Remember The 90's?: Re-Living Greatness

[Len B]

This is easily the best franchise report in the history of reporting. I remember reading this on MM YEARS ago. So much dedication.

[Rush]

Very nice Y2R this is beyond amazing.

[young2rice]

Nice man. Very creative.

Thank ya

This is easily the best franchise report in the history of reporting. I remember reading this on MM YEARS ago. So much dedication.

Haha yeah it certainly has taken longer than I expected. I was thinking around this time to be entering the next century in-game (2000). Turns out I made it a lot more in-depth than I original thought I would.

Very nice Y2R this is beyond amazing.

Thank you very much.

I'll try and get another round or two of this draft up later today.

[young2rice]

1992 NFL Draft - Round 4
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Best Pick: 13th - Seahawks - QB - Jeff Blake (77 Ovr)

Info: Jeff Blake dropped into the 4th round due to the lack of quarterback selections so far in the draft. As a result the Buccaneers went earlier in the 3rd with Dave Brown, but the Seahawks got the better end in 77 OVR Jeff Blake. With Dave Krieg not re-signing his contract and heading to free agency the Seahawks are in desperate need of a starting quarterback. At this moment Jeff Blake is the best quarterback currently on Seattle's roster, after free agency if that remains he could be leading the squad for years to come.

Worst Pick: 22nd - Bengals -HB - Tony Brooks (65 Ovr)

Info: It may have still been too early to pick Brooks when the Bengals finally selected him with the 22nd pick of the 4th round. With James Brooks gone from the Bengals it's obvious they're going to have to find the future at runningback. However Brooks is obviously not that answer. Brooks will most likely be buried in the depth chart.

Summary

Info: Overall another solid round but with a few Madden AI mistakes in their selections of Punters by the Redskins, Patriots, Buccaneers, and Raiders.

The best picks were Jeff Blake for the Seahawks giving them a potential starting quarterback for 1992. Meanwhile Corey Widmer (75 Ovr) will make a great backup MLB to last years rookie, Roman Phifer. Tracy Scroggins joins a Cardinals team at left outside linebacker where he could have a solid career for them, and the Eagles drafted their real-life draft pick, Mark McMillian (74 Ovr). McMillian will eventually be groomed into a solid #2 corner.

The first ugly notifications of salary cap trouble are showing with both the Houston Oilers and Buffalo Bills being forced to cut their selections. The Oilers let a solid player in right end Alonzo Spellman (77 Ovr) go because of their inability to sign. As a free agent he will most likely end up re-signing elsewhere. However it's not too bad for the Oilers as they are already stacked at the defensive line positions. Meanwhile the Bills are unable to sign their selection as they had to let defensive tackle Bill Johnson (70 Ovr) go without signing a contract.

[young2rice]

1992 NFL Draft - Round 5
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Best Pick: 17th - Buccaneers - LE - Michael Bankston (79 Ovr)

Info: Michael Bankston slipped surprisingly far in the 1992 NFL Draft, all the way to the 17th pick of the 5th round. Fortunately for the Buccaneers Bankston had an OVR worthy of a late first round selection. Bankston will come in and immediately become the Buccaneers starting left end, barring free agent acquisitions. He will start alongside Ray Seals in an attempt by Tampa Bay to fix their glaring weakness in the trenches. If Bankston pans out for the team they could potentially have selected the biggest steal of the draft.

Worst Pick: 32nd - 49ers - LOLB - Andre Powell (64 Ovr)

Info: Andre Powell isn't neccessarily a bad pick as the final selection of the 5th round, but he was a bad pick for the 49ers in particular. The reason being that the 49ers have already selected two other rookie left outside linebackers to fill out their roster so far in the draft. Ed McDaniel (79 Ovr) will probably be the team's new starter, and Steve Grant (73 Ovr) will be backing him up. So now the 49ers decided to go 3 rookies deep at the position with the selection of Andre Powell. With rookie Dwight Hollier (72 Ovr) also being selected the only real nfl-experience starting linebackers for the 49ers are Bill Romanowski, and Keith DeLong, it'll be interesting to see if they can establish their defense the way it has been in the past with the departures of Charles Haley and Matt Millen.

Summary

Info: A much better round in the 5th as teams started to take less questionable picks and the playing field was leveled.

