this seems to sum up most of your posts in this thread, and is what I find kind of nonsensical.
the front 7 is stocked with promising young players, but you don't want to look at their possible future, so your solution is to.......draft an all pro.....?
no, you feel like there aren't enough of these young guys on the team already, so you want to use one of our 3 picks to draft another one and hope he contributes.
if you guys are landing us watt or jpp, that's great, and I'm behind you 100%, but if you're getting us another cunningham, I think we have needs at other positions to spend one of our 3 picks on.
should we not address those weaknesses?
am I supposed to hope your draft pick pans out?
what if he doesn't?
First, we haven't even gotten to the solution, we are still discussing whether we are 'in fine shape'.
To me fine shape in the front 7 means we are very difficult for anyone to run on, and have a dymanic, ferocious pass rush, LBs who aren't lost in coverage, and have good depth.
It seems many are defining 'fine shape' as the wheels aren't falling off.
Tell me, where would this team be (or have been recently) with that kind of front 7? The secondary woes would be invisible with that kind of front 7. Is there any single thing that would be more likely to put the team over the top than a dominating front 7? I don't think that is even debatable.
So, lets look at what we have:
DEs. Jones and Ninkovich, backed up by Cunningham, Francis, Scott,etal
-If Jones becomes a 10 sack guy (that is a euphimism for the level of play not a belief that sack numbers are a good measurement of a player) and above average run defender, is that shocking? It is not 'dominant' unless surrounded by others. If that is what he becomes and he is the best we have, we will not be dominant. Do you want to sit idly hoping he turns out to be more than that?
-Ninkovich is by no means the type of talent that starts on a 'dominant' front 7. Whatever Jones and the rest of the players become, starting Rob Ninkovich at DE pretty much ensures we won't be a ferocious, dominating pass rush team. Sure he will make some plays, but he will continue to be very silent the majority of games.
-The depth has potential, but not have shined, and none have the pedigree to be certain they will.
ADD a LDE who is a top shelf force as a pass rusher, knock Ninkovich back to a reserve, and the potential of a dominant front 7 opens up.
DT
Wilfork. Dominant run defender. Mediocre pass rusher who should not be on the field in obvious passing situations unless we are weak in pass rushers at the position.
Love. JAG who is one of the worst pass rushing DTs in the NFL.
Deaderick. See Love, a little worse vs the run, a tiny bit better as a pass rusher.
Cunningham. Totally undersized as a sub DT, but actually could be disruptive from there with 3 studs around him.
Armstead. Who knows. Do you really believe we should stop looking because we got him? Potentially that other toughh inside pass rusher. I don't think we can count on him being the inside pass rusher we desperately need in the base, until he actually attends an NFL practice.
ADD a pass rushing DT who can either start in the base ahead of Armstead or be a sub package replacement.
We end up with a front 4 base of
Pass rusher TBD-Wilfork-Armstead or better TBD-Jones
THAT has the potential to dominate as a pass rush group in the base, and with Mayo Spikes and Hightower as potential blitzers, THAT is FINE SHAPE.
Sub package brings Cunningham and Armstead/better guy to be acquired at DTs and Ninkovich can back up the DEs.
LB- We need depth.
Conclusion:
Rather than saying we should hope that UDFA Justin Francis can be a starter, or that Canada refugee Armstead will solve our problems, or pencil in Jones as Demetrius Ware and close our eyes, how about we take the chaff out of the equation and surround the talent we have with more talent?
Get a quality, pass rushing force at LDE.
Get a DT who will compete with Armstead as an inside rushing force in the base or a sub package rusher (I'm good with adding one and letting him and Armstead fight for those roles)
Get some NFL caliber LBs to back up the starters. (And if we think Ninkovich can handle backing up DE and OLB, I'm good with that as part of the solution).
I will gladly accept average players plugged in to the rest of the needs if necessary if we can finsih the transformation of the front 7 into the best, most dominant and ferocious one in the NFL. And we will absolutely hoist a Lombardi in 2/14 if that happens.
THAT is FINE SHAPE to me.
Ninkovich, Francis, Cunningham, Forston, Bequette, etc may have potential, but they aren't getting us there.