SCall13
Finheaven QB
No question o-line is going to be a focal point in the upcoming draft and likely in free agency. In free agency, you have Branden Albert and Michael Oher - LT and RT respectively. Both are very capable players who can step in immediately and be an upgrade on the edges. (McKinnie will not be back - especially after his disastrous showing yesterday against the Bills - unless he plays for the vet minimum). In the draft there are a number of o-linemen (LTs) that can be had early. Problem is, we won't be picking early. We've played well enough to take us out of the top where all the better Ts will likely be taken. Unfortunately there are no interior linemen that stand out. Especially for round one. Our interior line, minus MP, are getting destroyed at least as bad as our edge guys. Other than Wade Smith (OG) of the Texans, there isn't anyone who inspires me that will be a free agent going into the off season. Ireland (or whoever the GM ends up being) has to hit on the linemen. We can't afford to give up what will probably end up being 60 sacks on the season again next year. RT is a tough kid, but if you consider how many sacks he's taken, you have to multiply that by 2 or 3 to see how many hits he has taken. It's ridiculous and no matter how good he might be, he does us no good if he gets injured and put out for an extended period of time.
Outside of the offensive line, I'd like to see us grab a TE like Ebron from UNC. Many of the top tier OTs will be gone when we pick (which could realistically be between 20-30, depending on if we make the playoffs and how well we do if we get there). Pairing a talented TE like Ebron with Clay would be HELL for defenses. With Hartline and Wallace on the edges and getting Gibson back at 100%, this would be a headache match up for any defense IF we can give Tanny time to throw the football. Karlos Dansby is playing on a one year deal with the Cards. Let's bring him back and get rid of Wheeler. (Yes, that was a joke...sort of. Although Wheeler is playing like hot garbage and I would LOVE to see him get the boot).
We have to bring back Grimes. If we fail to wrap him up...wow. D. Patterson I wouldn't mind having back. He's had a nagging groin injury pretty much the entire season. But when he was in he was playing damn good football for us.
In a nutshell, not to state the obvious, we NEED to get this offensive line issue taken care of. As much as we'd like to do that, there will be much competition in FA and the draft. While I don't want us to overpay for any free agents at the positions of need, we have to be aggressive in our approach to acquire players that can come in and get this team over this record setting embarrassing hump.
Lastly, we need to acquire a hard nosed back that can get those tough yards. We do not have one on our roster. Lamar Miller is dangerous in space, but is not a back who his going to lower his head and get that tough 1-3 yards you need in a crucial situation. DT is too slow to attack the LOS. So it's very important that we address this issue as well. There aren't any FA running backs that fit this bill.
Thoughts?
Outside of the offensive line, I'd like to see us grab a TE like Ebron from UNC. Many of the top tier OTs will be gone when we pick (which could realistically be between 20-30, depending on if we make the playoffs and how well we do if we get there). Pairing a talented TE like Ebron with Clay would be HELL for defenses. With Hartline and Wallace on the edges and getting Gibson back at 100%, this would be a headache match up for any defense IF we can give Tanny time to throw the football. Karlos Dansby is playing on a one year deal with the Cards. Let's bring him back and get rid of Wheeler. (Yes, that was a joke...sort of. Although Wheeler is playing like hot garbage and I would LOVE to see him get the boot).
We have to bring back Grimes. If we fail to wrap him up...wow. D. Patterson I wouldn't mind having back. He's had a nagging groin injury pretty much the entire season. But when he was in he was playing damn good football for us.
In a nutshell, not to state the obvious, we NEED to get this offensive line issue taken care of. As much as we'd like to do that, there will be much competition in FA and the draft. While I don't want us to overpay for any free agents at the positions of need, we have to be aggressive in our approach to acquire players that can come in and get this team over this record setting embarrassing hump.
Lastly, we need to acquire a hard nosed back that can get those tough yards. We do not have one on our roster. Lamar Miller is dangerous in space, but is not a back who his going to lower his head and get that tough 1-3 yards you need in a crucial situation. DT is too slow to attack the LOS. So it's very important that we address this issue as well. There aren't any FA running backs that fit this bill.
Thoughts?
