They have tried, in their way, to improve the lines. Year 1, they traded up to get McCargo...you can certainly make the case they should have foreseen his failure, but at least it shows they recognized from day 1 they needed to address the lines. Then they brought in Dockery and Walker, who have been unspectacular but decent. They also extended Butler, hoping he would be part of the answer in the middle...that seems at this point to be a failure.
Year 2, they brought in Stroud to seal up the middle of the line, which he has done effectively. I suppose they hoped that Kelsay and Denney being healthy together would produce a pass rush, as they did in 2006 with 12 combined sacks. That unfortunately hasn't happened. I also suppose they figured those same 5 guys on the offensive line would be able to "gel" and improve on a decent '07 campaign. That also has not happened.
This offseason, there won't be anywhere else to go. Its glaringly obvious that Fowler, Butler, McCargo and Kelsay have not worked out the way they hoped, and at least 3 of those 4 must be upgraded for this team to get any better. Most other positions on this team are solid, so the lines are clearly where their attention should go. I fully expect Jauron, Modrak and company to prioritize both lines. I sincerely hope I'm not being overly-optimistic.
After all, other than the McKelvin pick, I really feel they've done a good job at using 1st and 2nd round picks to address spots that desperately needed attention (Whitner, McCargo, Lynch, Poz, Hardy). To me, the offensive and defensive lines are the only spots on this team that desperately need attention, so if that trend continues, we should both get what we want this year.