Nevyn
03-05-2007, 01:01 PM
Obviously the grading thread is already present are where everyone should vote for top teams, but I thought it would be cool to do a seperate thread where people that want to can review every team in the game. I think summaries of what people did right and did wrong will help everyone do better at the game in future, not just in terms of constructive criticism but on how teams get evaluated.
Here are my evaluations (my teams in Italics), in order that teams appear on the rosters thread:
Oakland Raiders (majesstic):
Trading and drafting notes: I think he started the game by convincingly winning the trade for the #1 pick. Acquiring Jammal Brown and Deuce McAllister while retaining a first rounder was a coup. I did not like the trade of Asomugha.
Roster analysis: The offensive line got a much needed and very effective overhaul. JaMarcus Russell was a good acquisition. But by making such a point to clear our the bad guys at WR, I didn't think he replaced the talent there adequately. On defense he did a very good job, upgrading linebacker and line depth. Losing Asomugha hurts, but Gamble has talent.
Grade: A-
New England Patriots (majesstic):
Trading and drafting notes: The Battle trade was not awful and he is a NE style of player, but the price was reasonably steep. The draft was solid but there isn't a real signature pick or trade here.
Roster analysis: Hard to improve a team this good. He got a little better at WR and linebacker, but there just wasn't that much room to grow.
Grade: B-
San Francisco 49ers (BladeX):
Trading and drafting notes: While some may object to his hard line stance on trading miscommunications, there is no doubt that Blade was one of the better traders in the game. He did so much successful wheeling and dealing that he not only filled some lacking starting spots, but often got starting quality for backups as well. AJ Hawk was particularly a steal.
Roster analysis: This team started out weak at WR and added a young top guy (if a system misfit), and a quality veteran. the offensive line got a potential pro bowl Center, and some excellent depth acquisitions. On defense, he drafted a NT and got a veteran as insurance, also acquiring some young talent at End. Linebacker is where he really shone though, getting a solid rusher for OLB in Hobson and a great ILB in Hawk.
Grade: A
Arizona Cardinals (BladeX)
Trading and Drafting Notes:
Arizona had some decent trades, but I thought that trading for Bentley was a big mistake. Not quite an "I just traded for Darrent Williams" mistake, and I didn't know about the THIRD surgery yet, but the second one was public and once its gone that far I considered him at least a wash for 2007. Greg Olsen was a good value acquisition.
Roster Analysis:
Again, the centerpiece of his retooling was fixing the o-line, and Bentley puts a dent in that notion to my mind. But Backus and Pitts are decent acquisitions. He also maintained ability and gained youth and depth at Tailback. He did not add much to the defense, however.
Grade: B-
St Louis Rams (Knobs27)
Trading and Drafting Notes:
Knobs certainly wasn't afraid to make a splash, doing away with the remaining foundation of the Rams' past success, and seeking to rebuild the defense. But in doing so I think he failed to get enough value in his trades of Holt and Bulger, and that will be the tale of this draft.
Roster Analysis:
The rams got worse at quarterback. Matt Schaub is a decent prospect and deserves a shot to start, but there have been a long line of limited duty backups who have faltered when given the reigns of a team. There can be no doubt that they also significantly downgraded at receiver. Their offensive line dealt a top prospect and otherwise stood pat. So what did this gain them on defense? Well, Stroud is certainly an upgrade to Jimmy Kennedy but he is nto the player he was 2-3 years ago. Glover remains. Having Kerney opposite Little will make for an improved pass rush, so the line is certainly better, perhaps even a top line. Behind that line, however, there are not many improvements, certainly not enough to justify the giant step back that the offense took. On the whole, I feel like this team got worse, and an incremental approach of just drafting for need without any trades would have been better (if incredibly boring). His heart wasn't in it I guess
Grade: D
Pittsburgh Steelers (Knobs27):
Trading and Drafting Notes:
Knobs did considerably better with this team despite having hardly any moves at all.
Roster Analysis:
On offense, practically nothing changed. Duckett probably shouldn't even be ahead of Davenport on the depth chart, so that's barely a depth upgrade. On defense, though, Knobs picked up a trio of excellent prospects to rejuvenate the team. A bit of o-line attention may have been in order, but he did a solid job.
