Javon, Kerney, Redding, etc.

[Rascal]

Lions To Tag DT/DE Redding As Tackle?
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070216/SPORTS01/702160371/1049

If the Lions name DT/DE Cory Redding their franchise player before Thursday's 4 p.m. deadline, they will tag him as a defensive tackle, not as an end. The difference is almost $2 million dollars. The franchise amount for ends is $8,644,000. The franchise amount for tackles is $6,775,000. Redding was a defensive end his entire career until the Lions moved him to tackle six games into the 2006 season. But Redding has no recourse. According to the CBA, when a player gets the franchise tag, he gets it at the position he played the most the previous season.

RB T. Henry Top Priority For Titans
Teresa M. Walker, Associated Press , Knoxville News-Sentinel
http://www.knoxnews.com/kns/titans_football/article/0,1406,KNS_334_5355242,00.html

New GM Mike Reinfeldt has two weeks to keep their key players from hitting the free-agent market. And he must rework a contract for RB Travis Henry to avoid paying an $8 million bonus. The Titans have nine players due to become unrestricted free agents, six to be restricted free agents, and three exclusive-rights agents. But at the top of the list will be Henry's contract, after he personally resuscitated the rushing offense last season. Henry is under contract through 2009. The Titans want him back but need to rework that bonus into a more friendly, long-term deal.

Broncos Eyeing DE Kerney?
Jeff Legwold, Rocky Mountain News
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/sports_columnists/article/0,1299,DRMN_83_5356530,00.html

It will be a surprise to many around the league if the Broncos don't make a concerted effort to acquire Atlanta DE Patrick Kerney. Kerney had said his position coach in Atlanta, Bill Johnson, is one reason he would have re-signed with the Falcons. Since then, however, Johnson has accepted a job as defensive line coach with the Broncos.

WR J. Walker Locked In For 5 Years
Bill Williamson, Denver Post
http://www.denverpost.com/broncos/ci_5237814

When the Broncos signed WR Javon Walker to a six-year deal last spring, they had protection if in case he didn't recover sufficiently from a 2005 knee injury. However, Walker, who was Denver's most productive offensive player in 2006, proved his surgically repaired knee was fully recovered. In recent days, Denver exercised the option bonus that was due Thursday. Had Denver not exercised the option, Walker would have become a free agent March 2. It was Walker's impressive first season that caused the Broncos to trigger the final five years of his contract.

Bengals Designate DE J. Smith As Franchise Player
NFL.com
http://www.nfl.com/teams/story/CIN/9999794

The Cincinnati Bengals announced on Thursday that they have designated defensive end Justin Smith as their franchise player. The Bengals will have the right to match the offer of any other team, or would receive a team's first-round draft picks in 2007 and 2008 as compensation if they elected not to match an offer.

Lions Hope To Trade DT M. Bell, DE J. Hall
Nicholas J. Cotsonika, Detroit Free Press
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070215/SPORTS01/702150367/1049/SPORTS02

The Lions have granted DT Marcus Bell and DE James Hall permission to seek a trade, as they have with CB Dré Bly. It will be interesting to see what, if anything, the Lions can get for any or all of them. They were able to get a draft pick from Miami for QB Joey Harrington last season even though everyone knew they were going to release him.

Ravens Expected To Cut RB J. Lewis
Jamison Hensley, Baltimore Sun
http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/football/bal-sp.ravens15feb15,0,5202868.story?coll=bal-sports-football

It has been estimated that the Ravens have less than $3 million in cap space to work with this off-season. They are expected to clear $3.3 million when they cut RB Jamal Lewis before he receives a $5 million roster bonus next month. But that might be the only cap savings for the Ravens because GM Ozzie Newsome said he doesn't expect the team to cut anyone else.

Strapped Ravens May Not Tag LB A. Thomas?
Jamison Hensley, Baltimore Sun
http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/football/bal-sp.ravens15feb15,0,5202868.story?coll=bal-sports-football

A week before the deadline, the Ravens remain undecided whether to use the franchise tag on All-Pro LB Adalius Thomas. The big question is whether they have enough salary cap room to do so. By using the tag for 2007, the Ravens can keep Thomas from hitting the free agent market by paying him $7.2 million. The problem however is the Ravens have less than $3 million in cap space. The deadline to use the tag is next Thursday.

