Once Gamble is Cut, Cornerback Becomes Our Biggest Need

[saX man]

We could use one in the draft but I don't think it's necessarily a must 1st or 2nd round pick.

That guy out of Illinois (Hawthorne?) could be an option

I'd like the get a FA upgrade anywhere in the secondary as well. Campbell and Josh Thomas are the two I'm ok with now and like so yes, I'd like to see some improvements. Rome wasn't built in a day so there will likely be some thin positions come the new season.

[magnus]

He was a difference maker when he was healthy.

But yeah, over the past few years, we've kind of had to learn to live without him.

It won't be quite as big a transition as it might have been a few years ago.

see, I keep hearing that fallacy. Before last year, he'd missed a total of six games in four years. Let's not pretend he's Dan Morgan.

While I'm at it for the rest of the thread, Munnerlyn isn't going to be cut, he's a free agent. I really do hope he stays, but there's not a lot of money to go around. After a terrible 2011 (you know, another one of those seasons that Gamble excelled that people write off), Munnerlyn bounced back and really played pretty well, but he's still a nickel guy.

The end result is, renegotiating a 29 year old starter and adding a year or two means a mil or two savings less than the $7.9 mil he'd save, but then your dead money is going toward a player, not an empty slot, and his future years won't cost as much because his proration is done from 2009 this year. So, you could have, essentially, a CB like Gamble for $2 mil, or have the full savings and try to find a starter for $2 mil. I would prefer the player we have personally. But I'm sure there are tons of starters at CB that can cover elite WR at pennies on the dollar, right?

[rayzor]

We won't be releasing Captain because he is a UFA. You can't release a player not under contract.

We have to sign him for him to be on this team this season.

meh...you know what i meant.

we will have either gamble or capt. we won't be without both.

[Argus Plexus]

And to think not too long ago the consensus here was that Gamble got robbed by not being chosen for the Pro Bowl.

[Mr. Scot]

see, I keep hearing that fallacy. Before last year, he'd missed a total of six games in four years. Let's not pretend he's Dan Morgan.

Not talking about his whole career. Just the past three years.

He missed five games in 10 and twelve in 12. Yes, he only missed one in 11, but it's a bad trend, especially at his current cap value.

[magnus]

I don't really see it as a trend. I see it as a guy who had one fairly bad injury - a shoulder, nothing catastrophic - and missed a couple games otherwise. And one way or another, he's not going to play at his current cap value.

We'll have to disagree on this one. I don't see 6 games over 2010-11 as "learning to live without him".

[Mr. Scot]

I don't really see it as a trend. I see it as a guy who had one fairly bad injury - a shoulder, nothing catastrophic - and missed a couple games otherwise. And one way or another, he's not going to play at his current cap value.

We'll have to disagree on this one. I don't see 6 games over 2010-11 as "learning to live without him".

That's the bottom line of it.

[Snake]

Gamble has been hurt way too much to even matter the last two years. We do need to address CB in FA this year more than ever. We have young talent but it needs time to grow.

[OnlyPantherFaninMaine]

Names to keep an eye on at 14: Xavier Rhodes and Desmond Trufant. Both have been pegged as late first rounders but had monster combines today.