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In the past Alexander would be listed at multiple positions on the roster and in part that guaranteed that he made the final 53 despite never being a consistent starter at any given spot. Alexander is a team first guy and a hard worker. He has to be smart to have learned 3 or 4 positions and then re-learn them in yet another system.
But the move to inside linebacker in the 3-4 this year is a bit different. Last year the team simply had no players on the outside other than Brian Orakpo and he was a second year player learning a new system. Andre Carter was a disaster there and Alexander took over for him mid-season when no one else was available.
In 2011, the team has a year of the 3-4 under its belt. Fletcher is back. McIntosh is now back and was given a $1.5M guarantee for the season. Keyaron Fox was acquired in free agency from Pittsburgh to reunite with his old position coach, Lou Spanos. Then you have holdover #4 pick Perry Riley from 2010, who may not quite be ready to start in the NFL but whom the coaching staff is sure to give more than a single season (especially with no succeeding offseason) to prove himself.
That’s four inside linebackers. I don’t know how many the Redskins are looking to carry for 16 weeks, but it appears as if Alexander might just not have a chair once the music stops. Of course, there is the thought that Alexander outplays the other inside backers next to Fletcher and earns a starting job through the preseason. But if the coaches were seeing that kind of ability at that position flash before them, the team would have been unlikely to resign McIntosh and give him $1.5M in guarantees or bring in Fox.
We shall see. But the departure of a player like Alexander, if it happens, will be a whole lot different in terms of feel than the recent departures of many other players from the team under Mike Shanahan. Players that were too old, too injured or too disruptive to be kept on a team looking to move ahead. Alexander IS the type of player in terms of work ethic and temperament that the team is looking for. In a way it’s just a shame a guy like Lorenzo might get caught in the squeeze.
But the move to inside linebacker in the 3-4 this year is a bit different. Last year the team simply had no players on the outside other than Brian Orakpo and he was a second year player learning a new system. Andre Carter was a disaster there and Alexander took over for him mid-season when no one else was available.
In 2011, the team has a year of the 3-4 under its belt. Fletcher is back. McIntosh is now back and was given a $1.5M guarantee for the season. Keyaron Fox was acquired in free agency from Pittsburgh to reunite with his old position coach, Lou Spanos. Then you have holdover #4 pick Perry Riley from 2010, who may not quite be ready to start in the NFL but whom the coaching staff is sure to give more than a single season (especially with no succeeding offseason) to prove himself.
That’s four inside linebackers. I don’t know how many the Redskins are looking to carry for 16 weeks, but it appears as if Alexander might just not have a chair once the music stops. Of course, there is the thought that Alexander outplays the other inside backers next to Fletcher and earns a starting job through the preseason. But if the coaches were seeing that kind of ability at that position flash before them, the team would have been unlikely to resign McIntosh and give him $1.5M in guarantees or bring in Fox.
We shall see. But the departure of a player like Alexander, if it happens, will be a whole lot different in terms of feel than the recent departures of many other players from the team under Mike Shanahan. Players that were too old, too injured or too disruptive to be kept on a team looking to move ahead. Alexander IS the type of player in terms of work ethic and temperament that the team is looking for. In a way it’s just a shame a guy like Lorenzo might get caught in the squeeze.
