FanPost

Robert Mathis for 2013 Outside Rush Linebacker

According to the article, Dwight Freeney wants to retire in Colts blue. I appreciate that. I love him for it.

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap1000000137226/article/dwight-freeney-wants-to-retire-with-indianapolis-colts

I also watched Dallas Clark, Joseph Addai, and Peyton Manning be cut by a team wanting to move forward. Freeney will likely suffer the same fate. He will be in the Ring of Honor one day, but I don't see him in horseshoes next year.

Many fans understandably want to replace Freeney in free agency or the draft, and that may be possible. It is also possible that grabbing a free agent rush linebacker is easier said than done. Kruger may re-sign with the Ravens, or another team may offer him more money. Anthony Spencer may get the franchise tag. Nothing is guaranteed.

In the draft, Grigson loves the best player available. That might not be a rush linebacker. This team still has many, many holes to fill, so if we can fill one with the current personnel, we could concentrate on other needs.

If we cannot upgrade with someone not on the roster, fear not; it does not mean we will send Jerry Hughes out there as option #1. The best current option to replace Dwight Freeney is ROBERT MATHIS. He is a sack artist, and it is much easier to find a coverage linebacker to take HIS spot while he takes Freeney's. He is a bit on the small side, but still showed enough quickness at age 31 to go under and around 6'7" left tackles. We could draft his successor in the middle rounds and Mathis could tutor him for the length of his contract. He could then ride off into the sunset, hopefully in the way that Michael Strahan and Ray Lewis did: hoisting the Lombardi trophy.

As always, your thoughts are welcomed.

This is a FanPost and does not necessarily reflect the views of Stampede Blue's writers or editors. It does reflect the views of this particular fan though, which is as important as the views of Stampede Blue's writers or editors.