[Rascal]

Javon will get his numbers, but I'm really excited about Marshall. IMO we got a huge steal in last years draft getting him in the fourth round. I think Javon and Marshall will put up similar numbers to Rod and McCaffrey, especially once Marshall becomes the legit #2 WR which I expect to happen this offseason. IMO he has the talent and body of TO, but without the mental problems. If he puts out the effort, he is going to have a great career.

[Rascal]

BTW....

The Broncos came into the month with about $3.8 million of workable cap space available, with 70 players already under contract.

per Legwold.

Makes me wonder if he is accounting for all 70 players in the cap figure instead of the top 50 (51 or 52 not sure).

[TheDave]

Lions Hope To Trade DT M. Bell, DE J. Hall
Nicholas J. Cotsonika, Detroit Free Press
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070215/SPORTS01/702150367/1049/SPORTS02

The Lions have granted DT Marcus Bell and DE James Hall permission to seek a trade, as they have with CB Dré Bly. It will be interesting to see what, if anything, the Lions can get for any or all of them. They were able to get a draft pick from Miami for QB Joey Harrington last season even though everyone knew they were going to release him.



Alright, does anyone know much about these guys?

[Drek]

I'm fine with keep Javon, even at his hefty price tag. Isn't the deal pretty heavily loaded on this year? I'd be fine with that if the FO doesn't have any major targets in FA, looks like most of the good FAs will get tagged so whats left will likely get overrpaid anyways. I'm all for paying out bonus money this year and getting it out of the way for more flexability down the road.

[Rascal]

J Hall is a decent DE, I'd put him around Kerney's level, and is capable of stopping the run and rushing the passer (better rusher then run stopper). He won't do anything outstanding, but he is a solid player. He got injured last year and only played in 7 games, and his replacement Kalimba Edwards apparently impressed them enough that they don't want to overpay for the position since they have so many other needs. With K Jones being out till at least the 1/2 way point apparently, they might be interested in Tatum.

He had 5.5 sacks, and 18 tackles in 7 games last year before getting injured. He was born in 1977. Is 6'2" and weights 271.

Here is the preseason report for him in 2006 from football guys:
Positives

With his good array of pass rush moves and athleticism, James Hall is the best edge pass rusher on the Lions. He’s active in the run defense and has put up at least 40 solo tackles each of the last four years (including two top five finishes among defensive ends in solo tackles). He’s only one year removed from a double digit sack season and returned to form late in 2005, with 24 tackles (23 solo), three sacks, and two forced fumbles in the last four games. Hall knows how to separate the offensive player and the football - seven forced fumbles over the last two seasons. He’s durable (missing only three games in the last five years - two of them last year with a groin injury). He’s gained one of the best defensive line coaches in the business in Rod Marinelli.

Negatives

Hall lacks outstanding speed or strength and will probably never be an elite pass rusher. While he does rack up tackles in pursuit in the running game, he’s not big enough to be a force at the point of attack and can be pushed around by larger offensive linemen.

Outlook

The defensive line in Detroit should experience a resurgence in the cover 2 scheme, and Hall could well be the leader of that revival. He’s one of the best defensive ends at providing a solid base of scoring from tackles week to week, and could provide enough sacks and big plays to get back in the top tier of defensive ends. He’ll be a big value in IDP leagues this year.




Don't know much about M Bell,

[sirhcyennek81]

I'd be happy if the Broncos brought in Kerney, that would be a good move. Also happy Javon is getting his money, too.


:Broncos:

[jebures]

J Hall is a decent DE, I'd put him around Kerney's level, and is capable of stopping the run and rushing the passer (better rusher then run stopper). He won't do anything outstanding, but he is a solid player. He got injured last year and only played in 7 games, and his replacement Kalimba Edwards apparently impressed them enough that they don't want to overpay for the position since they have so many other needs. With K Jones being out till at least the 1/2 way point apparently, they might be interested in Tatum.

He had 5.5 sacks, and 18 tackles in 7 games last year before getting injured. He was born in 1977. Is 6'2" and weights 271.

Here is the preseason report for him in 2006 from football guys:
Positives

With his good array of pass rush moves and athleticism, James Hall is the best edge pass rusher on the Lions. He’s active in the run defense and has put up at least 40 solo tackles each of the last four years (including two top five finishes among defensive ends in solo tackles). He’s only one year removed from a double digit sack season and returned to form late in 2005, with 24 tackles (23 solo), three sacks, and two forced fumbles in the last four games. Hall knows how to separate the offensive player and the football - seven forced fumbles over the last two seasons. He’s durable (missing only three games in the last five years - two of them last year with a groin injury). He’s gained one of the best defensive line coaches in the business in Rod Marinelli.

