Step Away From The Linebacker
This strategy did not work with Simeon Rice. Nor did it work with Jerry Rice. Sam Adams was a fat bust as well. We can argue all day about John Lynch. The casual fan loves Lynch because he looks like them, he's a good guy who doesn't get arrested, and he keeps going to Pro Bowls. I counter with the fact that he's old and slow and makes it to Honolulu solely on rep.
Regardless, yet another old, slow, high-profile defender has been unleashed by a Florida franchise. The Dolphins purged themselves of Zach Thomas' hefty compensation last week, and now he's sniffing around for work. Coincidentally, the Broncos could use a legitimate middle linebacker--the loss of Al Wilson and D.J. Williams' subsequent shift inside was not a smashing success last season. It would be very comfortable for Denver to go after Thomas, give him too much money, and sell a bunch of jerseys to white dudes from Longmont. I'm here to say that would be a bad idea.
Let the Patriots get Zach Thomas. They have an appetite for ancient linebackers, and it results in undefeated seasons lots of regular-season wins. Denver needs young, cheap, athletic players that will run through a brick wall.
On that note, the House of Georges will soon provide you with a bevy of pre-draft knowledge you can use to impress your friends and coworkers. Our man Cecil is the biggest draftnik I've ever met, and I'm sure he's furiously researching every overpriced draft mag he can convince his wife to let him buy. Stay tuned.
Meanwhile, in my highly uneducated opinion, I see three big areas of need for these Broncos (although that need of badassery is fairly universal across all positions). Safety and O-line are of utmost import, while the aforementioned MLB spot is pretty big as well.
Unfortuneately, this doesn't seem to be a big-time draft at two of those positions. Most of the big-time middle 'backers, like James Lauranitis and Rey Maualuga, stayed in school for their senior seasons. And most of the top-end DBS are corners, such as wicked Jayhawk Aqib Talib, who is a devoted Muslim who doesn't stand for the Pledge Of Allegiance. Or at least that's what I read in an anonymous e-mail.
If you're to believe the four-letter network, the draft's top safety is Miami's Kenny Phillips. Check out this ranking (Insider required) which states that Phillips is 6-foot-1 and 302 pounds and runs a 4.4 forty. It's a typo, obviously, but I think such a safety would be worthy of a first-round pick.
It seems obvious that the best value in Round One for the Broncos is at offensive tackle, but so long as they get a murderous human wrecking ball I could care less where he plays. Use the lower rounds for positions of need and egghead determinations of value. I want a monster right off the bat.
7 comments:
Amen on staying far, far away from Zach Thomas. Someone else can have Jason Taylor, too.
After getting burned by George Foster, I think Shanny will be reluctant to draft an OT in the first round.
Yes, but you can't operate based on your past mistakes forever. The old Alex Gibbs model of taking late-round OL picks and turning them into All-Pros is not working anymore. They need some skill and some beef up front.
Remember, Shanahan had never before invested big $ on a free-agent running back, and then he went after T-Hen last year. I think he's capable of evolving.
Good point.
To be honest, I wouldn't mind scrapping the zone blocking scheme altogether and picking up a bunch of 350 pounders to protect "the franchise."
C'mon, man. Continuing to draft nobodies and teaching them to chop block/cheat is the Shanny way! I mean, that's how we got those consecutive Lombardis, right? Let's keep tradition alive!
Bank, although the Shanny chop-block is primarily an offensive phenomenon, imagine little Zach's potential for falling down on opponents lower legs.
Even his pictured drinking buddies overshadow him.
Certainly a few million dollars could buy you an AFC West TE's shredded ACL?
DKC
Draftgasm comin' (chuckle).
A teaser: this kid sees the Broncs mos' def'netly picking a lineman in round 1, whether offense or defense.
The George Foster pick in 2003 was alternately curious and how they (hopefully) used to go about business. On the one hand, no one expected them to pick a lineman that early, especially in a draft as weak as that one. They evidently could not trade up for the guy they claimed to have wanted in Troy Polamalu, who went just prior to that pick to the Stillers, and ended up with a big project who had barely played in college.
Which, unfortunately, was reflective of their (hopefully, please god, hopefully) past draft strategy of selecting whichever available player had the biggest "upside." Whether or not he could actually play tackle football was not the prime concern--whether he was big and fast, ala Willie "Worst.Pick.Ever" Middlebrooks or big and strong like George "I'm actually attached to a rail that only allows me to move forward and backward" Foster. Either way, the siren call of upside was the determining factor.
They seem to have gotten away from that over the last few years, having picked guys like Elvis (too short) and Brandon M. (too big and slow for a receiver, not big enough for a tight end)--but then they came right back and picked Jarvis Moss last year. So who &$% knows?
Much, much more to come.
I shoulda said, they picked guys like Elvis and Brandon who could actually *play* and weren't just Mamulian triangle monsters. Anyway.
Rey Maualuga was the guy I wanted them to get. Sweet mother of mercy. He reminds me of Seau--when he gets hold of someone they move backward.
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