carolinatony

Watching this team fall apart this year is sad. Losing Harrison, Bruschi, Vrabel and Seymour has not helped the locker-room. Look at the mess with
Adalius yesterday.
We have no playmakers on defense that really make thing happen or that other teams worry about.

I feel we should trade up and grab someone on defense that can come in and make thing happen. It nice getting a extra pick or two but this team needs to take a top player this year imo.
Maybe its a Greg Hardy or someone else but come on; you telling me we can't grab 1 player to come in and start playing for us next year.
That' s my 2cents

O'Doyle Rules!

Rolando McClain.

People will say he doesn't represent any of our biggest needs. But when you take into account all of the things he could bring to this team in terms of leadership, effort, brains, fire and intensity - not to mention raw talent - then I would argue that he certainly does fill the TRUE needs of the Pats defense.

One way or another, GET THIS GUY...

MrNathanDrake

We can have 11 guys with Ray Lewis-like fire and intensity... But it would be useless because we still wouldnt be able to pressure the QB.

The Coon

Agreed. Which begs the question, how are we going to get to the QB? If we are going to try to trade up into the top 10, its not McClain it would be Suh who we would be after. He fills multiple needs on the DL, basically i feel he will be a better Richard Seymour. The pressure he can create from the DT position will make the entire defense better. He is the biggest game changer in this draft. If we want him,it will cost our entire day 1 but we would be getting the best player in the draft.

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mayoclinic

I agree. Get McClain. Then get some pass rushers in the 2nd round.

3 weeks ago I would have agreed with those who say that we need pass rushers more than an ILB. At that time I loved McClain but argued that the need at ILB just didn't justify the pick. But right now I think we need defensive leaders even more than we need pass rushers, and McClain is the best defensive leader in the draft. I think he is a Troy Polamalu kind of difference maker. Ty Warren is a fine 3-4 DE and we took him at a position of need in 2003, but we could have had Polamalu instead.

I don't think you pass up the chance to get guys like that. They're rare. McClain will make this defence immensely better.

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"OVER Loading at ANY position can create a Fatal Advantage. THAT is what interests ME. Attacking With Concentrated Force. THAT is what WINS. In the words ~ more or less ~ of General Patton: 'I'm fighting a WAR, here. Let the B*****ES worry about their FLANKS.' " - Off the Grid

"The key to any successful organization is to anticipate things, not react to them." - Michael Lombardi

Seneschal2

Of course BB would -- for the right player.

Precedent was set with the Daniel Graham round one trade up. But Belichick has attempted to move up for other players as well. TE Todd Heap and WR Mark Clayton were two reported targets during their respective drafts.

McClain is a no-brainer because of his VALUE to the overall defense. If your goal is to play T-E-A-M defense, then a foundation needs to be in place. Part of that foundation has been broken with the loss of some veteran players. Rolando would re-solidify the core D with his leadership and playmaking ability, while complementing Mayo and the young talent in the secondary.

The pass rush will most certainly be addressed. But as always under BB, the most glaring perceived need will be filled with the options and opportunities available. If an available edge rusher does not represent first round value, then another position will be the round one pick.

The hope here is that McClain will be within reach.

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"What we want to try to do is maximize each spot on the roster; we want to be stronger at No. 1 than the opponent, stronger at No. 25 than they are, and stronger at No. 53 than they are, we're always looking to upgrade the talent level on the team, and play together to be functional."
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mayoclinic

Well said.

We need leadership and better team defense as much as, if not even more, than pass rushers. We need a swarming, aggressive, attacking defense. Not a soft, reactive, cushy defense. McClain would bring intensity and solidify the core of our defense. Then add some edge rushers and we would be set.

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"OVER Loading at ANY position can create a Fatal Advantage. THAT is what interests ME. Attacking With Concentrated Force. THAT is what WINS. In the words ~ more or less ~ of General Patton: 'I'm fighting a WAR, here. Let the B*****ES worry about their FLANKS.' " - Off the Grid

"The key to any successful organization is to anticipate things, not react to them." - Michael Lombardi

Lockdown06

if we're trading up, let's go all out - Cleveland, the Bucs, those are the teams that will be picking at the top, and they have multiple needs - we have the ammo to go get Suh, and he would have a seymour-like effect on this D.

