Lights, Camera Action!

As expected the Bowl went on it's annual summer shopping spree. Spending money to acquire players to satisfy the fan base so they will again spring their eternal optimism for the upcoming season. 

Let's get a look at the moves.

Trades:

Moving Buttersworthless and McScrubb and getting picks in return is amazing. We didn't think there was any market for an aging QB coming off the worst season of his career both on and off the field. He was benched twice, got into a rift with the coaching staff, and failed to lead the team to a respectable finish.  We all knew he was going to play elsewhere this season, so getting 2 picks(1 conditional) is a great move.

Buttersworthless proved to have the worst attitude and effort of any player in the modern era. The constant distraction and lack of production were legendary. $41 million in 2 awful seasons ranks amongst the worst free agent moves in the history of the league. Buttersworhtless will make an appearance in December at Fed Ex when the Pats come to town to whip up on the Bowl in what will already be a meaningless game for the Bowl. We all know they will be eliminated from the playoffs in November or early December.

Jeremy Jarmon was a supplemental draft pick costing the Bowl a 3rd rounder. In his 2 seasons he proved he was either terrible or he was not a fit for the Bowl's 3-4 defense. They get in return an aging receiver in Gaffney who is better than all their receivers save for possibly the aging Moss. Again, a move that netted them a guy that will potentially play for a guy that was never going to play. A good move for the Bowl.

Free agents:

If you can't beat em, steal'em!

The Bowl raided the Ravens for Josh Wilson and Chris Chester. Chester is an upgrade over any thing the Bowl had on the line last season. Their line, while still below average for an NFL line, improved from this move.

Wilson will replace the #4 pick Carlos Rogers. Rogers leaves after a tumultuous career that saw him play very inconsistently. We are hard pressed to think that Wilson will be much of an improvement over Rogers. We actually felt that Rogers was improving and could be finally maturing. Time will tell based on where he signs, but Wilson will now be challenged weekly by the NFC East WR's and we think he will struggle. In his 1 season playing for a competitive team. he was insignificant. Think this move is a downgrade.

Save Rocca will be the best punter maybe in the Snyder regime. The Bowl had perhaps the worst punting in the league over the last 10 seasons. Again, punters are hit and miss, so we have no idea how he will perform, but it will be an upgrade for the Bowl.

Barry Cofield is an improvement over any interior lineman the Bowl had last year. Keamatu and Buttersworthless were never in the games. So a guy that can stay healthy and fog a mirror is an improvement. Reports are that he played in the Giants 4-3 scheme and scouts are not sure of his effectiveness in a 3-4. He goes from getting one on one blocking to now being consistently double teamed. Will be interesting to watch this develop. The Bowl's defense should be improved, but improving from 31st is not hard.  Remember too, Haslett was over matched every week!

Stephen Bowen again is similar to Cofield. Signed from the hated Cowboys, we will have to wait and see how this move pans out. A solid player, not flashy.  Then again, playing on the line in the trenches typically is not a flashy position.  He is familiar with the NFC East, so this move makes sense from that perspective.

Santana Moss signing was obvious. He is their best receiver, though he has lost his touchdown catching ability. Had 3rd most catches in the league, so he is productive. If the offense improves, he should get more action.  Getting a dependable #2 and #3 WRs will also help with his production.

Draft Picks:

The Bowl had the most picks basically in club history. Over half were from the 5th round on, so these are either bench players or practice players. The Bowl has a history of being the worst team in football developing players, so this further diminishes these players chances of being productive NFL caliber players. 

Kerrigan will be given a chance to start and we will see how that pans out.  He is highly regarded so should be productive.  But, LB in the NFC East is very physical and challenging so we expect a learning curve to happen. The question is, how long. Rocky McIntosh was drafted by moving up and he turned out to be very pedestrian in his play.  Bowl fans are hoping that he is better than that.

Helu is getting some hype because of his skill set and how it fits Shanaplan's offense. He is a small back so you never know with these players. 

Rest of picks we will have to wait and see. The Bowl is making moves to improve and clearly has improved. Then again, finishing the last 2 seasons with the 6th fewest wins in the league should not be hard to improve on.  It is time for the Shanaplan to start showing its merit. If not, the carousel of coaches will continue.