Offseason Possibilities

[Cougar54]

I know its early but its something that needs to be addressed. We have two main problems with our team. 1) the running game and 2) our defensive secondary.

I don't see our offensive line being the main reason why we cant get the run game going. I mean we need a back that just knows how to hit a hole. A doubt that we will get Michael Turner so I think we should take a guy like Anthony Aldridge. Hes a kid with amazing speed and is a threat to take it to the house every time he touches the ball. Another good thing is that he will be there in mid rounds unless his stock rises due to his amazing speed. I still think we would be able to pick him up in the fourth round because of the offense he plays in at college.

I say we try and pursue a guy like Sam Baker out of USC with our first round pick. Our offensive line still needs help and he's been a solid left tackle for the Trojan. It would be nice to get Salaam off the field, I would like to see Spencer (if healthy) move to guard. I believe Winston is playing great at the opposite tackle position.

I think we pursue Asante Samuel and just give him the money because he's worth every cent of it. We don't know how long Dunta will be out and even if he makes a full recovery it will be like having two pro bowl caliber corners. With hopefully our first round choice on an offensive lineman, i think we could use our third rounder on a safety and then our fourth on Aldridge. What do ya think?

[foozball]

why do we need aldridge? if he didnt play at UH, would you still want him?

1-OT Ryan Clady/Sam Baker
3-RB Cory Boyd
4-DBCharles Godfrey
5-C/OG Fernando Velasco
6-LB Alvin Bowen
7-DE Kirston Pittman

All our offense needs is some OL help and a RB. Boyd has all around ability and has alot of the skills that Ahman Green has.

Godfrey is a FS prospect, you can check him out in the draft forum where I already have a post on him.

Velasco is a versatile guy who can play both C and OG and has been paving the way for RB Knowshon Moreno.

Bowen is a little undersized at LB, but he'll have time to develop into his body because we have Greenwood signed for a few more years. He's a real tackling machine with speed.

Pittman has struggled through injuries throughout college, which is why he drops so far, but he's a perfect speed rushing guy who can play opposite Mario at 6'3 255lbs and playing on one of the best defenses in the country (LSU)

[TheLBCoach]

I like Woodyard at that spot more than I do Bowen. I also liked Chad Nkang last season as a 7th Rounder, but the Jags took him.

I'm sticking to my guns and staying with Clady in Round 1. It's a tough call, because Samuels is going to be there in FA. The thing is, I'd rather pay a boatload of money to a young rookie with room to develop instead of pay it to a multi-year veteran who's got some mileage on him.

Kalvin McRae in Round 5 is where I'd take my RB. I want to see what Echemandu can do in a starting capacity before season's end, and I'm very excited about Chris Taylor's return next season. Jorvorskie Lane, FB, is a guy I'd take in Round 4. I'd like to get our OL and our backfield set for both now and the future this offseason.

Round 3 is where I'd take Godfrey. If he's as good as you say he is, he warrants a Day 1 selection.

[wildroot]

nfldraftcountdown has us picking 20th in their mock draft?!?
Guess they're counting on us trading down? I like the pick though. (Clady)

[foozball]

thats an old mock...when we were winning

friday is an updated mock

[TheLBCoach]

thats an old mock...when we were winning

friday is an updated mock

I think Clady is the right choice with our 1st Round pick, but it'll be hard to pass on Jonathan Stewart if he's also on the board.

Who would you take?

[foozball]

clady...there will always be running backs...but if clady is as good as scouts think he is, then we have to take him.

[TheLBCoach]

clady...there will always be running backs...but if clady is as good as scouts think he is, then we have to take him.

Smart man.

Clady or Reggie Smith?

[foozball]

Clady again. Charles Godfrey offers better value as a 3rd rounder because eventually both Godfrey and Smith would be playing free safety for us anyways.

[bsofa04]

Maybe I just don't get it when it comes to Clady. He seems like a legitmate LT, but this draft is heavy on LT prospects. Jake Long and Sam Baker won't be available when we pick, but has anyone else considered first team all SEC LT Chris Williams out of Vanderbilt or Barry Richardson (first team as well) from Clemson? Gosdner Cherilus out of BC? What makes Clady better than these 3 players? Help me understand!

[misterpc]

here goes

free agency:
sign RB Turner
sign a capable #3 cornerback
resign LB Clark

draft:
1- LT Clady
3- safety
4-7: BPA


If we can plug the holes at S, OL, and RB all in one offseason I will call it a resounding success.

[foozball]

true. i think we'd rather find a fix at CB in free agency than at RB, only because Ahman is still under contract. unless we want to take a cap hit and just cut him or something. im not sure what the ramifications of cutting him would be. my point being that cutting ahman and signing turner would be way too expensive for the RB position.

but i agree. OT, RB, and FS are bigtime needs. so is CB, but we really only need a 1 year type guy until we find out how dunta's rehab goes.

we could devote all of our resources into signing Turner and Asante, and if Dunta comes back we can use Freddy as our #3 CB and hold him hostage ala Matt Schaub in Atlanta until we find a deal for him. or we can keep him and just rotate all 3 CB's in and out to keep them fresh.

[foozball]

well, Cherilus is a RT, and he's pretty much proven that with BC's recent downfall.

Chris Williams is a round 2 guy right now, and may move into round 1 with a strong showing at the combine and the senior bowl.

Barry Richardson is a huge guy, and he might be suited more for RT as well. his stock is all over the place....and that cant be a good thing. he's a boom or bust.

As far as Clady goes, his upside is the highest of them all. He's athletic as heck and he'd fit our system pretty well.

[bsofa04]

well, Cherilus is a RT, and he's pretty much proven that with BC's recent downfall.

