Marathon, Not A Sprint

Posted: March 26th, 2012 | Author: | Filed under: Philadelphia Eagles | 63 Comments »

Last year free agency was a whirlwind event unlike anything we’ve seen in the NFL.  Teams were already at training camp as the process began.  Players agreed to deals over the phone.  There were few, if any, visits.  It was like a crazy game of Let’s Make A Deal.

This year we’re back to the old timeline, the old system.  Crazy for a week and then s-l-o-w going.  This is due to a variety of factors.  Teams spend a lot of money early in the process, then back off to re-assess things.  Agents aren’t in a rush to get second tier clients signed.  The agents are looking for good deals.  If a guy is getting offered minimum money, why sign now?  Last summer the minimum guys signed immediately, just like everyone else.  That wasn’t normal.

The reason I bring this up is that the Eagles aren’t done with FA shopping, but you aren’t hearing a peep about them.  The team hasn’t been linked to one running back.  The team hasn’t talked to any SAM LBs.  Plaxico Burress remains “in contact” with the Eagles.  What about SS?  What about Derek Landri?  Heck…even King Dunlap?

Patience, my friends.

I guarantee you that the Eagles are talking to agents behind the scene.  They aren’t negotiating, necessarily.  The team is keeping feelers out on certain players that they have interest in.  If someone goes to visit another suitor, the Eagles want to be aware of it.  If that happens, maybe the Eagles step up and make an offer.  If they aren’t scared to lose the player, let him visit.

You can bet the Eagles have made casual offers to several FAs the team is interested in.  The Eagles are bargain hunting right now.  I would think the team would love to have Dunlap back on a minimum deal.  I’m sure he’s looking for more money and/or a multi-year deal.  Each side has to play the market.

RB is the most interesting spot to me.  That guy could have the potential to really play, should something happen to Shady.  At the same time, the Eagles don’t mix in the backup RB very much.  You need a guy who can start and play well, but also handle getting 2 carries a game for a month at a time.  LT has gotten some mentions lately as a target by fans.  And I could see him making sense.  LT can block and catch.  In 2011 he only had one game with 10 or more carries.  In 2010 he was double digits in every game he played.  Could be an interesting target.

The key to all this is that the overall market is quiet.  Landri isn’t talking to teams.  Or LT.  Or Dunlap.  David Hawthorne and Jo-Lonn Dunbar are getting little attention (and are both good starters).  This will probably change after the owners meetings.  There are a lot of good players still on the market.  Teams still have money to spend.  The deals will happen.

Things always pick up right around the draft.  Teams will sign players so that it frees them up to make whatever picks they want.

* * * * *

My personal shopping list would be:

* Re-sign Dunlap to short, cheap deal
* Re-sign Landri
* Add veteran SS to minimum type deal (Y Bell is fine with me)
* Add veteran RB

I go back and forth on SAM.  Part of me wants a veteran.  Part of me wants to draft Luke.

* * * * *

That brings me to the next topic…what if DT Fletcher Cox and LB Luke Kuechly are both on the board at 15?

I will go nuts if that happens.  That’s like choosing a favorite child…or looking into a 12-pack of PBR and singling out one can as better than the others.  Simply impossible to do.

I would hope we make a FA move before the draft to help dictate what should happen.  Sign Landri, draft Kuehcly.  Sign a SAM, draft Cox.  That type of thing.

If neither move happens and we’ve got a wide open slate…I’d probably lean toward Kuechly.  We’ve had problems finding good LBs over the years.  Overpaying at that spot to solve the situation makes some sense.  Plus, Jim Washburn doesn’t need Grade-A talent to produce good players.  We could find him good DTs in the 2nd or 3rd round.

If Cox and Kuechly are on the board and the Eagles go elsewhere…I’m gonna need a lot of PBR that night.

* * * * *

Someone asked about the top 4-3 MLBs in the NFL.  I haven’t had a chance to do a lot of study on this, but here is my raw opinion.

1 – Brian Urlacher
2 – Curtis Lofton
3 – D’Qwell Jackson
4 – David Hawthorne
5 – Stephen Tulloch

I’m basing this list on players who were MLBs in 2011.  DeMeco Ryans played in a 3-4.  So did Ray Lewis and Patrick Willis.  And David Harris.

This list could look different in a year.  Ryans might be on there.  Jon Beason, if he’s healthy.  I’m curious to see what James Laurinaitis can do with better DT play.

Based on the 2011 season, Patrick Willis and Navorro Bowman look like the best ILBs in the league.  Be interesting to see if Bowman can keep that up.

