NFL.com: Redskins prepared to make run on big free agents after lockout

Serv, given that we are staying with the 3-4 despite again drafting a majority of 4-3 players, I have started wondering if perhaps the entire switch to the 3-4 was to drop games without appearing to drop them on purpose. Dropping games on purpose is taboo, but.....

It sounds rather conspiracy theoryish I know, but bear with me, Shanny took over a team that was not as talent poor as it appeared, but the cupboard for long term success was literally bare it was aging talent and the majority on defence, he could have made perhaps one short run in a playoff maybe 2, but doubtful that we would have won. Building a playoff roster requires resources, and the bulk of those resources come in the early rounds, and the earlier your pick, the more likely the chance of picking a stud player. By destroying the defence, he made it very unlikely that anyone would think we were a superbowl or even playoff calibre team and bought himself at least an extra season. a season to insert his systems, get the majority of his guys trained up in his style of offence and more importantly GET HIS GUYS in place.

Shanny is not a defencive genius, but aside from a tendency to force his system a bit, he has also never made a mistake on par with the defensive debacle last season. it will go down as one of the hugest drops in modern football. Usually he is very astute in his judgements of talent on either side of the ball and he has a huge ego that would seem to demand that he get the best team possible on the field. The only way I could see him failing so abjectly is if he had a plan in place that required such a failure early on in order for him to have a massive success later on. thats what I am banking on. some of the moves early on were schizophrenic, signing aging linemen and a QB but then getting rid of aging guys who still could at least play a little bit but replacing them with other old guys who cost less and had no fan investment. then drafting a LT but then waiting until late in the season to start playing younger guys?

all this leads me to the answer to your question about Beck, with Beck he has no pressure, everyone knows there are no good QB's in free agency this year, everyone knows how bad our defence is likely to be, nobody thinks with beck that we will make a sudden turnaround and nobody will be too upset when we win less games this year than last, BECAUSE WE NOW EXPECT IT. If he starts Grossman, Rexy will have a few games that make you wonder why he isnt a HOF QB, and we will wonder why he doesnt have a better cast around him , because if he did, we should be a solid team, suddenly people will ask " its almost year 3, why arent we far better than this we look good in flashes" whereas Beck will maybe flash once in a while and we will say " man, what could this team do with a good QB I cant wait until we draft one and we see what he can do with this team in this system." If by some miracle he played even decently Shannahan recovers some of his lost shine because he scooped a decent QB off the scrap pile. even now some of the dumber fans are saying " its not shannys fault the defence sucks its all on haslett" this season when we are losing and losing big, we will be doing it while hoping that there is light at the end of the tunnel, and I will be saying " bravo Shannahan, well played"
 
Here is some interesting stuff from various insiders...

We will have seventy-two hours to sign our own FAs. Moss and RT Brown are serious targets. If Brown goes elsewhere, Ryan Harris becomes a target. Also, Big Mike Williams could be making a comeback, but it is considered a longshot at best.

G Harvey Dahl of the Falcons could be a possibility.

DT/NT Franklin of the 49ers is not high on the list. The team is much more interested in Kris and Cullen Jenkins. They have high hopes for Chris Nield.

LaRon Landry will be extended. Forget Nnamdi and any other corner. Barnes will get his chance and Buchanon is a target for re-signing. If Buchanon bolts, Josh Wilson could get a long look.

The coaches are really high on Malcolm Kelly and they hope he can stay injury free.

Vince Young may very well be signed - Coach Shanahan thinks he can do good things with him. Rex Grossman will be re-signed.

Haynesworth - by skipping mini-camp last year, the guarantees in his contract are voided and his salary is not guaranteed either.
 
Several of these statements surprise me. The biggest is Vince Young being signed. Jeff Fisher and Shanny are good friends plus Vince's lack of mental toughness I would think make him unattractive to the Skins.

Brown and Moss being resigned makes since and I had also heard the Jenkins brothers are going to be targeted and probably not Franklin. The only other one that really surprises me is no big time free agent CB. I am not sure Barnes is a number two corner and I know Buchanan isn't. I think both are more like number threes.
Posted via BGO Mobile Device
 
I doubt we sign Young, very very highly doubt it I would hope they learned all about square pegs and round holes with Mcnabb and AH. I would love to see BMW make a serious comeback but again, doubtful. Dahl would be ok, but id prefer mathis and even Yanda. the Jenkins brothers is a head scratcher, we are trying to get character guys and im pretty sure Cullen had some legal troubles, besides he plays end not NT, Kris would be a solid in an rotation and maybe they think the brothers togehter would stay out of trouble. who knows.
 
