AZ54

We need 2 DTs, not 1, and they both need to good enough to challenge for playing time or a roster spot. I'm ok with Ratliff but he's at the end of his career. Paea has never proven reliable. Collins is coming off a serious knee injury. I don't count Izzy as a DT (despite my suspicions that his versatility is the main reason he was signed). I don't count Houston as a DT either. There is no reason to take Houston, a guy that's a strength at DE against both run and pass, and make him a weakness at DT. Kicking either him or Izzy inside on occasion for pass rush is fine by me. At this point we're drafting 2 DTs unless we sign another FA DT, which is entirely possible. Even if we do sign someone, at this point to a vet min deal, I think we're likely to draft 2 DTs one early and one late. At the top of the draft our needs have to be DT, CB, and S. We've infused our DE position with two young talented players (Houston, Young) we need someone in that category at DT. Final roster likely keeps 9 Dlinemen, so figure 4 DTs, 4 DEs and one swing player in Izzy? Not that I think Izzy is a lock to make the roster. Competition for that 4th DE spot just heated up big time.

He should be able to do that with sharing some reps, and taking off on run downs to keep the legs fresher.

Agreed, makes no sense whatsoever despite what reporters are saying. We still need help at FS, CB, DT, and DE and we're not getting all of it via the draft.

ha totally jacked up that last sentence. Too many revisions on it, or too many beers.

I'm confident we will see some of that.

Atlanta will be disappointed with Hester as a WR. Let's roll the tape back a year where Hester was saying he just wanted to focus on one thing….returns. Now he says he wants to play some WR again. He only says he wants to play WR when there's a new contract involved. He was a good returner for us last year but he was not what he used to be. I think he'll have a good year returning kicks for Atlanta as well, maybe even grab a couple more TDs. I wish him the best unless it's against us. As for him being faster and quicker on the turf in Atlanta….I'm pretty sure the coverage units will be faster and quicker too.

So was Dee Milliner and he struggled a lot last year. Enough that there's plenty of talk of the Jets needing a #1 CB again this year. That's just one season and certainly Milliner can continue to improve but it highlights my concerns over players like Dix who play behind elite talent at the college level. Their mistakes are often covered up and everyone focuses on the highlight plays. Dix can take the risk on a play knowing his Those highlight plays are easier to make because taking the risk on it. It's not hard to find Dix making the same mistakes Conte makes in coverage, or just being late the ball. OTOH he will make some excellent plays closing fast on the ball. I just see the guy as a good player not elite.

I need some feedback from our resident draft gurus. I did a bit of research on safeties in the draft and was surprised to see what appears to be a very thin group this year in terms of talent. I favor the draft analysis at the links below because their player profiles seem to be very accurate when guys get to the next level. If these guys are right, there are a couple prospects at the top and then the drop off is very rapid to day 3. There just doesn't seem to be a lot to choose from between Rd 2/3. This does not seem to be the right year to be going into a draft needing help at both safety positions. Maybe that's why we threw so many bodies at the SS position. What do our draft experts think about safety talent this year especially in the mid-rounds? Give me some hope because I really don't like the idea of drafting a safety in Rd 1 unless he's an elite talent. None of these guys is an elite talent this year. http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/draft/prospectrankings/2014/FS http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/draft/prospectrankings/2014/SS

http://walterfootball.com/freeagents2014rumors.php 3/23: The Rams, Bears, Seahawks and Browns are possible landing spots for Mark Sanchez, per Rich Cimini, ESPN New York. We've rehabbed one QB so far why not another? I'm not a big fan of Sanchez mostly because I don't think he has it mentally. Not so much playing smarts, although that needs work as well, but moreso on the ability to handle the pressure that comes with the job. Maybe a backup role is where he can succeed but he does not have the headstrong character traits Josh McCown displayed while he was here on several short term contracts.

That's not always true. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13...ick-ordeal.html Where Cutler would have fired off right back at Young for that crap Brady immediately looks for help.

Like I said, he is not Shea McClellin.

Considering the so-so year (although I liked how he competed at DT for us) and his surgery he's got a pretty good deal in Minn IMO. I thought he'd end up closer to $1mil for a year, and maybe even vet min. His versatility helped in this case. He's a good guy and I expect he'll be around the league for another 5 years.

I'd like to see that as well. The Seahawks offered him something reportedly around $5mil but that might be pure guesstimate. Most important to me is that they only offered him a spot as the 3rd man in their DE rotation and that is exactly the position I'd like to see him fill for us. Let the younger and stronger guys handle the run downs. I know he said he wanted to be somewhere he would still the starter with the majority of reps but if he comes to accept that a) he's older and less reps means he'll be fresher for the pass rush and can likely have a few successful seasons in that role and c) he can still earn some big money but not the $10mil/yr he wanted and d) he will still be a name player because he will get plenty of sacks in a reduce role and e) he will have a shot at winning a Superbowl ring doing that Several teams are interested just don't know if we're one of them. If he's still set on earning $10mil/yr or close to that and wants to be the starter then I'm not interested.

