Poole a Bronco :(

HC_Chief · 06-11-2001, 03:01 PM

<font face="times">The league's deepest team continued to stockpile veterans reserves on Monday, with the Denver Broncos adding two unrestricted free agents in wide receiver Keith Poole and offensive lineman Jay Leeuwenburg, a pair of proven performers who further strengthen an impressive roster.

Of the two moves, the acquisition of Poole probably was the more significant, because it keeps the four-year veteran wide receiver away from another AFC West franchise and provides Denver the ability to deploy in four-wideout sets in 2001. The Broncos have suffered the past several years because of the lack of an accomplished No. 3 wide receiver to go with starters Rod Smith and Ed McCaffrey.

Earlier this spring, Denver signed speedster Eddie Kennison and now Poole gives coach Mike Shanahan another sprinter who can stretch secondaries vertically. Poole, 26, visited with Kansas City officials late last week and it was believed by many he would sign with the Chiefs because of the presence there of pro personnel director Billy Kuharich, who drafted him in New Orleans.

Poole signed a one-year contract worth $500,000 and can earn an additional $1 million through incentives. Leeuwenburg's deal also is for one year, and believed worth $500,000 as well. </font>

<h1>SH*T!</h1> :mad:

<a href="http://cbs.sportsline.com/u/ce/multi/0,1329,3990423_59,00.html">Here's the story</a>

keg in kc · 06-11-2001, 03:17 PM

You know, it just doesn't make much sense to me.

Consider this:

Denver has lost, currently, about 10 players from last year's roster to free agency (I believe).

They've now signed somewhere between 22 and 30 free agents, including both re-signed players (@ 10) and players who were on other squads last year. Some of these contracts are for [i]enormous[/i] amounts of money (Brian Griese, Matt Lepsis, John Mobley, Dan Neil, Denard Walker and Keith Washington all got 4 to 6 year deals worth over 20 mil with signing bonuses of 4+ million dollars...)

Something has to give...

And I don't see how they'll be able to hang on to all these players they've signed (the 22+), with a 53 man roster limit. It's just not possible. A lot of money for training camp bodies, in other words...

Maybe I'm missing something.

DaWolf · 06-11-2001, 03:34 PM

Well, like I said before, I'm not a big expert on Poole, but I guess nice pickup for the Donx. I guess they're going to create a lot of competition for their spots and keep the best players. As for us, there are a lot of teams with a glut of wide recievers. I'm sure someone worthy of being a 3rd or 4th reciever will be available by or around training camp time...

Mile High Mania · 06-11-2001, 03:34 PM

Not sure how to explain it... They can still fit in all of these guys as long as they don't bring back the sparish depth they had at some positions.

Some of the signings simply won't make the team, but the players with the big contracts are most likely locks. Denver's got a gaggle of WRs and I expect 3 of them to be gone fairly soon.

NaptownChief · 06-11-2001, 03:37 PM

I hope Kevin Kasper is one of them that gets bumped and he lands on our roster....:D

It could be Steve Largent all over again.

DaWolf · 06-11-2001, 09:57 PM

The thing the Broncos are doing, and the Raiders have been doing, is signing guys to one year deals worth basically minimum money so that they can round out their rosters for a run at the title, and dump the guys next year with no hit, or sign them to extensions if they are really valuable. I anticipate that if things go to plan and we get this program back on track, we will be doing that in a year or two...

nickman · 06-12-2001, 07:57 AM

All these guys must figure the Broncos are going to the Super Bowl this year. You might hope that the team chemistry would be messed up with this much change in one year. Hopefully Shanahan and Bowlen are not as clever as they appear to be right now and get themselves in cap trouble in a couple of years.

06-12-2001, 08:24 AM

I think the Broncos are going all or nothing...

The way they're moving, they'll be the 49ers or Cowboys of tomorrow...

12-4 this year, 8-8 next, and then the 4-12 seasons begin!

nickman · 06-12-2001, 08:26 AM

All the writers say they are not mortgaging there future.. I cannot remember if they said the same thing about the Cowboys or 49er's during their primes.

Mile High Mania · 06-12-2001, 09:48 AM

Who knows if it will work, but there should be a concern about all these new guys and not upsetting the team chemistry. However, the defense needed such an overhaul and they needed a lot of depth at OL and WR, so what was the alternative? Staying with what they had or rebuild areas of the team...