Well, if we have to spend $45 mil to reach the cap, then of course we will sign some FAs. From what I have read, if you do not reach the cap 'floor,' the difference between payroll and floor will be divided out amongst the current team at the end of the season. Now, most of the media will start yelling; 'typical Redskins spending big on FAs.' But Allen will not get us in a hole. I guarantee that.

I defintiely agree that we will re-sign Santana. Brown, I really question. He seems like he really wants to test FA. Someone out there will give him a shot at being a LT IMO and he will take it. Rumor has it, if that is the case, that we would be interested in Harris. However, we cannot rely on a guy that has missed around 13 games the past two seasons. I think we are going to be hurting at the RT spot no matter what. Clabo may come here, but he will cost a penny.

I think we will make Landry very happy with a new contract. Hopefully he stays healthy this year.

Now, with the FA situation, I do not mind if they sign older FAs such as Kris and Cullen Jenkins to help mentor younger guys such as Chris Neild and Jarvis Jenkins. Just don't break the bank on them. Give them short one or two year contracts. Jenkins and Neild learning from the Jenkins brothers, is ideal.

I honestly think Allen is going to go after the hard working blue collar types. He does not sign high priced FAs. We will not see aging superstars such as Randy Moss....etc. I don't even know that we will see Santonio Holmes. I really don't get what the fascination is with this guy. He has made his name off a couple of big catches in key moments. Plus, he will play the slot position like Santana. Why not re-sign Moss, especially since he already knows the system.

I would rather re-sign Moss and allow him to help the rookies. Moss and McCardell will bring plenty of veteran leadership. I am very optimistic about our recieving core. Maybe not for this year, but for the future. No need to bring in big names.

I agree with Ryman when he says that we will probably not sign Young. I see him as a younger McNabb anyway. He does not fit Kyle's system. Honestly, this is what I think will happen. A straight trade for Orton and Haynesworth. It makes sense to me. I don't think Orton is that great, but he can win games. He has a better arm than Beck, but unfortunately, he does not know the system. He also does not go through his reads well. At least, from what I have seen on NFL Network. We will sign him for a couple of years, and he can take over and we can draft his replacement next year.

I think this upcoming season is going to be a lost year. We may be battling for a good draft position next year. But, in the meantime, the youngsters will be gathering very valuable playing time. I honestly think that at the end of the year, we will be talked about in the same breath as the Chiefs and Lions. Young teams that are on the verge of doing something significant.

Also, I know that it is every team's goal to win. But, I kind of question how desperate the Skins want to win this year. We need a QB bad!! Beck is not the answer. I do not think that Shanny will throw games, but I do think he will take risks that he would not normally take knowing that he may be in better position to draft a youngster that he believes can lead this team. Honestly, this makes me excited.
 
Last edited:
Omni, the Orton idea is an interesting one. My fear with that is that he would be just good enough to leave us right in the middle of the pack, but not get us over the hump into the playoffs, thereby depriving us of a high draft pick. Seems like we have been there far too often lately. I would rather ride it out with Bex (that's a combo of Beck and Rex), with the possibility that Beck would break out (seems unlikely, but you never know) or be sucky enough to get us a high pick which we could use on a QB.

As for watching the young'uns play, I too am VERY excited. I am hopeful we don't go nuts in FA with older vets, simply because I want the young guys to play early and often. As Henry has often said, if we build the team the right way, slowly, it should be very fun to watch.

With some frustration built in as well, to be sure. :)
 
I agree that the better option would be to go with the Beck for this year only. If Orton is acquired, he would not become a starter this year unless injury occurs. Not knowing the system and putting us in the middle of the pack (like you said) are the reasons he would ride the bench. It think Grossman would put us in the middle of the pack as well.

This would be a similar situation to what Beck went through last year. New team, new bench. I think he would mainly be brought in to win a few extra games next year and to bridge the gap to a rookie.

I look at Orton as a slight upgrade over Grossman. He could win a few more games for us. The Broncos will most likely deal him for the right price. They already said that they are not giving him away. They are in desperate need of a DT. We need more competition at the QB spot and we are not going to give away AH.

This is not wishful thinking, I just think this trade makes a lot of sense for both parties. I do think Orton could lead us to the playoffs if the defense was sound. We need someone else to get us over that hump.
 
I wouldn't have a problem trading for Orton for Haynesworth. If Denver would do it, but we need every draft pick we can get our hands on so I would almost rather give up Hayneworth for a draft pick. I think we go with the Grossman/Beck combo this year. If Orton is going to play from week four thru week seventeen this year and maybe the first few weeks next year isn't worth as much as a top four round draft pick. Shanny won't release Haynesworth for anything less than that anyway.