The best pick was easily 79 OVR Michael Bankston who slipped. In real-life 1992 was a heavy QB/DE/S position draft, and unfortunately this years madden generated draft wasn't that strong so teams didn't really start picking these positions until the later rounds. Tommy Maddox (73 Ovr) joins the Cardinals rookie quarterback plethora this year meanwhile the Chiefs nabbed a solid defensive end in Chris Mims (75 Ovr) early with the 3rd selection. The Seahawks make a great pick once again with the selection of free safety Darren Perry (76 Ovr) who will be behind 13 year veteran Nasby Glasgow (88 Ovr) and most likely will take over for him when he decides to retire soon. The Dolphins drafted a solid backup rookie in MLB Elijah Alexander (72 Ovr) who should fit in nicely behind John Offerdahl on their roster.

The Falcons selected wide receiver Marcus Dowdell (69 Ovr) but the selection is questionable when plenty of solid players were still available as Dowdell will be buried in the depth chart by Andre Rison, Michael Haynes, Carl Pickens, and Nate Singleton. The Oilers selected a lackluster pick in left tackle Eric Jonassen (62 Ovr) who will most likely not amount to much int he league, meanwhile the Raiders selected Brett Collins (63 Ovr) who was actually not as good as some other outside linebackers still on the board.

[young2rice]

1992 NFL Draft - Round 6
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Best Pick: 15th - Giants - FS - Kurt Schulz (75 Ovr)

Info: The New York Giants had the best pick of the 6th round because of the quality they were able to garner. Schulz is a solid free safety that should've gone in the 2nd or 3rd round of the draft but fell. Schulz might struggle though as both Vince Newsome (89 Ovr) and Myron Guyton (85 Ovr) are ahead of him on the Giants depth chart. However the good news is that Newsome's contract is up at the end of this season, and Guyton is only signed through the end of next season. Schulz however instilled so much confidence in the Giants that they immediately signed him to a 7 year contract. So Schulz better get comfortable for the next few seasons on the bench, but should expect to contribute in the near future. The Giants also only have Greg Jackson (90 Ovr) as their single strong safety currently on the roster so don't be surprised if one of the Giants talented free safeties change to the strong spot before the season starts.

Worst Pick: 22nd - Bengals - RE - Wally Lopez (59 Ovr)

Info: It's not surprise that Wally Lopez will most likely not amount to much in the NFL. The Bengals just drafted a DE in the 5th round but felt the need to select another here in the 6th. With Matt LaBounty (66 Ovr) ahead of him on the roster he won't see much playing time. It's a safe bet though to expect the Bengals to go after defensive ends hard in free agency and not have LaBounty be the team's starting right end by the seasons start. With the only other defensive lineman on the roster being star Daniel Stubbs (91 Ovr) the Bengals are going to try their best to find a compliment to him.

Summary

Info: The talent starts to dwindle as the draft comes to a close but for the most part there were still some diamonds in the rough.

The first selection of the 6th round was a solid one in quarterback Craig Erickson (74 Ovr) by the Washington Redskins. Mark Rypien isn't getting any younger
and his backup, Jeff Kemp (77 Ovr) is now entering his 11th season in the NFL. The Redskins are going to be hard pressed to at least find a stable backup player for Rypien and that appears to be Craig Erickson. Erickson may even have a chance to surpass Kemp before the regular season starts if he shows promise during the pre-season. Another good selection was Kent Graham (73 Ovr) by the Seattle Seahawks. Graham will join rookie Jeff Blake (77 Ovr) on the Seahawks roster along with 4 year veteran Kelly Stouffer (68 Ovr) as the only quarterbacks on the roster. With the departure of Dave Kreig it's open-season for the starting quarterback spot in Seattle. The 49ers made a decent selection in middle linebacker Dwight Hollier (72 Ovr) with the final selection of the 6th round. Hollier will join a shaken-up 49er linebacking corps that will need young stars to establish early if they want to continue to play tough.

The offensive linemen selected in the 6th round left much to be desired as the Bears, and Oilers both selected left tackles in Shawn Harper (58 Ovr) and Rob Baxley (59 Ovr). With slim pickings it's tough to make solid selections this late in the draft but when there are still decent players like CB Derrick Hoskins (67 Ovr), runningback Ronald Humphrey (65 Ovr) and MLB Dwight Hollier (72 Ovr) available then you have to question just how much of a need the lineman position is for those teams. Meanwhile the Packers had to scrape at the bottom of the barrel of defensive ends to find Roosevelt Nix (61 Ovr). The selection wouldn't have been that bad if players like Shane Collins (68 Ovr) and Tim Roberts (63 Ovr) weren't still available at the same position.

