I am of the opinion that TT has done a lot of bad things this offseason, but I think there is still hope to turn this years team around. Here is what I would do.
1. Sign Arrington and Woodson to frontloaded 3-5 year contracts: Both of these players want major contracts and I have no problem giving them good money provided that we have the option of pulling the plug if it fails early. We have the cap money, so why not use it to gamble on a couple of players that have shown superstar skills. If they pan out we would have taken most of the hit for their contracts and that will help with future cap space.
2. Draft Mario Williams if available. Just picture this: 3rd and Long and KGB, Lavar and Super Mario frothing at the mouth.
3. Draft/or sign as a free agent: Connor Hughes. This guy can kick. I watched him at UVa and he can hit the long field goal, and he can hit it in pressure situations. I remember one year he basically won the Wake Forest game for us with 3 40+ yard FGs.
4. Pickup some OL competition: I would like to see us draft some guards early in the draft. They may not be ready to play this season, but we won't know unless we try. I think keeping Brett from getting lit up like a christmas tree should be a priority.
5. Pay Javon a reasonable salary for this year: Javon has acted like a child I must admit, but I feel like TT has still given him a raw deal. I agreed with not renegotiating his contract last year because we simply didn't have the money and he had two years left on his deal. He came back to camp predicated on the idea that if he played well last year that he most likely would have gotten a renegotiated contract. He came back in good faith and suffered a bad injury. The LEAST we could do is rework his deal for this year to pay him what a competent #2 gets in this league. I'm not in favor of giving him a long-term extension as he could be damaged goods, but I think it is fair to repay his loyalty of showing up to camp with an increased salary for this year.
I’m sure not all of this will be popular, but I think this is the best chance to field a competitive team this year without jeopardizing the future.
1. Sign Arrington and Woodson to frontloaded 3-5 year contracts: Both of these players want major contracts and I have no problem giving them good money provided that we have the option of pulling the plug if it fails early. We have the cap money, so why not use it to gamble on a couple of players that have shown superstar skills. If they pan out we would have taken most of the hit for their contracts and that will help with future cap space.
2. Draft Mario Williams if available. Just picture this: 3rd and Long and KGB, Lavar and Super Mario frothing at the mouth.
3. Draft/or sign as a free agent: Connor Hughes. This guy can kick. I watched him at UVa and he can hit the long field goal, and he can hit it in pressure situations. I remember one year he basically won the Wake Forest game for us with 3 40+ yard FGs.
4. Pickup some OL competition: I would like to see us draft some guards early in the draft. They may not be ready to play this season, but we won't know unless we try. I think keeping Brett from getting lit up like a christmas tree should be a priority.
5. Pay Javon a reasonable salary for this year: Javon has acted like a child I must admit, but I feel like TT has still given him a raw deal. I agreed with not renegotiating his contract last year because we simply didn't have the money and he had two years left on his deal. He came back to camp predicated on the idea that if he played well last year that he most likely would have gotten a renegotiated contract. He came back in good faith and suffered a bad injury. The LEAST we could do is rework his deal for this year to pay him what a competent #2 gets in this league. I'm not in favor of giving him a long-term extension as he could be damaged goods, but I think it is fair to repay his loyalty of showing up to camp with an increased salary for this year.
I’m sure not all of this will be popular, but I think this is the best chance to field a competitive team this year without jeopardizing the future.
