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Akh’s Thoughts Post Mortem 2011
It was another dark and stormy season…..
The Post mortem:
Autopsy:
Primary cause of death: This one is pretty obvious: this season was over when a Shanahan decided that Rex Grossman and John Beck, in some sort of combination, would have at least a decent chance to provide some decent QB play. While the passing yards was decent, the 30 turnovers, 42 sacks and 108 QB hits between them was just too much for the offense(and team) to overcome. And the saddest part was that this disaster was completely avoidable. Grossman was a UFA, Beck could have been replaced for minimal cost(and replaced with a young QB with, you know, “potential”). The skins could have throw a flyer trade offer or contract to any number of available QBs(Orton, Fitzpatrick, Hasselbeck, Garcia, god help me but Favre, Leinart, etc etc) who aren’t the known quantity that Grossman was. Instead, the skins offered Grossman a multi-year deal(which he declined, supposedly due to the “competition” against John Beck) and the 2011 season was officially lost. Hopefully this won’t end up like Groundhog’s day, where next season it’ll be Rex Grossman+crappy QB in the skins backfield….again. The Redskins 2011 season should have reinforced for everyone that the league now is about the QB position. If you have someone reliably decent(at the minimum) there and can disrupt the opposing QB with regularity, you’re going to win more then you’re going to lose. And no matter the talent you have around them, if your QB is terrible, your team is going to be also. Until this issue is fixed, it doesn’t matter how many Hankersons or Kerrigan that the skins find.
Secondary cause: For the 16 or so million that the skins spent on Bowen, Cofield and Chester just this year, they could have had: Harvey Dahl(4.5 million), Aubrayo Franklin(4 million), Cullen Jenkins(4.8 million) and enough money to replace DeAngelo Hall with Johnathan Joseph. While Bowen showed some pass rush ability, he(and Cofield) were disasters against the run. Chester was the only OLman who stayed in his position for all 16 games, but it should be beyond clear that the skins paid a lot of money for a bad placeholder and the RG position still needs to be upgraded. Despite any claims to the contrary, the skins have no one to blame for the lack of Oline depth on anyone other than themselves. They chose to pass on any number of potential draftees, often for players who didn’t contribute or where positions that they didn’t need additional players at.
Secondary cause: The final major cause of death that I would like to explore was the attitude that the skins carried throughout the season. From the start of training camp, even after the loss against the Vikings: the skins players were more concerned about puffing up their potential and play, no matter what happened leading up to the comments. After bad losses, there were plenty of comments about how the team “could beat anyone and they just had bad luck etc etc”. I have no problem with irrational confidence players, all teams need that cockiness at times…on the field. The problem is that the team alternated between cockiness and bitterness off of it, and showed very little fight or pride when they got punched in the nose on it. This matters because if the players and coaches think that the problem was bad luck or the refs giving them no respect or that they can beat anyone regardless of how bad they were embarrassed then what they’re not thinking about is fixing the obvious problems during and after the season. Also, this leads to the Reed Doughty fallacy: blindly choosing Vets over younger players because you’re more concerned with players who supposedly won’t make mistakes like a younger player could-no matter how many glaring mistakes that the Vet is actually making on the field. Hankerson, Helu and Perry Riley should have been playing from day 1. The players ahead of them weren’t producing nearly as well and all three of them made almost immediate impacts when given the playing time. If you listen to Mike Shanahan, it sounds like the death of the season was his failure of not getting enough depth to survive suspensions or injuries. At the most generous analysis of the roster, the skins need 7-8 new starters before they can even think about depth.
A final comment on the season: why was this disaster a surprise to anyone? Even after they started 3-1, it should have been clear that a team who struggled badly to beat the Rams and the Cards(with Kolb at the helm, one of the worst teams in the NFL) wasn’t one that was going to be a threat to make the playoffs. The shipwreck in the middle of the season, both attributable to Grossman and Beck’s play, totally destroyed any remaining hopes for a positive season. While the skins did find some keepers for the future, heading out of the season there seems to be more question marks then there were heading into it. Make no mistake, the 2012 offseason is as important an offseason for this franchise as any in recent history. The skins have to salvage something from this season, even if that means treating 2012 and 13 as lost seasons so that they can dump all the dead wood from this team and actually starting the rebuild around a young potential franchise QB.
What I got right:
*The Red zone offense would be terrible(27th in the NFL)
*Kerrigan would struggle in coverage and against the run. He also exceeded my expectations as a rusher.