[young2rice]

1992 NFL Draft - Round 7
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Best Pick: 16th - Browns - QB - Ty Detmer (73 Ovr)

Info: Was a tough decision between Ty Detmer, Dana Hall (74 Ovr), and Ed Cunningham (74 Ovr) for the best pick of the final round of the 1992 NFL Draft but it was made easier by the potential for starting on the team with Detmer. Ty Detmer was an accolade filled quarterback during his collegiate career but we'll see how he transitions to the NFL. He'll have the luxury of being tutored by one of the best quarterbacks currently playing in Bernie Kosar. Behind Kosar the Browns only had Jeff Francis (62 Ovr) backing him up and Ty Detmer will fill that hole as needed. In fact Kosar has struggled with injuries the last few seasons and Detmer may see action much sooner than expected in the Browns offense. It's a shame that he fell so far as most quarterbacks did in this years draft as the talent was there for him to have been about a 4th round selection.

Worst Pick: 20th - Steelers - LOLB - Don Jones (56 Ovr)

Info: Outside of the obvious Patriots picking kicker Wendell Walsh (42 Ovr) the worst pick of the final round was the Steelers late left outside linebacker selection. The position had already been pretty much completely depleted of talent at this point and when the next pick later someone selects a 74 overall strong saftey in Dana Hall, or later on having other solid players like Ed Cunningham, Sean Lumpkin, and Terry Ray selected then this makes the Steelers selection look even worse.

Summary

Info: The remaining players are selected here in the draft as a few talented individuals are taken before they become undrafted. The main position that in real life was chock-full of talent was the safety position this year, and unfortunately the madden generated draft was not, so a lot of late picks are turning out to be top selections.

The best selections were obviously the safeties as the Packers picked up free safety Matt Darby (74 Ovr) the Eagles nabbed Dana Hall (74 Ovr) and the Bills picked up Sean Lumpkin (72 Ovr) and the Raiders selecting Terry Ray (70 Ovr). Unfortunately for the Bills though they are running out of cap room and as a result could not sign Sean Lumpkin to a deal so the strong saftey will probably enter free agency. Meanwhile Dana Hall would've been my selection for best value pick of the 7th round had it not been the Eagles. On the Eagles roster he will drop to 3rd at the SS position behind Andre Waters and last years solid rookie, Marty Carter. The Redskins still found some talent in MLB Keith Goganius (69 Ovr) to slide behind star MLB Eugene Lockhart (99 Ovr), as did the Falcons in Glenn Cadrez (69 Ovr).

The worst of the best were taken in this round as numerous 50-59 Ovr rated players started to pop up. The Jets struck out by selecting ROLB Erick Anderson (59 Ovr) as did the Steelers with LOLB Don Jones (56 Ovr) and the Rams with LOLB Ephesians Bartley (57 Ovr). The Cowboys struggled with LT Louis Age (57 Ovr) and the Bears were desperate to nab a WR in Patrick Rowe (58 Ovr). The Oilers unfortunately continued their mediocre draft with CB Clayton Holmes (57 Ovr) as the final CB selected in the draft.

[Emac78]

Wow! This is ridiculously awesome! Really brings back some fond memories of the 90s.

[young2rice]

Wow this is ridiculously in-depth. Over the summer when I have time I am going to go through every page of this lol. This is crazy good. Nice Job.

Hehe yeah I sort of started with the idea of it just being a 1990's franchise, the more I started working on it the more accurate I wanted it to be so I started getting player's equipment correct for the time period based on pictures, then ratings based on performances, and I'm still trying to figure out ways to make the reports as in-depth as possible to give some connectivity and realism to the whole situation. Yeah it'll take awhile to read but hopefully it'll be enjoyable.

Wow! This is ridiculously awesome! Really brings back some fond memories of the 90s.

Thanks, yeah being a 49er fan I guess the lack of recent success has partially and sub-consciously been a reason for my original start of this franchise since at least we won some games back then haha.



I'll try to get the free agent lists up today with who will be available.

[Emac78]

Yep. Niner fan here too but it is becoming more difficult every year to stay loyal. lol
Oh well. We had two great decades of success.

[young2rice]

Well I ran through the free agency 1 time, wrote down all the info, and then the game bugged out (none of the buttons would work, unfortunately the editor causes madden to bug out every once and awhile.)

