Continuity begun. Maybe.

[Art]

If we make the assumption that Gardener will be brought back, a fair assessment of next year's starting 22 would look like this:

QB -- Ramsey

RB -- Betts

FB -- Rock

WR -- Gardner

WR -- FA/draft

OT -- Samuels

OT -- Jansen

C -- Moore

G -- Jones/Stai/Johnson

G -- FA/draft

TE -- Royal

DE -- Draft/FA

DE -- Wynn

DT -- Gardener

DT -- Draft/FA

LB -- Trotter

LB -- Arrington

LB -- Armstead

CB -- Smoot

CB -- Bailey

S -- Ohalete

S -- FA/Draft

I believe we will have a situation where 17 of our starting players will have all been in the system for a year. Some are returning from injury and what not, but, they will have been around, being taught, watching practice, interacting and all the stuff a teammate has to do.

While it's possible the turnover could be less or more, I like the beginning of what appears to be some continuity. The more people we have starting that will have been here during this season will benefit us immensely. A correct juggling of the draft and free agency will augment some of the clear needs we have developed.

I'm on the continuity trip and I'm staying there. And I like the first couple of looks at what may be coming.

[cowboykiller]

I'm on the continuity trip and I'm staying there

Pack some bags for good old CK. Continuity is the KEY Art. Think about the talent we have on defense. With 3 or 4 different D Coordinators we've stayed in the top 10 of defenses regardless. That is ALL talent. We need to keep coaches, and players around each other, and nothing but good things will come.

[SkinsThug]

Dare we say continuity and Redskins in the same sentence?

God I hope so.

[Luca Brasi]

Also have to hope that we promote from within if Lewis leaves. I'd love for him to stay, but he does deserve to be a head coach. It'd be nice to promote someone from within that's going to be around for a couple years.

[Riggo-toni]

Ol' Marv is gone.

So the question is, which is more valuable - immediate continuity (meaning hiring a Lewis disciple from w/in), or finding a long term prospect at DC who can adapt to talent we have. Opinions on the subject, anyone?

[Awesome]

Promote from within. George Edwards has what it takes to get it done. He's worked with SS before and hopefully will teak LaVar's role so that he's not set on the line so much.

[@DCGoldPants]

if we get another fulltime DE, then Lavar doesn't need to be on the line.

[bulldog]

agreed, the Jansen signing and Gardener's comments about returning are a good omen even before the offseason starts.

as Art pointed out here and as we have tossed back and forth some before, the Redskins may be able to bring back 4 players on the OL from this season and only have to fill one starting spot, at left guard.

Samuels, Jansen and Moore to me seem set. Rod Jones if healthy should be a starter at RG for the club. He signed a 3 year deal with a $500K bonus so I think he will be given every opportunity to come back and compete. He has the talent to be a good player for us if he is in shape, which he was not this past offseason

So, one guard spot to fill and we need some depth as well. To me that means rolling up the sleeves in the draft. Perhaps not first or second round, but definitely in the middle rounds

I focus here on the line because that is perhaps the most important factor in helping along Ramsey's development at qb.

Yes, we need an impact WR either via draft or free agency, but we have to keep the qb upright long enough for him to get the ball downfield.

One interesting situation to watch is that with Ladell Betts. Opinions are divided on him. Seeing him on kick returns and in the open field as a receiver has me more optimistic about him than I was before.

Some seem to think he lacks the speed and quickness to be a factor from scrimmage as a primary ballcarrier.

My point there is with the penetration the Eagles were getting last week vs. the interior of the line, you really couldn't tell much about Betts on his 3 or 4 carriers

On one play he got the handoff and had his legs taken out from under him by Corey Simon almost immediately. He never even had the chance to cut or try and make him miss.

At the time I would have preferred seeing the Skins take LeCharles Bentley or Anthony Weaver in round 2, but now that that is history, I don't know if Betts might not be able to be a poor man's version of Terry Allen, a guy without top line speed who had good vision and the amazing ability to cut on two reconstructed knees

[MRMADD]

Well, I don't think that roster achieves continuity. Not one of those players was on the Skins roster before 1999. We also still might have some coaching turnover.

I don't think we've started on the continuity path yet, but at least we've stopped running in the other direction.

It would be nice to cheer for the same players, in the same schemes, under the same coaches for a couple years. This team has been so schizophrenic recently.

[@DCGoldPants]

trying to get to 1000 or what? Mad Posting Machine!

[redskin56]

IMHO continuity breeds success. This is a step in the right direction. I hope that Marvin Lewis stays, just for the benefit of the players. We need to have a degree of certainty at Redskin Park, not an air of uncertainty.

Did anyone see Darrell Green's comments on the WP the other day. He said something to the effect that the thing that scared him about this team was he saw the want to win in thier eyes but their heads were swimming around like they didn't know what they were doing. If he's saying things like that..............................:gus:

[MRMADD]

Bufford:

trying to get to 1000 or what? Mad Posting Machine!

Stuck in an airport.

:gus:

[Henry]

Originally posted by MRMADD ]Well, I don't think that roster achieves continuity. Not one of those players was on the Skins roster before 1999. We also still might have some coaching turnover.

