So the Redskins took care of some of their issues to FA. We definitely improved our D line with the addition of Albert Haynesworth. However, we lost Jason Taylor at DE. I don't think that is that big of deal frankly as Taylor has aged and really didn't seem like a good fit in the NFC East. He had one very good game last year (against the Eagles) otherwise he was hurt and often times looked his age getting blown of the line of scrimmage and just looked sluggish.
We also improved our O line with bringing back Derrick Dockery. I really like that pickup because he is young, talented, and knows the Skins. We still could use help at the O line since many of our guys are beginning to show their age.
I am okay with the Hall signing. He is young and a 2 time Pro Bowler and he wants to play for the Skins and is a playmaker. The guy can actually get turnovers.
So looking at our team in general:
1. I'm comfortable with the secondary. Having Hall, Landry, Horton, and Rogers gives us a very young and talented group in the defensive backfield.
2. LBs: Fletcher is solid. McIntosh is okay. We got rid of Washington (which was a good thing) and the likey replacement is Blades. He is more suited as the middle LB but I think he is pretty good so hopefully he can step it up this year.
3. D line: Need help at DE.
4. QB: I like JC and really believe he can be a franchise QB. People got on him late last year but you have to look deeper and see how poorly our O line played (in the Baltimore and Pitt games he was pressured heavily on nearly every play) and also look at our mediocre receiving corps. Again, it's not all JC.
5. RB: Portis is still one of the best out there.
6. TE: Cooley is a perennial Pro Bowler and young so no issue there. Fred Davis is also available to help.
7. WR: Very average group. Moss is decent but even he drops alot of balls. Randle El is not a #2 WR. We NEED for Thomas and/or Kelly to step up this year. They have the size and talent to be decent but they need to stay healthy, come into camp in shape, and be ready to produce. I think we will see that happen this year. They both are saying the right things in the off season and Kelly has been at the Park nearly every day working on his knee and says he wants to put any criticism of his knee to rest this year. We'll see.
As far as the draft, given the additions in FA, it does open some opportunities for us in the draft. I would still probably like to go O line as I want to make sure we can give JC the time he needs because I believe if we give him time, he will make the play. However, if there are certain players on the board at pick #13 I wouldn't mind taking Brian Orakpo. He is arguably the best DE coming out. He had a great combine and would certainly help with our much needed pass rush. Also, if one of the USC LBs are available, I wouldn't mind seeing one of them come to town.
I know we had a strong defense last year and conventional wisdom would probably dictate that we draft on the offensive side of the ball. However, as good as our defense was last year, we lacked sacks and turnovers. Both of those can have big impacts on the game. Also, by strengthening our defense even more, it would almost guarantee that we would be in every game knowing that teams would not be able to move the ball against us.
The other option regarding our pick would be to trade down to try and get more picks. Point is that we have some options with our draft pick.
9 comments:
Here's my analysis - the Redskins suck!
Hall is a cancerous lesion that no one would have paid that kind of money to - NO ONE.
Same for Haynesworth. So the Redskins outbid only themselves to get these two guys.
When Haynesworth stubs his toe and then punches out his girlfriend or wife or boyfriend or whatever, three games into this season and ends up in jail, the Redskins will find themselves set back a decade.
I like Dock. They should have never let him go - if they had just offered him what they offered Jansen, they could have kept him and he would have been cheaper.
The secondary is average, the linebackers are average, and their D-line outside of Haynesworth is average. They were better last year overall because they were a bit younger.
Offensively it all comes down to two things - will the O-line be better (I don't think so) and will Campbell perform. With respect to the latter, I think the line will be porous and he won't have the chance.
That's about what I would expect from Robs.
I'm not crazy with the money they gave Hall or Haynesworth. However, I think they are quality players.
Hall gives us playmaking ability that we haven't seen in a long time. I would also love to see him return punts. He is 25 years old and a 2 time Pro Bowler. He was solid for us last year so there isn't much reason to believe he won't be good again for us this year. Addtionally, he spoke about how happy he was to be on the Redskins and that when he was on the defense last year it was the most fun he had had since college. He also said that the experience he had out in Oakland was humbling and he is ready to focus on his job and have fun. Now this might be all spin but I am looking for him to have a decent year.