But luckily I always have backup copies of this just in case so I had a backup I created just before free agency started. It's kind of funny the logic for the CPU free agents was 95% the same the 2nd time around, like every player that was signed to a team was signed by that same team the 2nd time around. With 1 omission.

The original time was kind of cool, the Bengals were in salary cap hell so they made a drastic move and released QB Boomer Esiason, signed youngster Stan Humphries to a deal (which would make him their starter) and then breathed with their salary cap space. Esiason ended up being picked up by the Cowboys, which would've put Troy Aikman (86 Ovr compared to Esiason's 96 Ovr) as a 2nd string for at least a few seasons. I was eager to see this play out but that was the only thing that didn't happen the 2nd time around w/ the non-corrupt save.

So ... anyway just a random tidbit about what just happened. I've written up the free agency excel sheets, and will upload them tonight, but probably won't post them until tomorrow.

[young2rice]

Free Agent Results - QB


Opinion: A few solid quarterbacks were available this off-season in free agency, and most found brand new homes that will hopefully rocket their careers. The top free agent quarterback was undoubtedly Dave Krieg (90 Ovr) who has been a solid quarterback for the Seattle Seahawks. The 34 year old quarterback is now going to take his chances elsewhere as he ended up signing with the Detroit Lions. The Lions will be an interesting fit for Krieg as he will supplant Rodney Peete and Erik Kramer's quarterback controversy and be the immediate top QB on the roster. Not to mention Krieg will have something he didn't have in Seattle, one of the best HB's in the game, in Barry Sanders. It'll be interesting to see how he acclimates to the Lions this season.

Another big pick was last years #1 selection, quarterback Brett Favre (86 Ovr). Favre spent his first year with the team and like in real life will be headed this year to the team that he will hopefully become a star with. However it's not Green Bay, it's New York! The Giants were tired of the play of Jeff Hostetler already and hope Favre will be Simms 2.0. As a result the Giants released Hostetler once they signed Favre. Hostetler ended up signing with the Broncos to backup John Elway. The Broncos released last years backup, Gary Kubiak who ended up signing a contract with the Green Bay Packers to play behind Don Majkowski.

Marc Wilson had a breakout year in 1990 with the New England Patriots, and tried to capitalize on that in free agency by joining the Chargers. There were high expectations coming off that year for him to perform well but he only had 2,363 yards 19 touchdowns and 20 interceptions to a lackluster 63.0 quarterback rating. The 34 year quarterback appears to possibly be a one-hit wonder if he can't come back this year. The Chargers immediately released him because of their frustration and as a result he ended up signing with the Seattle Seahawks. Wilson will have to battle rookie Jeff Blake (77 Ovr) for the starting job in Seattle. Meanwhile the Chargers decided to sign Jim Harbaugh (79 Ovr) who was replaced in Chicago as the starter by ex-1990 Charger starter, Marc Vlasic who also capitalized like Marc Wilson on a solid 1990 season in free agency to join the Bears. The difference being that Vlasic played decently despite injury with 1,550 yards and 12 touchdowns with 8 interceptions as a Bear so he will remain the starter. Jim Harbaugh however wants to start and the only place he has a shot atm would be San Diego. Last year Harbaugh struggled filling in for the injured Vlasic with a 665 yard, 4 touchdown 8 interceptions season that left much to be desired. In San Diego however it's not clear-cut that Harbaugh will start as he'll be competing with John Friesz (77 Ovr) and rookie Brad Johnson (76 Ovr) for thes tarting spot.

Wade Wilson (81 Ovr) decided to leave the Vikings and will be happy backing up Chris Miller (83 Ovr) in Atlanta as he was tired of the musical chairs at QB that he was suffering through in Minnesota. The Vikings decided to replace him with 30 year old Mike Tomczak (77 Ovr) who will compete with Rich Gannon (82 Ovr) for the starting spot since Gannon has not impressed lately with his ability.

The Bengals nabbed youngster Stan Humphries (79 Ovr) to backup Boomer Esiason in case of injury. Humphries had a solid 2 game performance with the Steelers last season that resulted in 387 yards for 3 touchdowns and only 1 pick giving him a 91.4 quarterback rating, which gives Cincinnati hope for the future.

[young2rice]

Free Agent Results - HB


Opinion: A bevy of talented running backs topped the free agent market this off-season. In fact two of the best runners in the league were available in Herschel Walker and Eric Dickerson. A few surprising changes occurred that'll shake up the way the teams lie for the years to come.

