matty dread Posted August 3, 2005 Share Posted August 3, 2005 Redskins have open slots on defense By Joe Crisp Special to The Daily Progress Wednesday, August 3, 2005 http://www.dailyprogress.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=Common%2FMGArticle%2FPrintVersion&c=MGArticle&cid=1031784219229ℑ=80x60cdp.gif&oasDN=dailyprogress.com&oasPN=%21sports Ashburn - The hottest topic of any training camp is always the battle for roster spots, and Redskins assistant head coach-defense Gregg Williams discussed the subject at length during a Tuesday afternoon press conference at Redskins Park. While there is little doubt about the starting lineup on the offensive side of the ball, there are at least two starting spots that are up for grabs on defense - middle linebacker and safety - and just how the depth charts at those positions will shake out over the course of the preseason is open to much debate. Given the number of linebackers (13) and safeties (6) currently on the roster, the coaches certainly have their work cut out for them as they evaluate how each player’s abilities fit with this team. Williams has emphasized the importance of those player’s special teams ability in determining who stays and who goes. The intense depth chart battles at the middle linebacker and safety positions - spots where there are no certain locks for starting roles (outside of Sean Taylor’s presumed re-ascension as starting free safety following his long offseason absence) - progressed into their second day Tuesday, with newcomers Pierson Prioleau (free agent, Buffalo), Omar Stoutmire (free agent, N.Y. Giants) and Tony Dixon (free agent, Dallas) jockeying against returning veterans Matt Bowen, Ryan Clark and Taylor. Prioleau appears to have at least a temporary grip on the starting slot opposite Bowen, pending Taylor’s re-acclimation to the defense. Stoutmire, Clark and Dixon have rotated behind Prioleau and Bowen throughout the first two days of camp, while Taylor saw more reps alongside Bowen during Tuesday afternoon’s practice session. Williams praised Prioleau’s versatility as both a safety and a special teams player. “I have a real good feel about him, and know what type of packages [he can play in], and know where he can shine, and it was easy to compare and see where we needed to improve in a few blitz packages and especially in special teams. He’s a really good special teams player. He was a special teams captain [in Buffalo],” Williams said. Prioleau’s prior experience with the coaching staff (Williams, who was the head coach, special teams coach Danny Smith and safeties coach Steve Jackson all coached him in Buffalo) gives him a bit of an edge on the other safeties. However, Williams was quick to point out that the Redskins’ other new safeties, Dixon and Stoutmire, were also excellent special teams players on their former teams. Both were also starters at points in their career, so that enhances the competition at safety, and their presence should elevate the level of play from that position, while enhancing special teams as well. Prioleau expressed a mutual admiration of Williams and his other former coaches at Buffalo, but stated that Williams won’t give him any preferential treatment. “I like Gregg, because I can understand him. He’s a fierce guy, he’s a motivator and a big-time competitor, and that’s what makes him special as a coach,” Prioleau said. “I’m glad to have played with him in Buffalo, and I’m glad to be back with him. But I know that I have to push myself, because he plays the guys that perform, he plays the guy that’s playing well, so there’s no given spots out here.” Williams emphasized that there really are no clear-cut starters on his defense - at least in terms of how starters are traditionally defined - pointing out that there are 19 total personnel packages in his defensive scheme, each of which is designed to cater to the unique abilities of the various players in the lineup. “If we have 25 guys on defense, those 25 guys on the active roster are all starters, because we’re going to have packages that highlight all of them,” Williams said. Williams’s dynamic scheme emphasizes and exploits the versatility of its component players, shifting the responsibilities and positioning of those players as far as their abilities will allow. That versatility is a particularly important quality for the player at the middle linebacker position, who not only is relied upon to position the players around him, but also must shift gears between being a key run-stopper in the middle, to moving outside and covering backs and receivers on pass patterns. Linebacker Lemar Marshall, who filled in admirably for injured outside linebacker LaVar Arrington last season, and is being called upon to fill the middle linebacker role left vacant by Antonio Pierce’s free agency departure. He brings the kind of athleticism, intelligence and versatility that Williams is looking for. Marshall has been running with the first-team linebackers, between outside LBs Marcus Washington and Warrick Holdman. Note. Defensive tackle Cornelius Griffin did not participate in Tuesday’s practice, due to injury. Coach Joe Gibbs says Griffin has a sprained shoulder, but it is not a serious injury, and Griffin was held out more as a precautionary measure than anything else. