DE

[Skins57]

As I sit and watch Dwight Freeney make Ogden look like a rookie, all I can think is how awesome would ourdefense be with a guy like this. 15 sacks this year and he is fast. Our defense would be unstoppable if we had a DE with that pass rush ability.

[riskus]

tell me about it. I know our defense is awesome right now but they dont have nearly enough sacks considering how long they are on the field.

[SkinsD]

He's great there is no doubt about it... but not as great without turf

[inevitable]

I think the Colts will do everything in their power to keep him, especially after losing Washington in the offseason.

Of course it would be aweosme to get him, but I don't see that happening.

I think the Colts defense takes a hit in the run-scenario though with him in there, he gets out of position a lot because of his speed rushing.

Would be amazingly awesome if we could buy him here though.

[BIGSEF3]

sure, there are probably 22 positions on our team where there is somebody better somewhere else in the NFL. it would be nice to have all of them. but its not a desperate need. Heck, we have the #2 defense in the league. the schemes we use to be the #2 defense work without a fast passrushing DE. maybe if we had one, a hole would open up somewhere else and weaknesses we didnt even know about would be exposed. our defense is pretty darn close to perfect. heck, the steelers have the #1 defense and they dont have anyone like ogden, either.

Im not trying to dog your desire to improve, but the defense that we have now is the absolute best the redskins have ever had, in my opinion. from coaching, all the way down to 2nd and 3rd string players becoming starters. heck, we havent truly missed arrington, barrow, or bowen. guys stepped up to the plate and did their jobs well. what we have right now on our defense is something special. it really is. i wouldnt change a single thing. ogden, ray lewis, brian urlacker, simmeon rice, Ogunleye... they could offer to come to the skins and play for free next year and i would tell him to take a hike.

every single player on our defense has played their hearts out. they have performed better than anyone ever thought possible this year. next year, they will be undisputed #1 from the start of the year to the finish. i dont want to hear about needing ANYTHING else on our defense. its an insult to the defense that has carried this team all year, a defense that has never given up despite the often attrocious offense. i am prouder of these guys than i have ever been of any other redskin team in recent memory.

[Kope65]

every single player on our defense has played their hearts out. they have performed better than anyone ever thought possible this year. next year, they will be undisputed #1 from the start of the year to the finish. i dont want to hear about needing ANYTHING else on our defense. its an insult to the defense that has carried this team all year, a defense that has never given up despite the often attrocious offense. i am prouder of these guys than i have ever been of any other redskin team in recent memory.

Word. This is hands down the most dominate, hard nosed defense I have seen in the thirty years I have been watching the Skins.

I think we trust the coaches and let them solidify what they want. I could care less about a pass rushing end - a media position anyway- give me a D you can't run on any day.


(Repaired quote for you... - Skinz)

[riskus]

our defense also has looked really good since we have for the most part not played the best offenses in the league.

i would much rather see them draft a DE then get one in FA

[Skinz4lyfe]

I agree with our schemes it isn't necessary that we pass rusher is needed but I feel it would give our defense more flexibility. We don't need Freeny or someone of his calibur. I think I'd rather someone like ND Kalu. That'd be pretty cool. However, I'd still like to see how we'll perform w/a pass rushing Bowen and Arrington all year.

[ConradCountry]

There is no Dwight Freeney in ths years draft, maybe Justin Tuck but I don't know.

[IowaSkinsFan]

The Colts are not going to be able to keep everyone. They are already talking about using the franchise tag for James. They have clearly made a committment to the offense, and players like Freeney are going to be available.

[GolfFreak]

That would be great to get a stud DE, but I don't know how many big contract we can hand out this offseason.

[chrisbcbu]

I dont think Freeney is available is he? He would have to be traded if he is not a FA and i dont see Indy doing that.

[Skinzaholic]

Jeff (Skin57) never said we needed to go out and grab Feeney - he was simply pointing out the fact that our D would dominate the field with a strong pass rusher (something we all have said before). Sure - GW is a master at using his personel to fit his scheme and that is what we are seeing - but that doesnt dismiss the value of a solid DE in my opinion.

[smoak]

tell me about it. I know our defense is awesome right now but they dont have nearly enough sacks considering how long they are on the field.

I agree, but the other thing we don't do enough and more importantly (IMO) is create turnovers. I think a better pass rush would help that as well.

[split3clemente]

i was thinking the same thing, think about our defense with julius peppers at DE, that would be absolutley sick!

[smoak]

i was thinking the same thing, think about our defense with julius peppers at DE, that would be absolutley sick!

