All we've done is replace Hatcher

[big dog cowboy]

Even if Brent "un retires", isn't he still going to face a suspension by the league?

Because it would be the Cowboys, very likely. I don't trust Goodell.

 

[coult44]

Only thing this signing does is HOPEFULLY replace our best player on D last year. Mind you that Melton has a long way to go to getting those 11.5 sacks.

That being said the defense was a train wreck even with hatcher last year so I think the team still needs to focus on DE. However my #1 pick would be Mosely. We desparately need LB. Lee May have a put up or shut up year if he can't stay healthy. Holloman MAY be a good player but I could go for 3 new starters at LB that aren't on this team.

My only hope is that Wilcox and Heath will be better with a full offseason and thus I don't think we'll go after Pryor or Dix.

Also I only want Martin if I thought we'd run it more but Linehan isn't likely to do that so give me a Kelvin Benjamin or Martin

Basically to sum it up, Melton is nice but that only means the team hasn't regressed from last seasons D which was the situation we were in prior to this. They certainly haven't gotten better yet. And we only stay even par if Melton puts up 11.5 sacks.

Woe Nelly!!!!!!! Perfectly said...

 

[RastaRocket]

Mis="Beast_from_East, post: 5485225, member: 3613"]We really need some help at DE now. We cant go into the season with Selvie and Crawford as our DEs.

I am not familiar with the DEs in this draft, is there a DE not named Clowny that is any good and available at 16?

Missouri DE Kony[/quote]

If we are going to draft one of the DE's a trade down scenario would be our best bet.

 

[Hoofbite]

Even if Brent "un retires", isn't he still going to face a suspension by the league?

Hard to imagine he'd be in any sort of shape to even play. Suspension would likely be best cause he wouldn't take up a roster spot trying to get in shape.

Or would he? I dunno how suspensions work in terms if roster spots.

 

[coult44]

I'll take 10 weeks of Lee over 16 weeks of anyone in this draft.

With that said, when you said starter it implies he is playing. That was my confusion. So if he made it through 16 weeks, you would want him?

That's horrible logic. You want the QB of the defense calling plays from the sideline for 6 games. Being a mentor, a trainer.. The problem with Lee is nobody can count on him win it matters most. Do you want your best friends having your back when you have to go to battle, or do you want them cheering you on from down the street? Lee is good but not dependable. I'd rather have someone with 3/4 of the skills for 15-16 games a year...

 

[Questfor6]

Even if Brent "un retires", isn't he still going to face a suspension by the league?

Even if Brent returns he's still a JAG, he's probably once in shape a better option at the 1 than Hayden and the rest of the fodder but lets not crown him king.

 

[Questfor6]

Only thing this signing does is HOPEFULLY replace our best player on D last year. Mind you that Melton has a long way to go to getting those 11.5 sacks.

That being said the defense was a train wreck even with hatcher last year so I think the team still needs to focus on DE. However my #1 pick would be Mosely. We desparately need LB. Lee May have a put up or shut up year if he can't stay healthy. Holloman MAY be a good player but I could go for 3 new starters at LB that aren't on this team.

My only hope is that Wilcox and Heath will be better with a full offseason and thus I don't think we'll go after Pryor or Dix.

Also I only want Martin if I thought we'd run it more but Linehan isn't likely to do that so give me a Kelvin Benjamin or Martin

Basically to sum it up, Melton is nice but that only means the team hasn't regressed from last seasons D which was the situation we were in prior to this. They certainly haven't gotten better yet. And we only stay even par if Melton puts up 11.5 sacks.

Funny I've read where Mosley is falling like a brick because of a plethora of injuries, hmmm. I'll take Sean Lee and someone like Telvin Smith or Ryan Shazier and put them at the Will and move Carter to Sam to fight all the JAGS to start.

 

[Idgit]

We've got a ton of work to do before we've adequately addressed the defense. But then, nobody should have expected us to be done addressing the defense at this point in the offseason. The nice thing about being worst in the league is that there's lots of ways to bring about improvement.

And we've done more than just replace Hatcher so far. We're getting a lot of injured players back, and we've got a decent number of picks in a deep draft. Now that we've got one of the two open DL slots filled, I think it's very likely we'll be a lot better in week one this season than we were in week 17 of last. We'll probably add another 3-4 starters between now and the end of the draft.

 

[Nirvana]

According to PFF Hatcher graded out at -1.2 against the run last year, +26.9 against the pass. He had 22 tackles all year. In Melton's full year in 2012, he had 32 tackles, and was just as bad against the run with a rating of -1.5, with a 15.8 passer rating. So yeah, pretty much a wash. (I think Hatcher goes down from here though while Melton will go up.)

 

[DC Cowboy]

I think we can't go wrong drafting almost any defensive position outside of corner.

I say this knowing the responses I will get. I would draft the TE from UNC, release Witten next year so he can have a chance to play for a winner before his career is over. And it would save cap space. Ok I have my body armor on so bring it.

