Blow it up? Or go for a quick rebound?

[Derrick]

(12-01-2016, 07:22 PM)Shake n Blake Wrote: A lot of people are talking like this is "the end of an era". While I do think there is a lot of fat to trim from this roster (and coaching staff), we have key pieces in the right places for a quick rebound.

Dalton, Green, Hill, Gio, Eifert, Boling, Atkins, Dunlap, and Burfict are all good players. Iloka and Williams have their moments.

Now here's what I think would get this team to bounce back quickly...

1. A complete rebuild of the line. The Bodine experiment is over. We need to hedge the bet on Ogbuehi by signing a solid veteran tackle who can actually play all snaps if necessary, because it probably will be. As unpopular as it may be, I'd look for Whit's replacement with that top 10 pick. It seems hard to find a 10 year tackle late in the first, so this is a prime opportunity. Keep Zeitler, as I think he'll be affordable after this season.

My line in 2016 would look like this:

top tackle prospect - Boling - FA/draft pick - Zeitler - FA

2. Draft for speed at LB and WR. We are sorely lacking LBs who go sideline to sideline. AJ Green goes down and we have no one that scares anyone deep. Terrelle Pryor could be a semi-affordable option. If not, draft someone.

3. Better depth on the line and another pass rusher. If possible, I'd cut MJ and look for an upgrade that can actually get to the passer. We're paying MJ too much for what we're seeing this year. Time to replace Peko as well. Let a 2nd or 3rd rounder fight it out with Billings.

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Player-wise, I don't think we're far off. As far as coaching goes, I think PA and Marv take the most blame for this season, and both need replaced in order to right this ship and advance further than round 1 of the playoffs. That said, if we somehow bring in a new HC, I would want him to be able to hand pick his staff.

So where do you stand? Do you think this team can rebound quickly with a few good moves, a solid draft and some new coaches? Or do you think we're in for a lengthy rebuilding process?

I voted for the 3 year rebuild because this org has not drafted well lately (Og and Hunt are two examples from a much longer list). They only take over-the-hill FAs for 1 year fills. And keep players like Peko and Maulaluga way past their sell by date. Therefore, I have little to no hope the org steps up and gets the necessary players to augment Dalton, Eifert, Whitt, Boling, Zeitler, Dunlap, Atkins and Burfict - maybe even DreKirk.