SB Nation - Charles Spencer

49ers Right Tackle options

Fooch — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 14:16:43 -0000

The retirement of Marvel Smith naturally brought a lot of consternation as to what the 49ers might do to shore up the now thin offensive line. The team has their 5 starters, but there are big questions at the backup offensive tackle position. Adam Snyder missed Saturday's game due to a knee injury, but is expected to be fine coming opening day. However, he has yet to prove himself as a consistent force at the right tackle position, so depth is certainly a necessity.

The 49ers currently sit with Barry Sims and Alex Boone as their primary offensive tackle backups. Beyond that they have guys like Jacob Bender, Joe Toledo and Matt Spanos. A week ago they had no prayer of making the roster. Today they've certainly got a chance, although I still don't see them making the roster. I'd imagine we've heard all we need to hear about Barry Sims. He's old and lost many steps in his game. He was pretty atrocious last year, but one has to wonder how much of that was due to his aging and how much was due to the Martz offense. Any thoughts on that?

The other man is of course fan favorite Alex Boone. Boone has shown some skills and could very well end up being a player in this league. One would imagine the retirement of Smith has come pretty close to locking up a spot on the roster for Boone. Many would argue that it's way too soon to expect much out of him other than as an emergency fill-in. I would tend to agree with that, although we all have heard his draft story. He has talent and would have been drafted if not for his off the field problems.

No matter who you take from the above mentioned offensive tackles, I wouldn't exactly call it an awe-inspiring group at this point. Certainly some upside, but a whole lot of "rough around the edges."

So where does that leave us? Well, potentially in need of another offensive tackle. Adam Caplan of Scout.com developed an updated list of best free agents still available on offense. After the jump we break down some of the more intriguing options from that list. We also utilize an older list from February.

Jon Runyan
This is definitely my favorite option at this point. Runyan had microfracture surgery at the end of January, which was expected to keep him out four to six months. Well, as of a few days ago, Runyan was cleared for full contact. Back in February Caplan had an interesting comment about Runyan:

This mauling type of lineman is nearing the end of a solid 13-year career. Despite playing in a passing offense, Runyan actually may be a better fit for a team that uses a power running game.

Well, ya don't say? Of course, before we get ahead of ourselves, both sides would have to want this to happen. Runyan was drafted by the Oilers/Titans, but spent the majority of his career in Philly. Would he be interesting in coming to the West Coast? Adam Snyder is currently the starter at right tackle, but we know that's not a sure thing. The team could ease Runyan back into things and if Snyder falters, Runyan could pounce on the job. I'm not holding my breath for this to happen, but I am definitely intrigued by the possibility.

Mark Tauscher
The big problem for Tauscher is his recovery from ACL surgery. There were reports that his knee was in pretty bad shape, but the last report I could find (end of July) indicated his rehab was running ahead of schedule, and he could be ready for game action in September. Obviously take that with a grain of salt, but again, this is a guy the 49ers could ease back into the swing of things.

Charles Spencer
Spencer generally was considered a solid talent before going down with what sounds like a pretty nasty compound leg fracture. He tried out for the Giants in May, but nothing ever came of that. Spencer recently signed with the UFL so he's certainly looking to make a comeback. As is the case with most everybody still available, plenty of injury baggage. At one point he was going to be Houston's left tackle of the future, so the talent level was certainly there at one point.

Jason Fabini
Fabini is generally considered a serviceable backup at this point in his career who can play 3 positions (right tackle and I think both guard positions). Of course, he's 35 years old so I wouldn't expect the 49ers would do much in terms of kicking the tires.

Levi Jones
The 49ers have denied interest in Jones, but I'll throw him on here anyways. Jones is certainly talented, but it sounds like he wants a starting job and that won't happen at this point in San Francisco.

I refuse to list the two former 49ers that are on Caplan's list.

There are numerous other offensive tackles on their last legs that I certainly could have included. For now though, I think this list includes the most pertinent options at the position.

In general, injuries are the overriding concern with any of the offensive tackles available. I'm curious how one views knee injuries as compared to back injuries. Do we have any old offensive linemen who would be able to provide us with some insight? I ask because people might complain about bringing in another injured free agent tackle, but maybe a knee injury can be worked around a little more than a back injury. Any thoughts?