Grade: C+
Buffalo Bills (MasterShake)
Trading and Drafting Notes:
I'm not going to do these with people who haven't summarized their trades
Roster Analysis:
Mastershake focused an awful lot of attention in the trenches, a philosophy I generally agree with. DT Kevin Williams was a huge addition, Victor Abiamiri a quality talent. And on the o-line, he got some dependable bodies and highly touted Tackle prospect. However it could certainly be argued that he focused TOO much on the lines. He had to surrender Nate Clements (although he got a somewhat serviceable replacement in Smoot) and Takeo Spikes, and he failed to address the lack of receiving talent on the club. If any thing, the "skill" positions overall have been downgraded. This is a tougher team, but not a much better one.
Overall Grade: B-
Carolina Panthers (SBBound49ers)
Trading and Drafting Notes:
This seems to me to be one of those teams that did some trading just to make things happen. The Steve Smith trade wasn't bad, but why as Carolina you would want to trade him away in the first place is a bit of a mystery to me. In his dealings with San Francisco I think he wildly overvalued some favourite SF players and got outright taken.
Roster Analysis:
He made a decent effort at solifying the offensive line, but Wragge, while serviceable, is not a great person to looking at to start and save your bacon. Outside of the o-line, the offense got worse. He has a threat at TE, but not a great blocker, and a guy who will find life much more difficult away from the Indy track where the safeties are preocccupied with pro bowlers. Wayne has been excellent, but he likewise has had someone opposite him taking away attention, and now has to be the guy getting things done.
On defense he improved his pass rush a little and changed some personnel but overall just didn't show much improvement. I consider his safety situation particularly hazy.
Grade: C+
Jacksonville Jaguars (SBBound49ers)
Trading and Drafting Notes:
While better than his Carolina adventure, again SBBound had some trades I wasn't crazy about, giving up serviceable players and quality depth with only an ok selection coming back. However his Stroud for Bulger trade was one of the better ones in the game. Breaking up his DTs was unfortunate, but to get a franchise QB and have the OTHER guy throwing in the higher pick is pretty special. The Chad Johnson deal by itself was more balanced, but by replacing Henderson he came out of it ok. he got great value trading Leftwich.
Roster Analysis:
There is no question that this offense got better. In fact, perhaps the most impressive part of this draft isn't the individual picks or trades, but how they flowed together. Instead of a 'potential' passing game, the Jags now have a bona fide one without sacrificing their running attack.
The price of that was breaking up the league's dominant DT pair on defense. The good news is that the Jags still stand to be good (though clearly not as good) in that area. The bigger issue on that side of the ball is that no other spots really got better. Still, the offensive quantum leap is hard to ignore.
Grade: A-
Cincinatti Bengals (ftn49)
Trading and Drafting Notes:
His trades aren't listed. The henderson/johnson deal is hard to analyse because its offense for defense and skill for grunt. He didnt get taken, but I'm not a fan of getting rid of your prime talent. Older stars, ok, but the young top players I don't like to see go. On the drafting side, he got some excellent value out of his multiple 2nd rounders.
Roster Analysis:
The offense gained depth, but at starter is clearly worse with the absence of Johnson. It isn't exactly crippled and he still has exciting playmakers, but it has taken a step back. the defense, however, has taken a big step forward (at least along the line). He upgrade DT tremendously and while he gets older with the acquisition of Simeon Rice, it will give him a nice short term boost to his pass rush.
Overall Grade: B
New Orleans Saints
Trading and Drafting Notes:
Benji kicked the game off with what I consider to be awful trade. He sent Jammal Brown (who was perhaps the best LT in the league last year, certainly top 3) and Deuce McAllister (who has lots of tread left on his tires and who, like Lendale White, put in the dirty work to tire the D and let Reggie prance around, along with his first. Langston Walker coming back is a throw in. His best use is on special teams or at OG. Left Tackle is asking a bit much of him. And why make the trade? So he can draft CJ onto a team full of talented WRs. After that he began the great WR purge to try and build the rest of the team. His trades improved after that anyway and he had some nice picks.