Herschel Walker (94 Ovr) had a solid 2.5 year career with the Minnesota Vikings topped by last years 1,616 total yards 8 total touchdown performance that established his continued mark as a top half back in the NFL. However the Vikings weren't the right fit for him as he decided to leave. Walker ended up signing a contract with the Bengals who had a glaring hole at his position. With the retirement of James Brooks, the Bengals star runningback and the release of 26 year old Ickey Woods (84 Ovr) the Bengals were hurting at the position. However they upgraded with style by signing Walker. He will easily be the top runningback on the Bengals and will certainly get tested. The Bengals also unfortunately had to release numerous offensive linemen on the team so it'll be interesting to see how their new unit gels and whether or not that will have a significant impact on Walker's numbers.

Another top runningback was signed in free agency by the name of Eric Dickerson, the 2nd all-time leading rusher in NFL history (14,100) only 2nd to Walter Peyton (16,726). The 30 year old runningback is already the all-time team leading rusher for the Rams and Colts, and it appears he's going to take a stab at holding that title for three teams as he decides to leave Indianapolis. If he stays healthy it appears in two seasons Dickerson may become the NFL's all-time leading rusher by surpassing Peyton. The only question is will it still be in a Dolphin uniform? Eitherway he will start over Mike Rozier (84 Ovr) and be a surprise offensive weapon for the Dolphins.

Bobby Humphrey has slowly emerged as an unexpected asset to the Broncos over the past few seasons. Yet it appears Denver didn't appreciate him as they let him go. Last year Humphrey had 1,027 yards and 4 touchdowns rushing with 40 catches and another paydirt scamper as well. The Indianapolis Colts decided to sign Humphrey who will have rather large shoes to fill in Eric Dickerson. If he can even accomplish half of what Dickerson did then Humphrey was a good signing.

The Ickey shuffle is now going to make it's way to Seattle as Ickey Woods leaves the Bengals for the Seahawks. Woods (84 Ovr) will once again be playing 2nd fiddle, but this time to Chris Warren (84 Ovr). Apparently the Seahawks want the controversy and depth at halfback as they also signed Rueben Mayes (82 Ovr) who was backing up Barry Sanders last year. Mayes was complaining about not being the starter in New Orleans, went to a team where he had no chance of starting, and now will be joining another cluster at runningback in Seattle with Chris Warren, Ickey Woods, and Mayes likely becoming the 3rd stringer. To free up the room the Seahawks ended up cutting Derek Loville (75 Ovr) who improved greatly last year and had 2 touchdowns despite starting the season as the Seahawks number 3 runningback. Loville ended up signing a contract with the Vikings where he'll sit behind Terry Allen (81 Ovr).

The Cowboys cut and ended up resigning Alonzo Highsmith (81 Ovr) as did the Cardinals with Anthony Thompson (78 Ovr). Both players will be solid backups to Emmitt Smith and Johnny Johnson respectively.

Curt Warner (80 Ovr) will try his best to get on the field after a flash-in-the-pan success in Seattle as their starter for a few seasons. He then departed to the Rams where in 1990 he struggled in competition to keep the starting job. Eventually this season the Rams decided to let him go when last year Rickey Watters (84 Ovr) emerged as the teams new apparent franchise runningback. As the waters got too crowded Curt Warner decided it was best to go someplace and get a ring at 31 years of age the runningback will join the Philadelphia Eagles. The Eagles usually split carries between Anthony Toney (88 Ovr) and Heath Sherman (78 Ovr) but now Sherman's role may be replaced by Curt Warner. The Eagles have never really been sold on Toney as their starter but he has a knack of exploding in the playoffs. Eitherway Warner is in a much better situation in Philly.

Lars Tate (79 Ovr) leaves the Bears in order to acquire a backup role in Washington and replace Reggie Dupard (79 Ovr) who left the Redskins for the Saints and a backup role there.

The Super Bowl Champion San Francisco 49ers decided to pickup a solid young runningback in Sammie Smith (79 Ovr) who spent the past few years with the Miami Dolphins. As a Dolphin he became the #2 to Mark Rozier but still had 229 yards on 74 carries last year. In San Francisco he will join Brent Fullwood (82 Ovr) and Dexter Carter (81 Ovr) in an attempt to battle it out and solidify the team's starting halfback.

