More draft thoughts: Potential busts

Our current #29 overall pick is one massive question mark. Experts everywhere are throwing out names like Taylor Mays the huge safety from USC, Dez Bryant the WR from Oklahoma State (who is slipping down the draft board steadily), Golden Tate, WR, Notre Dame, and Jared Odrick the 300lb DT who would move to DE in our 3-4 scheme.

For various reasons I feel each of these players would be poor values in the late first round. They all have major "BUST" potential, especially Mays. Mays is a 3rd round talent in my humble opinion. He is capable of a few highlight hits but overall he is a poor tackler. He also has poor instincts and ball skills. He's just a big physical freak from a flashy school. He's Vernon Gholston and Kerry Rhodes all balled up into one big waste of a first round pick.

I think the best move would be to trade back to the early second round and pick up an additional 4th rounder. If a potential 1st day starting O-lineman like Charles Brown (USC) or Anthony Davis (Rutgers) were to slip to the #29 spot I think certain teams like the Rams, Lions or Browns would give up their early second round picks and an early 4th rounder to move up a few spots.

This is a deep draft. I would trade down and pick up Jerry Hughes in the early second and Mardy Gilard in the late second ( I mentioned both of these players in my previous post ) . In the fourth rounds and beyond I would target some big body's for the D-line. Players like C.J. Wilson from East Carolina, and his teammate Linval Joseph would be great values on day three.

I know how weak we are on the D-line and how little depth we have. But, rounds 4 through 6 will have some linemen (defense and offense) that could provide quality depth and could eventually grow into productive starters. I would stockpile as many picks as possible in these later rounds.

Hard Knocks, Leon's hubris, and "Albatross" Hanesworth...

The Jets will be the subject of HBO's "Hard Knocks" show this summer. The show documents an NFL teams training camp and preseason. I don't like distractions, but it will be a real thrill to get an inside look at our beloved Jets.

I was recently watching NFL Live on ESPN, and Todd McShay was blabbering on about the draft. He was saying that Jimmy Clausen from Notre Dame is starting to move up the board because he shows so many similarities to Mark Sanchez. He has the same build and also played is entire career in a "pro-style" offense. It's nice to see Mark being used as the prototype QB by draft experts.

On the same show another analyst was speaking about the danger of draft busts and why it would make good sense for the Seahawks to trade their #6 overall pick for Brandon Marshall. He said Marshall is a proven player and how it's very easy to end up with a complete bust like Vernon Gholston. It's interesting how we have two players who are perceived as such polar opposites.

This week Rex Ryan said that he is planning on using Leon Washington as a third down back and a return specialist... basically returning him to his pre-2009 role. The public perception was that he would compete with our other backs for touches. That assumption was wrong. Washington was the only player not to show up at our voluntary work outs this past week. Ryan seemed pretty upset about about his absence, and I am starting to see the beginning of the end for #29.

He made a horrible impression by not showing up to some offseason workouts last year because of a contract dispute. Leon received some poor advice from his management and turned down a contract that was some where in the neighborhood of 4 years and 16 million dollars. 7 weeks into the regular season disaster struck. A greedy agent may have cost Leon his future financial security.

Finally, there is more unimaginably repulsive behavior from "Albatross" Hanesworth of the Washington Redskins. In February of 2009 when the Skins' signed this beast I had my reservations ( Crazy first day of free agency 09' ). Here's a quote from that fateful post from over one year ago:

"... there is a reason why a young, 27 year old player, with over 5 years of NFL experience was allowed to walk by the Titans. They know him the best, and we all can see he is one of the most dominate defensive player in this league. One must ask, why did Tennessee let him leave with little to no fight?"

Hanesworth's contract was over 100 million with over 40 million guaranteed. The other crazy part is that the way it's structured... he is scheduled to collect over 30 million in the first 13 months. Less than 6 months into the arrangement Hanesworth began to complain about the team and told the press he has no intentions of being a leader. He had a lack luster 09' champaign... 29 tackles, 4 sacks and he only started 12 games. Now he has started the 2010 "pre" pre-season with a bang.

He has already bumped heads with new coach Mike Shanahan regarding the switch to a 3-4 defense. He is also one of the Redskins only "no-shows" in their off-season program. This guy is simply disgusting. An albatross is an ancient symbol of a burden to be carried. Hanesworth is now the poster child for everything that is wrong with the Redskins and how they run their organization.

The X Factor...