BREAKING NEWS: Anthony Weaver Joined On Waivers By Ephraim Salaam And Will Demps

Tim — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 22:18:46 -0000

Adam Schefter told us Anthony Weaver was not long for Reliant Park, and that became official today. What we did not know, and thus what qualifies as news, is that your Houston Texans also cut ties with Ephraim Salaam and Will Demps this afternoon.

Examined critically, none of these moves should surprise us. We've already gone on at length about The Corpse Formerly Known As Anthony Weaver, so no need to pile on any more there. Ephraim Salaam was originally signed as a reserve swing tackle a few years ago, but was thrust into the starting left tackle spot after Charles Spencer went down. I always thought Salaam performed admirably in '06 and '07; he wasn't an impenetrable wall, but I thought he generally acquitted himself well. Once Duane Brown arrived last year, the clock was officially ticking on Salaam's career here, and Kubes' decision to name the rookie as his starter at LT from Day One virtually cemented a long goodbye for the veteran. Even when Salaam did get on the field this past season to spell Brown, he looked as if he'd lost a step. Thus, I'm not really shocked that the team decided to go with a younger, cheaper Rashad Butler as Brown's backup instead of Salaam. Nevertheless, best of luck to Ephraim in whatever he does next.

Will Demps is a fine example of the old adage that "NFL" stands for "Not For Long." Signed off the street as a free agent in September of 2007, Demps came in and fashioned a Pro Bowl (alternate) season. A free agent after the 2007 season, Demps parlayed that success into a two-year deal with the Texans and entered camp as the starting free safety. Then, it all fell apart. Demps didn't really look like the diamond in the rough Smithiak discovered in 2007, thus giving Nick Ferguson and/or Eugene Wilson an opening to take his job. Soon enough, Demps found himself inactive or special teams fodder, and it was all but impossible to envision a future for him in Houston. Disappointing '08 season aside, I wish nothing but the best for one of the smoovest cats around.

Should Texans Fans Watch The Combine?

Jake — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 09:42:35 -0000

Its mid February and the 2009 NFL Scouting Combine is almost upon us. As I have stated before, I personally am not a huge fan of the Combine because I believe too much emphasis is placed on the drills that the players perform. That’s not to say that you shouldn’t know how fast a guy is and the league should stop testing them in the 40 yard dash; that would be absolutely silly. I just think that the Combine was something that started off as another good tool for general managers to add with all the other steps they took to evaluate and eventually decide if a player was right for them or not, but somewhere along the way it went from a measuring stick to the end-all/be-all of player evaluation.

I’m not alone with my opinion of the Combine. Even Mike Mayock, who is employed as a draft analyst by NFL Network and therefore by the league itself, has criticized the Combine occasionally. He makes good points too, citing the difference between what he calls “functional playing speed and manufactured speed.” The only player that is going to run perfectly straight for 40 yards in a game is a WR, and even he isn’t going to do it from a three point stance.

Proponents of the Combine will be quick to tell you that the myriad drills simulate and test the physical talents you need to play in the NFL no matter what the position, and that the Combine is a venue where athletes from smaller schools can be sized up against players from larger programs while all in the same setting. The problems I have with these arguments are 1) many of the athletes choose not to participate in the other drills (in fact the majority only do the 40 yard dash and the bench press), and 2) the athletes all compete but they do so in athleticism tests, not at football.

For all my whining about the Combine, there is one thing I can’t refute--I will spend a lot of time watching and reading coverage of the event. What can I say? I love the NFL, and the only things happening in the league in mid to late February happen in Indianapolis. Interesting stories always come from putting that many front office personnel in one place during free agency, and draft speculation abounds, which helps me through my withdrawals from football, which are really bad right now (I tried watching basketball the other night and just felt cheap).

The biggest reason, however, that I will be paying close attention is not listed above. While it may not interest you to learn how I feel about the player tests, it will certainly be in your best interest to know how Gary Kubiak and Rick Smith feel about them. Unfortunately, we don’t regularly swap phone calls and I’m not exactly on their e-mail distribution lists. So in the absence of asking them, I took a look at how their draft decisions might have been influenced by the Combine since they took over in 2006, and I think you might be surprised at what I found.

Let me set the record straight by saying that there is no way of knowing that a good or bad Combine performance directly led to Smithiak taking or passing on particular players. They obviously looked at intangibles such as if they fit or respective schemes; Alex Gibbs’ zone blocking system, Kyle Shannahan’s vertical passing attack, or the lack of scheme in the case of Richard Smith’s Defense (sorry, still bitter). Also, some people around the league will roll the dice on a draftee with “personality problems”, but Kubiak and Smith placed a high priority on detecting if a player is right for our locker room, which I’m proud to say seems like a deal-breaker for whether or not they would add someone to the roster.

