Free Agent Pipe Dreams

[FrankRizzo]

(THIS IS ONLY FOR THOSE BORED or GIDDY ENOUGH TO DREAM FOR A MOMENT... not to complain, argue if we should or shouldn't ever buy good players, etc... other threads for that)

OK, we've all established, understood, that Teddy is NOT a player in Free Agency.
We won't make trades to bring in Percy Harvin or Anquan Boldin, nor will we sign guys like Dashon Goldson, Steven Jackson, Mike Wallace, Greg Jennings, Cullen Jenkins, etc.

But IF IF IF we could sign 3 guys to a total of about $16 mil per year (total), which 3 guys would YOU add?

Factor in everything:

• Talent
• Attitude
• Age
• Position of Need
• Who we can Draft, Depth of Draft, etc.

I'll use this list as a reference. http://insider.espn.go.com/nfl/freeagency/

I'll begin.
I will begin my identifying what I think are our weakest positions... with starters.
I hate our ILB's and I also think Bishop is not going to be the same, sadly. He ripped the whole damn hamstring OFF the bone or whatever it's supposed to be attached to. It wasn't just a tear.
Hawk doesn't make a difference.

Our #2 safety position needs help. Maybe Jerron McMillian can step up. I liked him. But they made it seem like he didn't progress at all last year. MD Jennings, same thing... not sure.
Sean Richardson, who knows. Woodson is gone. I also think Morgan Burnett is a bit overrated by many Packer fans. His tackling in the box vs Peterson was atrocious.

Our OT's are shaky because A) Newhouse is soft and B) Bulaga's hip is a question mark. What about Don Barclay?

What about TE?
I expect we give J-Mike a new deal now, lowering his cap # this year with about a 5-year deal.

RB... I am 99% sure the team now is happy to bring back a cheap banger in Cedric Benson, along with the exciting lower guy DuJuan Harris.
Alex Green will be a solid #3 RB.
James Starks' days are done in Green Bay.

OLB Elvis Dumervil
Scouts Inc.
Dumervil is an undersized defensive end with an explosive take off and excellent acceleration upfield and around the bend. He can dip his shoulders as he makes the turn to make it difficult for blockers to get their hands on him and he plays with a big motor. He tends to rely on speed alone a bit too often and needs to add to his repertoire of counter moves. He plays stronger than youd expect for his size, but he is small and will get swallowed up by bigger blockers when playing the run. He needs to play the edges of blockers and keep his feet active as he hits gaps and tries to penetrate. He is very quick to read blocking schemes as well as locate the level of the ball, and takes good angles to get there.


LB Justin Durant
Scouts Inc.
Durant had the most productive season of his career in 2012. He is a powerfully built linebacker with excellent athleticism. He is an instinctive defender who reacts quickly as plays unfold. He runs well and shows good range to overlap zones in the passing game and is effective in combination man schemes. He is a solid tackler in the open field and understands angles to leverage the ball. Durant brings consistency and leadership to the Lions.

ATTRIBUTES​

5= elite
1= poor​

• • 5 Diagnostic Skills

• • 5 Tackling

• • 5 Run Support

• • 3 Rush Skills

• • 3 Coverage Skills

• 4 Durability

​

S Kerry Rhodes
Scouts Inc.
Rhodes is a big safety with very good top-end speed and adequate agility and quickness. He is a smart player with good route recognition and the ability to read the quarterbacks eyes from off coverage, and an understanding of route progressions and play recognition. He is quick to make decisions and a solid field general in the secondary. He is a little stiff in the hips and can be a bit choppy in transition, but once he gets realigned he is quick to accelerate to the ball. He is a solid tackler both in space and in the hole.

OT Sebastian Vollmer
Scouts Inc.
Vollmer bounced back after an injury in 2011 to have an excellent season for the Patriots on the right side of the offensive line. He has excellent size and strength with good athleticism for the position. He understands leverage and angles at the point of attack as both a run- and pass-blocker. His great length makes it tough for defenders to get the edge, but he can get exposed at times versus quick counter moves. He brings consistency and attitude.

ATTRIBUTES​

• • 5 Run Blocking​

• • 4 Pass Blocking​

• • 5 Recognition​

• • 4 Mobility​

• • 4 Versatility​

• 4 Durability​

DT Sedrick Ellis
Scouts Inc.

