Garbanza

Reading that list is depressing.

Tully Banta-Cain is AWFUL. JUST AWFUL. Moore, Murrell, Ninkovitch - mediocre to below average.

Cunningham - meh, who knows.

Depressing.

patsfaninpittsburgh

TBC is a pass rush specialist. That's why he left the first time. He wasn't good against the run in 2006.

Both TBC and Moore can be pass rush specialists.

The main problem at LB is youth and inexperience. Adding youth and inexperience doesn't help.

Keyser Söze

5 sacks? Some specialist

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robertweathers

I don't agree.

The main problem at OLB is the lack of game-changing, play-making ability.

Nink, TBC and Moore are good role players and are the type of players every team needs- but not ones that should be getting 40-50 snaps a game and disrupting passing & running games on a consistent basis.

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“I'm not really concerned about the other 31 teams,” - Bill Belichick

"If a player has talent and doesn't succeed, that means that they either don't want to be successful or I have failed as a coach." - Bill Belichick

Marqui

Exactly, so I'm not sure why you're against cutting one of those guys for a more accomplished veteran like Edwards. He shouldn't be that expensive, he's not a pro bowler or anything.

Shelterdog

I suspect Edwards is actually going to be very expensive-$6 million a year or more-he's very close to being a pro bowler, the Vikings seriously thought about franchising him, he's had 8+ sacks two years in a row, and there aren't a lot of pass rushing DE/OLBs on the free agent market.

EDIT: I would also stretch to sign him. If you're not going to draft a lot of rookie OLB prospects because it's too hard to predict whether they can handle OLB at the NFL level then you have to suck it up and overpay veterans.

robertweathers

Don't think I said I was against cutting any of the OLBs on the current roster, Marqui. The only one whos roster-spot is completely secure is Cunningham's.

If Kiwanuka or Edwards showed up on the Pats doorstep tomorrow, the first ones to go might be TBC or Moore and I'd be completely comfortable with it.

Nink is solid- nothing more. He'd be a backup for 3/4 of the teams in the league.

__________________
“I'm not really concerned about the other 31 teams,” - Bill Belichick

"If a player has talent and doesn't succeed, that means that they either don't want to be successful or I have failed as a coach." - Bill Belichick

resdubwhite

I would say Moore will stay. He's shown more than TBC in his last 3 to 4 games than Tully all season. I'd imagine he's a good deal cheaper too.

DW Toys

Here is the guy we are sleeping on Cousins. He is only 26. He is an UFA:
College:
Manny Lawson DE 6’5 240 North Carolina St.

NFL Combine Stats: 40-yard dash - 4.43, vertical jump - 39.5"

Manny Lawson is one of the truly elite athletes in college football. Not only has he found time to play both end and linebacker, he’s also a track standout having competed in the long jump and hurdles during his time at NC St. As a linebacker in 2002, Lawson had 35 tackles, with one of them coming for loss. As a part time starter in 2003, he improved on all his numbers. He totaled 53 tackles, seven for loss, with three sacks. Lawson made the switch to DE in 2004, and became a full time starter for the first time in his career. On the year, he finished with 50 tackles, 12 for loss, and seven sacks. As a senior, Manny put it all together. He finished the season with career highs across the board: 58 tackles, 19.5 for loss, and 10.5 sacks.

Lawson is an absolute freak of an athlete. He has excellent agility, closing speed, and jumping ability. Pound for pound, he may also be the strongest player in the draft. There is not a single physical trait he lacks. On the football field, he is an emerging talent. He did not make too many plays early on, but once he moved to defensive end, he started to show his pass rushing ability. His upside is tremendous, and he could be a standout pass rusher at the next level. Lawson is also a standout special teamer.

With all his athletic gifts, he is prone to relying on them too often. A major part of that is due to his inexperience on the defensive line. As an end, he lacks the bulk to be a player against the run. Lawson carries the tweener tag, but that has not been a negative lately. Still, he may only fit for certain teams.

Manny Lawson has tremendous upside. As a pass rusher, he has as much pure talent as anyone in the draft. He is listed here as a defensive end, but he has the ability to play OLB in a 3-4 defense. Lawson is the type of player that makes team drool about his potential because of his physical talent. Pass rushers are put at a premium, so do not be surprised to see him crack the first round.

Pros:
The Niners used his as a coverage LB. He did not rush much. 59 Tackles 6 Passes defended with one Int, 2.5 Sacks as a pass rushing afterthought.

This guy has length, can tackle, can defend was a superb pass rusher in college and now has that BB experience.

6'5" and 4.3 speed with experience as an OLB.

Very under the radar!!!
His father was in the Air Force (BB likes a military backround). Look at his wonderlic!

Ht Wt 40-yd dash 10-yd split 20-yd split 20-ss 3-cone Vert Broad BP Wonderlic

6 ft 5⅜ in 241 lb 4.43 s 1.55 s 2.62 s 4.21 s 6.90 s 39½ in 10 ft 4 in 23 rep 43
DW Toys

Triple-T

I'm not so sure about that. He's 27 and here are his last three years of stats.
Year Team Games Tks Sacks int PD
2007-08 Miami 4 2 0.0 0 0
2009-10 New England 15 23 1.0 0 2
2010-11 New England 16 61 4.0 2 3

That all compares very closely to Vrabel and Bruschi. Not saying he gets to that level, but to say he's topped out and can't reach that level is a bit premature. If he keeps trending in the right direction, he's well above average. This year should tell us if he's for real or not.

__________________
Do. Your. Job. Don't try to take care of somebody else's responsibilities and all that. Just take care of your assignment. Know what it is, execute it and get it taken care of. Do your job...and you'll be champions tonight