I still think we are going to try to move up for Luck next year but I have had that on my mind since before the draft this year anyway. So an extra pick for Hayesworth would be better than Orton.

I think a lot of free agency this year should be filling holes in the defense and the O-line. Let our skill positions Hankerson, Paul, Robinson, Helu and Royster develop and maybe they'll be ready in 2012.
 
Kris Jenkins to announce his retirement today - Skins dodge a bullet on that one. Unless it was all a smoke screen and LaCanfora was wrong again. (GASP)
 
I think you credit Orton's stats to Josh McDaniels system. It is very QB friendly. You are going to see Sam Bradford put up some huge numbers this year.

I would say Orton is better than Grossman just because of the lack of boneheaded mistakes. Orton does not see a lot of his open recievers and does not hit the optimum target as much as you like, but he does not have those WTF moments that Grossman has.

Also, his numbers were just as good in 2009 when he did not have Tebow to worry about.

Also, I retract what I said earlier about Beck being a better option than Orton for the time being. I would take Orton or Young over Beck and Grossman and any other available QB's out there. I think you have to try to win and establish a winning mentality, regardless of your potential draft pick. Whoever gives us the best chance of wining should be our QB.
 
I'm glad to see that someone else doesn't want Orton in DC. Rex is a much better fit for this system and can do well in it.

Like a couple of others, I am thinking that we will sign Vince Young. It can be a low risk/high reward deal.
 
I am not trying to pump up Orton at all. However, when there is a team as QB needy as ours, you have to choose the least of the evils. In a perfect world, i would skip all the FA's and have a rookie to develop, but the world is not perfect. We could pick apart every available QB out there. They are available for a reason.

Furthermore, I am not a believer of just allowing Beck or Grossman to play so we can get a better draft position. I think you have to try to win. I think it was Jim Schwartz this past year that said that the Lions are a good team, now they need to learn to win. I feel we are in a similar position with our young players. You do not want them to get used to loosing.

I would take these QBs in this order: VY, Orton, Grossman, and Beck. Also, everyone assumes Grossman is going to be back, but he is a FA. Rumors have it that the Bengals have him very high on the list. We will not overpay for his services or any of these other QBs. I would not be shocked if he stayed or left.

I will be shocked if Beck is the plan. I know if we pick up another QB, Beck will be the starter until the new QB learns the system. Unless possibly, Beck does the unthinkable and shocks us all.


Also, Kris Jenkins just announced his retirement. So that ship has sailed.
 
Last edited:
Thing is Mike, we really do not know what has been happening behind those doors to force McNabb out. There have been rumors damning both sides. To lay it at Kyle's feet is a little unfair in my opinion. Kyle did not have a big ass ego as far as I know prior to becoming a Skin. No problems in Houston or with the Bucs. There were rumors of problems with McNabb in Philly though.
 
MikeSr619 said:
personally, I think if we're going to gamble we already have a vet QB on our team we can use but for some reason he is as good as gone. #5 is no worse than the others you have mentioned and if Kylie could just swallow his big ass ego things could work at least for a year.
Click to expand...

Grossman outplayed McNabb when given the chance for christ's sake. There are at least 4 or 5 free agent vets who I'd take in a heartbeat over McNabb. The only ego that got in the way of McNabb's success last season was McNabb's. The idea that the Shanahans are going to look at a guy who could help them be successful in DC and say 'hey, let's undermine the **** out of the guy, sabotage him, and make sure he fails' is just plain ridiculous. I'd take Orton or a number of other guys (including Grossman) over the current version of McNabb all day long.
 
Here is a new link (click to page 2) with some ideas about what will happen in FA with teams in the NFCE.

http://withthefirstpick.com/2011/07/19/draft-lab-welcome-nfc-east-free-agency/

Here is the Redskins comments.

Washington Redskins

(QB, RT, OG, OC, 3-4 DE, NT, ILB, CB, WR, RB)

Outlook: I am going to SHOCK you: Bright Future. This team is terrible right now. Terrible. Terrible. Their list of needs outstretches their list of non-needs, and their starting QB is John Beck. However, they were listed by John Clayton (http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/columns/story?columnist=clayton_john&id=6699864) to benefit greatly from the new cap structure. While they only have $10m in cap room, they only have a $75m payroll, which ranks them third lowest in the league after the Bucs and Eagles. This means they can throw out ridiculous up-front bonus money at free agents, which are guaranteed and free agents love. This is how Dan Snyder always lands free agents ad stays under the cap; his abyssal pockets will be open again in two weeks, but this time there aren’t many washed-up or bad-attitude free agents for him to screw up on. They have finally started to add youth and stockpile picks, and I honestly (Honestly) think this team will be a perennial playoff team in the next couple of years.


