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Oakland's middle linebacker, Kirk Morrison, told Sirius Radio hosts Adam Schein and Solomon Wilcots today that several teams are interested in the restricted free agent, but left it up to the imagination as to who they might be.
Hmmm. Going out on a limb here, but perhaps the Giants are one of them. It would only cost them a third-round pick if Oakland rejected their offer sheet, and middle linebacker is a rather gaping need for them.
Still, according to Mikey G., Morrison's agent, Bruce Tollner, said there's no news on that front as of today. That could all change in a heartbeat, of course. And Morrison, a five-year starter on a horrible team, would love nothing better than to head off to an organization that at least has winning potential.
"I'm technically an Oakland Raider still. That's No. 1," Morrison said. "But at the same time, you have to explore your options for the future, for the long term. There are some teams out there that would be a good fit, I feel like. But we just have to wait and see.
"The biggest thing is I just want to go out and win. Get into a situation that puts you in the best opportunity to win football games. Being in this league for five years already and losing more games than you win week in and week out, it's hard to play at the kind of level that you want to being on the losing end. But you never give up your effort, you never give up who you are as a football player."
Let's see. The run-stopper could go from 20-60 to a team that's 30-18 over the last three seasons, the first of which produced a Super Bowl title. Yeah, that might work.
"There are some teams we're looking at and we've talked to," Morrison said. "Hopefully, in the next couple of weeks we can get something done ... either with the Raiders or with other teams. I know next year I'm going to be playing football. I just want to make sure I'm in the best, most comfortable position I can be in."
Doesn't seem like he'd make a bad fit here. And he'd certainly be a step up from a still-raw Jonathan Goff or leaving the spot to a rookie draft pick. We'll of course keep an eye on this one.
EP
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"And he'd certainly be a step up from a still-raw Jonathan Goff or leaving the spot to a rookie draft pick."
ReplyDeleteGotta disagree with you, EP! Though you're probably right about Morrison being solid right off the bat, it seems like his ceiling isn't nearly as high as McClane's... What I mean is I'm sure Morrison could come in and do a solid job for us, not unlike what Pierce did... but he doesn't have the potential to be "otherworldly" like McClane. Wouldn't you rather go for a "Ray Lewis - type player", rather than someone who could come in and be "solid"???
Enough already with the Ray Lewis comparison! He's not that type of player. Nonetheless, a MLB serves as the signal caller for the defense and, in Pierce's case, may also be relied upon to get players in the right place while making adjustments on the fly.
ReplyDeleteAnd, eli's momma, no rookie is doing that.
I have been advocating for this move since he was tendererd! You can do both. Get him in and give him a two to three year deal. He would be an addition and would be an instant upgrade. Remember Sintim is probably going to see a lot more time on the field next year. So, I would like to see some veteran presence in that group in the middle.
ReplyDeleteIf McClain is drafted he can play and learn under a proven vet. Am I missing something here? Especially in an uncapped year? Help me out?
Chris B.
To anonymous,
ReplyDeleteMaybe you're right, maybe McClain won't be as good as Ray Lewis, but don't you think in a year he'll be better than Morrison?! I think most scouts feel that way, which is why he's slated as a top 10 pick... BECAUSE HE CAN BE THE CENTER PIECE OF A DEFENSE FOR THE NEXT D-E-C-A-D-E!!!
And several rookie MLBs (Patrick Willis, Demeco Ryans, Jon Beason) have come in and been relied upon to lead a defense from day 1. To be clear though, it's not a MLBs responsibility to call defensive plays, it's the D coordinator's. What the MLB does is shift the alignments, which is not rocket science.... In fact, McClain started as a true freshman in college and was able to do it then... but say the Giants are different and he can't grasp the complexities right off the bat, then Boley makes the calls for the first 8 games, like he did last year. What's the harm in that?
Chris B:
ReplyDeleteI doubt a 2 or 3 year deal is really gonna get it done for Morrison... but if it did, do you think we should really pay him the salary he's going to want/deserve...and then also draft his backup for the next 2 or 3 years with the 15th overall pick??? Not to mention that backup or starter, McClain's people are going to see that he's paid like a 1st round pick...
I wouldn't be opposed to this acquisition, Morrison would be an upgrade from the rotation used last year after AP went down. With Morrison in the MLB spot could be a stop gap between now and another draft pick later. Maybe use this years 1st round pick for an O-Lineman (zzz, but they are not getting younger). But who knows, we are all just along for the ride and I trust Reese and Company to make the right decision.
ReplyDeleteLETS THROW THIS OUT!!!!!!!!!!! A 3 for Morrison is not worth it. The Giants need to draft draft draft and only give up picks for a gamebreaker offensive player ie. B Marshall, Washington or formerly Boldin. The Raiders defense benefit in tackles by having such a weak offense and Morrison never dominated when I watched (5+)and I have never seen him on NFL Prime Time.
ReplyDeleteLarry Foote is still out there, in addition to Morrison.
ReplyDeleteOne thing to consider is that McClain is gone before we get to pick, other teams need MLB besides us, so anyone can jump in front of us and ruin these plans. if you sign a veteran, then there's a safe PLAN B.
in terms of Wayno; i get the opinion that if anyone wanted brandon marshall, they could have him already, I do not know why the giants haven't at least inquired. I know that this will get the normal amount of posts that we already have Smith, Manningham and Nicks. None of these WR have had the productivity that Marshall has had; he's an elite WR, with baggage for sure but the last time we did this the WR (Burress) took us all the way
To the previous Anonymous, after what the Giants went through with Burress, there's just no way that they would acquire a player who may actually prove to be more trouble.
ReplyDeleteAnd eli's momma, I'm not necessarily opposed to the Giants drafting McClain. I just wanted to point out that the comparisons to Ray Lewis is a bit exaggerated. It's very clear that MLB is a high need for the Giants and it would only make sense to draft a player considered at the top of his position. However, the NFL is not college. The learning curve will be steep for any new player. What may help is the fact that we have a new DC and the system will be new to everyone which would help level the curve.
I think we give too much credit for MLB having some sort of intellectual capacity that exceeds the coaching staff. Not sure about this, how complicated is the Giants defense? I think someone like McClain who has had to do this for 3 years, is capable
ReplyDeleteAre you kidding me? You don't think that it's important for the MLB to be able to read an offense, in particular, when the offense calls an audible. You'd rather be stuck in a defense that was called to defend a different play altogether?
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry as I can't agree with that notion. I mean, really, it's not solely on the MLB to recognize and be able to adjust, but the appreciation of player with that sort of skill-set cannot be undermined.
No I dont. The offense audibles out of their play because of your defense, right? Isn't it logical to expect that any good defensive coordinator will prepare a team for this counter? once you start the huddle, that's the 11 you play with, if its a nickel package, you have to work within the personnel grouping for that package. The entire unit is responsible to know their assignments and what to do for any number of play options. They don't know what play has been called or the formation, so they have to adjust anyway. There have been, and probably will still be any number of rookie MLB who can come in and handle this task. Like I said, this aspect of the game is not different from college.
ReplyDelete