Pete Prisco: Skins show Desperation....

[COWBOY-KILLA-]

Everyone has an opionion, your thoughts on PP's remarks.....thanks.

Redskins show desperation, Dolphins get great value for Taylor

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Looking at all the stories about the Miami Dolphins' trade of Jason Taylor to the Washington Redskins, you would think the Dolphins got fleeced.

The reality is the Dolphins got the better end of the deal.

The Redskins could have just let Demetric Evans replace the injured Phillip Daniels. (Getty Images) You can praise all you want the proactive ways of the Redskins, how they filled a need just hours after starting defensive end Phillip Daniels went down for the season with a knee injury. You can praise their foresight of having enough cap room to fit in Taylor's huge salary -- for a change -- as well.

But last time I checked the Redskins weren't exactly being penciled in as a Super Bowl favorite. Playing in perhaps the toughest division in football, they are the fourth team in a four-team division.

Better than Dallas? No. The Giants? No. The Eagles? No.

So does getting Taylor put them over the top? No.

The Redskins get a 33-year-old defensive end -- he will be 34 in September -- who didn't play as well last season as he had in previous seasons. He's two years removed from being the Defensive Player of the Year, but when things start to go downhill for older players they can go fast.

He had 11 sacks, which is better than any Redskins player had last year, but he wasn't as effective, according to some scouts.

"Watching the tape from last season, he just wasn't the same player," said one team's personnel chief. "He wasn't worth more than a fourth-round pick."

I agree.

The Redskins gave up a second-round pick in next year's draft and a sixth the following year. That's too pricey.

They also inherit Taylor's $8.1 million salary, which eats up almost all of their remaining cap room. There is also no guarantee that Taylor plays longer than one season.

The biggest issue, one overlooked by all, is that Taylor now moves from the right side to the left end position. That might not seem like a major move, but it requires a player who can anchor in against the run.

Daniels excelled as a run end. Taylor does not. The knock on him in his career is that teams could run at him consistently. He improved as he got older, but he isn't a great run player.

Andre Carter will play right end, Taylor the left side. Look for teams to pound it at the right side against the Redskins defense.

So let's cool the hoopla surrounding this deal and call it what it truly is, which is a desperate act. Couldn't the Redskins have just played Demetric Evans there and moved on?

Fans love deals that involved big-name players. Most of the time, these backfire for the teams that get that player.

This one will be no different.

Taylor for a second-round pick is a fleecing all right. It's the Dolphins that did the fleecing.

[IbleedBnG83]

I don't remember the Giants bidding for a Super Bowl spot coming into last season and if they didn't have Strahan they wouldn't have done anything. Or how about the Cowboys coming in with a new coach? They managed to win the division, so why not the Redskins. Its not desperation its planning. The bidding war would have gone up for Taylor. Not sure how Evans would have held up for the long season. Taylor gives us at least two years where the team can stay competitive and buy us time in the draft to HAVE to draft a DE.

[Koolblue13]

Despite not agreeing with any team being a favorite in our division, it's hard to disagree with this article.

[Godfather151981]

Honestly, I think that a lot of these pundits that are trashing the trade are secretly jealous that their teams didn't make the deal. It's really amazing to me that anyone could question the potential production of a perennial pro bowler. Let's keep in mind that this isn't Daniel Snyder going out and getting Deion Sanders or Bruce Smith. This was a move made out of necessity. Granted when a team makes a move like this to fill a hole created due to injury they normally don't get a player the caliber of Taylor, but it was still done out of necessity. Prisco probably wishes that the Redskins plugged in Demetric Evans, and as a result he's bashing the trade, because it shored up the Redskins defense a bit.

[aREDSKIN]

PP is an certifiable fool. He's been here on the radio in J'ville, every day complaining that the Jags didn't trade for JT. And mind you this is after the draft where the Jags drafted 2 DE's with their first 2 picks. And now he poo poo's the Skins trade. IMO he's mad that the Skins took what he and the Jags thought that the Fins would do and just release JT. Prisco offers nothing but warped homeristic, ill-conceive and not very well thought opinion and he gets paid to do it. He's nothing more than a click whore.

