Procrastinators Ring in New League Year

June 1, 2013 Josh Hammond League Business 0

IMMERSION HEADQUARTERS

After having months to make decisions, many league owners decided to wait until the very last minute to execute roster moves on the eve of the new league year. Extra staffers were on hand at Immersion headquarters to handle the influx of information, many of whom worked well into the night and in the early hours of June 1st.

So what went down?

Roddy White received the franchise tag from the Madtown Marauders for the second year in a row. White was not happy about receiving a paltry $0.75 raise, and vowed that this season would be his last with the Marauders. The Marauders also cut ties with LB Melvin Ingram, who was drafted in the third round last year.

The Kamino Bounty Hunters met the holdout demands of RB Stevan Ridley and added two years to his contract. Then, they dropped five players and absorbed a fairly sizable cap hit. They cut ties with RB Fred Jackson, RB Peyton Hillis, RB LeGarrette Blount, TE Fred Davis, and DE Justin Tuck. They also struck a deal with the Fransburg (r)EvoLUtion that sent LB Bruce Carter to Fransburg in exchange for QB Kirk Cousins (a nice insurance policy for the Bounty Hunters, who have RGIII under contract) and LB KJ Wright. 5th rounders were also exchanged.

Speaking of Fransburg, they were able to send FA RB Ahmad Bradshaw, who is currently holding out despite being sans NFL team, to the Banthas for WR Jacoby Jones and a 5th round draft pick. Jones was promptly cut.

The Oregon Dream Team cut ties with WR Santonio Holmes, CB Nate Clements, CB Carlos Rogers, QB Ryan Fitzpatrick, RB Cedric Benson, RB DeAngelo Williams, and S Quintin Mikell. Prior to that, they sent a 3rd round draft pick to Marshfield for the third most expensive safety in Eric Berry. To be fair, Berry was the 21st ranked safety last year. Oh wait, that just makes that trade sound even worse for the Dream Team. More like the Nightmare Team. Am I right, guys?

But it wasn’t all dumb trades for the Dream Team. They did save a substantial sum of money by restructuring the deals of QB Matthew Stafford and DT Ndamukong Suh.

The Silvertips cut ties with RB Donald Brown and traded TE Greg Olsen to the Batavia Colliders for pick 1.08 in this year’s draft. The Collider’s received the Silvertips 2014 first rounder in the swap. The Silvertips waited until the new league year to massage the cap a bit, and put off RB Jahvid Best‘s cap hit until 2014. Best has been concussed for two years.

Last week, the North Point Chitons applied the franchise tags to WR Vincent Jackson and LB Navorro Bowman.

The Sweet Home Gridiron Gang also franchised WR Victor Cruz for a second time.

All activity has now been migrated to the 2013 sites.

© 2013, Josh Hammond. All rights reserved.

About Josh Hammond 227 Articles
Commissioner. Three-time champion (2011, 2016, 2018.) Keeper of spreadsheets.

23 Comments

  1. You guys are obsessed with salary … Berry is going to be a top 5 safety this year – lock it up!

    Also, thanks for not mentioning any Pirate moves … 🙁

  2. By the way, the mean salary of the top five safeties last season was $2.20. And that’s with Morgan Burnett gumming up the works at $6. Three of the top five safeties cost $1.

    So, even if Eric Berry is a top 5 safety, he will still be overpaid. It’s not that I’m obsessed with salary, I’m just making a point that Eric Berry is not worth a third rounder. It’s not his market value.

    Now granted, I am paying about twice as much for my cornerback as the next highest guy…but it’s rare to find a CB as consistently in the top-3 as Charles Tillman. The odds are good that the top safety in 2013 is some guy nobody has heard of yet and is currently not on a roster.

  3. Oh yeah, that Berry trade was comical. Don’t take my word for it – go to “Reports; Player; Top Performer/Player Stats” and search the safeties. Check out them salaries.

    Now this will get a real laugh – do a search for FREE AGENT safeties only. Berry would be the 14th best safety just walking the street! There are only 12 teams! Better get that top-5 guy while supplies last!

    Why the fuck would you TRADE someone a 3rd round pick for the right to pay the 14th best free agent player at any position SEVEN TIMES their market salary, especially when that player only has one year left on the contract? I’ll tell you why, to help win a championship THIS YEAR. My expectations have been set.