The Lions needed a backup to replace Rueben Mayes and found in in former Colt, Albert Bentley (78 Ovr), and the Patriots snagged Bruce Perkins (76 Ovr) to give themselves depth. Meanwhile the Buccaneers added ex-Packer Vince Workman (74 Ovr) to help on their special teams.

[young2rice]

Free Agent Results - FB


Opinion: Some top-tier fullbacks are making the switch to a new team this off-season and some top-tier fullbacks are actually still sitting unsigned after the free agency period. Needless to say a few will find homes as the season progressed but a lot of talent is surprisingly available.

The best fullback available was easily ex-Seahawk Derrick Fenner (92 Ovr). At only 25 years old he is a solid all-around fullback that should become a welcomed established player in Pittsburgh, his new home. Last year Fenner had 274 yards and 2 touchdowns on the ground and 291 yards on 29 catches and 3 touchdowns in the air. He also blocked the way for Chris Warren to have 1,142 yards on a 3.8 yard per carry average. Fenner will bring a much needed weapon-x to the Steelers run game this season.

Meanwhile a surprising addition to the fullback roster is last year's dud, John L. Williams (87 Ovr). Williams was signed by the 49ers in an attempt to become their starting runningback but it ended in a lackluster result. Late in the season he was supplanted by late-signed Brent Fullwood as the 49ers starter and was all but forgotten. The youngster only had 703 yards rushing but accounted for a solid 6 touchdowns, and another receiving touchdown. He had a tall order in trying to replace Roger Craig and the 49ers were quick to make the decision to release him. However not before Williams made a decision himself. Williams has decided to switch over to fullback where he believes he'll be more suited. As a result he was signed by the 49ers rival, Los Angeles Rams. The Rams needed a replacement for Buford McGee (85 Ovr) and found it in Williams. Williams will help block and play alongside Rams HB Ricky Watters in an attempt to hone his new position. Meanwhile the ex-Ram Buford McGee will bring his pro-bowl blocking to the Denver Broncos as a replacement to Sammy Winder (86 Ovr) and hopefully be more of an offensive threat then Winder.

Sammy Winder will leave the Broncos and attempt to find a newfound respect in Detroit where he will be better suited. As a Bronco they wanted him to be more of an offensive weapon but Winder was a much better blocking fullback. Which is exactly was Detroit needs to help spring Barry Sanders loose.

The final fullback selected was Cardinal veteran Ron Wolfey (85 Ovr). The Cardinals decided last year to go with the younger Larry Centers as their starter and Wolfey was pushed out. He'll join the Bengals and be their starting fullback as last year's fullback, Harold Green (90 Ovr) decided to switch position to halfback (82 Ovr) where he will be the team's #2 to new-acquisition, Herschel Walker.

There is still plenty of talent available at the fullback position but the need for it around the league isn't that great as many teams are pretty set at fullback. Bob Christian is a young 24 year old with talent (83 Ovr) that is unfortunately going to most likely sit at home until a fullback garners a significant injury. Veteran bruiser Maurice Carthon was released by the Giants only to be left unsigned, along with Stanford Jennings (80 Ovr) of the Bengals. Marvin Allen left the Patriots in hopes of greener pastures but all he seemed to find was his couch.

[young2rice]

Free Agent Results - WR


Opinion: Numerous #2 wide receivers will be attempting to find franchises that will give them the shot they need to prove they can be a top receiver this season. With only a sprinkle of solid number one receivers available this years wide receiver market was littered with potential and experience.

The best wide receiver available had an off-year, as did the entire team, last year as a Cleveland Brown. Webster Slaughter (90 Ovr) was still the Browns leading receiver, but not by much. He caught 66 balls for 828 yards and 7 touchdowns. While they are decent numbers they aren't the 1,000+ yard seasons they want out of Slaughter. As a result Slaughter departed and ended up signing a contract with the Detroit Lions. The Detroit Lions went from a runningback powerhouse to potentially one of the most prolific offenses this off-season by acquiring quarterback Dave Krieg, and now Webster Slaughter. Slaughter will be the team's number one receiver and form one half of a solid tandem alongside Richard Johnson (89 Ovr) and have Willie Green (76 Ovr) sitting at the third spot. The Lions had to cut the fat and ended up letting Robert Clark (85 Ovr) go as a result and he ended up signing with the Eagles. The Lions also let Terry Greer (71 Ovr) go but he was unsigned by the end of the free agency period. As an Eagle however Robert Clark will join Fred Barnett (90 Ovr) and Calvin Williams (90 Ovr) to become on the youngest and most talented wide receiver corps in the league. The three youngsters will tear up the field with Cunningham tossing them the football and establish themselves as a top tier passing team this next season if things go according to design.

