Curious philosophy revealed with cuts

[E-Dog Night]

After a team goes 5-11 and has the 31st-ranked defense, you know changes are going to happen. But I have found some of the Redskins decisions on cuts to be curious, to say the least.

It started with Lemar Marshall. If he had been cut before Marcus Washington got hurt, that I could have understood. But after? I thought he played well at OLB in place of LaVar. After his disaster in the middle last year, coupled with the signing of London Fletcher, Marshall slated as a backup on the outside seemed like a natural fit. He could play either weak or strong side with his veteran experience. When Washington got hurt, I wasn't too terribly worried because I figured Marshall could step in there, and we wouldn't lose too much. Raised an eyebrow with me when he got cut.

Now with Renaldo Wynn...obviously he wasn't the player of late that he was in his prime with Jacksonville, but again, I felt pretty good about having him as a backup. His release came as another surprise for me, especially considering the inexperience along the D-line. Then you've got Joe Salave'a getting cut earlier this week. My brain has started to form a good ol' fashioned WTF thought bubble.

Phillip Daniels was probably looking over his shoulder once or twice this past week.

So clearly, there's a youth movement going on a Redskins park on defense. Williams wants to get younger and faster on defense. And that's fine, except... isn't it a good idea to have a solid mix of youth and experience? With a few injuries we're looking at Anthony Montgomery, Chris Wilson and Demetric Evans starting along the DL. That prospect scares me.

Are the Redskins throwing the baby out with the bathwater here?

[Mercuryrising]

After a team goes 5-11 and has the 31st-ranked defense, you know changes are going to happen. But I have found some of the Redskins decisions on cuts to be curious, to say the least.

It started with Lemar Marshall. If he had been cut before Marcus Washington got hurt, that I could have understood. But after? I thought he played well at OLB in place of LaVar. After his disaster in the middle last year, coupled with the signing of London Fletcher, Marshall slated as a backup on the outside seemed like a natural fit. He could play either weak or strong side with his veteran experience. When Washington got hurt, I wasn't too terribly worried because I figured Marshall could step in there, and we wouldn't lose too much. Raised an eyebrow with me when he got cut.

Now with Renaldo Wynn...obviously he wasn't the player of late that he was in his prime with Jacksonville, but again, I felt pretty good about having him as a backup. His release came as another surprise for me, especially considering the inexperience along the D-line. Then you've got Joe Salave'a getting cut earlier this week. My brain has started to form a good ol' fashioned WTF thought bubble.

Phillip Daniels was probably looking over his shoulder once or twice this past week.

So clearly, there's a youth movement going on a Redskins park on defense. Williams wants to get younger and faster on defense. And that's fine, except... isn't it a good idea to have a solid mix of youth and experience? With a few injuries we're looking at Anthony Montgomery, Chris Wilson and Demetric Evans starting along the DL. That prospect scares me.

Are the Redskins throwing the baby out with the bathwater here?

You obviously did not watch Marshall in the Steeler's game. He was getting shoved 5 yards back, and run over by 3rd stringers who are probably unemployed themselves as of today, for crying out loud. Nice guy, super smart, but not a good NFL LB at this point in his career.

It is a young man's game..... When you spend most of the season on IR 2 seasons in a row, your unit is ranked toward the bottom, and you are over 30 your time is about up in the NFL.

[“Misdirection”]

is he on the bengals now

[E-Dog Night]

is he on the bengals now

Um, who Marshall? If that's who you meant, then yes. Marvin Lewis snatched him right up.

[Mercuryrising]

Yeah, and Holdmann was on the Broncos before he got injured. What's your point?

[Gilgamesh]

And that's fine, except... isn't it a good idea to have a solid mix of youth and experience?

Isn't that what we have here? We had a little too much experience and not enough youth last season. Younger should, at least in theory, mean healthier as well.

[Walking Deadman]

Wynn and Marshall and Jimoh weren't as suprising as Salave'a.

Big Joe actually was looking good in camp and seemed to look good in the scrimmage and the Tenn. game.

[LoudMouth12thMan]

E Dog I think you're right about the "what if" some of our key guys get injured, but at the same time these backups that you named work really hard and look really promising. I'd rather develop the young guys that are going to help us win for years to come than hold on to aging mediocre vets that are playing at equal level to these young 2nd and a couple 1st year players. I don't think the baby is being thrown out at all. We can't keep the same old philosophy that if someone gets "banged up" that we have to have "experienced vets." At some point we've got to move on and I think we're doing that. :2cents:

[E-Dog Night]

Yeah, and Holdmann was on the Broncos before he got injured. What's your point?

Warrick Holdman I never missed. Still trying to figure out how Rocky Mac stayed on the sidelines while the human turnstile started game after game.

The point, which I thought I had made at least somewhat clear (but apparently not enough), is that it might not be such a good idea to cut so many veteran players. They can serve as experienced backups, not to mention provide leadership in the locker room, as they say.

[Thinking Skins]

My only question is that if the plan was to get younger along the line all along, then why not draft a d lineman who has more of a chance of having an impact this year? I guess if Montgomery and Wilson pan out this year it will be a mute point.