* * * * *

Back to FA for a minute.  I forgot to mention that DT Trevor Laws visited the Pats last weekend.  The Eagles have talked to him about a new deal, but from the sound of things, Trevor has a higher price tag than teams are willing to pay.

I don’t know what to think of Trevor.  Loved him coming out of college.  Major disappointment for 2 years, then had a good year in 2010.  I was very excited about him getting paired with Washburn.  I wondered if Trevor might challenge for a starting spot.  Nothing close to that happened and he’s now on the market, with little interest.

I still have hope that his best football is in front of him, but I’m not real certain of that.  The Panthers have DT issues.  It surprises me that they haven’t brought him down for a look.

63 Comments on “Marathon, Not A Sprint”

  1. 1 Tom33 said at 9:59 AM on March 26th, 2012:

    Tommy:

    Think the Eagles would have any interest in bringing in LT as a backup RB? Not only does he have a skill set that matches what the Eagles do, he can mentor Shady about what it takes to maintain a top tier RB status in the NFL.

  2. 2 TommyLawlor said at 10:14 AM on March 26th, 2012:

    Hmmm. I left some secret clues in the post above. See if you can find them.

  3. 3 Matt Plunderbunny said at 11:54 AM on March 26th, 2012:

    Tommy,

    Do you know if Trevor Laws has visited any teams?

  4. 4 TommyLawlor said at 12:31 PM on March 26th, 2012:

    Well played.

  5. 5 Thunder_lips said at 10:12 AM on March 26th, 2012:

    I know typically from a value standpoint DT > LB, but the way we rotate our linemen, I think a 2-1/2 down LB begins to compare favorably with an every other series + passing downs DT.

  6. 6 TommyLawlor said at 10:14 AM on March 26th, 2012:

    Yeah, that’s what I’m wondering.

  7. 7 kiteeatingtree said at 12:22 PM on March 26th, 2012:

    I agree. And when Ryans leaves/retires Kuechly becomes the 3 down LB.

  8. 8 nopain23 said at 10:33 AM on March 26th, 2012:

    LK40..is just too good to pass up IMO..great instincts..athletic…good student of the game( his film study has been lauded by his coaches)…good measurables( height..weight)..NO injury history..no character concerns…a leader
    Iggles simply can’t afford to pass on this kid….I wouldn’t be mad if they traded up for him.day 1 starter for sure.if he played QB…he would be a top 3 pick..lol…..the cerebral aspect of football..gets overlooked far too often.You want this kid on the field in the 4th quarter and you need a stop on defense..game on the line….cause you trust he’s gonna diagnose the play..presnap..and BE in position..to make a play….its time we DRAFT great players instead of looking yo FA.truly gr8 teams draft well…look at the Steelers..Packers…and yes..sadly..the Gmen….

  9. 9 JRO91 said at 12:25 PM on March 26th, 2012:

    I agree 100%…this kids intangibles are off the charts. MLBs rarely come around like this kid…..plus if DeMecco goes down, I DO NOT want Casey Mathews to back him up. Could slide Luke over and put Chaney at SAM. This could set us up at LB for quite a long time, plus DeMecco could teach him the little things about reading defenses and playing NFL OLineman that would only make Luke better.

  10. 10 47_Ronin said at 1:42 PM on March 26th, 2012:

    C’mon!?! What’s up with the many superlatives? Let’s not get his bust and jacket ready before LK plays 1 down of professional football.

  11. 11 ACViking said at 10:42 AM on March 26th, 2012:

    For anyone keeping score . . . LKuech is listed at about the same size as Lance Briggs (Bears list him at 6’1″ 244lbs).

    If LK projects as an impact OLB, then the Eagles should take him — unless someone (Claiborne, for example) falls far enough that a reasonable trade up can be made.

    In the W-9, LBs are not blitzers. So it would seem to make sense that a team running that scheme (adjusted or not) should want 3 LBs who can line up inside the OT box and not only stop the run, but play the short to shallow intermediate routes.

    And, in the W-9, the D-lineman can be undersized and thus acquired with lower picks. Hell, Washburn is so good he could take T-Law and get him playing like Derrick Landri.

    While the NFL is about passing and more passing now, the Bears’ defense has done really well by anchoring itself around two great LBs (and 1 good CB) the past 8 years.

    Add LK and the Eagles would really improve their front 7. Big time. As measured in a W-9 context (not a traditional 4-3).

