"Favre and Gado" OR "Rodgers and Shawn Alexan

[RashanGary]

The reason I ask is because next year we could afford the most expensive player on the market with Favres salary. I didn't look at the FA list, but I'm guessing a top tier RB will be available.

If we want to get over the hump, I'm starting to think the best thing we can do is move forward like Tenn did with McNair.

[GBRulz]

i'd rather invest the money into our O-Line ....

[Bretsky]

First off I roll my eyes at this because TT's not going to break the bank for any RB.

Secondly it's not a fair question because Alexander, LT, and L Johnson, if not mistaken, are all under contract next year so you are asking a jaded question when a RB close to Alexander will not be available.

Third, Gado is not looking like a NFL starter.

So you are asking if we'd want to have one of the best 3 RB's in the NFL and Rodgers or Favre and what looks to be a backup RB.

[BananaMan]

Alexander is locked up with a gigantic contract in Seattle. He'll almost certainly retire there.

[red]

what about favre and green? a healthy green is much better then gado. how soon packer fans forget

[RashanGary]

What I'm saying is, we could afford Alexander or a comprable player in FA. I don't know who's available but the lists will come out soon enough.

The real point I was trying to make is that Favre isn't worth his salary at this point in is career and with the emergence of Aaron Rodgers, it looks like he has even less value to our team that what I originally thought.

I love Favre, and I'll defend his career all day long but as a Packer fan, I think the time to move on is near. As you said, Thompson probably won't sign the highest paid RB and I think that is a good thing. I was more or less trying to display what a big waste of cap space Favre is when you have a good young QB in the wings. Now, Thompson would probably take the slow and steady approach and not buy the biggest priced FA but that money saved would be money that is rolled ahead like he did this year and eventually when all these young players we have are producing, we'll beable to afford to keep them on their second contracts when they are reliable, consistant, playmaking NFL palyers. Our window isn't right now. It's 3 -5 years from now as I see it and 12 million rolled ahead is 12 million that might mean the difference of keeping Jennings or losing him some day as an example.

[RashanGary]

I

[red]

the thing about favre not being worth his salary. sure its high for what he's done lately, but you're paying him for what he's done in the pass.

and that doesn't mean we are paying him because he use to be good

favre got some big contracts in his time, but he really never saw any of that huge money. he kept restructuring his contract to help the team and pushing the big cap hit further and further away. well its finally that time where the team has cap room so favre doesn't have to take one for the team and he can get some of that money he was due a decade ago when he was in his prime

[RashanGary]

I think GB would benefit from seeing Favre come off teh books next year much the way TEnn did this year with McNair. I just hope he bows out gracefully instead of being pushed out the door.

[red]

I think GB would benefit from seeing Favre come off teh books next year much the way TEnn did this year with McNair. I just hope he bows out gracefully instead of being pushed out the door.

i think we're already going to have a ton of cap space again next year weather favre plays or not. we struggled this year to use up all we had, same could be true next year. TT has proven he's not going to spend money just to spend it

[Bretsky]

If you can guarantee me TT will bust the Bank for the Top Rated RB on the market and if there is one I'll give in to your scenario.

But you'll have to bust TT's balls to get him to bust the bank on anybody. He had plenty of chances this year.

After seeing how he used the cap space, we could have easily signed Edgerrin James and let Green Walk.

There won't be a better RB out there next year than E James. So we could have had them both this year...Favre...James...and Rodgers.

[RashanGary]

I love Favre. I just want the Packers to win and I think that money can be better spent. Even if it's not spent right away, it's rolled forward like TT did this year.

If Thompson keeps drafting well, we'll have to pay for these players when the 2nd contract comes around. Collins, Rodgers, Jennings, Hawk, Spitz, Colledge, Hodge, next years class, ect....Assuming we get more than one player out of each draft like Sherman did we should find ourselves in the number crunch that most good teams are in some day. Rolling that space forward will insure we have a little something extra to make that push when it matters.

