Random Commanders Thoughts

The Giants case is different.

They have a 36 year old starting qb that has won 2 Super Bowls and they wanted to make another run before he retires and they have to rebuild.

So they turned to free agency.

Yes, those players turned out to be solid additions on defense.

But what I would tell you is the failure of the GM Reese to adequately solidify the offensive line cost the Giants in the end result.

Top draft pick Erick Flowers appears to be a bust at tackle.

Their OL is the worst in the division by far.

They have no running game to speak of.

Those were all things that hurt them against Green Bay.

The other reason Reese had to dip into free agency on defense is several high picks such as Linval Joseph and Prince Amukamara failed to live up to expectations.

So, he was also covering his own ass.

Joseph of course resurrected his career in Minnesota and is one of the best DTs in the conference now.

Maybe the Giants will hit it in the draft and get the OL help they need.

But their situation is far different from the Redskins.

The Redskins need a LOT of help.

One or two free agent signings isn't going to do it on defense.

We have 9 picks in the draft and Scot has to come up with 4 or 5 guys that can get on the field and help us in 2017.

That together with resigning Cousins and getting a couple of impact free agents may elevate this team enough.

But it's going to be tough.

Dallas has a lot of good young players on offense, all of whom are returning.

With that side of the ball covered Jones can look for the pass rusher and cornerbacks he needs for the Cowboys to advance further in the playoffs.

Philly will be better. NY will be about the same in terms of record.

The Redskins finished third in 2016 and will have to really hustle on the personnel front to avoid slipping to fourth.

Bulldog's Twin said:

One or two free agent signings isn't going to do it on defense.

We have 9 picks in the draft and Scot has to come up with 4 or 5 guys that can get on the field and help us in 2017.

That together with resigning Cousins and getting a couple of impact free agents may elevate this team enough.

But it's going to be tough.

Dallas has a lot of good young players on offense, all of whom are returning.

With that side of the ball covered Jones can look for the pass rusher and cornerbacks he needs for the Cowboys to advance further in the playoffs.

Philly will be better. NY will be about the same in terms of record.

The Redskins finished third in 2016 and will have to really hustle on the personnel front to avoid slipping to fourth.

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How many times do I have to repeat myself? FFS, I have repeatedly said we need more than simply signing 1 or 2 free agents.

We can afford 3 top tier free agents in the FA class on defense on top of the Cousins contract, we also draft 5 defenders with 2 in the first 3 rounds who should be able to come in and contribute. That is 4-6 players we NEED on defense, but you can kiss the 4-5 drafted players contributing on defense dream, good-bye...that's the pipe dream.

Again, for those who seem to not be listening...we can do what the Giants did, sign 2-3 top tier free agents, sign 2 mid tier who will play special teams and draft at least 2 in the first 3 round who can contribute right away...but only younger player we can get on the books for at least 3 years with options.

We have the money to go after players like:

Kawaan Short DE
Dontari Poe, NG
A.J. Bouye, CB
Stephon Gilmore, CB

Those 4 are rated top tier and we can afford 3 of them, they are all 28 or younger. We don't need 2 CB's but we could definitely sign Poe and Short with one of those CB's to line up across from Norman since it appears Breeland may be switching, but he has proven to probably be a nickel back at best.

Next tier has some solid names as well:

Donta Hightower ILB

Tony Jefferson, S - nothing spectacular, but could be signed for a decent contract...only.

Prince Amukamara, CB - If Breeland is moving to S we should sign another CB, Prince won't ever be a top tier CB, but with Norman on one side and another quality CB on the other, this kid could fill the nickel slot.

D.J. Swearinger, S - Another player to turn it around in one season with a new squad, he'll probably end up back in Arizona, but would be an upgrade here.


I am not saying we go out and sign all these guys, but 4-5 of them 2 or 3 top tier, 2 next level and a draft class with 5 or 6 new guys being added to defense, who will also play special teams and we've got a whole new defense. This is one season we can actually do it, we have the money.

