THUMPER;1958004 said:
That may be true but if Thomas is willing to take a lesser role and a friendly contract then it might work out well for them..
True. But the first 2 teams he has arranged interviews with are NO and Dallas. He could walk out w/a contract with either before Indy gets around to him.
THUMPER;1958004 said:
On the one hand you say Brooking will cost more because he is younger and then you say that he isn't much younger, which is it?
It is both, obviously. Brooking IS younger than Thomas, just not a whole lot younger. Brooking also has not had the concussion concerns that Thomas had last season.
Ipso facto, Brooking will cost more. Bottom line, its about the money.
Thomas is the better bargain, especially if the signing of either Thomas or Brooking is a stopgap measure, to instill leadership & groom younger players.
THUMPER;1958004 said:
Brooking has been healthier than Thomas the last few years (KB hasn't missed a game in the last 7 seasons) and would likely be a starter here unlike Thomas who would probably be a role player where ever he lands. I would pay for Brooking as he is worth it and would be an upgrade over Ayodele, particularly in coverage, which has been a major problem for us..
And yet for as healty & as good as he has been, the Falcons are still considering CUTTING him. Whispers in Atlanta are stating that he has lost a step, and he was never that physical to begin with.
A cheaper upgrade over Ayodele, besides Thomas, may be Dan Morgan. He is YOUNGER, almost as good in coverage, more fiery against the run AND CHEAPER than Brooking. Morgan can be had for peanuts. And this is due to the same reason Thomas will come cheap, Morgan really does have a HISTORY of concussions.
However, we only need Thomas and/or Morgan for stopgap reasons. Dallas would be wise to invest in young ILBs in the coming drafts, my favorite being USC's Rey Maualuga.
THUMPER;1958004 said:
I see us paying for a couple of outside FAs (besides re-signing our own) and Brooking would be worth it for us, especially if he replaces Ayodele. They are virtually the same size and Akin is 4 years younger (28 - 32) but Brooking is a serious upgrade in talent and would immediately improve our inside run defense as well as our short pass defense.
I actually advocated this strategy early on, targetting Karlos Dansby. But once Dansby was franchised, that was the end of that line of wishful thinking. Briggs and his ilk, yes even Brooking, will command bigger dollars than Dallas will want to part with. ILB needs to be improved, but at what cost? Their are other positions that require more attention.
Dallas is having enough trouble signing its own FAs right now. Before it can go looking at outside FAs, they need to take care of their own players first and foremost. Brooking may be off the table by then, if he is EVER available in the first place.
dued i live in atl have benn for 15 yrs. all my friends and family are falcon fans the only other team i watch as much as the cowboys are the falcons. in 2002 brooking was an outside linbacker meaning that he didn't have to worry to much about the run unless it came to his side. He was used mostly as a pass rusher and he sucked at it not even able to get to the qb once in the whole 2002 season as a starting olb. yeah he was good in coverage in 2002 and wade said that but GUESS WHAT!!! THAT WAS SIX SEASONS AGO!!! we all know that Brooking does not have near the speed that he had then and the falcon fans themselves will tell you that Brooking has let them down the past few seasons at Inside linebacker. yeah he has 100 or so tackles but anyone can jump on top of a guy when someone else is hanging on him and dude I'm gonna give you the benifit of a doubt and trust you have a brain so with that being said why would we want to bring Brooking in when we have a 1st rd pick on the bench???? someone younger faster and more physical then he is.
