OFFSEASON Guess...Some won't like it.

[InDakWeTrust]

Exactly. These folks that think we're going to bring in a new starting C, G and RT are out of their minds. It ain't happening.

I suggested bringing in a C, RG and RT but not all starters, we a forced to keep Rivera with his monster contract, same with LA. But it is not out of the question to see us bring in 3 or 4 guys, maybe a starter or two while watching Gurode, Rogers, Peterman, Proctor and Marcus Price being cut.

I'm really likeing this Collegde guy from BC. BC lineman have a mauling attitude and style that I like. Look at Snee on the Giants, he made leaps and bounds from last year.

I really think we will be seeing the BPA guy drafted, with a LB, WR or DB being selected in the 1st with a OLineman/LB drafted in the second and a DB/OLineman/WR in the third.

 

[Typhus]

Last year was all about the defense. This year Bill will take care of his good buddy Drew and get him some hogs up front and another play maker.

This defense is closer than its been in over a decade, to having a pass rush.
With another addition at OLB, Ware wouldnt be getting doubled by two TE sets as much. Thats why I feel that OLB is our biggest target at 18.

 

[burmafrd]

We had DECENT Pass BLOCKING early on. BUT the run blocking was never very good- and very inconsistant. Remember early on we were talking that the run blocking just was not there and JJ was never seeing daylight?
And THAT got worse- we really only had ONE game where the run blocking was good the whole game- Carolina. And THAT clearly was a fluke.

 

[Zaxor]

Great Post Wayne...

I think we may draft some oline (probably not starters) I don't see us doing much in FA unless it is a center...

LA gets big money so does Flo and Rivera..it would be hard for me to imagine that we dole out another huge contract on the oline...

 

[rw54]

Petitti needs alot more strength, if he gets it he might be okay at RT. He is to worried about anchoring to see if he can slide well enough or not. If he can't, but gains strength I would move him to guard along with Torin Tucker. I think both could be quality guards. We need to draft better, obviously. Parcells needs to re-evaluate his prototypes for the OL. Most of the guys he brings in are all in the 6-5 305 range. That is not big enough in my opinion unless they are extremely strong. If we had a better strength and conditioning program his prototypes might work. As is, we need players in the 6-5 320 range. There are a bunch of good tackles in the draft this year. I hope we can get one and develop him. Which brings me to Sparano, we need a better OL coach. This might be a position that Parcells dominates however, and he might be the problem. Its hard to tell from afar. The bottom line is we need to develop offensive lineman and we are not doing a good job of that right now.

 

[VACowboy]

Dallas has given up on some OL in the past who have gone on to be pretty good players elsewhere, guys like Ron Stone, Oliver Ross and Matt Lehr. And I'm not saying that all these players fit the profile of players we wanted on the offensive line. It just makes me ill to see players we release become good players for other teams.

And I'm not an expert on offensive linemen, their learning curve, the attributes that make them great, but it seems to me that we should allow some time for these guys to develop before we judge them. From what I've read, heard and seen, Petitti and Tucker may be on opposite ends of the spectrum. Tucker has the physical ability but just doesn't get it. Petitti isn't as physically gifted but has the grit and understanding it takes to improve.

My preference would be to sign Kevin Barry to compete at RT, trade down to the end of the first round to pick up another two or three, and then draft the best guard on the board. I think there will be some good ones in the second and third rounds.

 

[Chuck 54]

We save 3.4 by cutting LA by 4/1.

He's got 2 mil due to him on 4/1.......buh bye

7.5 cap # 2006 and 8.5 in 2007.

Stop the madness please.

I'd put 30-50% of blown up running plays on LA thinking the DL has to count 5alligators.

LA is like using email vs IM.

So late 90's.

The reason most people don't think we'll cut him is because the cost of signing another OG who is as capable as he is will eat up any savings.

 

[Chuck 54]

If Petitti starts next year, we'll be talking about the draft again come next January, instead of the playoffs.

Standing pat with the collection of losers we trotted out there last season is laughable and monumentally stupid. And Parcells is just arrogant enough to try it.

Funny how everyone thought Pettitti was a major find in round 6 in the first games before Adams went down. You can give a tackle help and get the job done, whether that tackle is Tucker or Pettitti. When both were at their worst was when we couldn't help both, and then there were a few inexplicable games when we refused to help either.

 

[Clove]

Parcells isn't going to sit on his ***, we never had the power running game going that he covets, you can bet on him at least infusing some talented depth

Up the gut needs to be fixed badly. If we turned the 2 guards and center into a snow plow machine, we could move the ball with ease on the outside.

I don't think you need to make drastic changes at the Tackle position. Remember we will have Flo back, and we don't have to find a stud RT, just one with a heartbeat.

