Options at DE

If we went in a different direction I'd take Osi over Freeney or Abraham.

Abraham signed with the Patriots, he's out.

I forgot Umenyiora was available.  He would be a good fit here.

I can't believe it came down to this...that POS agent. If I were Denver I would send a league memo out stating that they will no longer comply with either the dude representing Doom and Bus Cook. Two idiot agents hurt Denver once again...

B6482, Where did you see Abraham signed with the Patriots?  I only can find reports he is visiting along with Freeney and Cards Safety Adrian Wilson (Wouldn't mind if the Bronco signed him)

I'd rather try to trade for Trent Cole or wait for his release. If it doesn't happen then John Abraham and the draft...BOTH.

Apparently John Abraham visited the Patriots but has NOT signed. Just some misinformation out there. I'd take him over Dwight Freeney, and Osi Umenyiora is probably somewhere in the middle. 

I'd also be more willing to see the Broncos draft a DE high, although there aren't many that really exite me as REs. There are plenty of run-defending LEs, but we need pass rushers. 

Rotoworld:

Free agent Elvis Dumervil's player rep is blaming the Broncos for Friday's contract debacle.

As ESPN's Andrew Brandt would say, "there will be lawyers." Dumervil's rep is alleging the Broncos changed the terms of the pay cut at the last minute, delaying the process. Dumervil's camp sent its ill-fated fax at 3:55ET, right as the Broncos were cutting him out of a supposed abundance of caution. The sides have yet to talk since the fiasco. We'd expect many twists and turns over the next 48 hours. Dumervil is looking unlikely to return to Denver

As ESPN's Andrew Brandt would say, "there will be lawyers." Dumervil's rep is alleging the Broncos changed the terms of the pay cut at the last minute, delaying the process. Dumervil's camp sent its ill-fated fax at 3:55ET, right as the Broncos were cutting him out of a supposed abundance of caution. The sides have yet to talk since the fiasco. We'd expect many twists and turns over the next 48 hours. Dumervil is looking unlikely to return to Denver

I'm going to Believe Elway's version before I take the word of Marty Maggot who's only other client is Travis Henry.

Broncos faxed over final offer at 11:am mdt.  They told Magid 1:00 deadline to respoond or offer is gone so they would have an hour to do the deal.

Magid turned it down at 1:00.

He called at 1:25 and said Dumervil changed his mind.

Broncos waited for a fax that did not arrive on time (2:06 according to the time stamp) and had to cut him by 2 to avoid the 12 million guaranteed salary.

Magid is playing games or Elvis is a dumbass for not being here or at least with his agent to ensure it got done.



 

A statement from EVP of Football Operations John Elway on defensive end Elvis Dumervil.

STATEMENT FROM DENVER Broncos EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT OF FOOTBALL OPERATIONS JOHN ELWAY:

“For the last week, [Elvis Dumervil] and his agent were aware of our desire to change the financial terms of his contract to ensure he would remain a Denver Bronco. After numerous conversations with both Elvis and his representative, we submitted our final contract proposal to Elvis today at 11 a.m. MDT. Based on our previous discussions, we believed our offer was fair and were hopeful it would resolve this matter.

“Due to the procedural elements that were involved in executing the new proposal, we imposed a 1 p.m. MDT deadline for a decision, one hour before the NFL’s waiver wire at 2 p.m. MDT. Our deadline was clearly communicated to Elvis’ representative.

“At 1 p.m. MDT, we were informed by Elvis’ representative that he declined our offer. We then prepared Elvis’ termination notice to officially file his release with the NFL office.

“At approximately 1:25 p.m. MDT, however, we were informed that Elvis changed his mind and accepted the same contract we proposed nearly two-and-a-half hours earlier. Although we expressed our concern regarding the time constraints, we were assured that the signed documents would be submitted to us before the league’s waiver deadline.

“We did not receive the documents from Elvis by the league’s deadline and were forced to release him shortly before 2 p.m. MDT.

“Due to this situation, there are now salary cap implications associated with this transaction that we must consider with regard to potentially re-signing Elvis. At this moment, we are discussing all of our free-agency options to determine what’s best for the Denver Broncos.”

Even if Magid's story is accurate, I don't think he has the grounds to sue the Broncos. I don't think it is and I think he fuck****ed you. I have to admit I would love to see the Patriots at least make a play at taking advantage of this, but you better believe if I'm Dumervil I have a new agent before I even think about talking to anyone. That is a massive mistake.

 I don't think he has the grounds to sue the Broncos


No one is suing the Broncos, the Rotoworld writer was being 'colorful' using an Andrew Brandt-ism. It was simply a 'for what it's worth' post of a short blurb on a fantasy site. No reason to get anyone's back up - I think we all would take Elway's version of the events over Jerry MacGuire's...

