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Best Free Agent Inside Linbacker

jacquescas

Veteran
I think the top 3 are all under 28 years old. there is Jerimiah Trotter from the Eagles, Kendrell Bell from the Steelers, and Edgarin Hartwell from the Ravens.
 
jacquescas said:
I think the top 3 are all under 28 years old. there is Jerimiah Trotter from the Eagles, Kendrell Bell from the Steelers, and Edgarin Hartwell from the Ravens.

Trotter's services will definitely be retained by the Eagles, I believe the Steelers will let Kendrell explore free agency because Larry Foote is an RFA and he has played well in Bell's absence, and I heard from people on Raven's Insider that the Raven's organization believes Hartwell has become a team distraction and has ruined the team's chemistry with his selfish me first attitude therefore letting him go to test the free agent market without even trying to match any offers he recieves by other teams.

I think Hartwell is in a position to demand more money than Bell because he actually played and played well the last two seasons why Bell has been fighting injury problems. I think we have a better shot of landing Bell than Hartwell, but I would take which ever one we can get our hands on. If both players demand too much money that we can't afford to offer, well I say we should just find a new ILB in the draft, either in the second or third round.
 
Despite injuries, I still like Bell over Hartwell and Trotter...

Trotter will most likely be resigned by Philly, and if I remember correctly, didn't he have "career threatening" injuries prior to the season? The 'Skins let him go for a reason, I think...

If Hartwell is a me-first player, then screw him, he can play Cleveland for all I care...We don't want or need selfish, distractive players on this team...If his selfishness is just a rumor, then we should at least make a competitive offer...

Kendrell Bell is an all-pro caliber player that will help our team immensely...He can cover, rush the passer, and is good in run support...The only downside is his injury from this season, and the Texans seem to have horrible luck when is comes to acquiring players after they've had a substantial injury (Boselli, Walker, Hollings, etc)...
 
Lets say we did pick up one of these ILB's or maybe even DJ in the draft.
what would happen to Jay Foreman?

Would he be a backup and we release Troy Evans or Dashon Polk, or would we release Foreman who is 27 years old with 4 years left in his contract worth 12.10M and a Bonus of 2.20M. Those #'s include the 2004 season so he would have 3 years left on his contract this coming season. Their has been alot of talk of signing a free agent ILB or gettin one in the draft to pair up with Sharper, but I dont see the Texans letting Foreman go and i dont know much about Cap Room, so if they would what would be the penalty?

Just my thoughts on the situation.
 
Yes, Foreman has a big contract, but he is not producing like the team had wished as well as Walker. I say we should focus on fixing our defense first because good defense would keep us in alot of games when our offense is not clicking and if I'm not mistaking our defense ranked statiscally worst than our offense. Positions that I think we need to fix on defense is NT which could be filled by signing Kendrick Clancy via UFA, RILB which could be filled by siging either Hartwell or Bell via UFA, or through the draft, and our 13th pick should be used to fix the LDE position where Walker is just taking up space by drafting Marcus Spears who is big enough to play either the DT or DE position. We need to get younger and more atheletic in the front seven.

Hi, my name is Marcus Spears and I believe that I am worthy of your # 13th overall pick. If you check my resume it says alot about my potential and what I can bring to this team
 
Yes. I agree that both Walker and Foreman should be replaced, but I think the fact that they have big contracts will prevent them from being replaced or benched. Although some think that Walker can bounce back and get familiar with his old ways i dont see it happening personally. I think age has caught up to him.

I dont know much about this type of thing as far as contracts and a players performance goes. If anyone has more knowledge on this matter feel free to correct me.
 
I agree that Bell and Hartwell would be the most likely candidates if we went the FA route. I think that Foreman will most likely go on the trade block to clear some room on the cap.

One thing I wonder is where the Houston front office is putting the ILB position on the priority list for upgrading. I can't imagine that it's higer than the OL and DL slots followed by the TE. I am betting that if you don't see Bell or Hartwell snapped up by us shortly into the FA period we will look for a sleeper or developmental ILB in the 3rd round.
 