*Josh Wilson would be a good signing
*no depth on this team.
* “One theme you’re going to see a ton of this season is constantly changing players on the field” Some of this was due to injury, but the musical chairs at RB started before anyone got hurt.
*4 wins when everyone else was predicting 8+.
* “the central issue for the Skins throughout the season: what are they getting from the QB spot.” How many games were lost due to the QB failing in critical quotes.
* “(if I’m facing the redskins)I want the skins to spread out with WRs and get rid of blitz help on the line so I can get into Beck/Grossman’s face as much as possible(especially Grossman, who’s famous for panicking under pressure)—even if it means leaving the defense open to draws” The skins rarely ran any draws and Grossman made a lot of mental mistakes when rushed.
What I got wrong:
· Markus White would come out of nowhere to be a starter
· Erik Cook should start
· The Dline would be an area of optimism
· Ryan Kerrigan would struggle as an edge rusher
· Atogwe would be the best signing of the offseason
· “I have them winning 4 games: Carolina, Arizona, Buffalo(but they could give the Skins trouble) and Dallas at home.”
· “The 2011 Redskins will do one thing well: stop the run.” They were lower middle of the pack
Final grades:
QB:
Rex Grossman: F. Bad enough that he was giving away the ball almost 2 times a game, but while he showed some ability to move the ball, the red zone play was poor and he took too many bad sacks(and made it much worse by scrambling backwards when pressed). Bring him back? Oh hell no.
John Beck: F. Its easy to look at his stat and just criticize him for taking an ungodly amount of sacks, but its clear why the league thought little of him. He’s a waste of roster/cap space. And I fully expect Shanny to run a whisper campaign against him in an attempt to blame him for the failures of the offense. Bring him back: Oh hell no part 2.
Rb:
Tim Hightower: C. Ran hard at times, and didn’t fumble. But his production was so-so until he blew out his knee. Bring him back: Maybe, not for anything more then a 1 year deal.
Roy Helu: B. Shanny knows RBs, you can’t take that away from him. Helu, when he started and worked into the offense, showed flashes of being another overlooked RB steal in the mold of Ray Rice/Clinton Portis. He needs to work on his pass blocking though. Bring him back? He should be the starter next year.
Ryan Torain: D. Are we sure he’s not Ladell Betts in witness protection? Bring him back? Nope. Not with Helu and Royster’s emergence.
Evan Royster: B. Why was he sitting all this time again? Bring him back: absolutely.
Darrell Young: C. Started to contribute in the passing game, I haven’t been overwhelmed by his blocking.
Mike Sellers: D-. Lost his FB job, rarely played on offense and contributed on ST. Bring him back? Not at 1.1 million when cutting him could save over 800k.
WR/TE:
Santana Moss: C-. Yes, he was hurt for 4 games, but his production is declining. His yards per game dropped off a cliff and his YAC dropped off an even steeper one: he was 7th in the NFL in 2010 in YAC(29th in 2009). Moss was 112th in the NFL in yards after the catch(133rd in ypc). Bring him back? Even putting aside my previous thoughts/opinions of him, Moss is owed 5 million next year and it would save 400k to dump him.
Jabar Gaffney B-. He’s still not going to scare any good CB, but he showed this year that he can be a chain mover(50 first downs). Bring him back: At 2.6 million, I would.
Leonard Hankerson: INC This must have been a frustrating year for the rookie. He got deep into Shanny’s doghouse early and he only got 1 start after emerging from it(while showing a lot against a good pair of CBs). Bring him back? He should be the X starter next year.
Niles Paul: C-. A special teamer essentially, but why they wouldn’t bring him in for dedicated fly routes and instead tried it with Moss/Gaffney is beyond me. Bring him back? Sure, but if he doesn’t show anything he’s gone.
Terrance Austin: D. This should have been his year to take the next step and he didn’t do it. Bring him back? Nah, I’d rather dump him for another flyer pick at WR.
Donte Stallworth: C. Came on as a WR late, he could still contribute, but I think that the numbers crunch makes him a STer again. Bring him back? Nope.
Anthony Armstrong: D. Got lost in the WR shuffle, never got back into the good graces enough to contribute. Bring him back? I would, but the team probably won’t.
Brandon Banks: D. Outside of a couple returns and that pass in the Pats’ game, he didn’t make nearly the impact he did in 2010. He did lead the league in kickoff return yardage, but that’s probably because he had the most kickoff returns in the league. Bring him back? No, if Niles Paul can’t handle this role, find a rookie who can burn.