BTW, I'm on the Manny Lawson bandwagon too.

 

[Chuck 54]

With the emergence of Patrick Crayton, I think that the team will be less inclined to go WR in the 1st round.

That emergence only lasted about 3-4 games...he never did anything for us the rest of the season, even when healthy...I think the jury's still out on his effectiveness as the 3rd receiver. To think he's an answer at #1 or #2 in case of injury would be folly, imo.

 

[Chuck 54]

Everyone's busting on Pettitti hard...and he probably deserves it, but isn't this the same guy everyone was raving over early in the season? Obviously he was getting help and being protected before Adams went down. Tucker had his problems at LT too, but can you imagine Pettitti at LT???

I'm not all that quick to assume that Tucker won't be able to beat out Pettitti at RT this offseason. Any chance of that?

Any chance of Gurode playing better at Center with another offseason at it?

Any chance of seeing.........Adams...LA....Gurode...Rivera....Tucker?

 

[speedkilz88]

Gurode is a UFA and has no reason to come back. Why would he? He couldn't start over Al Johnson.

 

[Clove]

Everyone's busting on Pettitti hard...and he probably deserves it, but isn't this the same guy everyone was raving over early in the season? Obviously he was getting help and being protected before Adams went down. Tucker had his problems at LT too, but can you imagine Pettitti at LT???

I'm not all that quick to assume that Tucker won't be able to beat out Pettitti at RT this offseason. Any chance of that?

Any chance of Gurode playing better at Center with another offseason at it?

Any chance of seeing.........Adams...LA....Gurode...Rivera....Tucker?

Tucker is a natural guard actually, and we have bodies on the roster that can get it done. We need some youngster to step it up. Maybe Petitti can play guard until his weight/agility/foot work gets better.

I like Daryn Colledge in the draft. He's undersized at around 298, but he has quick feet and is one of the best pure pass protectors in the draft. (2nd rounder)

 

[speedkilz88]

Tucker is a natural guard actually, and we have bodies on the roster that can get it done. We need some youngster to step it up. Maybe Petitti can play guard until his weight/agility/foot work gets better.

I like Daryn Colledge in the draft. He's undersized at around 298, but he has quick feet and is one of the best pure pass protectors in the draft. (2nd rounder)

When Tucker was brought in as a FA the coaching staff said that he couldn't play guard because he plays two high losing his leverage, that he would have to play tackle. That was the reason he wasn't drafted.

 

[DLCassidy]

I remember the day Flo went down and my first thought was "the season is over". I then made some really harsh posts on Tucker. A lot of people felt Flo wasn't that great and that we would be fine. Well either Flo is Anthony Munoz or Tucker is not an NFL caliber LT, RT, G. You guys know what I think.

You CANNOT go into next year with a situation where if Flo goes down the season is over again. That's why I favor drafting a stud tackle that is capable of playing both tackle positions. Compete with Petitti at RT and be a viable backup at LT. That guy is Marcus McNeil. I'm not a big fan of Backus who has ONLY played LT and is not a great run blocker. Runyan would be an ok bandaid for RT but he will probably look for more years and $ than I'd want to give and he can't play LT. I realize there is a big transition for any OT to the NFL but raw talent can help make the move easier. The only other thought I have on the tackle situation is to try to work out a trade for RFA Jason Peters who got some starts at RT last year and has the athleticism to play LT. Buffalo needs a center so perhaps a deal like Johnson plus our 5th for Peters might be of interest to them?

Which brings me to my only FA OL wish. LeCharles Bentley of NO. He will be pricey, but at 26 you could solidify the middle of your line for the next decade so he's worth the money. Failing that, because the Jets need to shed cap and get younger perhaps they could be interested in taking a late (6th round?) choice for Kevin Mawae. Mawae has one year at 3m on his deal with the Jets. He's maybe a 2 year band aid because of his age (35) but he's a major upgrade over what we have now.

I think we draft LA's replacement in rd 2 but we keep LA for one more year.

 

[lspain1]

I remember the day Flo went down and my first thought was "the season is over". I then made some really harsh posts on Tucker. A lot of people felt Flo wasn't that great and that we would be fine. Well either Flo is Anthony Munoz or Tucker is not an NFL caliber LT, RT, G. You guys know what I think.

You CANNOT go into next year with a situation where if Flo goes down the season is over again. That's why I favor drafting a stud tackle that is capable of playing both tackle positions. Compete with Petitti at RT and be a viable backup at LT. That guy is Marcus McNeil. I'm not a big fan of Backus who has ONLY played LT and is not a great run blocker. Runyan would be an ok bandaid for RT but he will probably look for more years and $ than I'd want to give and he can't play LT. I realize there is a big transition for any OT to the NFL but raw talent can help make the move easier. The only other thought I have on the tackle situation is to try to work out a trade for RFA Jason Peters who got some starts at RT last year and has the athleticism to play LT. Buffalo needs a center so perhaps a deal like Johnson plus our 5th for Peters might be of interest to them?