My main point is that in 2009 that 12 million dollars will be more helpfull twards our superbowl success than Favre is right now. Anyone who thinks we have superbowl hopes is dillsuional. We might as well prepare for a day when we do have that shot. Sorry, but it's not as soon as you all would like to think.

[Packnut]

the thing about favre not being worth his salary. sure its high for what he's done lately, but you're paying him for what he's done in the pass.

and that doesn't mean we are paying him because he use to be good

favre got some big contracts in his time, but he really never saw any of that huge money. he kept restructuring his contract to help the team and pushing the big cap hit further and further away. well its finally that time where the team has cap room so favre doesn't have to take one for the team and he can get some of that money he was due a decade ago when he was in his prime

Excellent point about all the times Favre restructered his contract for the good of the team. He NEVER held the Packers hostage or became upset when lesser achieving QB's got more money than he did.

[Bretsky]

Many of us were very optomistic that GB could possibly get back to the Super Bowl Contention in 2007. Carolina showed it could be down in that time frame if it's the GM's goal and you don't tear down the ship to rebuild for the future.

But you are right in that if your GM chooses to go route B, then it will take longer. Based on this year's free agency and the way TT went about things to me it's obvious he is choosing to make this a slow process.

And I'm not saying one way or the other is better, but if you know me you know I want instant gratification so I'd prefer the Carolina way.

To me, this Favre talk is old though. Our cap is in wonderful wonderful shape whether Favre comes back or not next year, and we don't have any stars we need to resign anyways. And all these draft picks are locked into 4-5 year deals and we really dont' know how they'll perform yet anyways.

Shit, we didn't nearly spend the money this year, and if we wouldn't have put most of Woodson's deal on this year's cap we'd be looking at eating a HUGE amount. TT has given me nothing to believe he'd break the bank for a RB. It's more probably he'd just go with a RB in next years draft after trading down and building up multiple picks again.

B

[MadtownPacker]

I think GB would benefit from seeing Favre come off teh books next year much the way TEnn did this year with McNair. I just hope he bows out gracefully instead of being pushed out the door.So you want the Packers to be become a classless organization? You actually think what titans did to McNair was right?

Then again you are the poster that picks to bears to win everything.

[Partial]

Many of us were very optomistic that GB could possibly get back to the Super Bowl Contention in 2007. Carolina showed it could be down in that time frame if it's the GM's goal and you don't tear down the ship to rebuild for the future.


i think Carolina's luck got turned around by adding two of the best dlinemen in the league within two years. They really had phenominal luck with Jenkins (don't know anything about his college career other than he was a 2nd in 2001) and then they got the deal of a century with Peppers the following year. If only we had one player like that, let alone two :wink:

[BananaMan]

And hasn't it been shown that you're MUCH better off drafting a RB vs. getting one in FA? Especially the last couple of years. Think of all the stud rookie RBs.

[Partial]

My main point is that in 2009 that 12 million dollars will be more helpfull twards our superbowl success than Favre is right now. Anyone who thinks we have superbowl hopes is dillsuional. We might as well prepare for a day when we do have that shot. Sorry, but it's not as soon as you all would like to think.

I don't agree with that. Giving Rodgers 3 years on the bench will only help his development and his confidence. I think with another strong draft and if a few things happen to fall our way, we could be back in shortly. Our OLine should be pretty damn good by next year, and we'll have 16 million+ in cap space with the players we have right now and the cap sitting still, let alone some more money tied up in players we won't elect to resign. Considering that we front loaded pretty much every contract last year, that 16 is looking very conservative. No way do we pay Chuck another 10 million.

I think we'll be about 8-8 this year. I think you're a little early jumping the gun in that we're going to be awful this year, and we'll have a ton of cap space. We can go after a guard if the line is a castrophy. We can sign a receiver. There are plenty of options!

[woodbuck27]

The reason I ask is because next year we could afford the most expensive player on the market with Favres salary. I didn't look at the FA list, but I'm guessing a top tier RB will be available.