[Metalhead]

So let's cool the hoopla surrounding this deal and call it what it truly is, which is a desperate act. Couldn't the Redskins have just played Demetric Evans there and moved on?

LOL. Are you cereal? So we should have gone into the season with a legitimate back-up starting with no one behind him? This may just take the cake of having an axe to grind. We just lost our starter and depth, but we shouldn't make a move to improve or remedy the dire situation in his eyes. Riiight.

This is about as fair a trade I have ever seen in the NFL. Regardless of filling a hole created by injury.

[Sarge]

What can you say? I don't like Priss co much, but he has a point. We don't draft linemen. It bit us in the ass last year. It has already started biting us in the ass again this year

That Gibbs and Bugel, who built a franchise around their lines, didn't draft linemen much while they were here the second time just tells me where the imput is still coming from

[bubba9497]

Better than Dallas? No. The Giants? No. The Eagles? No.

Wait we beat each last season handily, but lost in very close contests.. splitting each series

we finished 9-7 the Eagles 8-8

so the title should be

Pete Prisco shows ignorance

[twobags95]

Wow, all anyone in the media has said since the SB is that we don't have a dynamic enough DL to compete. Now we add Taylor w/out giving up D Evans. So you think they would be excited about this move.

[cjbrown]

The giants were about to lose their coach, the finished second in division and lost to the skins when they needed to win to get in and only got in by one game. We dominated the boys to get in even with devastating line, qb and safety losses.

Why can't we take it all? We can rotate the end spot in some running situations and only have limited exposure. and the backers and safety can make a difference.

The article is meant to be biased.

[MDRedskinsFan]

So, if we did let Demetric Evans replace Daniels, would we be praised? Heck no, they'd bash us up and down for not getting Taylor. Fact is, you can't please everybody, and you certainly can't please the media.

[Chief skin]

What can you say? I don't like Priss co much, but he has a point. We don't draft linemen. It bit us in the ass last year. It has already started biting us in the ass again this year

That Gibbs and Bugel, who built a franchise around their lines, didn't draft linemen much while they were here the second time just tells me where the imput is still coming from

Agreed Priss has nailed this whether some of you like it or not we traded a 2nd rounder for an old man. That 2nd rounder will probably be a very nice pick considering this team is an 8-8 team at best

[ouvan59]

Prisco is right. We shouldn't even try to win. We should plug in Demetric Evans and call it a day. I mean the tea leaves have foretold that we are going to stink. Why go against the grain. Nevermind that he has said we can't compete because of our enemic pass rush. It's not like the Skins were a playoff team last year with half the roster on IR. It's not like the Skins were able to retain every single player of significance. I'm going to take Pete's advice and start watching hockey........NOT.

[ouvan59]

Agreed Priss has nailed this whether some of you like it or not we traded a 2nd rounder for an old man. That 2nd rounder will probably be a very nice pick considering this team is an 8-8 team at best

And why is that?

[Mad Mike]

OMG. We need to give up now. We've already lost. Prisco says so. :jerk:

[ldysknzfn1]

Just goes to show it is true what they say about opinions...they're like a-holes...everyone has one.

It's amazing how folks will gladly call things a failure before anything is even done. How do any of us know how this will go? We can speculate. We can hope. But the bottom line is...we don't yet know. That's why the games are actually played...Ok...so this particular person doesn't like the move. Fine...but don't label it a failure until AFTER he fails...glad I don't live w/these folks...I'd never accomplish anything...everything fails before it gets attempted:rolleyes:

[Wrenkels]

For one, Carter had 11 sacks last season. And yes giving up a 2nd round draft pick might be a little pricey for a 34 year old DE who had 11 sacks and 47 solo tackles on a bad football team. Desperation or a sly move on the side of the Redskins? Right now all I see is a pro bowl player that can be plugged into our defense right now.

