Off Season Bios: Replacement Refs Gone Wild

Team: Replacement Refs Gone Wild
Owner: Phil Thompson
2012 Finish: 4-9-0, 9th place overall
Budget as of 1/1/13: $135.00
Draft Pick Situation: 2013: extra RD1 pick, 2014: extra RD1 pick, no RD2 or RD3 picks

Contract Years Committed to 2013 (filled to reflect a full starting lineup of players): 34


RFA-eligible Players (likely to be retained in red):
Dwayne Bowe, Kenny Britt, Rob Bironas, Brett Kern, Jonathan Babineaux, Dwight Freeney, Osi Umenyiora, Ryan Kerrigan, Clay Matthews, Shaun Phillips, Antonio Cromartie, Joe Haden, Ryan Clark, Thomas DeCoud, SEA, Cedric Benson, Fred Davis, Brian Cushing

Projected 2013 Starting Lineup:*

QB: Aaron Rodgers
RB: Marshawn Lynch
RB: Matt Forte
WR: Randall Cobb
WR: Steve Johnson
FLEX: Torrey Smith
TE: Jared Cook
PK:  X
PN: X
DE/DT1:  Justin Smith
DE/DT2:  Mario Williams
DE/DT3:  X
DE/DT4:  X
LB1: Davd Lavonte
LB2:  X
LB3:  X
CB1: X
CB2:  X
S1: Charles Woodson
S2:  X
OFF:  X

TS:
Ronnie Hillman
Kendall Wright
Mark Ingram
Daryl Richardson
Dre Kirkpatrick

*No RFAs are used to make this lineup.

Weaknesses:
Much of Phil's poor record can be attributed to 3 things:  1) Aaron Rodgers mysteriously being mediocre at the start of the season, 2) the lack of an adequate Flex player, and 3) the slow hand to promote Randall Cobb.  Rodgers finished the season as the top QB but from weeks 1-5 he was 5th at the position, leading to an 0-5 start to the season, an almost insurmountable obstacle.  The Refs actually played .500 football for the remainder of the year.  Rodger's strong finish indicates that this is not a weakness we can expect to see in 2013.  The lack of a flex player, however, is a very pressing concern.  Phil made several deals in the middle of the year with the goal of acquiring a stud RB to replace the disappointing production of Dwayne Bowe but none appear to have panned out as of yet.  Ironically his trade of Chris Johnson for picks plus Daryl Richardson might have cost him his best Flex option as CJ2K would have fit in nicely behind Lynch and Forte and placed well ahead of Torrey Smith as his second half production was much stronger.  This is a weakness that still needs addressing, especially if Phil loses Bowe to UFA.  TE is also a point that requires attention heading into 2013 with incumbent Jared Cook finishing just 24th in positional scoring.  With only 2 DE/DT, 1 LB and 1 (!) member of the 2012 secondary returning, defense is also a severe point of concern.  The promotion of breakout WR Randall Cobb is now a done deal and should not trouble Phil any further.

Likely Off Season Targets:
Phil now has a few extra high picks in 2013 and 2014 and will likely be looking to add some defensive depth.  The issues with his TE and Flex position are unlikely to be solved with these picks however, and we might see a continuance of the rebuilding effort of 2012.  The TEs available in this year's draft are unlikely to improve the Refs for 2013 and WR generally take a year to develop.  Luckily for Phil he also has quite a bit of money to play with so if he wants to make a run next season he can still drop a great deal of coin on a stud Flex like Demaryius Thomas or high upside Fred Jackson.  If Phil decides to rebuild it's likely that Forte will be the first to go, followed by Steve Johnson and "The Mario Williams $60 Experiment".

Hypothetical Trades:
If rebuilding:
Matt Forte + 2RD1 picks for AJ Green
A. Rodgers for R. Wilson + R. Gronkowski
RD1 for D. Wilson
Phillip Rivers for BAHAHA No one wants him

If going for it:

$70 bid on D. Thomas
$40 for CJ2K, drafts 2WR in first round
M. Forte for H. Miller + RunDMC

2013 Outlook:
A 4-4 finish to 2012 and a win in the elimination challenge give Phil hope for 2013 but there's plenty of work to be done.  Sadly most of the "future asset" trades have not generated a return as hoped and that leaves the cupboard bare in terms of trade capital.  Armed with a few studs that give him a fighting chance, if Phil can add some injury insurance and fix his TE/IDP/Flex issues he could be a major player.  It will be a difficult decision whether to continue to try and rebuild or to try and fix those lineup gaps.  We should know which direction he intends to head in a few days now that the trade market is back open.