I don't think we've started on the continuity path yet, but at least we've stopped running in the other direction.

Baby steps, man. Baby steps.

That roster gives us more continuity than we've had in three years. Heck we've turned over the entire QB roster every year since 2000, so just having Ramsey return is a step in the right direction. And some coaching turnover is better than complete coaching turnover.

I think with that roster we will have started on the right path. But that's two more games and a whole offseason away.

[dchogs]

Baby steps, man. Baby steps.

That roster gives us more continuity than we've had in three years. Heck we've turned over the entire QB roster every year since 2000, so just having Ramsey return is a step in the right direction. And some coaching turnover is better than complete coaching turnover.

it is so sad that you can write that, henry, and be completely correct. we definately need to solidify our base of core players and coaches. getting jansen back is a good start.

[@DCGoldPants]

I guess wanting a Jansen jersey isn't stupid anymore. He'll be around for awhile.

[bulldog]

realistically, there aren't too many teams around the NFL that have had the same players since 1999 :laugh:

The Saints at 9-5? Brooks, McCalister, Horn, Stallworth, etc.....none of these guys was in NO in 1999.

Green Bay? Other than Favre who was there? Ahman Green? Terry Glenn? Donald Driver? Bubba Franks? Nope...................

The Eagles are the one team in the NFC where the roster has been fairly stable. McNabb has been there. Staley has been there. Chad Lewis has been there. Thrash has been there 2 years now. Same for Douglas, Vincent and Taylor on defense.

But change is the rule in the NFL.

What is more important than having A guy in place for 4 or 5 years is having the RIGHT guy.

Shade has been our starting strong safety for 5 years. Wilkinson has been lined up at DT for 5 years.

Both came in on sizeable free agent contracts at their positions. Neither has made a pro bowl for the team.

That kind of risk/reward ratio is not what we are looking for.

You get a #4 pick that comes in for $500K and produces as Wilkinson has and you are happy

When you are stuck paying a guy like Stubby $9 million to leave then you have to rethink what you are doing :laugh:

[MRMADD]

Bulldog:

realistically, there aren't too many teams around the NFL that have had the same players since 1999

Not the same players, Bulldog. We'll have no players who were on the roster in 1999. None. That's remarkable. I can't think of any other team that can say that.

In three years we've dumped the entire roster and rebuilt it from scratch. We now have the core players in place: Champ, Smoot, our LBs, our OTs, Gardener, Gardner, and Ramsey. We need to build the team around them, not keep recycling.

[bulldog]

well, Bailey and Jansen were drafted in 1999 and were on the playoff team from that season.

Terrell was also a draft choice of the Skins in '98 or '99.

What really produced the void in mid-career vets was the exodus in the last offseason. Raymer (1995), Alexander (1998) and Lang (1997) all left at the same time as other players were brought in.

But then again, Raymer is gone for the year again with an ACL, Alexander has been quiet and Lang hasn't lived up to the contract he signed.

I don't think anyone can question that the Skins got the better of the deal in swapping out Lang at DT and swapping in Gardener for less money in 2002

[Dickens]

Offseason priorities now that Jansen has been resigned.

1. Pass Rushing DE

2. Free Safety

3. Guard

4. DT assuming Big Daddy is not resigned.

We should try to maintain the same roster otherwise. I could even tolerate bringing back our current group of WRs. And hopefully Betts can work out as our starting TB. We don't need to sign any more big named free agents. I say spend our first rounder on a pass rushing DE to groom. 2nd and 3rd rounders should be spent on free safety and DT respectively. And then we can sign a FA to play guard.

[bulldog]

everything at DT depends on what happens with Gardener. If we resign him and he stays healthy we can add a DT in the draft or value free agency and have a solid front.

if Gardener signs elsewhere the Skins are going to have to make a significant investment in the draft or FA to solidify the middle.

That means a #1 or #2 pick AND a pickup in free agency, most likely. And a FA that costs some coin too......................

I wonder if the decision to release Wilkinson rather than redo his deal is firm or will change based on who the DC is.

If Lewis leaves and someone else comes in and happens to like #95 as Marty and Kurt did, than maybe he stays?

[Art]

Madd,

What does it matter that players have been with the team since before 1999? As Bulldog said, it's not abnormal to see a lot of roster churn and still be competitive. Look at the Saints. They'll have 2 guys who were on the roster prior to 1999 after this year. It's not like that's a cut off for success or anything. I know you read what Champ said and thought it powerful, but it's meaningless.

Time as a team within a system you believe can be successful is important. If we have Spurrier in 2005, I won't care a bit if he has no players on the team who predated his arrival. I'd be shocked, of course, but it'd be ok, because, it's more important if we could say that 40 players have been with Spurrier for three years.

That's where we need to get.

The roster above is a list of players who will have been with Spurrier and Lewis for a year. It'll provide the first real stability we've had in three years. That alone improves us. We don't need a half dozen players who survive the coaching carnage. We need a coach to survive it and keep a team largely together. This is a start. Nothing more.