Expect More Moves Like Those for Dorsey & Aldridge

[bulldog]

With little depth and few draft choices the Redskins are a club that is going to have to lean on culling street free agents and the waiver market for younger players that can come in and fill a role for 2009.

Somewhere in that process the hope is that the club can actually come up with a Jeff Bostic, Rick Walker, Mel Kaufman, Fred Stokes, etc. as it did in the past (actually I will be impressed if Vinny can come up with ONE contributor in the offseason beyond the #13 pick and the resigning of Hall).

It's ironic but in a way because of the dead cap space and the profligate spending of days gone by, the Redskins in the offseason more closely resemble the Washington Nationals, who usually are in the market for cheap and available veterans looking to re-start their careers and younger players that used to be someone else's top prospect.

[BG]

This good be a good thing moving forward. We are forced to rely on scouting and to get in a mindset where the onus is maximum value. While that philosophy has served some teams well, no team is comprised solely of these types of players.

I hope it helps us to strike a medium in combining solid draft picks, udfa's and street/waiver/low-cost fa's with the existing talent we have and more renown free-agents.

[Pounds]

I would suspect (and hope) that the resigning of Hall, if it indeed happens, will be the biggest move of our offseason. Maybe not so much by design, but certainly by our monetary constraints.

[Horton_Predator48]

With little depth and few draft choices the Redskins are a club that is going to have to lean on culling street free agents and the waiver market for younger players that can come in and fill a role for 2009.

Somewhere in that process the hope is that the club can actually come up with a Jeff Bostic, Rick Walker, Mel Kaufman, Fred Stokes, etc. as it did in the past (actually I will be impressed if Vinny can come up with ONE contributor in the offseason beyond the #13 pick and the resigning of Hall).

It's ironic but in a way because of the dead cap space and the profligate spending of days gone by, the Redskins in the offseason more closely resemble the Washington Nationals, who usually are in the market for cheap and available veterans looking to re-start their careers and younger players that used to be someone else's top prospect.

I think this is a great sign. It seems sometimes the Skins are damned if they do and damned if they don't. I like all of the signings so far. Especially Dorsey and Aldridge who will hopefully come into camp with something to prove. IMO Vinny is starting off well this offseason. I thought he did great last offseason. Yeah some things didn't work out, but I applauded him for going after the tall WRs that we've been missing in the draft. Even though they didn't do jack this past year. IMO the signing of J. Taylor proved the point that being smart with our cap gives you options. Although Taylor didn't produce like most thought he would, when Daniels and Buzzbee when down in the first few snaps, I was greatful for the Skins picking him up. Now I'm ready for Vinny and Dan to work some magic and draft some monster OL adn DL!! We'll see.

[CRobi21]

As long as they're fast I don't care if they only have one arm.

We need to increase our team speed.

[RWJ]

If only Hall and a decent OL(Carey, Barnes or Andrews), I'd be happy.

[Darth Tater]

Of the 32 teams, 32 teams make these signs kinds of signings to some degree or another. All are looking for that guy off the NFL trash pile that turns into a solid starter or at least a significant contributor. These are the guys who fill out your roster. They're possible cheap solutions to problem areas (and, yes, even the Steelers have problems). Even if we had 8 picks, you could probably expect only 3-4 to make the team (and that's a great draft). You may be able to find a great level 1 FA contributor if you got the $ to sign 2.

[Soup]

I don't like it, if in fact vinny does go down that road I'd expect the same results as we saw with Erasmus James. Why can't the redskins just have a full set of draft picks every year and use free agency and trades as a way to fill in holes. It seems he's doing the opposite

[Chump Bailey]

I just want Vinny and Dan to pick a track and commit to it. Stop investing picks in the WRONG players. Stop wasting picks. Take a realistic assessment regarding the team's make-up and achievement protential.

[wilco_holland]

Isn't this why we gave Morrocow Brown the titel Head Pro scouting.....he should be the talent finder.

[SkinsFTW]

It seems like every year we sign 50 trash free agents, the fans fall in love with a handful of them and then once the pre-season is over were back to the same old backups/depth.

[mbws]

I don't like it' date=' if in fact vinny does go down that road I'd expect the same results as we saw with Erasmus James. Why can't the redskins just have a full set of draft picks every year and use free agency and trades as a way to fill in holes. It seems he's doing the opposite[/quote']

Bobby Beathard traded picks all the time.

Erasmus cost us little more than taking up a roster spot. It was a gamble that didn't work out, but we knew it was a gamble going in, and many here applauded the move at the time.

[mbws]

It seems like every year we sign 50 trash free agents, the fans fall in love with a handful of them and then once the pre-season is over were back to the same old backups/depth.

Every team does. They're called Camp Fodder, so your true starters don't wear out in July. Sometimes one or two will stick with the team.

[ntotoro]

Every team does. They're called Camp Fodder, so your true starters don't wear out in July. Sometimes one or two will stick with the team.

You're completely missing the point. The OP praises all these moves, but the bottom line is we do this every year. We sign a bunch of guys who wind up doing a grand total of zippy once the year starts. Half the members have man-crushes on a handful of them, but the season starts and we wind up with same old, same old. We're always in a tight cap spot. That's nothing new. What makes anyone think this year will be different?

[SWFLSkins]

I don't like it' date=' if in fact vinny does go down that road I'd expect the same results as we saw with Erasmus James. Why can't the redskins just have a full set of draft picks every year and use free agency and trades as a way to fill in holes. It seems he's doing the opposite[/quote']

Since when has one team seen all it's draft picks make the team let alone all impact it?