No i dont think that we go after a free agent LB.

and i will tell you why.

why should we? we have sharper, forman, wong, and babin. problem with that line up is we have three middle linebackers playing in a 3-4 D. So we shuffle people around. Peek is the answer for our pass rush. If he could channel his anger and aggression into a destructive, monster that dosent get personal foul called on him b/c the opposing player goats him into a confrintation. I mean lets face it when he is in there he is a factor. you know when he is there. he flushes the QB out forcing him to throw on the run. he is there sacking the QB. He is there forcing fumbles and blocking punts. He has what our D lacks. attitude. If peek took all the hatred and all the anger that he unleashes on the field and could learn to channel it into a positive for the texans then we have an answer. Peek is a leader. He just needs to learn to be a leader. Think of him as a joey porter. Babin doesnt impress me. but maybe cause his teacher is wong. I dont think wong is a good linebacker. he just seems to happy and smiles to much. and have you watched him blitz? he just walks right into the ol or his own man and then just stops, almost like ok you got me i quit. our reserves are looking pretty impressive and seem to be developing nicely, polk, anderson, orr. all names you would here more of if we hadnt wasted a first round pick on babin. Dont get me wrong babin has skills he just dosent use them, i think he is more interested in designing another tat. he just needs peek to crawl up his backside and light a fire.

so peek, sharper, polk, anderson, babin, orr and be assured we will draft more de and linebackers and develop them along the way.
 
TEXANRED said:
I dont think wong is a good linebacker. he just seems to happy and smiles to much.

Nice analytical break-down. Hey, I think Wand sucks because he wears short socks--all the good LT's wear long socks.
 
Short socks? now that was funny.

No what i mean is that it just seems that our D has no spark no fire. no true leader just that they all go out on the field as 11 individuals, they play for themselves, and then go home. i guess i look at the linebacker position as the fire starter. the leader of the field. my own perseption.
 
Babin doesnt impress me.

He led the team in QB hurries. He did a pretty good job for a rookie when it came to rushing.. he would get close but he just didnt get the sack very often. He was great at covering his side of the field.. and if you watch the games you will notice that teams didnt run to his side very often.

All in all.. give him an offseason to work on technique and give us a better Dline to tie up blockers.. and you can look forward to Babin being much more effective next season.

Also.. keep in mind he was learning a new position. Not every draft pick we take is going to jump in and own everyone like Dunta and Johnson.
 
wong, sharper, glenn, seth - those are true leaders.

as for peek, his is a disruptive force that gives a spark to our D - thats all he really is.

babin impressed me btw. wait till he understands the 3-4. its harder than most people perceive.
 
I doubt we go for a linebacker because we signed CFL's Tim Cheatwood which can play DE or LB. Are problem with are team is our offensive line. That is where I beleive we will start.
 
Cheatwood cant play DE for us.. not officially anyway.. he could line up in a 3 point stance when we play 4-3 plays.. but he has no chance of being a DE on our roster.


Our LBs are starting to give me a headache.. we need a starting lineup. Babin and Sharper are locks.. who are we gonna play on the other side? Cheatwood, I think, would be a waste at ILB.. his strength is his speed around the outside (or at least I imagine thats his strength). Peek seems great.. but if he is so much better than Wong.. why hasnt he won the starting spot? and Wong.. wong had a great year.. he probably deserves the starting spot at OLB.. but then who do we have to play OLB? Polk didnt look bad, but is he good enough to start?

I hate not having ANY clue what our LBs are going to look like next season..or what our needs really are.
 
you realy think wong is a leader? i dont know, i just dont see it. i mean i love his radio show he is very chrismatic and likable and seems very approchable the kind of guy you could go get a beer with. that dosent exactly instill fear in the hearts of opposing offenses.

