FanPost

Offseason Mock: A Different Approach

This one will almost certainly make some folks grouchy, but I wanted to throw it out there for the purposes of thinking about our team a little differently. The main assumptions in my approach to this mock are that we are much closer to being a very good offense than a very good defense. That an effective running game will make the defense better by picking up first downs, controlling the clock, and limiting the number of possessions for both teams. That we will be going back to a 4-3 and that a number of our players are already suited for it.


Quickly, here are my team needs by position:

RED ALERT!!! SEND HELP NOW!!!

DT

Yellow Alert! Definitely could use some assistance!

DE, SAF, TE, OL, FB, RB

Help would be nice.

OLB, ILB

Not too concerned.

QB, WR, CB, K, P, LS

We should resign: Champ Bailey, Matt Prater, Brady Quinn, Ryan Harris

Free Agents: I'm thinking we'll have to put a good chunk of change into Bailey and Harris to keep them. Might make bargain hunting the order of the day in FA.

Kevin Boss TE NYG: Lots of fans want a replacement for Tony Scheffler. I want a replacement for Daniel Graham whose skills seemed to have diminished overall. His blocking was not as dominant and his hands turned to stone. And a vet player should not have to be told to line up by the rookie QB on the final drive of the final game of the season with a chance to win. Boss is a good all around tight-end who is not spectacular at anything but very good at everything. I'll take it

Le'Ron McClain FB BAL: A big nasty blocker with some ability to carry the rock. I love Spencer Larsen as a person and player but he's not a top of the line nasty FB. Frankly, I'd like to see Larsen be given a shot as a thumper ILB under the new coaching staff.

Cliff Avril DE DET: Player who has quietly improved each of his years in Detroit. He finished with 9 sacks this past year. He's under the radar so may come cheaper than some of the bigger names and can rotate with Ayers and Doom on the outside of the line. Actually I think he starts and Ayers is the rotational guy.

Ronnie Brown RB MIA: He had a bit of an off year and is getting a bit long in the tooth so I think that he won't cost all that much to sign. The flip of that is I don't think he'll want to sign a long term deal. He'll try to have a good couple of years and get a final payoff. He's a big back and that's what I want to complement Knowshon. D Will is the style change I'm wanting in a 2nd back.

Tom Zibikowski SAF BAL: He's a hard-nosed guy with experience and won't cost much.

Alex Smith QB SF: Yeah yeah, he sucks. At the same time he has flashed some talent at times. He might benefit by sitting and watching. He'd still have to be sharp to compete with Quinn for the backup position. I dunno. I've always thought he had a chance with some consistency in coaching.

The Draft: Here's the part methinks you will all hate. I'm not going crazy on defense, but I am so staying in the trenches. I am not projecting any trades because I don't believe that the CBA will be finished by the draft.

Round 1: Marcell Dareus DT 'Bama, I know everyone loves Fairly and I think he'll be a good Warren Sapp type DT. Great. What I want is a DT that makes the C and OG hitting him look like a Geo Metro in a crash test when the fire out on him. I want their back to bend and their knees to buckle. I want the FB and RB to get stacked up in the mess and the ILB to come in and make the tackle. I think Dareus will do that better. I also think that by the time the evaluation process is done he won't be considered a reach at #2.

Round 2: Rodney Hudson OG Florida State, OH MY GOD!!! THAT'S NOT A DEFENSIVE PLAYER!!! I don't care. I want to run the ball and I don't think that our interior offensive line is up to it. I was not impressed with Zane Beadles. I think he'll be a very good swingman that can back up both guard and the RT but I don't just don't think he's gonna get us there. Hudson is a versatile player with a good blend of athleticism and strength. I want someone who can ZB between the 20s and do his part to move a DT inside the five. I want someone to get some push on third and one. This player makes our defense better if he improves the run game.

Round 2: Christian Ballard DT Iowa, Well I did say that DT was our only red alert position. Ballard offers a bit more athleticism and ability to penetrate. With Dareus taking up multiple blockers I think Ballard might be the sort of player to take advantage and get in the backfield.

Round 3: Ben Ijalana OT Villanova OT with a lot of upside. Probably doesn't have the feet to play LT consistently but would be an upgrade over Beadles backing up RT. If Clady were to go down I'd expect Ryan Harris to go to LT and Ijalana to play on the right side.

Round 6: Eugene Clifford SAF Tennessee State: Safety with some speed and ball skills. I want some competition at the safety spot. We have some interesting players at the position but their best selves haven't come out yet.

Conclusions:

I didn't address the linebackers this offseason. I think with some bulk in front of them, the trio of Mario Haggan on the strong side, DJ inside, and Wesley Woodyard at WILL will be adequate. Can't upgrade everything all at once and the linebackers don't scare me right now. I believe the two DTs in the draft with the addition of Avril give us a chance to move the defense up to the middle of the pack with a ball control offense further masking their deficiencies.

I approached this offseason with the idea that we could get to a comfortable level of depth on offense and get a good start on retooling the defense. I'm especially interested in making sure that the offense has as much opportunity to run the ball well as the an be given. That's why I went with an attempt to improve the OL in the draft. That and the idea that Tebow will develop better with more talent in front of him.

Tried to go bargain hunting in free agency rather than get all pie in the sky sign all them guys like you see in a lot of mocks. Want to spend my money on a couple of proven Broncos in Champ and Harris.

So there ya have it. Let'er rip! :)

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