Fantasy Football Approaches
The fantasy football magazines should be hitting the stands in full force this month. Who are the best fantasy prospects for the Redskins? Let me run through the offensive starters and key players.
Laveranues Coles - est. 1400 yds, 9-10 TDs; he'll have a bigger year in Gibbs' offense (3rd round)
Rod Gardner - est. 900 yds, 6 TDs; Gardner will also have a bigger year but not huge (a late round pick)
James Thrash - est. 400 yds, 1-2 TDs (do not draft)
Darnerian McCants - est. 200 yds, 3 TDs; McCants' red zone TDs will likely give way to Portis rushing them in (do not draft)
Clinton Portis - est. 1700 yds rushing/receiving, 15 TDs (a mid-1st rd pick)
Mark Brunell - est. 2400 yds passing, 16 TDs/7 INTs; I see Brunell missing about 1/3 of the games due to injury (draft as 3rd QB)
Patrick Ramsey - est. 1100 yds passing, 6 TDs, 4 INTs subbing for Brunell
Chris Cooley - est 200 yds, 2 TDs; not worth drafting
John Hall - impossible to gauge
My guess is that the new look Redskins will probably get off to a fast start to the season. They can catch teams by surprise with Gibbs' new wrinkles. As more game footage on the Skins collects over time, teams will be able to adjust and game-plan better. If Brunell is especially hot, evaluate the option to trade him mid-season when he has peak value.
What about the Redskins defense? As a scoring defense, I don't see anything out of the ordinary, especially lacking an intimidating line up front. A strong line causing mayhem forces more turnovers and scoring opportunities.
Sunday, July 11, 2004
Monday, May 10, 2004
Sean Taylor was absolutely the right choice for the Redskins. Kellen Winslow II was the only other possibly candidate but the fact that the Redskins drafted Chris Cooley (who had an outstanding college career) as their H-back of the future should be more than adequate. If Taylor can have the same impact that Cowboys safety Roy Williams has had in his first two years, or that Ed Reed (Taylor's predecessor at Miami) is having, then the Redskins are in phenomenal shape.
The decision on Taylor over Winslow was summarized eloquently by Joe Gibbs. Taylor will be able to help to the team in more ways. I am not only glad because of Taylor's better fit but also because of Winslow's immaturity. If Taylor lives up to his potential, he can affect every defensive snap.
1. Taylor is that defensive stopper that should nullify the Shockeys and Chad Lewises of the world.
2. Taylor allows SS Matt Bowens to play closer to the line to often put 8 men in the box to stop the run.
3. He's also that presence that should provide the coverage support over the top for Smoot and Springs, making up for the loss of Champ Bailey. From what I've read, he's more of a ballhawk than the rest of the secondary so having Taylor available to run the ball back the other way is exactly what the defense (and the offense) needs.
Now the Redskins biggest need is a pass-rushing threat at DE. If the DE's don't provide enough pressure, it will be up to Arrington and/or Washington to do so.
The decision on Taylor over Winslow was summarized eloquently by Joe Gibbs. Taylor will be able to help to the team in more ways. I am not only glad because of Taylor's better fit but also because of Winslow's immaturity. If Taylor lives up to his potential, he can affect every defensive snap.
1. Taylor is that defensive stopper that should nullify the Shockeys and Chad Lewises of the world.
2. Taylor allows SS Matt Bowens to play closer to the line to often put 8 men in the box to stop the run.
3. He's also that presence that should provide the coverage support over the top for Smoot and Springs, making up for the loss of Champ Bailey. From what I've read, he's more of a ballhawk than the rest of the secondary so having Taylor available to run the ball back the other way is exactly what the defense (and the offense) needs.
Now the Redskins biggest need is a pass-rushing threat at DE. If the DE's don't provide enough pressure, it will be up to Arrington and/or Washington to do so.
Tuesday, March 16, 2004
ESPN.com - NFL - Sources: Settlement reached, Owens to Eagles
Dang. This makes it infinitely tougher on the Redskins. Now the Eagles' biggest deficiency has been upgraded with a major plus.
The Redskins have to hope that Springs' size and physicality lets him match up well with TO. If so, he would fare much better than Champ Bailey, the finesse CB. Bailey had major problems with David Boston, a big, muscular, and fast receiver in the same mold.
The New Look Redskins
WR: Coles
LT: Samuels
LG: Fiore/Dockery
C: Friedman/Raymer
RG: Thomas
RT: Jansen
QB: Brunell
FB: Johnson/Cartwright
RB: Portis
TE: Rasby
WR: Gardner
DE: Wynn
DT: Griffin
DT: Haley/Noble
DE: Daniels
LB: Washington
LB: Short (Trotter likely to be released)
LB: Arrington
CB: Springs
CB: Smoot
SS: Taylor (Sean, from the draft)
FS: Bowen
For the most part, the re-tooled offense is the same with Brunell and Portis as the new faces in the key positions. Although it's a new offensive scheme, Rasby and Raymer bring familiarity back into the fold.