Draft analysts have identified another trend with the Texans besides looking for players with good character that fit their schemes. In May of every year, most of the articles about the Texans center on the fact that we “reached” for our draft selections. The most notorious of the "reaches" was in the first Texans draft in which Kubiak participated. Every so-called expert slighted us for taking Mario Williams over Reggie Bush, and comparisons were immediately made to passing on Michael Jordan. While Super Mario’s play since then has vindicated that pick, the criticism for other drafts has been the same. While I have confidence that Kubiak and Smith know what they’re doing, I’ve often wondered why we continually take players before they’re “supposed” to be picked. With the Combine coming up now, I decided to try and discern if the famous scouting event might be part of the reason.

Author’s Note: I have to admit that my brother Tyler (a.k.a. Prussian) also inspired me to take a closer look at the Combine. The research for this post was extremely difficult. Thanks Ty.

The way I went about analyzing how the Combine affected their decisions was definitely not what you might call exact, but I feel it gives insight nonetheless. I looked specifically at the players that the Texans drafted in the first four rounds in 2006, 2007 and 2008 (I used only the first four rounds because I believe any player you select in rounds 5-7 is an educated guess and therefore the “reach” theory doesn’t apply). First I took note of where they were projected to be drafted and where we actually took them. With the “reaching” trend in mind, I then researched their combine performances, and tried to determine if the way they tested could have influenced our early selection of that player. Lastly, I tried to compare the player we selected with other players at the position that were still available who were projected before or near our draftee in an effort to see if the respective combine performances were drastically different. I realize that this process is limited because it assumes that Kubiak and Smith were drafting for a specific position, but the idea of analyzing every position of need instead of the position we took makes my head hurt. Call me lazy.

2006 Draft:

Mario Williams – DE – NC State. Obviously everyone thought that Mario Williams was a reach. In fact, as long as we’re being honest, I wasn’t thrilled either. I didn’t think it was terrible overall, I just didn’t understand why they didn’t trade down if they knew they weren’t going to take Reggie Bush or Vince Young. Later, after I found out that there were pretty much no deals on the table, I was ok with it. Mario, as you would expect, had a great Combine. Comparing Mario to any other DEs would be unnecessary because it was pretty much unanimous that he was going to be the first defensive player taken. It seems apparent that the mixture of need on defense and not being sure about Young and Bush as franchised players led to this decision, not the Combine.

DeMeco Ryans – LB – Alabama. DeMeco was projected to be a first round selection, which he missed by one pick after being selected 33rd overall. DeMeco had a good Combine, but was pretty comparable with both Thomas Howard and Roger McIntosh. Howard’s 4.42 was much faster than both Ryans’ and McIntosh’s 40 times, while the results of everything else were very similar. If the Texans were just using the combine, they would have missed out on the 2006 Defensive Rookie of the Year. Many reports cite DeMeco’s uncommon intelligence and character as the reason he was chosen before the other two candidates.

Charles Spencer – OG – Pittsburgh. Spencer was taken slightly early with the first pick of the third round, as he was supposed to be selected either later in the round or the beginning of the fourth. Both Max Jean-Giles and Jason Spitz were projected as higher values, but at the Combine Spencer showed that he was bigger, stronger and faster, which was enough for the Texans to look past fluctuating weight and motor issues and pick him before the other two candidates. Score one for the Combine.

Eric Winston – OT – Miami. Winston actually slipped, as he was supposed to be selected in the second round, possibly even late in the first. He was clearly the better athlete among Paul McQuistan, Rashad Butler (yes I know Butler plays for us now) and pretty much every other OT still left. Questions as to whether Winston had the footwork to play LT was the primary reason he slid so far; coincidentally, these questions arose after scouts observed poor testing at the Combine, which obviously didn’t faze the Texans that much.

Owen Daniels – TE – Wisconsin. OD was selected in the very beggining of the fourth round, which was a round earlier than he was projected. Daniels had a decent Combine but nothing that was earth-shattering. The Texans likely saw something in him that sparked their interest outside of his 4.65 40 time so they decided to take him early. Then again, the alternatives were Garrett Mills and Jason Pociask. I’ve never heard of them either.