Thanks for the supplemental info, Morph... I originally qualified the post with a short blurb, but got an error code and thought I had lost all my thoughts. So I simply reposted the article by itself. This site has really gone downhill...

Well, so far the only one I've seen give Magid any credibility was LaCanfora.  Most everyone else has been ridiculing him.  The person who got screwed (whether it was just the agent, or he did it to himself) was Dumervil. 

Well, so far the only one I've seen give Magid any credibility was LaCanfora.  Most everyone else has been ridiculing him.  The person who got screwed (whether it was just the agent, or he did it to himself) was Dumervil

And the Broncos, if it affects their 'dead money' on the salary cap...



Magid claims the Broncos initially had told him that, in exchange for chopping $4 million off of Dumervil's 2013 base salary, the team would add $500,000 to his 2014 base salary of $10 million while also fully guaranteeing $3.5 million of that figure.

Magid said instead, when the new deal was presented shortly after 1 p.m. EDT Friday, the language had been changed to only guarantee the $3.5 million for injury. The Broncos said they made the change because Dumervil had taken all week to accept their offer, according to Magid.

In other words, per Magid's account, the team would have been able to cut Dumervil after this upcoming season without owing him a dime.

The Broncos changed the language because they signed a handful of free agents and had committed more money toward 2014 than they had when they made their original offer to Dumervil.


from USAToday.com article 



 

That's a nice article, Joe.  But doesn't explain why it still took Magid and Doom so long to agree.  It still appears Magid's trying to make his crap smell like a rose, and doesn't contradict Elway's account.  (Although he's tried to blame Denver).   

Yes, we take a dead money hit, but Denver was already preparing to take that.  So really, this doesn't screw them much.  I doubt Doom was ready to take a further, market induced cut to his salary though. 

doesn't contradict Elway's account

No one is saying it does, like I said I think we'd probably believe Elway over some slimy agent.


DeMaurice Smith, executive director of the NFL Players Association, has asked for an inquiry into the contract snafu that led the Broncos to release DE Elvis Dumervil.

The Broncos released Dumervil on Friday because paperwork of his revised contract that included a 2013 salary cut from $12 million to $8 million was not filed by the 4:00ET deadline. Denver asked the league office if it would honor the verbal agreement on a restructured contract the team negotiated with Dumervil, but the league rejected the request.


This also suggests that the Broncos weren't trying to scuttle anything, doesn't make any sense that they would anyway. 

Yes, we take a dead money hit, but Denver was already preparing to take that

Umm, no - I think 'dead money' refers to a player that moves on but we're stuck with a portion of the contract allocation against our cap. Trade him and the other team takes the whole hit - cut him and the dead money becomes ours. But it's not 'dead' if we'd kept Dumervil, it's just part of his salary, no? If he leaves, we pay the $5 mil 'dead' plus whatever it takes to sign the next prospective player at DE... So, effectively, if we sign Freeney for $5 mil (or any DE), he'll essentially cost us $10 mil anyway. If we'd renegotiated DumbDumbvil we're paying the $8 mil we agreed to (with the $5mil no longer 'dead'). That's why they are saying this changes any new negotiating with Dumervil, as it left us with a $5mil hit with nothing to show for it, on top of whatever happens going forward. I think...?

Think Wolfe's ready to make the jump to double-digit sacks?  (He had 6 last season).  We could then draft a solid DE (market is flush).  Would provide with a younger solution to Doom, and probably an improvement against the run.  

Otherwise, Osi could bridge the gap. I'd prefer him over Freeney, although Freeney's probably the easier one to acquire.  

Think Wolfe's ready to make the jump to double-digit sacks?  (He had 6 last season).  We could then draft a solid DE (market is flush).  Would provide with a younger solution to Doom, and probably an improvement against the run.  

Otherwise, Osi could bridge the gap. I'd prefer him over Freeney, although Freeney's probably the easier one to acquire.  

I don't think Derek Wolfe is ready to be a real pass-rusher yet. His 6 sacks was a nice total, but he was on the field a TON and didn't generate much pressure overall. I think ideally he would be playing LE anchoring against the run and moving inside in nickel. We need more of a pure pass-rusher to replace Elvis Dumervil, at least situationally. 

I'd like to see the team draft a DE. I'd love Damontre Moore at 28 if he's available (basically a Doom clone), but I also like Corey Lemonier and Devin Taylor later in the draft. I can't decide if we should draft a pure pass-rusher or a more stout run defender. We definitely need pass-rush help, but can we get away with sub packages instead of a 3-down DE?

but can we get away with sub packages instead of a 3-down DE?

Ideally you'd like the 3 down player if one is available. The problem with one dimensional guys like Dumervil is teams like the Pats can exploit his weaknesses (like running the ball at him constantly in the hurry-up). 


