ILB DEREK SMITH - 49ers
 

Here is a guy I would like the Pats to get IF the $$$ is right. Here are a few blurbs I got of the internet on him:

*MLB Derek Smith 6'2" 245 49ers - Smith could be on the way out as a free agent. He has very good range, great instincts, and is a very likeable workmanlike player that younger players seem to love. His leadership would be a great addition.

*LB Derek Smith
Solid middle linebacker who also can play outside. Very smart and dedicated. More tough than physical.

*As the 49ers plummeted to the bottom of the NFL, Derek Smith's play has largely gone unnoticed. But it shouldn't. He adeptly takes on blockers, and he might now be more effective in San Francisco's 3-4 defense.

*Meanwhile, the underrated Derek Smith remains as productive as ever at inside linebacker in the 49ers' 3-4 alignment. Smith has topped 100 tackles for the ninth consecutive season, which ties him with Tampa's Derrick Brooks and Miami's Zach Thomas for the longest such streak in the NFL.

*49ers MLB Derek Smith is an underrated player, someone who does a good job of aligning the defense, calling signals and understanding the game. The defense is set up to funnel plays in Smith's direction. He's solid on tackles and rarely out of position. He has good speed for his size (6-2, 245), though the team tries to keep him from having to do much in pass coverage.

IF he is a free agent, I'd love to bring him in. Sounds like our kind of guy, and the right size, too.

He is a tad on the older side, but:

PLAYER NOTES LOG:

Nov 23 2005 - LB Derek Smith is just 12 tackles shy of reaching the 100-tackle mark for the ninth consecutive season. Smith has 88 stops. He has also earned a lot of respect from assistant head coach/linebackers Mike Singletary, who recently complimented Smith on how much he has improved in the team's new 3-4 system.

He is a free agent, too.

so what would be do with Vrabel would he rotate with D.Smith?

I like him.

I'm just not sure he fits. What we ideally need is a younger guy behind Vrabel and Tedy inside who can play and ease their workload, fill in in case of injury, and eventually take over for 1 of them. He fits some but not all of that.

I also don't think we really fit him either. Smith is 31-32 so he won't be around when Vrabel and Tedy are gone. He would have to be willing to accept a back-up role and most likely back-up $. I don't really see why he would do that at his age with his one chance to cash in. If we were willing to pay him starter $ he might be interested but I also don't see us paying him starter $.

VRABEL would be an OLB again
 

As well as he played at ILB, I think Vrabel would rotate with Colvin and McGinest. McGinest is not getting any younger and he would be better off if his snaps were reduced. Vrabel could also be used at ILB to give Bruschi of Smith – if we got him- a blow when needed but he should be used primarily at OLB..

that woudl give us some pretty good LB rotation :eek:

Looks like it could be a major boost to the Red-Zone D ... Running a 4-4-3 would put our best pices on the board (Warren-Wilfork-Seymore-McGinest, Colvin-Bruschi-Smith-Vrabel, Samuel-Wilson-Harrison) ... Lot of smart players right there that know what to look for. Right now (though he is learning) Beisel is a liability of sorts. Smith could come in for 2 or 3 years and provide solid plat and be another source of mentorship for any rookies on the squad.

yeah and Defense wins championships :D (so does Tom Bradys 2 minute warning drives :D ) LOL

If the price is right, I love to see Smith come in and do the job that Chad Brown was SUPPOOSED to perform.