Can't see the Forest Through the Trees (People advocating the neglecting of the trenches)

[skinny21]

i think our opening day oline was capable. add in good qb play and it gets even better.

as much as id like to add more playmakers though, our depth at oline is horrible, and we will probably need a starting left guard for next year.

a good thing about the ZBS is that not many teams run it, so in theory, it should be easier too upgrade oline positions and we should be able to find great fits in the 3 rounds and later.

imo, we will still have the ability to grab a playmaker in the early 2nd, while simultaneously upgrading the oline in later rounds. though, i think id pass up on a playmaker or olineman in the 2nd in lieu of a future replacement (Burfict, Te'o, Kuechly, Hightower) for Fletcher.

i agree.

I agree about MLB. It's possible we lose Both Fletcher and McIntosh next year. But to the OP, I'd be happy to take o-line from the 3rd on.

[Est.1974]

4) Unfortunately, CB may be a bigger need than we assumed going into this season. I don't think we have the firepower, draft-wise to address this year, but wouldn't be surprised if we spent a pick on CB if a total stud fell to us in the 2nd/3rd round.

I agree. We could be looking for a new starter for the 2013 season. Not sure our FO will pay top $$ in FA on a corner. And DHall's contract only looks viable for one more year, imo. It'll be better business to draft one in 2012 with a view to starting outright in 2013.

---------- Post added November-10th-2011 at 10:07 PM ----------

LL's contract will not be a problem.

I think it will be - His injury has screwed him for the last 12 months, and I don't think the FO will risk handing out serious guaranteed money on him. Plus, the franchise tag for safeties next year is projected to be about $9 million.

That could get ugly.

[Rabsuz]

LaRon is probably my favorite Redskin right now, I would be incredibly disappointed if he werent resigned. Who would we start in Landry's place? A 6th round rookie? Reed Doughty? LaRon is 26 and has proven he can be great, I say pay the man he is essential to this team and a real difference maker. He is a top safety in this league and should be payed like one, although I prefer he take a small contract obviously. Him and DeAngelo hall get way too much hate on this board and around the league in my opinion, although DeAngelo can get on my nerves at times.

[Win4us]

Count me in the must have OL in rounds 2-4 crowd. 100% agree that qb in the first is the way, followed by his RT and G (Lich's spot). About the ONLY way i wouldn't do all OL in rds 2-4 is unless there's a stud beast of a NT to be had in those rounds. This draft should be about our future qb and blockers though.

Also, what exactly defines a zone blocking scheme OL? We need to get bigger yet faster guys in the trenches to have a solid running game imho.

[bird_1972]

Count me in the must have OL in rounds 2-4 crowd. 100% agree that qb in the first is the way, followed by his RT and G (Lich's spot). About the ONLY way i wouldn't do all OL in rds 2-4 is unless there's a stud beast of a NT to be had in those rounds. This draft should be about our future qb and blockers though.

You're singin' my tune!

I think with our piss-poor run D, a NT is key. Too bad we need OL in the worst way, otherwise we could definitely address it.

[ThomasRoane]

I'm all about getting whatever QB falls into our laps at whatever spot the team ends up drafting in; best guess would be top 5 the way the season's going now. I'd rather not reach so the Line can be addressed. Offense first though this next year. As Jenkins should be back and healthy. The only thing I was disappointed with in Gibbs 2.0 is that he didn't insist that Vinny invest more in the O-Line. That was the key to success the first time around.

[stwasm]

It's a theme I'm seeing more and more around here, and I have to admit, it's somewhat disconcerting. People are rightfully advocating the drafting of a QB. I agree with that as I believe QB, OL and DL are the starting points for any team, and once those positions are filled with reasonable talent, you can move elsewhere.

