Offseason wishlist

[bmorepunk]

If I'm Mr. Allen, I'm waiting for the plane to land and "pulling rank" and handing pink slips to Bevell and Cable the second they get off the plane. Bevell should have been gone last year after the "2nd and wrong"! Years like this year is why you need to win games like XLIX, because you are not going to be in a Super Bowl every year, it extremely hard to get there.

Has there ever been an owner meddling that has ended really well? This sounds like Dan Snyder or Jerry Jones type of moves.

 

[Ozzy]

I'm sure this is just a rehash of what is written above but here is my wishlist

1. Overhaul of the O-line. I think it has to be addressed at least in part via free agency. Arizona massively improved their line with a couple of smart signings and I think there are enough guys out there who know we are a couple of lineman away from being a juggernaut on offense. Probably have to hit this spot in the draft as well. Hoping for 2-3 new starters with at least 1-2 who are proven guys. We have a 4-5 year window, lets fix it now.

2. Healthy Paul Richardson. I know this isn't something the team can do but since its a wishlist I'll put this here regardless. Richardson could shine in this new offensive/Wilson era. A Lockett, Baldwin, Richardson, Graham passing attack could and should be the best in the league with all of their strengths complimenting each other. This probably means Kearse isn't worth a bigger contract than what he has now and that puts me in the minority but that is how I see it. I'm not against making it work with him as well but Richardson if healthy provides much more upside.

3. Upgrade at Corner. Hoping a guy like Apple falls to 26 but that's a long shot.

4. 3rd down RB. I'm thankful for Jackson and what he did but we need an upgrade at that spot next year. A dynamic receiving back in the Gio Bernard/Sproles type mold would be nice. These types of guys can be picked up later in drafts as well.

5. Healthy returns for Graham, Rawls, Richardson etc.

 

[hawknation2015]

I'm sure this is just a rehash of what is written above but here is my wishlist

1. Overhaul of the O-line. I think it has to be addressed at least in part via free agency. Arizona massively improved their line with a couple of smart signings and I think there are enough guys out there who know we are a couple of lineman away from being a juggernaut on offense. Probably have to hit this spot in the draft as well. Hoping for 2-3 new starters with at least 1-2 who are proven guys. We have a 4-5 year window, lets fix it now.

2. Healthy Paul Richardson. I know this isn't something the team can do but since its a wishlist I'll put this here regardless. Richardson could shine in this new offensive/Wilson era. A Lockett, Baldwin, Richardson, Graham passing attack could and should be the best in the league with all of their strengths complimenting each other. This probably means Kearse isn't worth a bigger contract than what he has now and that puts me in the minority but that is how I see it. I'm not against making it work with him as well but Richardson if healthy provides much more upside.

3. Upgrade at Corner. Hoping a guy like Apple falls to 26 but that's a long shot.

4. 3rd down RB. I'm thankful for Jackson and what he did but we need an upgrade at that spot next year. A dynamic receiving back in the Gio Bernard/Sproles type mold would be nice. These types of guys can be picked up later in drafts as well.

5. Healthy returns for Graham, Rawls, Richardson etc.

Corner, as a need, has to be pretty far down the totem poll. They have Sherman, Burley, Simon, Seisay, and Smith all returning at corner. In addition, they could re-sign Lane and/or Shead. That's a lot of good corner options.

In hindsight, signing Cary Williams was kind of an unnecessary panic move after the injuries to Sherman/Simon/Lane and departure of Maxwell. They already had better options in the pipeline with more experience in our system.

I'm hoping that Michael will develop into a solid 3rd down back. His blocking seems to have improved and he has good hands as a receiver. Rawls and Michael would give us an excellent one-two punch.

 

[Ozzy]

Burley, Simon, Seisay and Smith are all nice depth or potentially good guys but I want a guy who can play at a pro bowl caliber level on the other side away from Sherman. A Marcus Peters type guy who as a rookie was a monster. I know its hard to find but this year there are a couple of options who could fit the bill. We were torched at that spot at different times this year. Lane played fairly well but I'm not convinced he's back next year.