Fred “Chong” Davis: B-/C+. Couldn’t decide, on one hand he did take that big leap forward as a player, but the pot issues and only taking this leap when he’s in a contract year weight heavily on him. Bring him back? I’d offer him the same contract Kevin Boss got from the Raiders: 4 years, 16 million. If someone wants to fund his hydroponics better, knock yourself out.
Logan Paulsen: C-. Decent blocking, couldn’t contribute in the passing game. Bring him back: Meh, only if I couldn’t find a young TE.
Chris Cooley: D. Injuries and the emergence of Davis depressed his play/role with the skins. But with Chong’s issues, Cooley might be indispensable. Bring him back? Sure, even at 6 million.
OL:
Trent “Cheech” Williams: B-. There were games where he single handedly dominated his defender and there were games when he was a walking disaster. Williams has talent, there’s zero denying that. But even before the pot allegations, its clear that he has no consistency. Bring him back? I wouldn’t. Now’s the time to cash him in.
Jammal Brown: C+. When healthy, he was a solid, reliable OT. The problem is that his groin is made of glass. Bring him back? He’s cheap enough to suffer his issues…maybe
Chris Chester: F+. 25 million flushed down the toilet. Terrible run blocker. In the future, don’t sign starting OLmen from well run teams who don’t have a replacement in house. Bring him back? I’m going to have to insist that he’s burned for witchcraft, sorry.
Will Montgomery: A. One of the few bright spots on the offense. He took control of that OC spot and locked own what had been an ulcer for years. Bring him back? I’d sign him to an extension now before a smart team lures him away.
Kory Lictensteiger: B. He was coming on well until he blew out his knee. I have no ide how long before he’ll be close to that form. Bring him back? Sure, but don’t break the bank.
Erik Cook: F. I thought he should get a look over Rabach, turns out that he can’t handle a 0 DT. Bring him back? Nope.
Maurice Hurt: D. Pressed into duty with so many injuries, he showed a few flashes, but otherwise looked lost, especially in pass protection. Bring him back? Nope.
Willie Smith: B+. Another rookie pressed into duty due to issues. Smith held his own against some good pass rushers. Well enough for trading Williams and rolling with Smith+young OT to be on the table imo. Bring him back? Absolutely.
Sean Locklear: F. A waste of space. Bring him back? Oh hell no.
Tyler Polumbus: B. Limited duty, but he showed that he can be a competent spot starter at RT. Bring him back: absolutely.
DL:
Adam Carriker: B-. Decent season, especially in the pass rush. Held the point decently at DE. Bring him back? Yes, but not for a ton.
Stephen Bowen: D+. He can flash some pass rush ability, but he’s a disaster against the run. 27 million for him was and is a joke. Bring him back? Nope. Cut/trade him.
Barry Cofield: D+. When opposing offenses can run effectively against a 3-4, its because your NT isn’t doing his job. Cofield is out of position and should be out of DC. Bring him back? Oh hell no.
Kedric Golston: D. Didn’t make much of an impact before ending up on the IR. Bring him back? Nope.
Chris Neild: C. Flashed some pass rush ability in the first game, then ended up in someone’s doghouse. Bring him back: Yes with a vet NT to team with.
LB:
London Fletcher: A-/B+. Led the league in tackles, but he’s slowing down in pass coverage. Bring him back? I would, but a team looking for a defensive leader for a title run might offer him too much cash to pass on.
Perry Riley: B+. Made the young player leap, he showed good instincts and speed. The only question is why did it take this long for him to get a show? Bring him back? Absolutely.
Brian Orakpo: C. He had a big game against the Rams and the Eagles, outside of that he pulled his usual MIA act. Bring him back? I’d deal him now before he asks for 40 million in a year or two.
Ryan Kerrigan: A. He seemed to hit the rookie wall(or teams figured him out), but he played extremely well for a rookie. Bring him back? Absolutely.
Rocky McIntosh: D. Very inconsistent and lost his job to Riley. Bring him back? Nope.
DB:
DeAngelo Hall: F. Burnt toast all season long. He’s totally fallen apart as a player. Bring him back? The skins save 6.6 million by dumping him. DO IT!
Josh Wilson: B-. Solid but not spectacular. He’s not a #1 CB but he’s a good second banana who can do a decent job against 2nd WRs. Bring him back? Yep.
