round; if the comp picks for Baxter, Hayward and Bell are in the third round; if the comp pick for Rivera is in the fourth round; if the comp picks for Smith, Dyson and Rabach are in the sixth round; if the comp picks for Mayberry and Patten are in the fifth round; or if the comp pick for Anderson is in the sixth round. Here are the qualifying players lost and signed (in order of value) for the 15 teams that I’m projecting will receive true comp picks – BALTIMORE Lost – Gary Baxter, Edgerton Hartwell, Casey Rabach, Bennie Anderson, Travis Taylor, Marques Douglas. Signed – Keydrick Vincent, Tommy Polley. BUFFALO Lost – Jonas Jennings, Pat Williams. Signed – Bennie Anderson, Kelly Holcomb. DENVER Lost – Reggie Hayward, Kenoy Kennedy, Donnie Spragan. Signed – Stephen Alexander, Keith Burns. DETROIT Lost – Stephen Alexander, Mike McMahon, Stockar McDougle. Signed – Kenoy Kennedy, Rick DeMulling. GREEN BAY Lost – Marco Rivera, Bhawoh Jue. Signed – Adrian Klemm. INDIANAPOLIS Lost – Rick DeMulling. Signed – none. NEW ENGLAND Lost – David Patten, Joe Andruzzi, Adrian Klemm. Signed – Monty Beisel. N.Y. JETS Lost – LaMont Jordan, Kareem McKenzie, Jason Ferguson, Anthony Becht. Signed – Derrick Blaylock, Lance Legree, Barry Gardner. PHILADELPHIA Lost – Derrick Burgess, Jermane Mayberry, Ike Reese. Signed – Mike McMahon. PITTSBURGH Lost – Kendrell Bell, Plaxico Burress, Oliver Ross, Keydrick Vincent. Signed – Cedrick Wilson. SEATTLE Lost – Ken Lucas, Chike Okeafor, Orlando Huff. Signed – Andre Dyson, Bryce Fisher, Chartric Darby. ST. LOUIS Lost – Bryce Fisher, Tommy Polley, Matt Lehr. Signed – Chris Claiborne. TAMPA BAY Lost – Dwight Smith, Cosey Coleman, Chartric Darby, Keith Burns. Signed – Anthony Becht. TENNESSEE Lost – Andre Dyson, Shad Meier. Signed – Kyle Vanden Bosch. WASHINGTON Lost – Fred Smoot, Antonio Pierce. Signed – Casey Rabach, David Patten. If I’m wrong about any of the eight bubble players, that could affect the comp picks. Here’s what would happen in each case – If Kyle Vanden Bosch does not qualify but Shad Meier and Antowain Smith both do, Tennessee will get seventh-round comp picks for Meier and Smith instead of a non-compensatory seventh-round pick, and the New York Jets won’t get a non-compensatory seventh-round pick. If Kyle Vanden Bosch does not qualify but either Shad Meier or Antowain Smith does (but not both), Tennessee will get a seventh-round comp pick for that player instead of a non-compensatory seventh-round pick. If Kyle Vanden Bosch, Shad Meier and Antowain Smith all do not qualify, there is no change in the comp picks I’ve projected. If Kyle Vanden Bosch and Antowain Smith qualify but Shad Meier does not, there is no change. If Kyle Vanden Bosch qualifies but Shad Meier and Antowain Smith don’t, Tennessee won’t get a fifth-round comp pick for Andre Dyson, and Detroit will get a non-compensatory seventh-round pick. If Anthony Thomas and Roberto Garza both qualify, or if both do not qualify, there is no change. If Anthony Thomas qualifies but Roberto Garza does not, Chicago will get a seventh-round comp pick for Thomas, and the New York Jets won’t get a non-compensatory seventh-round pick. If Roberto Garza qualifies but Todd Peterson and Matt Lehr don’t, Atlanta will get a seventh-round comp pick for Jay Feely ($867,000, 16 GP/16 GS as kicker), and St. Louis won’t get a seventh-round comp pick for Matt Lehr. If Mett Lehr does not qualify but Roberto Garza and Todd Peterson do, or if none of the three players qualify, St. Louis won’t get a seventh-round comp pick for Lehr, and Detroit will get a non-compensatory seventh-round pick. If Todd Peterson does not qualify but Matt Lehr and Roberto Garza do, there is no change. If Keith Burns does not qualify, Denver will get a fifth- or sixth-round comp pick for Kenoy Kennedy ($2.80 million, 16 GP/16 GS), and Tampa Bay won’t get a seventh-round comp pick for Burns. If Stockar McDougle does not qualify, Detroit won’t get a seventh-round comp for McDougle, and Miami will get a net value comp pick in the seventh round (lost $8.567 million, 42 GP/41 GS; signed $3.233 million, 48 GP/34 GS). If a combination of the other scenarios for bubble players results in more than seven non-compensatory picks being added, the order of teams that would receive those picks after the Jets is Detroit, Arizona, Buffalo, Philadelphia, St. Louis and Cleveland. This year’s compensatory picks should be awarded sometime around March 26. After they’re announced, I’ll review what the NFL did and where my projections were incorrect (although I’ve already presented some other possibilities).

