Planning for next year, NOW!
 

Now that we're all but mathematically eliminated from playoff contention, Its time for some personnel evaluations.
See what these players have to offer. It also helps determine draft and free-agency plans

QB: Sit Brooks and evaluate our back-ups.
Bouman: Can he be the future? Lets find out!
JT O'Sullivan: If Bouman is a known factor, lets see how this kid looks in real games.

WR:
Talman Gardner and Derrick Lewis. Lets see what they've got to offer playing a whole game. If they are in our future plans they'll need real game experience to develop. We already know what Horn and Pathon have to offer.

O'line:
See if Stinch can play anywhere on the O-line.
If Jacox is healthy try him at center to see if he's a decent replacement for Fontenot.

TE: Boo for 60 minutes. Why carry a blocking TE when an extra lineman will work? Has Boo moved to the front of the class?

Defense:
Keyou Craver: Lets see how he does as the #2 CB or a safety. Sink or Swim. Lets find out if he's a keeper.
Tebucky Jones: Move him to strong safety where he has to tackle more frequently. Maybe he'll learn. We already know what Bellamy gives us.
Cie Grant: Start him. He needs some game experience.
Ray Allen: Start him. He needs more game experience.
Melvin Williams: Start him. He needs game experience.
Kendrick Allen: Start him. He needs game experience.

Planning for next year, NOW!
 

Couple things- should we evaluate Craver or Brown? Brown went in for Thomas when he went down. Does that mean Brown is ahead of Craver on the depth charts?
Is Boo head of the class? I don\'t think he starts ahead on Conwell, but he did drop a pass that could have helped yesterday. I\'m not condemning him for it, everyone drops passes, but great players pick up the slack of their teammates- too bad Boo has few chances for this.
Can Stinch play center? It\'s been stated that he does not have what it takes to play tackle. We already have two young, good guards.

Planning for next year, NOW!
 

Exactly! Lets find out if its true.
If he bombs at LT or RT, lets try Center. What do we have to lose?

Use the last 3 games as a preliminary training camp.

Planning for next year, NOW!
 

Bouman: Can he be the future? He\'s 31 and no Doug Flutie. Don\'t wait for Brooks to get hot when he has one of those games again and throw Bouman in there, but don\'t start him. Brooks will lose any respect he may still have with his teammates however you sell that decision.
Melvin Williams: I would like to see Howard-Sullivan-Allen-Grant play together for a few more games. Allen probably isn\'t the answer at the 2-gap position, but the 3 young guys that will return as starters should get more time to get used to each other. They sure haven\'t been on the field together too much this season.
Stinch: Let\'s see what he can do at center, I agree.

Anyway, I don\'t agree with the idea to use the end of season games to evaluate players for next season. You only have 8 home games a season and season tickets cost big bucks. I would be pissed if I don\'t even see the best players in a regular season game. If more teams would try to do that, it would also distort the playoff race. Jacksonville or Atlanta haven\'t quit yet though they are eliminated already and I like the fact that every game can go both ways (\"There\'s no way the 7-1 Colts lose to the 1-7 Jaguars\" - yeah, right).
It might tell us something about who to keep, but let\'s at least keep it real until we\'re theoretically out of it.

Planning for next year, NOW!
 

I think the planning DOES need to begin NOW. My plan would be to find a PROVEN general manager. Not someone you think MIGHT can get the job done, but one who has proven without a shadow of a doubt that he can build a Super Bowl contender.

The best move Tom Benson ever made was hiring Jim Finks. As soon as Finks was gone, this organization took a nose dive. Without Finks at the helm, Jim Mora and Co. were never the same. Poor draft choices, and bad personel moves became the norm under the Jim Mora era after Finks. Then we had to endure the Ditka era. Thanks Benson. Then, he hires Randy Meueller and everything picked up. Then, he fires Meuller and back in the tail spin.

My hope is that Benson get\'s somone capiable of running this organization and let\'s him make the neccessary moves. It starts at the TOP and in this case that means Mr. Tom Benson.

[Edited on 8/12/2003 by BillyC]