[Drift Reality]

I think a lot of the contributions in this thread are tactically focused. That is good, but I'd start with an over-arching strategy. I think traditionally our strategy has been focused on acquiring players in their prime for above-market value while often times neglecting homegrown talent.

I think Gibbs has helped changed the thinking here and I'd like to see a continuance of this trend.

I think our strategy needs to continue to place increasing emphasis on using the draft and acquiring young talent who can learn within the system while using free agency in a very targeted fashion to bring in a player who fits our system and fills a need (not necessarily the biggest name out there) - who we can acquire at or below market value.

Using this strategic approach I would identify the following weaknesses in our personnel in '08:

1. Youth along the offensive line - We have a quality, veteran line, but a number of our top-line starters are maturing and probably have a remaining shelf-life of 2-3 years. I think we need to look at bringing in 2 talented offensive linemen - one interior lineman and one tackle. Because I believe we have the coaching in place to develop talent in this unit, I would argue here that we should use the draft as opposed to FA to acquire depth in this area. A top-tier guard can be found in the 2nd or 3rd round. Starting guards can normally be found on day 2. Top-tier tackles are normally found on day 1 however but I don't believe this is as much of an area of need as guard.

2. Youth at linebacker - Two of our starting linebackers probably have a shelf-life of 2 years. We have one quality youth linebacker who is coming off serious knee surgery and one other possible starter (Blades). It would be great to bring in one young, promising outside backer. I would actually argue against Briggs because we would have to pay above-market value for him. I think we could get a guy like Dansby for near market value. Quality linebackers can be found on day 2 of the draft, which is something we should consider.

3. A starting DE - Phillip Daniels has certainly played well throughout his tenure here but I think we really could bring in a top-tier end and turn this position into a real strength for us. Justin Smith or Jared Allen would be good top-tier acquisitions for us here. Using a day 1 pick here might not be a bad idea if we can't bring in a top-tier FA. Most top-tier ends come on day 1 in the draft.

4. 4th Cornerback - I think not only do we need to retain Sean Springs, but I would like to see us bring in a quality fourth corner back. When Rogers went out and Torrence stepped in, we saw what a liability having a sub-par nickel back was for our defense. Historically, top-tier corners have been acquired with 1st round picks. If there is an opportunity with our 1st I think it might be worth consideration but I believe there are other areas of greater need that we should consider using with our 1st rounder.

5. Wide Receiver - I believe we should retain Caldwell and give him an opportunity to compete for a starting role. At the same time, I think we should consider using FA or a day 2 pick to target a large wide receiver who could also compete, along with Espy and whoever we choose to bring back, for a a WR spot on our team.

To sum it all up, I would look at FA to fill the following positions: DE, LB, possibly WR.

I would use day 1 of our draft to look at DE, CB or T while I would focus on day 2 on LB, WR, and G.