Not that I would not like to see the team building more with youth, I think signing these cheap F/A's if properly scouted is better then counting on every late pick (aft. the 3rd rnd.) to be a Chris Horton. And it certainly is better than the quick fix of a late addtion trade.

Give some credit where credit is due.

[DWinzit]

There doesn't seem to have been enough emphasis placed on our scouting department over the past few years. Too often the full compliment of the early street FA's and UDFA's come and go. The only time their name is mentioned following final cut down is when they get added or cut from the Practice Squad. Rarely does one of these on-the-fringe players even make the roster let alone make any contribution.

Is it just me or does it seem that after the draft the Redskins are one of if not the last team to announce the signings of the undrafted players? Also rarely are any of the players considered to be the top talent from this pool yet many would have more of a chance of making the Redskin roster than the team they sign with. It seems our scouting department should be in constant contact with these players during the seventh round. So often these players are in positions of need such as interior linemen and Special Team capable LB's.

Other than the infrequent hit like Horton (who was the only real drafted contributor last year), this situation has been mimicked by our second day draft picks for years. As usual I go into the new season cautiously optimistic that some of last years second day (and first day:() selections that are still on our roster will blossom into contributors.

Included in the backbone of a good organization is a compliment of competent youthful backups on the ready no only to fill a slot in case if an injury but battling for that starting slot. The past few years the Redskin roster has been lacking the motivated youthful movement. Please stop giving away draft picks for possible stop gap players. This method hasn't worked. Start accumulating picks and evaluate players and needs better.

Hopefully the team brings in many Aldridge type players in searching for true roster worthy talent. Heck, eventually some have to work out...Don't they?

[Skins PR]

We are in big, big trouble.

Too many holes, no cap room, few draft picks, and a front office ran by two guys who can't evaluate talent.

[Dark Acre]

Herb Mul-Key

[skinfan2k]

The problem is that we enter many drafts with so few picks. This year is the same as the landry draft. We need to enter the draft with 6-7 picks and then trade up or trade down on BPA

[DWinzit]

We need to enter the draft with 6-7 picks and then trade up or trade down on BPA

Or how about entering a draft with more the full compliment..................Okay I know that's just crazy talk and asking for too much. It is horrible going into a draft with so many roster holes, you're up against the cap, the team needs an infusion of talented youth and only have 3-4 selections.

They have done a good job of finding trade down partners so they can accumulate more later round picks. The problem often has been the players selected. You used the 2007 draft as an example. Blades has been a good addition but what about Dallas Sartz, Jordan Palmer and Tyler Ecker? Did anyone seriously think Palmer would do anything?

[Thinking Skins]

So does this mean we're gonna try to trade Betts? What can we get for him?

[DWinzit]

With little depth and few draft choices the Redskins are a club that is going to have to lean on culling street free agents and the waiver market for younger players that can come in and fill a role for 2009.

One team that regularly has enjoyed good drafting and had luck in the UDFA market has been the Steelers. Similar to the Aldridge move it appears they too are searching for a Darren Sproles.

Steelers newest addition could be the next Darren Sproles

by Matt Pawlikowski, Pittsburgh Sports Examiner

PITTSBURGH - The Steelers appear to be making some moves in hopes of shoring up the one sore spot, if you could call it that on their roster, the return game.

While Gary Russell did a nice job on kickoffs averaging 23.2 on 16 returns, the best on punts was Santonio Homes who averaged just 6.6 a return. Add the two together and it means the Steelers offense had a lot of field to cover in 2008.

On Thursday, they added a CFL standout to the roster in Stefen Logan, who at 5- foot- 6, may seem like a longshot at best to make the team, but a player who is also intriguing and reminds many of San Diego's Darren Sproles, who also stands at 5-6.

Logan agreed to a two-year contract with the Steelers and is coming off a breakout year with the British Columbia Lions where many dubbed him as the most exciting player to watch in the CFL.

For full article - http://www.examiner.com/x-2703-Pittsburgh-Sports-Examiner~y2009m2d13-Steelers-newest-addition-could-be-the-next-Darren-Sproles

[DieselPwr44]

You have to make moves like these when your GM and owner continually hamstring the franchise.

Wish the League could exile Snyder and Vinny like MLB did Steinbrenner some years back............

[DWinzit]

You have to make moves like these when your GM and owner continually hamstring the franchise.

If only Snyder would divorce Vinny. You'd think a savvy business guy could see the obvious ineptness that surrounds his favorite byatch.

[addicted]

Moves to bring in talent like Aldridge are a good thing to do no matter how your season ended. In the 80's our scouting department was so good in the strike games we always were able to field winning competitive teams. In the old days the NFL draft was many more rounds then it is now. We had our homework done and selected contributing members of Superbowl winning teams from players picked after the 7th round almost every year. Every week Gibbs and company would be in the news about some player coming to tryout that week. Some guys we brought in were added to the team, most were not. But we were always looking to improve. We've always done this.

For every rookie that produces in the league there are 50 guys who don't. Our only problem with this is we aren't doing it enough. The organization needs to get more active and sign more players not just bring in a few. We need to look at it as if we are playing the odds. The more guys we bring in, the chances of finding a player like Chris Horton increases. We should right now be raiding the CFL for other players and grabbing cut players from other teams. Signing a player to a one year contract doesn't count against the cap and most of the money that the player signs for won't ever get the money unless they make the active roster. If we miss 19 out of 20 times but we find that one player like the Defensive NFL's MVP who was cut three times before latching on with the team for good we will be much the better for it. If we bring in one guy to compete for a job and that guy doesn't surpass the incumbant we are stuck with the same crappy players. If we bring in 4 guys for a position we will seperate the cream from the crop. We need to bring in an army of players and find some that are good. The more guys we bring in the more our chances improve of finding a good one.