That is the one guy I would sell the farm to get.

[Redskinmayhem]

you guys beat me to it. I was going to start an "I wish we had Freeney" thread this morning.....That guy is simply amazing.

[BIGSEF3]

any signifigant rosters moves this offseason (and i have my doubts there will be any truly big moves) will be made to upgrade our offense. I am happy with ramsey at QB. He is a good redskins QB and our receivers are decent redskins receivers, but thats not saying much. Redskins offenses have been abysmal for a decade. any big name that we get will probably be to upgrade the offensive line or get a stud WR. with the #2 defense in the league, we cannot afford to waste money fixing something that isnt broken.

if our offense could have put up just 21 points in a game, we would be 10-3-1 right now. any upgrades we make this offseason will be to make sure we get 21 points a game.

[Jimreaper007]

Freeney is jet fast on turf, but what are his sack numbers on grass?

I like him a lot but in the run heavy NFC East his style of play would leave a large running gap because he takes such an angle to the QB.

[redwolf1218]

I am happy with our defensive ends. I like our odds with a healthy Phillip Daniels, Lavar Arrington, Ron Warner, and Demetric Evans. Marcus Washington is a good pass rusher too, and Taylor can blitz from time to time. We just havent seen them all healthy and playing together yet.

[Redskinmayhem]

good point redwolf, we still don't know how good our defense CAN be. I think with everyone healthy, we'd easily be #1. Possibly even one of the top 5 D's ever.

[dj_stouty]

He's great there is no doubt about it... but not as great without turf

That isn't entirely true...

Coming into last night's game, he had 7 sacks at home and 6 on the road. He has been pretty dominant on and off turf this year.

He got 2 sacks on turf last night....but he earned each one, going against the league's best Tackle.

I've never seen Odgen get flustered like that before. Watching his expressions after every snap were priceless. He was simply dumbfounded on 1/2 of them...

[split3clemente]

That is the one guy I would sell the farm to get.

yea, i was wondering about the draft, is there anyone with peppers' athletic ability? james??
if we had peppers our D would just be.....i cant describe how good we would be

[hail2skins]

I don't care how good our defense is right now, if we can upgrade to make it better, then I'm for it. I don't see how having a stud DE would create a weakness in our defense. I believe it gives Williams more schemes to employ.

[BIGSEF3]

i see your point. my main point is that any money we spend upgrading our defense is money we CANT spend upgrading our offense. i would really say that there is not a single offensive position where we are stronger than a defensive position. if the wording is confusing, what i'm saying is that if i were a coach looking at our needs, offensive positions to upgrade would be rated 1-11, and defensive would be rated 12-22. our worst defensive position is stronger than our best offensive position, with the possible exception of clinton portis.

i dont want to see alot of changes this year on our roster, but any i do see i want to be on offense. Gibbs needs consistant receivers and blockers.

[Ohiofan]

Erasmus James of Wisconsin is a stud DE. He dstroyed several Big Ten Teams and almost single handedly sent Purdue down the tubes.

[smoak]

yea, i was wondering about the draft, is there anyone with peppers' athletic ability? james??
if we had peppers our D would just be.....i cant describe how good we would be

not sure b/c i don't follow college until the NFL is done then i start researching prospects to make my own personal pick of who i want...

the thing i am concerned about is that many fans think taking a top DE would solve everything. peppers and freeney are special RARE players, and a rookie DE can not be counted on to come in and deliver those type of results.

[dj_stouty]

our worst defensive position is stronger than our best offensive position, with the possible exception of clinton portis.

Sorry...but I believe Randy Thomas, Lav Coles, Clinton Portis, Chris Cooley and even Pat Ramsey (Coming from me, that is a compliment) to be stronger at their positions than Wynn, Marshall, Clemons or Clark are at theirs.

[redwolf1218]

not sure how we could go out and get an elite free agent at one the league's premier positions (DE) and still pay smoot, pierce and others what they deserve to keep them here. but if anyone can do it, Danny can.

[split3clemente]

not sure b/c i don't follow college until the NFL is done then i start researching prospects to make my own personal pick of who i want...

the thing i am concerned about is that many fans think taking a top DE would solve everything. peppers and freeney are special RARE players, and a rookie DE can not be counted on to come in and deliver those type of results.

i dont think thats really tru, someone of peppers calliber can come in and contribute right away, just like peppers did

[Patrick]

A dominating DE would really solidify this D. Regardless of the ranking, our pass rush still needs a lot of work. On the flip side, it's becoming more apparent that WR, OL will be the main focus of our off-season. ...... But as I stated in other threads - we are about 4 good players (C, OT/G, WR, DE) away from being a solid playoff team.