I have a philosophy regarding the basic make up of a Superbowl winning roster. Some say defense wins championships, some say a veteran QB is required. Another school of thought revolves around the O-line and running game. A well respected experienced headcoach is another necessity in the eyes of some 'so-called' experts. If we examine the past 10-15 Superbowl champs none of them have any of these elements in common consistently.

In my humble opinion the balance of players in differnet stages of their respective careers is the real X-factor when it comes to winning the big game. The NFL season is a marathon. There is the pre-season, regular season, and the all important playoffs. You need veteran leadership and also young fresh legs.

There are 3 main stages to an NFL players career. It starts with "the rookie stage" which I classify as the first 3 years. Technically a player is considered a veteran as soon as he finishes the first regular season game of his second season. I think thats ridiculous. I see the infancy of a players career as the first 3 seasons. Players on our current roster who fit this category are Sanchez, Greene, Westerman (LB), Woodhead (WR/RB), Gholston, Clowney, Lowery (S,CB), Mike Devito (DE), Kenwin Cummings (LB), Matt Slauson (G), and Ropati Pitoitua (DE/DT).

The next stage would be their "prime". A players prime is usually from year 4- to year 8. Most NFL players are lucky to last 3 years if you check the numbers. Those that show they have the right stuff will move on to their "prime". They are the ones who do the heavy lifting. These are players who are on the field for every possible snap and are the most productive. Guys like Revis, Harris, Mangold, and Leonhard are some examples of our true core of "prime" players.

Finally we have the true "veteran" players. Guys who are into double digits when it comes to there years of service in this league. They usually start to play only in certain packages and situations. They also provide wise leadership and hold the younger, cocky players accountable. In this day and age coaches can only do so much.

If Rex gives a speech I feel very confident that players will listen and be motivated. But if you are a guy like Shonn Greene and your boyhood idol Ladainian Tomlinson gets in your face, you listen and listen good. Shaun Ellis, LT, Jenkins, Faneca, Bart Scott and Damien Woody are our veteran leadership. Big Jenks, Ellis, LT and Scott will start to see their playing time diminish this year in order to make way for our stable of unproven young talent.

The X-factor, in my opinion, is all about how these three groups interact with each other. First of all, every player needs to know what group they are in and except it. If LT demands 25 touches a game or if Revis isn't conditioned properly to be on the field for every defensive snap the whole system falls apart. Secondly, the very young players and the older players need to contribute and make an impact when their number is called.

If a guy like Leonhard sees an endless amount of snaps he is probably going to make some big plays. If guy's like Danny Woodhead or David Clowney gets 2 or 3 touches, they need to make them count. Our older players need to play with a sense or urgency in order to justify their salarys, and the young players have to be hungry... starving actually, in order to justify an increasing amount of playing time.

When all three groups play to their potential it is the same as all three phases of the game clicking (special teams, defense and offense). Every Superbowl winner has had a perfect blend of "rookies", "prime" and "veteran" players.

I have been very critical of Mike Tannenbaum over the past few weeks. I have issues with Cromartie, Pool, and Tomlinson. That being said, he has done an amazing job building this team from the ground up. Guys like our left tackle and center who were drafted back to back and our defensive leaders at CB and MLB who were also drafted back to back have developed into real players. It also is looking like our QB and RB who were drafted back to back last year are also going to be productive, possibly future pro-bowl, starters. He has drafted well and also targeted some very talented undrafted free agents over the past few years. I love unpolished players with huge upside like Westerman and Pitoitua.

Another thing I will give Mr. T credit for is how he gets what he wants. He wanted Favre (even though I sure as hell didn't) and he landed him. He wanted Scott, Pace, Faneca and LT, and he landed them all. He also wanted Revis, Keller and Sanchez and he moved up and landed them as well. Finally he had the guts to dump Mangini and go in a completely different direction by hiring Rex.

I disagree with how MR. T has traded away draft picks for little return. Guys like Favre and Sheppard cost us very valuable picks and we barely got a full season out of each of them. I can also point out some other big mis-cues like the Vilma trade. No one is perfect.

Last year I called for Tannenbaum to resign when it looked like we had no chance for the playoffs. Results are all that should matter when evaluating job performance. I am glad we went on a late season run and Mr. T's job was saved. I just hope he learns from his mistakes and continues to grow as an NFL executive.