I wanted him back but there was no need for us to go that high for Melton. Year 1 not bad, but that escalation kills it IMO. He can be just "good to very good" with say 5-6 sacks and are you really going to cut him? He's not that good in run defense, not like an $8-9mil/yr player should be. I will carefully watch what Collins does this year versus Melton but I'm thinking we'll get a lot more value for our money.

Standard. No idea there was an outline option and now that I do know there is one I'll still be in standard mode. That's because I value each and every word each of you has to say!

Standard. No idea there was an outline option and now that I do know there is one I'll still be in standard mode. That's because I value each and every word each of you has to say!

http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/draft/nfl-dra...-oregon-workout I still like him late in the draft but I think it's likely the kid from the CFL, Chris Williams, can fill this role.

That is 100% correct. We signed special teams guy when we already had one special teams guy (Hester) on the roster. For that matter we also had a slot reserved for Costanzo. Special teams coverage is important but the good GMs and/or coaches will find a guy that can do that and be a decent backup at their position (DB/WR/LB). I can live with one specialist but not three. With three veterans like that on the roster you are not reserving a spot for a young player to develop into a good position player.

If he is it will be at Emery's price. I highly doubt we'd pay him $10mil/yr (for one we don't even have the cap space). He's certainly not worth more than what Peppers received as he's not that good playing the run. Peppers is not even worth what he received. I'd say Allen ends up earning around $5mil/yr. I would love the trio of Houston, Young, and Allen as the 3rd man in the rotation. Much better edge rushing than anything we saw last year. Draft Donald, kick Houston inside on 3rd and long with Allen and Young off the edge and we will get pressure…quickly.

Emery has 50% of our 10yr draft success in terms of Rd 1-3 players who made it to the Pro Bowl. (2 of 4) He has done that in just two drafts.

I'd be very happy with that draft too. Ha Ha is an extremely fluid runner in the open field and covers a ton of ground quickly. I watch a little bit of the combine just to get an idea who some of these guys are and what they bring to the table. He stood out among the safeties. http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-player-inter...ine-performance It seems he has the smarts to diagnose what's going on with plays as well. Downside -- he's not very big and not a physical tackler but we need coverage skills on the backend and a sure tackler. I don't think he's Ed Reed though and I'm leery of players like him that were behind an often dominant front 7 so it's easier to make standout plays. I'm not sure about using #14 on him but if we did and got Quarles in the 2nd that'd be fine. We need some realistic starter level competition at FS with Conte and Dix will provide that.

If the Giants don't protect their $20mil QB nothing they do anywhere else in the draft will matter. I don't see them gambling on a lightweight DT that high in the draft.

I heard the Seahawks were negotiating with him but that seems to have cooled off. I think what's happening is that Melton's market is not nearly as strong as what he hoped for. So he keeps shopping. Now he's headed to StL. http://walterfootball.com/freeagents2014rumors.php 3/17: "If there is a Henry Melton signing with the Cowboys, doesn't sound like it'll happen tonight. Vikings in it, Seahawks not as much." - Ian Rapoport

He was never quick around the corner and he's not quicker today than he was two years ago. He was good inside as a pass rusher and I'm sure he can play some DE for us on run downs. I don't see him as the special teams ace he was 5 years ago either. Overall, I think he's just another "versatile" player Emery and Trestman seek. Having said that, why tie up cap space on Izzy in his 12th season at DE when they've stated they want to get younger on defense and have all these players competing at DE: Houston Young Bass Lane Washington Ozougwu Robertson Scott and we still have part time rusher in SMC, and I expect we'll add someone via the draft. A draftee puts us at 9 DEs on the roster, 10 if we add Izzy to the mix. Or they cut someone. At DT on our roster we have: Collins Paea At NT we have: Ratliff At some point when you get to training camp there are only so many reps to go around and working 10 players through DE competition. I don't seriously think guys like Tracy Robertson, 6-4 285lbs 5.1 forty, are contenders as pass rushers either. He's competition for whatever role they envision for Izzy. Someone like Trevor Scott, 6-5 ran a 4.54 forty is in competition for a job as an edge rusher. Nothing stops them from cutting some of these bottom roster guys either. It's hard to know since we are changing our defensive scheme but one year removed from letting Izzy go from our DE group we suddenly decide he's the answer on the edge. Seems odd to me. The question remains, are we going to use some 3-4 looks? While we are not going all out to a 3-4, when I see a guy like Izzy I can see him doing well as a situational 3-4 DE.

Exactly, they are paying a guy $8.5mil who does not need to be double teamed anymore.