Defensive Starters (Speculation) Holy Crap we could be.....

[Anthony!]

Anthony, wow, you are a really negative poster. Is there nothing remotely exciting about the Allen addition possibility? You know the team is likely not as bad as you have concluded they have become, as some of the depth may just be ready to shine.

We've heard the constant kvetch about the OLine. Answer this, who should they sign that's out there? Who's out there worth paying big bucks to acquire? Are they proven and demonstrably talented like Allen? BTW the cap until recently was very overweighted for the O.

If there isn't a guy that is out there then your answer for the OLine is the draft or the re-cycling of castoffs to find a diamond in the rough, or a trade. Is there a trade you advocate? It is only the 2nd week of FA and any potentially top tier OLinemen have been well paid or likely even overpaid already. Is it Breno you grieve over with his consistent drive stalling penalty taking predisposition, or McQuistan? Would you have paid Breno the $ the Jets paid, & will the team actually be worse without him? Was McQuistan worth his deal last year is it worth paying a 31 yr old marginal talent for him to return?

The potential addition of the threat that is Allen is exciting. Apparently you disagree and think the the FO doesn't get the need for a RT or better OG talent & depth at OT? Really? Or is it the need for a WR? You do know this draft is the deepest in talent in 10 years @ WR don't you? JMO but frankly the talent we have here now is quite underrated or appreciated. Regardless, do you not think the reason why Tate wasn't as big a FA priority was tactical and a draft target or two haven't been identified? We will likely get a conditional pick back for him.

Hey, lest it appear this is an attack, it isn't, but your negativity which I suppose is a reasonable position based on the present + & - of FAs seems awfully premature in the 2nd week of FA and prior to the draft.
Let the picture develop and see what the team looks like after the draft. Maybe you'll be surprised they did take a 4-12 team to winning the Super Bowl in 4 seasons. Keeping the core together will be much harder. Changes will be consistent with this FO.

actually know when you ignore the weak link of the team. As to the draft that is great but no o-line man is going to come in to the system we use and be able to significantly help. WR maybe. The point is while we take what was already a top defense and make it better the offense has gotten worse. Rw was the most hit, hurried and sacked QB in the league last year, think he will survive another like that? I am not so sure. WE went into the off season with everyone knowing the weak link is the o-line and still nothing. My negativity is base don no real attempts to strengthen the weakest part of our team, which also happens to supposedly protect the most important player on the team. Its pretty simple the fact so many of you want to over look it is mind boggling.

 

[Shane Falco]

Amazing looking at all those names in a birdseye view. Damn we are blessed.

 

[Sac]

Anthony!

We didn't have much of an O line last year either. Missed 3 starters for half the season and still won the toughest division in football and the Owl.

The free agent guards and tackles that were available were not worth the money they got in FA, and I'm glad the front office didn't over pay for anyone.

Clearly, our depth was good enough to survive, and the draft is upcoming.

We'll be fine.

 

[Anthony!]

Anthony!

We didn't have much of an O line last year either. Missed 3 starters for half the season and still won the toughest division in football and the Owl.

The free agent guards and tackles that were available were not worth the money they got in FA, and I'm glad the front office didn't over pay for anyone.

Clearly, our depth was good enough to survive, and the draft is upcoming.

We'll be fine.

yes we will be fine Az improved their defense hugely, the rams already gave us issues and are better and SF well they are SF and we split with them. Clearly our depth was good enough to allow our QB to be the most hit, hurried, and sacked QB in the league, but hey we won, so who cares. The draft will help with depth but does not solve the main issue the o-line in the last 2 years have been ranked an avg of 25th in pass blocking, that will not get it down in our division. As to what they got paid, what is too high, the top ranked o-lineman who signed has a cap hit avg 6mil he was an A-, breno was a c, The next guy down who is a B+ is at 3.5 mil a year. 3.5 mil a year to upgrade from a C to a B+ and protect your franchise QB seems pretty small, especially when you are talking about adding yet another pass rusher at well over 5 mil. Breno was paid 3.5 mil for 2013 so for the same you upgrade big time. FYI ESPN FA tracking grades all the FAs. Paul McQ is making 3 mil but we will not pay 3.5 for a B+ o-lineman really. We cannot go through another seasons with Rw being the most hit, hurried and sacked QB in the league. Not only are we risking him being injured which would end any attempt to repeat, but not doing anything to improve the o-line and for that matter putting more talent around Rw may make him consider not staying. He wants to be the best hard to do that when you on the ground a lot, have no talent around you, and are in a run first offense. that is 3 huge things, for him to consider, if it was just the run first offense I do not think it is an issue, but all three not good.