2007 Draft:

Amobi Okoye – DT – Loiusville. Amobi may or may not have been considered a reach depending on where you looked for pre-draft projections. Some people had him slated as a mid to late first round pick, while others thought he belonged in the early first round range, which is where we consequently selected him with the 10th overall pick. Okoye ran a 5.06 40 and had 29 bench press reps, which were fairly comparable numbers to both Alan Branch and Justin Harrell. Harrell, who was projected as a late first round pick, ran a 5.10 and had 24 reps. Branch, who was projected as a mid first round pick, ran a 5.04 and had 33 reps, which was technically better than Okoye’s. In the end, Okoye’s age (19) and his lights-out performance at the Senior Bowl is probably what led to the Texans taking him before all other DT prospects.

Jacoby Jones – WR – Lane. Jones was definitely considered a reach when we selected him with the 9th pick in the third round, as he was not slated to be picked until somewhere between the end of the third and the beginning of the fourth rounds. At the Combine, Jones ran a 4.53, which was ok for a 6’2” receiver who weighs 205. Yamon Figurs, Jason Hill and Paul Williams all had better Combine numbers. Also, Figurs was the only receiver smaller than Jacoby, while Hill and Williams were just about the same size but ran faster at the Combine. I’m not saying they were right, but it doesn’t seem like Smithiak selected Jones based off just his Combine performance.

Fred Bennett – CB – South Carolina. Bennett could be considered a reach because he was taken in the fourth while he was projected in the fifth, but this is misleading. The 2007 draft had an amazing run on CBs that I don’t think anyone could have seen coming. By the time the Texans selected Bennett with the 7th pick in the fourth round, there were only a couple of CBs with better Combine performances, but none had Bennett’s mix of athleticism (4.55) and size (6’1”, 196). It seems like Smithiak realized they waited too long to take a CB and they picked the best available.

2008 Draft:

Duane Brown – OT – Virginia Tech. Brown was considered by most, if not all, to be a reach when we selected him 26th overall after our trade down with Baltimore. He was slated to be taken around the middle of the third round, and many speculated that his impressive performance at the Combine enticed the Texans to be impatient. His 5.08 40 time was the fastest of all lineman, and he was one of the few to participate in the vertical, shuttle and cone drills, which showed confidence in his athletic ability. When I was trying to find players to compare him to, however, I found something startling; there were none. Brown was the sixth OT taken, and between him and the third round (when he was supposed to be taken) there were only three OL selected--two guards and one center. Obviously the Texans needed a OT and they saw that they were getting scarce so they took Brown. The fact that he knew how to block in a zone blocking system and he had a great combine was a plus, but they were smart to take him when they did since OT was a priority.

Antwaun Molden – CB – Eastern Kentucky. This wasn’t a reach in the classical sense because he was taken with the 16th pick in the third round, which fulfilled his mid third round projection, but there were two CBs still available, Justin King and Tyvon Branch, who were projected for the second round. While King’s 4.37 time and Branch’s 4.33 time were both faster than Molden’s 4.44 time, Antwaun put on a show at the Combine by adding 23 reps and a 37.5 inch vertical to his 40, which was far better than both King and Branch. This is probably a clear-cut case of the Combine causing the Texans to draft someone before they were “supposed” to be taken. Side note: I didn’t realize that Molden was such an impressive athlete. Hopefully he can translate that athleticism to success on the field next year.

Steve Slaton – RB – West Virginia. With the 26th pick of the third round, the Texans took Slaton slightly earlier than his early to mid fourth round projection. After his phenomenal sophomore season at WVU, Slaton was talked about as a potential first round pick in the 2008 draft. His production diminished his junior year, which worried scouts, and ironically, he was compared to Reggie Bush (see comments above about taking Mario instead of Bush) as a RB that could not run between the tackles and would be injury-prone due to his size. His 4.44 time was one of the better runs, which was to be expected of a smaller RB who was only 5’9”, but his 33.5 inch vertical was better than all but one, showing how good of an athlete Slaton is. This performance was slightly better than Tashard Choice, who was the only other back on the board who fit the mold of speed back, which I believe the Texans were specifically targeting. Maybe the Combine gave him a slight edge, but I would tend to believe that it was more because of his starting experience that the Texans ended up selecting Slaton. Whatever it was, I’m ok with it.