Which brings me to my only FA OL wish. LeCharles Bentley of NO. He will be pricey, but at 26 you could solidify the middle of your line for the next decade so he's worth the money. Failing that, because the Jets need to shed cap and get younger perhaps they could be interested in taking a late (6th round?) choice for Kevin Mawae. Mawae has one year at 3m on his deal with the Jets. He's maybe a 2 year band aid because of his age (35) but he's a major upgrade over what we have now.

I think we draft LA's replacement in rd 2 but we keep LA for one more year.

I think you are on the right track here. It agrees with the general consensus in the thread which seems to be new blood (competition and depth) is necessary at both Center and Tackle. To make an immediate impact these are likely to be via FA. The LB needs will be addressed via the draft. I think we will try to get a kicker in FA as well.

 

[Idgit]

Anyone think that if Kubiak gets the Texans job, we might trade Al Johson for a day two pick? Assuming a premium FA center, that is.

We sign a veteran tackle no matter what--otherwise we're in the same position as this year if we lose someone. What's missing on the OL, IMO, is versatility. We don't really have options in case of injury beyond just going to our bench. We'd be a lot better off cap and contingency-wise if we only needed to have seven or so starting-quality players on the line at any time, with the other 3 spots reserved for high-potential projects from the later rounds of the draft.

 

[big dog cowboy]

Anyone think that if Kubiak gets the Texans job, we might trade Al Johson for a day two pick? Assuming a premium FA center, that is.

I'd take a McDonalds happy meal for him.

 

[MichaelWinicki]

I remember the day Flo went down and my first thought was "the season is over". I then made some really harsh posts on Tucker. A lot of people felt Flo wasn't that great and that we would be fine. Well either Flo is Anthony Munoz or Tucker is not an NFL caliber LT, RT, G. You guys know what I think.

You CANNOT go into next year with a situation where if Flo goes down the season is over again. That's why I favor drafting a stud tackle that is capable of playing both tackle positions. Compete with Petitti at RT and be a viable backup at LT. That guy is Marcus McNeil. I'm not a big fan of Backus who has ONLY played LT and is not a great run blocker. Runyan would be an ok bandaid for RT but he will probably look for more years and $ than I'd want to give and he can't play LT. I realize there is a big transition for any OT to the NFL but raw talent can help make the move easier. The only other thought I have on the tackle situation is to try to work out a trade for RFA Jason Peters who got some starts at RT last year and has the athleticism to play LT. Buffalo needs a center so perhaps a deal like Johnson plus our 5th for Peters might be of interest to them?

Which brings me to my only FA OL wish. LeCharles Bentley of NO. He will be pricey, but at 26 you could solidify the middle of your line for the next decade so he's worth the money. Failing that, because the Jets need to shed cap and get younger perhaps they could be interested in taking a late (6th round?) choice for Kevin Mawae. Mawae has one year at 3m on his deal with the Jets. He's maybe a 2 year band aid because of his age (35) but he's a major upgrade over what we have now.

I think we draft LA's replacement in rd 2 but we keep LA for one more year.

You may want to draft a stud OT but it ain't going to happen. An OT will not be drafted in the first round. You generally don't get OT studs at #18 anyway.

 

[junk]

Dallas has given up on some OL in the past who have gone on to be pretty good players elsewhere, guys like Ron Stone, Oliver Ross and Matt Lehr. And I'm not saying that all these players fit the profile of players we wanted on the offensive line. It just makes me ill to see players we release become good players for other teams.

And I'm not an expert on offensive linemen, their learning curve, the attributes that make them great, but it seems to me that we should allow some time for these guys to develop before we judge them. From what I've read, heard and seen, Petitti and Tucker may be on opposite ends of the spectrum. Tucker has the physical ability but just doesn't get it. Petitti isn't as physically gifted but has the grit and understanding it takes to improve.

My preference would be to sign Kevin Barry to compete at RT, trade down to the end of the first round to pick up another two or three, and then draft the best guard on the board. I think there will be some good ones in the second and third rounds.

Stone was a casualty of the free agency period. He was a good player, but not good enough to start on those 90s powerhouse teams. The team couldn't afford to keep him at the salary he was offered as a backup.

Ross was a very late bloomer and was ditched by Philly as well. I think he was even out of football for a year. He had one decent year in Pitt as a starter and has only played in 16 games once.

Lehr? He is OK in Gibbs' scheme, but he isn't really anything special.