  12. 12 Skeptic_Eagle said at 11:06 AM on March 26th, 2012:

    So Kuechly would basically be a two down thumper unless they think an opposing offense would come out in a nickel formation with a down and distance that could conceivably be a running play–say, 3rd and 4 or less. Eventually, next year or the year after, he’d take over for Ryans in the middle and in the packages DeMeco plays in.

    I can’t see them using the #15 pick for a player like that. Certainly possible, I guess, but his skill set doesn’t seem to warrant the streak they’d break of an historic disinterest in taking a linebacker in the first round.

    I think Ryans will improve the LB corps significantly. I think the elephant in the room, and the problem with the murkiest solution, is the safety situation.

  13. 13 Eric Weaver said at 11:41 AM on March 26th, 2012:

    Time is also ticking away on Andy and potentially other personnel so I think it is about time for them to break historical trends.

  14. 14 D3Keith said at 5:55 PM on March 26th, 2012:

    I can see it. I don’t know fans are assuming the No. 15 must be a slam dunk. Shoot, you’re lucky to get a player. Yeah Revis was taken in the mid-teens, but so were a lot of guys who went on to never do a thing.

    I think if you can get a player like Kuechly who starts right away, and projects as a heart-of-the-defense stud in a few seasons, that’s plenty good for No. 15.

  15. 15 47_Ronin said at 2:12 PM on March 26th, 2012:

    I don’t understand the comparisons to Lance Briggs and the Bears. 6’3″ 240lbs (Kuechly) is not the same as 6’1″ 244lbs and the wide-9 is not the Tampa-2. In the wide-9, Tennessee has blitzed LBs (in some instances a LB has been 2nd or 3rd in most sacks). Looking at DL Washburn coached at Tennessee, they’ve generally been around 6’4″ and up, not my definition of undersized. Having a dominant defensive line improves the back 7.

  16. 16 Davesbeard said at 4:18 AM on March 27th, 2012:

    Perhaps weight is a factor in a players size?

    They are often tall but in the 280 range.

  17. 17 Skeptic_Eagle said at 10:55 AM on March 26th, 2012:

    At the risk of repeating myself, but keen to mention that I observed this about 6 weeks ago: I don’t think Cox gets out of the top 10. Just not that many guys that can move like that, at that size, and create that kind of disruption. I would also wager that Kuechly is available at 15, and that the Eagles will pass him up to draft one of their value positions like DT, OT or CB. He might be a tackling machine, but historically, only linebackers that can rush the QB are going to go in the top half of round 1; not Kuechly’s gig at BC at all. Not that you asked, but I’d bet Kuechly falls down a bit to a team like the Pittsburgh Steelers that need to replace a couple of aging inside linebackers that do the relatively unheralded dirty work of preventing big plays with solid tackling. I’m basing this off of conventional wisdom of the first round of the draft, which, in truth, is subject to change with the rookie wage scale.

    As to whom they’d pick at 15, as with most years with this team, hazarding a guess is more likely to make one look foolish than prescient. Jerel Worthy or Devon Still will be available, I’d guess. I think Michael Adams will still be on the board, but would imagine is going within 5-7 picks of this position based on team needs and positional value. Maybe they go with a passrusher like Mercilus, Nick Perry or Vinny Curry to add to the rotation–though I would imagine they try and add that later.

    I wouldn’t be surprised if the plan at SAM is to either reload with Jamar Chaney, or go after a roleplayer like Dunbar. I disagree with your assessment of Dunbar, and find it troubling that he was a part time player for a team in desperate need of help at linebacker. I see this player as a slightly older and more polished version of Chaney, nothing more. Specifically, Dunbar’s tackling is very sloppy, and to think we’d have Babin, Jarrett and Rodgers-Cromartie on that side–all of whom had their problems with the run last season–makes me think we’d see a repeat of some of the dagger-in-the-chest big plays. Hawthorne is a far superior player in my opinion.

  18. 18 Kevin_aka_RC said at 1:04 PM on March 26th, 2012:

    Who is taking Cox in the top 10? The only team that makes any sense is Carolina…who have CB, LB and WR needs. I could see Carolina taking him…but Poe/Brockers are better scheme fits for Rivera/McDermott’s system. Buffalo can’t invest in another DL. Cox can’t play NT for KC. Seattle could take him, but need LB/DE more (fits the board). Arizona doesn’t need DEs. Dallas as well.