Xavier Adibi – LB – Virginia Tech. Adibi was actually taken after he was supposed to be, which is a rarity when it comes to the Texans’ drafts. Adibi’s 4.69 time was comparable with Bryan Kehl ,who was still on the board, but was slower than Stanford Keglar. Also, both Kehl and Keglar tested in the bench press, vertical, shuttle, and cone dirlls, all of which Adibi did not. Even though Adibi was impressive, he was obviously not taken for his Combine performance.

Overall, I’m actually surprised by what I found when researching for this article. I expected that the Texans’ commonly documented tendency of taking players earlier than most think they should was directly associated with stellar Combine performances, but for the most part that wasn’t the case. As for the “reaching” theory, I would much rather Kubiak and Smith be proactive, i.e., “We know this guy will be great and he might not be there next round” than reactive, i.e., “Well, everyone thinks this guy is going to be good and I guess we got lucky that he fell to us.”

We commonly praise the Texans for their ability to find talent in the later rounds, as we should. I guess I should not be surprised to see that they are not relying just on the Combine to simply plug in “the most talented player”, but rather using it as a tool that is combined with scouting diligence to determine overall intelligence, character and talent of prospective Texans. Having said all this, I’m sure they still scrutinize the Combine heavily. And so will I.

2009 Free Agent Hunt

Riott — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 02:10:18 -0000

Sorry folks - I've been wrapped up with resuming school and having a lovely $3,000 surprise bill dropped on my doorstep.

Enough about me. Let's move on to potential 2009 Free Agents for our Houston Texans!

Okay...we are going to talk about what's available, what we might try, and what is downright impossible and/or ludicrous.

As we talked about in a previous post , we have probably $24-27 million available under the cap after re-signings if we cut TJ, Weaver, Green, and Greenwood. We free up an additional $2 million with cutting Demps, so let's throw him in there as well. That leaves your Houston Texans with somewhere between $26-29ish million under the cap to play with. With these numbers in mind, let's look at what we may pursue.

First, defensive line.

Let me get this out of the way. The Face Stomper is available, but no chance in hell we go after him. Not only because he is going to demand (and receive) the biggest defensive contract in the history of the NFL, but also because he is a jerk.

Julius Peppers - Ahh, we've all had little fantasies about this one, we've replicated it in Madden, and the thought of Peppers and Mario on a D-Line just gave Trent Green another concussion. However, I don't see it happening.

As pointed out by Tim the other day, Peppers is going to want a Jared Allen-esque deal. I don't think Rick Smith is going to hand Peppers a $72.36 million dollar deal, with $31 million guaranteed. We won't spend that much money on a player who won't "put us over the top." We have too many needs to do that.

Peppers <would also be a bad fit. He has been whining recently, saying he would be better in a 3-4 (No, Julius, you wouldn't. You don't like to play the run.) and wants to sign with a 3-4 team.

If he came to the Texans, he would also want to play right end. We happen to have a relatively talented RE, if you haven't heard. Julius sucks at LE (at least he did in the Panthers' scheme) and simply could not produce. I think Mario could do it, but I'd rather keep him in his comfort zone--you know, the place where he keeps dominating people.

Verdict: Fun to entertain. Likely? No.

Bertrand Berry--Coming off a Super Bowl appearance (and possible victory), Berry might be looking to jump ship for a payday. He's getting up into that age where teams start to move on. At 33 years of age, he's a bit old to rejuvenate a D-Line, but he could be a role player. Heck, this regular season he had 3 more sacks than Travis Johnson's career total (this doesn't fully apply - he's a DE, but still). If he didn't ask for too much money (which he probably will), I think he could play a role at LE for 1-3 seasons while we help solidify it with young talent.

Verdict: Possible, under the right circumstances.

Shaun Cody--Coming off literally the worst season ever, this Lion is probably down. Considered a bit of a bust by Lions fans, he hasn't recorded a sack since 2005. However, at 6'4", 310, he could try and be a fit at NT. He is only 25 years old and has a lot of life left in him, and I think a change of scenery out of the lifeless hell that is Detroit could elicit a change in him. There were times this year in Detroit when I watched him and he looked pretty stout against the run.

The best news? He will probably come on the cheap. Coming from Detroit, he may be viewed as damaged goods.

Verdict: Cheap, and could possibly replace TJ at NT? Go for it.