Roster Analysis:
I'm sure some see an upgraded offense because he went out and got CJ, but this was already a top offense and he created turnover, hurt their o-line with 2 downgrades, and put the onus on Bush to be an every down back, which he hasn't been since high school and may not have the frame for. I think the O could take a step back. The defense acquired some clear talent upgrades, but switched to a 3-4 seemingly for the hell of it (or for the benefit of a rookie tweener), and the mismatches of abilities of his players with that alignment could lead that unit to also regress.
Overall Grade: C-
Miami Dolphins (ME!!!!)
Trading and Drafting Notes:
I tried to approach both of my teams as if I was a real GM with job security. I tried to immediately improve the squad and shore up deficiencies, but I was also determined to make the teams younger and brighten their future. In the case of the Dolphins this meant drafting top talents at not only need positions but at those with older players, especially the d-line. It was also my motivation to go out and get Jimmy Kennedy. But I was not wild about this draft until I was able to acquire Eli Manning. He is by no means a great (yet), but solidified a position that has been in flux for the Dolphins since Dan Marino retired.
Roster Analysis:
The signature element of this draft is the acquisition of Manning. He should provide better QB play than the Dolphins have had in some time. The Dolphins also got younger at receiver with exciting prospect Paul Williams, while still retaining their most dangerous weapons. It would have been nice to upgrade the o-line more but a deal didnt present itself. But Manuel Ramirez should be a mauling run blocker and really help the Dolphins dictate. On defense, Gaines Adams should help the pass rush, and the secondary acquired some depth and playmaking.
Overall Grade: B
Kansas City Chiefs (ME!!!)
Trading and Drafting Notes:
I truly believe that this was among the very strongest drafts this year. With the possible exception on San Francisco, no one had a better draft for trading, I think. Johnson is a young superstar receiver and was acquired for a 32 year old corner and a couple throw away picks. This is the signature move in my overall strategy to make my teams both younger AND immediately better. It did create a hole at CB though, which I then moved to fill in a trade with GB. I managed to move two 30+ players and a mediocre MLB, and acquire a much better playmaker at MLB and a younger replacement for Law. I particularly like this trade because Sammy Knight was due to be pushed hard for his starting spot by rising star Bernard Pollard. Finally, I managed to get an experienced LT stand in and an exciting young WR prospect plus a pick, for an interior lineman (a great one, yes) who is 35 and on the verge of retiring.
Roster Analysis:
There really is no question whether this team improved on defense or at the offensive skill positions. The secondary got younger and rangier without any decrease in talent, the LB corps got much better,
and the interior d-line got a much needed influx of talent.
Similarly, the offense made important strides. It had done well with the running game and with Tony Gonzalez, but Gonzalez was starting to get on, the WR corps was purely complementary, and the o-line was quickly deteriorating from the outside in. The pending retirement of Shields was a giant warning sign of trouble ahead. Now, the WR corps is flush with young playmakers. It can go small and fast, or big and tough, and may be the deepest overall in the league. The o-line is the biggest point of contention as people hate rookie starters, but this line got top notch talent for OT AND GUARD. Best of all, while Ugoh was brought in originally to start at LT, the addition of Luke Petitgout gives this line ample opportunity to let Ugoh learn behind solid veterans if he isn't ready from day one. Arron Sears provides a worthy successor to the all-timer he replaces, especially given that Shields' level of play slipped considerably last season.
Overall Grade: A
Atlanta Falcons (MisfitZ)
Trading and Drafting Notes:
MisfitZ was VERY active in trading and the result is a bevy of day one selections. I think he regretted the Schaub trade when the Vick trade came marching in, though. As well as he covered it, with 2 bullets in the veteran QB gun, either of those veterans would have looked better as a security blanket to Schaub. I also thought that he should have converted a bit more capital into established players. He picked up a lot of talent, but not always in the right spots, and not always immediate help.
Roster Analysis:
The QB situation is hard to judge. I would rank it as a wash, except that he also got older at QB, so will have to revisit it again in the future. Elsewhere on offense, Isaac Bruce is acceptable as a veteran presence amid underachieving youngsters and higgins is a nice touch. But where he let other better players go for more day one selections, I would rank it as a disappointment that he didnt manage to offload any of his existing WRs, who are still young and now buried on the depth chart. O-line is where I like this draft the least. Both Gilles and Satele are big, and good prospects, but the interior line in Atlanta was pretty effective before. I would not mind either acquisition, but in the meantime he did NOTHING about LT for the present or the future. Gandy was the biggest question mark on the line, and thanks to Garcia/Plummer, he will now be guarding his Qb's blind side (Vick was a lefty so Gandy was acceptable). With 4 picks in the top 2 rounds, a tackle prospect should have joined the mix.
