DLB: Jamie, it's our pleasure having you on.
JvD: Great to be here, Ike.
DLB: First, let's talk about the draft. The lottery was unkind to you, sticking you with the 5th pick when you were projected 3rd overall. Did this affect your strategy?
JvD: Not at all, Ike. If we were first overall, we were probably looking at Watkins. Had we been second with Watkins off the board, Mike Evans would have been high on our radar as well. But at pick #5, the guy we would have taken at #3 fell to us in Brandin Cooks. We love his speed and athleticism and think he's a tremendous fit for our football team.
DLB: And how about the multiple trades back into the first round?
JvD: Yeah, well Jordan Matthews was the guy we had 4th on our board so when he was still there at #7, we pounced. Joe and I have a great working relationship so he and I are very open when making deals that we feel will benefit our football teams. He needed a Tight End and we had more talent at that position that we could make use of. Jordan Reed was great for us in limited action, and he's certainly earned his opportunity to start in this league. With Julius and Ladarius as a great one-two punch at that position, we could afford to let go of Reed and Ertz to improve at other positions. Jordan Matthews will make some big plays for us.
DLB: And how about Jeremy Hill?
JvD: We felt that we wanted to give Gio and DeMarco more support, and Jeremy is that kind of bruiser that gives us a lot of versatility at that position. We love Marcus [Lattimore] dearly and love his attitude and work ethic and think he has everything it takes to be successful when healthy. But we're in win-now mode and flipping him to get Jeremy felt like the right move.
DLB: I've got to ask. The deal for Megatron -- you gave up a lot to make it happen. What was your line of thinking here?
JvD: We already had Demaryius locked up on a great long-term deal, and to pair those two together just felt like an opportunity we had to pounce on, Ike. Having bench depth is important for sure, but elite players are who win championships, and we felt that having one of the greatest players in all of football and arguably of all-time at his position gives us a great opportunity to contend for a championship this year and beyond. With him, Demaryius, Crabtree, and hopefully Josh Gordon, Wide Receiver is a position that has the potential to be a strength for us for a long time, not to mention some of the young guns who also have immense talent. We won't need to spend draft picks on the Wide Receiver position next year, which is why we felt like we could afford to give them up.
DLB: You mentioned Josh Gordon. What's the plan with him?
JvD: Ike, right now we're waiting just like everyone else. The decision on the appeal has no timetable, and we've accepted that. Our primary concern and objective is to make sure that Josh is getting the help that he needs and is able to live out his dream. He has such incredible gifts, but his mental health and well-being as a human needs to come first. When he's right mentally and emotionally, then we'll worry about football with him. As far as his contract, we'll await a decision on his appeal, and Commissioner Pollard has granted us an extension to resolve his contract situation so we can make sure we do what's right for Josh.
DLB: You have very limited cap space going into free agency. Do you view this as a potential handicap to your team being competitive with other teams having a lot of money to spend?
JvD: Ideally we'd have money left to spend, and we may still have to make some tough decisions and cut some talented guys to give us the financial flexibility to improve our football team. That said, I think we used last season, the last two drafts, and recent trades very effectively to build the core of this franchise to the extent where we don't have any real glaring needs going into free agency. And with Restricted Free Agents, there's the likelihood that the guys for whom we make competitive offers will return to their original teams anyway. We already have a starting lineup we can field on a weekly basis and feel great about prior to free agency so that we are not in a position of overpaying somebody out of desperation or allocating funds to players we might not be able to acquire anyway. But we'll be a player these next couple weeks for sure, albeit a small one. There are several guys out there whom we like and plan to target, and we'll make the necessary adjustments to our roster to make sure that we have the frontline talent and the depth behind them to win some games this year.
DLB: Jamie, always a pleasure talking with you. Thanks for coming on Dynasty League Banter. Best of luck this season!
JvD: Appreciate it, Ike. Thanks for having me on.