Chris Canty--I know, I know, hes a 3-4 end. But I think he could work. At 6'7", 305, he's a pretty big dude, and has managed about 3 sacks a season playing in the 3-4. 3 sacks is pretty difficult when you have DeMarcus Ware on a dead sprint into the backfield every play. Canty is also just a scant 26 years of age, so he is not on the way out. He could for sure play the run well, but I also think he would be able to create pressure on the left side as well, considering he would be one on one often with right tackles, and he's just as big as them.

Considering the cancerous locker room he is in, Canty may be looking for a way out. If he comes at a reasonable price, I would consider him as well.

Verdict: New scheme for him, not ideal fit, but hell, the man generated 3 sacks competing with DeMarcus Ware. I think anything is better than The Corpse Formerly Known As Anthony Weaver. If he comes at a reasonable price, bring him in.

Marcus Tubbs--This large man excites and scares me all at the same time. At 6'3", 320, he would fit very well at NT for us. He has even been dominant at times for the Seahawks. The problem? He is coming off microfracture surgery in his knee in 2006, was on IR all of 2007, and was released in 2008 for not progressing with rehab. Sounds like a Charles Spencer case to me. If we could bring him in for no or little guaranteed money...do it. He was dominant when he was healthy, but him being healthy was rare.

Verdict: His knee is a huge question, but if we can get him up to 75% of peak performance, we have a much better NT than we did previously.

Terrell Suggs--Suggs is an interesting prospect for us, because he could probably play DE or SLB. Personally, I would rather have him with his hand down. After all, that was his whole argument during his franchise year, right? He is a ferocious pass rusher, and I feel would be a magnificent compliment across from Mario. I just don't know if he would be willing to convert to a full-time DE. There is also a very strong possibility that he is franchised by Baltimore, as they can probably work something out for Ray Lewis and Bart Scott probably isn't in as much demand.

Suggs will probably command a pretty big contract, but not along the lines of Allen or Peppers. He would add a great, young, proven player for our DL, but it would lock up a lot of our cap wiggle room.

Verdict: I would love it, but don't think it will happen. I think Suggs is going to be Baltimore's priority this offseason, and that leads us to..

Linebackers

Bart Scott--Bart Scott seems to be much more attainable than Suggs. Bart Scott, as Diehard Chris pointed out ,would be a pretty awesome force at SLB. Not only are we bringing in a proven, quality SLB, but he's also an awesome presence in the locker room. He's 28 years old and definitely has some life left in him. Bart Scott loves to hate, brings the pain, and I think our defense could use a badass veteran presence. Also, I just caught on SportsCenter that it is going to cost Baltimore about $19 million to keep Suggs and Lewis (purportedly the Cowboys are going to offer $8 million a year for Lewis, so they would probably have to up it). I think Scott is the odd man out, and to see Adibi, DeMeco, and Scott as a linebacking corps would excite me.

Verdict: Do it. It would probably cost us $15 million ($7 million guaranteed) over 3 or 4 years to land Scott. I think it would be worth it.

Karlos Dansby-- Dansby has been awesome for the Cards this year, racking up 119 tackles in '08 regular season. He's young at only 27 years old, and he probably isn't the biggest concern for Arizona, as they have to worry about Kurt Warner leaving in free agency as well. Dansby will probably be asking for around the same money at Bart Scott, but would probably be a better fit due to his play in a 4-3 at the moment. The only thing is that in all likelihood he will be locked up quickly in the offseason, as Arizona has $41 millionish in cap space for the 2009 free agency run. I think he could do well as the SLB for the Houston Texans, though unless he has a problem with Arizona, I think he will be going back.

Verdict: Would be a good fit, but unlikely due to Arizona's huge amount of cap space.

Johnathan Vilma--I was going to do a write up on Vilma, but I don't think he's a likely target. He's been arrested and he wants to go back to New Orleans and the Saints have said their priority is to re-sign him. I don't think he would be too good a fit on the field and/or in the locker room.

Michael Boley-- Boley was Atlanta's SLB this year, and he was a difference maker. He is a little small at 225, but he played all out and played well. He had no sacks this year (and one INT), so his ability to get to the QB is in question, but he is only 26 years old and pretty good in coverage. I don't think he would be an ideal fit by any means, but he would be a capable starter that could be had at an affordable price.

Verdict: Reasonable if we can't find anything better and we don't project we are going to take a true starting SLB in the draft.

