Welcome to all the new folks stopping by HogsHaven. We like to keep up our hopes up here, Boldly Hoping where no hope has helped before. That's right, if you love dealing in "maybes", "ifs", "perchances", and if you love italics, you came to the right place, because here we go with yet another panty-dropping installment of Boldly Hoping.
Pushing 400 votes on the Dockery issue. Over 90% say let's go get him. Let's go a little further down the road. If we sign Dockery to play guard for us, between him, Randy Thomas and Chad Rinehart, we should be set for starting guards for the next 5 years. I like this...mostly because I don't think Dock will break the bank, so it will allow us another move. (Unlike the Haynesworth signing, which feels like an all-in kind of move.)
Are we the only ones who see the value of adding TWO (or more) guys who can start for us instead of one that sucks up not only money this year, but future flexibility? We're just not one player away right now, so dedicating all that dough to one guy seems like a tough call.
So we're set at guard (for the purpose of this discussion). Instead of going into next season with Thomas and Rinehart/Kendall, we go in with Thomas and Dockery/Rinehart. Strong. Rabach might not be the best center out there, but he fits on our team. He is smart, he is fiery, and center is simply not at or near the top of the priority list. Tackle on the other hand, is a different story. Samuels and Jansen are old. Samuels is one of those guys who they are going to trot out there until his wheels fall off. He has not been too shabby, and has mostly deserved this right. Jansen, although generally serviceable, has had lapses on the field in both run and pass blocking that have cost us. Due to his contract, it would seem at this point he is a lock to make our roster. Stephon Heyer is being groomed to step up at tackle for us on the right side. Confidence levels are not at all-time highs here, but he has earned his chance to compete for the starting job next year. But due to the age and health issues of both Jansen and Samuels, we have a great need for a young tackle who will be ready to anchor probably the left side of the line very soon.
So the question today is do we go out and get one of the tackles in free agency, or do we use our first round pick on a stud OT?
Options listed below (former team in parentheses) only include guys with 5 years or less in the league, since we would want to invest in a guy who could be here for more than a cup of coffee without sizable risk of dying of natural causes (old age):
Stacy Andrews, Bengals
Khalif Barnes, Jaguars
Charles Spencer, Jaguars
Ray Willis, Seahawks
Of these, Andrews is the hulk with the size and curb appeal. All these guys look to collect in free agency. You might not have heard these names before (or at least a couple), but these guys are probably all about to get rich. Ray Willis is intriguing. He only had 5 starts with the Seahawks, but at 6'6", 315 lbs and 4 seasons in the league, he could be a guy we add to bring youth and depth to our offensive line and saving our draft pick for the defensive side of the line. Perhaps signing Dockery and Willis is doable given our cap situation, perchance....maybe. I have no idea. But I would take Dockery and Willis off the free agent market and use the draft pick on the defensive line. Imagine having 4 offensive lineman, all between the ages of 23 and 28, all capable of putting pressure on the starting guards and tackles, if not outright starting. Now that is Boldly Hoping!
(Quick Update: Chris Samuels did a post-game interview at Verizon after the Caps game with Smokin' Al Koken and said he wants Dockery.)