First post. Forgive me if it looks crappy.
In keeping with the Buddy Nix theme for today, what do you think about this? Does Buddy have a long-term plan that we don't know about and/or understand?
Here's what we know: He did not address our two biggest needs (or are they really?) during the draft this year. QB and OT. We drafted heavily on the defensive side of the ball and picked up a couple of WRs later on. Are the positions of QB and OT really our biggest need? Buddy and Chan obvously studied film and maybe determined that Trent and the linemen we have on the roster are good enough. Hence the reason to draft and improve the defense. But what if...........
Buddy did not like the QBs on this year's draftboard and also thought that the OTs available in the 1st and 2nd round were not worth the pick. Could it be possible that his grand, master plan is to accept another sub-mediocre season in order to draft our franchise QB in the 1st round next year and continue to plug our holes with another good 2011 draft? But what about the O-line deficiencies you ask?
Here's what I think. He purposely ignored the OT position because of this year's labor situation. A LOT of good players got screwed and were stuck on their current teams when they could have been UFAs marching off to a new team with a big, fat contract. All of those guys are pissed. And guess what? Next year they WILL be UFAs. Buddy's plan will be to scoop some of these guys up to make our team playoff contenders again.
Check this list out, courtesy of http://www.kffl.com/:
Pos |
Player Name |
FA Status |
Previous Team |
Current Team |
OT |
Allen Barbre |
UFA |
Green Bay Packers |
Free Agent |
OT |
Khalif Barnes |
UFA |
Oakland Raiders |
Free Agent |
OG |
Josh Beekman |
UFA |
Chicago Bears |
Free Agent |
OT |
Justin Blalock |
UFA |
Atlanta Falcons |
Free Agent |
OG |
Kevin Boothe |
UFA |
New York Giants |
Free Agent |
OT |
Aaron Brant |
UFA |
Chicago Bears |
Free Agent |
OT |
Jeromey Clary |
UFA |
San Diego Chargers |
Free Agent |
OG |
Alan Faneca |
UFA |
Arizona Cardinals |
Free Agent |
OT |
Doug Free |
UFA |
Dallas Cowboys |
Free Agent |
OG |
Robert Gallery |
UFA |
Oakland Raiders |
Free Agent |
OL |
Leroy Harris |
UFA |
Tennessee Titans |
Free Agent |
OL |
Ryan Harris |
UFA |
Denver Broncos |
Free Agent |
OT |
Mario Henderson |
UFA |
Oakland Raiders |
Free Agent |
OG |
Davin Joseph |
UFA |
Tampa Bay Buccaneers |
Free Agent |
OT |
Adam Koets |
UFA |
New York Giants |
Free Agent |
OT |
Matt Light |
UFA |
New England Patriots |
Free Agent |
OG |
Uche Nwaneri |
UFA |
Jacksonville Jaguars |
Free Agent |
OT |
Jonathan Ogden |
UFA |
Baltimore Ravens |
Free Agent |
OT |
Rob Petitti |
UFA |
Carolina Panthers |
Free Agent |
OL |
Barry Richardson |
RFA |
Kansas City Chiefs |
Free Agent |
OL |
Garrison Sanborn |
ERFA |
Buffalo Bills |
Free Agent |
OG |
Kasey Studdard |
UFA |
Houston Texans |
Free Agent |
OT |
Tony Ugoh |
UFA |
Indianapolis Colts |
Free Agent |
OG |
Reggie Wells |
UFA |
Arizona Cardinals |
Free Agent |
OL |
Mansfield Wrotto |
UFA |
Seattle Seahawks |
Free Agent |
I know this may seem a bit far-fetched, but is it?
A lot of juicy players in there, huh? And there are a ton of great players at other positions that will be UFAs as well. I know Buddy expoused his "build through the draft" mantra, which I do believe to be the case, but scooping up a few blue-chippers next year could put us over the top.