Concerns And Open Holes To Fill

[MIkepoly]

Going into the pre season there are multiple holes and concerns to be address almost at every position i feel comfortable in some areas but we have a lot to go to be Super Bowl contenders. Teams will be cutting roster down so we still have a shot at picking up. My personal opinion is we should wait when a player comes available we need to jump out there and sign..The route that we are going at is waiting till an injury occur and picking up players in mid season by that time it might be to late.So my question when is the appropriate time to address theses problems...

[ChrisAllen]

Over the next month or so when roster cuts are happening. The earlier we bring new players in, the better. Give them more time to be acclimated to the team.

[theFRANCHISE]

It's hard to say when that appropriate time is. That's what the preseason is for, as the coaches need to gauge how comfortable they are with their backups at each position.

While we, as fans, would prefer to have a big name backing up every starter at each position, that's not the reality of the league. We may not be comfortable with the depth, but it's more important that the coaches have that comfort since they're the ones running the show.

Personally, I'm fine with the depth that the team has. Unless the injury bug suddenly hits the team like it did in 2005, there shouldn't be a gamut of injuries to gut the squad and force backups into action before they're ready. The knee-jerk instinct of us, as fans, is to sign every name that becomes available, but that's all they really are -- a name. I'm more concerned with the team maintaining its core than attempting to augment it artificially with free agents that don't fit.

[MIkepoly]

[quote name='theFRANCHISE' timestamp='1313009795' post='743575']
It's hard to say when that appropriate time is. That's what the preseason is for, as the coaches need to gauge how comfortable they are with their backups at each position.

While we, as fans, would prefer to have a big name backing up every starter at each position, that's not the reality of the league. We may not be comfortable with the depth, but it's more important that the coaches have that comfort since they're the ones running the show.

Personally, I'm fine with the depth that the team has. Unless the injury bug suddenly hits the team like it did in 2005, there shouldn't be a gamut of injuries to gut the squad and force backups into action before they're ready. The knee-jerk instinct of us, as fans, is to sign every name that becomes available, but that's all they really are -- a name. I'm more concerned with the team maintaining its core than attempting to augment it artificially with free agents that don't fit.
[/quote]

Made a lot of key points but the one that stood out the most is injuries if flac went down in the pre season our starter we be who T taylor or look at if boldin went down how would our wr core look.....just looking at real life situations...

[theFRANCHISE]

[quote name='MIkepoly' timestamp='1313012572' post='743628']
Made a lot of key points but the one that stood out the most is injuries if flac went down in the pre season our starter we be who T taylor or look at if boldin went down how would our wr core look.....just looking at real life situations...
[/quote]
It's too early to tell if Tyrod Taylor is a viable backup for Flacco, hence why the coaches are planning on having him play the majority of tomorrow night's game against the Eagles. He and Hunter Cantwell will be auditioning for the role of Flacco's immediate backup [i]and[/i] our piece of mind. There will always be a veteran backup QB available on the market, so now is the time to evaluate what the team already has. That's not to say that the road to a Super Bowl wouldn't be significantly more difficult if Flacco went down, but it's important to remember that not every team has the luxury of a Marc Bulger at backup every year. That was like lightning in a bottle, as very few teams are lucky enough to secure a free agent backup QB that's still starter-quality.

As for the WR corps, it's too early to write the book on them. On the surface, the gut instinct is to say that the rookies and younger guys behind Boldin will struggle. Football logic will tell you that they [i]should[/i] struggle. That said, if it was a 100% guarantee that they wouldn't play well in their rookie season, then there's no use in playing them, right? That line of thinking would also contradict the success of rookie WR sensations of years past, including Mike Williams (of the Bucs), Larry Fitzgerald, and our very own Anquan Boldin. So while all logic says that the team still needs a veteran #2 (and I'm personally inclined to agree with that logic), I wouldn't get too hung up on the youth and inexperience of the corps when there's enough talent in other areas to bolster the team.

[ed.s52]

[quote name='MIkepoly' timestamp='1313012572' post='743628']
Made a lot of key points but the one that stood out the most is injuries if flac went down in the pre season our starter we be who T taylor or look at if boldin went down how would our wr core look.....just looking at real life situations...
[/quote]

But that kind of thing is pretty much unavoidable. The Same could be said for Chris Johnson, Kenny Britt, Matt Ryan, Tom Brady, Joe Thomas, Larry Fitzgerald, Matt Schuab (Leinart sucks), Andre Johnson, Demarcus Ware, both Mannings, Troy Polamalu, etc.

Most teams would take a huge dive if their QB or #1 reciever got hurt, thats just reality. A vet might be needed at QB but it may not be as big a name as Bulger and Cotchery may be the best we can get at WR. Obviously depth in general is important, but you cant expect the FO to get starting caliber backups for every position especially with this cap.

And pretty much every team ever has had some holes, hell when we won the Super Bowl we had Dilfer and our best reciever was the TE.

[scrock]

OL depth
Backup QB
possibly a veteran WR

Thats it...anything else is just a want..and even a veteran WR is a want...it just depends how the rookies play in pressure situations

[gabefergy]

I'm most worried about Center right now. Birk's kneed problems last year and his recent procedure leave me feeling very nervous about this position. I'm holding out hope that Rabach can get healthy and pass a physical or maybe we sign Shaun O'hara.