I don't usually do this, but. . .
part of me kinda wishes we'd pick up DE mark anderson, who was just released by da bears. . . obviously he has issues if he's being released mid-season, and he hasn't produced much at all the past two years. . . in fact, it's been pretty much all downhill since he exploded on the scene with a dozen sacks his rookie season. . .
still, it's not like no one else has ever thrived away from lovieland-- ced benson says hi! it happens. . . the odds against it are long, of course, and i'm typically not a big proponent of digging through other teams' junk for that reason. . . however, we're more or less desperate for some pass rush, and anderson has the raw skills the job requires. . . at 6'4", 255, he has a perfect frame for the DE-to-OLB conversion, but we wouldn't need to force that immediately. . .
something that's really bothered me is our lack of legitimate down linemen to rush the passer in nickel and dime packages, which forces us to use one and two DL looks. . . which are fine, but it's always better to have options-- with the way teams like to spread your defense out and then run against your extra-DB packages, you really need to have an effective traditional 4-DL nickel formation that puts two defensive tackles in the middle of the field but also has an end or two that poses a legit pass rush threat. . .
we could use a guy like anderson in a pretty limited capacity initially but still get some value out of him now while working him at OLB in practice. . . given that hunter had never played LB before this year and he's starting there for us, no reason to think that anderson couldn't at least be able to contribute there in some sub-packages where his primary duty is just rushing the QB within a month or so. . .
reclamation project with low odds of success, for sure. . . i don't see anywhere else that we're going to get much more pass rush from, though, and even a modest upgrade would go a ways. . . i'd be cool with taking a chance on him having the proverbial chip on his shoulder, or just being more able to effectively use the skills he showed early in his career. . . OR, we find out he's just not that good, or is a lazy POS, whatever-- won't cost much to cut our losses at the end of the year, he isn't going to be expensive. . .
chris clark could be expendable if the team's convinced harris is healthy. . . otherwise, why not just go ahead and pull the plug on jarvis moss now? probably end up with the same results either way, but at least anderson has one good NFL season under his belt. . . and hasn't had the chance to play linebacker yet, unlike jarvis. . .
IF we could find just a little boost to our pass rush and one more even halfway decent RB, at least contending for a playoff spot in a weak division shouldn't be considered out of the question. . . our passing game is kicking ass, our defense just shut down chris johnson, and there's still time for our OL to improve as the rooks get some experience and the vets *hopefully* continue to round into form. . . we're no juggernaut, that's for sure, but it's not like KC or san diego is either. . .
thought it was worth mentioning, anyway. . .
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Originally Posted by Buff
) If that's what we want, see if the Bucs will trade Crowder back to us. Outside LBs in a 3-4 are in no sense down linemen; they're LBs who can play on the line and run stop when that's appropriate. However, one of the Leagues premiere 3-4 OLBs is gone for the year, and we're scrambling to fill that hole as much as you'd expect, so if there's a decent chance Anderson could do it without breaking our cap, it's worth trying, because it does seem like he may have the talent and frame; there's only one way to know if the skills are there or could be in the future.