On defense, he has acquired a bevy of talent, and this could be a frightening squad in a few years. But I think in his haste to complete the 3-4 transformation, he has made this a unit in flux. He has Seau and Beason slightly miscast a little, which will be fine if Alama-Francis turns out, but he is a first year DE conversion project. I think we've seen how those can work out as a primary pass rusher. Other than that, he did well on D. Getting a young talented NT would have been a home run, but solid and this D could be a force in a couple years (but will his QB's be there when that happens?)
Overall Grade: B+ : some good trades and nice draft value, but a team still ripe with questions.
Baltimore Ravens (beasley_for_pres)
Trading and Drafting Notes:
BFP's signature trade was the Porter/Asomugha trade. That deal probably singlehandedly prevented Majesstic from winning in my eyes. BFP was deliberate but did some excellent wheeling and dealing. He held on to the strength of his squad and acquired some intruiging players. I think he may have focused a bit too much on acquiring veterans, however, so some of his fixes were short term.
Roster Analysis:
The biggest strike against this roster to me is that QB stays the same. He arguably has better backups than he did, but either is a long shot to be a productive starter, and McNair remains the question mark about how far this team can go. At RB and WR, though, BFP clearly improved. I would really have liked to see him get a young back in the draft though in conjunction with Thomas Jones. I'm not sure that he did enough to address his o-line, either.
On defense, he got a good gain dealing away thomas and then got a savvy vet and talented rook to replace him. Asomugha was a steal and this secondary is unmatched. Not much had to be done with the D, of course.
Some good work, but the team was already solid, he didn't get younger at key spots, and they still have a looming question mark to keep them from the next level. Fair or not, I don't think the Ravens CAN get an A without getting a franchise QB.
Overall Grade: A-
San Diego Chargers (beasley_for_pres)
I will continue adding teams later, this will take awhile
Here are my evaluations (my teams in Italics), in order that teams appear on the rosters thread:
Oakland Raiders (majesstic):
Trading and drafting notes: I think he started the game by convincingly winning the trade for the #1 pick. Acquiring Jammal Brown and Deuce McAllister while retaining a first rounder was a coup. I did not like the trade of Asomugha.
Roster analysis: The offensive line got a much needed and very effective overhaul. JaMarcus Russell was a good acquisition. But by making such a point to clear our the bad guys at WR, I didn't think he replaced the talent there adequately. On defense he did a very good job, upgrading linebacker and line depth. Losing Asomugha hurts, but Gamble has talent.
Grade: A-
New England Patriots (majesstic):
Trading and drafting notes: The Battle trade was not awful and he is a NE style of player, but the price was reasonably steep. The draft was solid but there isn't a real signature pick or trade here.
Roster analysis: Hard to improve a team this good. He got a little better at WR and linebacker, but there just wasn't that much room to grow.
Grade: B-
San Francisco 49ers (BladeX):
Trading and drafting notes: While some may object to his hard line stance on trading miscommunications, there is no doubt that Blade was one of the better traders in the game. He did so much successful wheeling and dealing that he not only filled some lacking starting spots, but often got starting quality for backups as well. AJ Hawk was particularly a steal.
Roster analysis: This team started out weak at WR and added a young top guy (if a system misfit), and a quality veteran. the offensive line got a potential pro bowl Center, and some excellent depth acquisitions. On defense, he drafted a NT and got a veteran as insurance, also acquiring some young talent at End. Linebacker is where he really shone though, getting a solid rusher for OLB in Hobson and a great ILB in Hawk.
Grade: A
Arizona Cardinals (BladeX)
Trading and Drafting Notes:
Arizona had some decent trades, but I thought that trading for Bentley was a big mistake. Not quite an "I just traded for Darrent Williams" mistake, and I didn't know about the THIRD surgery yet, but the second one was public and once its gone that far I considered him at least a wash for 2007. Greg Olsen was a good value acquisition.