But the next spots people want shored up are completely baffling to me. I see people wanting us to draft Trent Richardson, LeMichael James, Justin Blackmon, etc, etc, etc over linemen. Now, let me say this, Richardson and Blackmon are outstanding talents. Talents that, for all intents and purposes, would be an amazing luxury to have on this team. They are phenominal football players, so this isn't a knock on any of them. Many of the people who advocate drafting them are the same ones that think we're going to pull Ben Grubbs (Guard) and Carl Nicks (Guard) in free agency.

Let me be the first to say, as an OL guy, I'd be so excited with that free agency haul that I'd be on the verge of jumping up and down and throwing rose petals in the street while singing "Mary had a Little Lamb" at the top of my lungs and I'd be doing it sans clothing. If that were to happen, after quarterback, I'd be okay with a total BPA draft.

But what are the chances of actually landing the both of them?

It's extremely early, and we have a lot of time before the draft and a lot of stuff to clear up before we really know our strategy.

To Do List:

1) Finish the season - See where our draft pick will be

2) Formulate a draft board - Where does each player fall on our board

3) Negotiate with our own free agents - Fred Davis, Laron Landry, Will Montgomery, Kory Lichtensteiger, Rocky McIntosh, Rex Grossman, Kedric Golston, Adam Carriker among others are all free agents. I don't advocate resigning all of these guys, but some of them are key to a draft plan.

4) Negotiate with free agents around the league - This is where we look at the popular FA choices: Matt Flynn, Paul Soliai, Ben Grubbs, Carl Nicks, Dwayne Bowe (again, I don't necessarily like all these guys, just names I've seen appear on the forums quite often).

5) Draft

There's a TON of steps between now and the draft and what's a need now may become unneccessary once we're closer to draft time. A position that isn't a need now may become a need closer to draft time. We really have no way of knowing.

However, operating on a "what we have right now, at the moment" scale, how can anyone not believe we need offensive line help before we address any of the peripheral positions? Trent Richardson and Justin Blackmon are going to be studs in this league, and if we were to get an amazing FA haul, they'd be real assets to this team. But until our quarterback and line situation are resolved, they are a near complete non-entity as far as I'm concerned.

I like to look at it like this:

If I were starting an expansion team, what areas would I address first on my team... And for me its simple: Quarterback, offensive line, defensive line, MLB, one cover corner (and in that order) and then BPA at the rest of the positions.

There is a larger picture, its time to understand that a better line makes mediocre "skill" players look remarkably better.

The voice of reason FINALLY speaks in these parts!

[bird_1972]

The voice of reason FINALLY speaks in these parts!

BUT, what are you in favor of doing?

Do you belive that NT is a need?

[Son of Gadsden]

Nice thread. Good OP.

I think Shanahan feels the same way. We saw the undeniable weakest link of the team last year was the defense and distractions. McNabb and Haynesworth hit the road (and we somehow got compensation) and we shored up the D in free agency and the draft and got it from almost last in the league to 7th last i checked.

This year the obvious weak link is O line. Yeah, yeah, QB, WR, RB (though im convinced Helu is the man) are all problems, but they have been problems and need fixing eventually, but as you said, PATIENCE. I don't think anyone will argue that the O line is the worst. So i think Shanahan kills it on that this draft and/or free agency.

[NewCliche21]

Thank you, KDawg.

There's no doubt that we need a quarterback, a real one, and that our offensive line needs to be priorities two through six. No quarterback can throw from his ass and no running back can get through when your offensive linemen are trying to grind him.

I'm exhausted after a long week, so I'll try to edit this later to make it a worthwhile post. I do want to post now, though, to let you know how much I appreciate your perspective.

[pjfootballer]

I think it will be - His injury has screwed him for the last 12 months' date=' and I don't think the FO will risk handing out serious guaranteed money on him. Plus, the franchise tag for safeties next year is projected to be about $9 million.

That could get ugly.[/quote']

Yes, negotiations could get ugly, but I was referring to fitting his salary under the cap. We shaved off 33 million off the cap coming into this year and the cap went up. The free agents we signed were signed to cap friendly contracts (Bowen, Grossman, Cofield, etc.) That was what I was referring to.