If Vernon Gholston should develop, and if we make it to the Superbowl in the next few years, Tannenbaum could become a real legend and Woody Johnson will look like a genius for promoting a former salary cap guru to the top spot in his organization. I will continue to voice my opinion, but I think I should give credit where credit is due.

Thats why you don't SHARE a goddamn stadium...

The NY Giants will play the inaugural game in the new "Giants Stadium". Big shocker! The league held a secret coin toss and supposedly the Giants won. Our owner Woody Johnson is livid... and I hope he can't sleep for weeks. Yes you idiot, you just spent 800 million of your money to build the new Giants stadium! Hope you are happy with the arrangement now. I have been criticizing this whole thing for four years, and it took until today for Woody to realize this was a massive mistake. Over a month ago I posted my opinion on this whole debacle and made it clear that I have no intentions of paying for tickets on any regular basis anymore ( Last Months Post ).

There are some things I would share. If we went on a picnic together, I would feel very comfortable about sharing my ham sandwich with you. I'd tare it in half, and because I am such a good hearted generous person, I would even give you the larger half. It wouldn't bother me.... because the freaking sandwich didn't cost me 800 million dollars. Also, you wouldn't care which half you got either... because I didn't charge you tens of thousands of dollars for a PSL to sit on the picnic blanket! You don't share stadiums... and thats all I have to say. Enjoy being second best to the Giants for another 30 years Woody. I can't wait until we win the Superbowl and we don't get the home opener the following season because the Giants win a magic coin toss again. LOL, you are a brilliant man Mr. Johnson.

Oh, and BTW... Ladanian Tomlinson is a NY Jet. Wow, Ronnie Lott, Boomer Esiason and Brett Favre must be worried that they might each get bumped down a notch on the all-time "Most washed up vet to ever sign a contract with the Jets" list. LT made my "5 most Hated Players (active) list" last year ( 5 losers ). He simply has no heart. He peaked in 2006 and it's been downhill from there. The big question is: why dump an old 1400 yard rusher for an old 700 yard rusher? The answer is obvious. To make headlines and to sell seats and jerseys. No one cares about Thomas Jones, his own mother probably doesn't watch his games. Everyone has heard of LT. Thats the whole equation.

Best case scenario... Greene stays healthy, Washington makes a comeback and LT gets paid a bunch of cash to watch and occasionally catch a few passes out of the backfield. He could be useful in pressure situations and in the post season if he stays healthy. There is no substitute for experience and Greene is still very green (hardy har har). LT is saying all the right stuff... he wants to win a championship... he is OK with being a role player... his production dropped last year because of a weak O-line and a pass happy offense. If he is stays in the background he could be helpful I guess.

Worst case scenario... Greene goes down early, maybe even pre-season. Washington is a shell of his former self. We turn to LT and Chauncey Washington to lead our running attack. LT averages 2.7 yards per carry and Chancey sets the all-time single season fumble record. We go 6-10 and draft a RB with our #1 pick in 2011. Also, all of our 2011 home games are blacked out because NO ONE wants to pay for tickets to see another "re-building" Jets team at the new Giants Stadium.

Stop trying to make headlines and start landing us some real impact players Mr. T. I must say that I am shocked that there is still no official name for the new stadium only months before it's opening. I expect another war between Woody and the Mara's... that Woody will lose. Can't wait until our first game at 'Gifford Filed". LOL

Rumors...

Rumor #1: The San Francisco 49ers and interested in Leon Washington. Why any team would want to give up a second round pick for a change of pace back/ return specialist is beyond me. If they make him any kind of offer there is no question that we don't match it. We simply walk away with the second rounder as compensation. This is a really deep draft, a second rounder is priceless. That being said, if Leon didn't suffer that major injury week 7, I would probably be singing a different tune, and Leon would have probably been protected with a 1st round tenure.

Rumor #2: The Jets are interested in Laveranues Coles. I just don't see it. If Coles were to sign with us he would have to take a minimum contract and would most likely be #3 on the depth chart... at best. I know three things about Coles. 1) He plays with a lot of heart. 2) He s motivated by $$$$$ 3) He has an over inflated ego and thinks he is the Jerry Rice of the NY Jets. Being #3, and playing for chump change just don't seem like a realistic possibility. I also think he would be a cancer in the locker room. If we struggle early he will throw Mark and Rex under the bus in a NY minute.