If we want to get over the hump, I'm starting to think the best thing we can do is move forward like Tenn did with McNair.

For Gaud's sake man "don't shoot the messenger before he arrives".

Allow Favre to have the say in HIS retirement. Straighten up and walk right PLEASE. At least, wait till the season's half finished, before you execute the BEST QB we've had in maybe OUR histrory.

Favre is under contract till 2011 also Packer fan. He may well return again next season and I believe he'll play well enough to justify that decision, or he'll let go. It's his place 100% to decide that not your's - OURS.

GregJennings. Did you see something last night that says he must go or are you just being not smart? Back yourself up PLEASE. The season hasn't even begun and this from you. BS !!!!

Have some Packer pride PLEASE. :mrgreen:

GO PACKERS ! HOLD THE FAITH !!

[woodbuck27]

I love Favre. I just want the Packers to win and I think that money can be better spent. Even if it's not spent right away, it's rolled forward like TT did this year.

If Thompson keeps drafting well, we'll have to pay for these players when the 2nd contract comes around. Collins, Rodgers, Jennings, Hawk, Spitz, Colledge, Hodge, next years class, ect....Assuming we get more than one player out of each draft like Sherman did we should find ourselves in the number crunch that most good teams are in some day. Rolling that space forward will insure we have a little something extra to make that push when it matters.

My main point is that in 2009 that 12 million dollars will be more helpfull twards our superbowl success than Favre is right now. Anyone who thinks we have superbowl hopes is dillsuional. We might as well prepare for a day when we do have that shot. Sorry, but it's not as soon as you all would like to think.

You love Favre -That is absolute crap from you man.What is it?

Be a man and don't talk out both sides of your mouth. Be a Man !!

[BananaMan]

Be a Man !!

Better yet, be a Banana Man!

[4and12to12and4]

I think we're are being way too critical of Gado after this one game. If Shawn Alexander was in that backfield last night, he wouldn't have done a damn thing. There was absolutely NOTHING to run through. The o-line is and absolute mess right now, I hope they can look at the film of this game, and improve next week.

I, for one, am glad that we had to go against this good d-line, and am glad that Schottenheimer blitzed so much, because this is what this line needs to improve. If we went against Sally d-lines all preseason, we would be ill-prepared against the Bears game one.

The only positive (if this is a positive) is that the RB's and the tackles got it taken to them more so than Colledge, Wells, and Spitz. I thought that Colledge and Wells did pretty good especially in pass blocking, but the worst blockers were the RB's. Hell, even Henderson got knocked around like a ragdoll a couple of times. But, at least we know these guys CAN play, so I'd rather have seen that than the guards looking like shit.

Our run-blocking got competely blown up. One thing I noticed was that the guards and RBs were too quick to run to the second level and leave their first responsibility. We had lineman 7 yards upfield while RB's were getting nailed by blitzing LB's at the line of scrimmage. But, this is why we play preseason. We all knew this unit was going to make alot of mistakes. This week will be the BEST teaching tool MM has had since being here. At least now, he has REAL GAME situations to show these guys and now it is up to them to learn and adjust.

[RashanGary]

McNair is a HOF QB and I believe Tenn did the right thing by their organization. They might not be as good right now, but when VY develops the move they made will pay dividends.

Fans have hearts of gold. I understand your love for Favre. He was the greatest QB I've ever watched. Age gets us all and the NFL salary cap can be a cruel thing. I just hope he breaks that record, has a nice season and bows out gracefully. I don't want it to get ugly and I don't want Rodgers on the bench next year.

I just don't think the Packers have a chance at a SB. I don't think Favre is worth that $$. I think it is time to turn the page. I think he'll have a good year, but in relation to what his salary can bring, I don't think it is enough.