It's easy to say "they're the Skins of 2000 or the 49ers and Cowboys of the future", but those are all uninformed remarks. Denver has signed a lot of quality FAs this offseason and they've still got lots of room under the cap. So, it's easy to say "they're in the SuperBowl or Bust mode". Again, uninformed.

Look at where a bulk of the FA money has gone.... Lepsis, Pryce, Griese, Walker. Big $$$ deals with long term contracts for players in their mid 20s, not early 30s similar to the Skins of 2000. Then, there are a slew of other FAs who have been signed to 1-4yr deals, with minimal cap figures.

Don't take my word though, I'm a devoted fan and I have total faith in Bowlen, Shannahan and Rhodes. Don't trust the sportswriters, they all have their own agendas.

Take some time to read through the BS and really understand that a majority of the money has been spent guranteeing that the most talented young Broncos will stay with the team. Yes, there are a handful of players that have been brought in with the belief that they'll only be here for a year or two, giving the team that extra push for the SB title. But, everyteam has a few of those types of signings.

The Broncos will not be the Cowboys or 49ers of the future... unless you're talking about the SB success that these teams had in the early 90s. :-)

06-12-2001, 09:59 AM

MHM,

You're calling me uninformed? :p

Sure, they signed Griese, Lepsis, Pryce, et al to long-term deals...

But what about Leon Lett, Chester, Henri Crockett, Eddie Kennison, and so on?

They resigned their core young players and added to it with over-the-hill or otherwise journeyman players...do you really think that's a recipe for success? In the short term maybe...

I got a couple of good friends that are die hard Bronc fans...they're not nearly as happy about this offseason as you are...

HC_Chief · 06-12-2001, 10:42 AM

I must admit, the stinking donks have been doing a great job with the cap this season. They have the most players of any team - yet are still what, 5-6 million under? Looks like they're doing things the 'Jimmy Johnson' way: pay big bucks to their core players, treat the extras as what the are: replaceable.

06-12-2001, 12:51 PM

First of all remember the rule of 51. That is where only the top 51 players count against the cap, until the end of TC. So if there lowest (51st) overall, is making the minimum, then any new signing does not count. A lot of these guys won't be there on September 9th. They are resembling the 00 Skins, but I don't think they are mortgaging the future like the Skins did. However, the team chemistry thing is something else. It seems this whole off season, I have been wondering how it the hell they do it, but I am sure the league is watching too, so it must be ok. Right now, the tandem of Smith, McCaffrey, Kennison, and Poole scares the hell out of me with our secondary, it is not as if they were Oakland with rag arm Rich, throwing the ball 12 yards deep.

HC_Chief · 06-12-2001, 01:47 PM

nope - they have rag-armed Brian Griese instead.

They run the SAME offense! (intermediate-to-short only... <i>very</i> rarely go 'vertical') :)

Mile High Mania · 06-12-2001, 05:22 PM

ht... and, that's my point. The guys you put in the "over the hill/journeyman" category do not have major cap hits and like it or not, they will most likely be upgrades from what they had at relatively the same price. That's how bad the defense was in some areas. I can admit that.

Like I said, team chemistry is a concern of mine. And, no ... I'm not running around through a field of daisies, throwing my hands up carelessly in the wind as I dream of an undefeated run at a SB this season. I still have concerns, but I damn sure like the team they are assembling.

They have indeed taken some risks, but in order to win and remain one step ahead of the other teams in the division... risks are a major part of that game.

As for Griese... we'll soon know how well his arm is doing, I just hope the OL can still chop-block and hold like they have over the last 5 years. :-) I knew one of you would go there, so I went with it.

06-11-2001, 03:01 PM
HC_Chief That's just f***in' stupid Join Date: Aug 2000 Location: suburbia Casino cash: $3687107	Poole a Bronco :( <font face="times">The league's deepest team continued to stockpile veterans reserves on Monday, with the Denver Broncos adding two unrestricted free agents in wide receiver Keith Poole and offensive lineman Jay Leeuwenburg, a pair of proven performers who further strengthen an impressive roster. Of the two moves, the acquisition of Poole probably was the more significant, because it keeps the four-year veteran wide receiver away from another AFC West franchise and provides Denver the ability to deploy in four-wideout sets in 2001. The Broncos have suffered the past several years because of the lack of an accomplished No. 3 wide receiver to go with starters Rod Smith and Ed McCaffrey. Earlier this spring, Denver signed speedster Eddie Kennison and now Poole gives coach Mike Shanahan another sprinter who can stretch secondaries vertically. Poole, 26, visited with Kansas City officials late last week and it was believed by many he would sign with the Chiefs because of the presence there of pro personnel director Billy Kuharich, who drafted him in New Orleans. Poole signed a one-year contract worth $500,000 and can earn an additional $1 million through incentives. Leeuwenburg's deal also is for one year, and believed worth $500,000 as well. </font> <h1>SH*T!</h1> :mad: <a href="http://cbs.sportsline.com/u/ce/multi/0,1329,3990423_59,00.html">Here's the story</a>
Posts: 12,355