    Cox will likely be there at 15

  19. 19 Skeptic_Eagle said at 1:28 PM on March 26th, 2012:

    I think he fits in Carolina. You can do a lot with him because of his versatility. They bring Charles Johnson inside on 3rd downs now. I could easily see them running Cox/Johnson as inside rushers and put 2 speed rushers on the outside in those situations, similar to how Sean McDermott used Graham/Laws in his first year. Carolina drafted Sione Fua last year, and he’s held up as a runstuffer pretty well for them. They really don’t have a penetrating DT, to rush the passer, though.

    I could also see Jacksonville taking him. Alualu has been the reach most people thought he was…not sure when his contract’s up, but they certainly have a need to improve passrush from DT. I agree that he wouldn’t fit as a NT in a 3-4, but he could play 3-4 DE, and you can’t discount the chance for a team trading up to get a player they want. To me, he’s not the kind of player that’s going to be around for very long.

    Well…you say, I say, we’ll see.

  20. 20 47_Ronin said at 3:05 PM on March 26th, 2012:

    Take a close look at Carolina, they drafted Terrell McClain, a DT, also in the 3rd rd last year. In your scenario, you have them using 3 high picks in back-to-back drafts on DTs?!? I don’t see that happening.

  21. 21 Anders Jensen said at 2:28 PM on March 26th, 2012:

    Cox could play end in Rob Ryans 3-4 defense and its a major need for them

  22. 22 47_Ronin said at 3:01 PM on March 26th, 2012:

    The Jets draft after the Eagles and their OLB Bryan Thomas tore his Achilles, a pass rushing LB is likely more of a need on defense, and not even looking at their offensive needs.

  23. 23 Anders Jensen said at 3:23 PM on March 26th, 2012:

    Rob Ryan is DC for the Cowboys (he is the one with the long hair and no foot fetish)

  24. 24 47_Ronin said at 3:37 PM on March 26th, 2012:

    Thanks, I get the Ryan bros confused. Yes Dallas is a possibility for a 3-4 DE. However, I’m hoping Dallas views their offensive line (interior) as a more pressing need. The Cardinals also have o-line issues so one of them should end up with DeCastro (I think the Cards need OT help more than OG).

  25. 25 Kammich said at 3:23 PM on March 26th, 2012:

    Anders is referring to Rob of the Cowboys.

    As much as it pains me to say it, I was recently mocking the first round and I had Arizona taking DeCastro, which lead to Dallas taking Fletcher Cox. I don’t think they will pass on him if DeCastro is off the board.

  26. 26 iskar36 said at 11:05 AM on March 26th, 2012:

    I’m not sure that resigning Landri should have a huge impact on going after Cox. Landri isn’t a guy you are hoping to bring in to take over at the DT position in a few years. He is a rotational player. Cox would be projected as an impact player that should become a starter in the feature. Your point that Washburn doesn’t need round 1 talent to have success is certainly a valid point, and regardless of what happens, the team may have Kuechly rated over Cox anyway, but if both are on the board at 15, I would hope Landri wouldn’t be the determining reason to go for Kuechly over Cox.

  27. 27 TommyLawlor said at 12:37 PM on March 26th, 2012:

    If the team really likes Cox, then Landri isn’t a factor.

    If the team is evenly split on Cox/Kuechly…the players in place at LB and DT are a factor. Clearly the Eagles aren’t going to pass on a stud DT for a casual reason.

  28. 28 iskar36 said at 2:04 PM on March 26th, 2012:

    That definitely makes sense. In the post, you wrote, “I would hope we make a FA move before the draft to help dictate what should happen” and that was the part I was taking issue with, but if the Eagles have the two rated equally on other factors, I would definitely agree.

  29. 29 GermanEagle said at 11:15 AM on March 26th, 2012:

    Re backup RB:

    Any interest in Cedric Benson? From a physical point of view he’d be great complement to Shady. Don’t know much about his blocking skills though. Also he doesn’t seem to be heavily involved in the passing game…

    HOWEVER, he’s “only” 29 years old and could easily step in as the starting RB should Shady get injured…!

  30. 30 TommyLawlor said at 12:37 PM on March 26th, 2012:

    No to Benson. Workhorse runner. Don’t see the fit for us.

  31. 31 eagleizeit said at 11:32 AM on March 26th, 2012:

    I think we got to sign SpeciaLK over Cox. Not only a safer and more imp pos, but I keep reading that Ryan might not last more than a couple yrs and he’s due $9 mil next yr. Not sure if Eagles would pay or not. Can get Derek Wolfe later in the draft if we don’t get Cox.

    Hopefully Pats sign T-Law so the Eagles put Landri in that shopping cart.

