London Fletcher and Nate Clements...coming our way.

[jivelikenice]

I'm not sure about Fletcher and here are my thoughts as to why:

1. He's a tackling machine but I haven't seen enough of him to know whether or not those tackle are coming near the line of scrimmage of 5 yards downfield

2. He's a playmaker who recovered 5 fumbles and had 4 int's last year. Considering our defenses record setting performance in lack of takeaways, it would be a welcome addition.

3. His age; 2 years ago this would have been great but is he on the decline, or do the Bills just want to start young??

The advantage with Fletcher is that he most likely won't demand a ridiculous contract. Clements on the other hand would and I would prefer the Skins to use that $ to keep all of their players, sign a Smoot or Hood (or both), and build some depth on the lines.

[MartinC]

The Redskins are expected to target Buffalo Bills linebacker London Fletcher and cornerback Nate Clements in free agency next month, according to multiple league sources who have spoken with team officials. . .

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/02/13/AR2007021301286.html

Unless we also get a significant upgrade on the D Line this will be money wasted.

Does not matter who plays MLB if he is fighting off a guard and/or centre every running down and if you can not get pressure on the QB with your down 4 it makes even the nest DBs look ordinary.

The quickest way for us to get better on defense is to pick up a DT and DE via FA and the draft.

Also Clements will be too expensive - don't see how we are going to fit him under our cap and there are other teams out there who have a ton more cap space who should be able to outbid us.

[Hauss]

This pair would be a disaster. Clements wants too much and Sam Huff would be better than Fletcher.

[Riggins Seventy Chip]

So here we are ready to overpay for Fletcher and Clements, when keeping Pierce and Smoot two years ago would have been much cheaper and we would've had a much more complete defense. One step forward, two steps back. Can't wait to see what Clements bonus is.

[elkabong82]

I wouldn't mind Fletcher, cheap also, because whomever will take that spot in a few years (McIntosh or draft pick or whatever) will have a great mentor. Fletcher is a good short-term solution because he is physical, can help stop the run, he's familiar w/ the system, and doesn't have a history of injuries. Clements I wouldn't mind seeing become a Skin, but I know his deal is going to be big. If the Skins can clear up enough cap space and use their cap voodoo so Clements contract is more cap friendly, then I wouldn't mind both at all.

[Joe Sick]

Forget Clements or Samuel. Sign Smoot and another midrange corner...

Resign Lavar and put him at MLB. He will probably be so slowed from his injury that he won't be able to get out of position in the middle!

[indaslums]

let's for once think about team chemistry before we sign every FA out there. These two seem like classacts but I don't want a revolving door anymore.

[ddub52]

Clements already said he wants to be the highest paid CB in the league... which means more than Champ

[redman]

If we grab those two guys our defense is immediately upgraded and allows us to draft the best available D-lineman. What's not to like about that scenario?

[Hiro]

Unless we also get a significant upgrade on the D Line this will be money wasted.

Does not matter who plays MLB if he is fighting off a guard and/or centre every running down and if you can not get pressure on the QB with your down 4 it makes even the nest DBs look ordinary.

The quickest way for us to get better on defense is to pick up a DT and DE via FA and the draft.

Also Clements will be too expensive - don't see how we are going to fit him under our cap and there are other teams out there who have a ton more cap space who should be able to outbid us.

Thank you! Those two may be on our radar, but upgrading our defensive line should be our top priority! To me, a best case scenario would be if we signed Justin Smith, drafted Alan Branch, then went on from there. If you have a big body DT to occupy the linemen, the linebackers were look ten times better (IE Ray Lewis and Adalius Thomas looking like ALL STARS with Haloti Ngata).

[RWJ]

I'd rather have Clements and Kelsay.

[Koolblue13]

one of the reasons our D looked so bad last year,i think,is because nobody knew the plays well enough to be a leader on the field.Fletcher should fix that.solid vet that'll come cheaper then his production who knows the system and anchor the middle of the field.I have faith we will focus on the line since it's such a glaring need.

Clements will be the top paid CB for a reason.hes the best avalible this year.champs next contract will put him back on top.Nate is great in coverage and the best corner against the run.put him on the field and it gets a lot smaller for everybody,WR and RB.

if he gets a huge contract anywhere,i don't think i would call it overpayin so hopefully we can be the ones.

do either of those two have any ties to the skins other then GW?

[#1njskinsfan]

Clements will require at least a 20mm bonus.

god no!

and fletcher is to old!

