Oh Boy...I'm gonna get nailed for this one.

[Stinky Wizzleteats+]

I don't consider bringing in players like Freeney, Dunlap, Rinehart, Marshal and Woodhead as making strides to make this team younger. All of them are 28 which was older than the average age of our roster last year. You could throw in Cox and Ohrnstweeter at 27 and say that really isn't making us much younger either.

What was the average age of the players cut. My guess is you know what you said and you know the spin you put on it. Older than the average age of last years roster is meaningless. Buy dumping 29 year olds and bringing in 28 year olds you are lowering the average age of the roster. OR you could compare last years average roster age to this years and not be misleading at all if in face our average team age has gone up. Problem with that I already know without doing the math that that is not the case. We have a younger average age this season than last season and I'll put a sig bet with you just to back up what I say.

Spin it again fella's!

[sandiego17]

But TT allowed Rivers, Gates, Butler, Reyes, Luiget, Thomas, Weddle, Brown, M80 etc. to each come in a year older than AJ. Terrible GMing.

[homeless simpson]

Norv was handed a Superbowl caliber team here for which he acknowledged when he was hired.

he was handed a playoff caliber team, not super bowl caliber team. it's only playoff caliber because it couldn't even get it's shit together to win a single playoff game in the first round 2 out of 3 years, and even missed the playoffs when it had 8 probowlers on the roster.

[Yubaking]

Its funny that the two prime proponents of 'it's fine to get rid of older, big dollar guys but make sure you replace them with someone better' are now advocating trading Rivers for magic beans, a wish and a prayer.

LOL

I think that tells you all you need to know about those guys.

Fraught with misconceptions, your post says more about you than it does about me.

First, it has been shown over and over again that the "big dollar" players were not, in fact, big dollar players.

Second, my vision of the playoff team we could have been this year concerned the activities that Telesco should have taken during the offseason. Having created a situation in which the team is many more players away from being a contender than it was before the season began, this post is addressing what the team should do in light of where it is now.

Third, while I agree with those that say that Telesco will play it conservatively and would not likely trade Rivers, what I have suggested is a trade for multiple (3) first round picks or close to that. For example, let's say TB finishes this season with the second worst record, entitling it to pick second in the 2014 draft. A trade with TB might be Rivers for their first and second this year and first next year. So, the point is that I am nowhere close to favoring trading Rivers for "magic beans, a wish and a prayer" as you suggest.

Here's what the draft haul in 2014 might look like before we reach the two 2015 first round draft picks and assuming we pick somewhere around 14th:

1-2 J. Clowney (OLB--for us)
1-14 L. Nix (NT)
2-34 L. Purifoy (CB)
2-46 L. Seastrunk (RB)
3-78 A. Murray (QB)
4-110 J. Attaochu (OLB)
5-142 T. Reese (WR)
6-174 D. Coleman (3-4 DE)

The defense would feature Liuget, Nix and Reyes on the line; Ingram, Te'o, Butler and Clowney at the LB level; and Purifoy, Cox, Weddle and Taylor in the secondary. Attaochu would be a reserve pass rusher. If we keep Freeney, then I would favor the drafting of J. Wilder, Jr., a big RB with some speed, which might be better for us anyway as it would give us Mathews, Seastrunk, Wilder and Woodhead and I would keep them all as Mathews approaches the end of his contract. An OLB set of Ingram, Clowney, Freeney and Johnson would be rock solid. Purifoy would be the cover corner that we lack.

Murray would start the first year and would be evaluated. Reese, a slot guy with good top end speed, would take over for Royal, who should be a salary cap casualty next year. If Murray succeeds, then we wouldn't have to draft a QB in 2015. If we had to take a QB, Murray would be fine as a #2 QB with Sorenson still around as our #3 QB.

The project would continue in 2015 and the team would likely be loaded in 2016. It isn't so crazy if the right kind of trade presents itself even if it probably will never happen, especially since it also clears out a bunch of salary from the roster for free agents, contract extensions, et cetera.

[Bearded14YourPleasure]

I don't consider bringing in players like Freeney, Dunlap, Rinehart, Marshal and Woodhead as making strides to make this team younger. All of them are 28 which was older than the average age of our roster last year. You could throw in Cox and Ohrnstweeter at 27 and say that really isn't making us much younger either.

And how many of those guys are on more then a two year deal? Heck, Marshall and Freeney were both only brought in because of season ending injuries to young (1st and 2nd year) players. Would you have rather filled those holes with more UDFAs? If that happened you would be complaining about the lack of veteran leadership on this roster. But you are right adding players in their late twenties and dropping players in their thirties isn't making this team younger.