[flexxskins]

It looks like you kind of answered your own question in your last paragraph E. Either that or I just don't understand your point.

BTW, I saw saturdays game online, so it wasn't really clear. Anyway, was that my imagination, or was that Blades playing strongside LB?

[terpfan]

I'm not too down on letting Marshall go. Godfrey fits better with what we need (because of his size), Campbell gets it done on special teams, and HB Blades has obviously shown all kinds of potential.

Wynn isnt that surprising to me at all. He's a great dude, but he's a DE that just can't get to the QB anymore.

The only one that kind of bothers me is Saleve'a, because I cant see why he isnt a better option than Ryan Boschetti.

But in all cases, I assume the coaching staff knows 10 times more about these players than any of us do. So I'm OK with whatever they decide.

I do wonder about what we are going to do with that extra roster spot too. I have to think it will be a WR...

[E-Dog Night]

Isn't that what we have here?

Yeah, a little. I kind of feel like we're a little top heavy on the youth side. It might work out great, but I'd feel a little more comfortable with Joe Salave'a and Wynn in there. Just sayin'.

[flexxskins]

Warrick Holdman I never missed. Still trying to figure out how Rocky Mac stayed on the sidelines while the human turnstile started game after game.

The point, which I thought I had made at least somewhat clear (but apparently not enough), is that it might not be such a good idea to cut so many veteran players. They can serve as experienced backups, not to mention provide leadership in the locker room, as they say.

We had to get down to 53 men some how. I guess that the line of thinking was to get rid of the older players like you mentioned. Couldn't really keep both.

[bowhunter]

But this does kinda beg the question..If GW's stance during the draft was that we're fine with what we have on DL, and now we don't still have them, are we still fine? I'm all for the youth movement, but what about all of the pre-draft hype that we're happy with what we got?

[E-Dog Night]

It looks like you kind of answered your own question in your last paragraph E. Either that or I just don't understand your point.

BTW, I saw saturdays game online, so it wasn't really clear. Anyway, was that my imagination, or was that Blades playing strongside LB?

I thought Blades looked great but I'm pretty sure he was playing the middle.

And it's not so much a point I guess as a query for opinions: was it, or was it not, a good idea to let so many verts go on the defense? I think we should have kept at least one or two of those guys.

[flexxskins]

I thought Blades looked great but I'm pretty sure he was playing the middle.

And it's not so much a point I guess as a query for opinions: was it, or was it not, a good idea to let so many verts go on the defense? I think we should have kept at least one or two of those guys.

I'm pretty sure that there were a couple plays where I saw both Fletcher and Blades on the field at the same time. I had just assumed that Blades was subbing for Washington.

[E-Dog Night]

But this does kinda beg the question..If GW's stance during the draft was that we're fine with what we have on DL, and now we don't still have them, are we still fine? I'm all for the youth movement, but what about all of the pre-draft hype that we're happy with what we got?

I guess he couldn't come out and say that "we're planning on cutting a bunch of the older guys". Maybe the "we're fine with what we have on DL" meant Montgomery, Evans, et al., and that was his plan all along?

Or did he see how much better Rocky & Landry were over their predecessors, and thought "Maybe I'm too reliant on these vets, we need speed at the cost of all else", and kind of made a knee jerk reaction?

[E-Dog Night]

I'm pretty sure that there were a couple plays where I saw both Fletcher and Blades on the field at the same time. I had just assumed that Blades was subbing for Washington.

I don't think so. No one on the starting defense played a single snap, unless I missed something.

[jimster]

Theismann mentioned in the first pre-season game that Gregg Williams said he wanted the younger guys to go take the jobs away from some of the older guys. - If they feel the younger guys out-performed and are hungrier than the vets, I'm all for it.

[PorkSkins]

I kinda saw some of this coming. Maybe a youth movement by GW or maybe an early salary cap move by the FO for next year? Maybe a little of both. Nobody else that we can cut with big salaries unless we get rid of some starters. We're going to need some cap space for next year's draft. As for GW, IMO he thinks anyone is replaceable. Remember a guy named Pierce.

[Darc Requiem]

I'm pretty sure that there were a couple plays where I saw both Fletcher and Blades on the field at the same time. I had just assumed that Blades was subbing for Washington.

No you are right. H.B. Blades did play some Strong side backer, it caught my eye as well.

[SkinsFTW]

I think its about time they get young backups rather than have 30+ year olds who aren't going to make much of a difference if they ever even play. At least with the young guys you likely wont have to go out and sign a handful of free agent starters every year if they pan out.

[jtyler42]

I think these cuts actually proved what GW and Greg Blatche were saying during the draft, the free agency period, the OTA's that "they were fine with what we had"...

I'm okay with the cuts we needed an infusion of youth athleticism, and hunger on our D anyways....

[Peregrine]

Well I think the one thing we got out of it is that, contrary to what they claimed the whole time, they WERENT ok with the same guys last year playing on the DLine. They cut two of them. They said they didnt need to go out and get anybody, well they did, two replacements(they just didnt get them in FA or through high draft picks).