[veteranskinsfan]

I would beef up the offensive line for sure either through the draft or through free-agency. There are linemen that have been coached well from other teams who have contracts expiring that we could also get if they are not good ones in the draft. You do not re-sign MacIntosh and you do not re-sign Rex Grossman. You can keep Beck and sign a veteran backup along with drafting your future quarterback. Allen and Shanny have their work cut out for them in the off season. They did well last year in the draft by trading down. This year they cannot afford to make mistakes in this draft-we have a lot of holes to fill on this team. Heyer played well in the Raiders victory against the Chargers on Thursday night. For so many years we let players go who we think cannot do well and then they turn around with their next team and improve. It was frustrating years ago to lose a veteran lineman to the 49ers. Fans do need to appreciate and value linemen better and our fans should remember how critical the Hogs were to our Super Bowl wins.

[KDawg]

I have to wonder, do people still want to pick other peripheral positions in the draft if there are quality linemen available? (Aside from a QB, as I stated several times you need a QB and a line to be a functional franchise).

[Chump Bailey]

I have to wonder, do people still want to pick other peripheral positions in the draft if there are quality linemen available? (Aside from a QB, as I stated several times you need a QB and a line to be a functional franchise).

I don't and believe we did just that in the 2011 draft to an exent. I agree with your philosophy and it seems quite obvious for success. My only exception aside from QB for this draft would be FS.

[KDawg]

I agree with your philosophy and it seems quite obvious for success.

Does it? I mean, you have to wonder why football people, who are professionals, don't see that but we do. Perhaps Shanahan does, in fact, I'm guessing he and Bruce certainly do, but how many other coaches failed due to a lack of understanding that? Perhaps it was all on Cerrato, and up until recently, Snyder. But its still mind boggling how a bunch of forum goers can understand that.

[Chump Bailey]

Does it? I mean, you have to wonder why football people, who are professionals, don't see that but we do. Perhaps Shanahan does, in fact, I'm guessing he and Bruce certainly do, but how many other coaches failed due to a lack of understanding that? Perhaps it was all on Cerrato, and up until recently, Snyder. But its still mind boggling how a bunch of forum goers can understand that.

Unfortunately Cerrato's POV on OL/DL is shared by more GM's than I care to imagine.

The Giants are a great example of your take Dawg IMO. They always draft who I want the Redskins to without fail and the emphasis is OL & DL. For example, William Beatty & Linval Joseph would be Redskins if the decision were mine. The 49ers drafted two OL in the 1st round two years ago IIRC and that is working out quite well for them. They also have Alex Boone who they signed as a UFA for peanuts when I was screaming for VC to draft him. You cannot win without good line play on both sides and even the most football ignorant should realize that.

[stwasm]

BUT, what are you in favor of doing?

Do you belive that NT is a need?

We currently don't have one on the d-line who can generate a consistent pass rush. We have problems across the board. Frankly, I think it was a mistake to abandon the 4-3 in favor of the 3-4. When I read about Andre Carter's 4.5 sacks, I just get sick and think about the fact he could be doing that here.

[authentic]

Do you belive that NT is a need?

Yes, i do!!!! Cofield is good, but i've been saying for the past 4 weeks that he's out of position, and gets manhandled vs the run. What i would do in the offseason, is allow Cofield to be a rotational DE, and aquire a real NT.

[Rocky21]

This organization hasn't valued the offensive line position in two full decades.

And not only have we sucked because of it but if there is any fanbase in the entire NFL that would appreciate spending valuable resources on linemen it's the guys and gals who rooted for the Hogs for all those years.

I can't believe what a cluster **** this proud franchise has become.

[pjfootballer]

We had so many holes last year I think it was imperative to go in diifferent directions in the draft after acquiring 6 more picks and having 12 picks overall. Hopefully this year, we can target certain areas to bolster. QB, OL, NT and ILB are probably the most areas of need with CB right behind.