[BoltBacker]

In regards to asset management and rebuilding, wouldn't it make more sense to try and trade Gates? We have a talented backup that (i think) is ready to take on more reps. Gates's value is at a high right now, after struggling through 2 years of foot issues. We could try to move Gates for either young talent and a pick (or picks) or a ton of picks. In addition, we could utilize any cap savings to resign Butler.

It sucks to see stars and fan favorites move on, but this team has a poor history of 'selling high'. (Actually, very little history of doing it at all). We need help in a ton of areas and a lot of things would have to align exactly right in order for us to be contender by the end of Gates's contract (2015 is last year). So would you rather roll the dice that we will be contenders by the 2015 season and potentially see Gates walk? Or, try to move him and expedite the rebuilding phase with more picks?

Note: You will NEVER 'replace' Gates. He is one of the best of all time. I understand that, so please don't respond with Green is not as good as Gates posts.

The main problem with trading Gates is I don't think you would get value in return. I would consider it for value but would rather see him retire a Charger than getting a fourth round pick at best for him.

[Den60]

You can't have a team comprised of first and second year players only. You have to have some vets sprinkled in.

Again, I look at what young players we brought in and wonder if they are worthy to be on a NFL team. I just question those that said we got rid of older players to get younger. In reality we really didn't - and spent more money in the process.

[Den60]

What was the average age of the players cut. My guess is you know what you said and you know the spin you put on it. Older than the average age of last years roster is meaningless. Buy dumping 29 year olds and bringing in 28 year olds you are lowering the average age of the roster. OR you could compare last years average roster age to this years and not be misleading at all if in face our average team age has gone up. Problem with that I already know without doing the math that that is not the case. We have a younger average age this season than last season and I'll put a sig bet with you just to back up what I say.

Spin it again fella's!

I never took the time to look it up. Last year our average age was 27 years and change. Signing players who are 33 and 28 makes us older than what we averaged last year. Barnes is 28, Phillips is 31. Freeney is 33. Rinehart is older than Green and Clary is older than Vasquez. Ohrnstweeter older than both (and Molk). Dunlap older than Gaither or Harris, Lissemore older than Martin. We might have gotten a bit younger overall but I wouldn't say we are a young team - especially on offense. We did get a bit younger in the secondary but that was just by getting rid of Jammer. Cox and Cason I think are about the same age. OK, we did get rid of Bigby.

[richpjr]

The original plan was not to go with the 33 year old Freeney, it was to go with the 24 year old Ingram.

[Den60]

And how many of those guys are on more then a two year deal? Heck, Marshall and Freeney were both only brought in because of season ending injuries to young (1st and 2nd year) players. Would you have rather filled those holes with more UDFAs? If that happened you would be complaining about the lack of veteran leadership on this roster. But you are right adding players in their late twenties and dropping players in their thirties isn't making this team younger.

Some of them are. I have been saying that when you look at our roster needs over the course of the next two season we don't have enough draft picks to fill the new holes we will create, much less the ones we have right now. Next year we have cap issues but cutting guys like Clary, Hardwick and Royal can alleviate that quite a bit. The problem, though, is we don't have people in place to replace them. On the previous board (and prior to this season) I said it would be at 3 years before we would be able to field a team that could possibly field a team that is a SB contender and that is if we draft really well. I think 3 years is more like 4 or more right now.

[Den60]

The original plan was not to go with the 33 year old Freeney, it was to go with the 24 year old Ingram.

The original plan was to go with just 3 OLBs with any experience in the league and a 6th round DE. At the time I (and others) said that plan sucked.

[Bearded14YourPleasure]

I never took the time to look it up. Last year our average age was 27 years and change. Signing players who are 33 and 28 makes us older than what we averaged last year. Barnes is 28, Phillips is 31. Freeney is 33. Rinehart is older than Green and Clary is older than Vasquez. Ohrnstweeter older than both (and Molk). Dunlap older than Gaither or Harris, Lissemore older than Martin. We might have gotten a bit younger overall but I wouldn't say we are a young team - especially on offense. We did get a bit younger in the secondary but that was just by getting rid of Jammer. Cox and Cason I think are about the same age. OK, we did get rid of Bigby.

And all you are comparing is ages. Would you rather have Gaither or Harris starting? Martin did so bad in MIA that he was put on IR for some mystery ailment, same with Green in NE. Clary was on this team last year so I'm not sure why you are including him with new additions, if you want to accurately describe who took Vasquez's spot not he roster it's Fluker. You again use Freeney as an example when the only reason he is on the roster was Ingram's injury.

One more time, we were the oldest team in the league last year. How quickly do you expect us to become significantly younger? The only way to do that is to build through the draft, and TT has only managed to have one draft with which to do so.