I heard glenn told dunta to settle down and not hit people that hard if he wants his career to last.

seth cant be a leader if he dosent play due to injuries.

as i said if peek can harness all that anger and use it to propel the texans forward then we have the answer to the outside pass rush. he just needs to learn.

didnt jimmy smith have the same problem for the panthers? he learned and they went to the superbowl.
 
i think what glenn was trying to say is that he needs to take care of his body now so he will be here for another decade. he doesnt have to lay the wood down on every play, but sometimes it is necessary, and i think he was cautioning him of when you do something like that.

glenn is a leader and so is wong and sharper and there are others. carrs stats arent gaudy but is he a leader? of course he is because they respect what he did his rookie season in taking every snap.

a leader is someone who doesnt quit and someone who helps his teammates. someone who studies tapes and doesnt let others around him get negative about the game. its someone who is injured and is still in practice cheerin on the other guys and maybe showing them a technique. they are all leaders IMO. :twocents:

you are looking at stats and the ability to scare an offense away from where you play.
 
After that one hit Dunta laid.. i think it was in Denver.. the one were he knocked himself out (or almost did or something).. id be telling him to calm down too.

Personally.. i dont think he need to lay big hits at all.. all he needs to do is keep wrapping up and tackling like he has been, and do the great job he has been doing in coverage and such. THe only time he needs to lay a big hit is when he is rushing and he hits that QB on his blind side :)
 
TEXANRED said:
seth cant be a leader if he dosent play due to injuries.

Thats the case with every player in the league. Well n/m i take that back. I just had a flashback of TO, Corey Chavous, and Randy Moss cheering and firing up their teamates from the bench while being injured, but that can only go so far. :hmmm:
 
ok i will agree with most of what you guys have said. i know that glenn was telling dunta to settle down so he could be around longer. i understand the why. I also know that when you are drafted in the top 10 and start immediately and every offense throw the ball in your direction cause basicaly they think your a punk and they can run over you, laying down the wood is a must. its a statement. your a veteran wr and in your opinion this punk snot nosed rookie cant cover me and i am going to score on him all day long. now you are that same wr you catch the ball turn to run and the last thing you remember is a loud bang and seeing the tops of your shoes. next thing you know you are on the sideline and you dont know how you got there. you will think twice about going back out there and trying to catch the ball. you will start hearing footsteps and worry about the on coming train wreck more than catching the ball. aligator arms are developed. a lack of effort to get open develops. dunta knew this and he was handling his buisness. he was making a statment and a name for himself. it was bad advise on glenns part. but that is my only gripe about glenn.

now anyone who thinks that moss and TO is a leader should just stay out of this conversation. Moss of all people. the same guy who walks off the field with two seconds left, says he is not sure if coach tice is the answer for the football team and then runs over a lady cop and says that he only plays when he wants to? yea thats a leader. he is the guy i want. so much they are trying to trade him.

and dont get mistaken about TO and his all out love for the eagles. this is the same guy who stirred up so much trouble in san fran that he was traded garcia was let go to free agency and mooch got canned. Dont fool yourself if he was to have gotten that same injury in week two and the eagles went one and fifteen i promise you that he would be "rehabbing" in cabo or porta viarta all season long. he needs to stay on the sideline so the coaches will let him go on the active roster for the superbowl. cause if they put him on ir and he is inactive and the eagles win the superbowl he dosent get a ring. and he wants the ring.
 
Bell's production has dropped greatly, and James Farrior played as good as any MLB in the league... who knows, maybe next year, the Steelers will go to a 4-3 because of this year's NT getting so much time, and the return of Casey Hampton for them.
 
dbo78912 said:
Bell's production has dropped greatly, and James Farrior played as good as any MLB in the league... who knows, maybe next year, the Steelers will go to a 4-3 because of this year's NT getting so much time, and the return of Casey Hampton for them.

i think they will stay in the 3-4 with lebeau being their defensive coordinator. you can never have too many fresh legs on the line in a 3-4
 
Trotter has really impressed me in the last two weeks. I think that Philly will keep him. But, he would be good for the Texans.
 
dbo78912 said:
Bell's production has dropped greatly, and James Farrior played as good as any MLB in the league... who knows, maybe next year, the Steelers will go to a 4-3 because of this year's NT getting so much time, and the return of Casey Hampton for them.
the steelers were the #1 defense in the league this year. I doubt they feel a need to completely overhaul their defensive philosophy.
 
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