[MJZiggy]

Tennessee shit on McNair like they had all eaten bad sushi. McNair was as expensive as he was this year because he restructured for the good of the team with the promise that his payday would come later. It's not his fault the team doesn't know how to add and dumped an excellent player who did what was necessary for the good of the team because it was more convenient for them. I hope they end up 32nd in the league in EVERY quarterback statistic there is this year. I would be sorely disappointed in the Green Bay organization if they tried to pull that kind of crap on Brett Favre. No matter how much you pay him, he is still our best chance to win and that is the guy you play. The one that gives you your best chance to win. Give the guy an o-line and you'll see he is as good as he ever was.

[HarveyWallbangers]

Loaded question, and it's pretty silly. Football Futures shows the top available FA RBs next year being Tiki Barber and Ahman Green. Considering the Giants will very likely lock up Tiki (even though he's getting old), that doesn't leave much available.

[RashanGary]

It's not the greatness of the player but the greatness of the player in relation to his salary

[RashanGary]

Tiki will do just fine :)

[MJZiggy]

It's not the greatness of the player but the greatness of the player in relation to his salary

You have to think about the fact that they're still paying him the salary he gave up a few years ago for the good of the team.

[HarveyWallbangers]

It's loaded because we can afford Favre AND a FA RB, and we don't know how Ahman will do this year. We could have afforded a FA RB this year AND Favre.

[Rastak]

It's loaded because we can afford Favre AND a FA RB, and we don't know how Ahman will do this year. We could have afforded a FA RB this year AND Favre.


Yea, the Packers are going to be loaded next year, cap wise. They don't NEED to clear Favre off the books next year to make a splash in free agency.....

[superfan]

I'm not ready to hand the keys to the franchise over to Rodgers yet. Last night was very encouraging -- he looked better than any other time I've seen him play. But it's still too early to put him out there and expect him to win games on a consistent basis.

[RashanGary]

YOu don't have to hand it over to just Rodgers. You can hand it over to Tiki and Aaron for Favres salary :)

[woodbuck27]

Tennessee shit on McNair like they had all eaten bad sushi. McNair was as expensive as he was this year because he restructured for the good of the team with the promise that his payday would come later. It's not his fault the team doesn't know how to add and dumped an excellent player who did what was necessary for the good of the team because it was more convenient for them. I hope they end up 32nd in the league in EVERY quarterback statistic there is this year. I would be sorely disappointed in the Green Bay organization if they tried to pull that kind of crap on Brett Favre. No matter how much you pay him, he is still our best chance to win and that is the guy you play. The one that gives you your best chance to win. Give the guy an o-line and you'll see he is as good as he ever was.

DAM straight MJ.

I'm proud of you Packer fan. :mrgreen:

GO PACKERS. HOLD ONTO THE FAITH !!

[BF4MVP]

McNair is a HOF QB
Nah

[the_idle_threat]

Running Back is a young man's position. No point in signing a FA---especially Tiki Barber who is already talking about retirement and his career after football---if you can get a young guy in the draft who can carry the team for a number of years.

[prsnfoto]

[quote=red]the thing about favre not being worth his salary. sure its high for what he's done lately, but you're paying him for what he's done in the pass.

and that doesn't mean we are paying him because he use to be good

favre got some big contracts in his time, but he really never saw any of that huge money. he kept restructuring his contract to help the team and pushing the big cap hit further and further away. well its finally that time where the team has cap room so favre doesn't have to take one for the team and he can get some of that money he was due a decade ago when he was in his prime

Excellent point about all the times Favre restructered his contract for the good of the team. He NEVER held the Packers hostage or became upset when lesser achieving QB's got more money than he did.

Exactly Favre is not the problem now or then.
If you want to save cap money KGB is the biggest waste of space on the team, Thanks Shermy KGB Hidious Cunt,Joe Johnson 80 million in cap money=no Wahle,Rivera.

[MadtownPacker]

If you want to save cap money KGB is the biggest waste of space on the team.Agreed! He is a one trick pony and disappears during crucial stretches of the game. I like the guy dont get me wrong, but Sherm should have let philly have him when they wanted him.

[Bretsky]

YOu don't have to hand it over to just Rodgers. You can hand it over to Tiki and Aaron for Favres salary :)

What is the purpose of pinning this all on Favre ? As I already noted if TT wouldn't be sitting on dead money we could have had Edgerrin James and Brett Favre this year and then when Favre retires stock up on defense.