Roster Analysis:
Again, the centerpiece of his retooling was fixing the o-line, and Bentley puts a dent in that notion to my mind. But Backus and Pitts are decent acquisitions. He also maintained ability and gained youth and depth at Tailback. He did not add much to the defense, however.
Grade: B-
St Louis Rams (Knobs27)
Trading and Drafting Notes:
Knobs certainly wasn't afraid to make a splash, doing away with the remaining foundation of the Rams' past success, and seeking to rebuild the defense. But in doing so I think he failed to get enough value in his trades of Holt and Bulger, and that will be the tale of this draft.
Roster Analysis:
The rams got worse at quarterback. Matt Schaub is a decent prospect and deserves a shot to start, but there have been a long line of limited duty backups who have faltered when given the reigns of a team. There can be no doubt that they also significantly downgraded at receiver. Their offensive line dealt a top prospect and otherwise stood pat. So what did this gain them on defense? Well, Stroud is certainly an upgrade to Jimmy Kennedy but he is nto the player he was 2-3 years ago. Glover remains. Having Kerney opposite Little will make for an improved pass rush, so the line is certainly better, perhaps even a top line. Behind that line, however, there are not many improvements, certainly not enough to justify the giant step back that the offense took. On the whole, I feel like this team got worse, and an incremental approach of just drafting for need without any trades would have been better (if incredibly boring). His heart wasn't in it I guess
Grade: D
Pittsburgh Steelers (Knobs27):
Trading and Drafting Notes:
Knobs did considerably better with this team despite having hardly any moves at all.
Roster Analysis:
On offense, practically nothing changed. Duckett probably shouldn't even be ahead of Davenport on the depth chart, so that's barely a depth upgrade. On defense, though, Knobs picked up a trio of excellent prospects to rejuvenate the team. A bit of o-line attention may have been in order, but he did a solid job.
Grade: C+
Buffalo Bills (MasterShake)
Trading and Drafting Notes:
I'm not going to do these with people who haven't summarized their trades
Roster Analysis:
Mastershake focused an awful lot of attention in the trenches, a philosophy I generally agree with. DT Kevin Williams was a huge addition, Victor Abiamiri a quality talent. And on the o-line, he got some dependable bodies and highly touted Tackle prospect. However it could certainly be argued that he focused TOO much on the lines. He had to surrender Nate Clements (although he got a somewhat serviceable replacement in Smoot) and Takeo Spikes, and he failed to address the lack of receiving talent on the club. If any thing, the "skill" positions overall have been downgraded. This is a tougher team, but not a much better one.
Overall Grade: B-
Carolina Panthers (SBBound49ers)
Trading and Drafting Notes:
This seems to me to be one of those teams that did some trading just to make things happen. The Steve Smith trade wasn't bad, but why as Carolina you would want to trade him away in the first place is a bit of a mystery to me. In his dealings with San Francisco I think he wildly overvalued some favourite SF players and got outright taken.
Roster Analysis:
He made a decent effort at solifying the offensive line, but Wragge, while serviceable, is not a great person to looking at to start and save your bacon. Outside of the o-line, the offense got worse. He has a threat at TE, but not a great blocker, and a guy who will find life much more difficult away from the Indy track where the safeties are preocccupied with pro bowlers. Wayne has been excellent, but he likewise has had someone opposite him taking away attention, and now has to be the guy getting things done.
On defense he improved his pass rush a little and changed some personnel but overall just didn't show much improvement. I consider his safety situation particularly hazy.
Grade: C+
Jacksonville Jaguars (SBBound49ers)
Trading and Drafting Notes:
While better than his Carolina adventure, again SBBound had some trades I wasn't crazy about, giving up serviceable players and quality depth with only an ok selection coming back. However his Stroud for Bulger trade was one of the better ones in the game. Breaking up his DTs was unfortunate, but to get a franchise QB and have the OTHER guy throwing in the higher pick is pretty special. The Chad Johnson deal by itself was more balanced, but by replacing Henderson he came out of it ok. he got great value trading Leftwich.
