The Lines

I was just checking GBN....Collin Linsdsy's preview of what will be comming out next year. There seems to be a very nice bumper crop of OTs and DEs. Safety looks to be quite thin.

I know some hate draft threads mid season, but there is always the QB controversy threads to keep you busy.

Rucker is nearing the end of his career. Our tackles contracts will be up.

At this point in the season, if you were to pick between the two positions assuming the talent at our first pick will be equal, which postion would you pick and which do think the FO would choose.

 

Getting Jake Long would be unbelievable, but fortunately it looks like we won't pick high enough and I doubt that we'd be willing to trade up that far.

 

I wouldn't mind a DE, but we have some young guys that we hopefully will develop in time. If we were to go D line, I would rather us go DT, though it looks like Kemo has played better recently and Lewis and Moorhead even are playing better.

 

The OT contracts, IMO, are the a big issue. If the draft is deep enough that we can grab a starting RT, it may be worth doing.

I'm leaning towards keeping Travelle and letting Jordan go. Depending on the cost, I guess.

We have Bridges for RT if we need. LT is tougher to find, and Travelle has played well.

Gross is like a Corolla - not a pro bowler, but shows up for work and plays pretty well. I have no problem paying him as a Corolla - or even a Camry. But he's not a Lexus - and I think he'll get Lexus $$.

Maybe we can resign Wharton and tag Gross? Draft a young guy, and if he's starting material at RT, keep him and let Gross go in 2009?

Anybody know what the tag would cost to keep Gross?

 

Not the exact number, but it would be huge.

 

tag up front would cost more than the long term money. Of course, we're not on the hook to keep him at a ridiculous sum long term. I think of the guys who stay with a team 15 years, and don't miss starts, and they're better than this. They make Pro Bowls, and they don't make the Hall, but they're certainly an upgrade. Those guys are rare, but

I think we could very well put a specific amount of money on the board, put it up there for Gross and Wharton, and see who bites first. Then you make an attempt to sign the other for something near market but know you don't have to do it. If it came down to Bridges and a young guy with a lot of promise, I'm fine with that. I'm not often high on getting a first round OT, but I'm good with it over spending a ton and OT is a place you can get some definite value higher up with youth.

 

We pretty much have to resign either Wharton or Gross. Trying to replace both OTs at once would be a nightmare. I am fine keeping either one as they can both play LT. We can put Bridges at RT and be OK. It probably would not hurt us to draft an OL pretty high though. On defense I think we can get by better than of offense. Ideally we sign Rucker to a reasonably low deal and he finishes his career here. Failing that McClover and Johnson have potential.

 

$6.983 mil in 2007, and I think higher the year before.