stwasm Posted February 19, 2009 Share Posted February 19, 2009 Anyone who still believes the answer to this teams woes is benching Jason Campbell or acquiring Anquan Boldin or T.J. Houshmandzadeh needs to read this article. http://nfl.fanhouse.com/2009/02/18/washington-redskins-fix-the-sack-ratio The Redskins stormed out of the gate in Jim Zorn's first season as head coach, running their record to 6-2 at the halfway point. The second half of the season, unfortunately, was perfectly symmetrical -- they went 2-6 to finish 8-8. They could have won three of those games in best-case scenarios, but the best teams come through instead of talking about what could have been. The reality is that the Redskins only played a half-season in '08. Heading into the offseason, they don't have a ton of holes. Most weaknesses wouldn't be as glaring if they played in a different division. The problem is, the Giants, Eagles, and Cowboys don't appear to be getting substantially worse anytime soon. Overall, the Skins need much more improvement on the offensive side of the ball, but much of that could come through the development of youth in the passing game. They could use depth on defense to maintain their solid standing (4th in yards allowed, 6th in points allowed) as well. Unfortunately, they won't be able to do much building through the draft, because they coughed up several picks for the services of Jason Taylor -- which amounted to only 21 tackles 3.5 sacks in an injury-riddled campaign. Free Agents: Unrestricted - Ethan Albright, Ryan Boschetti, Khary Campbell, Demetric Evans, Jason Fabini, Alfred Fincher, Mike Green, DeAngelo Hall, Pete Kendall. Restricted - Reed Doughty, Justin Geisinger, Kedric Golston, Anthony Montgomery, Shaun Suisham, Rian Wallace. Needs 1a. Pass Protection - The Redskins play in a division with three of the top six sacking teams in the NFL. The Cowboys, Eagles, and Giants combined for 149 sacks in 2008, and none of them appear to be getting considerably worse on the pass rush front. The Redskins allowed 38 sacks themselves, in addition to numerous pressures on Jason Campbell. If one of the "big three" tackles -- Eugene Monroe, Jason Smith, Andre Smith -- falls to the Redskins on draft day, expect them to take this route. Grabbing a strong guard couldn't hurt, either, especially if they let Kendall walk. 1b. Pass Rush - Opposite of their NFC East counterparts, the 'Skins only sacked the quarterback 24 times in 2008. That's exactly half the sacks the Eagles had. More importantly, the three opposing quarterbacks -- Donovan McNabb, Tony Romo sits to pee, and Eli Manning -- must be pressured in order to be defeated. All three can look like All-World passers in the pocket if they have time to progress through their reads. All three also have a tendancy to be mistake-prone when under serious durress. Keeping Andre Carter isn't the answer. The Redskins have to find the personnel to really get after the passer. 2. Wide Receiver development - They drafted Devin Thomas and Malcolm Kelly last season with hopes they could compliment Santana Moss and slide Antwaan Randle-El into the slot -- where he really belongs. Neither Thomas nor Kelly showed great strides in 2008, but it's not often rookie receivers make a huge mark in the NFL. If they really believe in both young wideouts, they need to develop them. Having one playmaker outside is not near enough to keep the pressure off Clinton Portis and the running game. 4. Defensive backfield depth - LaRon Landry and Chris Horton are good safeties, but they could use a third man in the rotation, especially with how much run support safeties are expected to give in this rough division. At corner, Shawn Springs is turning 34 this year, and who couldn't use another lock-down guy anyway? 4. Linebacker depth - London Fletcher is getting a bit up there in years to be still manning the middle of the field in this physical division. They likely don't want to spend a ton of money here, but instead draft some depth in the later rounds for a possible outside linebacker in anticipation of Rocky McIntosh moving to the middle. 5. Kicker - Suisham was the worst kicker in the NFL last season. 6. Jason Campbell? Well, let's hear it Redskins fans. Here is the most polarizing figure on the team. He's shown flashes to give you the belief he's going to become a productive NFL quarterback, but he's yet to piece together a full season of consistent play. Personally, I think they should shore up everywhere else first, because he's got enough skill to lead a run-heavy offense -- while still mixing in the deep pass. With Zorn, a very adept quarterback coach, as his boss, every chance should be given for Campbell to blossom. Plus, they have Todd Collins as an able backup and Colt Brennan as the wild card should Campbell go down in flames this season. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
