A look ahead to the offseason

[blindzebra]

My not too much thought has gone into it look.

I don't want McClain back. Our run D is better with Hitchens in the middle, it shouldn't be but it is. I think LB is a possible early pick if the draft falls that way.

I would re-sign Hardy, I trust him much more than Mincey, and a DE rotation of Lawrence, Gregory, and Hardy is about as good as it gets plus we have Crawford, Russell and Irving to round it out.

3-tech is fine, people like to bust on Crawford but the dude has 5 sacks playing with one arm, Crawford, Irving, and even Hardy gives us depth.

We need a 310-320 DT that can get penetration, someone that can keep double teams off Crawford by making you pay for single blocking him.

Carr and Claiborne have both been better than people give them credit for, and as we saw tonight, their biggest issue is drawing totally BS calls for holding and PI. I would not automatically move on from either of them.

The biggest issue I have with Marinelli is he seems to want his safeties to play down hill. That was fine with Lynch 15 years ago, but today your safeties need to be sideline-to-sideline players. Church, Wilcox, and Heath are all the same player they are solid if the play is in front of them but all consistently take poor angles dropping back or going to the sidelines.

Unlike many I don't think our issues in the running game has anything to do with a talent drop off from Murray to McFadden. We are struggling because of the threat of the pass has not been there. Would I be overjoyed with a RB group of McFadden, Turbin, and Dunbar next year? Nope, but I don't see RB as our #1 need.

I hope we see Green at RT some these next 2 games. I also hope we give Swaim more looks than we gave Escobar to see what we have there.

We need another WR. Our #2 needs to be able to fill in as at least a #1.5. We have a #1 in Dez, a #2.5 in Williams, 2 strictly slot guys in Beasley and Whitehead, and a big and kinda fast unknown in Butler, and a #5 on his best day in Street.

Moore reminds me of a shorter Tony. I hope we see enough these next 2 games to make over drafting a QB not needed. We still need to add another QB through the draft but I don't want to spend a first on a second round talent which is what this QB class looks like to me.

As of right now I am projecting our needs as:

WR, DT, safety, LB, RB, QB, CB, OL depth.

 

[Tenkamenin]

Moore is definitely a shorter Tony without the arm strength and escapability.

 

[TellerMorrow34]

Moore is definitely a shorter Tony without the arm strength and escapability.

I think you need more than a half of one game to decide anything on Moore.

Give the guy a fair shake over the final two games. If he stinks out there they can move on from him. No harm.

If he does well then he's earned the right to compete for the back up job this offseason.

 

[Kaiser]

WR, DT, safety, LB, RB, QB, CB, OL depth.

I agree with 90% of that post. I think we fill all those holes -

WR (FA and draft), DT (FA), safety (FA), LB (early in the draft), RB (early in the draft), QB (3rd round pick), CB (early in the draft plus resign the guys we have), OL depth (FA)

 

[JoeyBoy718]

If we don't go QB in the 1st round, there are a lot of ways we can add a long-term player to the defense. One option is Jaylon Smith, OLB from Notre Dame. I've seen him go as high as #2 overall in some mocks. I do agree that Hitchens could be a solid MLB. I'd go with him over McClain next year. Hitchens is young and has played well and he doesn't bring the mental baggage McClain does. Putting Smith at WLB could shore up our LBer corps for the long term. Of course, he could play SLB and move around the field as a rookie while Lee is still here, but he could take over for Lee the following year or as soon as he gets injured. The 3rd LB position is less important in today's NFL but we drafted that one guy in the 4th round last year and people thought highly of him.

Of course, we're depleted in the secondary and go easily get a FS in Ramsey or a shutdown CB in Hargreaves. Scandrick will be here for a few more years and we could even bring back Claiborne on the cheap. We could also pick up a SS like Cash in the 3rd round to replace Church/Wilcox.

Then there's DL. I think we're okay at 3-tech with Crawford and Irving. We definitely have to give Gregory a chance to take over WDE. He's really not physically built for any other position. I could see us not resigning Hardy because of Gregory. The guy I could see possibly replaced is Lawrence if we could get a guy like Bosa, but I think we should roll with Gregory/Lawrence as our DEs for the next few years. The only other real immediate difference maker would be Nkemdiche. He could take over 1-tech. Only problem is he might be more viewed as a 3-tech, which we already have two young guys there. Not to mention, Nkemdiche might be a knucklehead.

 

[DandyDon1722]

I agree on Hardy. He's played his way out of a big contract and I think he will want to resign here. We have money in FA and we should get immediate help in the draft that will only improve on a talented team but there's no fix for scheme right now and that's troubling.