Negatives

Hall lacks outstanding speed or strength and will probably never be an elite pass rusher. While he does rack up tackles in pursuit in the running game, he’s not big enough to be a force at the point of attack and can be pushed around by larger offensive linemen.

Outlook

The defensive line in Detroit should experience a resurgence in the cover 2 scheme, and Hall could well be the leader of that revival. He’s one of the best defensive ends at providing a solid base of scoring from tackles week to week, and could provide enough sacks and big plays to get back in the top tier of defensive ends. He’ll be a big value in IDP leagues this year.




Don't know much about M Bell,

He is a big body run stopping DT, i would take him considering our lack of size and depth at DT

[Rascal]

Decision Made, OT L. Davis Won't Be Tagged
Darren Urban, East Valley Tribune

The Biggest player personnel decision the Cardinals had this off-season has been made. Cardinals vice president of football operations Rod Graves said Thursday night the team will not use the franchise tag on OT Leonard Davis, who becomes a free agent next month. The team will not use the transition tag either, Graves said. Davis will be allowed to shop himself around the league, and he will likely be the top tackle available in free agency.

[Rascal]

[/B]

He is a big body run stopping DT, i would take him considering our lack of size and depth at DT

Yeah at 6'2" and 339 it sounds like it. Sounds like a M Myers replacement. If he is cheaper I'd get him then and then we will still need to address. We can't go in to this year with only three DT's, and with Bates scheme he likes his DT's to be big so he could fit that bill.

Apparently he is also coming off the IR with a broken hand in week 13 or 14.

[plummershelper]

Lions Hope To Trade DT M. Bell, DE J. Hall
Nicholas J. Cotsonika, Detroit Free Press
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/a.../1049/SPORTS02 (http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070215/SPORTS01/702150367/1049/SPORTS02)

The Lions have granted DT Marcus Bell and DE James Hall permission to seek a trade, as they have with CB Dré Bly. It will be interesting to see what, if anything, the Lions can get for any or all of them. They were able to get a draft pick from Miami for QB Joey Harrington last season even though everyone knew they were going to release him.


This basically ensures that Redding will be tagged. I wanted Bell two or so years back as a fatty to plug running lanes. Hall wouldn't be bad either, although I don't know that I'd put hm in Kerney's league.

[Rascal]

Patriots RB Dillon May Be Cap Casualty?
Mike Reiss, Boston Globe
http://www.boston.com/sports/football/patriots/reiss_pieces/2007/02/no_5_need_rbs_1.html

RB Corey Dillon is scheduled to have a $4.4 million salary cap hit, which is a bit high for a likely situational player. Which indicates his presence on the roster isn't a certainty. The team has rookie RB Laurence Maroney and third-down RB Kevin Faulk under contract for 2007, with FB Heath Evans and FB Patrick Pass scheduled for unrestricted free agency. The article also looks at the running backs who are scheduled for unrestricted free agency in 2007.

[eddie mac]

BTW....

The Broncos came into the month with about $3.8 million of workable cap space available, with 70 players already under contract.

per Legwold.

Makes me wonder if he is accounting for all 70 players in the cap figure instead of the top 50 (51 or 52 not sure).
He's no Burger Bill. He's counting 51. You have to count all 53 when the season starts.

I'd also be very interested to see if that option bonus Javon signed yesterday saves Denver a huge chunk of cap room if it was counted all within this year's cap in the original estimates. No-one has reported on that fact yet though. Technically Walker only has a base salary of $600,000 this season. If the Broncos can turn that option bonus into a signing bonus they can save anywhere between $7-$8m in additional cap room for this year. I'm hoping this is the reason why Denver feels they could trade Plummer from a financial aspect.

[fontaine]

He's no Burger Bill. He's counting 51. You have to count all 53 when the season starts.

I'd also be very interested to see if that option bonus Javon signed yesterday saves Denver a huge chunk of cap room if it was counted all within this year's cap. No-one has reported on that fact yet though.

Walker has another roster bonus due in early March to the tune of $4million. We'll know soon enough if that's already been accounted for.