06-11-2001, 03:17 PM	#2
keg in kc oxymoron Join Date: Feb 2001 Location: OP/KC/Whatever Casino cash: $9556299	You know, it just doesn't make much sense to me. Consider this: Denver has lost, currently, about 10 players from last year's roster to free agency (I believe). They've now signed somewhere between 22 and 30 free agents, including both re-signed players (@ 10) and players who were on other squads last year. Some of these contracts are for [i]enormous[/i] amounts of money (Brian Griese, Matt Lepsis, John Mobley, Dan Neil, Denard Walker and Keith Washington all got 4 to 6 year deals worth over 20 mil with signing bonuses of 4+ million dollars...) Something has to give... And I don't see how they'll be able to hang on to all these players they've signed (the 22+), with a 53 man roster limit. It's just not possible. A lot of money for training camp bodies, in other words... Maybe I'm missing something.
Posts: 58,682

06-11-2001, 03:34 PM	#3
DaWolf Cry havoc... Join Date: Aug 2000 Casino cash: $10007725	Well, like I said before, I'm not a big expert on Poole, but I guess nice pickup for the Donx. I guess they're going to create a lot of competition for their spots and keep the best players. As for us, there are a lot of teams with a glut of wide recievers. I'm sure someone worthy of being a 3rd or 4th reciever will be available by or around training camp time...
Posts: 6,798

06-11-2001, 03:34 PM	#4
Mile High Mania #triggering Join Date: Aug 2000 Location: Tejas Casino cash: $3557229	Not sure how to explain it... They can still fit in all of these guys as long as they don't bring back the sparish depth they had at some positions. Some of the signings simply won't make the team, but the players with the big contracts are most likely locks. Denver's got a gaggle of WRs and I expect 3 of them to be gone fairly soon. __________________
Posts: 30,328

06-11-2001, 03:37 PM	#5
NaptownChief Football Pimp Join Date: Sep 2000 Location: Indianapolis,IN Casino cash: $9974900	I hope Kevin Kasper is one of them that gets bumped and he lands on our roster....:D It could be Steve Largent all over again. __________________ "We weren't worth a damn," the Kansas City Chiefs head coach said, shaking his head. "I'm not worth a damn. No one's worth a damn..." Former President of the Eric Downing Fan Club and Current President of the Kris"Secret Weapon"Wilson Fan Club
Posts: 4,357

06-11-2001, 09:57 PM	#6
DaWolf Cry havoc... Join Date: Aug 2000 Casino cash: $10007725	The thing the Broncos are doing, and the Raiders have been doing, is signing guys to one year deals worth basically minimum money so that they can round out their rosters for a run at the title, and dump the guys next year with no hit, or sign them to extensions if they are really valuable. I anticipate that if things go to plan and we get this program back on track, we will be doing that in a year or two...
Posts: 6,798

06-12-2001, 07:57 AM	#7
nickman Content mostly to lurk Join Date: May 2001 Location: Joplin Casino cash: $10004900	All these guys must figure the Broncos are going to the Super Bowl this year. You might hope that the team chemistry would be messed up with this much change in one year. Hopefully Shanahan and Bowlen are not as clever as they appear to be right now and get themselves in cap trouble in a couple of years.
Posts: 127

06-12-2001, 08:24 AM	#8
htismaqe Guest Casino cash: $	I think the Broncos are going all or nothing... The way they're moving, they'll be the 49ers or Cowboys of tomorrow... 12-4 this year, 8-8 next, and then the 4-12 seasons begin!
Posts: n/a

06-12-2001, 08:26 AM	#9
nickman Content mostly to lurk Join Date: May 2001 Location: Joplin Casino cash: $10004900	All the writers say they are not mortgaging there future.. I cannot remember if they said the same thing about the Cowboys or 49er's during their primes.
Posts: 127

