D'Qwell Jackson

He is visiting Miami next, with two unmentioned teams yet to visit with him.
Hope one is the Patriots.

ChrisR2223 said:

He is visiting Miami next, with two unmentioned teams yet to visit with him.
Hope one is the Patriots.

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Supposedly, he visited someone last Thursday, but would only say it was "a great place." more than one sportswriter, and one of the Browns front office guys, hinted it was the Patriots.

Certainly BB is kicking the tires on him, and if that's the case, given what Jackson has said he wanted - a stable environment - he'd offe rthem up to be kicked.

Of course, he could be blowing smoke on that. Why visit Miami if that's what you're looking for?

supafly said:

Dante Scarnecchia's comments when speaking at the Hall's "speaker series" last night:

Question: What do you perceive to be the team's biggest needs?

Dante: I don't think it's too hard to figure out (pointing to the defensive line and linebackers).

http://bostonherald.com/sports/patriots_nfl/new_england_patriots/2014/02/scar_opens_up_his_pats

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Collins didn't show he was ready, Fletcher is a backup, and Hightower is inconsistent, and ofter subpar. If you don't bring back Spikes, you definitely need to find another capable LB.

Deus Irae said:

Collins didn't show he was ready, Fletcher is a backup, and Hightower is inconsistent, and ofter subpar. If you don't bring back Spikes, you definitely need to find another capable LB.

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Sooo....in your opinion Spikes is the only capable LB......

part-timer said:

Sooo....in your opinion Spikes is the only capable LB......

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Did Mayo get cut?

Deus Irae said:

Collins didn't show he was ready

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Does anyone else agree with this?

Marqui said:

Does anyone else agree with this?

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He had a very small handful of good games, EVERYONE does. Dobson led the team in every receiving category for about the same amount of time that Collins looked like a superstar, I don't see anyone calling Dobson the next Randy Moss.

Every fan overreacts to these situations.

He looked absolutely lost early in the season and I personally, like DI, am not ready call him the "play maker we've been looking for" like everyone else seems to be ready to do.

Show me a long stretch of consistent dominance and I'll hop on the train.

Don't let this post fool you into thinking I'm not optimistic about his future, but to say he is proven is just stupid.

Deus Irae said:

Did Mayo get cut?

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You dismissed him from your assessment of the LB corps...

part-timer said:

You dismissed him from your assessment of the LB corps...

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He dismissed him from the assessment of why the others aren't good enough as is, because Mayo is fine.

part-timer said:

You dismissed him from your assessment of the LB corps...

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I listed players that are either not starters or have issues/questions. Mayo's a proven player.

Deus Irae said:

I listed players that are either not starters or have issues/questions. Mayo's a proven player.

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And Spikes has no issues.....He is a 2 down player who can not cover in pass protection.....

You are trying to give the impression Spikes should be retained, when his weakness's are equal if not more glaring than the rest of the LB corps....Also you are giving the impression that D'Qwell Jackson is also an upgrade over our entire LB corps, minus Mayo

part-timer said:

And Spikes has no issues.....He is a 2 down player who can not cover in pass protection.....

You are trying to give the impression Spikes should be retained, when his weakness's are equal if not more glaring than the rest of the LB corps....Also you are giving the impression that D'Qwell Jackson is also an upgrade over our entire LB corps, minus Mayo

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Spikes = Thumper who can't cover, especially in a 4-3 system
Fletcher/Collins = LB subs

That's how they played it last year, with Fletcher/Collins coming in as subs on pass downs. Without Spikes, they don't have the run stopping ability at the 3rd LB spot. Hightower's been inconsistent since coming into the NFL, as well.


I'm not sure why you're trying to read more into this than there is.

Deus Irae said:

Collins didn't show he was ready, Fletcher is a backup, and Hightower is inconsistent, and ofter subpar. If you don't bring back Spikes, you definitely need to find another capable LB.

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Earlier while on Planet Clueless I scoffed at the idea of LB being a need but I've 180-ed on it, as I agree with your assessment of our guys, although as a Top 10 Homer I expect Fletch to improve a bit with his PT, and bigger strides from High & Collins. But somebody will get hurt. BB will have to weigh cap $ for an NFL proven guy vs the opportunity to get LB cheap midway in the draft.

part-timer said:

And Spikes has no issues.....He is a 2 down player who can not cover in pass protection.....