Haynesworth is another guy who has said all the right things and the last two years he has been dominating. He seems to have put his anger issues behind him and is more focused on football. The Bucs offered him $100M as well but Albert didn't like that they released all of the veterans that they did. Also, the Giants offered him $80M for less years. Still, he chose the Skins. Honestly, if the Skins didn't sign him to that deal some one else would have. You can bet that Julius Peppers and Demarcus Ware will also command similar deals.
Regarding the concerns over Haynesworth character, Haynesworth became a changed man after that suspension a couple of years ago. He attended counseling and surely realized he was throwing away a promising career. As much as people claim he became a Pro Bowl player when he was entering the final year of his rookie contract in 2007, it's safe to assume Haynesworth's improvement had just as much to do with something else: his ability to grow up in a hurry.
As far as his talent and his impact on the entire defense, consider the fact that Tennessee was 22-7 the past two seasons (including postseason games) when Haynesworth was on the field and 1-4 when he wasn't. You also can look at his production during that time -- he amassed 14½ sacks in 27 regular-season games, an impressive number for an interior player -- and see how vital he was to a Titans defense that ranked near the top of the NFL in most statistical categories. Haynesworth's ability to consistently beat double-teams made it nearly impossible to run inside on the Titans. His improved pass-rushing skills made it just as easy for his other teammates to pressure quarterbacks.
Now we have to wait and see what type of player he ends up being in D.C. I like the pickup but I am astounded at the money. We'll see if he comes through.
We agree that Dock is a good pick up. We did get him for relatively cheap bucks so no issue there.
Secondary is better than average. Hall is a 2 time Pro Bowler. Landry is a potential Pro Bowler with tremendous speed and great tackling ability. Chris Horton was a great find and proved himself to be very solid as a Safety garnering NFC player of the week accolades. No reason to think he can't build off of last year. Rogers finally seemed to come around and was solid last year and many thought he was having a Pro Bowl type year. If he could just hold on to the ball and made some INTs the Pro Bowl may have been possible. Then there is Smoot who has been solid as the nickel back. I really do not think that this secondary can be called average. If that is your idea of average, I'd like to know the elite secondaries out there.
LBs are solid. Again, I like Fletcher. He has shown no signs of letting up. Last year may have been his best year ever. McIntosh is good and we'll see about Blades. Again, I wouldn't mind seeing us draft a LB if there is a stud available at #13.
Agree on the D line. Outside of Haynesworth, it is average. We have good run stoppers but no real pass rushers. I expect Haynesworth to make everyone better on the D line but it would be nice to see help here too. If Orakpo is available, would like to see him drafted.
You seem to agree with me that JC is decent. I agree that the O line needs work. Dock is 28 and is an upgrade to the 34 year old Kendall. I am good with Samuels and Rabach. I'm okay with Thomas but we need a new RT.
Again, depending on who is out there at #13, we should pick either a RT, DE, or LB or trade down.
We had the #4 ranked defense last year. I think we are an improved group from last year. I expect this group to keep us in games and hopefully our offense is better.
DeAngeloser is not a playmaker - unless you are talking about letting guys run right by him and allowing the opposing team to make plays.
Changed man? Sure, maybe he won't stomp on a guy's head on the field (maybe). But Mario Haynesworth may get indicted for causing an accident while speeding along in his Ferrari - in December. This was 4 days after he was caught driving his Escalade 103 MPH. The guy is trouble. There is a good piece by former 'Skin Ross Tucker in SI about how the money may affect Haynesworth.
Both these guys are going to be major busts and will set the organization back even further.
The team is older and it stinks.
What are you basing your comments on? DeAngelo (like your nickname) was a playmaker with the Skins. He always has been. In his limited time with the Skins, I know he had 2 INTs and at least 1 fumble recovery (may have been 2). That is one of the big things I remember about him last season. When did he let guys run by him for big plays last year for the Skins? I'm not talking about the Raiders. That was lost time. I am talking about the Skins. If he was SO bad, why would he have been selected to 2 Pro Bowls in his very young career?
