Our biggest task in the offseason...

[AceMan]

is to keep the Defense intact. Our Defense is probably the brightest spot on our team. It is KEY that we keep our defense intact heading into next season. Let's take a look at the D...

DTs

Current Starter: Damoine Lewis

Current Starter: Hollis Thomas

Nick Hayden

Derek Landri

Maake Kemoeatu

Louis Leonard

Tank Tyler

Corvey Irvin

We ran through a bunch of DTs this season due to injuries. Now this is how I see it shaking out.

-Damoine Lewis will return as a starter. He has the most experience and has been the most consistent DT on our team. (Personally, I like him better as a rotational player)

-Tank Tyler and Louis Leonard will both be here next year to compete. Both looked good while they played (I'll give the edge to Big L since he started) and both are young. Also, we invested draft picks in them.

-Maake Kemoeatu will be gone. He is due an 9.3 million option bonus in March and I don't see us paying him that much when he was replaced by Hollis Thomas as fat run-stuffer.

-Nick Hayden is a scrub

-Derek Landri and Corvey Irvin will have a chance....expectations will be low for them. One will probably be released and the other will make the roster or be placed on the practice squad

-Hollis Thomas has a slim chance of returning. He was signed as a stop-gap solution, but has performed extremely well. He will be turning 36 and no one knows how much he has left in the tank. He could probably be resigned cheap.

Prediction

Starter - Damoine Lewis

Starter - Louis Leonard/Tank Tyler

# 3 - Tank Tyler/Louis Leonard

# 4 - Draft Pick/Corvey Irvin/Derek Landri

DEs

Current Starter: Julius Peppers

Current Starter: Tyler Brayton

Charles Johnson

Everette Brown

Hilee Taylor

This group has performed very well, but the biggest question mark is Peppers.

-I think there is a very slim chance we resign Peppers. Sadly, The Pro Bowl has knocked up Peppers' salary and he looks too expensive to keep. Are we really willing to tag Peppers and pay him 20 mil? I don't think so. Like I said before, I think Peppers and Delhomme will be used as the scapegoats for his season and both probably will be gone. I hope I'm wrong and that we keep Peppers. Re-signing him to a long contract seems to be the only hope. He seems to have really turned it on since Delhomme has been benched. Also, Peppers STILL means alot to this defense. But, we can definitely use that cap money to resign other guys.

-Tyler Brayton should be re-signed if Peppers is gone and looked at if we keep Peppers.

-Hilee Taylor...will we use this dude next season?

Prediction

Starter - Julius Peppers (Miracle signing?!)

Starter - Tyler Brayton

Charles Johnson

Everette Brown

Hilee Taylor

LBs

Current Starter: Jon Beason

Current Starter: James Anderson

Current Starter: Na'ill Diggs

Thomas Davis

Dan Connor

Landon Johnson

Jordan Senn

Quincton Culberson

Our strongest group on the team.

-This is sorta awful to say, but luckily Thomas Davis was hurt early on. Now, we are able to resign him cheaper than we would have if he kept playing at his enormously high level! How high you ask? Lance Briggs was selected as the 1st team Pro Bowl OLB and here are his stats compared with Thomas Davis.

Lance Briggs - 14 games played, 106 tackles, 2.5 sacks, 0 FF, 1 INT, 5 PDef

Thomas Davis - 7 games played, 61 tackles, 1.5 sacks, 0 FF, 2 INT, 5 PDef

Very High chance we resign this guy. Amazing player.

-James Anderson could possibly leave/or be traded to become a starter.

-Landon Johnson will be gone...bum

Prediction

Starter: Jon Beason

Starter: Thomas Davis

Starter: Na'ill Diggs

James Anderson

Dan Connor

Low Draft Pick/FA Pick-up/JS/QC

CBs

Current Starter: Chris Gamble

Current Starter: Richard Marshall

Captain Munnerlyn

Dante Wesley

C.J. Wilson

This is a very misleading group...why do I say that? Because...

-Richard Marshall is a good corner. Yes, there were some games where he struggled (Bucs game comes to mind), but he is overall a good corner. Most of the time, he is facing other teams #1 receiver. I like the way we use him in the nickel, covering the slot receiver, he seems to be extremely comfortable with that.

-Dante Wesley is a weapon. I like the way we used him recently (Vikings game).

- O Captain, My Captain

Prediction

Starter: Chris Gamble

Starter: Richard Marshall

Captain Munnerlyn

Dante Wesley

C.J. Wilson

FSs/SSs

Current Starter: Charles Godfrey

Current Starter: Chris Harris

Sherrod Martin

Quinton Teal

Not much to say...

-Sherrod Martin should stay at S. He plays the position very well.

-Charles Godfrey has really stepped up his play. He still needs to work on his coverage, but he has more potential than Martin.

-FS should be up for grabs...no designated starter

Prediction

Starter: Chris Harris

Starter: Charles Godfrey/Sherrod Martin

Sherrod Martin/Charles Godfrey

Quinton Teal

Now the big question is how would the loss of Peppers affect our defense? I think it would be noticeable. Peppers is always a threat to take over a game. He has rare athletic ability as DE and I don't see us replicating that with Everette Brown. I think Peppers' play is closely associated with Delhomme's incompetence. In the Arizona playoff game, Peppers sniffs out a screen for a big play...then after Delhomme starts tanking...he gives up. Peppers plays great in the Eagles game where Delhomme tanks again. After that, he gives up until Beason calls him out. Peppers plays great again til Delhomme tanks the Bills game. Also, he breaks his hand. Peppers half-asses it again until Matt Moore comes in. Then, we see a WHOLE NEW JULIUS PEPPERS. Not only is Peppers rejuvenated, but it seems like the whole team's spirits went up. I blame Peppers too for acting like a pussy and giving up, but I think he wanted to leave because he knows how attached Fox is to Delhomme and didn't think we could win a championship with Delhomme at the helm. Now that Delhomme has no chance of starting, Peppers might be more willing to stay. He is the playmaker on our D-line and opens up things for Beason and Davis when he is on. But, in an uncapped season, other teams WILL outbid us for Peppers...so it is just a matter of where Peppers heart is.

Now if Peppers leave, can we get by with E.Brown, Charles Johnson, and Brayton (I'm sure he will get resigned if we can't keep Peppers)? I think we might be able to, but I think we hurt ourselves quite a bit. IMO, Everette Brown isn't quite ready to start...No one on our line will be dominate which hurts our scheme.

Thoughts?

[Samuel L. Jackson]

Peppers isn't going anywhere...

[British_Panther]

14.5 ppg given up in the 2nd half of the season so far, which is best-in-the-league standard.

Agreed that as little change as possible is desirable here.

I think Peppers very much depends on the Hurney-Fox-Delhomme situation. The fewer of those 3 that return the more likely Peppers is to stay.

[PhillyB]

regarding DT, i think selecting someone in a higher round would be wise... it'll be one of our greatest needs, ESPECIALLY if pep leaves. anything less than a 2nd or 3rd rounder is a mistake, IMO.