Veteran Louis Lipps (84 Ovr) departed from the Steelers to join the Packers. He can hopefully bring his spectacular catching ability to the Packers and become a solid counter to Sterling Sharpe (90 Ovr).

The Giants had to let their top receiver, Mark Ingram (83 Ovr) go as he decided to become a Seattle Seahawk. Ingram will play second fiddle to Brian Blades (91 Ovr) and battle with Tommy Kane (83 Ovr) for the #2 spot. The Seahawks did end up releasing Jeff Chadwick (80 Ovr) who signed with the Vikings. The Vikings also signed Brian Brennan from the Browns (79 Ovr) and released Shawn Jefferson (73 Ovr), who was a rookie last season, and Ira HIllary (71 Ovr). Now with Hassan Jones, Cris Carter, and Anthony Carter, Jeff Chadwick, and Brian Brennan the Vikings have some solid depth at the wide receiver position. Shawn Jefferson was buried on the depth chart of the Vikings last year as a rookie and will hopefully see the light of day in San Francisco where he will battle with Mike Sherrard (73 Ovr) for the teams 3rd wide receiver spot.

The Houston Oilers passing attack continues to get scarier each season s they signed both ex-Chief, Robb Thomas (82 Ovr) and ex-49er, Yancey Thigpen (82 Ovr). As a Chief last season Thomas was their leading touchdown wide receiver with 5 on the season on 56 catches for 571 yards despite an overall lackluster year with Steve Pelluer filling in for the retired Steve DeBerg. Meanwhile Yancey Thigpen was probably the 2nd best rookie wide receiver to only Jeff Graham of the Bills. As a rookie with the 49ers he took advantage of their passing game to garner 46 catches for 560 yards as the teams 3rd wide receiver behind Jerry Rice and John Taylor. He was however completely shut out of the end zone and hopes to change that with the Oilers. The Oilers have released Tony Jones (78 Ovr) and he went unsigned but with Haywood Jeffries (92 Ovr) and Ernest Givens (88 Ovr) on the team they still have solid wide receivers. With either Thomas or Thigpen sliding into that #3 spot and the other at the #4 it's obvious that the Oilers are piecing together one of the most talented wide receiver corps in the league for Warren Moon to continue his pass-happy ways.

The Giants replacement for Mark Ingram was 25 year old Michael Barber (79 Ovr) from the Bengals. Barber established himself last year with the Bengals due to injuries at wide receiver as a potential #2. He nabbed 49 catches for 715 yards and 5 touchdowns as the Bengals official #3 and decided to head to New York for a better chance at starting.

Last years Keenan McCardell (79 Ovr) was a rookie wide receiver for the New York Giants. He started off as the teams #3 but quickly earned the 2nd spot with his amazing abilities. He was 2nd on the team with 51 catches for 483 yards and a touchdown despite the horrible play of quarterback Jeff Hostetler. McCardell decided to leave and inked a deal with the Los Angeles Rams to catch balls from Jim Everett. He said he wanted to go somewhere with a top-caliber quarterback to really hone his skills and he'll certainly do so in L.A. One can only wonder though how well he would've worked with Stephen Baker (84 Ovr) as the top two receivers for new Giants quarterback Brett Favre. In L.A. he'll have a better QB throwing him the ball but will be stuck at the 3rd spot behind two of the better receivers in the league in Henry Ellard (91 Ovr) and Willie 'Flipper' Anderson (90 Ovr).

The Saints tacked Emile Harry (78 Ovr) onto their roster after a decent year with the Chiefs.

A pair of Falcons free agents found new homes as Atlanta released both Floyd Dixon (78 Ovr) and Shawn Collins (78 Ovr) who signed with the Chargers and Buccaneers respectively. Collins was clearly the better of the two as he had 37 catches for 441 yards and 3 touchdowns and Dixon had 14 catches for 166 yards and 1 touchdown.

Finally the Indianapolis Colts decided to add a little depth to their wide receiver squad and replace the released Stacey Simmons (72 Ovr) with 25 year old speedster, Floyd Turner (76 Ovr).