FA's to target

[Beast_from_East]

Do you think Mankins will be a bit rusty next season having the whole year off?

Mankins signed his tender today, will report to the Pats.


So I guess the rusty question is moot now.

 

[TheCoolFan]

Throughout all the threads on the board where i see people trying to figure out what we need, and where are biggest holes are i keep seeing MLB as one of our biggest needs and hardly ever see NT as a need.

Honestly, it makes me wonder if people even understand the type of defense we run here. We NEED a real NT. Aside from the O Line, i would like to see us get a top flight guy at NT, a huge guy like a Hampton or Ngata who can finally plug the middle and keep opposing teams offensive lines from getting to the second level so **** quickly.

Ratliff is great, but he's 290 lbs and just doesn't have the strength or the mass to hold off opposing offensive linemen long enough to free up our LB's to make enough plays. We have two above average MLB's right now in Bradie and Brooking (and Lee hopefully next year), and they arn't small or weak guys by any means, but every game i watch they just get swallowed up too many times by OG's. Ratliff would excel, IMO, at DE. But we desperately need a true monster of a NT to make our 34 defense stronger. I hope we address this in the offseason.

+1

Either we get a real NT to anchor the 3-4 or we go back to a 4-3. It CANNOT stay the same if we want to succeed. All this talk about Patrick Peterson and a ballhawking FS but none of that matters if we can't win in the trenches. A real 3-4 NT is supposed to consistently occupy 2 interior linemen to free up other guys on the line and on blitzes. Ratliff can get away with it sometimes BUT eventually offensive lines can adjust and sometimes they can even block him with just 1 man, thus freeing up an extra blocker to help on another rusher like Ware or the blitzing ILB.

This is one of Wade's flaws of the defense that gets overlooked IMO. I don't think Parcells ever would have kept Ratliff at NT...he drafted him to be a 3-4 DE. You look at the NTs that Parcells has gotten in Miami and they are more the traditional, 325+ pound guys. Ratliff was more of a versatile DLinemen that could play 3-4 DE and some NT but then he filled in for Jason Ferguson due to the injury back in 07 and Phillips gave him that job for good.

 

[sago1]

[Both safeties on this team are awful. If we draft a safety in the early rounds, will he be ready to start immediately or will it take him time. Unfortunately we need good performance from at least 1 safety in the season opener. So if there's a really good safety available in FA, then I'd like to see us sign him. Same goes for a very good OG. With 2 such signings, we've already significantly upgraded our team and still have all of our top picks available to address our other problem needs which are:

OT - replacing Colombo
FA OG would replace Davis
OC - to replace Gurode soon.
OG - to replace Kosier unless Holland or Costa is the guy
S -
S to replace either Ball or Sansa
CB - as our #3 if we can't get Scandrick back to former self and/who
eventually replace Newman
ILB - replace Brookings
ILB in FA if one available whose good & played in 3-4
DL - replacing worst DE

Obviously above activities all depend on whether there will be football in 2011.

BTW: I got no problems with cutting one of our underperforming, expensive OL but who replaces him. Holland is injuried & Costa didn't play that well. Don't really want to get Kitna killed.

 

[BIGDen]

I would rather draft a free safety than sign one. Same with MLB.

I think our holes are in this order:

OG
FS
RT
MLB
CB
SS

That's pretty much how I see it. If we draft in the top 5, we should be able to get a blue chip OT or DB and a couple of other good starters.

 

[casmith07]

Do you think Mankins will be a bit rusty next season having the whole year off?

A rusty Mankins is better than any guard we have on the roster right now.

 

[InmanRoshi]

I'd rather get two good offensive linemen (LeRoy Harris and Davin Joseph) for the cost of 1 Mankins. The OL needs to be completely rebuilt, not just improved at one position

 

[Manwiththeplan]

A good young guard would be great. If we could replace Bigg with Davin Joeseph, that would be huge going into the draft.

 

[marchetta]

The problem with picking up FAs is that we have a lot of high-salary players we're going to have to dump after the season (ie. BIGG, Barber, Roy, Baron, Igor, etc.). Once they're cut, won't all their salaries/bonuses prorate to the current year? This is going to be salary cap hell... if there is a salary cap. Someone figure this out for me.

 

[The Natural]

Not sure why everyone is in such a hurry to sign a 29 year old guard.

Sign Carl Nicks, Davin Joseph and David Harris.

Bucs have a decent squad this year..Good young QB, what makes you think they wont retain their best OL?

 

[Manwiththeplan]

The problem with picking up FAs is that we have a lot of high-salary players we're going to have to dump after the season (ie. BIGG, Barber, Roy, Baron, Igor, etc.). Once they're cut, won't all their salaries/bonuses prorate to the current year? This is going to be salary cap hell... if there is a salary cap. Someone figure this out for me.

