so…what are the priorities this off-season? (back here yet again!)

[Win4us]

New o-line coach and actual quality picks spent there would be a good start. My goodness this HAS to be the offseason we address the lines.

 

[Nobody]

also we need a punter

and a kicker, or a kickoff specialist.

and a kick returner

But wait a minute, that can't be right. Everyone said our ST didn't suck, it was all Danny Smith's fault.

 

[Fear The Spear]

10) waste a roster spot on a kicker who can…like just about every other one in the NFL….kick the ball deep into the end zone.
.

#10 won't happen. We finally have a kicker who can hit 40+ FGs with some regularity. Kai ain't going anywhere.

Nah, what he's actually sayin is to keep Kai, but sign a 2nd kicker just for kickoffs.

 

[fansince62]

Nah, what he's actually sayin is to keep Kai, but sign a 2nd kicker just for kickoffs.

yup!……."what Gus is saying is that…."

 

[Ax]

We'll have to do our homework for the draft, picking 32nd in each round, and all.

 

[Bulldog]

Before we make any external moves we need to be real about the current roster.

Davis needs to go. Morgan needs to go. Wilson needs to go. Meriweather needs to go. These are pending free agents whose subtraction will only add more cap space.

We need to be firm with Orakpo. If he wants to come back on a reasonable deal fine. But he has not shown himself to be a Ware type of player and I would not pay a premium to keep him.

We need interior help on the OL and while the draft can help feed the pipeline, without a first round pick we need to look to FA.

I don't think any of the current three starters is a keeper at this stage of their careers. These guys may be solid backups but they have not been frontline starters.

We need to acquire a No. 1 cornerback. Preferably a guy like Garçon who came here at age 26 and will spend his prime with us.

Amerson is in the mix, but I would also look for a cheaper vet to be the third corner.

Hall could transition to safety but after a solid season at CB will probably get some offers to continue at that spot.

I would not be adverse to keeping Hall as the No. 2 corner if that means landing an impact safety.

 

[LoyalSkinsFan]

Took me since Thursday night to finally gather up the energy to read anything Redskin related. I took that loss hard...more so because it just seemed so unnecessary.

Here's my 2 cents....

Offense:

Start with the line. End with the line. Cap room will help a lot more than people realize and even though we don't have any picks in the 1st round, decent linemen can be found in the 2nd and 3rd. Concentrate on that. If Griffin get's more time consistently, receivers will be more open- more often. I feel like we go an entire game hearing only 3 receivers' names being called...and we have a lot more than that on the roster. Frankly, I've been surprised at how little Morgan has done this season. I thought he looked great in the preseason but since then he's just plain disappeared. In the end, we need to clean out a couple of them (Robinson, Moss, Morgan and Davis) and get some more in - guys that can run clean routes and get some separation. But overall, other than on the line, I think we have the nucleus of a decent group.

With a fully healthy Griffin getting an entire off season to prepare and a few changes in personnel, I'd be willing to say that we'll see a big difference in performance overall on offense.....Kyle Shanahan be damned. Let's not kid ourselves, Kyle will be here next year and, frankly, I'm okay with that. Sure, his play calling gets suspect at times, but overall we're putting points up on the board. It's inconsistent as hell, but it's happening.

Defense:

Contrary to a lot of posters on BGO, I feel like we have some playmakers and some otherwise solid players on the defensive side of the ball. I've been really happy with Amerson and D. Hall this year.....and see some potential in Rambo (maybe). Merriweather is a decent enough player when he's not being a complete numbskull, and frankly I've seen worse than Josh Wilson out there in the past. I do believe that it's finally time for Fletcher to step aside...and another LB or two out there would be a nice addition. Though I like our defensive line players on the whole, they don't consistently get a lot of pressure going....and that makes it much harder on the defensive backs....puts them under the microscope. At times I've wondered to myself if we're better suited to the 4-3...but it's just tough to tell. I like Kerrigan more than almost any other player on the team....and even Orakpo can bring it at times. I just feel like they're being misused terribly. It's always good to improve your players.....and I think another interior lineman or 3 on the defensive side will boost the unit as a whole.

If there's one area I think a change should be made in more than any other...it's on the defensive coaching staff. As I've expressed above, I feel like our players are better than they're showing. There's some real quality there and if they were put in the right situations I really feel that they'd shine. My problem on the defensive side of the ball is scheme, scheme, scheme. There's always room for better players....but I believe our main issue here is scheme. Haslett has to go. A 4-3 base also may be the answer, but I'm not totally sure. Seems to me that if Orakpo and Kerrigan are allowed to tee off more and not have to be dropping into coverage - something they're not really suited for - we'll get a lot more mileage from them. Don't rely on secondary or LB blitzes for pressure, let the ends explode and the interior lineman collapse. Let them play to their strengths. Stop this square peg/round hole mentality.......dump Haslett.

Special Teams:

Kai should stick around.....but grab a kickoff specialist. Don't rely on short kickoffs to keep the ball out of a playmaker's hands. Kick it out of the back of the end zone.

I actually love Sav Rocca...but I think he's getting up in age now. Punters - good punters - are to me one of the hardest to find. Bring him back if we must, but get looking hard for a new guy.