Moodrak always claims he is a scout and would be happy exclusively scouting college kids. John Guy and Jauron are helping Marv as much as TM. Fewer Eagles and Steeler FA's being looked at this year.

Guesswhoz21 is spot on. Fat guys are not part of cover 2 scheme. DT's usually go about 300-310. Bunkley looks like a good fit.

I clearly think Marv wants to trade Moulds. After TO, the market is thin for receivers and the draft has only one legitimate round #1 WR. Getting a #2 pick for him would be a windfall. Marv knows this team is two years away and keeping a disgruntled Moulds around is no good for the team. He also knows if he cuts him it sends a bad message to potential free agents. Keep him until the market settles and tell his agent to find a trade partner preferably in a different division who has cap room (Minnesota ?, Chicago? ). Worst comes to worst, Moulds avgs 7 yards a catch for the 2006 Bills.

Peters - Neal- Mangold- Villireal- Fabini would be an upgrade over last year.

Agree on the Neal pickup. As for the others, how many backups do we need?

My take on the Andre Davis pickup was to use that speed to stop teams from crowding the line. Josh Reed, Moulds, Aiken, Campell cannot run by anyone. Davis, Evans and Roscoe can stretch the field. Now getting them the ball is another issue.

Tough lunch pail kind of player. Speaking of which what happened to Runyan?

Isn't Bowen a safety?

Spikes has to be in the plans. Simply has to be.

One thing I like about Vince Young is he is a great leader. The comebacks vs USC and Ohio St on the road were against premier teams on huge stages. Delivering victories in crunch time is a rare commodity in a QB. I admit taking a QB again is crazy but I do like Vince Young. Cinci did it with Carson Palmer after burning a 1 on Akili Smith and I'd say it worked out well.

Agree that that is the best case scenario, draft is deep where hitting 5 or 6 in the top 100 would be a great building block, just want to see a veteran center and a veteran safety out there.

Seymour was drafted, they went out and got Vrabel, Brian Cox, Antowain Smith, Marc Edwards and others the first year they one. They did add Harrison, Colvin(FA) and Dillon (trade). point was they don't make big early splash in FA ala Snyder and survive.

I suspect Marv is attempting to follow the Belechek/Pioli model with the emphasis on hard working, character players. I took this off the Patriots board as they are flipping out over all the players they are losing. I think Mike32282 is close to what Marv is attempting to do. PATRIOTS OFFSEASON SURVIVAL GUIDE (One man's opinion) The recipe that has worked for the Patriots for the past several years....DOES not usually offer us, the "patriot" fan much excitement in the days of free agency....or the draft. This you MUST get used to. Do NOT expect many "star studded", or big name free agency signings for huge cash....from the Belichick led Patriots. DO expect a few LATE signings of FA players who's names you do not quickly recognize, that get signed for average/league minimum money. YOU may not know their names.....but odds are Belichick and Pioli....HAVE BEEN WATCHING them all year.....they may do well here....or they may be a bust.....but they are very low risk financially for the most part. During this time of year....EXPECT to watch the talking heads on ESPN/other Sports stations.....briefly talk about the FA moves by the Patriots, scratch their heads, look at each other blankly.....and then move on to the next team.....that just signed a "HUGE, BIG NAME star" to their roster for 100 million over 4 years....... DO not EXPECT to read anything in the newspapers or free agency/rumor websites about possible trades or aquisitions by the Patriots......IF you don't expect this.....you won't be disappointed everyday....when every other team has "moves" listed......and the Pats column is blank....... DO I AGREE with every player move he has made......OF course not.........BUT I have gotten used to the Belichick style and method in terms of the FA and draft process......and quite often......you have to just sit back, wait, and watch......

Arizona typically does not even spend to its cap so matching is no guarantee. That said, this guy doesn't warrant a huge deal.

Intriguing but Ralph would have to pony up two first round contracts himself. Minnesota may be a dance partner as well. Childress indicated backup Brad Johnson would ascend to the starting role in 2006 but he hoped to acquire a young quarterback to develop for the near future. Childress also did not rule out packaging several draft picks -- they now own the 17th, 48th and 51st picks -- to move up in the first round and select one of the draft's three premier quarterbacks: USC's Matt Leinart, Texas' Vince Young and Vanderbilt's Jay Cutler. "You look at all those eventualities and see if you feel like there is something," Childress said.

I much prefer they chase starters than someone who was out of the league and someone who has "seen time".

They make take Ngata and use a rotation. May take a player like Hawk realizing that Fletcher may be near end of contract. Best scenario is a trade back and have a chance to grab three players in top 50.

Character issues = no go with Marv

I love the pick but if we still need OLine guys by draft time we have to trade back.

Paup was done when he left here no where's near the MVP level we saw. Odomes? Reich? Bannon's best moments here were as a guard on goal line offense.