With the offseason upon us, let’s take a look at the challenges that await some of our favorite Immersion teams.
Marshfield Pirates
2012 Record: 10-3 (Champions)
2013 Draft Pick: 1.09, 1.12
Cap Room: $35.73
Expiring Contracts
- Tom Brady, QB
- Vincent Jackson, WR
- David Akers, PK
- Navorro Bowman, LB
- D’Qwell Jackson, LB
There are not that many expiring contracts, but geez, get a load of the names. It’s hard to envision seeing Tom Brady available, but the franchise tag represents a significant jump in pay for him (not that it isn’t deserved.) The problem is that difficult cap number…the Pirates don’t have much money to maneuver with. Rumor has it that Pirates GM Jason Enright has already been in contact with several teams about possible trades, presumably to free up some cap space.
Vincent Jackson had a great season, and would have held out if it were not for his expiring contract. It seems probable that he’ll be on the open market, but the Pirates will probably have to pay a lot more than $11 to get him back.
Those are some pretty big-time LBs hitting the free agent market as well. I don’t know that the Pirates have the cap space to franchise tag a LB.
Holdouts (Scheduled Salary, Holdout Demands)
- Marshawn Lynch, RB ($34.10, $46.12)
- DeAngelo Hall, CB ($4.40, $9.15)
Marshawn Lynch’s demands are not completely obscene, but again, where do the Pirates find the money? Lynch was recently named the Marshfield Pirates Playoff MVP by management, and he is a big reason that Enright is posing with the trophy these days.
DeAngelo Hall is always holding it, it seems. Good luck with that, boss.
Positional Strength
Running Back
Ray Rice and LeSean McCoy are the perfect Immersion running backs, showing ability to run the ball and catch it out of the backfield. Marshawn Lynch is still on the team, and the Pirates will get a least 6 regular season games out of him.
Wide Receiver
Keep in mind that the Pirates are losing Vincent Jackson. They still have Andre Johnson, Dwayne Bowe, and Torrey Smith (who is entering 3rd year receiver goodness as the old cliche goes.)
Tight End
Hard Hittin’ Jason Witten is still Tony Romo’s safety blanket, and Jared Cook is an up and coming backup.
Safety
They have no shortage of productive safeties in Yeremiah Bell, Eric Berry, Kam Chancellor, and Malcolm Jenkins.
Positional Weakness
Quarterback
Brady is out of contract, and Carson Palmer is the only QB under contract for next season.
DownState CornChutes
2012 Record: 6-7
2013 Draft Pick: 1.04, 1.05, 1.06
Cap Room: $154.80
Expiring Contracts
- Drew Brees, QB
- Josh Freeman, QB
- Shonn Greene, RB
- Brandon Jacobs, RB
- Anquan Boldin, WR
- Jeremy Maclin, WR
- Stephen Gostkowski, PK
- Jared Allen, DE
- DeAndre Levy, LB
- Patrick Willis, LB
- DJ Smith, LB
- Morgan Burnett, S
- Bernard Pollard, S
Drew Brees is obviously the biggest loss here. But paying him the franchise tag would only be a modest salary increase. Marcot would be foolish not to. Is he foolish? I do not know. I don’t think so. He has done some pretty impressive things with his squad in the short time he’s had it.
Jared Allen and his monster salary is finally off the books. It is unlikely that he (or any DE not named JJ Watt in his next contract) would command $31 again. Owners of potential-holdout-DEs can rejoice next season as the cost should theoretically come down.
Holdouts (Scheduled Salary, Holdout Demands)
- Jamaal Charles, RB ($44.00, $46.12)
Jamaal Charles had a comeback season last year, and he wants to get paid like it. None of this $44.00 bullshit, he wants the $46.12 that’s coming to him. Marcot would be an asshole not to pay him. Is Marcot an asshole? I do not know. I don’t think so. He has done some pretty impressive things with his squad in the short time he’s had it.
Positional Strength
Safety
Rookie Free Agent Harrison Smith ended up 2nd in scoring among safeties, and he makes the league minimum and is signed for four more years. Now the CornChutes have no reason to care that Morgan Burnett is out of contract.
Positional Weakness
Quarterback
None are currently signed. I’d say that’s a major weakness. Am I right, guys? Guys?