    • Adam, just shut up already. These trades dont have to pass your approval. I certainly do not care what your opinion of my trades are, in the slightest.

      Why would someone give up Tony Romo for a 7th rounder? God knows you didnt complain then. Why would anyone give up the #7 TE to move up 1 spot in the draft? Meet Ridley’s contract demands and then extend him 2 years? Sign McFadden and CJ for a combined $112 (both outscored by Berry BTW)? Give up a Round 1 for Garcon? Sometimes people do things for reasons other than what the math says. WHO CARES if he “overpaid” by $5 if thats the freaking safety HE wanted?

      “So, even if Eric Berry is a top 5 safety, he will still be overpaid.”

      No, he wont. You guys are over-analyzing the shit out of things. You’re telling me if I told you Berry was a lock for the Top 5 safeties (hypothetically), you wouldnt take on his $7 salary? If you say no, I’m calling bullshit.

      “By the way, the mean salary of the top five safeties last season was $2.20”

      Great. Neat. Who cares? This point can be made about any defensive position, because the offense is calling plays. But you can take a shot at someone who is likely going to be good. BTW, the mean of the top 10 safety salaries last year was over $8, so the market is still there for safeties. One strategy is to wait and pick a break-out guy up cheap, sure, but to use this as a sure fire guide to acquire safeties is silly.

      There is an obvious argument for Berry, which you both know, but to say it anyway: the guy is a stud. Last year he was recovering from injury. He’s by far the most talented athlete on the KC defense and one of only 2 starters on that team a normal person could actually name. Every site predicts him as a top tier safety and he’s the guy Tim wanted to roll with. He’s certainly better than anyone I’ll draft with that pick, I’d bet. And anyway, someone once said:

      “3rd rounders are worthless” -Adam Franssen

      I apologize for this rant, but I’m not going to sit here and have me and my friends abated by someone who values the #1 PICK IN THE DRAFT as: Mikel Leshoure, Jon Baldwin, Rod Streater, Elvis Dumervil and the last pick in the 2nd Round. Get real, bro.

      • And yes, that was an actual trade offer. I’d just simply love to hear Adam’s justification. I’d probably give up my 3rd rounder to hear it.

        • Justification = why not? You never know unless you ask.

          Also, will Tim get top 50 production at RB, WR, and LB and top 75 production at WR at 1.01 in this draft? Two of those guys are RFAs, too and all have years on their contracts.

          Add the 2.12 and MAYbe you’ve got an interesting offer to a team with no chance in hell of winning the division in 2013. If not, what’s the harm?

          If you take a trade as a conversation starter instead of an insult, it’s kind of a fun hobby…

          • Exactly which of those players you offered are going to be in the top 50 RB/WR? I’m not even sure 2 of them will even be starting. Dumervil could produce, but by your own logic, he’s not worth it. Shall we bust out the corresponding LB salary analysis?

            A conversation starter is fine, I understand that, but it might be construed as insulting when you personally have been vocal about Manning as being valued (by you) as 3 Round 1s, and TRich also as 3 Round 1s (or McCoy/Graham/Kuechly), and then you offer that garbage for R1P1.

  4. Adam, try to be fair. You can’t even get a good player in the third round, so don’t overvalue the draft pick. Well, I guess Bobby Wagner was drafted in the third round. And Josh Gordon, who MAYBE could turn into something. Or Andy Dalton. Or Patrick Peterson. Or that JJ Watt guy.

    But I know what you’re thinking…who wants to spend so much money on a draft pick that may or may not pan out? I mean, we KNOW that Eric Berry is the 21st best safety. Clearly the Dream Team wanted to save the $5 they would have had to spend on SOME ROOKIE so that they could spend the $7.59 on a PROVEN VETERAN.

  5. Haha, settle down dude. Just polish the trophy or something (that’s not a euphemism…the trophy has a very calming effect on people.)

    I like the fire…especially when it wasn’t even you that we were busting on. If anything, Tim should be doing this rant, since we were making fun of him. Unless YOU ARE TIM MATUSZAK! ARE YOU?

    I’m not one to turn down a dumb one sided trade (see TY Hilton.) I certainly don’t get fired up if other people say it was a bad trade to give up a first rounder for TY Hilton (it was.)