Roster Analysis:
There is no question that this offense got better. In fact, perhaps the most impressive part of this draft isn't the individual picks or trades, but how they flowed together. Instead of a 'potential' passing game, the Jags now have a bona fide one without sacrificing their running attack.
The price of that was breaking up the league's dominant DT pair on defense. The good news is that the Jags still stand to be good (though clearly not as good) in that area. The bigger issue on that side of the ball is that no other spots really got better. Still, the offensive quantum leap is hard to ignore.
Grade: A-
Cincinatti Bengals (ftn49)
Trading and Drafting Notes:
His trades aren't listed. The henderson/johnson deal is hard to analyse because its offense for defense and skill for grunt. He didnt get taken, but I'm not a fan of getting rid of your prime talent. Older stars, ok, but the young top players I don't like to see go. On the drafting side, he got some excellent value out of his multiple 2nd rounders.
Roster Analysis:
The offense gained depth, but at starter is clearly worse with the absence of Johnson. It isn't exactly crippled and he still has exciting playmakers, but it has taken a step back. the defense, however, has taken a big step forward (at least along the line). He upgrade DT tremendously and while he gets older with the acquisition of Simeon Rice, it will give him a nice short term boost to his pass rush.
Overall Grade: B
New Orleans Saints
Trading and Drafting Notes:
Benji kicked the game off with what I consider to be awful trade. He sent Jammal Brown (who was perhaps the best LT in the league last year, certainly top 3) and Deuce McAllister (who has lots of tread left on his tires and who, like Lendale White, put in the dirty work to tire the D and let Reggie prance around, along with his first. Langston Walker coming back is a throw in. His best use is on special teams or at OG. Left Tackle is asking a bit much of him. And why make the trade? So he can draft CJ onto a team full of talented WRs. After that he began the great WR purge to try and build the rest of the team. His trades improved after that anyway and he had some nice picks.
Roster Analysis:
I'm sure some see an upgraded offense because he went out and got CJ, but this was already a top offense and he created turnover, hurt their o-line with 2 downgrades, and put the onus on Bush to be an every down back, which he hasn't been since high school and may not have the frame for. I think the O could take a step back. The defense acquired some clear talent upgrades, but switched to a 3-4 seemingly for the hell of it (or for the benefit of a rookie tweener), and the mismatches of abilities of his players with that alignment could lead that unit to also regress.
Overall Grade: C-
Miami Dolphins (ME!!!!)
Trading and Drafting Notes:
I tried to approach both of my teams as if I was a real GM with job security. I tried to immediately improve the squad and shore up deficiencies, but I was also determined to make the teams younger and brighten their future. In the case of the Dolphins this meant drafting top talents at not only need positions but at those with older players, especially the d-line. It was also my motivation to go out and get Jimmy Kennedy. But I was not wild about this draft until I was able to acquire Eli Manning. He is by no means a great (yet), but solidified a position that has been in flux for the Dolphins since Dan Marino retired.
Roster Analysis:
The signature element of this draft is the acquisition of Manning. He should provide better QB play than the Dolphins have had in some time. The Dolphins also got younger at receiver with exciting prospect Paul Williams, while still retaining their most dangerous weapons. It would have been nice to upgrade the o-line more but a deal didnt present itself. But Manuel Ramirez should be a mauling run blocker and really help the Dolphins dictate. On defense, Gaines Adams should help the pass rush, and the secondary acquired some depth and playmaking.
Overall Grade: B
Kansas City Chiefs (ME!!!)
Trading and Drafting Notes:
I truly believe that this was among the very strongest drafts this year. With the possible exception on San Francisco, no one had a better draft for trading, I think. Johnson is a young superstar receiver and was acquired for a 32 year old corner and a couple throw away picks. This is the signature move in my overall strategy to make my teams both younger AND immediately better. It did create a hole at CB though, which I then moved to fill in a trade with GB. I managed to move two 30+ players and a mediocre MLB, and acquire a much better playmaker at MLB and a younger replacement for Law. I particularly like this trade because Sammy Knight was due to be pushed hard for his starting spot by rising star Bernard Pollard. Finally, I managed to get an experienced LT stand in and an exciting young WR prospect plus a pick, for an interior lineman (a great one, yes) who is 35 and on the verge of retiring.