My guess: They will go after CB Nnamdi Asomugha like Jack Bauer went after former president Logan in the final season of 24. With full body armor and a full arsenal of weapons to choose from, the Redskins won’t go down easy. I believe that Nnamdi will be a Redskin, Texan, or Lion at the end of July (in that order). CB Johnathon Joseph will be next in line if their armor-shredding shotguns can’t break into Nnamdi’s limousine. The Redskins have the cash to go after at least two other big names. Look for them to be in the trenches. OG Marshal Yanda will be attractive because I don’t think he will demand as much money as OG Davin Joseph and I think he’s the better player and his versatility is pretty amazing. NT Aubrayo Franklin has to be high on the list, as every 3-4 needs a run-crushing NT. 3-4 DE Cullen Jenkins will be in Burgundy and Gold (from the area). Otherwise, look for the Redskins to resign WR Santana Moss quickly and to find bargain FAs (CB Josh Wilson?) like they quietly did very well last year. (Note: word came out after this was written about Santonio Holmes. I think the Jets keep him though. Otherwise, my list is right on the money.)
 
Last edited:
Burgundy Burner said:
This is how Dan Snyder always lands free agents ad stays under the cap; his abyssal pockets will be open again in two weeks, but this time there aren’t many washed-up or bad-attitude free agents for him to screw up on. They have finally started to add youth and stockpile picks, and I honestly (Honestly) think this team will be a perennial playoff team in the next couple of years.


My guess: They will go after CB Nnamdi Asomugha CB Johnathon Joseph OG Marshal Yanda OG Davin Joseph NT Aubrayo Franklin 3-4 DE Cullen Jenkins WR Santana Moss quickly and to find bargain FAs (CB Josh Wilson?) like they quietly did very well last year. (
Click to expand...

I hate it when the media feels the need to drag Snyder's name into every FA move we may or may not make. Regardless of the past, I believe that Snyder is out of the player personnel decisions. He knows what is going on and rightfully so, but he does not decide who fits with this team anymore. That job goes to Allen and the coaches. Snyder just opens the wallet and says, 'have at it.'

Now, how many CB's does this journalist think we need? Asomugha, Joseph, and Wilson. I can see Wilson here. Asomugha wants to play for a winner, we are not that. Also, I do not know how he would feel playing in our scheme. Not saying that he can't, I just think he has the man on man mentality. Also, I could see him going to the Lions if the price is right. They need DB help bad and he would be a perfect addition.

I can see Jonathan Joseph here, except I read recently that the Bengals are going to do everything they can to re-sign him. If he does not re-sign, then he would be a welcome addition.

I have read recently that Yanda is a top priority for the Ravens. Why would he want to leave? If they make him a nice offer, he should stay. They have a solid team. I don't get the fascination of Davin Joseph. He had a hard time in the Bucs ZBS. They are going to more of a power scheme this year and they have said they want him back. It makes sense for them to keep him, if he is willing. I don't want to see someone come here that is a poor fit.

I wouldn't mind seeing Cullen Jenkins here for the right contract. Nothing to big, just reasonable. Someone to help our youngsters along. Say no to Franklin. This guy is going to get paid and then dissapoint.

Bring back Santana!!!


MikeSr619 said:
and we have mcnabb under contract is another point I made. going after a vet would probably cost us more than he does already.
Click to expand...

McNabb will get a $10 mil bonus if he is on the roster in week 1. Plus he is going to get his yearly salary. On top of that you will have to take on the additional years in his contract. If we do this, he is here for a few years. I do not think we want that. It will be cheaper to grab another QB.
 
Burgundy Burner said:
While they only have $10m in cap room, they only have a $75m payroll, which ranks them third lowest in the league after the Bucs and Eagles.
Click to expand...

Alright, as usual I've heard 3 different numbers for the Redskins cap situation. Can anyone clarify? I've heard $45M, $26M, and now $10M. WTF?
 
Makes you wonder if Franklin is back in the conversation now.
Posted via BGO Mobile Device
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Users Who Are Viewing This Thread (Total: 1, Members: 0, Guests: 1)

Help Users

You haven't joined any rooms.

    You haven't joined any rooms.
    Top