    I mean, Adam conned someone into taking teamless Bradshaw, who is holding out and was destined for the scrap heap. I didn’t make fun of him, I made fun Ryan for doing it. (For the record, Ryan is “sure” that Bradshaw will be on a team by training camp.)

    Everyone has the right to make their dumb trades. And everyone has a right to call out the dumb moves. If Eric Berry scores 277 points JJ Watt style, then Tim will have the right to call us a bunch of dumbasses for not believing in the miracle of Eric Berry.

    The point that I was trying to make is that safeties are all bunched up in terms of scoring. There isn’t enough variation among them to warrant paying more than market value. I learned that lesson the hard way with Earl Thomas, back in the day. I think part of the reason that running backs are so insanely priced, is because you have to start 2 of them and if you don’t get one, you’re screwed. And there is a TON of variation in scoring from the top backs to even the #10 ranked back. The difference in points between 1 and 10 for RBs is twice the difference between 1 and 10 in safeties.

    So, in essence, my argument is that Tim could have gotten a comparable (or likely better) safety than your “beast” for a fraction of the cost, without giving up anything.

    Likewise, my feeling is that Ryan overestimated the market for Ahmad Bradshaw. He gave up something for the potential that Bradshaw might do something, but he could have just waited and picked him up as a FA, giving up nothing. Or, he could have picked up a RB that is actually on a team. There are precisely zero NFL teams that have such a desperate need at RB that they would sign Bradshaw and make him the starter (which is what would have to happen to warrant a $24 price tag.)

    I think what you’re failing to see is that my approach to salary cap and trading is the best one, and that all other approaches are wrong.

    I’m glad Tim didn’t give his first pick to Adam. One time Adam tried to trade me nude photos of his ex-girlfriend and a half-eaten bag of gummy worms for Arian Foster*

    *Not a true statement.

    • Ah, but you were busting on me as well with the farm team comment or whatever. Anyways its fine, I dont take anything personal, but I needed to say that. I got your point, and its valid but we all dont need to abide by it. I know Adam refuses to pay more than $1 for his safeties and thats fine but thats not the only way. Its just freaking fake money and I will spend however much I want to do get the guy I want, personally. All that matters is at the end of the day if you are under the cap. I would’ve franchised Bowman for example and done a lot of other “not ideal” things, but who the hell cares? I trade away all my picks every year for example and no one seems to care.

      There have been tons of “bad” trades but Adam seems to only comment on the ones that involve certain people, but ignores the terrible ones he is involved in. Great point on the Bradshaw thing. I mean, really, at least Berry can play the first 7 games. Speaking of terrible, every single trade offer he sends me I respond to. Every one. So I know the sort of caliber of his offers and that is what makes me laugh about the whole thing, is what he can justify as a good trade and then what he chooses to bitch about.

      Of course I’m not Tim. But I’m not sure if anyone but us 3 has even seen these comments. I doubt he’d even bother responding because he cares less than I do. He also hasnt been playing together with us for the nearly 2 decades we’ve been playing. Whatever you think of his trades, at least he’s freaking making them. I cant get half the league to even respond to me. I literally offered Stukas half my team for Marshall – about 16 times.

  6. Sorry, I would have chimed in on this topic long ago while it was going on, but I literally just walked in the door from work, grabbed a beer, opened my laptop, and here I am. (5am PST)

    Jason, I appreciate the back-up, but you really don’t have to go to war for me in this league like you have been. I get it. I’m the new guy. Shitty team. Bonehead moves. Last place for the near future. Suppose to understand how much you can expect to pay for a top safety in the auction, and how to financially plan out your team like the championship squads of the past 10 years in the Scuffle. I’ve got it all under wrap, really. I just choose to go against the grain for your entertainment and so I can bless you all with another post by Adam Franssen. Funniest part I thought to myself while I read all of this is that nobody even knows that I’M the one who proposed the trade to JASON lol.

    The thing I’ve learned quickest about this league is that trades are graded immediately. How they pan out are irrelevant, and whether or not Berry returns to playing in top form like he did in 2010, or how he finished the second half of 2012, doesn’t really matter. There is a set dollar number, and a set statistic for each position, and those are the guidelines that must be followed to avoid ridicule. It’s all about how it immediately looks on paper in June, and not whether or not it agrees with somebody elses strategy on how to play this game, and that’s something I’ll have to get use to. Yeah, Berry may pan out, but regardless, the trade was a bust because I overpaid. I must be pinching pennies this offseason and could have used that extra 5 bucks on a 2-tier RB rather than a 3-tier, and it will come back to bite me in the ass someday. Shame on me.