Angelo Crowell--Angelo Crowell is an interesting prospect. Coming off season ending knee surgery for chrondromalacia , his rehab is progressing ahead of schedule. Before his surgery, he was an impact SLB for the Bills, amassing 119/83/126 tackles from 05-07, with 16 batted passes, 7 sacks, 4 forced fumbles and 5 INT over that three year period.

Bad news? He's coming off season ending knee surgery.

Good news? He could be a true starting-caliber, impact SLB for the cheap... if he comes back to full form.

Verdict: If Crowell passes all the physicals, and looks like he can move well, sign him to a decent contract with low guarantees and a lot of escalators for performance. If he plays up to them, I'll be more than happy to give him good money.

Defensive Backs

Nnamdi Asomugha--The other potential signing that give Texans fans warm fuzzies. Nmamdi would look very good in Battle Red, but the likelihood that he comes here is low. First and foremost, he is a true team player... which boggles my mind. He actually WANTS to stay in Oakland to help his team. Why, Scrabble, why do you do this to me? Toss your camaraderie out the window for a moment and come to us.

Secondly, Al Davis the Zombie Lord will probably franchise him. Honestly, who else are they going to franchise? The punter? They really have no one else to use the tag on, and there have already been rumors that they are negotiating long term to lock him up. I love the Raiders' tradition, but I hate Al Davis so much. I want him to get an air bubble in his IV tube and just not wake up one morning.

But I digress.

Verdict: Even though it would be ridiculously expensive, I would be so happy to see it done. But I don't think Davis will let him out of his cold, evil clutches.

Dawan Landry--Dawan Landry is a good young safety, albeit one coming off of a spinal cord concussion. He ran head-to-knee into Jamal Lewis and was carted off the field in the beginning of the '08 season and is now a free agent. His job got taken over by Jim Leonhard, and it is projected that Leonhard will keep his job even if Dawan returns. Landry is a starting quality safety who plays the run very well and does a decent job against the pass. Since he is coming off an injury and lost his starting role, I think he will be cheap. I also think he will be better than most safeties available in the draft (Louis Delmas, Patrick Chung, and Rashad Johnson are the only safeties I think could step in and perform; William Moore is showing he is a liability in coverage at the Senior Bowl).

Verdict: Same as with Crowell--if he returns from injury and comes at a reasonable price (don't low ball him, but don't throw the bank at him either), I believe he could be a capable starter for quite awhile.

Oshiomogho Atogwe - I would join Al Davis in the sacrifice of virgins to get Atogwe here. He is basically the lone bright spot for the Rams' defense the last 3 seasons, totaling 16 INT (and 6 forced fumbles in 2008 alone). He is a game-changer at free safety and not afraid to lay the wood. He is also only 27 years old and might want to move to a team looking to take the next step. The only problem is that he looks like a guaranteed lock for the Rams to franchise this offseason due to the fact the he was the team's defensive MVP and is a great locker room leader.

If he managed to sneak away un-franchised, he would want a big payday. If we are smart, we'd give it to him.

Verdict: I want him. He is a game-changing free safety and young to boot. He would cost us quite a bit, but it would be worth every penny, and there is NO safety available in this draft I think is up to his caliber, at least as a starter in 2009.

Brian Dawkins--Now, Dawkins is a playmaker...that can't be denied. However, he is old. Like, ancient old. At 35, he is definitely on his last legs and won't be in the league for more than 2-3 years. But he would be a definite upgrade to our defense, and would be an amazing veteran leader to a relatively young secondary, especially if we draft a corner/safety that we expect to start. By no means is Dawkins a long-term solution, but I think he knows how old he is, and I think we can get him for a good price if the Eagles are willing to let him go. Yet he probably wants to end his career with the Eagles and would sign back with them for a discount, simply out of loyalty.

Verdict: He would be an improvement for a season or two, and a great leader for an up-and-coming secondary. He would probably come cheap due to his age.

Okay guys, I'm glad you made it this far. These were players I thought could step in and start, not necessarily back-ups or camp bodies. I'm sure I missed some, so jump into the Comments and let me know. I also did not go into offensive linemen, but Jeff Saturday, Matt Birk, Jahri Evans, and Jason Brown would all upgrade the center or right guard spot. They might be deserving of a further post, but for the time being, we will look at throwing cash at defensive players.

If we could pick up Suggs, Scott, Nnamdi, or Atogwe, I would be ludicrously excited. The others, I think, have a lot of boom or bust potential, but would be good shots for the right money.

What do y'all think?