Very nice assessment, both in Part 1 and Part 2. Echoes a lot of things that people have been pointing out on this board in the past month.
Looking at the LB situation, it is apparent that we can essentially be set at the ILB position if we move Adalius Thomas inside. That would give us a core trio of Mayo-Thomas-Guyton, with Bruschi for veteran leadership and Alexander/Ruud for depth. That's an extremely solid rotation. But it leaves us very thin at starting OLB, with no clear long-term starter among Woods, Crable, Banta-Cain or Redd. All 4 are capable rotational guys, but none appears to be clear starting calibre.
I think that the Pats clearly need to target at least 2 LBs in addition to their current crop: 2 OLBs if Thomas moves inside, and 1 OLB/1 ILB if Thomas stays outside. Thomas' flexibility will allow the Pats to let the players flow to them, instead of going after specific needs. A FA DE/OLB such as Peppers or Taylor is also still an option. I think that the lack of rumor around Taylor is a good thing. I see him as a fallback option if we don't get Peppers, or if we miss out on the right OLB prospects in the draft.
Safety is perhaps less of an issue than I had thought. With the Tank Williams signing, we know have Meriweather/Sanders/Williams/Springs/Ventrone at safety. That is a stronger rotation than we had last year, as Springs is probably an upgrade over Lewis Sanders and Williams was on IR. The only missing piece from last year is Rodney, and much as I adored him he has not been able to give us a full season in several years, and he was considerably slower last year. A long-term starting S opposite Meriweather would be ideal, but again, the Pats can let the draft flow to them.
