2012 NFL Free Agents

[jays52]

For a 26 year old Mario Williams I would send a 1st and a 2nd in a freaking heartbeat. Especially given the picks this team has, and especially given the youth and depth on the roster. It's time for a defensive centerpiece, and Williams is that and more.

 

[ay-yo]

Hell I'd give two first which are likely to be b/t 29-32 IMO. Your trading an unknown quantity for a known which is always a win. I don't see any 2 rookies making a bigger impact short term or long term than Super Mario.

That said I think HOU finds a way to keep the guy.

 

[cstjohn17]

There's no way Mario isn't franchised, so it'd probably take at least a 1st and a 2nd to trade for him.

He might not be franchised according to this article, in either case he will cost a mint.

Mario Williams and the franchise tag - AFC South Blog - ESPN

"With Conner Barwin and Brooks Reed as their outside linebackers since Williams suffered a season-ending torn pectoral muscle on Oct. 9, the Texans have done just fine. They rattled off a seven-game winning streak that just ended and clinched their first AFC South title and playoff berth."

"[UPDATE, 4:57 p.m.: I now interrupt this post to correct myself and make the rest of it an example of what could happen in another situation like Williams' instead of his situation itself. As gbrussell points out below, a secondary provision of the franchise tag is that if it's not more than 120 percent of a player's previous salary, he gets that number instead. Williams has a $13.8 million salary in 2011. So his franchise 2012 tag number would be $16.56 million. That's prohibitive. A long-term deal would come with a much lower 2012 number. The Texans have to give him a deal or let him go. Back to a scenario that would play out if Williams had a reasonable number this season."

 

[DaBruinz]

I disagee to some extent DB, for 2 reasons.

First is positional. If I think the Pats only have the cap space for one top end FA. I think paying for high end coverage safety with good tackling skill would have a bigger impact on the defense than an equally talented OLB/DE

Secondly, while I think Spencer is a nice player, I don't think he'd that impactful to be worth the price it would take to get him. Also I thnk he benefits from playing opposite Ware.

So with that in mind I would do the opposite of what you suggested and go for the top end Safety and a 2nd tier OLB

Ken - Spencer is a good, all-around guy. He's solid against the run, he's a decent pass rusher. And he can drop back into zone coverage. Things that the Pats look for in the OLBs.

There is no "top end safety" available. As others have mentioned, Landry is damaged goods. Michel Griffin has issues tackling. Tyvon Branch is a Strong Safety and not good in coverage. Chris Harris? He was so good that he and Meriweather both got benched by the Bears before the Bears cut Harris.

DeCoud is a pretty good coverage safety who can also support the run.
I love Zbikowski's toughness and leadership.
Tanard Jackson is pretty damn good.
Dashon Golden was brought in by the Pats but chose to re-sign for a 1 year deal with the 49ers.

 

[Sciz]

Wasn't DeCoud the safety who was benched in ATL in favor of Sanders? And Jackson is signed through next season.

 

[DaBruinz]

For Receiver:
Wes Welker <---- A MUST
Josh Morgan
Jericho Cotchery
Pierre Garcon

Corner:
Brandon Carr
Tracy Porter
Terrell Thomas
Al Harris

 

[jays52]

Wasn't DeCoud the safety who was benched in ATL in favor of Sanders?

Yep, he sure is. Sanders...oh how I miss you.

DeCoud has shades of Meriweather in him. Geometrically challenged gambler who flashes highlights but is highly inconsistent.

 

[DaBruinz]

Wasn't DeCoud the safety who was benched in ATL in favor of Sanders? And Jackson is signed through next season.

Not sure how DeCoud, with 15 starts in 16 games, was the one benched in favor of Sanders..

Jackson is listed on that website as being a UFA. If you know otherwise, then fine. It's not the first error I've seen on that website.

 

[Sciz]

Not sure how DeCoud, with 15 starts in 16 games, was the one benched in favor of Sanders..

Jackson is listed on that website as being a UFA. If you know otherwise, then fine. It's not the first error I've seen on that website.

He was extended on Oct 27, so it's probably just a little out of date.

 

[jays52]

Hey Sciz, you're pretty knowledgeable about this stuff....what do you think of the viability of Mario Williams becoming a free agent?

 

[Sciz]

Hey Sciz, you're pretty knowledgeable about this stuff....what do you think of the viability of Mario Williams becoming a free agent?