Ellis has adequate size for an interior defensive lineman but plays the game stronger than he measures. He shows excellent initial quickness along with good agility and body control for playing inside the guard-tackle box. He plays with a good pad level and can feel pressure and leverage his way through blockers as he works his way to the ball. He is quick to locate the ball and takes good angles, and he does a good job of using his hands to defeat and shed blockers. He lacks the top upfield acceleration to be a consistent pass-rusher from the inside.​

ATTRIBUTES

• • 4 Run Defense

• • 4 Pass Rush

• • 3 Quickness

• • 5 Strength

• • 4 Recognition

• 5 Durability

​

My 3 that I get are:
Dumerville
Vollmer
Rhodes​

​

But there won't be enough $ to get all 3, because Doom & Vollmer are too expensive.​

So I add cheaper safety Dawon Landry instead of Rhodes. He's not great, but he's better now than any of our young guys, and he's a better tackler than Burnett. I want Burnett being more ballhawk than in the box:​

Scouts Inc.

Landry possesses good size with good foot quickness, agility and athleticism and solid speed. He's a bit of a one-speed runner and can get into trouble when receivers get behind him. He shows good route recognition and understands his limitations, which helps to prevent getting beat deep very often. He's a quick decision-maker who understands schemes and coverages and rarely gets caught out of position. He's a good tackler in the hole and has the ability to roll his hips to unload and deliver strong hits when tackling. He's more effective close to the line of scrimmage and should find a role as a leader and producer in 2013.​

ATTRIBUTES

• • 3 Man Coverage

• • 4 Zone Coverage

• • 3 Speed

• • 4 Ball Skills

• • 4 Run Support

• • 3 Versatility

• 4 Durability

​

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[HyponGrey]

Alan Branch, Michael Huff, Bryant McKinnie. Complete DT with length, Rangy Safety, Quality LT when he's not at DQ.

 

[FrankRizzo]

Alan Branch, Michael Huff, Bryant McKinnie. Complete DT with length, Rangy Safety, Quality LT when he's not at DQ.

I love your first 2, and they are "realistic"... meaning we could probly afford those 2.
I remember wanting Huff when he was coming out... I think we took Hawk.
I hate McKinnie as a person though, heard bad stuff about him. Give me Erik Winston instead.

 

[J Mills]

DT - Richard Seymour on a 1 year deal.
S - Kerry Rhodes or Quintin Mikell on a 1-2 year deal.
ILB - I also would have cut Hawk and looked to bring in Carlos Dansby on a 1-2 year deal.

As far as LT goes I think Long is the only LT worthy of a contract out there and he is out of our price range and has injury concerns, they are going to have to wait and see if Sherrod is ready to take over the position or consider moving Bulaga.

I would also wait on a RB, I don't see that as a position we need to put a lot of money into given our offense. Wait and see what happens with Deangelo Williams or bring back Benson and draft a back in the middle rounds.

Finally, re-sign Matthew and Rodgers, but wait on Raja draft one of the Jonathan's, Jenkins or Hawkins, or Jessie Williams you can always use the Franchise Tag on Raja but he needs to have a more impactful year this year.

 

[bozz_2006]

Lebron

 

[HyponGrey]

I love your first 2, and they are "realistic"... meaning we could probly afford those 2.
I remember wanting Huff when he was coming out... I think we took Hawk.
I hate McKinnie as a person though, heard bad stuff about him. Give me Erik Winston instead.

I went with Mckinnie because he's the best LT out there barring Long, who just signed with the Rams. Only thing I heard about him was weight issues, but if there's other stuff no thanks. Not sure Winston can LT...

 

[Spanish Rose]

I hope you guys are joking about Rhodes. 2 year wonder with the jets Kerry Rhodes? Shy away from contact Kerry Rhodes? If you think tacklings bad now then sheesh your in for a treat.. I do agree with the others though

 

[texaspackerbacker]

I like the idea of Bryant McKinnie, but he doesn't seem to fit the prototype of a zone blocking OT. I never liked the ZBS anyway, but apparently the Packers do. I googled McKinnie, and he ain't exactly a model citizen, but nothing too extreme either.

 

[El Guapo]

McKinnie isn't bright, he's just big. Surprisingly he's worked out well for the Ravens. The Vikings were fools when they gave him Pro Bowl money, before he'd even been considered for a Pro Bowl. Then he got nominated for the PB and became the first player ever kicked off a PB roster - for conduct detrimental. From having a few buddies on both the Minneapolis Police and Hennepin County Sheriff departments, I know that McKinney saw his share of reported and unreported problems when on the Vikings. He always seemed to be on scene when altercations happened but was rarely "the guy" and was told to leave.

All that said, I was never a fan of his playing when in MN. He seems to have figured out how to use his size better because his footwork wasn't very good before. He had the Big Man Bumble Feet problem.