Assessing off-season.

[phinfan2003]

Additions

A.J. Feeley-IMO, this was a risky move because we gave up a high draft pick. I don't know if it was smart putting so much trust in an inexperienced player but we've done it before with Fiedler.

Jeno James-I like this addition even though I would have preferred Woody but James is an upgrade and not as expensive as Woody

Reggie Howard- I really like this move!!! He can tackle as well as play the pass well and from what I've seen, is very physical which fits into our scheme. Worst case scenario, he plays the nickel for us which is a huge plus!!!

Chris Akins-This pick-up seems to be a wash since we lost Hendricks. He's going to be a special teams standout and provides depth in the secondary.

Losses

Todd Wade- Even though I would have liked to see him back, he wasn't worth what he was asking for. Unfortunately, the FA options available aren't as appealing and probably as good although they won't demand as much money.

Tommy Hendricks-Big special teams loss and at backup LB. It's time for Moore and Jenkins to step up!!

Femi Ayanbedejo- Minimal loss as the backup FB. We can draft someone to take his spot.

What are your assessments. Feel free to agree or disagree.

 

[Lukin]

1. I'm feeling the Feeley move. At first i was a little upset, like everyone, I wanted Rivers. But AJ is Young, Accurate, has lots of upside. If he can be the next Matt Hasselbeck i'll be extemely happy.

2. Don't know much about James. He's gotta be better than what we had. Plus we're not even close to finished with our O-Line, I think we'll have an Average/Good (at best) O-Line next year. Not horrible (like last year) or not Great (like KC)

3. Reggie Howard. I liked what I saw from him in the playoffs. Plus he's young (27 in May). Overall, we're doing a good job so far of adding some youth. I doubt he can quite knock off Madison just yet but anyone who can start for the NFC champions should be a great NB.

4. I believe our losses this offseason have helped us more than hurt. We're setting ourselves up for a great draft, and a solid future. I think we can go WR in the first round and then draft Defense for the rest of the draft (But that's a matter of opinion).

5. 2004 season outlook: I think we have nothing to lose going into next season. At the very best, Feeley will give us the QB play we've been badly needing, and take us deep into the playoffs. At the very worst, Feeley will bust, and we'll have another 9-7 or 10-6 year with Jay Feidler.

6. This is an Optimistic assessment.

7. Thank you.

 

[fin-atic]

I am disappointed so far.. Better things may come buit after the first week we missed out on:

Woody
Tait

Not getting one of these is almost unbelievable when you consider how much our need was.

We signed Feeley instead of Garcis. Very risky.

We did not even try for Owens when he came so cheaply

We retained Fiedler which takes us out of the Rivers hunt.

I woudl have felt much better if we ended up:

Feeley or Garcia and Rivers
Tait
James

The defenders I could care two cents about. Defense is not our need. Back up situational players are a dime a dozen.

I hope the Front office has a few miracles somewhere.

 

[Regan21286]

Additions

A.J. Feeley-I still have my doubts especially if he doesn't beat Fiedler. Jay had to leave and let AJ and Griese (if he's willing to play cheap) duel it out. Wanny will obviously favor Fiedler.

Jeno James-I like this pickup but I woulda liked Woody better. I still think the Fins need more O-Linemen.

Reggie Howard- If this means Madison is gone, I'd say this was a bad signing. But if he's willing to take over Fletcher or hopefully not Buckley's spot, he'll do fine.

Chris Akins-He is a Patriot, who did have a good special teams. Not much else to say here.

Losses

Todd Wade- He played decently but yeah, he was too expensive.

Tommy Hendricks-Ugh, what were the Dolphins thinking?

Femi Ayanbedejo- See above and see Rob Konrad's injuries.

So far I think this offseason is kinda of a mix. It'll turn worse if Miami resigns Fiedler and not Griese, can't find a safety or other O-Linemen, or loses Wale without a replacement. It'll be a smash if the Fins get 2-3 more FA O-linemen and get a veteran QB (preferrably Griese) instead of Fiedler.

 

[Barbarian]

Additions

A.J. Feeley - It's a bit of a gamble, but considering what little we have seen from the kid, I think it's worth it. Especially if we get Rivers in the draft and have a serious battle to see who should be starting for us.

Jeno James - Great pickup. Considering that we are trying to retool 80% of the O-Line we need to find great bargains like this. If we had forked over the kind of money it would have taken to get Tait or Woody down here, then we would be screwed when we ran out of cap space and didn't have all our holes filled.

Reggie Howard - Nice pickup, he should be great as the nickleback, and now if Sammy or Pat go down with injury we know were still okay with guys like Howard that can definately step up.

Chris Akins - Nice pickup for depth, and should help patch the holes on special teams.

Losses

Todd Wade- Would have been nice to see him come back, but not for what he was asking, smart move letting Houston waste their money instead of us wasting ours.

Tommy Hendricks - Dissapointing, of all the losses this is the one I would have really liked to have seen us keep. It's my only complaint of the offseason so far.

Femi Ayanbedejo- As long as Konrad remains healthy this loss shouldn't hurt. Dissapointing, but by no means irreplacable.



Overall so far so good. The FO has resisted the temptation to overspend and has played it very smart. If they had listened to some people here we'd be out of cap room and would still have huge gaping holes on the O-Line.

 

[phinsfan1221]

I have to agree with the fin-atic