Ignatius J. Posted December 30, 2002 Share Posted December 30, 2002 Here's a kid who's been on the practice squad for this team since god knows when. He's seen little in game action, and this year has had his first chance in the starting lineup. My question is, can we expect him to improve? Traditionally, there is a large improvement in the play of most NFL recievers between years 1 and 3, with a fairly constant gradient pointing up. But Derrius isn't really rookie. He's had three or so years "playing" in this league as a practice squadder and bench warmer. Can we expect the kind of leap in his game from year 1 to year two that we saw in rod gardner? (note: I'm not saying that I expect him to be as good as gardner, just scale down the leap accordingly) -DB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bulldog Posted December 30, 2002 Share Posted December 30, 2002 that's one of the things this team HAS to consider before signing Thompson to a new contract for bigger dollars. with Gardner and even McCants as a raw but talented guy off the bench, might the Skins be better off either drafting a speedster or acquiring a veteran in free agency to provide stability and give Gardner, McCants, Russell and a potential draft pick some mentorship? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mad Mike Posted December 30, 2002 Share Posted December 30, 2002 Maybe. I hope so and I think so but I would not count on it when it comes to bringing in more talent. I think we are starting to see what Spurriers offense can do. It can be explosive. If we hadn't had all of those drops and fumbles we would have stomped the holy livin crap out of the boys today. Russell is an even bigger question mark. The kid has mad speed if he's healthy. The key word being *IF*. And we still don't know if he can catch. We need one good, fast, playmaking WR and one stud OG to protect Ramsey. These are the top two needs of this team. When these two needs are taken care of the D can have whatever new toys it needs. My suggestion would be Safety then DE or best talent available at any rate. The following draft can fill whatever holes remain with free agents filling in and take us to the Superbowl. :high: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ljer Posted December 30, 2002 Share Posted December 30, 2002 If we hadn't had all of those drops and fumbles we would have stomped the holy livin crap out of the boys today. Amen!! Damn, it would have been sweet to stomp them:shootinth Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ignatius J. Posted December 30, 2002 Author Share Posted December 30, 2002 Is there anyone we could compare him to? Has a practice squadder ever broken the starting lineup in the history of the league? -DB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cskin Posted December 30, 2002 Share Posted December 30, 2002 Although I've been pleasantly suprised by his play this year, I've also been maddened by his inconsistency. One good game where he makes highlight reel catches followed by a game where he drops five balls. The question should be, are we willing to let Thompson go if we could sign Darrell Jackson (Sea) for similar money. Today, Jackson caught five balls for 90 yards and a T.D. And, as an added bonus, he's a former Fl guy and one who has increased his productivity from year one and he'd certainly "understand the Spurrier offense". Would we be willing to trade one for the other? Not trade literally, but Jackson's performance for Thompson's? Going to be interesting this offseason isn't it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sashae Posted December 30, 2002 Share Posted December 30, 2002 Originally posted by DrunkenBoxer Is there anyone we could compare him to? Has a practice squadder ever broken the starting lineup in the history of the league? -DB Former Redskin (and Super Bowl ring winner as a rookie) Keenan McCardell went through both the Browns and Bears' practice squads before catching on with Jacksonville.... Joe Jacoby was an UDFA who became, well... Joe Jacoby. -s Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoCalMike Posted December 30, 2002 Share Posted December 30, 2002 Well whoever our recieving core may end up being next season, they better be able to catch balls when they are wide open, catch balls that hit them in the hands/numbers, and hold onto the ball while running for more yardage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ignatius J. Posted December 30, 2002 Author Share Posted December 30, 2002 Thanks Sashae, I guess that bodes well for him then. As for Jackson, you take jackson in a heartbeat. Jackson has played very well and is a considerable step above Thompson. Jackson had a great season last year and while he has taken a step down this year, he had a tough injury. Definately a #2 guy, but really a very good #2 guy. -DB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mad Mike Posted December 30, 2002 Share Posted December 30, 2002 One more thought. Going into camp next year with Ramsey as the starter should help everyone get in sinc and help the recievers get a better feel for Ramsey's hard passes. And now that we have a core group with a year in the system I expect Spurrier to focus on the details. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Montilar Posted December 30, 2002 Share Posted December 30, 2002 I wonder if they will look at kevin Johnson (Cleveland)? Isn't he a free agent? If the prices are similar, I think Johnson would be the better. I know Derrius has been in the O for a year and aroudnfor three or more; but he's consistently dropped balls all season long. He could have another twenty or so catches if he had good hands or better concentration. