bigtrain21":25ulwu4y said:
kearly":25ulwu4y said:
I like it. Much more so if we keep Breno too. Forget replacing tackles, we need depth at tackle first.
I have high hopes for Bailey and Bowie.
I do too. But the achilles heel of this OL unit is Okung's availability.
Bitonio solves that. Add Bitonio somewhere on that line, with Bailey and Bowie and you probably have an OL equal to the 2005 unit (across the board talent).
I actually like the idea of going Bitonio/Fiedorowicz. This division is won on toughness. Miller is still a contract we have to plow under. We still have guys that need to be replaced for cap reasons (Miller, Mebane, Clemons). Those are the contracts that have to be cut in this year or next to sign the next round of extensions.
Personally, I look at this roster and I see a championship roster. Which means we're reloading, not rebuilding. If Bitonio can play left tackle after a year learning the scheme -- now you have at least the option to let Okung walk. Okung is probably 80% of Russell Wilson's extension right there. Fiedorowicz is essentially a Miller clone. A guy who has modest receiving ability but is an outstanding blocker. Guys who can fill both roles at TE are rare. And ours is a team that covets that kind of talent more than just about any other in the league.
Literally, we could reload with Bitonio/Fiedorowicz and possibly Justin Ellis in the 4th as a Mebane successor. Now you are in position to relieve yourself of 2 big contracts in 2014. Or possibly 2013. Do we get better talent wise overall? No. Do we need to get better to contend for a championship? No. We need to be in a position to keep the alpha talent on this team. There are some guys that simply cannot be replaced. Wilson. Sherman. Thomas. Harvin. Bennett. Those are the big 5.
Last year, we did a good job of drafting ahead of need. We have guys waiting in the wings to replace critical roles. We need to keep doing that. It's not altogether sexy. But this approach is about maintaining excellence. Like it or not, Harvin is our 'Mike Evans' type difference maker. Our fortunes are tied to his availability. Scary but true.
I'm not necessarily a honk for upgrading the OL. But I am convinced that this team needs to secure a quality plan B at left tackle and we need to do that this year. Every year we don't, we risk Wilson's longevity.
There are so many ways this team could go. We definitely have it within our power to continue to reload talent at key positions without losing the physicality edge.