[dachozenone]

Clements already said he wants to be the highest paid CB in the league... which means more than Champ

Man I hope we dont sign Clements. You figure Champ got 18 mil to sign 3 years ago and with the salary cap and inflation some team may give him a 20 mil SB and I hope it is not us

[cphil006]

Fletcher might be a year too old and a step too slow now. 5 years ago it would have been golden for us.

Clements wants us to break the bank. Danny would have in seasons past, but maybe not this time around. There are other CBs.

[armada58]

London Fletcher would be awful. He was a total shadow of his former self last year and his best days are well behind him. Fletcher would be a bad move. I know we need MLB help, but this is NOT the answer. Fletcher would actually be a downgrade from Marshall.

Clements................... too expensive and overrated. He's a good player but he is not worth what he is going to get on the market this year.

[zoony]

How about some info on both? Anyone have scouting reports / age / history on both?

Thanks in advance.

...

[Santana_Fan]

I'm up for this, I hope we get both of them.

[Santana_Fan]

London Fletcher would be awful. He was a total shadow of his former self last year and his best days are well behind him. Fletcher would be a bad move. I know we need MLB help, but this is NOT the answer. Fletcher would actually be a downgrade from Marshall.

How is this? Fletcher had 146 tackles, 2 sacks and 4 ints. More int's than any player on our team last year.

[Brandon Lloyd Christmas]

those two will help our defense tremendously.

DE carter

DT (draft, FA)

DT griffin

DE (draft, FA)

OLB rocky

MLB fletcher

OLB washington

CB clements

CB rogers

FS taylor

SS prieleau/springs

im definitely ok with that, especially if we get a huge run stuffing DT in the draft, or an all around DE and terdell sands. although if we do sign those two, it might make more sense to trade the 6th pick for two picks, and pick up a DT and a DE.

[Brandon Lloyd Christmas]

you guys saying that fletcher is old, you are right. and hes no more than a 2 year player. but we need to bring him in. hes a tackling machine which is what we need from our LB corps. plus now if we have a solid MLB to rely on for a year or so, we can draft a MLB in next years draft. these signings will be a good thing

[Sociofan]

Fantasy Football still lives in Washington.

Besides Detroit is going hard after Fletcher and according to CBS Sportsline, he's looking for a 3-4 year deal with an $8-12M bonus. That's way too much for a 32 year old MLB. AND he's "small" according to standards for a MLB. 5-10/245. He's no reason to break the bank.

As for Clements...three words....TOO MUCH MONEY. Dre Bly and Asante Samuel are both going to be available, and their numbers are not much different than Clements. In fact, if we want an INT-machine...look to Samuel. Any player who announces that he wants to be the highest paid player at his position does not speak much character. Tell me you want to play for a winner or get to the Big Game and let your agent take care of the dollars. I'm not sure winning is Clements' priority.

[phatboy41]

I think Nate Clements would make huge contributions to this team. I think he has proved he is worth a great deal of money throughout his career and I'm sure he would fill a huge hole in our secondary. London Fletcher would also fill a big hole in our defense at MLB. I am just interested to see what would happen with Lemar and Shawn Springs if we made both of these moves.

[shagman]

Fantasy Football still lives in Washington.

As for Clements...three words....TOO MUCH MONEY. Dre Bly and Asante Samuel are both going to be available, and their numbers are not much different than Clements. In fact, if we want an INT-machine...look to Samuel. Any player who announces that he wants to be the highest paid player at his position does not speak much character. Tell me you want to play for a winner or get to the Big Game and let your agent take care of the dollars. I'm not sure winning is Clements' priority.

I agree, If we take him than next year we will be kicking our selves in the butt for not going after Samuel. 2 times the player for less money. Sure he will still be pricey but at least he doesnt remind me of the CB we picked up from Dallas a few years back( I wont even mention that #%&$*^ name)

[fdarugar]

London Fletcher would be awful. He was a total shadow of his former self last year and his best days are well behind him. Fletcher would be a bad move. I know we need MLB help, but this is NOT the answer. Fletcher would actually be a downgrade from Marshall.

Clements................... too expensive and overrated. He's a good player but he is not worth what he is going to get on the market this year.

Hah you are crazy to think Fletcher is a downgrade from Lemar, Lemar is not nor ever has been a player of Fletchers calibur. No doubt Lemar has done good things for this team in the past 3 seasons but Fletcher is widely regarded as one of the best MLB's in the league. A cheaper more risky option could be Minny's Napolean Harris...who is injury and mistake prone but has all the tools to be an All Pro, he is younger too.