At times I just wonder why the Redskins just don't lay down and mail the season in. We can't get a break from anyone. I guess we are rated close to the top of most hated teams in football.

[paloosa]

I guess we are doomed because we couldn't draft any talent players and had to trade out of desperation for an aging player that has shown decline. But in reality we did what was best for the team. But look at what the Cowboys did this pas offseason and the very same media praised it as a great move. They added Zack Thomas who is 34 years old. So what makes Zack Thomas better than Jason Taylor? Why wasn't the Zack Thomas addition viewed as a bad move for an aging veteran with declining skills? Because the media is a Cowboy loving media and they hate to see the Redskins add any kind of talent that can create nighmares for their offenses. With Taylor they are trouble and with Evans they are easier to handle.

[GoCommiesGo]

He has a point. We may be able to put a better pass rush on but that won't do a whole lot if your giving up 4ypc. The line lost 20lbs of beef when Daniels went out.

He also is going to be playing LDE going against the right tackle and no longer being able to rush on the blindside of most QBs.

We made a move to fill a need but it's not like we are built to make a run right now going into the season as is would have been double. Not optimal but we would still have a 2nd round pick. :2cents:

[PiLfan]

Agreed Priss has nailed this whether some of you like it or not we traded a 2nd rounder for an old man. That 2nd rounder will probably be a very nice pick considering this team is an 8-8 team at best

Here's the thing...the same people who are criticizing the skins for making this move "out of desperation" are probably the same ones who'd criticize the skins for being unprepared and lost if they simply sat by and did nothing.

I mean, we didn't just lose a starting DE in Daniels, we lost his back up as well...for the YEAR. That leaves Evans, who I like granted, but are we supposed to assume he'll just take 100% of all defensive snaps this year? Bada-bing Bada-boom?

It's a no-win situation, really. You can say the skins could've avoided this by drafting a DE higher in the draft...well, that's the advantage of hindsight, isn't it? Bottom line is, the DL was pretty marginal going in, but with the addition of Taylor it has gotten better...maybe not by a huge amount, but who wouldn't agree that an aging Taylor isn't a better D-lineman than an aging Daniels? Was a 2nd round pick to costly?...time will tell, depends on what the 2nd round pick turns out to be...for now though, if i were the Skins FO and had to choose between making this deal and just sitting idlely by watching the grass get trampled underneath the heap of another season-ending injury, i would have to choose the former.

[Henry]

What can you say? I don't like Priss co much, but he has a point. We don't draft linemen. It bit us in the ass last year. It has already started biting us in the ass again this year

Yup.

That Gibbs and Bugel, who built a franchise around their lines, didn't draft linemen much while they were here the second time just tells me where the imput is still coming from

Yup.

[TODD]

I think Prisco's point about teams running at the left side is a valid one, but I think Taylor will more than make up for that drop-off with his pass-rushing.

[Wrenkels]

Who is to say if we drafted a DE that he would be in the starting line up. JT is a proven player and a quick fix for maybe 2 years. Nothing the Redskin could of done in a short period of time could of gotten the same results. Good move to help our defense.

[PCS]

:yawnee: This was an easy one to predict from Prisco. Had to know that he'd write something like this.

[AllAboutSkins08]

i swear, we're damned if we do and damned if we don't.

since we went out and picked up a pro-bowler DE who is on the older side for basically a second rounder (a 6th rounder two years from now? that's pretty much nothing), we're desperate. if we had done nothing and let evans play the spot, with the terrible depth we have behind him, we'd be fools and for not going after taylor to improve our pass rush. it really doesn't matter what we do, we're wrong. wrong wrong wrong.

i mean, i agree that if we had drafted D-line more we probably wouldn't be in this situation, but whining about what we could have done doesn't fix the current situation. judge what we did do based on what options we had at the time, which i think prove that this move was not only smart, but the best option we had.