Get Suh, franchise wilfork, sign a high powered FA rusher, maybe someone like Dansby, and our defense would have a whole new look.

carolinatony

Rolando McClain.
One way or another, GET THIS GUY...


Well I hope BB does this. We have the picks. Someone needs to lead us.
Look at the steelers with Polamalu. He gets them going.
I hate to say this but Brady won't be here forever. Lets get the D back on track and get another SB or two.

mayoclinic

Some interesting reads on McClain:

The Sports Bank.Net Blog Archive Rolando McClain Leads Alabama Defense

"It’s like we are a band of brothers out there. We don’t want to let the guy beside us down. I think that’s the important thing and that’s what he has put in us, we don’t want to let the guy beside us down. You don’t want to be that guy that messes up a play, because everybody has to be accountable for what they do on the field and accountability is what he’s [Nick Saban] taught us."

Alabama Crimson Tide linebacker Rolando McClain is the total package - ESPN

"But there are times in practice when the coaches take McClain out of a drill to give a younger guy some work. McClain takes the play off. On those occasions, more often than not, McClain will not trot over to the sideline, grab a water bottle and chat up his teammates. McClain will walk to the middle of the field to stand alongside head coach Nick Saban. Saban will watch the drill with his arms crossed. McClain will watch the drill with his arms crossed. When McClain, consciously or not, adopts Saban's posture, it is physical confirmation of what everyone within Alabama football already understands. Ro McClain is Nick Saban writ large -- and fast and explosive. 'Coach on the field' may be a cliché. With McClain, it fits. He may have a football-hot body but McClain is loved by his coaches and his teammates for his mind. 'It's unbelievable how much he understands the game,' fellow linebacker Cory Reamer said. 'The second part is how well he knows the defense. He really knows what Coach would like to go to in the situations we get it and he really does a good job communicating it.'

On offense, when quarterback Greg McElroy calls an audible, the center changes the blocking scheme for the offensive line, and the backs and wide receivers signal one another their changes. On defense, when McClain calls an audible, he makes the changes for the defensive linemen, the secondary and the linebackers. ... 'Some guys understand their position,'" Saban said. 'But I would venture to guess Ro knows what every player is supposed to do on every play on defense, and he knows like I know who didn't do right, and when he didn't do right, sometimes immediately.' "

McClain has yet to file with NFLDAB | TideSports.com | The Tuscaloosa News | Tuscaloosa, AL

" 'Naturally, you’ll think about the NFL. But it’s not even my focus right now. I really couldn’t care less about the NFL at this point,' McClain said. 'I still have another game to play, and that’s my focus.' "

Bama’s Rolando McClain wins Butkus Award | TuscaloosaNews.com | The Tuscaloosa News | Tuscaloosa, AL

"McClain’s leadership was on display near the end of Saturday’s Southeastern Conference Championship Game against Florida, when he refused to allow teammate Terrence Cody and others to dump a cooler of Gatorade on Saban, as is common following championship victories. Instead, McClain told Cody the SEC title game wasn’t the team’s final goal and dumped all the sideline coolers on the Georgia Dome turf. 'I told them it’s a big win but it’s not the biggest win. I told them if we win the national championship, you can put whatever you want to put on him. But until then, we’re not going to drench coach with Gatorade,' McClain said. 'I dumped the water out and the Gatorade out. It wasn’t the right time for it. I didn’t want our guys to feel like the SEC championship was it for us. I didn’t want them to act like that was the last game or the biggest game because it’s not. We have the biggest game of our life out there. After we win it -- or, when we win it -- you can dump (on) coach then.' "

That's the kind of guy who will make this defense better.

Yes, we need pass rushers. Badly. But even more we need impact players with the kind of focus, intensity, commitment to team defense and smarts to give the defense a strong identity and foundation.

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"OVER Loading at ANY position can create a Fatal Advantage. THAT is what interests ME. Attacking With Concentrated Force. THAT is what WINS. In the words ~ more or less ~ of General Patton: 'I'm fighting a WAR, here. Let the B*****ES worry about their FLANKS.' " - Off the Grid

"The key to any successful organization is to anticipate things, not react to them." - Michael Lombardi