Yeah, I think this is the answer. Cumberland and Mulligan can probably do somethings Hartsock can't do, they can't do some things he can do, but they're good enought that spending 1.6 million on a blocking TE isn't worth it.
It has nothing to do with my bias at this point. He's too old and slow now. Time to move on. We have other experienced OLB's.
Every player that got reps for us at OLB this season was at least a step too slow. I'd rather keep an experienced veteran to teach younger guys how to play the position. It seems like Tannenbaum likes to do that: Brunell/Sanchez, LT/Greene/McKnight, and Richardson/Conner
Any extra OL. Thank god that waste of cap space is gone. Having him in fools no one, so an OL is better in that case. Better to help Cumberland learn how to block, and use misdirection on occasion to keep opponents from Teeing off on Keller. In a must have, Turner will suffice. In normal d&d, the ability for TWO TE's to be legitimate seam threats will compensate.
Don't you think we have enough experience with Pace and Thomas? We need 3 experienced LB'rs and a coaching staff to teach young guys?
Jason Taylor > Bryan Thomas I have faith that Calvin Pace can produce if he stays healthy, but Taylor is one of the best pass rushers of this era.
Taylor was one of the best pass rushers of this era. I'd prefer Thomas over Taylor at this point in there careers. Unless you're speaking solely from a mentor perspective, in which case feel free to sign him as a coach.
Plus Thomas would save a lot on the cap this year if they cut him.. unless he's willing to take a cut and play for the same amount Taylor would.
I have been, and still am, expecting to see Thomas cut after the draft/CBA. The team just needs to be sure it has an option at OLB if the draft doesn't play out well. At that point, Thomas gets cut and one of the two is re-signed.
Taylor is a better option for this team's future. He'll cost less and help more. Thomas will be out of a job when we draft/sign a pass rusher. ...might as well cut his sorry ass and bring Taylor in on a cheap contract.
I can see it making sense from a cap perspective, and from a mentor perspective. As far as actual play on the field I'd much rather have Thomas. I guess it depends on how many snaps you're expecting that spot to take.
I'm not expecting Jason Taylor to take many snaps at all - he'll be a rotational player. Bryan Thomas should be a rotational player because all he can do is stop the run. There's no reason to pay a mediocre player like Thomas. We're going to see multiple front seven players brought in through the draft and free agency. The dead weight needs to be cut.
I think it's easier to fill Thomas's spot.. which is essentially someone to help stuff than run than it is to find someone who can (in theory) get pressure off the edge like Taylor can. Thomas really wasn't getting that many snaps down the stretch, and was barely out there in the playoffs. He's useless as a pass rusher.
And yet he got more sacks than the great Jason Taylor and his furious edge pass rush. Taylor isn't coming off the edge with much of anything. Did I watch another player last season? The guy made a few plays for us, but wasn't scaring any opposing QB's. I know Thomas isn't known for his pass rush but he seems more of a threat than Taylor at this point.
Thomas got way more reps than Taylor. Can someone look up the difference in how many snaps these two played? Thomas: 31 solo tackles, 6 sacks, 1 FF, and 1 PD as a starter. Taylor: 25 solo tackles, 5 sacks, 2 FFs, and 6 PDs as a rotational player. Who was more productive? That's extremely similar production, but it seems Taylor had more of an impact in the passing game.
manlyGenius posted stats earlier showing Taylor having 16 more snaps than Thomas. I don't know where he got them.
I'd like to see a link to those numbers - ManlyGenius...post the link ASAP, please. Taylor got more reps than expected when Pace was out, but was usually just on the field in four man fronts.