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coolskin Posted August 3, 2005 Share Posted August 3, 2005 So has Bowen somehow been anointed the starting position already? I thought he was just another re-hab guy seeing if he could keep up while wearing a knee brace. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VaBeachSkinzFan Posted August 3, 2005 Share Posted August 3, 2005 So Holdman is playing outside linebacker? I thought he was more a MLB. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BRAVEONAWARPATH Posted August 3, 2005 Share Posted August 3, 2005 Originally posted by VaBeachSkinzFan So Holdman is playing outside linebacker? I thought he was more a MLB. No...he has been an outside LB. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ntotoro Posted August 3, 2005 Share Posted August 3, 2005 Originally posted by coolskin So has Bowen somehow been anointed the starting position already? I thought he was just another re-hab guy seeing if he could keep up while wearing a knee brace. It was a given that Bowen would be the incumbent starting SS. His injury was early enough in the season that he had pretty well rehabbed it and the blitz package was definitely missing something without him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mookie0720 Posted August 3, 2005 Share Posted August 3, 2005 Why would they even say the other safety spot is open? That's so misleading. It's open for about 2 weeks until Taylor's punishment-for-not-coming-to-workouts-and-getting-in-trouble period is over. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mookie0720 Posted August 3, 2005 Share Posted August 3, 2005 They should've focused this on the MLB job and the #3 WR job. The FS job is in no way shape or form open. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ntotoro Posted August 3, 2005 Share Posted August 3, 2005 Originally posted by mookie0720 Why would they even say the other safety spot is open? That's so misleading. It's open for about 2 weeks until Taylor's punishment-for-not-coming-to-workouts-and-getting-in-trouble period is over. Taylor knows the drill and will just have to suck it up. The same thing happened to him last year. He'll eventually be the starter, but they're gonna' make him remember who is the Father and who is the Son first. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kappaluvacee Posted August 3, 2005 Share Posted August 3, 2005 Originally posted by ntotoro Taylor knows the drill and will just have to suck it up. The same thing happened to him last year. He'll eventually be the starter, but they're gonna' make him remember who is the Father and who is the Son first. Completely true. It's like disciplining a guard dog for letting a stranger in the yard. When that dog gets the opportunity to monitor the yard again, it doesn't let anything close! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KingTaylor22 Posted August 3, 2005 Share Posted August 3, 2005 that FS job is TAylors and Taylors only. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coolskin Posted August 3, 2005 Share Posted August 3, 2005 Last year, Taylor did not start because he was out of shape and did not know the plays. I would think that after starting 14 games that he knows enough of the plays. He is also probably in better shape than he was at this time last year. Should be no problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheLongshot Posted August 3, 2005 Share Posted August 3, 2005 Yeah, that article was a little misleading. The starting spots are going to go to Bowen and Taylor, unless something happens to them. It was interesting to read about the battle behind them tho. They should've focused this on the MLB job and the #3 WR job. To be honest, we have heard plenty about that, and we probably won't get good info until we start seeing some preseason games. Jason Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matty dread Posted August 3, 2005 Author Share Posted August 3, 2005 I don't think anyone is saying Taylor isn't going to start, the focus is on who's going to start across from him. The intense depth chart battles at the middle linebacker and safety positions - spots where there are no certain locks for starting roles (outside of Sean Taylor’s presumed re-ascension as starting free safety following his long offseason absence) - progressed into their second day Tuesday, with newcomers Pierson Prioleau (free agent, Buffalo), Omar Stoutmire (free agent, N.Y. Giants) and Tony Dixon (free agent, Dallas) jockeying against returning veterans Matt Bowen, Ryan Clark and Taylor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheLongshot Posted August 3, 2005 Share Posted August 3, 2005 Except then he says this: Prioleau appears to have at least a temporary grip on the starting slot opposite Bowen, pending Taylor’s re-acclimation to the defense. Then proceeds to talk about Prioleau, but implys that he will lose it once Taylor takes the spot back. Jason Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Truant Posted August 3, 2005 Share Posted August 3, 2005 Taylor was back working with the first team today. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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