AsthmaField said:
We'll just disagree on this one. I think Howard is a very good player and worth a good sized contract.
He wasn't worth $16 million in signing bonus like he was asking, but people seemed to think that was the only deal. Uh, hello. Wouldn't a good agent leak a higher number than he wanted?
In reality, he probably could have been had for $9 or $10 million in SB money. Not bad for a quality DE who is under 30.
Line up him, Ferguson, Glover and Ellis and you have a heck of a front four. You could still draft Ware and Spears and get that great rotation that the team has now (or any number of other enticing scenarios). Plus you'd still have that youth movement.
If Dat was the trade bait, draft Odell Thurman in 2. How good has that guy looked this year?
You could still play 3-4 or 4-3 and have a terrific front seven and a nasty nickel pass rush.
How is this? Howard/Ferguson/Ellis with a second line of Spears/Glover/Canty and the LBers being Fujita/James/Thurman/Ware.
Or:
Howard/Ferguson/Glover/Ellis with Spears and Ware rotating in and out.
LB: James/Thurman/Singleton(or Shanle or Fujita or even Ware in certain looks)
Not saying that I am unhappy with what happened, but simply that it wasn't that inconceivable or as dumb as the clowns around here like to try to make it out to be.