FRENZY DRAFT NEWS: Insects Fill Needs in Draft

[Flaxwless]

Winslow and Perry Newest Insects
AP News

Today the Bay Area Bloodsucking Insects have addressed two of their most glaring needs going into the draft: a starting TE and 3rd RB. With the 5th selection the Insects selected TE Kellen Winslow II and followed that pick with RB Chris Perry. Although the team selected players playing the right positions, it is debatable wether they selected the right player available at the position they drafted from.

There is heavy debate among league owners wether the Insects made the right decision by passing on Larry Fitzgerald, the 3rd overall pick in the NFL Draft, and Roy Williams, the 7th overall pick, in favor of Winslow and Perry. Both were considered the two best WRs in a WR rich draft and are expected to become future studs. GM Frank Alonzo commented on Fitzgerald and Roy, "I believe they are the two best WRs in the draft and if I were forced to pick one I would've picked Roy. However, they are WRs and most likely would not have affected the game like Winslow and Perry are going. Maybe in the future but not within the next year. Plus I love the WRs I have now. We needed a starting TE and we got one and you can never have enough RBs." GM Frank Alonzo may be onto something as most rookie WRs do not produce in their first year, in the past 10 years only handful of rookie WRs have broken 1000 yards. However the statistics also don't bode very well for rookie TEs as well.

This is a norm that Alonzo believes Kellen Winslow Jr can change. The University of Miami product holds the school's single season records for receptions, receiving yards, and touchdowns for a TE. He is the son of an Hall of Famer, has freakish athleticism, and great drive. On K2, as Winslow is called, GM Frank Alonzo said, "He'll probably step in and become our starting TE from day 1. He has it all size, speed, strength, route running, hands, and drive. He's going to be a great player and become the #1 TE in the league by the time he is over. No offense to Jolley, but Winslow is our future." One could see how much GM Frank Alonzo values Winslow, but if that was not evident then maybe the fact that the GM selected him at the 5th overall position, making him the highest TE selected in the Frenzy draft, one slot above former Hurricane teammate Jeremy Shockey. Alonzo may not be alone in his position as Matt Marshall of the Philadelphia Freedom said, "Good value here," and Joe Bao of divison rival, Brain Dead Squirrel Chasers said of Winslow, "I love K2. The big 3 is now the big 4. He'll dominate for years to come." Although the reviews for the 1.5 pick may have been positive, those of the 1.6 selection were not as good.

With the 6th pick overall the Insects passed on Larry Fitzgerald and Roy Williams in favor of RB Chris Perry. Perry has not been highly regarded and many feel he will suffer the same fate as other former Wolverine RBs: Anthony Thomas and Tyrone Wheatley. GM Frank Alonzo believes that Perry will be a successful running back stating, "The kid has the total package and because of that he will see time on the field. Not to mention he can catch the ball and has great vision. Those two qualities are what sets him apart from the other RBs. To me his similiar to Stephen Jackson, but he may get more oppourtunity to contribute this year. I'm happy with the pick." The debate though with pick of Perry is because some feel Frank Alonzo may have reached a bit. The Predators GM said, "I knew [Frank] wanted a RB with the 1.6 but damn! I never thought [he] would take Perry so high." Matt of the Freedom was also suprised in seeing Perry picked this high.

Unfortunatley that is not the only discussion held about the Insect's choice at the 6th pick. Many believed the Insects, a team who traded all their draft picks in 2004 and 2005 and Brian Westbrook for the 6th pick, could have and should have traded down to acquire Perry. Jacob Atz of the Wonder Mutts told the press, "I had no interest in Perry with my picks. I even offered him a last minute deal to let me move up, which with a chance at Roy I'm sure I would have given way more than I should of... and Frank still likely gets Perry at 1.8." He then shrugged, smiled, and added, "Oh well... thanks for not answering that inquiry Frank!" The missed oppourtunity to acquire extra picks is something the Insects could possibly not have passed up, but Frank Alonzo disagrees. "First let me get this out of the picture. When Jake contacted me he offered the 1.9, when I saw that I was not interested. I was afraid he would nab Perry with the 8th pick. Second, I don't think we missed that big of an oppourtunity. He had no 2nd round picks this year and the only players I would be interested in from his roster are Chris Brown and Quinten Griffin. I doubt he would let either go. To me a 2nd round pick in 2005 would not be enough to make me risk losing Perry." As always hindsight is 20/20 so we should give Frank Alonzo the benefit of the doubt.

Overall it seems that the Insects have built their team to win this year and the future. The acquisition of Winslow solidifies their TE position and Perry is RB depth that is needed to compete for a championship year in and year out. Asked about his outlook Frank Alonzo said this, "I like how our team is shaping up. We have great players and they're all young. We know Steve is a great leader and QB, so he'll be able to get these young guys to play hard. We have a Top 10 QB, two Top 5 RBs, a solid group of young WRs, a superstar TE in waiting, and an awesome kicker. We're definatley shooting for the championship." With Winslow expected to start and Perry or Fargas headed to the active squad, the Insect's cap space will be tight, so Frank commented on future moves, "The team we have now will most likely will be the team that goes into the season. We'll fill the rest of our roster from our DS squad. We'll be looking at a few players in UFA, but we only have so much capspace left. But as of now I'm really happy with our offseason moves. We're shooting for the Championship this year. We want to become the 1st two time champion." He was asked if he'd guarantee it and Frank said, "Yes. This year I guarantee a championship."

Strong answer for a man coming out of a draft being bombarded by questions.