You are trying to give the impression Spikes should be retained, when his weakness's are equal if not more glaring than the rest of the LB corps....Also you are giving the impression that D'Qwell Jackson is also an upgrade over our entire LB corps, minus Mayo

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I think it's more that he's saying if Spikes is gone they need another talented linebacker, not that Spikes was the be all end all answer. And he's absolutely right. If we go into the season with Mayo, Hightower, Collins, and Fletcher, we're an injury away from where we were last year. Collins needs more than one great game before I'm comfortable handing him the keys.

The point that I am getting to is that if D'Qwell is signed he will be a back up along with or replacing Fletcher....With Collins, Mayo, and Hightower starting...all three of which would be welcome on ANY other NFL team...D'Qwell may not even be an upgrade over Fletcher in our system because of Fletchers experience here and the numerous times he has had to step in to the starters position because of injury...

part-timer said:

The point that I am getting to is that if D'Qwell is signed he will be a back up along with or replacing Fletcher....With Collins, Mayo, and Hightower starting...all three of which would be welcome on ANY other NFL team...D'Qwell may not even be an upgrade over Fletcher in our system because of Fletchers experience here and the numerous times he has had to step in to the starters position because of injury...

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I wouldn't count on Hightower muscling D'Qwell out of a starting job were we to sign him.

Hightower looks more like the next Spikes than he looks like Collins, Mayo, or Jackson at this point in his career.

I'd also personally prefer a coverage LB on the field in almost every situation in todays NFL, plus, if our DL gets healthy over the offseason, our LB's won't be needed nearly to the extent they were this year against the run. Losing Wilfork, Kelly, and Mayo from the center of this defense is why our run D was so porous.

part-timer said:

The point that I am getting to is that if D'Qwell is signed he will be a back up along with or replacing Fletcher....With Collins, Mayo, and Hightower starting...all three of which would be welcome on ANY other NFL team...D'Qwell may not even be an upgrade over Fletcher in our system because of Fletchers experience here and the numerous times he has had to step in to the starters position because of injury...

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It depends on what other players we target in the offseason. If we add some big bodies to the DL, we could see more 3-4 (or something closer to it), in which case the extra linebacker is not just nice but necessary. But even if that's not the case, having the option of using Collins on 3rd down where he could rush, drop middle, or drop deep is a wonderful weapon to have. Not to mention that outside of Mayo, none of our linebackers are making a ton, and both Hightower and Collins have multiple years left on their rookie deals. There is room in the LB corp for another talented body.

As for Fletcher, I like him as much as the next guy, but only for what he is: A solid 5th guy who can fill in multiple LB positions in a pinch. I don't think he's first backup material.

part-timer said:

The point that I am getting to is that if D'Qwell is signed he will be a back up along with or replacing Fletcher....With Collins, Mayo, and Hightower starting...all three of which would be welcome on ANY other NFL team...D'Qwell may not even be an upgrade over Fletcher in our system because of Fletchers experience here and the numerous times he has had to step in to the starters position because of injury...

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I think you're underestimating the guy. He's been the leader of the Browns' defense for years, and that defense isn't bad.

He's much better than Dane Fletcher - they're not really close in talent and production - and if he came here, he'd play a ton of snaps, even without any injuries to the others.

I'm with Deus on this: we need another QUALITY linebacker. In addition to adding that veteran presence at the position BB considers vital, it allows the Pats to get creative with Collins - and with Hightower, who I could see getting snaps as a DE in certain situations.

part-timer said:

The point that I am getting to is that if D'Qwell is signed he will be a back up along with or replacing Fletcher....With Collins, Mayo, and Hightower starting...all three of which would be welcome on ANY other NFL team...D'Qwell may not even be an upgrade over Fletcher in our system because of Fletchers experience here and the numerous times he has had to step in to the starters position because of injury...

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You're assuming that Collins and Hightower would both start over Jackson. I wouldn't make that assumption about either player.

Your comment about Jackson v. Fletcher tells me that you either think Jackson is in significant decline, or you don't know anything about the player.

Deus Irae said:

You're assuming that Collins and Hightower would both start over Jackson. I wouldn't make that assumption about either player.

Your comment about Jackson v. Fletcher tells me that you either think Jackson is in significant decline, or you don't know anything about the player.

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Have to agree Dues. Was one of the to LB's in the league in Coverage. The Browns are a mess but they are 8th in pass yards against and 7th in rushing yards again. Jackson was a big part of that.
He starts.
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