2014 FA list

Wait for it.....

We just got a tre mason thread... So I mean... Why not?

I'll let you run it 'Crow. Have the honors.

 

I know drafting nothing but linebackers and defensive linemen is boring, but all of our depth needs redoing. Edwards and Klug will likely be gone. I am sure that Hill will be looked at as the starting NT, but what about Martin? What place does he hold?

Morgan is gone after the year and I have my doubts he can even play in a 3-4. am starting to think that Wimbley sticks around, at least one more year. Practically all of our linebacker depth needs replacing. I just don't see how we can justify spending picks on running backs when we have such a strong free agent class.

 

So basically you're saying this 3-4 switch is stupid. Because I think that is also true.

We will not be going crazy 34 this year. IMO. Too much turn over in the front 7 to go that wild.

We are 2 pieces away from a solid front 7 in the 43. MLB and Pass rusher.

34.... Here we go again... Casey moves to 5 tech, Pito gets another contract to be the bookend. Morgan is rotational with him as well. Martin was a NT at michigan. Could see that. Hill as a rotational guy with Martin.

Brown could possibly play ILB. Ayers is a fit for 34 rush OLB, strong side.

Gooden weighs 230 LBs.......
McCarthy is WAAAAAAAAY too injury prone to be taking on that many big OL all day.
Fokou?...... Really? Enough said.

We have ONE piece... A low end OLB.

It not what most here want to hear but this is a silly transition until I see players play in it.

Also, Klug could possibly see some good at 5 tech. Edwards... Just drafted... And now wasted... Seems ridiculous to me.

 

Eh, I wouldn't say stupid, because if you can get a legitimate coordinator, its worth switching. Right now, the coaching staff is more important than any one player on the team.

It is probably going to be painful, but the reality is we have a ton of work to do on defense. Most of these guys we are penciling in, we are just HOPING they play as well as they did in the 4-3. How ****ed would we be if Ayers or Casey went down?

 

This is the problem with this "idea" that the 34 is magical. It isn't. Especially not with low end 43 talent to do it with. Lol

I think this year we see a package for the 34. A group of guys that are packaged as the 34 front consisting of people we think we may go into the future with. A lot of practice time this year teaching everything and getting a chunk of time spent to looking at the future.

I'm gonna say you know why the 34 was invented historically. And I'm still going to state it for those that don't...

The 34 was the trash defense. The left overs. The easy to come by players that didn't fit the 43 mold... The over sized NTs that fell and fell and fell... Now go in the first half of the first round because they are rare....

The tweener DEs that used to fall because they didn't fit the 43... Became OLB in a rush role standing up... The heavy MLBs that didn't sit well with a Tampa system and couldn't cover as well...

None of these things are true now. The 43 is the cheaper defense because the 34 is in vogue.

As well as the evolution of the 34 has put more athletic style players in each of the front 7 positions. The mlb has to be able to rush as well.

The modern 34 has 5 techs that cut into the defense as well as an upper echelon 43 DE. The OLBs are both crazy athletic coupling speed with length and rushing ability. The NT must be able to hold the point of attack as well as run stop basically by himself. The ILBs need to be a mixture of Tampa 2 MLBs and rush specialists that shed blocks like crazy. A monster of size and speed...

 

I think it's safe to say our first round pick will be either QB, 34OLB, or OT. We're not drafting RB, WR, TE, G, C, 34DE, CB(if we get verner back), or S(if we get pollard back). There aren't any NT's or ILB's good enough to draft at 11.

Now, do we go out and spend a good amount of money on a 34 OLB in free agency(Orakpo, Worilds) or do we spend a good amount of money on OT(Oher, Safford)? That's the question. I think we should sign a OT because one of them will be much cheaper than the 15 mil a season Orakpo will get.

Then hopefully Barr or Mack falls to us at 11 and we can take one. Having Barr and Ayers rushing the passer could be really nasty. Heck, maybe we even keep Wimbley, and he starts going Ham again being back in the 34.

Honestly, if you think about it though. We don't have any glaring needs after this move to the 34. Yeah, we might need a NT, but Sammie Hill could prolly do it. Yeah, we think we need a 34OLB, but Wimbley and Ayers could prolly do it. ILB is no longer a huge need. DE is no longer a need.

The only GLARING need I see on this team(besides for RT which, again, I think we should address in free agency) is at the QB position when Locker goes down again. Could we use upgrades at certain positions? yeah, is it gonna make or break us to not have other guys there? I don't think so. I think it will make or break us if Locker goes down, and all we have is a 4th rd QB and Tyler Wilson to take over.

Where am I getting at? I think QB and 34 olb need to be our first 2 picks this draft. with NT and RT being addressed through free agency.

I apologize for all the rambling, still trying to get my head around everything that's going on and will be going on with our team.

 

The biggest thing for me is building that dominant LB group. As many have pointed out already, our LB group is trash. It all starts with Donald Butler. Then we follow up Barr/Mack in the first. Brown moves inside. Ayers starts at the other end.

 

Man it'd be pimpin having Butler and Brown as our middles with Gooden and McCarthy backing them up...oooweeee

Then having Barr and Ayers rushing with Wimbley as the rotation guy. I like the sound of that. Butler shouldn't be too expensive either.

 

Wimbley better not be on this team next year.

 

I hear ya lol. Well we're gonna need someone to rotate at OLB