TheOak

I know what you are thinking... Shouldn't have this been before the draft? Not in the way I am looking at it.

Lets stop looking at our shiny new cars and the grades on how we did in the draft and look at the NFC South... what our competition failed to address, and where a new piece would help us against the rest of the NFC South.

What do we need to do with out 3.5M in cap space to battle the following.

Atlanta picked up some D-backs but no pass rush to speak of. Their offensive weapons have not changed.

No article up yet...

Carolina - Where they missed: Their secondary is kind of a mess, and remained that way. Their hope is that a better pass rush gives teams less time to throw, and it better work. They’re deep in nickels (Captain Munnerlyn, Drayton Florence, D.J. Moore), but two of them will have to start. At safety, they have the acceptable Charles Godfrey and your-guess-is-as-good-as-mine at the other spot. They also failed to add anything at offensive tackle, which means they’re perhaps a year away from a complete rebuild.
Draft review: Carolina Panthers | ProFootballTalk

Tampa Bay - Where they missed: The Bucs must have a crystal ball or a faith-healer on staff, because their pass-rush is in the hands of two guys with bad medical files — Adrian Clayborn and Da’Quan Bowers. They were willing to let Michael Bennett walk even though he turned out to be cheap, and it’s hard to see where the depth is. They also have a lot of faith in Tom Crabtree emerging as a receiving threat at tight end.
Draft review: Tampa Bay Buccaneers | ProFootballTalk


It looks like we will continue to burn the Bucs and Panthers with the passing game, Brees will test the Falcons new corners and if they cant get pressure on him it will be a roast.

I hope this makes for a good change of pace thread...

Thoughts, insight?

TwistedTiger

Saints still don't have one single proven pass rusher or disruptive force on the DL. The more prospects you have there the better the odds of finding one.

TheOak

Considering how well we did against the NFC south last season, I don't see any issues with any NFC South teams this season.. They are always a struggle but we pull through. With the worst defense in history we didn't lose any by more than 10 points.

hagan714

Danno

Galette proved very effective as a pass rusher last year. He was our highest graded pass rusher. Granted it was in our pass rush package so it remains to be seen if he can be a 3-down LB in Ryan's system.

Butler was also proven to be very effective when called upon in Dallas. Again, it remains to be seen if he can be a full timer though.

Wilson has shown flashes, but last years DE experiment is over and he moves back to OLB where he's graded fairly well. I think he can be a very good rush backer.

I think we have the numbers to throw at it and at least one or two should be effective enough to compliment our offense.

On paper, this looks like the best squad we've ever had under Payton.

TheOak

And that right there is a scary proposition for the rest of the league.

K Major

I have said this on multiple posts but I truly believe Wilson will become a BEAST under The Big Lebowski's 3 -4 system & Jordan will too. This may be the season where teams actually have to 'game plan' for certain guys coming off the edge.

TwistedTiger

I agree, we are loaded with projects that show potential. However none have yet shown the ability to be quality starters. No disruptive forces on the DL and no consistant quality pass rushers that can play 3 downs. That concerns me more than what any other team did in the draft.

DaArchbishop

Dont forget about Hicks. who will play end and tackle this yr.

Papa Voodoo

Overall with what we had to work with we adressed our key areas. We have the most complete team with the best depth in the division so if we can keep injuries at bay we should be the division winners this year.

Now that the CBA/referee lockouts, Bountygate, and suspensions are over we have a clean slate and the best coaching staff in the division (and they are pissed off).

After peetering out twice in 3 years I think Atlanta is due for a flat season. They will be in the hunt, but I don't think they will be as good as they think they will be. White, Jackson, Jones, and Gonzales are not a cure-all and none of them play D.

We have a very good group of LBs, a lot of athletic secondary players, and some Dline/pass rush players so Rob Ryan will have tools to work with.