Random Commanders Thoughts

BT has it right. Helu is a capable receiver out of the backfield, but his glaring deficiency in pass pro, and minimal contribution on special teams, will eventually force him down any NFL depth chart. If we can keep him on the cheap I'm fine with that, but we need an upgrade at the #2 RB spot.
 
Murray can't block
Peterson can't block
Lynch can't block
Gore can't block

Blocking backs like drew and portis end up with shorter careers. Those days are pretty much over.
 
And all of those guys are much better running backs. Starters. Not 3rd down backs for whom pass pro is a non-negotiable asset.
 
We also don't ask him to be the starter. His role has never been to pass protect but to catch in the flat and make plays.

But, oh well. If we lose one more good player due to stupidity it won't be heartbreaking. It's just the norm apparently
 
If we wind up worse at the position, it would be frustrating. I think Redd is already Helu's equal, at worst.

Time will tell.
 
Ax said:
If we wind up worse at the position, it would be frustrating. I think Redd is already Helu's equal, at worst.

Time will tell.
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Silas Redd is the one name that hasn't been mentioned much. Kid has done well in limited time.
 
Helu provided a nice spark last year at times. He is a definite liability in pass blocking, and considering we have him slotted as a third down back, that's a problem. I'd love to keep him at a reasonable price. If that can't happen, running backs are one of the most easily replacable positions these days. I don't think he has a ton of leverage.
 
I would rather let an average player walk and not pay him above value pay, than keep him simply to feel as if we are keeping a 'family' atmosphere at the Park.

The simple truth is that we don't let many good players walk, for the reason that our front office has not brought in many good players in recent years period.

The guys we release tend to either be out of the league in a short period of time or become backups on other teams when they were starters here.

That's the reality.

So far we have said goodbye to Stephen Bowen, Ryan Clark, Brandon Meriweather and Barry Cofield.

All over 30 veterans with a recent injury history and record of declining play.

We are not providing other teams with 'gems' to discover.

This reminds me of a discussion two years ago when I said that I would be in favor of cutting Aldrick Robinson, admitting the mistake, and moving on at WR.

Some folks here were so averse to letting him go because he had straight line speed and it was imagined he would finally develop into something worthwhile on the outside.

At the time there were the same calls as with Helu that letting Robinson go would end up with him signing in Dallas or Philly and making us regret the decision.

Flip ahead to 2015 - Aldrick Robinson's contract is expired and there is no though to bringing him back.

I don't hear anyone on the board even mention the guy's name now as a player who could come back and help us.

There's no hand-wringing over moving on.

The lesson is don't overestimate the players on the current roster. Look at them realistically, in terms of what they have produced and contributed over time and whether the team couldn't do better at the same or less cost.
 
Alright BD...here is realistic.

Helu has his warts but he is a good Redskin (as Ax mentioned) and this team has much bigger issues than the 3rd down back. Honestly, I'm going to be pissed if we spend a draft choice on the offensive backfield.

Bring back the offensive backfield intact. Offer Helu a contract commensurate with his ability but no more. If he doesn't like and wants to move on, that's on him.

But don't spend any of those draft picks on running backs when we desperately need help on both lines, at linebacker and every single secondary position much worse.

That is realistic.
 
The Aldrick Robinson analogy doesn't hold together very well BD. I agree with your overall point. But Helu's production, compared to a guy like Robinson (who caught just 18 of 46 passes in his 4TH season!), is leaps and bounds better. Helu started with a bang, piling up over 1000 yards in offense in his rookie year. Robinson never showed more than a couple occasional flashes. Helu's success relies on the type of offense we run. If we're going to utilize a pass receiving RB consistently, he's a huge asset. If we're not, although a good player, he is probably expendable. But he's not Aldrick Robinson, a guy who couldn't do the only job he was getting paid to do, get open and catch the football, in 4 years of trying.

Yeah, fans overrate their favorite player's abilities at times, and want to hold onto guys past their prime or at their ceiling for sentimental reasons. But likening Helu to Aldrick Robinson isn't close to being accurate.
 
There is absolutely no comparison between Helu and Robinson. Those of us who weren't in favor of cutting Robinsion two years ago merely wanted to let him play out his rookie contract to see if he'd develop into a solid contributor. That's a very low-risk/high-reward proposition, as the cost is low and if he doesn't pan out you simply don't re-up him, which is what happened. I'd say Robinson not turning into Desean Jackson is very low on the list of things that went horribly over the past few years.

Helu needs a new contract, right? That's completely different. That requires actively pursing him again, spending more money than you would on a rookie and yes, there should be a healthy debate on whether the team should do that. Quite frankly, I don't care one way or the other, but let's not re-write history and suggest that those of us who wanted to give Robinson one more year to show something were EXPECTING him to do so.
 
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Letting ryan Clark go and most players we let go are out of the league....doesn't he have 2 rings?
 
I'm not worried about Helu's blocking.
If he whiffs in pass pro, that means he'll be wide open for a screen, or a last-option/last resort dump off, and that's when he's been most dynamic, with his YAC on screens. So he makes up for it. He's worth keeping for that reason alone. He's one of the few playmakers we have, and one of the few guys who ALWAYS gives 100%. We need guys like that
And who says we only have to keep 2 RB's ?
We can still have a 3rd back with blocking skills.
And as someone mentioned before, we have numerous issues that are much worse. than 3rd down back.
So, if we don't re-sign Helu, just for the sake of bringing in a blocking back, the new guy better be at least a decent pass-catcher out of the backfield.
Letting Helu go, could easily set us back.
And I'm all for improving our pass pro in the backfield, but not at the expense of one our few bright spots
 
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MikeSr619 said:
Letting ryan Clark go and most players we let go are out of the league....doesn't he have 2 rings?
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I think it's fair to say that Clark, Rogers (to an extent) - those guys have been the rare exception of players we didn't retain who went on to have solid production elsewhere. I think BD is right in terms of the typical fan hyperventilation of moving on from certain players is usually unfounded. One of the qualities of the most successful teams is not being hesitant to move on, even with popular players, if they are not producing or are reaching an expected downturn in production.
 
Boone said:
I think it's fair to say that Clark, Rogers (to an extent) - those guys have been the rare exception of players we didn't retain who went on to have solid production elsewhere. I think BD is right in terms of the typical fan hyperventilation of moving on from certain players is usually unfounded. One of the qualities of the most successful teams is not being hesitant to move on, even with popular players, if they are not producing or are reaching an expected downturn in production.
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Well, I think he's picking and choosing specific older guys to make a point that isn't valid to anything about helu.

Rogers, clark, Brandon lloyd, Stan Humphries, Antonio pierce...

I can keep going, too. We aren't going to keep everyone and some are going to be bitter when they leave and step up their game. But dropping helu for pass pro or because of Robinson reasons isn't valid. Helu is a game changer when he's in there and he didn't average 13 yards after catch for any other reason but that.
 
I like Helu - he needs to work on a couple areas of his game, but I agree, generally he makes things happen when the ball is thrown or handed to him. I think BD would agree on that. But whether or not we keep him is going to be driven by a) if he really wants to be here, and b) whether he's willing to sign a reasonable contract. If he wants starter money, I think BD is right - he has holes in his game and is supplemental back for a reason.
 
This is not based on anything but my gut feeling, but seeing the incredible deals being thrown around on Twitter this afternoon makes me think we may be wuiet in FA this year.
 
Goaldeje said:
This is not based on anything but my gut feeling, but seeing the incredible deals being thrown around on Twitter this afternoon makes me think we may be wuiet in FA this year.
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The Wedskins and FA in 2015.




:playful:
 
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