 

[Throwdown]

Ayo Anthony, if you have concerns about the team please make a thread about it, do not come into other threads that have nothing to do with it and derail discussions.

 

[Maxman186]

Anthony!

We didn't have much of an O line last year either. Missed 3 starters for half the season and still won the toughest division in football and the Owl.

The free agent guards and tackles that were available were not worth the money they got in FA, and I'm glad the front office didn't over pay for anyone.

Clearly, our depth was good enough to survive, and the draft is upcoming.

We'll be fine.

yes we will be fine Az improved their defense hugely, the rams already gave us issues and are better and SF well they are SF and we split with them. Clearly our depth was good enough to allow our QB to be the most hit, hurried, and sacked QB in the league, but hey we won, so who cares. The draft will help with depth but does not solve the main issue the o-line in the last 2 years have been ranked an avg of 25th in pass blocking, that will not get it down in our division. As to what they got paid, what is too high, the top ranked o-lineman who signed has a cap hit avg 6mil he was an A-, breno was a c, The next guy down who is a B+ is at 3.5 mil a year. 3.5 mil a year to upgrade from a C to a B+ and protect your franchise QB seems pretty small, especially when you are talking about adding yet another pass rusher at well over 5 mil. Breno was paid 3.5 mil for 2013 so for the same you upgrade big time. FYI ESPN FA tracking grades all the FAs. Paul McQ is making 3 mil but we will not pay 3.5 for a B+ o-lineman really. We cannot go through another seasons with Rw being the most hit, hurried and sacked QB in the league. Not only are we risking him being injured which would end any attempt to repeat, but not doing anything to improve the o-line and for that matter putting more talent around Rw may make him consider not staying. He wants to be the best hard to do that when you on the ground a lot, have no talent around you, and are in a run first offense. that is 3 huge things, for him to consider, if it was just the run first offense I do not think it is an issue, but all three not good.

Could you please stop

 

[Lady Talon]

The end is coming! 0-16! All our skill players suffer career enders! The Browns will win 5 lombardis before we reach the playoffs again!

 

[jammerhawk]

His point is he thinks we are worse.

Unfortunately although the grumble is there, sadly no proposals on how to fix the problem are proposed nor any comment on the offensive players taken in FA and how they fit for the Hawks pricewise or otherwise. I suppose Tate's loss grates, but the recognition that the FO made an executive decision on relative value to price or even opportunity cost in keeping him seems lost here.

As far as the OLine JMO but there wasn't much of anything worth grabbing in FA and no one worth overpaying for. So is the loss of Tate not fixable with a reasonable draft. Can't we do better than Breno at RT? My thinking is that the right OL players under Coach Cable will play well enough to protect RW and knuckle some heads in the running game, but hey they weren't that special last season. So perhaps it won't be that hard. Being healthy might really be the biggest improvement.

What is the obvious point missed by Schneider? My thinking is it is waaaaaaay too soon to criticize what is happening and the team they are building at this point in March. Come the draft or August maybe, but JS is quick to make changes and trades when he thinks his team needs help. Jeez Louise it's only the 2nd week of FA.

As a fan I want to see the OLine become dominant, Russell protected and able to work his demonstrated magic, plus some improvements in the passing game. That said we pound the rock and the Hawks win doing just that. I'm happy when Marshawn gets 100 and the team wins the TOP battle. When that happens statistically the team wins.

I think if the team actually adds Allen they are going to be fearsome good on D and when the new players are added to the O we'll see if the concerns are justified or the vision of the FO flawed. My bet is they will be better.

Did I mention it's only March. As we know the season doesn't start until September. We need a RT and maybe a WR, kinda think we'll be fine. Perhaps in fact the team has all it needs right now. But as there are just 66 guys on the roster at present perhaps the answer may be found in the 24 others to be added.

Can't wait until we know about Allen.

 

[THUGCAPS]

I think this year's defense could absolutely be better than last year. It's gonna be amazing to see how much more these guys can improve, considering they aren't even in their "prime" yet. Earl Thomas will only be 25 when the season starts. Bobby Wagner has only been in the league 2 years, and I expect him to get a lot better. It'll be hard to keep them together, so next year could be the final year of a truly "historic" defense. I really hope that if Jared Allen is signed, the contract is no more than 2 years/13 million, just for the sake of all those future contracts.

 

[jammerhawk]

I really would love to know if Allen is locked up b/c it for sure will make a tremendous difference to their draft direction.

 

[Throwdown]

I tried