Reed Doughty: F-. I count about 6-7 rushing TDs that Doughty could be directly faulted for. Bring him back? I’m going to have to insist that he’s sent to GITMO.
LaRon Landry: D. Hurt at the beginning and the end of the season, really didn’t make an impact even when healthy. Bring him back? Nope. Not at what someone stupid will give him.
DeJon Gomes: D+. He loves to hit players, too bad that he struggles covering or defending otherwise lol. Bring him back? Maybe, but I would look to replace him.
Kevin Barnes: C-. Played the slot nickel, didn’t impress but didn’t embarrass himself. Bring him back? Sure, but if I could replace him, I would
Oshiomogho Atogwe: C. Struggled when asked to cover for Doughty and Landry, he probably is very redeemable as a player, but he can’t be asked to carry the backfield. He also appears to be in Haslett or Shanny’s doghouse, so don’t be surprised if he’s traded. Bring him back? I would.
ST:
Graham Gano: C+. 31/41(12/17 over 40 yards). His kickoffs make me concerned. Bring him back? Bring in competition.
Sav Rocca: A. He makes a good case to be the NFC pro bowl punter. Bring him back? Absolutely.
Coaching:
Offense: D. As much as Kyyle can maybe be credited for Helu, Royster, etc, rolling with Grossman and Beck are unforgivable sins. I see what Kyyle’s trying to do, schematically, and with the right talent, this could work, but his subpar playcalling would ultimately hamstring the offense even if they got quality talent to work with.
Defense: C-. Haslett comes out of the season with an improved unit, but questionable personnel decisions weight down any progress made. Also, Haslett is really bad at calling game defenses.
Overall: D. Between not laying down the law on the offensive coordinator and wildly inconsistent decisions(like announcing Beck as the starter, only to bench him the night before the next game and extremely questionable timeouts/challenges), I don’t have much confidence in Shanny anymore.
Retrospective 2011 offseason
Draft(assuming the same trades):
1st: Andy Dalton QB TCU. Kerrigan has been a fine pick, I was wrong about him, but QB is such a glaring need that they need to let him go for a real prospect.
2nd(Natural): Brooks Reed LB Arizona. Reed: 6 sacks replacing Mario Williams. Kerrigan finished with 7.5 in more starts.
3rd: I still take Hankerson here. Great value.
4th: I still take Helu here.
5th: Jason Pinkston OT Pittsburgh. He moved inside to LG and made 16 starts for Cleveland.
5th: Quan Sturdivant LB UNC. He needs an opportunity, but him and Riley could be the ILB pair for awhile.
6th: Jerrell Powe NT Ole Miss. Cofield is a 4-3 DT trying to play NT.
6th: Stephen Schilling OG Michigan. He’s played off and on for the Bolts, looks raw but can play.
7th: Derek Newton OT Ark State. Can’t go wrong taking an OT.
7th: Lawrence Guy DE Arizona State. Can’t go wrong taking a DL lol
7th: Stanley Havili FB Southern Cal. Experienced, can block/catch, Sellers/Young aren’t the answer imo
7th: Chris Neild. Can’t complain about this pick.
Free agency:
*Replace Cofield with Aubrayo Franklin(offering him 3 years, 15 million)
*Replace Bowen with Alan Branch(offering 2 years, 10 million)
*Replace Chris Chester with Harvey Dahl(offering him Chester’s contract)
*Trade a 2012 3rd for Ryan Fitzpatrick(give him a 2 year extension so he starts in 2011, then backups Dalton in 2012/13)
*Still make the Hightower and Gaffney trades
All-Akh Team:
X WR: Victor Cruz NYG
Y/Z WR: Wes Welker New England
OT: Jake Long Miami
OG: Carl Nicks Nola
OC: Chris Myers Houston
OG: Evan Mathis Philadelphia
OT: Joe Thomas Cleveland
TE: Rob Gronkowski New England
QB: Aaron Rodgers GB
FB: Jim Kleinsasser Minny
RB: Maurice Jones-Drew Jacksonville
K: David Akers San Fran
P: Shane Lechler Oakland
Returner: Patrick Peterson Arizona
4-3 DE: Jared Allen Minny
4-3 DE: Chris Long St Louis
5 tech DE: Justin Smith San Fran
5 tech DE: JJ Watt Houston
DT: Geno Atkins Cincy
DT: Marcus Thomas Denver
NT: Isaac Sopoaga San Fran
OLB: Von Miller Denver
OLB: Kamerion Wimbley Oakland
34 Rusher: DeMarcus Ware Dallas
MLB: D’Qwell Jackson Cleveland
ILB: NaVorro Bowman San Fran
ILB: Pat Willis San Fran
SS: Kam Chancellor Seattle
FS: Eric Weddle San Diego
CB: Carlos Rogers San Fran
CB: Darrelle Revis NYJ
Coach of the year: Mike McCarthy GB. Super bowl hangovers can kill teams, instead he created a juggernaut which looks much better than last year’s team.