#98QBKiller Posted February 19, 2009 Share Posted February 19, 2009 1a & 1b are 100 percent correct....and IMO they could be interchanged. Look at Pittsburgh...horrible pass-protection, elite pass-rush and it got them a Lombardi. I'm not saying pass-protection isn't an issue but they're equally important IMO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dick Edds Posted February 19, 2009 Share Posted February 19, 2009 4. Defensive backfield depth - LaRon Landry and Chris Horton are good safeties, but they could use a third man in the rotation, especially with how much run support safeties are expected to give in this rough division. At corner, Shawn Springs is turning 34 this year, and who couldn't use another lock-down guy anyway? I think people are sleeping on Kareem Moore a little, I think this kid has all the physical tools to be a solid safety in this league (he's already shown good progress in special teams play). Just needs a little more time to develop. This is one area I would rate at the bottom of the list. Everything else is pretty spot on, IMO. Hail. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moondog Posted February 19, 2009 Share Posted February 19, 2009 I think people are sleeping on Kareem Moore a little, I think this kid has all the physical tools to be a solid safety in this league (he's already shown good progress in special teams play). Just needs a little more time to develop. This is one area I would rate at the bottom of the list. Everything else is pretty spot on, IMO. Hail. Agreed. I love me some Horton, but I think he is and incredibly hard worker and plays with emotion. I'm not sure he has the athletic ability and potential of Kareem Moore. I think if Moore continues to work he may take over the starting role, however, that three man rotation is extremely young, talented, and dedicated to getting better (based on their progression both individually and as a group last year imo). I'm excited about our safeties and their ability to potentially maximize on playmaking if we ever get a pass rush that forces some bad throws/quick decisions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chump Bailey Posted February 19, 2009 Share Posted February 19, 2009 Agree with the article 98% I don't like Todd Collins as the #2. I also like K. Moore and I like Green too for that matter. I'd keep him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eeyeats Posted February 19, 2009 Share Posted February 19, 2009 They likely don't want to spend a ton of money here, but instead draft some depth in the later rounds for a possible outside linebacker in anticipation of Rocky McIntosh moving to the middle. this was by far the most interesting part of the article, for me anyway. i have not heard this before. did anyone else know we were looking at moving rocky to MLB? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eljeasel Posted February 19, 2009 Share Posted February 19, 2009 this was by far the most interesting part of the article, for me anyway. i have not heard this before. did anyone else know we were looking at moving rocky to MLB? First Ive heard of it. I had always heard HB Blades being discussed as a potential successor to LFB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dark Acre Posted February 19, 2009 Share Posted February 19, 2009 You want sacks, draft the right DL. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pyro281 Posted February 19, 2009 Share Posted February 19, 2009 Free Agents: Unrestricted - Ethan Albright (signed), Ryan Boschetti (no thanks), Khary Campbell (maybe), Demetric Evans (only for the right price), Jason Fabini (no), Alfred Fincher (maybe), Mike Green (no), DeAngelo Hall (yes), Pete Kendall (maybe, I'm still undecided on whether I'd like the Redskins to keep him). Restricted - Reed Doughty (yes, good STer and good in run support), Justin Geisinger (only if no better option at C), Kedric Golston (yes), Anthony Montgomery (hell yes), Shaun Suisham (bring in competition), Rian Wallace (who?). Needs 4. Defensive backfield depth - LaRon Landry and Chris Horton are good safeties, but they could use a third man in the rotation, especially with how much run support safeties are expected to give in this rough division. At corner, Shawn Springs is turning 34 this year, and who couldn't use another lock-down guy anyway? -I may be in the minority, but I feel Doughty is a good run supporting safety, and thought he did well as SS. Even if Horton is better, Reed is good to have for depth and ST (If you disagree with having depth and ST players, you'd better advocate cutting Rock and Thrash too, at minimum) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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