Stunning Lack of Young Talent

Among the mot distressing aspects of how this team has been put together is the incredible reliance on older veterans - even for backup and special teams play. Here's a list of players on the 53 man roster aged 25 or younger:

Sean Taylor - 23

Carlos Rogers - 25

Jason Campbell - 25 (next week)

Rocky MacIntosh - 24

Kedric Golston - 23

Anthony Montgomery - 22

Ryan Boschetti - 25

Reed Doughty - 24

Nemo Broughton - 24

Jim Molinaro - 25

Brandon Lloyd - 25

Mike Espy - 24

Chris Cooley - 24

That's 13. Obviously there are 7 important players there, but where are the young guys with big upsides among the other six? At our positions of greatest need - CB, LB, DE - we don't have a single guy that is young and could turn into a big time player beyond the occasional special teams play (not including people already starting - I'm including Rocky will be the starter)? I think this is the real problem of not having a gm and trying to win now.

The Bears have 21

The Chargers have 27

The Patriots have 24

The Ravens have 26

The Colts have 28

The Eagles have 24

Do you see a pattern here? We have to upgrade our young talent and without good draft picks we can expect this trend to continue. A bad sign.

Sure, thats what happens when you trade away all your picks. Unfortunately, we won't do much to fix the problem this year as we have less picks than fingers on my right hand. Maybe next year? (If we don't trade them away)

How old is Demetric Evans? Doesn't he qualify as a up and coming young DE?

From what I've seen from him I've been impressed.

Derrick Dockery isnt that old neither is Rabach, betts,

This team is just going to keep getting older and older. Gibbs doesn't have the ability to recognize the benefits of developing young talent.

3 of our 5 starting O linemen are getting up there in age. Every other starter on offense will be hitting their prime over the next few years. I think this argument holds a little bit of water as far as the defense is concerned...but I'm not losing any sleep over it.

3 of our 5 starting O linemen are getting up there in age. Every other starter on offense will be hitting their prime over the next few years. I think this argument holds a little bit of water as far as the defense is concerned...but I'm not losing any sleep over it.

Nor am I really, since most of the oldest players on the team are on their way out, or are easily replaceable.

Fact is, how many of those young guys on other teams are going to be anything more than special teams fodder? More than likely, they will see another team before they get a chance with their current team. (NE may be an exception.) A lot of these young guys either bounce around or fade away.

Jason

Interesting post, but maybe a little misleading. Portis and Dock both just turned 26 this fall. Betts, Randle El and Moss all turned 27 this past Summer.

The Redskins don't have a lot of players under 25 for obvious reasons, but do the following players count as being young and talented?:

Moss 27

Portis 26

Betts 27

Lloyd 25

Cooley 25

Campbell 25

Taylor 23

Rogers 25

Dock 27

Golston 23

Rocky 24

Randle El 27

That is a lot of young talent IMO, including ALL of the skill positions on offense, including an extra receiver and back.

The Skins do need to hold on to their picks these next few years, but it's not like they don't have any young talent.

The Bears starters at the skill positions:

Grossman 26

T. Jones 28 (Benson 23)

Berrian 25

Muhamed 33

D Clark 29

Don't look now, but the Bears are older than the Skins at the key positions of offense. Their oline is older than the Skins' too BTW, but older olines are often the best in the league so I don't see an issue there.

The Skins are oldest on the Dline, but the drafted 2 DTs last year, and I expect them to continue to address the lines in this year's draft.

A couple more...

Baltimore:

McNair 33

Lewis 26

Clayton 23

Mason 32

Heap 26

Oline is similar to Skins'.

Chargers:

Rivers 25

LT 27

McCardell 36

Parker 27

Gates 26

Their oline is young and quite good.

On another thread, someone posted the average age of our roster. We have the second oldest in the NFL.

Since injuries accumulate with age, we can expect more than our share of those. And, since we have several players overpaid and sucking up cap space, the result is a thin roster which can't afford injuries.

In 2005, our MVP, Santana Moss, played healthy for the entire year. We were lucky since he has a history of hammy pulls.

Springs and Griffin had an injury history before they came here. So did Archuleta (14 injuries in five years including five concussions).

Routinely trading up the the draft, giving up too much in trades and spending heavily in free agency...not very smart.

Portis, Betts and Moss are all mid 20's - add them to the group of guys who are under 25 and we are in good shape on O. The line are starting to get up there apart from Dock but they are all in their prime as far as lineman go.