Rumor #3: The Jets are going to make Ladanian Tomlinson an offer he can't refuse. Of coarse we will have him for a visit. I don't think there is any serious interest here. I will say this... If Mr. T wants him, he will land him. I think he would be a waste of time. He has hit the wall big time, and I feel that Shotty would feel pressure to have him on the field for way too many snaps. Greene and a healthy Washington are the perfect one two punch. If we wanted an old washed up RB to "mentor" Greene we should have just kept Jones.

Rumor #4: Rex and our defensive coaches stripped Rhodes of his leadership role because they liked their own guys (Scott and Leonhard) more. I guess thats why they didn't let guys like Jenkins, Harris and Revis lead the way. Harris remained as our starting ILB even after we gave that absurd contract to Scott, Rex referred to Big Jenks as our unquestioned emotional leader and called Revs the best corner he has ever seen... ever. Rhode was stripped and finally traded because football means very little to him. I applaud our coaches for calling him out and making him pay for his actions with his job. Keep crying Kerry... wait another year or so and see what it's like to see our team win the Lombardi while you watch the game from your sofa.

On a slightly disappointing note Marques Murrell signed with the Pats today. Sorry to see him go, thought he had some nice upside. We also signed some nobody safety from the Browns. Brodney Pool is a concussion case and is no better than Eric Smith o Dwight Lowery. Another interesting move today was made by the Raiders. They dumped DT Gerard Warren. He's 31 years old 6'4" tall and about 340 lbs. He has over 30 sacks in his 9 year career. I see no reason we couldn't land him here. He would be great insurance for Jenkins.

QB carousel... TJ signs with KC... and Jared Odrick

Mark Sanchez is our franchise QB, but in my opinion the 2nd most important roster spot on any NFL squad is the back-up QB. This position gets sooooo overlooked. Currently we have Kevin O'Connell, Kellen Clemens and Eric Ainge all trying to land the coveted #2 spot. I know absolutely nothing about O'Connell and I know too much about Clemens. I'd dump them both and make a move for recently released Brown's QB Derek Anderson. He has a history with Braylon Edwards and it was only a few short years ago that they set the AFC ablaze and both made the probowl. If Sanchez (who has already shown he is injury prone) were to go down for any length of time, I think Anderson would be able to take the reigns with a chip on his shoulder and something to prove. Sanchez, Anderson and Ainge would make me feel very confident heading into 2010.

Thomas Jones has signed with the Kansas City Chiefs. I am so glad he didn't land in chowderville. KC has made it clear from their very first press release that Jones will back up Jamaal Charles. The Chiefs know they have something special in the 23 year old HB out of Texas. I highlighted him as one of my players to watch last year at this time ( Teams and players to watch in 2009 ). The Chiefs new headcoach and GM didn't have the balls to start him on opening day and it took them 7 games to finally give him that chance. He ended up starting only 10 games and still put up over 1500 all purpose yards including a blistering final four games punctuated by a 259 yard rushing performance week 17. Jones and Charles should do very well together in Arrowhead.

Finally I will make a quick observation regarding Jared Odrick the pass rusher from Penn Sate. He's 6'5" 305lbs and has a devastating burst off the ball. I am not a fan of his off the field issues and he has some serious work to do with his overall technique. He really will struggle against the monster tackles in the NFL. I am sticking with my pick Jerry Hughes with the #29 overall pick. However, I have a feeling Mr. T will try to trade up. I am sure Rex is drooling over the prospect of landing Ndamukong Suh out of Nebraska and Tannenbaum just likes to make a splash. He could play a role much like Haloti Ngata in Baltimore. His name is KONG.... perfect for a D-linemen.

The end of the Rhodes...

I think Kerry Rhodes is a lazy, pre-madonna, attention whore and a overrated excuse for a football player. I have made that no secret over the past 6 months. I think I am so passionate about this player because of how his career began. He was a forth round pick who started from day one. He has an awesome skill set and a nose for the ball. I only own two Jets jerseys... #24 and #25. Up until 2009 I admired this young player and felt he was the future of our defense. And then something horrible happened... he started reading his own press.

He was spending more time on the red carpet and at photo shoots than in the gym, the practice field or the film room. He was so sloppy this year that it made me sick. Football is not a top priority for this washed up former Jet. He simply doesn't deserve to wear the green and white. I hope a clear message has been sent through this organization from the top to the bottom. What you did in the past is history, it's all about what you produce today.