  32. 32 GermanEagle said at 11:51 AM on March 26th, 2012:

    Normally you don’t give up a 4th rounder for a short term rental (Demeco). But then again the Eagles gave up Brandon Gibson and a 5th round pick in return for Will Witherspoon, who played only 1 year for the Eagles…

  33. 33 eagleizeit said at 12:02 PM on March 26th, 2012:

    That trade pissed me off. Wasn’t that actually during the season for like a half the season or something. We had him then didn’t even try to sign him again.

  34. 34 Anders Jensen said at 12:11 PM on March 26th, 2012:

    we had a lot of injuries, so we traded for him. He played great in his first game and then fell of a cliff

  35. 35 IowaEagle said at 3:44 PM on March 26th, 2012:

    You can’t blame the guy though, he never got to have a bye week. He was a great with the Titans that following year. Its possible that he was just worn down towards the end of the season.

  36. 36 Mac said at 12:27 PM on March 26th, 2012:

    Spoonman had an excellent game… after that I think we all had a bit of buyers remorse.

  37. 37 Kristopher Cebula said at 2:16 PM on March 26th, 2012:

    his contract is between 6 and 7 million for the remainder of his contract. his cap number is close to 9 million the next two years but since the 1.5 million/per was already paid by houston in his signing bonus, i don’t think that it affects our cap

  38. 38 Arby1 said at 2:29 PM on March 26th, 2012:

    5 points for the new nickname.

  39. 39 D3Keith said at 5:57 PM on March 26th, 2012:

    Yeah I liked SpeciaLK.

  40. 40 47_Ronin said at 3:44 PM on March 26th, 2012:

    Ryans contract details can be found here:
    http://www.rotoworld.com/player/nfl/3657/demeco-ryans
    It appears he’s getting $6-6.8M over the last 3 yrs of his contract, not $9M in 2013. If the cap goes up in 2014, $6.8M shouldn’t be a big cap hit.

  41. 41 T_S_O_P said at 11:33 AM on March 26th, 2012:

    As an ex-LB, with a son who is a Linebacker, if it was Luke or Cox at 15 and Juan had the choice, wouldn’t you think he’d favour LB? Will this have any influence?

  42. 42 Eric Weaver said at 11:43 AM on March 26th, 2012:

    I thought his son was a CB at Iowa?

  43. 43 Mac said at 12:29 PM on March 26th, 2012:

    Juan made the point early and often last year that SAM was an important role in his defensive scheme. How much stock the rest of the organization puts in those statements will be revealed shortly.

  44. 44 TommyLawlor said at 2:40 PM on March 26th, 2012:

    I would love to know how much say Juan has in the pick. He certainly doesn’t have the pull of a Jim Johnson.

    And it would be interesting to know which way Juan leans. DT or LB?

  45. 45 Eric Weaver said at 11:36 AM on March 26th, 2012:

    Tommy,

    If the Eagles could bring Hawthorne in on a 1 year 3-4 million dollar deal, do you think that’s acceptable given the Eagles cap situation? Or is close to 10 million too much invested in two players at the LB position?

  46. 46 TommyLawlor said at 12:42 PM on March 26th, 2012:

    Great question. I don’t know. Rolle is cheap at WLB. The backups are cheap. You would think that they could afford Hawthorne if they want him. I just don’t know if they will want him, for a year or long term.

  47. 47 izzylangfan said at 11:46 AM on March 26th, 2012:

    It is a pleasure to root for a team that does not lose their head in free agency. The Eagles are professional make decent decisions and do not telegraph their intentions to the press.

    If a three down linebacker is a good thing wouldn’t it also be good to have nickel linebackers that can play both the run and the pass? Does that look for the Eagles in 2012?

    It seems obvious now (if it didn’t before) that the Eagles do not agree with your assessment of Tulloch since they could have had him for a lower salary and no draft picks compared to Ryan.
    What is the difference between Hawthorne, Tulloch and Ryans?

  48. 48 TommyLawlor said at 12:46 PM on March 26th, 2012:

    Ryans is the veteran. Great leader. Tulloch is a good player, but he just doesn’t jump out to me. His fans/supporters make him out to be a special player. I don’t see it. Hawthorne is versatile and quietly good. Part of that may be playing for Seattle.

    Ryans can be the best of the group. We’ll see how he plays this year. I’m still surprised by the lack of interest in Hawthorne. If it has nothing to do with health, I don’t get it.

