Quote:
Originally Posted by The Goat
I think the plan exists and sort of is a two-phase concept. We saw phase one within about 48 hrs of FA. Al and Hall were preconceived and then Dock just fell into our laps like a gift from the Almighty... like Hall did last season. I bet that if Dock wasn't cut we'd have signed a different OL guy rather quickly, maybe the kid Willis. As it turned out I think we did the right thing.
Phase two requires patience. We don't have oodles of cash to spend and frankly there isn't a plethora of coveted talent on the market anyway. We'll get Daniels or another serviceable LDE, however I'd prefer big D back. I feel very confident we sign at least one more OL guy in FA; however, it won't surprise me if we wait till after the draft as it's predictable more quality vets will be cut due to their salary and the simple fact teams will have drafted franchise OTs. Where I see uncertainty is at OLB. Contrary to some of the talk I don't think there's a ton of depth and talent at the position in this year's draft. That means we have less to choose from, it also means other teams have less to choose from so they're less likely to part w/ expensive veterans we could sign and get a few productive seasons from. For this reason I think Vinny's smart move is to take an OLB w/ our first pick. Maybe a tweener OLB/DE as GTripp has mentioned.
As to the long-term... pfff, there's no plan. We've got an unproven HC and a QB yet to establish his franchise status. I think JC makes big progress via Zorn's tutelage this season, which obviously helps the offense. But the question mark(s) at WR are undeniable and w/o serious improvement from that group we won't be a contender for anything. Success allows for a plan. Continued struggles probably engender another changeover at HC/QB. As the Zen master says...
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I agree with the short term plan portion, and also think Vinny and crew probably, hopefully, have looked at what veterans have roster bonuses due and are targeting one or two players for our needs. Like Goat pointed out, after the draft several teams will be re-evaluating their rosters, and hopefully, in addition to whoever we draft, we will fill out our team.
I think the long-term plan is with Zorn. DS has tried bringing in big name/high profile coaches, with little to no success, he brought back JG - still my favorite move under his ownership, and now he has a young coach, and I believe that unless Zorn just cracks, DS will do everything possible to develop this guy and therefore the team into a SB caliber contender.
Plainly stated, the Long Term plan is to develop a newb HC, understanding he is not a "legend" and will make mistakes, and let this team grow and develop under his leadership.
I doubt most fans really want to hear about long term plans: look at the recent threads "when do we cut MK & DT" in another the author of the OP of this thread who wants a plan, also wants to bring in a WR (Holt) who is in his 13th year and noticibly declining. I certainly have actions I would have liked to seen happen (Hunter, Hixon) but VC and DS, look at all the options coming up and don't always go with the fan favorite of the day. That IS a good thing.
So yes I believe there is a plan, both short and long term, I am also certain many of the choices will irritate and confuse me, because I am not privy to the details of those plans.