We have an excellent stable of young motivated players. Guys like Mangold, Harris, Sanchez, Revis, Lowery, Washington, Cotchery and Leonhard are our foundation. You can tell by their actions on the field that football is their passion. The main player I hope this impacts directly is #17 Braylon Edwards. His BFF Kerry has been banished to the hot, sandy tundra that is Arizona. He was dumped for a 4th round pick, which is the equivalent of the Jets donating an old used car to charity just to get rid of the eye sore.

Our defense is the dream destination for any defender that likes to attack the ball and hit people. That is what draws every safety and linebacker to football from day one. As the game gets more safisticated sometimes they can lose sight of that. Players love Rex and his system because he treats them like men and lets them play the game the way it should be played... with a calculated ferocity!

Rhodes had every NFL saftey's dream job and a nice fat 25 million dollar deal to go with it. Now he is yesterdays news. WAKE UP BRAYLON! You have the chance to emerge as one of the leagues top 5 WR's and win a Superbowl in NYC. Don't waste this once in a lifetime chance. That goes for every player on our roster: Sell out 100%... treat every game like it could be your last... make plays when it counts... stay one step ahead of your opponent mentally... deliver every week... and remember... confidence always wins!

Pass Rushers... trade scenarios and the draft

After the big trade to land the troubled CB Antonio Cromartie from San Diego it is really clear what positions we need to address in the next two months. Our pass rush is the obvious #1 priority... but we have a few other holes to fill as well.

I like the idea of rotating Braylon Edwards, 'Cotch-diesel' and #16 Brad Smith as our 3 receivers. They are all dynamic and can play the the one, two or slot positions. With the #29 pick of the second round I would target a young WR.

Here's an interesting young man who will most likely be available in that spot. Mardy Gilyard from Cincinatti. He's 6'0" tall 187lbs. He racked up nearly 1200 yards and 11TD's in 2009. Here's a little highlight reel:

We also need another blocking TE who can catch the ball when needed. Chris Baker and Ben Watson were both released from New England... either one would work out fine. Remember, we are talking about the #2 TE who would probably see 15 or so snaps a game.

I would also like to see us start bringing in some more young talent for our O-line depth chart. We have no picks in the 3rd or 4th rounds so we would have to take some shots later in the draft. I would have no problem dumping Kerry Rhodes for a 2nd round pick or a combo of the 3rd and 4th. We need to start thinking about depth and replacing the 3rd and 4th rounders we gave up for Sheppard and Edwards. I would love to see what Mr. T and our front office would do with a full 7 round draft.

Now for the pass rush. With our first round pick (I am going backwards here, I know) I like the OLB from TCU Jerry Hughes. He's 6'2" 255lbs, benched 225 26 times at the combine and ran a 4.59 40 yard dash. 16 tackles for a loss and over 10 sacks in 2009. He is powerful, and has an unstoppable motor. Here's a highlight reel:

I would also like to see a straight up trade consisting of Richard Seymour of the Raiders for Kerry Rhodes. Normally this would be absurd considering the Raiders gave up a 1st rounder to land Seymour in the first place. But, Oakland has become the land of the absurd... so why not try and fleece them?

If thats not a reality I would make a move for a straight up trade of Rhodes (damn, I might entertain the idea of trading him for a washing machine next LOL) for Calaius Campbell DE.. Arizona Cardinals. He is a physical freak and I wanted the Jets to draft him a few years ago. His rookie year was lack luster but last year he started to blossom. 6'8" 300lbs and he runs like a deer. He had 7 sacks last season and started making noise late in the regular season and playoffs. 2010 should be his break out year... like I always say "buy low".

We will need another RB to fill out our backfield of Greene and Washington. I have a feeling Jones may be back sooner rather than later. I won't really address that until he signs somewhere else.

One last note: An interesting DT who has become available is Maake Kemoeatu formerly of the Ravens and Carolina. 6'5" 350lbs... coming off an injury. Might be a nice pick up for reasonable money. As I see it, the "final eight rules" are not holding us back at all.

Antonio Cromartie

A.C. is now a NY Jet. He is an extremely gifted athlete, and playing the #2 CB spot opposite #24 may do wonders for his career. In 07' he had a career year with 10 INT's. If we find a way to pressure the QB better this season A.C. could easily be joining Revis in Hawaii (yes, the 2010 pro bowl will back in paradise). It is already being said that we have the best pair of corners in the NFL.

I understand why this trade makes sense. We gave up a 3rd round pick for a young dynamic player who was the #19 overall pick only a few years ago. We feasibly have the top CB from the 06' draft and certainly have the best CB from the 07' draft. This would seem like a fool proof formula for success.