[hail2skins]

Just to start a little controversy, don't leave QB off your list.

[Patrick]

Just to start a little controversy, don't leave QB off your list.

OH Your Dead on there - I didn't leave it off the list BUT I know that Gibbs will be looking for the 5th round jewel.

[chrisbcbu]

Ya i can see us picking a QB in the late rounds.

[BRAVEONAWARPATH]

Just to start a little controversy, don't leave QB off your list.
I want to take the bait so badly but I'll refrain. :)

[ConradCountry]

Our DE are perfect for the system that we run, they stop the run and push the pocket.

Gregg Williams in Buffalo liked to have better DTs then DEs he had Sam Adams and Pat Williams if anything I think Williams will want a DT. We have our Pat Williams but we d not have our Sam Adams.

Remember what happened when Griffen went down we did not have that disruptive force on the DL.

I think we should get a C and a DE and DT, the only problem is that I am not impressed with the DE class if Kiwaunka from BC does no come out.
-Spears, is big and not an elite pass rusher.
-Pollack, wouldn't be a bad pick but has limited athletiscm.
-James, big time injury history can you say Courtney Brown.
-Tuck, size is a big question in a running division.
-Cody, personnel issues are a little scary.

[Skins57]

Jeff (Skin57) never said we needed to go out and grab Feeney - he was simply pointing out the fact that our D would dominate the field with a strong pass rusher (something we all have said before). Sure - GW is a master at using his personel to fit his scheme and that is what we are seeing - but that doesnt dismiss the value of a solid DE in my opinion.


Thank you Kevin, I never said we should get Freeney, heck I have no idea when or if he can become a free agent, I was just stating that an DE with the skills and speed of Freeney would make our defense completely unstoppable

[BandWagon]

I officially echo your comments. It's fun to speculate about offseason acquisitions and various upgrades and whatnot, but boy oh boy, I wouldn't even begin to try to formulate an opinion on how to make this defense better. It's damn good as it is. Any defensive moves this offseason can be made without my uneducated opinion....Williams has my complete and total trust!


sure, there are probably 22 positions on our team where there is somebody better somewhere else in the NFL. it would be nice to have all of them. but its not a desperate need. Heck, we have the #2 defense in the league. the schemes we use to be the #2 defense work without a fast passrushing DE. maybe if we had one, a hole would open up somewhere else and weaknesses we didnt even know about would be exposed. our defense is pretty darn close to perfect. heck, the steelers have the #1 defense and they dont have anyone like ogden, either.

Im not trying to dog your desire to improve, but the defense that we have now is the absolute best the redskins have ever had, in my opinion. from coaching, all the way down to 2nd and 3rd string players becoming starters. heck, we havent truly missed arrington, barrow, or bowen. guys stepped up to the plate and did their jobs well. what we have right now on our defense is something special. it really is. i wouldnt change a single thing. ogden, ray lewis, brian urlacker, simmeon rice, Ogunleye... they could offer to come to the skins and play for free next year and i would tell him to take a hike.

every single player on our defense has played their hearts out. they have performed better than anyone ever thought possible this year. next year, they will be undisputed #1 from the start of the year to the finish. i dont want to hear about needing ANYTHING else on our defense. its an insult to the defense that has carried this team all year, a defense that has never given up despite the often attrocious offense. i am prouder of these guys than i have ever been of any other redskin team in recent memory.

[BIGSEF3]

Sorry...but I believe Randy Thomas, Lav Coles, Clinton Portis, Chris Cooley and even Pat Ramsey (Coming from me, that is a compliment) to be stronger at their positions than Wynn, Marshall, Clemons or Clark are at theirs.

wynn, marshall, clemons, and clark have been solid contributors and helped make our defense the #2 defense in the NFL.

no matter how good portis, coles, cooley, thomas, and ramsey are, they will never be a top 5 offense behind the line we have now. and in my opinion, coles isnt good enough to be a #1 receiver.

whats the point in having a #1 defense next year if our offense stays #32. I would rather keep our defense the way it is, stay #2 or even become #1 with the defense we have, and upgrade our offense so they can be in the top 15.

a #1 defense/#32 offense does have a good chance of going to the superbowl. a #2defense/#10 offense does.

we need to spend our money where it will do the most good for the team, and that, my friend is on the offense.
a #2

[Redskinmayhem]

A dominating DE would really solidify this D. Regardless of the ranking, our pass rush still needs a lot of work. On the flip side, it's becoming more apparent that WR, OL will be the main focus of our off-season. ...... But as I stated in other threads - we are about 4 good players (C, OT/G, WR, DE) away from being a solid playoff team.