Get a playmaker for returns. Josh Morgan is not the guy. I hated Brandon Banks on punts, but at least I felt like he could go at any moment on kickoffs. Haven't had that feeling in a long time. Get a speed guy back there....

Well...there you go. My thoughts. A run of 7 straight wins would be great.......but I'm not sure if lightening will strike twice in two years.

Onward and upward!

I'll love em no matter what. I just may go thru more bourbon than originally planned....

 

[Lanky Livingston]

Great post, LSF. I agree for the most part; I think our D is solid enough to win with, and that barring a few pieces here and there, should mostly return. BJ Raji is going to be a free agent; I doubt he'd leave Green Bay, but he could be a solid addition to the DLine.

 

[Chris]

Isn't our defense on pace to give up a team record amount of points?

We absolutely have a chance to set that futility record for the NFL in a 16 game season. The current "record holder" is the 1981 Baltimore Colts who allowed 553 points or 33.31 ppg.

The current Redskins team is giving up an average of 31.88 ppg.

 

[Lanky Livingston]

Isn't our defense on pace to give up a team record amount of points?

I am legally obligated to not answer this question.

I think in general, offenses have the advantage moreso every year. What with defenseless receiver rules, no contact after 5 yards, etc. - offenses are scoring more and more as a rule. You see this elsewhere also - Drew and the Saints just set an NFL record for first-downs in a game. Tony Romo broke a Cowboys' offensive record this year. I'm sure there are others, I just haven't followed as closely. The Redskins scored on their first 5 possessions against the Vikings, something they haven't done since like 1985 or something (I forget what the year was).

 

[Chris]

I am legally obligated to not answer this question.

I think in general, offenses have the advantage moreso every year. What with defenseless receiver rules, no contact after 5 yards, etc. - offenses are scoring more and more as a rule. You see this elsewhere also - Drew and the Saints just set an NFL record for first-downs in a game. Tony Romo broke a Cowboys' offensive record this year. I'm sure there are others, I just haven't followed as closely. The Redskins scored on their first 5 possessions against the Vikings, something they haven't done since like 1985 or something (I forget what the year was).

Point #1- Understood.

Point #2- Rule changes have indeed made a difference. That said, we have still given up more points than every team in the league outside of Jacksonville.

 

[tshile]

Isn't our defense on pace to give up a team record amount of points?

We absolutely have a chance to set that futility record for the NFL in a 16 game season. The current "record holder" is the 1981 Baltimore Colts who allowed 553 points or 33.31 ppg.

The current Redskins team is giving up an average of 31.88 ppg.

The cowboys fans would like a word with you

 

[Lanky Livingston]

Point #1- Understood.

Point #2- Rule changes have indeed made a difference. That said, we have still given up more points than every team in the league outside of Jacksonville.

I agree, our D is giving up a lot of points. However, saying we'll give up the most in franchise history needs context, what with the new rules in place. For example, the 3-13 Norval Skins of 1994 & 6-10 Skins of 1998 were both 28th in the league with 25 & 26ppg given up. I don't think anyone would trade those Ds for this current D (with the exception of a Darrell for Josh Wilson swap ). Chris Dishman was our second CB, for crying out loud! BLECH!

 

[Lanky Livingston]

To keep things in perspective, the 0-8 Buccaneers have the 10th best scoring defense (190 points given up, ~24ppg).

 

[Chris]

The cowboys fans would like a word with you

God, as much as I despise everything Cowboys…..

Their hot mess of a defense has still given up 29 less points than ours while playing in one more game.

 

[Chris]

To keep things in perspective, the 0-8 Buccaneers have the 10th best scoring defense (190 points given up, ~24ppg).

While scoring 124 on offense.

I get your point on the historical performance. That doesn't change the comparative performance/lack of performance our defense is currently posting.

 

[tshile]

God, as much as I despise everything Cowboys…..

Their hot mess of a defense has still given up 29 less points than ours while playing in one more game.

Yeah but they've given up 1000 more yards

I'm not entirely sure our defense is the worst in the league this year, but it just depends on which stats mean more to different people.

 

[Chris]

Yeah but they've given up 1000 more yards

I'm not entirely sure our defense is the worst in the league this year, but it just depends on which stats mean more to different people.

Well, for me, until wins and losses are determined by yards…

 

[Lanky Livingston]

While scoring 124 on offense.

Exactly...if we get a couple pieces on D (ILB, NT, S), I think we could instantly jump into the top 20 points defenses, which is plenty with our current offense. My only point bringing up Tampa is that a strong D doesn't work if you can't score points; we can score points, and conversely in my opinion don't need as strong of a D.

 

[Chris]

Exactly...if we get a couple pieces on D (ILB, NT, S), I think we could instantly jump into the top 20 points defenses, which is plenty with our current offense. My only point bringing up Tampa is that a strong D doesn't work if you can't score points; we can score points, and conversely in my opinion don't need as strong of a D.

I think we agree actually. As hard as it is at times to watch that o-line, with an improved defense we are a playoff team. As flawed as it is, our offense is good enough. Focus needs to be on the defensive side first, offensive line second.