Here's another stat... Cromartie may have over 15 children with almost as many different mothers. Thats more than just gross. That shows no character, no impulse control... and simply puts up the kind of flag I wouldn't be able to ignore if I was Mike Tannenbaum. He has a ton of off the field issues, and considering the current state of our defensive line, I think Mr. T should be shoring up the trenches and trying to acquire some pass rushers.

Our defensive scheme with the proper DE's and OLB's would be unstoppable and players like Lowery or Strickland could play opposite Revis and excel. If Cromartie puts up double digit picks and lives up to his potential I will be a happy fan.

I just feel it is much more likely he will spend more time on the back page of the NY Post because of sex scandals and suspensions than because of his game changing plays.

TJ and Lito are goners... what about #25?

Thomas Jones is soon to be released, and Lito Sheppard's grand legacy with the Jets can be capsulized in three words: One and done. I won't waste much time on Lito because he is simply not worth much more than a sentence or two... he was simply a waste of a roster spot and a draft pick.

As for Jones, he gave us 3 seasons. Year one was a pretty big disappointment. Our GM went out and put together an awesome offensive line. In year two Jones was running behind 4 former first round draft picks and one of the best FB's (Richardson) of this generation. He also had a the QB who holds every major passing record behind center. He put up 1300 yards... lets be real, there are probably at least two dozen backs currently in the NFL that could have put up those numbers given the circumstances. Last year he still had the elite O-line and our his main competition for touches (Leon Washington) went down with season ending injury week 7. So, he put up good numbers again.

He completely ran out of gas in the post season and our fresh young rookie Greene stepped in and simply took his job. When #23 went down in the AFC Championship game Jets fans everywhere knew we were sunk. Jones will be 32 by opening day of the up coming season. Considering the uncapped season that is ahead of us I would have probably held on to Jones like I have said before. But, releasing him is not absurd. Some Jets player was quoted on fannation.com (Sports Illustrated) "I think you should reward players for performance, you dump him (TJ) but you give Gholston another chance?".

Ok, first off... players who release statements on the condition of anonymity are cowards. This isn't the witness protection program. Secondly, this player has obviously never heard of a thing called 'age'. 32 year old RB's are not in demand. Young physical freaks like Vernon Gholston are overpaid all over the NFL, and there is no way to tell if they will ever live up to the hype. We gave up a 3rd round pick for TJ and we got a few good years out of him. On the other hand, Gholston cost us the #6 overall pick 2 years ago. No team uses a pick like that on a player and doesn't give him at least 3 seasons to see if he can make an impact.

Tomlinson and Westbrook are also unemployed and frankly they are both much more dynamic backs when compared to TJ. The Jets dumped Jones because he made it clear he wasn't going to renegotiate his contract, and we can be virtually sure he wasn't showing up at camp without an extension. He would have been an over paid distraction, and now he is out of our hair. The Patriots may snatch him up, but I think his agent (Drew Rosenhaus) has done him a major disservice. He should have worked it out so Jones could have stayed. Jones was well liked by his teammates and coaches, he would have been the starter week 1, he won't find a better O-line to run behind anywhere else... and now he is the 3rd best back on the market.

Two other players who will most likely be gone very soon are Kerry Rhodes and Bryan Thomas. That being said... don't toss out your Thomas jerseys yet. Apparently Adalius Thomas may be released by the Patriots and I am pretty sure if that happens he will be wearing green and white next season. I think that he would be a good addition to our squad... he still has at least one or two good seasons in him. The only thing that worries me is the GM from Baltimore and Belichick, who I consider to be two of the best minds in this business, both let him walk. I will be watching this story as it develops.

As for #25 and #99, I don't see them being released. They both have some trade value, and combined I think they could easily score us a 2nd or 3rd round pick. We desperately need some more picks in this years draft considering the ones that were given away for Sheppard and Edwards. If Adalius signs with us Bryan becomes expendable.

One final thought.... back to the afore mentioned Vernon Gholston. If Adalius Thomas, Calvin Pace, Bart Scott, and David Harris are on our roster (and healthy) in 2010 it's almost impossible to see how Vern will get on the field. He will have a bunch of impactful, savvy veteran LB's ahead of him on the depth chart, and some very inexpensive, hungry 'up and comers' breathing down his kneck (Marques Murrell and Jamaal Westerman). I still have hope, but things aren't looking good in Gholston-ville.