 

[Risen Star]

Agreed. All we've done is replace Hatcher. We're a worse team right now than before free agency started.

This is a direct result of our limited cap room and the cap hell we're living in that some choose to acknowledge while the usual suspects pretend isn't there.

It was our plan to be worse now.

 

[cowboys1981]

Well, we have to start somewhere.

 

[Silver N Blue]

Only thing this signing does is HOPEFULLY replace our best player on D last year. Mind you that Melton has a long way to go to getting those 11.5 sacks.

That being said the defense was a train wreck even with hatcher last year so I think the team still needs to focus on DE. However my #1 pick would be Mosely. We desparately need LB. Lee May have a put up or shut up year if he can't stay healthy. Holloman MAY be a good player but I could go for 3 new starters at LB that aren't on this team.

My only hope is that Wilcox and Heath will be better with a full offseason and thus I don't think we'll go after Pryor or Dix.

Also I only want Martin if I thought we'd run it more but Linehan isn't likely to do that so give me a Kelvin Benjamin or Martin

Basically to sum it up, Melton is nice but that only means the team hasn't regressed from last seasons D which was the situation we were in prior to this. They certainly haven't gotten better yet. And we only stay even par if Melton puts up 11.5 sacks.

Common man are we talking about the same 27 yr old top rated DT in FA this year?
1. [SIZE=+0]Henry Melton[/SIZE]
2. [SIZE=+0]Linval Joseph[/SIZE] (Signed five-year, $31.5M deal with MIN)
3. [SIZE=+0]B.J. Raji[/SIZE] (Re-signed one-year, $4M deal with GB)
4. [SIZE=+0]Jason Hatcher[/SIZE] (Signed four-year, $27.5M deal with WAS)

Hatcher was consistant in the same way Canty was IMO but had the one breakout year; in a contract year; this past season. Hard to compare that to Melton and the intangibles he brings. Not to mention this is a win win deal for the team and the player. I would be thrilled if they signed Allen now but if they don't at least the transition from Ware/Hatcher will be easier to take from the "fans" point of view. It is a day to be happy the team filled a need, they got the number player at his position, and most of all it is a good financial deal.

 

[casmith07]

Only thing this signing does is HOPEFULLY replace our best player on D last year. Mind you that Melton has a long way to go to getting those 11.5 sacks.

That being said the defense was a train wreck even with hatcher last year so I think the team still needs to focus on DE. However my #1 pick would be Mosely. We desparately need LB. Lee May have a put up or shut up year if he can't stay healthy. Holloman MAY be a good player but I could go for 3 new starters at LB that aren't on this team.

My only hope is that Wilcox and Heath will be better with a full offseason and thus I don't think we'll go after Pryor or Dix.

Also I only want Martin if I thought we'd run it more but Linehan isn't likely to do that so give me a Kelvin Benjamin or Martin

Basically to sum it up, Melton is nice but that only means the team hasn't regressed from last seasons D which was the situation we were in prior to this. They certainly haven't gotten better yet. And we only stay even par if Melton puts up 11.5 sacks.

Hey there's this thing called an NFL Draft coming up in a little over a month.

 

[JohnnyHopkins]

As risen star said, we have replaced half our losses.

I'm confused on why you would need to quote Risen Star or anyone at all to make note of this? Isn't that more common sense than revelation?

 

[black label]

 

[Nexx]

Jerry jones is that you? If not now I see the convoluted thought process jerry uses when justifying not going with players in the trenches in the draft

 

[starfrombirth]

According to PFF Hatcher graded out at -1.2 against the run last year, +26.9 against the pass. He had 22 tackles all year. In Melton's full year in 2012, he had 32 tackles, and was just as bad against the run with a rating of -1.5, with a 15.8 passer rating. So yeah, pretty much a wash. (I think Hatcher goes down from here though while Melton will go up.)

What I heard on the Radio last night had him rated as the best DT against the runs in his direction and number 3 against the pass so.....

 

[starfrombirth]

Hey there's this thing called an NFL Draft coming up in a little over a month.

What he said. We all knew that our fortunes this year live and die with the draft. The signing of Melton just gives us a little breathing room. It was kind of unrealistic if people expected us to fix all of our problems with 1 FA period or 1 draft or 1 season for that matter. We still have work to do folks. The positives to take from this Melton signing are still there. It looks like Jerry is taking steps to improve and protect our team for the future. The draft is still a crapshoot so lets hope our gambling owner can beat the house again this year. I'm excited... aren't you?

 

[Zimmy Lives]

According to PFF Hatcher graded out at -1.2 against the run last year, +26.9 against the pass. He had 22 tackles all year. In Melton's full year in 2012, he had 32 tackles, and was just as bad against the run with a rating of -1.5, with a 15.8 passer rating. So yeah, pretty much a wash. (I think Hatcher goes down from here though while Melton will go up.)

This.

Loved Hatch as a pass rusher but thought he was pedestrian against the run. It's a wash except for the fact that Melton is in his prime.