He stomped on the guy's head more than two years ago. Is that all you can remember of the guy? Can a guy not change or move past that? As far as the speeding, it's too bad but it's not a huge deal. I am not condoning speeding or anything and it is dangerous and I wish everyone would drive within the limits but it's not like he took his Lamborgini Murcielago Roadster crashed it into a light pole in the early morning hours and ran away from the scene in hopes of denying any involvement like a certain someone. You know who I am talking about.
As far as the piece by Ross Tucker, there are plenty of pieces in support of the move and "experts" saying that he is well worth the money and he is going to have an impact on the entire defense (see Jeffri Chadiha). I don't need to read one article on one person's opinion. The proof will be in the pudding. He may end up becoming just a fat, lazy rich boy. However, he may continue to be the dominant presence that he has been the last few years.
The team is not that old. Look at the defense. There are only 2 starters 30 or older (Fletcher and Griffin). The rest of the defense is around 25 years old (Landry, Hall, Horton, Rogers, McIntosh, Blades). So I am not sure why you say we are older. I suppose these players are technically older than last year but they are far from old.
I suppose we could say that the Bears are older and stink too then.
Haynesworth could actually be indicted because he may have caused a fatal accident. There is a grand jury looking at the case right now. This is for an incident that occurred in December.
I don't know the details and I don't know what will happen, but imagine if he is indicted.
Now that Haynesworth has $41M guaranteed, what incentive does he have to listen to his coaches? He has shown a penchant for free lancing. That has worked for him, but it may not work in DC.
NO ONE would have paid Hall the money he got in DC. He plays a couple of good games and Danny Boy whips out the wallet. He was absolutely terrible in Oakland and lost it in Atlanta.
We'll have to see what happens, but the Redskins committed $150M in contracts ($60M+ guaranteed) to these two guys. If it doesn't work out - as I expect it won't - then Danny Boy will have set the organization back another couple of years.
Good luck to your team.
Thanks for the well wishes. I doubt that anything will come from whatever the traffic issue is. I say that because if it was such a big issue we would have heard a whole lot more it by now. The fact that YOU (the guy that can pull out a direct quote from the 9the grade jr. substitute staff writer from the Nashville Mud Dog school paper) hasn't gotten the details yet tells me it isn't such a large issue.
The incentive is the live up to the contract and disprove any naysayers like yourself. The incentive is to be best at your position. The incentive is to continue to thrive and be the dominant presence you have established yourself to be. The incentive will be to win over your teammates, your coaches, your boss, your fans. The incentive will be to win a Super Bowl. Frankly, that is a silly question. What incentive would any player in any sport have when they sign a mega deal? I would assume it would be the same as what I just mentioned. Sure, some players do not live up to their contract or their draft status but we will have to wait and see.
Urlacher reupped last season and got an even more lucrative deal than he had. His skills have diminished and at 30 seems ready to take a deep dive off of the player he used to be. What incentive does he have now that he secured his big money for the next few years? When Julius Peppers signs his mega deal what incentive will he have?
I don't know what the market value was for Hall. I haven't heard anyone say that they overspent for him. I really don't know what the going rate is for CBs is right now. I do know that he played very well for the Skins when he came here. I do know that he is 25 and a 2 time Pro Bowler with immense talent. He lost it in Atlanta when Petrino got there. Pretty much the entire Falcon team lost it with Petrino and that is why Petrino walked out and quit on his team. I know he struggled in Oakland. Part of it may have been the system and part of it may have been things went to his head when he signed the big contract. I don't really know. All I know was that he performed here in D.C. and he is a young and talented player.
Listen, I know it is your job to come down on the Skins in any way you can. I know you love doing that. I know you can only see one side of things. I know you will expect the worst when it comes to Skins and their players. However, it would be nice to see you be equally critical of the Bears and their players. You defended Tank even after all he had done. You defended Briggs after his ordeal. When it looked like Briggs wanted out of Chicago and had bad mouthed them you made it seem like Briggs wasn't that big of a deal and that guy Jamir could have just stepped in. All I am saying is that recognize your bias. If I were you, I would worry about the Bears.
I also still don't understand your "older" comment from earlier. Since you chose to not comment on that, I will assume that I have disproved that for you.
I stand by my comments and you stand by yours. We'll just see what happens.
Fair enough.
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