Definately not a lock that there will be a salary cap next season, even so, since this year was without one, releasing players may not prorate into the current season.

 

[InmanRoshi]

Bucs have a decent squad this year..Good young QB, what makes you think they wont retain their best OL?

First, they have their left tackle they have to resign too

Second, the Glazers are having have huge cash flow problems and are teetering on bankruptcy. They pulled a Tom Hicks when they bought Manchester United. Just Google "Glazers" and "Man U". BBC did an investigation into their finances and found them $1 billion in the hole.

 

[TheCount]

Carl Nicks if the Saints somehow bungle it, which they won't.

 

[Manwiththeplan]

Ideally this offseason we can add (thru free agency)

Back-up QB: Stephen McGee likely won't be ready yet, and I think he deserves one training camp under a new staff before he's given up on.
Big RB: I say this becasue this is likely Barber's last year in Dallas. I like a Felix/Tashard back-field, but 3 RBs is a must (could also draft a guy in 4th/5th round)
Starting OG: We need 2, and we should bring in atleast 1 before the draft. Logan Mankins will be the most expensive, Davin Joeseph will be a long shot and Robert Gallery is a huge gamble, but likely the cheapest.
D-Lineman: Ratliff isn't having a good year, but I don't think he's the problem, just the lack of a playmaker up front. If JG becomes the HC, Ratliff will stay at NT and we will need to replace Igor and/or Spears. I can see us using a first round pick here, but if a stud lineman is available, we should make a move.
Nickel LB: I think Sean Lee will be ready to take over as a LB in the base defense next year, however we need some insurance for Jason Williams. Some kind a LB that can cover TEs. Specialty players like this can easily be found in free agency and cheap.
Secondary depth: We came into the season way too thin here. IMO, move Alan Ball back to CB. He's not old and is a cheap option for 4th or 5th CB. A great move would be drafting Patrick Peterson and moving Newman to FS, thus killing 2 birds with one stone, but this may be a long shot. If it doesn't look like we can get Peterson, a short term solution at FS should be sought out

___________________________________________________________________________________________________

Then when the draft roles around, we'll only need an OT, 1 guard, 1 DE and 1 CB

 

[The Natural]

Secondary depth: We came into the season way too thin here. IMO, move Alan Ball back to CB. He's not old and is a cheap option for 4th or 5th CB. A great move would be drafting Patrick Peterson and moving Newman to FS, thus killing 2 birds with one stone, but this may be a long shot. If it doesn't look like we can get Peterson, a short term solution at FS should be sought out

Not this again..If we want a FS we have to DRAFT a FS. No one knows how good AOA will be so we dont know about that yet, but I'm not at all for moving a corner to S, again..

 

[Manwiththeplan]

Not this again..If we want a FS we have to DRAFT a FS. No one knows how good AOA will be so we dont know about that yet, but I'm not at all for moving a corner to S, again..

I would rather do that as well, but right now it deosn't look like there is a senior safety who will have a first round grade and possibly not even a junior one either. Rahim Moore looks like he may be the best of the group, but he isn't playing like a first rounder this year. I think we all know it would be a mistake to take a guy in the first or second who isn't that good and is anyone taken beyond that point worth taking? They are just as much a gamble as AOA at that point.

 

[NeonNinja]

Carl Nicks if the Saints somehow bungle it, which they won't.

That could happen if they decide to lockup Bushrod.

 

[The Natural]

I would rather do that as well, but right now it deosn't look like there is a senior safety who will have a first round grade and possibly not even a junior one either. Rahim Moore looks like he may be the best of the group, but he isn't playing like a first rounder this year. I think we all know it would be a mistake to take a guy in the first or second who isn't that good and is anyone taken beyond that point worth taking? They are just as much a gamble as AOA at that point.

Definitely..I dont know what we're going to do about the safety position, but maybe if we get stronger up front we can get by with either AOA or Church back there next year.

 

[bsheeern]

if Mankins doesn't sign to play this year, then he can't be a FA next year...according to this CBA...I think he is testing that out....

we have been trying to address the center position for two years and have missed out both years.

we need an ILB like nobody's business. Jason Williams looks like he is another two years away to really contribute. sean lee looks like a candidate but we need a stud in the middle. right now the running defense is getting gashed because our MLB are nowhere to be found.

I agree, saftey saftey, saftey. maybe AOA is the answer. at some point you got to let the kid get out and learn. if we are 1-8 or 2-9 then its time to let young kids play and learn under fire.

if the players are such that they show they have given up, then show that you have given up on them....give young, hugry guys a chance.

He signed

 

[InmanRoshi]

That could happen if they decide to lockup Bushrod.

Yep, and they've already made Jahri Evans the highest paid guard in the NFL in May.

 

[burmafrd]

We need to get top quality O Line if possible. Mankins is that. We would probably end up paying less then we did for Bigg and get a better player.