Edit: Look, the reality is that if Gruden doesn't have a good year, like make the playoffs good, he's gone. The team would not do him any justice if they didn't do their best to give him the very best they could to help him succeed. The offense can mostly be the same as last year, if we can upgrade the defense by only 20% we're a playoff team. We should invest heavily on defense and make sure Cousins and at least Jackson are re-signed, then sign Britt if we're moving on from Garcon. If not, Gruden is almost assuredly gone after next season...we cannot have Norvel all over again!

Well, it will interesting to see what Bruce Allen decides to do.

Allen is very frugal and doesn't spend money readily, and when he has in the past we ended up with guys like Jason Hatcher and Shawn Lauvao.

If the Redskins execute the kind of plan the Giants did last year and aggressively target 3 premium players in free agency on defense, I will be SHOCKED.

We may sign a number of free agents but most of them will be 'under the radar' type vet minimum guys like Hood and Greg Toler rather than Olivier Vernon and Damon Harrison.

Bulldog's Twin said:

Allen is very frugal and doesn't spend money readily, and when he has in the past we ended up with guys like Jason Hatcher and Shawn Lauvao.

If the Redskins execute the kind of plan the Giants did last year and aggressively target 3 premium players in free agency on defense, I will be SHOCKED.

We may sign a number of free agents but most of them will be 'under the radar' type vet minimum guys like Hood and Greg Toler rather than Olivier Vernon and Damon Harrison.

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They've been doing that for 5 years, it's not working.

Chris said:

Well, it will interesting to see what Bruce Allen decides to do.

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Just before Snyder shut the door Kleim snapped a pic of Mcluvs visiting Bruce Allen's office

Supposedly Doctson is back to drills again so atleast some good news.

VIDEO: Redskins 2016 First-Round Pick Finally Looks Fully Healthy | 12up

Elephant - we may have been doing it for 5 years, but that's what the team feels comfortable with now.

Bruce Allen was the same down in Tampa.

He reduced the payroll quite a bit and let veterans that were part of their Super Bowl team go rather than extend them or replace them with impact free agents.

So, as long as he is in a decision-making role here I don't expect much of that to change.

As I said, his drafting here doesn't look so bad in hindsight, so there is that.

In fact his draft picks look better than McCloughan's do.

Looking back on it, Shanahan's effect on this team is still very strong. Look at the key personnel.

Cousins was drafted by Shanahan. Jordan Reed was drafted by Shanahan. So were Trent Williams and Chris Thompson.

Shanahan was the one that brought Pierre Garcon to town.

Outside of DeSean Jackson and Brandon Scherff (first time pro bowler) THOSE are the cornerstone players we have had on offense here in DC during the Gruden era.

And they are all holdovers.

On defense the Redskins don't have that kind of talent.

But it's interesting to note that Shanahan took Ryan Kerrigan in 2011 in what was a WEAK draft in Round 1 seeing all the busts.

Kerrigan has been a two-time pro bowler and double digit sack OLB.

The current regime has come in to try and supplement the pass rush from the OLB position with high picks (Preston Smith, Trent Murphy) and free agents (Junior Galette), but to date Ryan Kerrigan is still standing as our best player at the position.

Win4us said:

Supposedly Doctson is back to drills again so atleast some good news.

VIDEO: Redskins 2016 First-Round Pick Finally Looks Fully Healthy | 12up

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Daaaaaaaaa aaaaam, that boy has some fast feet. I stumbled twice just watching the video...

Win4us said:

Supposedly Doctson is back to drills again so atleast some good news.

VIDEO: Redskins 2016 First-Round Pick Finally Looks Fully Healthy | 12up

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It's good to see him moving - but running a handful of non-contact drills at quarter speed, when you couldn't get on the field the entire 2016 season for reasons no one can define - does little to inspire confidence. I'm highly skeptical he's 'healthy'.

Boone said:

It's good to see him moving - but running a handful of non-contact drills at quarter speed, when you couldn't get on the field the entire 2016 season for reasons no one can define - does little to inspire confidence. I'm highly skeptical he's 'healthy'.