  49. 49 JRO91 said at 12:22 PM on March 26th, 2012:

    Do you think the Eagles sign neither Landri or Laws and replace them with Thornton and a D/P like Wolfe? Thorton will not last another year on the P/S. Any they are obviously high on him to give him more $$$. That would make the DT Patterson/Dixon/Jenkins/Thorton/Wolfe or another D/P. With a full offseason, do you think Washburn can make those two NFL ready?

  50. 50 TommyLawlor said at 12:49 PM on March 26th, 2012:

    We have 3 DTs in place (CuJo, Patt, Dixon). We can add either Landri or Laws. We will add a DT in the draft. Thornton is the wildcard. The Eagles are high on him, but he’s still completely unproven and can’t be counted on to fill a role in 2012. You want to go to Lehigh with 6 good DTs fighting for 5 spots. If they all stay healthy, you trade one or cut Cedric and hope he stays on the PS another year. It is possible to keep 6 DTs, but highly unlikely unless one is a real DE/DT tweener (besides Jenkins).

  51. 51 eagleizeit said at 12:24 PM on March 26th, 2012:

    Sapp things he knows who talked about the Saints an ex-Giant:

    http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/03/21/nfl-outs-suspected-saints-whistleblower-on-its-own-network/

    You gotta see what somebody says about Defences going after Vick. A comment at 7:05 right b4 7:06

  52. 52 aerochrome2 said at 4:25 PM on March 26th, 2012:

    can you recap on vick?

  53. 53 Cvd52 said at 12:49 PM on March 26th, 2012:

    1 – Brian Urlacher
    2 – Curtis Lofton
    3 – D’Qwell Jackson
    4 – David Hawthorne
    5 – Stephen Tulloch

    this list should make a lot of angry fans feel better about how the eagles dont really value LB’s all that much. that list looks pretty bad

  54. 54 TheRogerPodacter said at 1:51 PM on March 26th, 2012:

    lol i’m not going to lie. i came into the comments expecting to see everyone yelling at tommy “you forgot about suchandsuch! he’s awesome!”. not a one, yet. i think you hit this one perfectly lol

  55. 55 Thunder_lips said at 12:59 PM on March 26th, 2012:

    Parcels possibly coaching Saints this year. How do you like your autonomy on defense now, Spagsy?

  56. 56 Anders Jensen said at 2:40 PM on March 26th, 2012:

    Parcells is 3-4 guy, spags is 4-3 and the Saints got personal for the 4-3

  57. 57 Thunder_lips said at 2:49 PM on March 26th, 2012:

    Parcels will still be much more involved with the defense than Payton would have (I would imagine). Either way, it’s still probably a better situation than being Co-coordinator with Juan. Just thought it was funny that Benedict Spagunolo went from being autonomous D-Coordinator, to possible Head Coach, to a Defensive Head Coach’s assistant.

    Let that be a lesson to Marty; if you try to leave you’ll end up working for Mike Martz in three years.

  58. 58 Eric Weaver said at 2:48 PM on March 26th, 2012:

    I never saw Parcells as a great, great head coach. He’s tons better at recognizing talent and compiling it on a team, in my opinion. To me, that’s where he excels.

  59. 59 Thorin McGee said at 1:54 PM on March 26th, 2012:

    I’m just glad we’re back on the Keuchly bandwagon. I hate Chinese fire drills! ;-p

  60. 60 jayanglada said at 3:15 PM on March 26th, 2012:

    Great perspective re the need for more patience with FA.

  61. 61 Kammich said at 3:28 PM on March 26th, 2012:

    I like Fletcher Cox a lot. The guy is just scratching the surface of what he can do, and yet he is without question the most polished pass rusher of any DT in the class. Its also tantalizing to think of what he could do lined up at LDE on certain plays. He could be our “rich man’s” Red Bryant.

    With that said, this is a deep draft for DTs. Not so much for LBs, and Kuechwalker simply seems to have the make-up of a guy who will start in this league for 10-12 years. Do you pass that up just because Cox offers better “value?”

    Personally, I’d take Kuechly if they’re both on the board. Because I think we could take either Brandon Thompson or Kendall Reyes with a 2nd rounder and get damn near equal production out of them compared to what we would get out of Cox. I’m particularly enamored with Kendall Reyes, who I think could be a damned stud in our defense.

  62. 62 Kammich said at 3:51 PM on March 26th, 2012:

    Steve Smith signed with the Rams today.

    Cue the Beastie Boys’ “Sabotage.”

  63. 63 James Coe said at 6:31 PM on March 26th, 2012:

    Any chance Havili makes the roster this season?