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thinking Skins Posted December 30, 2002 Share Posted December 30, 2002 What about James Thrash? With us he was a practice squad guy for the longest amount of time then he plays for like a season or so with the Redskins and all of a sudden he goes to Philly and starts to look pretty nice. He may not be a true number 1, but he sure is doing a good job in that team's starting lineup. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OrangeSkin Posted December 30, 2002 Share Posted December 30, 2002 I don't know much about Jackson, other than he'll be demanding a lot more money than he's worth. From what I've seen of the Seahawks, he's not all that fast. The last thing we need is an overpaid slowpoke. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Art Posted December 30, 2002 Share Posted December 30, 2002 You need to make a smart offer to Thompson. He's a nice complementary player we'd be wise to retain. He had a horrid game today, but, by in large, our receivers have done a nice job catching the ball. They need to get even better. Retaining a guy like Thompson would be nice for this team because where he was a serious question heading into the year, he had more catches for more yards than any other No. 2 receiver in our division this year. That's scary because he has so much more potential as a player. He's a guy you can lose and not go crazy about. But, when he's basically the best threat at the No. 2 receiver spot in the division, you'd hate to let him walk. McCants showed some body control today and it was nice to see him used in some combo routes for, really, the first time. Gardner continues to develop. Thompson can be brought back and really give us an incredibly deep group of receivers next year with a solid addition to the unit. We can't overspend, but we can't sour on the guy to the point that we make too low an offer either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hauss Posted December 30, 2002 Share Posted December 30, 2002 Thompson needs to be signed to a modest contract. He has shown flashes--this has been his first real opportunity. He has shown the coaches a lot--He showed Norv enough to keep him as an undrafted free agent--Marty and Spurrier kept him on the team. All 3 coaches have seen something in him. Here's an undrated guy who has to leaned 3 new offenses. It's too early to give up on him. McCants had a nice game today but he still ran the wrong pattern at the goal line when the Skins had the ball on the Cowboys 4 and Ramsey threw it to a place where no one was. Looked like McCants broke outside insteads of inside. Both will make mistakes like that--they aren't experienced. Lets see what happens after they have an off season working with Ramsey. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bubba9497 Posted December 30, 2002 Share Posted December 30, 2002 On that Play, Spurrier said Ramsey didn't call the audible to McCants. That one was on Ramsey. I believe with a solid off season of workouts, Thompson will develope into a quailty NFL receiver next year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PCS Posted December 30, 2002 Share Posted December 30, 2002 well, and I posted this on another thread, S.S. stated in his post game press conference that DT was a player that the Redskins needed to sign. That sounds like an endorsement from the HBC himself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gamebreaker Posted December 30, 2002 Share Posted December 30, 2002 Originally posted by Montilar I know Derrius has been in the O for a year and aroudnfor three or more; but he's consistently dropped balls all season long. He could have another twenty or so catches if he had good hands or better concentration. I remember a lot of people saying the same thing about Gardner last season. Yes, I know, Gardner was a rookie. But this is Thompson's first season with extended playing time, in terms of "in game" experience he is a rookie. If he can be re-signed for a reasonable amount of money, I would jump at it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mad Mike Posted December 30, 2002 Share Posted December 30, 2002 How about an incentive based contract? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laurent Posted December 30, 2002 Share Posted December 30, 2002 I guess this game was perfect in a sense for Thompson because it makes it plain to see that he still needs a ton of work. Barring outrageous contract demands I would love to see him back and see what he can do with another offseason under his belt. You've got to love a kid that has hung in there for a long time now and finally got some playing time. It would be a shame to let this kid go after all the time we've spent developping him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redman Posted December 30, 2002 Share Posted December 30, 2002 Originally posted by blakman211 What about James Thrash? With us he was a practice squad guy for the longest amount of time then he plays for like a season or so with the Redskins and all of a sudden he goes to Philly and starts to look pretty nice. He may not be a true number 1, but he sure is doing a good job in that team's starting lineup. Thrash is precisely who I was thinking about, but more in terms of handling of his contract. Like with Thrash, Thompson is at best a #2 WR. We should offer him #2 WR money. If another team wants to pay him more, let them and don't look back. But if we can keep him for #2 WR money or less, we should as we've developed him, and he shows good talent, and even excellent talent at times. And ironically, today's game may have ensured that we keep him because those drops may have reminded the league that he's no better than a #2 WR at best. Stylistically, he reminds me a bit of Alvin Harper from ten years ago. He's a tall, deep threat who can create mismatches with his size and leaping ability. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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