I'm actually not sure about the whole STUD DE thing. I think Freeney is one of the best I've ever seen and I'd love to have him(Heck, I almost started this thread myself) but I don't think you can be a top rush d and still have a sack specialist out there on every play. It just doesn't work. I watched freeney blow wide on every play just like bruce smith used to. alot of Jamals big runs came to his side. He would just take himself out of plays. It's like he was playing every play as though it was a pass. Don't get me wrong, he's awesome but I'm not sure that fits with GW's philosophy. I think Clemons, Lavar, Marcus etc are adequate when used in proper situations. I wouldn't mind a DE with a bit more motor than we have now(like the James kid) but I'm just not sure about a dwight freeney type. John Abraham for example plays the run very well but if you notice, he plays the run first unless it's a strict passing down. Oh well, just my .02

[hail2skins]

I officially echo your comments. It's fun to speculate about offseason acquisitions and various upgrades and whatnot, but boy oh boy, I wouldn't even begin to try to formulate an opinion on how to make this defense better. It's damn good as it is. Any defensive moves this offseason can be made without my uneducated opinion....Williams has my complete and total trust!

I can't stop laughing at your avatar. I love it.

[skins111111]

Ogden would be just comming out of his stance and Freeney would be half way aouund him.............or if Ogden got the jump Freeney would use his spin move to the inside........was very impressive

[dj_stouty]

wynn, marshall, clemons, and clark have been solid contributors and helped make our defense the #2 defense in the NFL.

no matter how good portis, coles, cooley, thomas, and ramsey are, they will never be a top 5 offense behind the line we have now. and in my opinion, coles isnt good enough to be a #1 receiver.


That isn't what you said. You said "our worst defensive position is stronger than our best offensive position, with the possible exception of clinton portis."

That isn't even close to being true.

[dj_stouty]

and in my opinion, coles isnt good enough to be a #1 receiver.

Are you aware that Coles is the only WR in NFL history to have back to back 1,200 yard seasons with two different teams?

Coles is damn good enough to be a #1 WR. Actually he is one already.

He has been injured since week 3 of last year, and despite never being 100% since, he still has been averaging over 62 yards per game. Not bad for an injured WR.

[BIGSEF3]

That isn't what you said. You said "our worst defensive position is stronger than our best offensive position, with the possible exception of clinton portis."

That isn't even close to being true.

you dont get the point. our defense is stronger b/c they all work together well as a team.

clinton portis may be a "star," but if he cant get us points b/c of where our offense is lacking, then what good is he?
if he gets 2000 yards a season, but the offense doesnt score enough to get us wins, what good is he?

maybe i didnt word it right, but did you get my point? we're WASTING the potential stars on our offense b/c they dont have the blocking, the protection, etc they need to perform. for that reason, i view every offensive position as being more critical. we might not need another running back, but we need the blocking to let that running back put up points on the board. you get what im tryin to say?

[BIGSEF3]

Are you aware that Coles is the only WR in NFL history to have back to back 1,200 yard seasons with two different teams?

Coles is damn good enough to be a #1 WR. Actually he is one already.

He has been injured since week 3 of last year, and despite never being 100% since, he still has been averaging over 62 yards per game. Not bad for an injured WR.

how many touchdowns has he caught this season? how many points has he put up on the board? the coles that has played for the redskins is not the coles that played for the jets. is it all his "fault"? no. hes got alot of heart. he plays through injuries. hes a true redskin. but if he's not healthy enough to make the big plays, then he cant be our #1 guy. maybe when hes healthy, but he has yet to have a truly stellar season with the redskins.

[dj_stouty]

you dont get the point. our defense is stronger b/c they all work together well as a team.

clinton portis may be a "star," but if he cant get us points b/c of where our offense is lacking, then what good is he?
if he gets 2000 yards a season, but the offense doesnt score enough to get us wins, what good is he?

maybe i didnt word it right, but did you get my point? we're WASTING the potential stars on our offense b/c they dont have the blocking, the protection, etc they need to perform. for that reason, i view every offensive position as being more critical. we might not need another running back, but we need the blocking to let that running back put up points on the board. you get what im tryin to say?

