Paul Soliai Is An Obstacle.... to our D-line's Improvement

I don't see how that works, Davis was traded for a pick in the next upcoming draft. If he was traded before or during the draft last year, then yeah that rule should apply.

 

Both technically don't have one. Starks is at the end of a 5-year, 20 mil contract, and Tony McDaniel a 2-year, 6 mil contract which ballooned in this second year.

I can't imagine they'll bring McDaniel back, he didn't turn into what they wanted.

 

I couldn't imagine that it would be anything other than positive.

Yeah, I knew the bit about multiple graders. Did have questions about some particulars, how'd you get to talk to them?

It's not really Soliai's grades prompting this, either. Watching the NFL Rewind on some of these games are a bit maddening for how much Soliai is getting paid. Maybe I'm a bit harsh because I'm not a huge fan of expensive 2-gap Nose Tackles when you don't need them, but still.

 

Good teams also look ahead. In addition to Starks this year, Soliai's contract is up after the 2013 season. Not sure whether they'll pick up the tab for both of those guys. I wouldn't find it out of the realm of possibility that Ireland drafts a DE to play in limited situations as he learns, with the idea of the player moving to a full time end in 2014 while Odrick kicks inside. In a similar vein I also wouldn't rule out a guy like Sheldon Richardson if the coaching staff thinks Odrick and Vernon will continue to improve as pass-rushers.

 

I've been an advocate in the past for trading Cameron Wake due to age and potential contract situation, but after reading this I'm more inclined to side with Barry. Soliai just isn't that valuable. I'm sorry but it's true.

As Disgustipate pointed out, he's an up-and-down player, and somewhat inconsistent. That's born out, in part, by his rankings from PFF, which have him rated at 1.6 overall, with a -1.0 in what is being floated as his strength, Run Defense. That's good enough for 49th overall in their rankings. And again, I'm not touting that PFF is the "be all end all" - but I think they are a (relatively) unbiased source that can supplement what some folks here (including myself) have seen and said. I'd much rather have Geno Atkins, Gerald McCoy, Suh, Fairley, heck even Kyle (or Kevin) Williams.

From a utilization standpoint, Solia is expendable. The other 3 starters on the defensive line logged 826, 936, and 951 snaps. (Odrick actually logged the most) Solia, on the other hand, was only on the field 627 snaps - closer to Oliver Vernon (445 snaps) than Randy Starks (826). He just isn't on the field all that much. It's no secret that the NFL is a passing league. You can see that manifest itself in the fact that he just isn't on the field all that often, which makes him even more of a black hole in terms of position and cost.

A lot of this can probably be traced back to the change from the 3-4 to the 4-3. We weren't having these conversations a few years ago. I think that's because Soliai isn't an "over" tackle and he's certainly not an "under." He's a classic, run stuffing Nose Tackle. And that's perfectly okay. It's just not what we need from our defensive line right now.

I'm completely on board. Trade him, and trade him as soon as you can. Slide Odrick inside (or swing a trade for a player in the wrong system - Dorsey?), and then look for another DE either in FA or the draft.

 

Everyone kicked Mangold *** this year and against Seattle Soliai had a whopping , wait for it, 1 solo tackle.

 

Soliai is low leverage guy who anchors our line and is one of the reasons we've had a top ranked defensive lines the last 3 or 4 years. Seen many a team last year just give up trying to run the ball and become 1 dimensional. Needless to say he took less money to stay here and be part of our football team, he is exactly the type of player I want on my team. Stat's aren't going to show his value to the team because he does all the dirty work. Want to know just how valuable he is ask Karlos Dansby. Just say NO to a DE with our pick #12 to hit and miss, Olivier Vernon was just 21 last year give him and Derrick Shelby the off season workout and another camp to prove their worth. We have other needs, Tannehill needs all the skill guys he can get to prove he belongs, Keenan Allen is a west coast type receiver and would be good value there, if he's gone look at the top ranked corners or trade down to were where we get value for one of the top TE's. This draft should be about surrounding Tannehill with skill players then filling our needs.