This thread seems to have the goal of reliving the Favre criticism/he's overpaid for what he brings ....yadayadayada bla bla bla that ....and that's not exciting to anyone.

As I already noted Edgerrin James Cap Figure is less than what we have available on the cap right now so why don't you reroute your darts at TT and question why we are not spending all our money when we seem to have weaknesses at RB ?

[MJZiggy]

If you want to save cap money KGB is the biggest waste of space on the team.Agreed! He is a one trick pony and disappears during crucial stretches of the game. I like the guy dont get me wrong, but Sherm should have let philly have him when they wanted him.

Who were you going to replace him with?

[Creepy]

Number 1 Fvare has been paid high for a long time. Anybody who doesn't think that he didn't get a bigger bonus each time he restructured his contract . Brett has made his money and currently gets a nice salary. Whether he retires or not is Bretts decision, as for his pay GB may start looking at cutting it, if it effects the cap negatively.

You can't compare Favre to McNair as McNair had a 50M roster bonus due this year. That meant that the Titans would ahve to retructure or sig a whole new contract. The Titans felt that a new 3/4 year contract with a big bonus would not help them. They did not see McNair staying any longer that 1/2 years. So they went for Young, who they could sign for big money and a longer contract.

GB willno tbe giving Fvare another muti year contract or big bonus to retructure. Favre is in his last year/years and GB need not break the bank on a player who is not listed for the future.

[red]

the problem with kgb is that , well one, he was overpaid. and two, his contact was backloaded, meaning either he was to get a new deal when his salary got too high, or he should have been cut.

well we're at the point when KGB should get a new deal or be cut. the problem is, he's not worth the huge new deal. his new deal would have to have a pretty big bonus to offset some of the salary he'll lose. and on the other side, we can't cut him, even though he's a "one trick poney", he's the only thing that we have thats close to a pass rushing d-lineman

so we're screwed

[HarveyWallbangers]

Who were you going to replace him with?

He was about the only guy giving a consistent pass rush against San Diego. He had a sack and two other pressures in a little over a quarter of action on Saturday night.

[red]

Number 1 Fvare has been paid high for a long time. Anybody who doesn't think that he didn't get a bigger bonus each time he restructured his contract . Brett has made his money and currently gets a nice salary. Whether he retires or not is Bretts decision, as for his pay GB may start looking at cutting it, if it effects the cap negatively.


You can't compare Favre to McNair as McNair had a 50M roster bonus due this year. That meant that the Titans would ahve to retructure or sig a whole new contract. The Titans felt that a new 3/4 year contract with a big bonus would not help them. They did not see McNair staying any longer that 1/2 years. So they went for Young, who they could sign for big money and a longer contract.

GB willno tbe giving Fvare another muti year contract or big bonus to retructure. Favre is in his last year/years and GB need not break the bank on a player who is not listed for the future.

not quite true. favre has gotten the signing bonus but it didn't come close to making up for what his salary would have been over the period of the original deal

numbers to come, crunching in progress

[LaFours]

As we talk through the idea of adding a FA RB this offseason along with questioning why se did not go after someone like Edgerrin this past offseason I think it is important to remember that whatever money is invested in the backfield is ultimately being safeguarded by our OL (both QB's & RB's). Let's face it, we still have question marks surrounding our Offensive line play and I'm sure TT was hesitant to spend big money on a FA RB this past offseason knowing that there are still ?'s surrounding the strength of the OL. I think going after a big time RB in FA next year might be a classic example of putting the "cart in front of the horse." Until we get our OL play solidifed it doesn't make sense to spend big money on our backfield because of the greater probability of your investment getting pummeled.