Chris Williams is a round 2 guy right now, and may move into round 1 with a strong showing at the combine and the senior bowl.

Barry Richardson is a huge guy, and he might be suited more for RT as well. his stock is all over the place....and that cant be a good thing. he's a boom or bust.

As far as Clady goes, his upside is the highest of them all. He's athletic as heck and he'd fit our system pretty well.

I've been playing close attention to Richardson when Clemson is on ESPN and I have been impressed. Loadholt from OU has been impressive as well. I'll try to watch more games of Boise St. to get a better feel for Clady's potential. Thanks for the response.

[foozball]

one guy we can look at to fill in for dunta is Drayton Florence from San Diego. he'll be a free agent and he's a pretty decent CB. not a shutdown #1 guy, but a solid #2 and when/if Dunta comes back we can rotate Drayton and Freddy in and out and we wont feel pressured to play Drayton because he won't cost all that much compared to a guy like Asante.

CB- Fred Bennett
CB- Drayton Florence
Nickel- Jamar Fletcher
Dime- Von Hutchins

FS- Charles Godfrey
SS- CC Brown

[TheLBCoach]

one guy we can look at to fill in for dunta is Drayton Florence from San Diego. he'll be a free agent and he's a pretty decent CB. not a shutdown #1 guy, but a solid #2 and when/if Dunta comes back we can rotate Drayton and Freddy in and out and we wont feel pressured to play Drayton because he won't cost all that much compared to a guy like Asante.

CB- Fred Bennett
CB- Drayton Florence
Nickel- Jamar Fletcher
Dime- Von Hutchins

FS- Charles Godfrey
SS- CC Brown

This is how I think our secondary should look next season:

CB1 - Dunta Robinson
CB2 - Fred Bennett
CB3 - Von Hutchins
CB4 - Jason Horton

cut: Jamar Fletcher, Demarcus Faggins

FS - Will Demps, Charles Godfrey (Round 3)
SS - CC Brown, Brandon Harrison

We should also move Boulware to OLB, re-sign Clark to a 1-year deal, cut Barber and draft an OLB in Round 5 or 6 (Bowen or Woodyard)

[misterpc]

one guy we can look at to fill in for dunta is Drayton Florence from San Diego. he'll be a free agent and he's a pretty decent CB. not a shutdown #1 guy, but a solid #2 and when/if Dunta comes back we can rotate Drayton and Freddy in and out and we wont feel pressured to play Drayton because he won't cost all that much compared to a guy like Asante.

CB- Fred Bennett
CB- Drayton Florence
Nickel- Jamar Fletcher
Dime- Von Hutchins

FS- Charles Godfrey
SS- CC Brown

I dont like the looks of that secondary. Im not ready to write off Dunta yet, he's under contract for next year and may still play. I like this a little better:

starting
CB: Dunta Robinson
CB: Fred Bennet
FS: Will Demps
SS: 3rd round pick

bench
CB: (Florence), Hutchins, Fletcher
S: Mitchell, Harrison, CC, Earl [Boulware converted to OLB]

We need to pick up a respectable #2/3 type free agent CB, Florence could be a good candidate assuming he isnt too expensive. He'd work as the nickel or as a starter if needed, with Hutchins at dime and Fletcher 5th on the depth chart. D-Rob is still under contract and we should give him every chance to contribute next season even if it means converting him to FS. I am being optimistic, hoping that Dunta makes it back healthy and that a good SS would be available in the 3rd round. If we need to trade up into the 2nd round to get a badass strong safety we should do it. IMO our defense wont reach the next level until we improve at that position.

[foozball]

im thinking dunta is out for most of next year

[misterpc]

im thinking dunta is out for most of next year

Possible, which is why its a good idea to find a decent CB in free agency. I think the Texans will be better served to get a less expensive player that could function as a serviceable starter or nickelback. If need be the Texans could draft CB in the 4th round again. Im thinking Dunta will at least try to make a comeback next year.

[TheLBCoach]

Possible, which is why its a good idea to find a decent CB in free agency. I think the Texans will be better served to get a less expensive player that could function as a serviceable starter or nickelback. If need be the Texans could draft CB in the 4th round again. Im thinking Dunta will at least try to make a comeback next year.

Earl will probably be cut in the offseason in order to re-sign Demps.

[willieg52]

We will keep Demps, but I think he would be better served as a SS. Then that way we can draft a FS like K. Phillips who is a true ballhawk. The idea of Demps and Phillips would vastly improve our secondary.

[foozball]

I want Bobby McCray, the DE from the Jags. He's hardly played at all this year for some reason, so maybe he'll come cheap. He had 10 sacks in 2006.

I also want Drayton Florence, the DB from San Diego. He's not a #1 type CB, but he should fill in nicely for Dunta, and if Dunta's career is over, Drayton is still young. However......Florence is the same guy that knocked Schaub out of the game.

Michael Turner is an obvious choice, but can we afford him with Ahman? How big of a hit would we take if we cut him?

[TheLBCoach]

I want Bobby McCray, the DE from the Jags. He's hardly played at all this year for some reason, so maybe he'll come cheap. He had 10 sacks in 2006.

I also want Drayton Florence, the DB from San Diego. He's not a #1 type CB, but he should fill in nicely for Dunta, and if Dunta's career is over, Drayton is still young. However......Florence is the same guy that knocked Schaub out of the game.

Michael Turner is an obvious choice, but can we afford him with Ahman? How big of a hit would we take if we cut him?

You guys look at past stats way too much. He's an old vet who isn't playing much this season (for a reason). I'll pass.

I understand it'd be a small cap hit if we cut him after the 2nd year. Not sure about after the 1st.

[foozball]

bobby mccray is 26