    I take that back. The thing I learned quickest about this league is that Adam Franssen is completely full of shit when it comes to trade offers or reason. Dwayne Allen/Jon Baldwin/Mikel Leshoure are just the tip of the iceberg of some of the garbage I’ve received from that guy since I joined the league. It’s a good thing that all moves made in this league are reviewed and graded by him, because God knows how the rest of you guys might be able to survive otherwise.

    I asked Jason the other day, and I’ll ask you guys the same. Is there a recap posted somewhere of last year, or previous years auctions, that show what each player chosen in the auction eventually sold for? I have no idea what type of money I should expect to have to pay if I throw my hat in for the 1st or 2nd safety taken off the board. Or Corner. Or Wide Receiver. I understand what the top guys from a position costs from a previous year, but is there a way to organize things to see what those guys started out at in Year 1 of their deals, and where in the Auction they went? If not, oh well, I’m in the dark already anyways and learning as I go.

    The fun thing about this type of league is that you have complete control over how you want to play the game and how you manage your own rosters, so get off my nuts and let me play around with my own team for a full calendar year before I get destroyed over a 7 dollar move. Quite frankly, I’m more surprised I haven’t gotten any slack for not having dealt with the Locker mess from the previous owner.

    That being said, I’ll gladly be accepting all forms of criticism come August 1st!

    Josh- appreciate all the hard work you put in to keep this league rolling smoothly.

    Lastly, I’d like to apologize to 10 owners in this league for the boring Franssen response that is about to follow.

    • My favorite part of this is where – in the midst of talking about how little I know about trade value – Tim asks Hammond for help:

      “I have no idea what type of money I should expect to have to pay if I throw my hat in for the 1st or 2nd safety taken off the board. Or Corner. Or Wide Receiver.”

      Wait, what was my initial point again?

  8. Yes, my little article has generated some comments! I woke up and saw there were 16 comments now!

    Tim, our league software doesn’t allow you to post draft results and auction results at the same time. SO, I am going to see if I can revert to auction mode and export the results. I will post them here if I am successful.

    Then I will offer my thoughts on all of this, if I still have any.

  10. We are entering our 4th year in this league, and we are all figuring it out as we go. Player prices are still in flux, and we have all overpaid for players and positions. For example, in the beginning we were paying upwards of $15 for safeties, because, hey, safeties score a decent amount. I thought paying more than $20 for a LB was okay. I spent $16 on Rolando McClain.

    On the other hand, I initially didn’t see the value in paying a ton of money for a RB. In the first auction I was shut out at the position. Fortunately, I was lucky enough to get Arian Foster for $10 and have him turn into a monster (of course, he held out and I had to pay him like the other backs.)

    I suppose you guys are right…the money you pay doesn’t really matter if you are under the cap. I think that as the player markets start to sort themselves out we begin to assign our own personal values to the positions, and we have our threshold of dollars where we might say, “Eff that, I’ll just get another safety.”

    Part of the fun of this league is trying to score a good deal. It’s utterly satisfying to draft Jairus Byrd with the last pick of the last round, pay $1, and have him become the top-scoring safety. I think the salary aspect is just another avenue of competition – trash talking about how someone overpaid is just another version of fantasy football trash talking.

    All trash talking aside, though, I think we will all agree that the addition of the Gridiron Gang and Dream Team has been good for this league. Jesse and Tim have been active participants during the season and off-season (much more active than some of our charter members, to be honest.) Both teams are in much better positions now than they were when Jesse and Tim took them over. It’s not easy to take over abandoned expansion teams and turn them around, but both guys are on the right track (Jesse’s acquisition of Peyton Manning and Tim’s restructuring of Stafford have both been killer moves…and they have the first two picks in the draft.)

    The best part about this whole “debate” (if you want to call it that…it sounds like all parties are taking the arguments in stride) is that it is happening at the beginning of June. I love that I’m in a league were we can be this passionate in freaking JUNE!

    Carry on, men.

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