The thing is Both Marinelli and Linehan would read this stuff in the Zone and laugh hysterically while saying we have absolutely no clue - but our reference point comes from simply watching other teams perform and implement things we simply don't do so how far off can we be.

I'll give you an example.

I thought the Patriots were brilliant in their game against the Texans. Belichek decided there was no way he was going to let Andre Hopkins beat them. So he doubled him the entire game and put Butler (their best corner) on their second receiver thus taking him out and they stifled them.

Then you watch the Dolphins and Dan Campbell single cover Beckham with Brent Grimes against the Giants and he torches them and I'm saying - he's the only guy who can beat you and he just did - yep there's a big difference in coaching in the NFL.

 

[Tenkamenin]

I think you need more than a half of one game to decide anything on Moore.

Give the guy a fair shake over the final two games. If he stinks out there they can move on from him. No harm.

If he does well then he's earned the right to compete for the back up job this offseason.

Agreed, I was being sarcastic.

 

[Wolfpack]

My not too much thought has gone into it look.

I don't want McClain back. Our run D is better with Hitchens in the middle, it shouldn't be but it is. I think LB is a possible early pick if the draft falls that way.

I would re-sign Hardy, I trust him much more than Mincey, and a DE rotation of Lawrence, Gregory, and Hardy is about as good as it gets plus we have Crawford, Russell and Irving to round it out.

3-tech is fine, people like to bust on Crawford but the dude has 5 sacks playing with one arm, Crawford, Irving, and even Hardy gives us depth.

We need a 310-320 DT that can get penetration, someone that can keep double teams off Crawford by making you pay for single blocking him.

Carr and Claiborne have both been better than people give them credit for, and as we saw tonight, their biggest issue is drawing totally BS calls for holding and PI. I would not automatically move on from either of them.

The biggest issue I have with Marinelli is he seems to want his safeties to play down hill. That was fine with Lynch 15 years ago, but today your safeties need to be sideline-to-sideline players. Church, Wilcox, and Heath are all the same player they are solid if the play is in front of them but all consistently take poor angles dropping back or going to the sidelines.

Unlike many I don't think our issues in the running game has anything to do with a talent drop off from Murray to McFadden. We are struggling because of the threat of the pass has not been there. Would I be overjoyed with a RB group of McFadden, Turbin, and Dunbar next year? Nope, but I don't see RB as our #1 need.

I hope we see Green at RT some these next 2 games. I also hope we give Swaim more looks than we gave Escobar to see what we have there.

We need another WR. Our #2 needs to be able to fill in as at least a #1.5. We have a #1 in Dez, a #2.5 in Williams, 2 strictly slot guys in Beasley and Whitehead, and a big and kinda fast unknown in Butler, and a #5 on his best day in Street.

Moore reminds me of a shorter Tony. I hope we see enough these next 2 games to make over drafting a QB not needed. We still need to add another QB through the draft but I don't want to spend a first on a second round talent which is what this QB class looks like to me.

As of right now I am projecting our needs as:

WR, DT, safety, LB, RB, QB, CB, OL depth.

I think that's a fair assessment. They've created a bit of a mess at WR as you noted by keeping two specialty players.

I would put QB higher myself. The other issue is how do you bring back Carr and Claiborne? If you bring them both back, you can move Jones to FS. If you don't, then you have a huge hole at CB.

 

[darthseinfeld]

I think that's a fair assessment. They've created a bit of a mess at WR as you noted by keeping two specialty players.

I would put QB higher myself. The other issue is how do you bring back Carr and Claiborne? If you bring them both back, you can move Jones to FS. If you don't, then you have a huge hole at CB.

As far as what I do with Jones, I would let the draft dictate that. If we land a guy like Ramsey, I play Jones at CB. Hargreaves, I play Jones at FS. Neither, I play him at CB because I believe thats his most natural position

 

[jazzcat22]

Will look at the last 2 games, then decide on some thoughts I have right now.

Want to see Moore play 2 full games. want to see Butler at WR also. Now that Escobar is out. time to see Swaim in some games.
Put Byron Jones at one position, and leave him there the entire game. One game at FS, the other at CB. see where he looks best at. No need to move him around anymore at this point.

Play Chaz Green at RT, see what he can do. Or move Martin to RT, Green at RG.

 

[jazzcat22]

And also, I wouldn't mind seeing Rod Smith get some carries also. See what he brings at RB.

 

[Satchel89]

Will look at the last 2 games, then decide on some thoughts I have right now.

