FRENZY NEWS: Predators GM positively "giddy" about RFA results

[Preds]

Predators GM and Coach feels he has the tools to Defend Title
by Rhett Zoan - Predators Beat Reporter
Hamburg, NY

Just 4 days into the 2004 season, Predators GM and Coach, Mike SantaLucia, has been seen walking around team headquarters with a big smile on his face, apparently resulting from a RFA process that has gone much better than they ever could have anticipated. Surprisingly, each of the Predators 3 RFA's received only 1 or 2 offers from other teams, and all 3 have agreed to terms quickly, making the Predators the 1st team to have all of their RFA's under contracts.

I had an exclusive interview with the Predators GM earlier today. SantaLucia was absolutely giddy about the way the defending champions were shaping up for the 2004 season. We're going to be tough to beat. The team is shaping up very nicely. We weren't sure if we'd be able to retain our core prior to the opening of the RFA period" said SantaLucia. "The way things have shaken out has just been fantastic" he went on. I asked him about each of the teams 3 restricted free agents and what the team's plans were. While he wouldn't give an official indication of their plans, SantaLucia did provide some insight on where the team is headed.

Frenzy Bowl III MVP LaDainian Tomlinson was the first RFA we discussed. "At first I was shocked that LaDainian signed such a low offer sheet" said SantaLucia. "The Insects flooded the RB market and apparently scared others out of bidding for his services which worked to our benefit." He went on to state that he spoke with his star RB this morning regarding rumored reports that he signed with the Squirrels hoping to play closer to home on the West Coast. "That isn't completely true" said SantaLucia. "LaDainian had no choice but to go with the process. He figured if he had to sign with someone, that it would be with someone closer to home just in case, but his 1st choice has always been to remain in Buffalo. LaDainian and I discussed the situation in depth, and he expressed sincere feelings about wanting to return to Buffalo." According to SantaLucia, the first words out of LaDainian's mouth were "I'm a Predator Coach. I want to remain a Predator. Buffalo is my 2nd home." It appears that LaDainian may have intentionally signed a lower offer sheet with the hopes of helping out the Predators so they could match for his services, while retaining some cap space to retain their core and defend their title. SantaLucia appeared coy when I asked him about the indications given yesterday that the team may let LaDainian go to the Squirrels. The GM refused to discuss the topic openly. It is apparent today that the talk of letting Tomlinson go was nothing more than a ruse.

On the WR front, SantaLucia expressed a huge smile about star WR Hines Ward coming to terms with the Freedom earlier this morning. "We are ecstatic to see Hines accept an offer sheet that we feel comfortable matching. Hines is an original Predator, and we're excited to enter our 4th season with Hines again anchoring our WR corps." Ward finished 5th overall amongst WR's last year. The contract offer he signed with the Freedom will pay him as the #5 WR in the league, however, he comes significantly cheaper than the 4 above him. In fact, the 4 higher paid WR's (Harrison, Owens, Moss and Moulds) average a whopping 2189 cb's, nearly 700 cb's more than the offer sheet Ward signed with the Freedom. Curiously, of the top 5 paid WR's, only Randy Moss finished ahead of Ward in the rankings last year. "Hines is an integral part of this organization. He's been with us since the inaugural season. His leadership and physical skills are a great example to our younger WR's. We look forward to having Hines spend another season tutoring our future stars, specifically Ashley (Lelie), Andre (Johnson), and Javon (Walker). It should be noted that Hines had a huge impact on the development of Santana Moss last year. The "other" Moss had a fantastic sophemore season with the club and ended up #8 among WR's last year.

When I brought up WR Derrick Mason, the GM and coach frowned. "I'm not sure if we'll be able to keep Derrick" he said. Mason may be a victim of a youth movement. The team has 3 highly regarded young WR's in the system. Ashley Lelie made the active roster as the team's 5th WR last year, and it appears he may be battling last years #1 pick, Andre Johnson, for the #3 or 4 job this year. Mason finished #10 among WR's last year. "Derrick is a star, and was a key ingredient to our championship run a year ago. His contract is for a reasonable figure, and we're hoping to retain him, but other factors may impact that decision." Those other factors may depend upon the healthy return of WR Marty Booker from Injured Reserve. Booker's contract calls for only 440cb's this season, and it appears the cap friendliness of that deal may impact Mason's future with the club.

The Predators aggressive pursuit of QB Donovan McNabb may also be playing a large role in whether or not Mason returns. While the team initially went after QB Tom Brady on the opening day of the RFA period, it appears they have grown discontent with his nickle and diming, and have changed course to McNabb. SantaLucia wouldn't discuss the McNabb or Brady situations with me specifically, or how either possible acquisition might impact QB Jeff Garcia's future. An analysis of their cap situation seems to indicate that they will be able to afford 3 QB's, but whether Garcia will accept a backup role is unclear.

One thing that is clear, is that the Predators appear primed and ready to defend their title. Just 4 days into the 2004 season, the Predators feel they are already the team to beat. Who can argue with that?