D is more of a concern - we have Taylor and Rodgers to build the secondary around but the front 7 needs and injection of both youth and talent.

Sure, thats what happens when you trade away all your picks. Unfortunately, we won't do much to fix the problem this year as we have less picks than fingers on my right hand. Maybe next year? (If we don't trade them away)

You said it. :applause:

The Redskins have always been an old team, going back to the 70s. They've always traded away draft picks. There is nothing new here. So don't panic. It didn't stop us from winning Super Bowls in the past.

At least we have a good young quarterback (I think he's going to be good, anyway) and running back (Portis, not Betts, who isn't super young in running back years). Plus Moss is only 27, and WRs can play well into their mid 30s now.

Actually, especially at the offensive skill positions, we're pretty young. But, the problem that this thread points out is that without many young players on the roster, you're paying them veteran salaries. The young guys mentioned at the offensive skill positions for the Skins all have enormous salaries.

Teams like Philly have a lot of young, first contract players that give you a lot of financial freedom.

I am glad that it looks like Doughty is a good special teamer and that Golston looks like he will contribute - so at least a few of our late draft picks may stick around next year.

Do you see a pattern here? We have to upgrade our young talent and without good draft picks we can expect this trend to continue. A bad sign.

If you're stunned, then you haven't been paying attention. The age of the team and the total lack of depth is a direct result of their love affair with big name free agents and total disdain for the draft. Those young Bears and Chargers will be playing for a year or two after all the Redskins are gone.

The bill for Snyderism is coming due. It ain't pretty.

Hey, is this a knock against old age?

Seriously, I'd rather have a proven player who can play right away, than gamble on a rookie...

Especially since we can afford it and have an owner willing to spend the money.

How's Arizona doing through the draft? Detroit? Minnesota? Cleveland? Miami? Buffalo? Green Bay?

Stop me at any point....

If you're stunned, then you haven't been paying attention. The age of the team and the total lack of depth is a direct result of their love affair with big name free agents and total disdain for the draft. Those young Bears and Chargers will be playing for a year or two after all the Redskins are gone.

The bill for Snyderism is coming due. It ain't pretty.

Classic 'grass is greener' syndrome.

There are plenty of young teams that suck...and in two years will continue to suck.

Snyder and Vinny are locked into this free agent losing proposition, mainly because they can't recognize young potential talent(either can I but I am smart enough to know that if I can't do something I hire someone who can like a GM a real football guy) so they flat out dismiss the draft and go after washed up has beens on the free agent market.

Seriously, I'd rather have a proven player who can play right away, than gamble on a rookie...

You mean like AA and Duckett?

Classic 'grass is greener' syndrome.

There are plenty of young teams that suck...and in two years will continue to suck.

I'd argue that a young team has a much better chance of turning it around than an old team. History is on my side with this one. Would you rather have the Chargers roster right now -- largely built through the draft, with some disastrous mistakes along the way -- or the Skins roster -- largely built through free agency, with some disastrous mistakes along the way? I'll take the younger team...

I'd argue that a young team has a much better chance of turning it around than an old team. History is on my side with this one. Would you rather have the Chargers roster right now -- largely built through the draft, with some disastrous mistakes along the way -- or the Skins roster -- largely built through free agency, with some disastrous mistakes along the way? I'll take the younger team...

You just completely danced around the other posters point. Many teams that build solely through the draft are horrible failures who never turn it around. The Chargers have improved vastly with AJ Smith at the helm. The list of teams who have completely set themselves back by drafting poorly is long and, much like failing in free agency, screwing up a draft sets you back terribly if it is your defining team-building philosophy. What we need to find is a good GM and let that GM follow their philosophy, so long as it is proven to work. I could personally care less about how we build the team, they just need to make a winner one of these days.

You just completely danced around the other posters point.

I don't dance.

Derrick Dockery isnt that old neither is Rabach, betts,

Dockery is 27 - and Rabach is turning 30

I'd argue that a young team has a much better chance of turning it around than an old team. History is on my side with this one. Would you rather have the Chargers roster right now -- largely built through the draft, with some disastrous mistakes along the way -- or the Skins roster -- largely built through free agency, with some disastrous mistakes along the way? I'll take the younger team...

The chargers made two AWSOME trades and set themselves up for years because of it.

Both involved Quarterbacks (Michael Vick and Eli Manning). Netted them Tomlinson, Brees, Rivers, Keading, Merriman, and a few role players.

That is how to BUILD.