Same shit, different Day - Draft Edition

Well let me feed in a couple of thoughts here to counter yours GbPH.

Why would a first round LB need to sit? Roach plays well within this defense but he's far from irreplaceable. If the rookie is that good he can easily play that SLB spot to begin with. So that said it's not a waste to draft a guy in the first who may eventually take over at MLB.

We have never had a good MLB who we didn't draft ourselves and as long as we play the defense we do any MLB we look at will need to be a guy with a lot of range who can play the pass very well. The type of player many other teams use at MLB isn't necessarily a fit here so looking at what another guy does in some other teams defense isn't always gonna tell us what he'll be able to do here.

IMHO we're far better off to draft the guy we need with the athletic skills we need and let him learn the defense playing next to or behind Urlacher for a season or two. Then we get exactly what we need. Don't rule out McClellin as a possibility either. There a lot of the same stuff in him as there is in Urlacher.

Hardin is only a possibility if he can add 20-30lbs and so far I don't see that happening. But you can never say never. Whoever plays MLB in this defense needs to be big, athletic and fast and a very smart instinctive player. Urlacher is a "freak" but that's not to say in their own ways McClellin and Hardin don't also have some "freakish" traits to them as well. The trouble is Hardin lack the ideal size and McClellin lacks the experience in the middle and in coverage but that's not to say both of those can't be corrected.

Drafting a TE in the first round would be a huge waste of a pick. Right now Tice can't seem to figure out what to do with all of the ones he's got. IF we begin to use them as key pass catchers again and we find we don't have one already on the roster who can fill that role then maybe it becomes a consideration but now, no.

Those who use NE as an example of what you can do with a great TE combo are ignoring the fact that the other NE receivers are small guys so Gronkowski and Hernandez are their bigger pass catchers. The Bears don't have that problem. We have a couple of 6'4" WRs to throw to and we also have big TEs who we aren't throwing to. Adding one more TE to not throw to makes no sense.

The major issue we need to focus on in 2013 is getting Cutler some protection. So that tells me whatever FA dollars we have to commit beyond retaining our own guys needs to be spent there not on LBs or TEs. If we weren't always keeping a TE in to pass block we may find things working out differently anyway. If Webb can't pass block then we need to buy a guy who can and possibly use on of our first two picks on an OG/OC guy who also pass blocks well.

I'm not too worried about keeping our own guys. We've always been pretty good at that. Emery and Lovie aren't gonna let good young players like Louis and Melton who are just coming into their own leave in FA. Deals will be redone if necessary to free up cap space to keep key vets and the younger core guys we need. What we don't need any longer is a lot of expensive options from other teams rosters. We filled a lot of those gaps already.

This team can have a very good two or three year run at winning a SB IF we can plug the bigger holes that need to be plugged and still keep the core of the team intact. Rookies are a lot cheaper these days than vets so look for some turnover there as a few guys retire but personally I think Emery has this team pretty damn close to where it needs to be. It's more tweaking now than rebuilding.

let me start with saying that when I wrote this about the LBs, I thought that Roach has signed a contract extension and is under contract for 2 more years. In fact, he will be a Free Agent.

This would open a spot next to BU & Briggs to learn for the rookie. With all 3 under contract, I would say that it would be a waste of Cap Space to have Roach & a 1st Round LB.


About the TEs:
You say we have enough already and don't really use them. This is right. The problem I have with this is that we lack quality at that position. We need a guy we can trust, a guy Cutler can trust. Right now we have a lot of shit at that position that does not want to stick at the wall. Drafting the best TE around #30 is not a waste of the pick as would be the best OG. 10 spots earlier I would agree.

I'm pretty sure Emery will fix the OLine. I think he will bring in a Vet LT and draft another OL Player early. Long, Clady & Bushrod will be Free Agents as of now. Clady already turned down a Broncos offer. He wants to see more $$. After what Joe Thomas got, I don't blame him. Not sure if we even have enough Cap Space.

Speath will be cut IMO & Hesters contract will get restructured and extended with less salary. He changes salary with years and "security". We can get cheaper at the QB2 position too. That would open a lot of Cap Space to sign a guy like Bushrod or Long afaik



check out the
Notre Dame TE Tyler Eifert or Alabama G/C/OT Barrett Jones?
thread and tell me what you think about my last post

I don't know much of anything about draft prospects brother. You'll have to ask sox his opinions on those guys. I don't watch enough college football to know.

My guess is that with J.T. Thomas showing up pretty well on STeams that he may give Roach a run for his money next year if Roach is still with us. If he's not looking for big money he may be worth keeping around. He's a smart ballplayer who doesn't make many mistakes and he plays well on STeams too.

You could re-sign him and still draft a kid and let all three compete for the SLB spot keeping the best two. As it stands right now Roach is actually our #2 MLB not Costanzo so if we plan of getting rid of him we'll need to have someone to backup Urlacher and Costanzo isn't really the right guy.

If the right LB prospect falls to us in either of the first two rounds or we need to move up to get him in two then I think the time has come for us to do it. It just depends on whose there.

You can check my response to you about TEs in that other thread about those two draft prospects. It's detailed pretty well so I won't go into it all again here. I'll just say that Cutler trusts Davis enough on certain throws but if they're not putting Davis in those spots then there's isn't much either he or Cutler can do about it.