With the star power of Coles, Rod Gardner saw his production drop off significantly. The Redskins could certainly stand to upgrade the position. Gardner is not as strong or fast enough to scare anyone. This will be a critical year for Gardner (and possibly his contract year) to show that he belongs. If he has another 600-800 yard season, he'll be considered a 3rd-tier receiver. With all the star receivers in the draft, the Skins should give serious consideration to plucking Larry Fitzgerald if he inexplicably falls that far.
The defense, on the other hand, is significantly revamped. Griffin and Noble hopefully provide the force in the middle that disappeared when Daryl Gardener left town. The highly touted LB corps never lived up to its billing, mostly due to revolving coaching staffs. Nevertheless, Trotter has been a disappointment and with all the LBs visiting Redskins Park, is sure to be released in coming weeks.
Wednesday, March 03, 2004
Champ Bailey is gone.
Clinton Portis is here.
Mark Brunell is here.
Bruce Smith is gone.
Jessie Armstead is gone.
As Len Pasquarelli of ESPN notes, Snyder is at it again during the offseason. He calls it the Summer Bowl. Every offseason it sounds exciting and all Skins fans have much reason for optimism.
Brunell vs. Ramsey
The irony of Brunell is that the Redskins had an opportunity to pursue him two years ago instead of going with Shane Matthews, Wuerffel, and drafting Ramsey.
The benching of Ramsey isn't official but Brunell's money is too high for a backup. That said, I strongly disagree with Gibb's decision to not go with Ramsey as his undisputed starter. It is clear that Ramsey has the smarts, arm strength, and toughness to succeed. Playing in a run-first offense, Ramsey would grow and lead the team to victory. Playing behind Brunell, Ramsey's growth will be severely stunted.
Bailey vs. Portis
I also disagree with the decision to not try to keep Bailey. As has been discussed in several articles regarding the trade, shutdown cornerbacks are much harder to come by than premiere running backs. Assuming he stays healthy, Ladell Betts could potentially flourish in Gibbs' offense.
The Broncos came out of the trade exceedingly well. Olandis Gary had a 1000 yard year but hasn't done anything since leaving Denver. Quentin Griffin is waiting in the wings to run for 1200 yards behind the Broncos O-line. The Broncos also have Mike Anderson. Now they also have Bailey, one of the top 3 CBs in the league, and an additional 2nd round draft pick.
My Skins GM Moves
Rather than spend big dollars for Brunell and Portis, I would have stayed the course with Ramsey and Betts, keeping Bailey, and spending free agency money to lure Jevon Kearse and Ted Washington.
Clinton Portis is here.
Mark Brunell is here.
Bruce Smith is gone.
Jessie Armstead is gone.
As Len Pasquarelli of ESPN notes, Snyder is at it again during the offseason. He calls it the Summer Bowl. Every offseason it sounds exciting and all Skins fans have much reason for optimism.
Brunell vs. Ramsey
The irony of Brunell is that the Redskins had an opportunity to pursue him two years ago instead of going with Shane Matthews, Wuerffel, and drafting Ramsey.
The benching of Ramsey isn't official but Brunell's money is too high for a backup. That said, I strongly disagree with Gibb's decision to not go with Ramsey as his undisputed starter. It is clear that Ramsey has the smarts, arm strength, and toughness to succeed. Playing in a run-first offense, Ramsey would grow and lead the team to victory. Playing behind Brunell, Ramsey's growth will be severely stunted.
Bailey vs. Portis
I also disagree with the decision to not try to keep Bailey. As has been discussed in several articles regarding the trade, shutdown cornerbacks are much harder to come by than premiere running backs. Assuming he stays healthy, Ladell Betts could potentially flourish in Gibbs' offense.
The Broncos came out of the trade exceedingly well. Olandis Gary had a 1000 yard year but hasn't done anything since leaving Denver. Quentin Griffin is waiting in the wings to run for 1200 yards behind the Broncos O-line. The Broncos also have Mike Anderson. Now they also have Bailey, one of the top 3 CBs in the league, and an additional 2nd round draft pick.
My Skins GM Moves
Rather than spend big dollars for Brunell and Portis, I would have stayed the course with Ramsey and Betts, keeping Bailey, and spending free agency money to lure Jevon Kearse and Ted Washington.
Monday, January 19, 2004
The Offseason
Philadelphia Eagles
I'll take this time to speculate about non-Redskins for a moment.
The Eagles lost the NFC Championship for the third year in a row. Where the Eagles failed has long been their weakness, namely, that their receivers can be blanketed with single coverage, allowing for free blitzers to pressure McNabb.
