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I can also still complain about cutting Henry Anderson and Johnathan Hankins. I bet the defense would be a lot better with them up front.

Still don't understand how Hankins doesn't have a job right now. He must be holding out for money.

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Originally Posted by FatDT (Post 73329)

They didn't cut Henry Anderson. They traded him for Zaire Franklin (originally pick #235 in the draft).

Quote:

Originally Posted by FatDT (Post 73329)

Hankins not getting signed makes me wonder if there’s a “something that the NFL knows but the fans don’t and the media may or may not” out there.

What that is, I have no idea. Could be some scandal that’s buried beneath the surface. Could be that he’s a complete asshole in the locker room. Could be that his play is detrimental in a way that’s not evident to the casual naked eye (for the record, I don’t buy that one).

So yeah, I have to assume something else is afoot here, because I agree that it doesn’t add up and I think he’s an idiot if he’s holding out for more money and think a team that’s already into training camp is gonna hand him some big money deal.

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Originally Posted by Dam8610 (Post 73339)

They didn't cut Henry Anderson. They traded him for Zaire Franklin (originally pick #235 in the draft).

Functionally they cut him. Got nothing for a promising player and made the team worse.

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Originally Posted by sherck (Post 73307)

Agreed.

However, in the past two seasons, Ballard has used SIX of EIGHT first/second/third round draft picks on defense (with the other two used on OG). You cannot fault his effort at trying to find defensive playmakers!

- Two secondary pieces (Hooker, Wilson)
- One Linebacker piece (Leonard)
- Three Defensive Line pieces (Basham, Lewis, Turay)

I guess we can complain about how much free cap space Ballard has and that he did not sign any high priced free agents this off-season for the defense but the off-season is not over yet and the cut down to 53 guys per team will put A LOT of talent on the street. We are not a finished package yet.

Heck, think of it this way as well. Between Hooker's injury, Wilson's doghouse of last year and Basham playing out of position, it is almost like getting 3 additional high round rookies added to the defense to join Leonard, Lewis and Turay.

I am not saying that they are going to be good; but they might jel and surprise some folks in the second half of the year.

Walk Worthy,

I would still like a dominate dline added to that mix, specifically a penetrating DT. Next draft should have quite a few to choose from. Need more secondary help as well. I think it usually takes a couple years for defenders to develop. I think next year we will see a better defense, but I anticipate a lot of growing pains this year. I’m still not sold on the Tampa 2, I think it is too dated, but with the right players it can still be an effective defense.

Right, I still see us getting guys before cut down day. There will be some good players let go this year.

Don’t forget Walker and the two LBs chosen this year. I can see them contributing.

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Originally Posted by Coltsalr (Post 73352)

NFL coaches and GMs are worse than an old lady knitting circle when it comes to gossip. Makes me wonder if there is something not being said also.

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Originally Posted by sherck (Post 73307)

It takes a lot of players 2-3 years to really show up and consistently make a difference. The fair expectation this year is to see flashes of potential and a lot of growing pains. We'll see if they're ready to take a big step forward in 2019.