[RashanGary]

I'm pretty excited for the next 2-7 years. I'm just not too excited about Favre's last 1 or 2. Next year might be decent but I don't forsee a contender. Maybe Thompson sells out on his plan and buys some FA's next year to make a one time shot but I hope he doesn't. I hope he stays patient and builds a solid roster the slow, sure way and when you're already loaded and still have cap space because you have so many team friendly contracts then you take a stab like Seattle this year. They had a great roster and were well below the cap. Now they take a stab at great players but they already had a great team. It's all a timing thing. Sherman f'd up Favres twilight and I'm just as happy to move forward.

Fans always see that hope. Think about it though. Had the Packers added big name guys like Seattle did, do you really think we'd be at their level? Sandiego's? Pittsburg? Those teams are tough, physical football teams who from top to bottom, kick the Packers ass. I just don't think you can mend what we have in one off season. I'm glad Thompson believes he can draft well becasue I think that is the door to winning. I think will open in time, untill then, I'm just patient. I think this is Favres last year. I would like to see him get that record and go out iwth a nice season. The best would be if Rodgers can step in at 23 and play as good as Brett did at 37. I don't think he'll have to play like Brett at 26 but as long as he can play equal to an aging vet, I'll be happy because we can afford Hawk and Rodgers for the price of Favre.

Anyone who thinks the Packers are winning now are laughable. Anyone who thinks they are a couple pieces away from a SB are also laughable. The Packers have 3-6 weak links and a young roster. They are at best a marginal playoff team in the short term. I just want to see it built right from the ground up and Favre sticking around too much longer starts to effect our real window.

[Patler]

Number 1 Fvare has been paid high for a long time. Anybody who doesn't think that he didn't get a bigger bonus each time he restructured his contract .

Favre has not been paid nearly as much as you might think, primarily since the contracts he signed were in the times of much lower salary caps. His contracts were good for the times, but just like every "old" player he will soon be passed in total compensation by rookies.

It appears, after checking all sources that I know of, that Favres total NFL compensation from his rookie year until now is "only" in the neighborhood of $50 million. Consider that Hawk received a $1.91 million bonus this year and will get an $11.856 million bonus in March, 2007. Hawks total deal for his first six years, with playing time bonuses, could exceed $37.75 million.

I believe Favre's bonuses under his last contract will have been fully accounted for after this year, which means there will be no "dead money" against the cap if he retires. (There may be one year left at about $2.2 million, sources differ in that regard.) I'm not aware of any roster bonuses due in the future, there could be, but I have not seen reference to any. If there aren't any, the cap impact each year going forward is his salary in that year. His scheduled salaries are:

2007 - $11 million
2008 - $12 million
2009 - $13 million
2010 - $14 million

Considering that some believe the cap may go as high as $130 million in 2008 when all the new TV contracts will have kicked in, Favre's salary will not be at all crippling to the team. He will not be, nor should he ever be a cap casualty. He will play for GB as long as he wants and as long as his skills make him the starter.

[red]

ok fun with numbers

in 1997 favre signed a seven year deal worth 47.25 million, it came with a 12 million dollar signing bonus

base salaries

97-1.6 million
98- 3.1 million
99- 4.3 million
2000- 450,000 (in 200 0 they redid bretts contract turning what was that years salary mostly into a signing bonus spread out over the remaining 3 years.) the bonus was 4.9 million

so out of that 1997 deal he recieved around 26 million, meaning there was 21.25 million from that deal that he didn't recieve

in 2001 he redid his deal again with the lifetime 10 year deal. it included a 11 million dollar signing bonus

his base salary numbers were

2001- 477,000
2002- 750,000
2003- 4.3 million
2004- 5.5 million
2005- 6.5
2006- 7 million
2007- 11
2008- 12
2009- 13
2010- 14

so that 1997 deal was suppose to run through 2003, and he should have gotten 21.25 million. after he redid his deal he got 16.5 million.

so he actually lost around 5 million over that period. so he retty much just gave 5 million back to the club so they can make improvements to the rest of the team

bottom line, he lost money on the deal. now one would guess thats with then understanding that he gets a good chunk of money in the future to make up for it. and the future is now. its time to pay the piper

[red]