As far as I can remember Plummer had a similar deal where he had a $5million option bonus around the same time of the year and that had been already counted against the cap, although I'm not sure with the new CBA.

[eddie mac]

Walker has another roster bonus due in early March to the tune of $4million. We'll know soon enough if that's already been accounted for.

As far as I can remember Plummer had a similar deal where he had a $5million option bonus around the same time of the year and that had been already counted against the cap, although I'm not sure with the new CBA.

You're right Fontaine and in that case Denver turned it into a signing bonus and they saved around $4m in cap room. I hope the Walker case is similar. The roster bonus can be changed to a signing bonus as well. The cap room would really help plus Javon still gets his money up front and we can take that $8m hit from Jake and get a pick coming the other way without worrying about the room to bring 2-3 big guns in.

[eddie mac]

Walker has another roster bonus due in early March to the tune of $4million. We'll know soon enough if that's already been accounted for.

As far as I can remember Plummer had a similar deal where he had a $5million option bonus around the same time of the year and that had been already counted against the cap, although I'm not sure with the new CBA.

The article from BB states he's due another bonus next season not in March???

[Elway777]

The cap numbers on the 3 detroit players are Marcus BELL ,950,000 jAMES Hall ,2,750,000 and Dre Bly 4,200,000. I don't know if any Bonus Money is owned if the Broncos trade for One of this players.

[Hercules Rockefeller]

Walker has another roster bonus due in early March to the tune of $4million. We'll know soon enough if that's already been accounted for.

As far as I can remember Plummer had a similar deal where he had a $5million option bonus around the same time of the year and that had been already counted against the cap, although I'm not sure with the new CBA.

Javon's bonuses are already accounted for in those cap figures. The issue is whether the bonuses were guaranteed like Jake's were, or unguaranteed.

[Barry Ramey]

Marcus Bell started his career with the Cards I believe. A big DT who takes up space. A decent backup, but not starting material.

[azbroncfan]

I think Hall would be a Good DE. He has played well in the past and I think he is still young.

[OrangeShadow]

i wouldnt mind kerney here at all

[BroncoBuff]

WR J. Walker Locked In For 5 Years
Bill Williamson, Denver Post
http://www.denverpost.com/broncos/ci_5237814

When the Broncos signed WR Javon Walker to a six-year deal last spring, they had protection if in case he didn't recover sufficiently from a 2005 knee injury. However, Walker, who was Denver's most productive offensive player in 2006, proved his surgically repaired knee was fully recovered. In recent days, Denver exercised the option bonus that was due Thursday. Had Denver not exercised the option, Walker would have become a free agent March 2. It was Walker's impressive first season that caused the Broncos to trigger the final five years of his contract.

File this under "no duh..."

I agree Rascal, Marshall is an outrageous talent. Second most exciting upside guy on the roster.

[Barry Ramey]

I'm not real high on Hall. He seems like a specialist to me and the Broncos have enough of those guys. They need a guy that is big enough to handle the run and pass at the DE spot and I think that's Kerney and since coming off injury and the Broncos have his line coach from Atlanta that he reportedly likes, they have a good shot at him for a decent price I think.

[chaz]

I'm not real high on Hall. He seems like a specialist to me and the Broncos have enough of those guys. They need a guy that is big enough to handle the run and pass at the DE spot and I think that's Kerney and since coming off injury and the Broncos have his line coach from Atlanta that he reportedly likes, they have a good shot at him for a decent price I think.

kerney and hall are both around 270-280 lbs....hall is a good pass rusher but he is not incompetent against the run. i'd personally like to see both of them brought in....depth is huge.

[Jetmeck]

Javon will get his numbers, but I'm really excited about Marshall. IMO we got a huge steal in last years draft getting him in the fourth round. I think Javon and Marshall will put up similar numbers to Rod and McCaffrey, especially once Marshall becomes the legit #2 WR which I expect to happen this offseason. IMO he has the talent and body of TO, but without the mental problems. If he puts out the effort, he is going to have a great career.


Good take. Two quality receivers with an accurate yet mobile QB. How long has it been ? Dare I say a Sharpe type TE in Scheff. Marshall and Schef obviously have a lot to prove but the signs are there. Get us a decent ground game this could get REAL interesting.

[maven]

Say no to trash,,,, uh I mean P. Kerney.