freakofthesouth Posted March 9, 2005 Share Posted March 9, 2005 Here’s my perspective on the recent ‘big names’ that we lost in FA: The two major ones, Pierce and Smoot, are obviously defensive movements- and Greg Williams allowed this to happen KNOWING that he can deal w/ it.. After an intense training camp last year, and an injury-prone defensive roster, we still ended up w/ the 3rd ranked defense in the league. And that’s w/ a terrible offense. Moreover, I have to believe that the Coles movement was for a very, very good reason if we decided to absorb 9 million in cap penalties. We can blame the lack of offensive attack on many things: the QB carousel, the offensive line injuries and woes…the list goes on. We do have to add to this list, however, the notion of a ‘locker room cancer’. We’ve all seen it w/ teams before. And there is a lot of action that happens behind the scenes, that we don’t read about, or hear about. Therefore, I have to believe that Coles was doing something that was affecting the team. Where was our team weakest last season? The passing game. It all starts w/ your #1 guy, IMO. So, to weigh it out: We lost: -a disgruntled malcontent receiver that cancered our passing game…and he had a bad toe. -a great MLB in Pierce that Williams basically gave birth to; who’s to say we don’t have another in our roster (cough! Marshall! Cough, cough!) that can fill these shows at a much lower price. -a solid team player that played w/ heart as a smallish cornerback…again, we have depth here, and w/ Williams focusing on utilizing each players’ strengths, there is no real need here. We gained/still have: -a speedy, young receiver that could spark not only the aerial attack, but also our special teams… -an older, wiser, vet of a receiver that is fresh from 3 rings in four years. Way to bring in the winning attitude there, Gibbs. -an offensive line that recently resigned an amazing talent in Samuels, who is sure to improve in year two; a returning-from-injury complimentary bookend tackle that would have been the leader of the line last season; and a fantastic talent now in the center of the line w/ Rabach, who will surely anchor the interior protection. -we also have this running back named Clinton Portis. If there is any doubting him, simply go back to some game film (Zebfilm) and watch some of the runs he created form nothing last season. This guy is gonna be the beneficiary of the restored offensive line. -lastly, Joe Gibbs is our head coach folks. Joe Gibbs. Not Dan Snyder. These moves, and these things are all happening for a reason. Everyone is freaking out this offseason, and rightly so, because we aren’t making splashes this year. We’re almost draining the water from that pool, if you can imagine the metaphor. This media backlash is absolutely ridiculous: when the Skins pick up big names, the papers say, ‘here we go again. Snyder tries to buy another championship.’ And now, that we are establishing continuity, they papers are even angrier. It’s quite a distraction. And the Skins’ organization thinks so, too, revoking all of those season tickets. Joe Gibbs is finding ‘core players’. This team improved dramatically last season; I’m not sure if anyone remembers this or not. We will have a great team next season. All this is the way it is supposed to be. ~Freak Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
atloldskin Posted March 9, 2005 Share Posted March 9, 2005 Nice post. I agree. Note that not one Redskin has mentioned or questioned the decisions on re-signing these guys (other than Pierce). That tells me something right there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SKINtil8tin Posted March 9, 2005 Share Posted March 9, 2005 Good post to keep some of us from going insane. I have faith in Gibbs and Williams - it's just hard to see where we are going so early in the off-season. Losing these key guys can be stomached - this last one with Smoot is a hard one though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terpfan Posted March 9, 2005 Share Posted March 9, 2005 I agree with most of your points, but I'm getting sick of the "core redskins" junk. If Smoot and Pierce aren't "core redskins" than who is. Who would of thought Coles wasn't a core redskin? Who's going to be a core redskin next year? I'm not sure these "core redskins" really exist... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freakofthesouth Posted March 9, 2005 Author Share Posted March 9, 2005 Originally posted by terpfan I agree with most of your points, but I'm getting sick of the "core redskins" junk. If Smoot and Pierce aren't "core redskins" than who is. Who would of thought Coles wasn't a core redskin? Who's going to be a core redskin next year? I'm not sure these "core redskins" really exist... Bacially, it means the people that want to play here are not the poeple that are bent on finding a bigger payday elsewhere. How can they be team players when this is what's most important to them? The Coles thing, IMO, is a lot more complex than we are being let on. He was bringing a lot of baggage w/ him. Honestly, I believe they will all be upset when the Skins make a run in the playoffs w/o them next season. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iheartskins Posted March 9, 2005 Share Posted March 9, 2005 Good thread FotN (or should I say FotS )--I hope more people tune in here and take note of a healthy balanced perspective. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GangstaSkinz Posted March 9, 2005 Share Posted March 9, 2005 Great post. Its good to hear others are optomistic about the coaching staff and its decisions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TXREDSKINS44 Posted March 9, 2005 Share Posted March 9, 2005 Good Post!!! We need more positive threads!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terpfan Posted March 9, 2005 Share Posted March 9, 2005 Originally posted by freakofthenorth Bacially, it means the people that want to play here are not the poeple that are bent on finding a bigger payday elsewhere. How can they be team players when this is what's most important to them? The Coles thing, IMO, is a lot more complex than we are being let on. He was bringing a lot of baggage w/ him. Honestly, I believe they will all be upset when the Skins make a run in the playoffs w/o them next season. But how many of these guys are Coles/Smoot/Pierce's waiting to happen? I don't know, I guess the whole idea has kind of soured on me this offseason. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zallera Posted March 9, 2005 Share Posted March 9, 2005 Originally posted by terpfan I agree with most of your points, but I'm getting sick of the "core redskins" junk. If Smoot and Pierce aren't "core redskins" than who is. Who would of thought Coles wasn't a core redskin? Who's going to be a core redskin next year? I'm not sure these "core redskins" really exist... How about Jansen, Arrington (who could've made a much bigger stink about his contract), Thrash, Samuels, Randy Thomas, Cooley, Griffin, Noble, Salava'e, and Springs? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TaylorPickSix Posted March 9, 2005 Share Posted March 9, 2005 Good post man, thanks. I needed that. However, I think our 1st round pick needs to be a trade down + CB or MLB now. We cannot afford the luxury of a first round WR. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terpfan Posted March 9, 2005 Share Posted March 9, 2005 Originally posted by zallera How about Jansen, Arrington (who could've made a much bigger stink about his contract), Thrash, Samuels, Randy Thomas, Cooley, Griffin, Noble, Salava'e, and Springs? So? They are all good players who are still on the team? How are they different from Smoot or Pierce? They are still here, thats it. Smoot and Pierce said all the right things, and now they arent here. I just have no faith that these guys are different. What I'm saying is you just work with what you have. In the free agency era, apprently, there is no way to keep a bunch of "core" guys together, and thats frustrating. Especially when these core guys are also team leaders and fan favorites. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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