The Eagles other weakness was their propensity to allow huge running lanes for opposing running backs.
When it comes to the offseason, the obvious fit is a big name receiver like Terrell Owens. Keyshawn Johnson is also available but TO is a much better fit because he shifts coverages. Keyshawn is a possession receiver. At his age, Keyshawn is a complementary second receiver but not the breakout wideout the Birds need.
The Eagles also need to deal with Bobby Taylor and Troy Vincent departing. The Skins will put the franchise tag on Champ Bailey and the Ravens will do the same with Chris McAlister. From what I've seen, the Eagles don't have a bad one in third CB Lito Sheppard and if they can keep either Taylor or Vincent, they'd be in decent shape for their secondary since they still have Brian Dawkins. It will definitely be an interesting offseason to see how the Eagles team takes form next year.
Running Backs
Stephen Davis and Deshaun Foster pose an interesting scenario. Likely, the situation will continue for one more year while Davis' cap number is manageable and Foster is content to play his role. However, Foster will get even more carries next year and his apprenticeship will be over. Even if Davis doesn't get injured next year, he'll be giving up playing time to Foster and by the season after that, they'll be cutting him. It's too bad because these next two seasons would be prime playing time for Davis to come back to the Redskins if he saw the writing on the wall. Perhaps a trade would be do-able but at the same time, Davis will be 30 this year.
Corey Dillon will demand big bucks and attract a lot of attention. He will also be 30 this year and both the Cowboys and the Skins will be suitors for his services. However, he is not a free agent either and would also need to be acquired via a trade.
Impending RB free agents are Duce Staley, Correll Buckhalter (restricted), Stacey Mack, Dominic Rhodes (restricted), Rudi Johnson (restricted and sure to be retained over Dillon), Troy Hambrick, Doug Chapman, Thomas Jones, and Kevan Barlow (restricted). Of those on this list, none of them are elite backs. Rudi Johnson and Barlow are the best of the bunch but both will likely be made restrictive qualifying offers from their respective teams.
The wild card for the Redskins is Ladell Betts. The fact that he didn't stay healthy this year does not bode well for him but he has shown glimpses of speed and power. If he could stay healthy, he would fit Gibbs' prototypical back profile.
Philadelphia Eagles
I'll take this time to speculate about non-Redskins for a moment.
The Eagles lost the NFC Championship for the third year in a row. Where the Eagles failed has long been their weakness, namely, that their receivers can be blanketed with single coverage, allowing for free blitzers to pressure McNabb.
The Eagles other weakness was their propensity to allow huge running lanes for opposing running backs.
When it comes to the offseason, the obvious fit is a big name receiver like Terrell Owens. Keyshawn Johnson is also available but TO is a much better fit because he shifts coverages. Keyshawn is a possession receiver. At his age, Keyshawn is a complementary second receiver but not the breakout wideout the Birds need.
The Eagles also need to deal with Bobby Taylor and Troy Vincent departing. The Skins will put the franchise tag on Champ Bailey and the Ravens will do the same with Chris McAlister. From what I've seen, the Eagles don't have a bad one in third CB Lito Sheppard and if they can keep either Taylor or Vincent, they'd be in decent shape for their secondary since they still have Brian Dawkins. It will definitely be an interesting offseason to see how the Eagles team takes form next year.
Running Backs
Stephen Davis and Deshaun Foster pose an interesting scenario. Likely, the situation will continue for one more year while Davis' cap number is manageable and Foster is content to play his role. However, Foster will get even more carries next year and his apprenticeship will be over. Even if Davis doesn't get injured next year, he'll be giving up playing time to Foster and by the season after that, they'll be cutting him. It's too bad because these next two seasons would be prime playing time for Davis to come back to the Redskins if he saw the writing on the wall. Perhaps a trade would be do-able but at the same time, Davis will be 30 this year.
Corey Dillon will demand big bucks and attract a lot of attention. He will also be 30 this year and both the Cowboys and the Skins will be suitors for his services. However, he is not a free agent either and would also need to be acquired via a trade.
Impending RB free agents are Duce Staley, Correll Buckhalter (restricted), Stacey Mack, Dominic Rhodes (restricted), Rudi Johnson (restricted and sure to be retained over Dillon), Troy Hambrick, Doug Chapman, Thomas Jones, and Kevan Barlow (restricted). Of those on this list, none of them are elite backs. Rudi Johnson and Barlow are the best of the bunch but both will likely be made restrictive qualifying offers from their respective teams.
The wild card for the Redskins is Ladell Betts. The fact that he didn't stay healthy this year does not bode well for him but he has shown glimpses of speed and power. If he could stay healthy, he would fit Gibbs' prototypical back profile.
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