Assistant of the year: Wade Phillips. Despite losing a ton of talent due to injury, he got them from one of the worst defenses in the league to one of the best in just a few games.
_______
*ring* *ring* *ring*
Akh: Hello?
Dan Snyder: Pete, I need you to fix my franchise. All the coaches are gone but Mike Shanahan. Hire a new staff for him, cut/trade whomever you want to, just make it happen….
Akh: Dan, this is a big task and(in my best Robert De Niro in “Casino” voice)..if I decide to do it, I would have to do it my way…no interference…
Dan: Jeff, no one is going to interfere….
Redskins’ cap room headed into 2012: 37.6 million
New coaching staff:
Head coach: Mike Shanahan. I’m willing to give him a pass for all the mistakes if he scrambles his staff.
Offensive coordinator: Jeremy Bates. Him and Shanny know each other. He helped update his offense(along with Rick Dennison) and he knows how to develop QBs.
Defensive coordinator: Mark Carrier. Has experience in the aggressive 3-4, he’s also coached 2 different parts of a defense: Secondary(in Balto) and Dline(with the Jets). Good track record and is known for being a hardass who can relate to players.
Cuts:
DeAngelo Hall(saves 6.2 million). He’s always been up and down, now he’s down. Don’t let the screen door hit you on the way out.
Chris Chester(costs 500k against the Cap). Balto really values Olinemen and they let him go without much of a fight.
Santana Moss(costs 500k against the cap). Hankerson needs playing time to blossom.
Stephen Bowen(costs 1.6 million against the cap). Now we see why no one offered him half what the skins were…
Mike Sellers(saves 900k against the cap). Is he even playing?
Reed Doughty(saves 1.2 million against the cap): …….
John Beck(saves 700k against the cap)s
Trades:
*Barry Cofield to Panthers for a 5th round pick. Adds 6.6 million to the skins’ 2012 cap. Cofield has been a disaster at NT. He’s a 4-3 DT and shouldn’t have been signed to that deal.
*Trent Williams and the skins’ natural 1st round pick to the Rams for Jason Brown and their 1st round pick. Williams, after his suspension, needs to go. The skins under my leadership aren’t going to play Russian roulette with a pothead. This move saves 6 million under the cap for the skins and I give brown a 3 year, 10 million dollar new deal. Brown has the look of a player who’s a supporting guy being asked to carry an Oline. A change of scenery could help him also.
*Brian Orakpo to the Bucs for a 2012 2nd and a conditional 2013 pick. Yes, pillory away. Orakpo just got his first sack in an NFC east game…in his entire career…against the Giants. I know I’ve been against him since the skins drafted him, but honestly: what has he done that remotely is worth the hype he gets by the fans? Have a dominating game in week 17 when it doesn’t matter? He’s a B-/C+ minus player at best and I’m going to go in a different direction. This move adds 1 million to the Skins’ cap figure.
*Jammal Brown to Indy for their 4th round pick. Indy needs the help(and frankly I was surprised that they didn’t go after him in free agency in 2011), as much as I like Brown, I think that its time to cash him in especially with his cheaper contract. This adds 700k to the cap figure.
Resigns:
Will Montgomery: 2 years, 5 million. He’s a good starter to bridge until you develop a young guy.
Adam Carriker: 2 years, 3.7 million. Serviceable starter, nothing special.
Kory Lichtensteiger: 1 years, 1.8 million with a club option for 2 million in 2013. He was coming on when he went down.
Graham Gano: 2 years, 2 million. He’s hit some big kicks. Inconsistent though. Dumping Danny Smith might help.
Not resigned:
London Fletcher: I’d like to keep him, but I think that a contender looking for a defensive leader(like the Pats, Balto or Detroit) will snatch him up for more then I’m willing to give him. Which is 3 years, 15 million. Someone with the cap room probably will top that easily.