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Oh I'm right there with ya on skepticism with his health. Tho after recent rumors of him doing nothing, along with the other items coming from "sources" concerning the team I'll take it. Now if we can just get a few games out of jr Galette we'll be cooking with gas!

I saw quick feet but no sign of explosiveness. But what do I know?

This is one of the big issues... Skins have to base whether we resign Garçon and DJax on the basis of whether Crowder can step up (I think he proved he can!), Maurice can be a starter (I liked what I saw... but that wasn't a lot) and whether Doctson can replace DJax based on some drills and two passes caught in actual games.

He looks good in that video, but I'd still rather we went with insurance by bringing back one of the starters, my personal pref would be Garçon.

Of course it's all moot if we don't sign Kirk. Then we're pretty much back in full on rebuild mode again.


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Sp, what's the actual reason the team is supposedly planning on moving on from DJax ?
money, production, attitude, age, style...crowded position, or should i say "Crowdered" at the position ?

Bulldog's Twin said:

In fact his draft picks look better than McCloughan's do.

Looking back on it, Shanahan's effect on this team is still very strong. Look at the key personnel.

Cousins was drafted by Shanahan. Jordan Reed was drafted by Shanahan. So were Trent Williams and Chris Thompson.

Shanahan was the one that brought Pierre Garcon to town.

Outside of DeSean Jackson and Brandon Scherff (first time pro bowler) THOSE are the cornerstone players we have had on offense here in DC during the Gruden era.

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Oh I think it's WAY too early to come to that conclusion.

First of all, let's not forget Crowder, who is probably going to slide into a starting role this year.

But besides that, Allen has been here for, what, eight year? McLovin has been here for two years. Of course more of Allen's guys are going to be involved in the offense. Looking at first and second-year draftees and saying "there aren't a dozen (or half a dozen) instant contributors on offense" is pretty much why this team has sucked for 20 years.

Building through the draft is all about setting up a pipeline. Not about finding instant pro-bowlers. Allen's (Shanahan's) guys are going to be further down that pipeline. If you looked at Murphy, Cousins, Thompson and Reed after just two years, NONE of them would be on that 'holdover cornerstone' list. That we already have two from McLovin's classes is very encouraging, and certainly not evidence that Allen is better at drafting.

I know we all want defense, and so do I. Let's see how Cravens looks. Let's see how Fuller looks. Let's see if Dunbar gets any better.

Let's see if the pipeline is actually flowing. McLovin may not be perfect, but he has built some pretty strong defenses in the past. It's possible he still knows what he's doing, despite rumors to the contrary.

That said, I agree that Allen's drafts look, uh, fair, in hindsight. There are some good players from his tenure that made that top-five offense go (Morgan Moses and Spencer Long as well). If we can manage to keep this front office together, I do think things will continue to improve going forward.

I'll drink to that.

John Keim included this sentence in his ESPN article yesterday-

Doctson posted video on his Snapchat account, showing him doing the drills and catching passes Thursday. He has been bothered by his Achilles’ in both feet since, though it started when he tweaked his right one May 25.

Is that just awkwardly written or is Doctson experiencing discomfort from those drills?

Sounds awkwardly written to me.

Miles Monroe said:

Sounds awkwardly written to me.

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It was. I asked him about it on twitter. He said he doesn't know how he's feeling.

Henry said:

Let's see if the pipeline is actually flowing. McLovin may not be perfect, but he has built some pretty strong defenses in the past. It's possible he still knows what he's doing, despite rumors to the contrary.

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I agree with most of your post, but this stood out the most...in both places he was instrumental in building solid defenses, he did so by drafting well and signing key players in free agency. There simply aren't enough years to get an entire team built through the draft alone.

My point has been, and will continue to be is that with the offense hitting on most cylinders, like you've eluded to, if we put together a good defense (through draft and free agency) I believe we could get to the divisional playoffs, probably the NFC Championship this year. I am just not confident enough that the FO can and will get it done this year, and I think this season is all Gruden has to prove himself.