Direckshun
12-27-2010, 12:26 AM
Playoffs or no playoffs, this is still a team in rebuild.
I think I have a one offseason plan that can finish that rebuild and make this team a serious playoff threat (I don't think we are currently a serious threat in the playoffs), and with slight improvement and a future FA addition here or there to round us out, a Super Bowl contender.
Here's my plan. Flame away.
1. Lock up long-term the key talent. Bowe, Hali, and Flowers. Lock them up now. Carr can be locked up and dealt with next year.
2. Trade for Larry Fitz. I don't need to make the argument why. But the Cards can be raped in a trade: if Boldin can be had for a 3rd and a 5th, there's no reason why Fitz can't be had for a 2nd this year and a 3rd next year. Would you be willing to trade two 2nds for him? I might.
3. Draft thusly... Roughly something along these lines.
1. OLB
3. OLB
4. WR
5. RB
5 (Magee + 6th). S
6 (Page). QB
7. QB
This draft gives us a passrush to build on, with enough invested there to give us a serious shot at immediate improvement. In a perfect world, the first rounder would be an every-down guy, while the third rounder would be just a pure Dumervil-type specialist.
It also gives us some much-needed depth at the skill positions (we need a replacement for Thomas Jones, who is out of gas). We also get some depth at safety, and take some hard shots at finding a high-intangible backup at QB in the vein of Cassel himself.
4. Make the following roster adjustments: Drop Thomas Jones and Chris Chambers, two underperforming vets when there are young guys behind them looking for some running room. Make the starting defensive line Jackson-S. Smith-Dorsey. Edwards can serve in obvious passing downs, since he can rush the passer and Smith definitely cannot. An Edwards/Gilberry third down combo will join forces with our passrush to get more pressure on the QB. Keep Richardson at RT, and use O'Callaghan and Asamoah liberally for imbalanced, max protection lines. Use McCluster a TON more as a change-of-pace back. He should get 5-8 carries a game, combined with three targets a game downfield. The guy has been underwhelming as a receiver, but really impressive running the ball. Make sure the WR we draft is a one-dimensional speed demon in the vein of Mike Wallace or Jacoby Ford. We need a new KR, and he'll give us a dimension we don't have with Fitz or Bowe. Give the Thumper ILB job to Micah Johnson over Belcher. Belcher is undersized. Under Todd Haley's elite fitness regimen, Micah should slim down to a powerful 240 lbs, serving as a perfect two-down thumper.
Then I guess you should just hire me as GM.
I think I have a one offseason plan that can finish that rebuild and make this team a serious playoff threat (I don't think we are currently a serious threat in the playoffs), and with slight improvement and a future FA addition here or there to round us out, a Super Bowl contender.
Here's my plan. Flame away.
1. Lock up long-term the key talent. Bowe, Hali, and Flowers. Lock them up now. Carr can be locked up and dealt with next year.
2. Trade for Larry Fitz. I don't need to make the argument why. But the Cards can be raped in a trade: if Boldin can be had for a 3rd and a 5th, there's no reason why Fitz can't be had for a 2nd this year and a 3rd next year. Would you be willing to trade two 2nds for him? I might.
3. Draft thusly... Roughly something along these lines.
1. OLB
3. OLB
4. WR
5. RB
5 (Magee + 6th). S
6 (Page). QB
7. QB
This draft gives us a passrush to build on, with enough invested there to give us a serious shot at immediate improvement. In a perfect world, the first rounder would be an every-down guy, while the third rounder would be just a pure Dumervil-type specialist.
It also gives us some much-needed depth at the skill positions (we need a replacement for Thomas Jones, who is out of gas). We also get some depth at safety, and take some hard shots at finding a high-intangible backup at QB in the vein of Cassel himself.
4. Make the following roster adjustments: Drop Thomas Jones and Chris Chambers, two underperforming vets when there are young guys behind them looking for some running room. Make the starting defensive line Jackson-S. Smith-Dorsey. Edwards can serve in obvious passing downs, since he can rush the passer and Smith definitely cannot. An Edwards/Gilberry third down combo will join forces with our passrush to get more pressure on the QB. Keep Richardson at RT, and use O'Callaghan and Asamoah liberally for imbalanced, max protection lines. Use McCluster a TON more as a change-of-pace back. He should get 5-8 carries a game, combined with three targets a game downfield. The guy has been underwhelming as a receiver, but really impressive running the ball. Make sure the WR we draft is a one-dimensional speed demon in the vein of Mike Wallace or Jacoby Ford. We need a new KR, and he'll give us a dimension we don't have with Fitz or Bowe. Give the Thumper ILB job to Micah Johnson over Belcher. Belcher is undersized. Under Todd Haley's elite fitness regimen, Micah should slim down to a powerful 240 lbs, serving as a perfect two-down thumper.
Then I guess you should just hire me as GM.