Rocky McIntosh, Kedric Golston, Grossman, Hurt, Buchanan, Locklear: Don’t let the screen door hit you on the way out.
Tim Hightower: I like him, but I wouldn’t give him anything more than a 1 year incentive-laden deal.
Fred Davis: If he wants massive cash(which someone will be dumb enough to give him), bye!
Redskins’ cap situation headed into free agency: 28.3 million
Current lineup:
WR: Hankerson
WR: Gaffney/???
TE: Cooley/Paulsen
LT: Willie Smith/???
LG: Lichtensteiger/???
OC: Montgomery
RG: Jason Brown
RT: ????/Jammal Brown
QB: ???
FB: Darrel Young
RB: Helu/Royster/???
K: Gano
P: Rocca
KR: ???
PR: ???
DE: Carriker/???
NT: ???/Neild
DE: Jenkins/???
OLB: Orakpo/White
ILB: Riley
ILB: ???
OLB: Kerrigan/Jackson
CB: ???/Barnes
CB: Wilson/???
FS: Atogwe
SS: ???/Gomes
Free agency:
Jason Campbell QB 3 years, 12 million: I’ll have an assistant put together a montage of my posts defending him after I make this move. I’m still drafting a QB very high and Campbell is there to transition to him. If he refuses this role, I sign Orton for the same role/money.
Aubrayo Franklin DT/NT 3 years, 9 million. A talented player who’s disappeared publicly in the Saints’ 4-3. He’s a NT and needs to move back there.
Carl Nicks OG: 5 years, 38 million. A premiere guard in the NFL. I put him at LG and push Lichtensteiger to the right side(if he can play).
Ahmad Brooks OLB 4 years, 17 million. Orakpo’s replacement and one of the only players I’ve heard of who’s made the transition from ILB to OLB successfully.
Robert Meachem WR: 4 years, 14 million. Inconsistent, but a major deep threat when he’s used right.
Shaun Ellis: 1 year, 2.5 million+option for 2013. Went to Boston thinking that they were sticking with the 3-4, he’s been lost in that switch to the 4-3. I don’t need anything more than a good vet to rotate in and out.
Eddie Royal 2 years, 2.7 million. Can return, thrived in Bates’ offense
Terrell Thomas: 3 years, 9 million. Coming off a major knee injury, but fortunately it happened in the preseason. He should be fine for 2012.
Cap money after FA: 8.3 million
Draft:
1st: Robert Griffin III QB Baylor. Needs some time to develop, but his mechanics are pro-ready. Pro Comparison: a potential John Elway type if he’s developed right. More likely a better version of McNabb.
2nd: Dont’a Hightower LB Alabama. Big, fast, tough, mean. Pro comparison: Maualuga with better talent and less off the field issues
2nd(from Tampa): Nate Potter OT Boise State. He handled LT for a passing offense and was quietly effective. Pro comparison: Eric Winston.
3rd: Winston Guy SS Kentucky. A bit of a FS/SS tweener, he makes plays and has good range. Pro comparison: Ryan Clark isn’t a bad one.
4th(from Indy): Tanner Hawkinson OT Kansas. Overlooked on a godawful Kansas team. High 4th is fair for his current value(but he could stay in school). Pro comparison: A more consistent Sam Baker.
4th(natural): Rokevious Watkins OL South Carolina. He’s started at every position but OC and played well. He’s also got good footwork for a 350 lbs OLman, he could rise quickly with a good combine. Pro comparison: A lower upside Iupati maybe.
4th(from Oakland): Chris Rainey WR/RB/KR/PR Florida. Small, quick, very fast and surprisingly tough as a runner. Pro comparison: Brandon Banks with more speed/quickness, only he can play on the offense.
5th(from Minny): Alex Hurst OT LSU. He might be a LG in the NFL, but he can be a contributor as a short yardage 6th OLman. Pro comparison: A broke ass sexual Shawn Andrews.
5th(from Carolina): Tauren Poole RB Tennessee. A stock 5-11 220 lbs RB, tough runner but injury prone. Pro comparison: Potentially BenJarvus Green-Ellis.
7th: Jake StoneBurner TE OSU: good size and polished as a receiver. Needs to bulk up and block better(well more consistently). Pro comparison: Low rent Shiancoe.