I'm with you on Michael. I haven't seen enough of his pass catching skills to say he can be a dynamic third down guy but its possible. I love him as a #2 and still think he has a ton of upside.

 

[hawknation2015]

Burley, Simon, Seisay and Smith are all nice depth or potentially good guys but I want a guy who can play at a pro bowl caliber level on the other side away from Sherman. A Marcus Peters type guy who as a rookie was a monster. I know its hard to find but this year there are a couple of options who could fit the bill. We were torched at that spot at different times this year. Lane played fairly well but I'm not convinced he's back next year.

I'm with you on Michael. I haven't seen enough of his pass catching skills to say he can be a dynamic third down guy but its possible. I love him as a #2 and still think he has a ton of upside.

When Simon was healthy, he was statistically the best corner in the league, allowing receptions at a lower rate per snap than anyone else. Burley has really developed nicely into an excellent nickel corner. Smith also appears to have the potential to develop into our next Pro Bowl-caliber corner. I just don't see the point of drafting high for a cornerback with what they already have in the pipeline. Either way, it would take over a year to teach a rookie corner the proper technique.

 

[Ozzy]

I guess we just disagree. I love Simon's potential but don't trust him to stay healthy. Smith is a nice prospect but its a little early to say he will develop into our next pro-bowl corner. I like our group and the next Sherman may very well be there but with the new pass happy NFL you can't have too many of those guys.

Rookies can come in and play very well in their rookie years, I listed Peters for that very reason.

I'm not saying its the first priority but if a difference maker a that position falls who Pete sees as special he will jump at the oppurtunity to take him. Don't be shocked to see us grab a guy in the 1st this year.

Edit added: One thing I forgot about in my initial wishlist is a blocking tight end. It would mask some of our line problems and give us a better chance at completely stuff down the field when the situation calls for it. I love Graham and I'm excited to see what he will do but that doesn't diminish the fact that a blocking TE would be a great addition.

 

[jammerhawk]

Wish List

I'd like to see the team keep as many of our FAs as they can. Keeping as much of the team together allows for continuity. In particular I'd like to see the team keep Lane and Shead. If this means the team needs to move on from Lynch I'm OK with that to find the $. I don't want to see any player kevetching about their contract next season. Bennett deserves a raise and an extension.

If Lynch goes I'd like to see the team draft a hard running back later in the draft to compete for playing time. Michael should be brought back if he is truly a FA and kept so long as his attitude is right.

I suspect the team should move on from Okung who has remained consistently unreliable with injuries and who is penalty machine as he now has to frequently false start to deal with speed rushers b/c he has been slowed by his numerous toe, foot, ankle, kneeinjuries. He is not worth paying starting LT money to anymore. I'd be nice if they could acquire a quality LT either by trade or in FA. I'd like to see the team also draft early for a RT to compete with Gilliam and acquire an experienced C. With the backup guys they have now like Britt (I know he's a starter) , Glowinski, and Sokoli adding an experienced C plus a quality LT the line would be significantly improved. I expect that Sweezy may be gone as the drop off to Glowinski isn't worth paying Sweezy big money and I think Glowinski may have a higher upside. The OLine needs the most help. Having an effective and capable OLine is my biggest wish.

I believe each of Kearse, Lane, and Shead deserve to be re-upped and would like to see that happen. If it is possible money wise to keep Mebane, Rubin and Irvin it'd be a good thing but each of these guys is more fungible than many here bElieve. For one season I'd like to see Simon healthy to see what he can really do.

It'd be nice to see a legit blocking TE come from the crew the team has here already , maybe Coffman?

The team was a lot better in the end than their regular season results showed. There were 2or 3 games that they lost by close scores that they should not have lost. Next season for them a goal should be to start quicker in every game as spotting big leads to opponents is recipe for problems. It makes it harder to finish well.

All in all the nucleus of a championship team is here and there are only a few critical areas to repair.

I do want to see a few quality draft picks added to the pile.

Next year I'd like to see a healthy season.

 

[peppersjap]

A pass rush

Our pass rush is awesome considering we never blitz. I agree with you though, we need to bring some pressure and the only way we can do that is by throwing in some blitzes.