had2bhawk":1fi1bh5d said:
Correct me if I'm wrong but, I don't think he played a full season last year. Nothing against DW by any means. He has been great for the Hawks through the years but remember he is 36.Staying in shape after 14 years at 315lbs is asking alot. Sorry but age does catch up. To say he will be top 10 this coming year I think will be a stretch.
The problem is that we do not have a viable option to replace Brown in the lineup, and combined with the importance of the position, we don't have a lot of leverage. Even if Brown were to miss just a couple of games, it could make a huge difference in our post season prospects. It would have been nice if we could have used one of those draft picks we spent to acquire Jamal Adams on a left tackle prospect that we could have been grooming as an eventual replacement for Brown. We've placed ourselves in a bad spot.
I guess it depends on how we view our team. If we think that we're just a player or two away from a SB appearance, then we have to get Brown in the lineup. If we're worried about 2 or 3 years down the road, then due to his age, it would make sense to play hardball with him, not extend his contract beyond the current season.