Lineup after the draft:
Current lineup:
WR: Hankerson
WR: Meachem/Gaffney
TE: Cooley
LT: Nate Potter
LG: Carl Nicks
OC: Montgomery
RG: Jason Brown/Watkins
RT: Hawkinson
QB: Griff/Campbell
FB: Darrel Young
RB: Helu/Royster/Poole
K: Gano
P: Rocca
KR: Rainey/Royal
PR: Rainey/Royal
DE: Carriker/Ellis
NT: Franklin/Neild
DE: Jenkins/Ellis
OLB: Brooks/White
ILB: Riley
ILB: Hightower
OLB: Kerrigan/Jackson
CB: Thomas/Barnes
CB: Wilson/Barnes
FS: Atogwe
SS: Guy/Gomes
What I like about this team: the lines are fixed and have some depth. They have 3 legit WR options with Rainey as a flanker who can contribute. The defense is built around 4 very talented LBs who can take advantage of the size up front. The team will rise and fall on Griffin, but Bates’ track record is pretty good.
What I’m sure Shanny will talk himself into:
Cap room headed into 2012: 37.6 million.
Cuts: Jammal Brown(-700k) and Chris Cooley(+2.1 million)
Resignings: Grossman(3 years, 11 million), Landry(4 years, 30 million), Fred Davis(3 years, 22 million), London Fletcher(4 years, 22 million), Hightower(1 year, 2 million), McIntosh(1 year, 900k), Golston(1 year, 800k)
Cap room after resignings/cuts: 21.3 million
FA signings:
DeSean Jackson WR: 7 years, 52 million. Him or VJax. Shanny still likes to give out big deals, and he has the cap room to make this happen—and you get to kick the Eagles in the nuts(at least superficially) with it. Even with Hankerson, Moss and Gaffney in place, Shanny’s mumblings about “total effort to repair the offense” would require a big name signing that will excite the fan base. Shanny started out as Napoleon the Pig but now its hard to distinguish between him and the farmer lol.
Jake Scott OG 4 years, 21 million. They let Licht go and replace him with a solid but unspectacular OLman. Hopefully the Chester rule(don’t sign a vet OLman that a team who values OLmen lets walk) doesn’t apply.
Jarvis Moss: DL 2 years, 6 million. Shanny once blew a first on him, at 6-7 he could bulk up to 280 and be a 5 tech.
Brady Quinn or Vince Young: 2 years, 7.5 million for either. I’m too split on this one but gun to my head I would say that Young is more likely, if memory serves Shanny had some interest in Quinn when he could have been had from the Browns, and there’s been some murmurs that he would be interested in Young. Neither would end up well, but I consider these possibilities to be realistic.
Draft:
1st(#6 overall) Dre Kirkpatrick CB Alabama. Wilson has been hit/miss, Hall should be cut tomorrow. Barnes hasn’t shown much. Kirkpatrick is the wrong pick here, but he will upgrade the DBs.
2nd: Audie Cole ILB NC State. A lower rent Hightower, Cole can move around the LB corps and wait until Fletcher hangs them up.
3rd: Ryan Broyles WR Oklahoma. Hard to measure his stock now, but it looks like Oklahoma is the new Nebraska.
4th(natural): Josh Chichester TE Louisville. A BIG(6-8 240) pass catcher to try and replace Cooley. Terrible blocker tho
4th(from Oakland ) Jamell Fleming CB Oklahoma. Yes, they have Hall, Barnes, Wilson and Kirkpatrick under contract…but when has that stopped Shanny from flooding a position?
5th: Ben Habern OC Oklahoma. Monty has done well and probably will get a bigger deal then the skins want to give him.
7th: Mike Ryan OT U-Conn. Proto-typical ZBS OT. Call it pot insurance.
Starting lineup:
WR: Hankerson/Gaffney
WR: Jackson
TE: Davis/Chichester
LT: Trent Williams
LG: Jake Scott
OC: Habern
RG: Chris Chester
RT: Willie Smith/Polumbus
QB: Rex/Vince or Quinn
FB: Darrel Young
RB: Helu/Royster/Hightower
K: Gano
P: Rocca
KR: Broyles
PR: Broyles
DE: Bowen/Golston
NT: Cofield
DE: Jenkins/Moss
OLB: Orakpo/Moss
ILB: Riley
ILB: Fletcher/Cole
OLB: Kerrigan/Jackson
CB: Kirkpatrick/Barnes
CB: Wilson/Hall
FS: Atogwe
SS: Landry
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