It appears, after checking all sources that I know of, that Favres total NFL compensation from his rookie year until now is "only" in the neighborhood of $50 million. Consider that Hawk received a $1.91 million bonus this year and will get an $11.856 million bonus in March, 2007. Hawks total deal for his first six years, with playing time bonuses, could exceed $37.75 million.



nice numbers patler

is this his 14th year? so he's had an average income of 3.5 million a year. for one of the best to ever play the game

thats pretty low

now this is interesting, i ran with this total payment idea

KGB has just under 20 million so far (including salary this year) so over 4 years that means hes made an average of 5 million a year. so its higher then bretts by almost 1.5 millin

thats not right

[Patler]

Red;

Yes, in some ways Favre gave up some money when he re-signed in 2001. It was done to give the Packers a little cap relief, and to secure the lifetime deal in GB. In return Fave received more up front money with the added signing bonus, and he got long term security with the guarantees in the second contract.

The long and short of it is that he was not far removed from 3 MVPs and was at the top of his game, when the last two contracts were signed. They were good contracts, but they were structured in ways very beneficial to the team. Favre never held up the team for all he could get. Even going forward, his salaries are not crippling to future caps.

[HarveyWallbangers]

is this his 14th year?

Year 16 for Brett. 1991 was his first year (with the Falcons).

[woodbuck27]

" ** so we're screwed ' red

Way to step up with the straight talk. :mrgreen:

I hate that ** - don't you red?

GO PACKERS ! HOLD THE FAITH in 2006 !!

[woodbuck27]

As we talk through the idea of adding a FA RB this offseason along with questioning why se did not go after someone like Edgerrin this past offseason I think it is important to remember that whatever money is invested in the backfield is ultimately being safeguarded by our OL (both QB's & RB's). Let's face it, we still have question marks surrounding our Offensive line play and I'm sure TT was hesitant to spend big money on a FA RB this past offseason knowing that there are still ?'s surrounding the strength of the OL. I think going after a big time RB in FA next year might be a classic example of putting the "cart in front of the horse." Until we get our OL play solidifed it doesn't make sense to spend big money on our backfield because of the greater probability of your investment getting pummeled.

Bang On, LaFours !!!

[Patler]

Signing a FA runningback with 5+ years is always a risky undertaking. As someone else said, runningback is a young mans position.

Before the start of the 2004 season, Ahman Green was just about as good as they come. Over the previous 4 years he was the leading RB in total yards and either #1 or #2 in rushing yards (I don't recall and am too lazy to look it up!). He was still young having just turned 27, had been durable and conditioned non-stop. If he had been a FA, he may have signed a very lucrative contract. What would the team have gotten for it? An injury riddled 2004 and a non-existent 2005 with a questionable future thereafter.

RBs can disappear very quickly. Investing in a rookie is risky enough, but investing big in a back approaching 30 is even more risky with limited cap dollars.

[mission]

we definitely definitely shouldnt invest a ton of money into an overpriced FA RB. in addition to what everyone has been saying, I really believe that RB is a dime a dozen type of position. look at denver: they make former UPS men thousand yard rushers. we need a system in place, really shore up the OL and plug 3, 23 year olds in there pounding the shit out of the d-line. 3.3 yards a play... the officials will give ya the .1. :D

without a SYSTEM, we're placing a large reliance on having extraordinary players in that position. I dont think that's the way forward whether you're a business or a professional sports team. systems allow organizations to grow and allow individuals to perform at their peak... because it's based on the continuity of the system (obviously).

[4and12to12and4]

All this talk of signing an expensive FA RB is ridiculous. I don't care who is back there, if the holes aren't there, they are going no where. And 1 preseason game doesn't mean much. Look at the Cardinals. They spent a ton of money to get Edgerrin James. Did anyone see him run in their 1st preseason game? He did nothing. Does that mean he's a bust? Of course not. Between Green, Gado, and Herron, we have a good amount of talent back there. (i left out Najeh purposefully, I just don't think he's the answer)