If he didn't trust him then why did that TD pass go to him in the Carolina game. He was pretty well covered but had a huge physical edge over his defenders. Cutler saw that, made the perfect throw and Davis made a clutch catch on a 20 yard bullet for six. He drops that ball and we lose. I'd say there was some trust there big time.

Sometimes it's tough to evaluate guys. So often a fan sees only what he expects to see and when it's not their we want change. But if what we see is based on how a guy is being played and the coaches are satisfied with that well then that's what we get. That's when I start questioning the coaches and not the player.

It always easy to watch a guy on some other team doing what we want out guy to do but how often do we see high priced FA change teams and get plugged into a system that doesn't fit them and they become high priced busts? Maybe we need to ask Philly about that? Seems to me they have a few over there.

oh, absolutely. Being able to learn under Urlacher has value. Lots of it.

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Originally Posted by soulman

I don't know much of anything about draft prospects brother. You'll have to ask sox his opinions on those guys. I don't watch enough college football to know.

My guess is that with J.T. Thomas showing up pretty well on STeams that he may give Roach a run for his money next year if Roach is still with us. If he's not looking for big money he may be worth keeping around. He's a smart ballplayer who doesn't make many mistakes and he plays well on STeams too.

You could re-sign him and still draft a kid and let all three compete for the SLB spot keeping the best two. As it stands right now Roach is actually our #2 MLB not Costanzo so if we plan of getting rid of him we'll need to have someone to backup Urlacher and Costanzo isn't really the right guy.

If the right LB prospect falls to us in either of the first two rounds or we need to move up to get him in two then I think the time has come for us to do it. It just depends on whose there.

You can check my response to you about TEs in that other thread about those two draft prospects. It's detailed pretty well so I won't go into it all again here. I'll just say that Cutler trusts Davis enough on certain throws but if they're not putting Davis in those spots then there's isn't much either he or Cutler can do about it.

If he didn't trust him then why did that TD pass go to him in the Carolina game. He was pretty well covered but had a huge physical edge over his defenders. Cutler saw that, made the perfect throw and Davis made a clutch catch on a 20 yard bullet for six. He drops that ball and we lose. I'd say there was some trust there big time.

Sometimes it's tough to evaluate guys. So often a fan sees only what he expects to see and when it's not their we want change. But if what we see is based on how a guy is being played and the coaches are satisfied with that well then that's what we get. That's when I start questioning the coaches and not the player.

It always easy to watch a guy on some other team doing what we want out guy to do but how often do we see high priced FA change teams and get plugged into a system that doesn't fit them and they become high priced busts? Maybe we need to ask Philly about that? Seems to me they have a few over there.

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I would say it might take not one but 2 LB's in the hopper. You hedge your bet if one isn't the one you want at MLB but at the same time add extra depth. And if it's a longer term vision your looking for an eventual Briggs replacement as well. Might not be, but your taking extra steps and being proactive.

Doubt many are watching the SMU - Fresno State game tonight but I gotta throw a name out there . SMU has a 6'8 280lb DE named Margus Hunt . He's quick athletic and could be a mid round steal . He's having an excellent game . He's only been playing fb for 4yrs ( since he's from Estonia ) but this is exactly the kind of guy Belichick would draft and turn into a stud .

Guys got great potential . It's a name we're gonna start hearing about . Hope Emery knows about him .

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Originally Posted by Alf The Ref

Doubt many are watching the SMU - Fresno State game tonight but I gotta throw a name out there . SMU has a 6'8 280lb DE named Margus Hunt . He's quick athletic and could be a mid round steal . He's having an excellent game . He's only been playing fb for 4yrs ( since he's from Estonia ) but this is exactly the kind of guy Belichick would draft and turn into a stud .

Guys got great potential . It's a name we're gonna start hearing about . Hope Emery knows about him .

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Now you did it, dude will be our next LT

Here's what I'd draft (not in any real order) MLB, G, C, CB (This one is a strech.)

I think we'd be better off looking for a Des Clark type in Free Agency. Then we don't get a wasted pick.

We also need more O-Line depth bad.

Also with all the holes has anyone considered the idea that Emery might trade down to get some extra picks to play with?

All the "Max Protect" schemes that Tice is forced to use in order to keep JC upright takes the Tight End out of the "O" as a receiver. We need "O" line help in the worst way either in FA or the draft or both (probably both). That should be Emery's top priority IMHO.
:smile:

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Originally Posted by omc1969

All the "Max Protect" schemes that Tice is forced to use in order to keep JC upright takes the Tight End out of the "O" as a receiver. We need "O" line help in the worst way either in FA or the draft or both (probably both). That should be Emery's top priority IMHO.
:smile:

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Yes, and it has also hurt Forte's production as a receiver. With the necessity for everyone to help the oline, it hurts our overall offense. Teams can load up on Marshall and that's the end of our passing attack. The oline can't open many holes for our RB's, so unless Forte can make yardage on his own around the ends, we can't run effectively.

It is WHY our offense is so bad. When you think about it, there's not much "play calling wise" that Tice can call to overcome this. Pass or run - we're screwed.