paulska
Cheesehead
Ryan Pickett was a first round DT prospect drafted the same year as fellow first rounder DT Damione Lewis by the St. Louis Rams- both had playmaking potential in a 4-3 alignment, and were thought to be the future of a dominant, penetrating interior for that team for years.
Their rookie deals expired, with neither one becoming a disruptive force, but Pickett came to us on a solid deal to play base end in our 34 scheme. He turned out to be consistently effective rather than dominant. Perhaps some would describe him as a disappointment who failed to deliver on the promise of his draft spot and hype, but overall, he's been a productive and effective player, consistently, throughout his tenure with our team in a position where glory doesn't find you so much.
I'm wondering- if Raji plays effectively this season at his current price tag- if he becomes the consistent, space eating clogger the middle of our D so desperately needs, rather than striving to become some penetrating JJ Watt in the middle, would you be happy to have him back on the kind of term/value/deal Pickett got to come to us?
I think Raji is at a crossroads as a player- he's no longer a young buck bursting with potential whose raw athleticism can make plays game in and out. I think he's starting to recognize that the strain of the game on a man his size sucks the explosiveness out of out quickly, and what's left is leveraging that size to the benefit of the scheme. Teams weren't pining for him to anchor their 43 schemes because he hasn't done that in 4 years, and the fast twitch, get off the ball moves are not something he can just turn back on at this point.
For me, if Raji can show this season he can contribute the consistency in the middle, he'll be worth a 5 million a year deal for 3-5 years as an anchor. If he's wishy washy again, he's done. He may not make it out of training camp. Here's hoping he can learn something from the career of Ryan Pickett and find himself a valued member of a defensive core that can capitalize on the play of ARod for a couple more titles before he's done. He could do worse...
Their rookie deals expired, with neither one becoming a disruptive force, but Pickett came to us on a solid deal to play base end in our 34 scheme. He turned out to be consistently effective rather than dominant. Perhaps some would describe him as a disappointment who failed to deliver on the promise of his draft spot and hype, but overall, he's been a productive and effective player, consistently, throughout his tenure with our team in a position where glory doesn't find you so much.
I'm wondering- if Raji plays effectively this season at his current price tag- if he becomes the consistent, space eating clogger the middle of our D so desperately needs, rather than striving to become some penetrating JJ Watt in the middle, would you be happy to have him back on the kind of term/value/deal Pickett got to come to us?
I think Raji is at a crossroads as a player- he's no longer a young buck bursting with potential whose raw athleticism can make plays game in and out. I think he's starting to recognize that the strain of the game on a man his size sucks the explosiveness out of out quickly, and what's left is leveraging that size to the benefit of the scheme. Teams weren't pining for him to anchor their 43 schemes because he hasn't done that in 4 years, and the fast twitch, get off the ball moves are not something he can just turn back on at this point.
For me, if Raji can show this season he can contribute the consistency in the middle, he'll be worth a 5 million a year deal for 3-5 years as an anchor. If he's wishy washy again, he's done. He may not make it out of training camp. Here's hoping he can learn something from the career of Ryan Pickett and find himself a valued member of a defensive core that can capitalize on the play of ARod for a couple more titles before he's done. He could do worse...