FanHouse CoreyChavous

I just figured ESPN.com's Mike Sando got a few head coaches on the horn, asked them some questions about why Rodney Harrison is such a dirty player, and then wrote up a nifty column about the findings. Turns out, the entire Hashmarks crew got in on the action, which is why I'm happy to announce that soulja boy aficionado Zach Thomas has been named the NFL's brainiest player! Unfortunately, there won't be any trips to the Playboy Mansion for the winner; instead, Thomas will be rocking a set of new encyclopedias. Nerd.

The smartest defensive player in the NFL is ... linebacker Zach Thomas, according to ESPN.com's survey of head coaches. ... With votes from six head coaches, Thomas beat out Baltimore Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis for the top spot. Lewis was the second-leading vote-getter with four nominations. ...

In addition to Thomas and Lewis, five defenders earned multiple nominations. That list included Ravens safety Ed Reed (three votes), Denver Broncos safety John Lynch (three), St. Louis Rams safety Corey Chavous (two) and two recently retired defensive linemen in Michael Strahan (two) and Warren Sapp (two).

I can't argue with the findings -- Thomas, a fifth-round pick, was considered too small to handle the rigors of the position in the NFL. I'd say he's done a little more than that.

NFL Offseason Roadmap is a series focused on the needs of NFL teams as they begin the offseason.

1. Offensive Tackle. The Rams have been lucky to have an incredible franchise left tackle for the last 11 seasons, and his play did as much for The Greatest Show on Turf as anyone else. But Orlando Pace has been ludicrously brittle the last two years and, at 32, can't really be depended on anymore. The drop-off in production without Pace has been glaring. On the other side, Alex Barron has been disappointing as a first-round pick; there's so much yellow cloth at Barron's feet on gameday that you'd think he stuffed his jersey with Terrible Towels. In the last four years, Barron ranks behind just Robert Gallery in penalties. On top of the starters, after all of the injuries the Rams endured on the line last year, depth should be considered critical. The easy and obvious answer is Jake Long, who should be available when the Rams pick second. Long can play both sides, which certainly helps, and he can immediately take over for Pace should something happen. If the team needs further depth, Kwame Harris or Damien Woody could be affordable options, and Woody triples as a possible guard and center.