I don't think Derek Wolfe is ready to be a real pass-rusher yet. His 6 sacks was a nice total, but he was on the field a TON and didn't generate much pressure overall 

ProFootBallFocus graded him positively in run support, but negatively in pass rushing. Can't find the article now but it essentially said his sack total is misleading and that he was ineffective as a pass rusher... 

ProFootBallFocus graded him positively in run support, but negatively in pass rushing. Can't find the article now but it essentially said his sack total is misleading and that he was ineffective as a pass rusher... 

Pretty sure it was their article on AFC West rookies. That's actually what I was basing my post on. I love PFF and will probably end up buying a subscription at some point. It's a great resource.

Yeah, my fault, I misread that as an actual quote. Either way, everyone but the agent got screwed, and hopefully he does when players see that incompetence and go elsewhere.

Joe, the Broncos were prepared to take the dead money hit and move on from Dumervil if he rejected their offer is what Walker was saying. They were ready to take the hit and sign somebody else so it's not like they're all of the sudden in some position they never considered being in. Additionally, had we kept Dumervil at his reduced salary of $8mil he still would have counted at close to $10mil against the cap due to the amortized portion of his bonus spread out over the last three years. Therefore, we can still sign somebody else (Freeney, Umeniyora) for $5mil or less and still be paying less than we would've been on the hook for cap-wise with Dumervil's reduced salary. Dumervil's pre-reduced salary cap hit was going to be close to $14mil ($12mil base salary plus nearly $2mil amortized bonus); however, when he gets cut the amortized bonus of nearly $5mil becomes due immediately and counts as a lump sum dead money cap hit instead of being prorated over the three years.

So how much do you guys think Dumbervile cost himself? I don't see anyone giving him near what the Broncos had on the table. I'd bet he's cost himself at least $5-8 million and that idiot agent has likely lost his last and only client.

Crispy from what I've been reading the Broncos were pretty much willing to let him keep his total money but just redistribute it differently over the three years, so he was still in-line to get 3 years at 31mil. Now he'd be lucky to get 3 years $24mil at best. I'd guess his agent cost him at least that difference so about $7mil+. Pretty big mistake

Crispy from what I've been reading the Broncos were pretty much willing to let him keep his total money but just redistribute it differently over the three years, so he was still in-line to get 3 years at 31mil. Now he'd be lucky to get 3 years $24mil at best. I'd guess his agent cost him at least that difference so about $7mil+. Pretty big mistake

I don't think he ever would have saw 3 years $31mm. The Broncos would have cut him after this season if the remaining guaranteed $ was only for injury. That would be a no brainer I think. Whether or not they cut his salary or he stayed at $12MM this was going to be the last year of that contract IMO. 

If we end up losing Doom to FA in this blunder, it's safe to say that DE will become a greater need in the draft, providing we don't find another very good DE in FA.

Most of us agree that DT and MLB are our two most pressing needs, but with our first round pick, MLB may not be a viable option, considering that the two most highly-rated MLBs in the draft both ran 40s at about 4.81, likely relegating them to playing on 1st and 2nd down. Unless they can show that those times are not accurate in their pro-days, it doesn't seem like a wise way to spend a 1st round pick. Having said that, it seems that DE may be the 2nd best position to address with the 28th pick, right behind DT.

While I would love to see us pick up a DT with our first pick, if there is not one available that makes sense to draft at 28, and we don't trade that pick up or down, there are a few DEs that may fall into our range to draft: Datone Jones, UCLA; Demontre Moore, Texas A&M; and Alex Okafor, Texas.

I've only done cursory research on these guys so far and I was wondering if anyone had any opinions on any of them.

I think with the signing of Kneighton and Vickerson the Broncos are OK at DT as far as starters go. I think they are serious about Johnson and irving competing for MLB...I now see DE as the biggest need..but still think they should take the best defensive player available at 28...or trade down.

But DE is now a big need. 

DSH,

Not sure why you refer to this as a blunder by the Broncos. Overpaid players get cut all the time. The Broncos let Doom and his idiot agent know months ago that he was overpaid. They tried to renegotiate a contract. Dumbervilles agent farted around and tried to play a game of chicken and lost.

That idiot Maggot got fired by Dumberville, now has ZERO NFL clients, and will likely never have another client. What upsets me the most is that the NFL knows the contract was agreed upon and sent prior to the deadline. They know it was signed prior to the deadline yet still reneged on it.

What also upsets me is that the NFL still uses fax machines. There are these things called scanners and PDF attachments that the rest of the world uses on a regular basis. I haven't sent a fax since about 1985. Why not just have contracts engraved in stone tablets and sent to the NFL offices by the Pony Express???? Or a ph_ucking donkey????    

Or just do all contracts in the form of cave paintings!