06-12-2001, 09:48 AM	#10
Mile High Mania #triggering Join Date: Aug 2000 Location: Tejas Casino cash: $3557229	Who knows if it will work, but there should be a concern about all these new guys and not upsetting the team chemistry. However, the defense needed such an overhaul and they needed a lot of depth at OL and WR, so what was the alternative? Staying with what they had or rebuild areas of the team... It's easy to say "they're the Skins of 2000 or the 49ers and Cowboys of the future", but those are all uninformed remarks. Denver has signed a lot of quality FAs this offseason and they've still got lots of room under the cap. So, it's easy to say "they're in the SuperBowl or Bust mode". Again, uninformed. Look at where a bulk of the FA money has gone.... Lepsis, Pryce, Griese, Walker. Big $$$ deals with long term contracts for players in their mid 20s, not early 30s similar to the Skins of 2000. Then, there are a slew of other FAs who have been signed to 1-4yr deals, with minimal cap figures. Don't take my word though, I'm a devoted fan and I have total faith in Bowlen, Shannahan and Rhodes. Don't trust the sportswriters, they all have their own agendas. Take some time to read through the BS and really understand that a majority of the money has been spent guranteeing that the most talented young Broncos will stay with the team. Yes, there are a handful of players that have been brought in with the belief that they'll only be here for a year or two, giving the team that extra push for the SB title. But, everyteam has a few of those types of signings. The Broncos will not be the Cowboys or 49ers of the future... unless you're talking about the SB success that these teams had in the early 90s. :-) __________________
Posts: 30,328

06-12-2001, 09:59 AM	#11
htismaqe Guest Casino cash: $	MHM, You're calling me uninformed? :p Sure, they signed Griese, Lepsis, Pryce, et al to long-term deals... But what about Leon Lett, Chester, Henri Crockett, Eddie Kennison, and so on? They resigned their core young players and added to it with over-the-hill or otherwise journeyman players...do you really think that's a recipe for success? In the short term maybe... I got a couple of good friends that are die hard Bronc fans...they're not nearly as happy about this offseason as you are...
Posts: n/a

06-12-2001, 10:42 AM	#12
HC_Chief That's just f***in' stupid Join Date: Aug 2000 Location: suburbia Casino cash: $3687107	I must admit, the stinking donks have been doing a great job with the cap this season. They have the most players of any team - yet are still what, 5-6 million under? Looks like they're doing things the 'Jimmy Johnson' way: pay big bucks to their core players, treat the extras as what the are: replaceable. __________________ "Gentlemen, you can't fight in here, this is the war room!"
Posts: 12,355

06-12-2001, 12:51 PM	#13
kcred Guest Casino cash: $	First of all remember the rule of 51. That is where only the top 51 players count against the cap, until the end of TC. So if there lowest (51st) overall, is making the minimum, then any new signing does not count. A lot of these guys won't be there on September 9th. They are resembling the 00 Skins, but I don't think they are mortgaging the future like the Skins did. However, the team chemistry thing is something else. It seems this whole off season, I have been wondering how it the hell they do it, but I am sure the league is watching too, so it must be ok. Right now, the tandem of Smith, McCaffrey, Kennison, and Poole scares the hell out of me with our secondary, it is not as if they were Oakland with rag arm Rich, throwing the ball 12 yards deep.
Posts: n/a

06-12-2001, 01:47 PM	#14
HC_Chief That's just f***in' stupid Join Date: Aug 2000 Location: suburbia Casino cash: $3687107	nope - they have rag-armed Brian Griese instead. They run the SAME offense! (intermediate-to-short only... <i>very</i> rarely go 'vertical') :) __________________ "Gentlemen, you can't fight in here, this is the war room!"
Posts: 12,355

06-12-2001, 05:22 PM	#15
Mile High Mania #triggering Join Date: Aug 2000 Location: Tejas Casino cash: $3557229	ht... and, that's my point. The guys you put in the "over the hill/journeyman" category do not have major cap hits and like it or not, they will most likely be upgrades from what they had at relatively the same price. That's how bad the defense was in some areas. I can admit that. Like I said, team chemistry is a concern of mine. And, no ... I'm not running around through a field of daisies, throwing my hands up carelessly in the wind as I dream of an undefeated run at a SB this season. I still have concerns, but I damn sure like the team they are assembling. They have indeed taken some risks, but in order to win and remain one step ahead of the other teams in the division... risks are a major part of that game. As for Griese... we'll soon know how well his arm is doing, I just hope the OL can still chop-block and hold like they have over the last 5 years. :-) I knew one of you would go there, so I went with it. __________________
Posts: 30,328