JvD: Great to be here, Ike.
DLB: First, let's talk about the draft. The lottery was unkind to you, sticking you with the 5th pick when you were projected 3rd overall. Did this affect your strategy?
JvD: Not at all, Ike. If we were first overall, we were probably looking at Watkins. Had we been second with Watkins off the board, Mike Evans would have been high on our radar as well. But at pick #5, the guy we would have taken at #3 fell to us in Brandin Cooks. We love his speed and athleticism and think he's a tremendous fit for our football team.
DLB: And how about the multiple trades back into the first round?
JvD: Yeah, well Jordan Matthews was the guy we had 4th on our board so when he was still there at #7, we pounced. Joe and I have a great working relationship so he and I are very open when making deals that we feel will benefit our football teams. He needed a Tight End and we had more talent at that position that we could make use of. Jordan Reed was great for us in limited action, and he's certainly earned his opportunity to start in this league. With Julius and Ladarius as a great one-two punch at that position, we could afford to let go of Reed and Ertz to improve at other positions. Jordan Matthews will make some big plays for us.
DLB: And how about Jeremy Hill?
JvD: We felt that we wanted to give Gio and DeMarco more support, and Jeremy is that kind of bruiser that gives us a lot of versatility at that position. We love Marcus [Lattimore] dearly and love his attitude and work ethic and think he has everything it takes to be successful when healthy. But we're in win-now mode and flipping him to get Jeremy felt like the right move.
DLB: I've got to ask. The deal for Megatron -- you gave up a lot to make it happen. What was your line of thinking here?
JvD: We already had Demaryius locked up on a great long-term deal, and to pair those two together just felt like an opportunity we had to pounce on, Ike. Having bench depth is important for sure, but elite players are who win championships, and we felt that having one of the greatest players in all of football and arguably of all-time at his position gives us a great opportunity to contend for a championship this year and beyond. With him, Demaryius, Crabtree, and hopefully Josh Gordon, Wide Receiver is a position that has the potential to be a strength for us for a long time, not to mention some of the young guns who also have immense talent. We won't need to spend draft picks on the Wide Receiver position next year, which is why we felt like we could afford to give them up.
DLB: You mentioned Josh Gordon. What's the plan with him?
JvD: Ike, right now we're waiting just like everyone else. The decision on the appeal has no timetable, and we've accepted that. Our primary concern and objective is to make sure that Josh is getting the help that he needs and is able to live out his dream. He has such incredible gifts, but his mental health and well-being as a human needs to come first. When he's right mentally and emotionally, then we'll worry about football with him. As far as his contract, we'll await a decision on his appeal, and Commissioner Pollard has granted us an extension to resolve his contract situation so we can make sure we do what's right for Josh.
DLB: You have very limited cap space going into free agency. Do you view this as a potential handicap to your team being competitive with other teams having a lot of money to spend?
JvD: Ideally we'd have money left to spend, and we may still have to make some tough decisions and cut some talented guys to give us the financial flexibility to improve our football team. That said, I think we used last season, the last two drafts, and recent trades very effectively to build the core of this franchise to the extent where we don't have any real glaring needs going into free agency. And with Restricted Free Agents, there's the likelihood that the guys for whom we make competitive offers will return to their original teams anyway. We already have a starting lineup we can field on a weekly basis and feel great about prior to free agency so that we are not in a position of overpaying somebody out of desperation or allocating funds to players we might not be able to acquire anyway. But we'll be a player these next couple weeks for sure, albeit a small one. There are several guys out there whom we like and plan to target, and we'll make the necessary adjustments to our roster to make sure that we have the frontline talent and the depth behind them to win some games this year.
DLB: Jamie, always a pleasure talking with you. Thanks for coming on Dynasty League Banter. Best of luck this season!
JvD: Appreciate it, Ike. Thanks for having me on.
Well done Jamie. Love the interview style article! Great work
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