Running Back
Jamaal Charles is pretty good. The CornChutes then have David Wilson and Andre Brown. The latest report is that those two are going to share the running duties in New York. This could work out for DownState if one of those guys has a horrific knee injury, but it doesn’t look optimal at the moment.
Otherwise, it could be horrid for Marcot. I can just see him starting Wilson, and then having Brown snake the goal line carries. The next week, the opposite would happen. It’s enough to drive a man insane.
Sweet Home Gridiron Gang
2012 Record: 4-9
2013 Draft Pick: 1.02
Cap Room: $119.94
Expiring Contracts
- Frank Gore, RB
- Willis McGahee, RB
- LaRod Stephens-Howling, RB
- Victor Cruz, WR
- Santana Moss, WR
- Kevin Ogletree, WR
- Dan Bailey, PK
- Phil Dawson, PK
- Chris Long, DE
- Akeem Ayers, LB
- James Laurinaitis, LB
- Curtis Lofton, LB
- Asante Samuel, CB
The Gridiron Gang is losing a big part of their backfield and linebacking corps. Victor Cruz received the franchise tag before last season, and was the Gang’s most productive player. He might be in line to receive it a second time.
Holdouts (Scheduled Salary, Holdout Demands)
- Reggie Wayne, WR ($15.40, $26.63)
Reggie Wayne was right there with Victor Cruz in terms of scoring. It could be difficult for the Gridiron Gang to live without his 11 points per/game. They have the cap room to pay the man, and they probably should.
Positional Strength
Wide Receiver
Greg Jennings had a down year, but should return to form (sorry James Jones.) Reggie Wayne has been elite for a long time, and he kept that up working with Andrew Luck. If the Gang re-signs Cruz, then that’s a nice trifecta.
Positional Weakness
Running Back
Michael Turner is expensive, and he is only being pursued as a goal line situational back in free agency. Hear that sound? It’s his stock plummeting. So who do we pair him up with? BenJarvus Green-Ellis. Did you just throw up a little? Me too. Fortunately the Gang has the second pick in the draft, where they may have an opportunity to rectify this situation.
Linebacker
The only one left is Lance Briggs. They might want to strongly consider applying the franchise tag to James Laurinaitis.
Oregon Dream Team
2012 Record: 3-10
2013 Draft Pick: 1.01
Cap Room: $44.76
Expiring Contracts
- Joique Bell, RB
- Michael Bush, RB
- James Starks, RB
- Kevin Walter, WR
- Aaron Hernandez, TE
- Lawrence Tynes, PK
- Paul Posluszny, LB
- Tracy Porter, CB
- Ed Reed, S
Other than Hernandez and Posluszny, the Dream Team should be happy to see these guys go.
Holdouts (Scheduled Salary, Holdout Demands)
- Vince Wilfork, DT ($1.39, $6.21)
Wilfork is a good DT, and he has been relatively consistent. But he still has a lot of years left. Any meeting of his contract demands should be accompanied by a reduction in years.
Positional Strength
Quarterback
Matthew Stafford came down from the cloud a bit last year, but he still runs an offense that passes 70% of the time and he still has Megatron to throw to.
Wide Receiver
Michael Crabtree finally turned into a wide receiver. He is the focal point of the Niners passing offense, and things are looking up with Kaepernick at the helm. Randall Cobb was the steal of the century – he was drafted in the 4th round, scored nearly 200 points, and is holdout-proof. Add to the mix Austin Miles, and the receivers are clearly the strength of this team.
Positional Weakness
Running Back
The Dream Team has more than $50 invested in DeAngelo Hall and Jonathan Stewart, who sit by and watch as Cam Newton scores all the rushing touchdowns. Cedric Benson is an average back coming off of a horrific injury (and he costs $28 for some reason.)
You know what can help, though? Having the first pick in the draft.
Linebacker
The Dream Team is a little thin here, with Posluszny running out of contract. James Harrison and Brandon Spikes are mediocre at best, and Brian Cushing keeps getting injured.
Well, that does it folks. I hope you enjoyed my 3-part series. Please stay tuned for further updates, and remember, you can cut players and trade players for now, as we move towards our new league year.
© 2013, Josh Hammond. All rights reserved.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.