No chance. Tagging him (whether they trade him or sign him long term after that) is clearly the best thing for their franchise. Helps a lot that Foster is an RFA, so they just have to use a tender on him as opposed to the tag.

 

[Patriot Missile]

It will be interesting to see if Mario Williams is going to sign a cap friendly deal or not. As of July 2011 there are reports that the Texans were only 866,000 under the cap. I think Williams is due something like 9 -14 million this year?

They still have to figure some kind of contract for Arian Foster who is a restricted free agent. They may let him walk and take the draft picks as compensation and go with Ben Tate.

2012 and 13 could be tough free agent wise for the Texans.
WalterFootball.com: 2011 NFL Free Agency and Beyond - Expiring Contracts: Houston Texans

I'm with you on having Williams the super star aboard but it's kind of scary seeing that much money going into one player ala Bears Peppers. The window for Championships is now though.

 

[DaBruinz]

He was extended on Oct 27, so it's probably just a little out of date.

thanks for the info..

 

[jays52]

I'm with you on having Williams the super star aboard but it's kind of scary seeing that much money going into one player ala Bears Peppers. The window for Championships is now though.

I'm with you a bit on that, but I can validate the money that Williams would command. There's a lot of players each year that command large money deals. Most of these players have a given position. Corner, defensive end, ect...but Williams is different to me. I could never validate spending quarterback money on a positional player. The thing about Williams, obviously, is his tremendous versatility, and truly rare versatility at that. We're talking about a guy who can play every three-point alignment other than the 0 technique at an extremely high level. On top of that, we're talking about a guy with the athleticism to stand up and play linebacker at 285 pounds. Even Julius Peppers doesn't have that kind of versatility. Quarterback money...there was a reason I used that term. I view that kind of versatility as the quarterback of the defense. On offense, all plays run through the quarterback, and with a good one you can do almost anything in the passing game. With a player like Williams you can do the same defensively. You can move him around as matchup dictates, better position your other plays, and (here's the real kicker) DICTATE where you want the offense to align their blocking. That is HUGE.

That's not all, though. Yes, Williams is a tremendous athlete with once in a generation versatility, but most freak athletes fall off dramatically when they lose their burst to old man time. Therein lies the beauty and risk mitigation of Williams' body type! When he loses his speed, he can easily put on an additional twenty pounds and become a fulltime 34 end- and play that at a high level for another 3-5 years! There isn't anyone in the league who presents that kind of package. It's probably a pipe dream, but they've got the cap, and they would go from a lower-mid tier defense to an elite one instantly. I would do anything that wasn't completely psychotic to wrestle him away from Houston.

 

[Patriot Missile]

Excellent read as usual. Do you ever think that Belichick purposely stock piles picks for these type of occasions? I mean why risk drafting a pass rusher when you can go get a fully functional destructive force like Williams for two draft picks?

 

[jays52]

I like to make it analogous to saving/investing for slow growth. By differing immediate assets one canmake them appreciate. This is done, however with the intent of eventually exchanging the accrued interest for an asset. Considering BB has been investing quite a bit lately and appears to be at critical mass I would expect a "cash out" at some point soon. That dream house is on the market...

 

[VrabelJr]

This years draft is a little bit awkward at certain positions that I find the Patriots needing. Safety and DE (both 3-4 DE and 4-3 DE) come to mind. I'd like to see us attack those positions in free agency. Needless to say, I was pissed when we let Dashon Goldson walk out of town without a deal. Hopefully we can get him this year.

I'd rather we not trade picks for a guy like Mario Williams as Houston is going to be asking more than is reasonable. I'd rather trade up and grab a guy like Quinton Coples.

 

[ahmed]

I would happily give up our 2 first rounders for Williams. However, unless the Texans happen to be high during the off-season, there's no way they are letting him go. Talent like that is rarely left out the door.

 

[rdf63]

Brandon Lloyd

Lloyd has already expressed interest in joining the Pats and coach McDaniel in 2012. This could be the break the Pats need because it can help solve WR problems, provide a deep threat and let the Pats focus the 2012 draft on defense. Imagine the Pats receiving corps of Gronks, Walker, Hernandez and Lloyd.

 

[MP-Logick]

I would happily give up our 2 first rounders for Williams. However, unless the Texans happen to be high during the off-season, there's no way they are letting him go. Talent like that is rarely left out the door.

Two first rounders and a giant contract? Wouldn't do it.