Want to see Moore play 2 full games. want to see Butler at WR also. Now that Escobar is out. time to see Swaim in some games.
Put Byron Jones at one position, and leave him there the entire game. One game at FS, the other at CB. see where he looks best at. No need to move him around anymore at this point.

I agree. It's time to evaluate players. They traded to get Swaim and I never understood why so maybe he can show us something. Escobar is baffling. I don't think he's ever been used right. I had some hope for Butler but why did he go out of bounds on his catch last night? I thought he could of scored. At any rate, It's time to see who your keeping and who you're letting go

 

[Kolemmitt]

I could see us not resigning Hardy because of Gregory. The guy I could see possibly replaced is Lawrence if we could get a guy like Bosa, but I think we should roll with Gregory/Lawrence as our DEs for the next few years. The only other real immediate difference maker would be Nkemdiche. He could take over 1-tech. Only problem is he might be more viewed as a 3-tech, which we already have two young guys there. Not to mention, Nkemdiche might be a knucklehead.

Huh? Lawrence has been neck and neck with Lee as our best defensive player during the second half of the season, despite this being his only first full season and first year as the LDE and you mention him as a guy to be replaced? Do you think that Martin may be replaced on the OL also?

 

[WPBCowboysFan]

I'll give you an example.

I thought the Patriots were brilliant in their game against the Texans. Belichek decided there was no way he was going to let Andre Hopkins beat them. So he doubled him the entire game and put Butler (their best corner) on their second receiver thus taking him out and they stifled them.

Then you watch the Dolphins and Dan Campbell single cover Beckham with Brent Grimes against the Giants and he torches them and I'm saying - he's the only guy who can beat you and he just did - yep there's a big difference in coaching in the NFL.

I know we're just dumb football fans, but I honestly think sometimes the experts are too close to the details and locked into their way of seeing and doing things. Having less football knowledge but yet being able to see things from a broader perspective might be an advantage at times. Its football, its not rocket science.

I saw a soundbite this morning of Hillary saying something to the effect that Trump tries to simplify things that are complicated. Well, news flash, maybe thats the answer some times. We live in a society that is stuck in this mode of complicating everything and we'd all b better off simplifying some things, or lot of things. ***Disclaimer*** this is not a political statement or endorsement of either candidate - simply used to illustrate a point with a real life example.

 

[Rockport]

I disagree on Hardy. I think he's a poison in the locker room. Same with McClain and to a small extent Dez.

 

[jazzcat22]

I agree. It's time to evaluate players. They traded to get Swaim and I never understood why so maybe he can show us something. Escobar is baffling. I don't think he's ever been used right. I had some hope for Butler but why did he go out of bounds on his catch last night? I thought he could of scored. At any rate, It's time to see who your keeping and who you're letting go

The only thing I can think of, was to stop the clock. if he tried to get those extra 2 or 3 yards, what if he was pulled in and tackled in bounds.
but still would have liked to seen the effort to try to get by the defender.

 

[WPBCowboysFan]

I disagree on Hardy. I think he's a poison in the locker room. Same with McClain and to a small extent Dez.

I disagree on Hardy. Everything we've heard from the Cowboys, not the mediots and presstitues, but the Cowboys is just the opposite.

 

[StarBoyz83]

A lot of needs:

2 new cbs 3 if jones moves to fs
2 new safeties 1 if jones is fs
Need 1 starting lb and some backups
Need a starting dt
Need a starting rt
Need rbs
Need a backup qb
Need wrs

Not going to list the other needs because they won't happen

 

[mldardy]

I disagree on Hardy. I think he's a poison in the locker room. Same with McClain and to a small extent Dez.

Oh please. You don't even know what's going on in the locker room. No one on this team has said anything close to what you are saying.

 

[CrownCowboy]

I think we have our free saftey on our roster and that man is Byron Jones. Move him there and lets be done with it for the next 10 years because I have seen all I need to see to know that he has all the skills and instincts for the position.

I'd get rid of Carr and let Claiborne walk. Same goes for Church and Wilcox. At the very least, Church and Wilcox shouldn't be starting. That would pretty much leave Jones and Scandrick coming back from this year so we'll need to rebuild the secondary, which is something we have needed to do for the last few years anyway because they haven't been good. On top of that, I'd let Hayden get the hell out of town as well. We need a real NFL player to play in the middle. Not some feel good story that would be working at the Home Depot if it weren't for Rod Marinelli.

Here is my list of priorities:

CB
DT
Backup QB
WR
SS
LB