Roster Analysis:
There really is no question whether this team improved on defense or at the offensive skill positions. The secondary got younger and rangier without any decrease in talent, the LB corps got much better,
and the interior d-line got a much needed influx of talent.
Similarly, the offense made important strides. It had done well with the running game and with Tony Gonzalez, but Gonzalez was starting to get on, the WR corps was purely complementary, and the o-line was quickly deteriorating from the outside in. The pending retirement of Shields was a giant warning sign of trouble ahead. Now, the WR corps is flush with young playmakers. It can go small and fast, or big and tough, and may be the deepest overall in the league. The o-line is the biggest point of contention as people hate rookie starters, but this line got top notch talent for OT AND GUARD. Best of all, while Ugoh was brought in originally to start at LT, the addition of Luke Petitgout gives this line ample opportunity to let Ugoh learn behind solid veterans if he isn't ready from day one. Arron Sears provides a worthy successor to the all-timer he replaces, especially given that Shields' level of play slipped considerably last season.
Overall Grade: A
Atlanta Falcons (MisfitZ)
Trading and Drafting Notes:
MisfitZ was VERY active in trading and the result is a bevy of day one selections. I think he regretted the Schaub trade when the Vick trade came marching in, though. As well as he covered it, with 2 bullets in the veteran QB gun, either of those veterans would have looked better as a security blanket to Schaub. I also thought that he should have converted a bit more capital into established players. He picked up a lot of talent, but not always in the right spots, and not always immediate help.
Roster Analysis:
The QB situation is hard to judge. I would rank it as a wash, except that he also got older at QB, so will have to revisit it again in the future. Elsewhere on offense, Isaac Bruce is acceptable as a veteran presence amid underachieving youngsters and higgins is a nice touch. But where he let other better players go for more day one selections, I would rank it as a disappointment that he didnt manage to offload any of his existing WRs, who are still young and now buried on the depth chart. O-line is where I like this draft the least. Both Gilles and Satele are big, and good prospects, but the interior line in Atlanta was pretty effective before. I would not mind either acquisition, but in the meantime he did NOTHING about LT for the present or the future. Gandy was the biggest question mark on the line, and thanks to Garcia/Plummer, he will now be guarding his Qb's blind side (Vick was a lefty so Gandy was acceptable). With 4 picks in the top 2 rounds, a tackle prospect should have joined the mix.
On defense, he has acquired a bevy of talent, and this could be a frightening squad in a few years. But I think in his haste to complete the 3-4 transformation, he has made this a unit in flux. He has Seau and Beason slightly miscast a little, which will be fine if Alama-Francis turns out, but he is a first year DE conversion project. I think we've seen how those can work out as a primary pass rusher. Other than that, he did well on D. Getting a young talented NT would have been a home run, but solid and this D could be a force in a couple years (but will his QB's be there when that happens?)
Overall Grade: B+ : some good trades and nice draft value, but a team still ripe with questions.
Baltimore Ravens (beasley_for_pres)
Trading and Drafting Notes:
BFP's signature trade was the Porter/Asomugha trade. That deal probably singlehandedly prevented Majesstic from winning in my eyes. BFP was deliberate but did some excellent wheeling and dealing. He held on to the strength of his squad and acquired some intruiging players. I think he may have focused a bit too much on acquiring veterans, however, so some of his fixes were short term.
Roster Analysis:
The biggest strike against this roster to me is that QB stays the same. He arguably has better backups than he did, but either is a long shot to be a productive starter, and McNair remains the question mark about how far this team can go. At RB and WR, though, BFP clearly improved. I would really have liked to see him get a young back in the draft though in conjunction with Thomas Jones. I'm not sure that he did enough to address his o-line, either.
On defense, he got a good gain dealing away thomas and then got a savvy vet and talented rook to replace him. Asomugha was a steal and this secondary is unmatched. Not much had to be done with the D, of course.
Some good work, but the team was already solid, he didn't get younger at key spots, and they still have a looming question mark to keep them from the next level. Fair or not, I don't think the Ravens CAN get an A without getting a franchise QB.
Overall Grade: A-
San Diego Chargers (beasley_for_pres)
I will continue adding teams later, this will take awhile