Sure would be nice to get a guy like Earl Thomas to shore up the safety position. Edmunds needs time to learn, and Burnett looks to be damaged goods to me at this point. Thomas is a beast, and a veteran leader. We need guys like that in the secondary.
Also would've been nice if we'd of looked at guys like Marcus Peters and Aqib Talib (as much as I hate Talib) during the offseason. You can't tell me these coaches haven't recognized that Artie and Coty aren't getting the job done. Without signing Bell, we would've had the cap room to get someone to shore up one of these positions.
The state of the secondary really just pisses me off. These guys have been horrible for a long time now. The only decent corner we have is Joe Haden, and he's probably the best we've had since guys like Ike Taylor were around and in their prime. Tomlin is supposed to be a defensive coach, and yet our defense is the glaring weakness of this football team. They make questionable draft pick, after questionable draft pick and it backfires in their faces. I mean I gave Artie Burns a chance, but it's year three and he only seems to get worse with every game he gets under his belt. So it makes me think back to when they selected him and I was scratching my head and saying "Artie Burns... who the hell is that?"
Then there's OLB. Bud Dupree is probably a quality backup in this league, but he's too inconsistent to be starting material. The guy will show up for one game, and disappear for the next six games. It's maddening. I'm hoping that Ola Adeniyi gets some playing time when he comes back because he looked like a wrecking ball during the preseason. He should definitely get some snaps to prove whether or not he can play with the big boys. Having watched him in just the preseason alone, he looked to be a much more skillful pass rusher than Dupree. Adeniyi can bend more, and he has a repertoire of pass rushing moves at his disposal. Bud Dupree relies on his first step, and bull rush. Sound familiar? Well it should, because Jarvis Jones was the same kind of one trick pony pass rusher. We have to get better.
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"If I could start my life all over again, I would be a professional football player, and you damn well better believe I would be a Pittsburgh Steeler." - Jack Lambert
RIP to the late great B.B. King the Mayor of Bluesville
RIP Tyler Sash #9. Greatest Hawkeye Safety to ever don the black & gold.