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I think our D can do better than last year if we can stay healthy and our young guys like Wilson and Alex Buzbee can take their game to the next level. We have an average pash rush from the front 4 but are good at stopping. I was hoping to get another speedy pash rusher to ensure we can bring the rush often without wearing down our rush by the 4Q. Andre Carter got 10 sacks in 07 but he often gets double teamed and Chris Wilson got 4 in like the last 2 games. He can become a fixture on RE especially on 3rd down though he might struggle against heavier o-linemen in the run plays. I think Phillip Daniels should play the run and Wilson the pass. I am not keen on Wilson adding too much weight to combat the run as he might lose his speed which is his forte in our D. We have got to be more versatile and effective from the front 4 especially the DTs. I think Wilson & Carter can get around the tackles but without the pressure from inside, the QB can still get 2-3 seconds to make their passes before the outside rush can get to them.
Kedric Golston and Anthony Montgomery are effective against the run and throw in Marcus Washington, London Fletcher and LaRon Landry, we can force teams to become one dimensional. These guys have had a full year under their belt together and hopefully will become even more potent in stopping the run. However, RB's like Brian Westbrook, Brandon Jacobs and Earnest Graham managed to put more than 100 yds running when we dropped everyone back on deep coverage while defending leads. Hopefully, this is one area we can minimise this year.
Our starting D-Line IMO should be RE - Daniels on the 1st and 2nd down while Wilson comes in on 3rd (and long situations) to rush the pass. RDT - Cornelius Griffin/Kedric Golston LDT - Anthony Montgomery (sometimes Daniels on 3rd downs) LE - Andre Carter. However, if we struggle on offense, we might tire our D quickly and give up big plays late in the game.
We should probably get a DT from FA, not a pricey one but a solid player who has some pass rush ability. Tommie Harris and Albert Haynesworth are FA in 09 (they might be pricey anyway) but hopefully some less expensive DTs with a big upside like Kevin Williams might be an option though he is not an FA next year. We should definitely get a pass rushing DE in next year's draft to complement Wilson and Carter. If Wilson is good, then we should get a DE in the 2nd round, if Wilson doesn't get sacks, then probably try for a top 5 rusher in the draft.
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