Quote:This is the entire problem ive had with Caldwell from the start. We're here year 3 the year it comes to focuse and we should be competing for the division. Minimum a .500 team. Let's just look at what we're counting on, we're counting on older vets to continue their performance without missing a beat because we can't really draft heavy defensive line players. We're counting on the three rookie wr to not hit a sophomore slump and continue progressing in development. We're counting on the worse offensive line unit in our franchise history to improve with an offseason. We're damn near empty at lb so you have to focus on that in the offseason, not to mention the holes in the secondary, assuming cyprien pulls himselft out of the sophomore slump and the rookie Colvin is as Addertised.


It's just to much to gamble the defensive line is going to see some decline these guys are not young pups it's natural, we have to reload. But we can't really justify the natural reloading need on the line because we still have glaring holes at starting positions all over the roster.


It's a constant game of catch up, it's why the entire blow it up premise is flawed and rarely works.


Hopefully David can pull off a miracle.

 

I hear ya, Eric.  But, regarding your first paragrah, every team has these same concerns.  Every team worries that thier older players don't fall off a cliff.  Every team worries that thier young players don't regress or go stagnant...  It's just the name of the game.  

 

Defensively...  We went from giving up almost 29 points per game to giving up only 23 points per game.  And if you take out the first 4 games where we gave up 34, 41, 44, and 33 points, our defensive points per game allowed would be EVEN better.  

 

It may be wishfull thinking to say our D got pretty good and will be better next year, but in essence, I think it's not a pipe dream to say this.  Despite the criticism I have had with Gratz and Cyp, they still played OK.  Gratz has probably already seen the last of his starting days at CB and will be moved to Nickle packages, which I think he will do well at.  

 

And Cyp, while frustrating with his angles at least 2 or 3 times PER GAME this season, did play better at the end of the season.  I reserve judgement on him untill October of 2015.

 

I do share your concern on the D-Line though.  Our greatest strength in 2014 could become a liability in 2015 if Clemmons falls off a cliff.  But we still have Branch, who played well coming back from injury.  And Ryan Davis had some good games too for a 2nd year guy.  So while our starters on the D-Line are older (Clemmons, Bryant, Hood--though hood isn't really a starter) we still have some talent behind them that showed they can step up.  

 

We have a lot of holes.  But we have some pieces that make me trust in DC more than I don't.  I mean, the positives are that Caldwell has shown he will go shopping in FA (Clemons, Hood, Bryant, JT Thomas, Marks, Gerhart, Beadles).  He's also shown he's not gonna pick a punter in the 3rd round or try to find a "gem" small school player in the 1st or 2nd round.  

 

All his picks have contributed.  Alot of his FAs have been productive.  I'm excited to see what happens in FA and in the draft.  I've not lost confidence in him yet.

 

On a side note, before moving to Jacksonville in 2007, I was a dolphin fan.  The year I realized that the Dolphins were a sunk organization is when the drafted Ted Ginn Jr with the 10th overall pick.  That's when I realized the FO of the Dolphins was a train-wreck...  

 

Under GS there were many picks similar to that Ted Ginn moment for me.  

 

2 drafts into DC's regime, and there hasn't been 1 head scratching pick he's made.  Yeah, Joekell hasn't panned out yet, but it wasn't a head scratcher.  All his picks on draft day looked good.  Now it's time for Bradley to keep developing the defensive players and bring in a good OC to take the reins of the offensive players.

 

It's not too far fetched to have some hope.  7 wins next year is not out of the question.  8-8 with the right OC can happen.  I

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