You are correct. You didn't word it right.

[dj_stouty]

how many touchdowns has he caught this season? how many points has he put up on the board? the coles that has played for the redskins is not the coles that played for the jets. is it all his "fault"? no. hes got alot of heart. he plays through injuries. hes a true redskin. but if he's not healthy enough to make the big plays, then he cant be our #1 guy. maybe when hes healthy, but he has yet to have a truly stellar season with the redskins.

How many passes over 30 yards has Brunell/Ramsey attempted this year?

How many times has Coles been targeted in the endzone?

Not many. We are running a conservative offense, so big play guys like Coles won't be able to shine in those conditions.

Seems to me like you are caught up in his stats.

he has yet to have a truly stellar season with the redskins.

Ok, hotshot. Tell me the last time a Redskin caught 1,200+ yards in receiving yards....

[BIGSEF3]

i cant answer that question off the top of my head. since you know, i will let you tell me. i dont consider myself a "hotshot" by any means, just a redskin fan who thinks our defense is the best i have ever seen, and our offense is just about the worst. (until the past few weeks, atleast).

personally, i think coles needs to have surgery asap and get healthy. i give him credit for wanting to play, but an injured coles hasnt proven to be much of a threat. 50/50 is the only WR to really make the big plays this year, and i dont think he should be a #1 either.

getting back to the subject at hand, and summarizing everything i said. we shouldnt spend a penny on defense in the offseason that isnt devoted to resigning the players we already have.

[Keino]

Google.....An uninformed person's best friend.

Go look it up or concede that you misspoke with your mis-characterization of Coles.

[dj_stouty]

i cant answer that question off the top of my head. since you know, i will let you tell me.

Henry Ellard, in 1994 had a 1,200+ yard season.

NINE YEARS of Redskin football has passed since we had another 1,200 yard reciever. In my book...that is considered a stellar season for a WR.

And by the way...making big plays is not the sole prerequisite for being a solid WR1. Making first downs...gaining that "extra yard"...turning a broken play into a gainful play...blocking downfield...forcing a fumble on a defender's INT at the goaline. THAT is what makes a great WR1. Big plays are only part of it...and if/when Ramsey gets Gibbs confidence to go deep, Coles will make them.

[Keino]

It should also be pointed out our record in 1994 was 3-13, so thats alot of passing with us out of the game. In my eyes, this makes Coles' 82 and 1200 alot morte impressive.....

[ConradCountry]

As good as our D is playing I feel that upgrades are need on the DL not for talent reasons but for YOUTH reasons. All the guys we have now Wynn, Noble, Daniels, Salave'a are all over 28 and in most cases over 30 they are going to start dropping off its a fact of nature and we need young guys to replace them. We do not need 1st rd picks but we need to get some 2nd and 3rd rd guys to be backups till we need them.

[BIGSEF3]

i truly hope coles is back to 1200 yards next year. and thats why we really need to focus on building a solid line to support portis, coles, and ramsey - the people who will probably be responsible for most of our yards next year.

i look at upgrading our offense as also improving the defense. why? well, look at the steelers. they are #1 right now, but they dont have half the talent or coaching that we do on defense. what they have, is an offense that is on the field long enough, on a regular basis, to give them a good rest. now our TOP this year has been really good, but think of how often we put the ball. think also of how fired up our defense would be if they come on to the field after we SCORE A TD, not after we punt. the moral boost alone could push us over the top.

this year, pierce and marshall, and a ton of defensive backs came from obscurity to make big plays. you want a good pass rushing DE? i bet he's already on the roster and we just dont know it yet.

[colkurtz]

I've always been a huge fan of getting a good DE. However, the team can't afford a premium FA DE. Look what the Freak cost Philly.

Simply put, we need to draft toward the DE position and hope we get a keeper.

We will draft to improve or replace players who are leaving:

#2 WR [Gardner]
Center [Raymer]
OT [Samuels leaving??]
DE [Wynn costs too much in 2005]

That's our draft order.

[BIGSEF3]

Google.....An uninformed person's best friend.

Go look it up or concede that you misspoke with your mis-characterization of Coles.

reading the post. an uninformed persons best friend. i didnt mischaracterize coles at all. i never claimed he DIDNT get 1200 yards. what ask is how many points hed given us this year. there are times this season he's looked worse than 50/50 with dropped passes. obviously its b/c he's hurting and playing through it and not on the top of his game. alot of it is conservative playcalling. either way, i havent seen anything from him this year that makes me feel good about him as a #1, although he is probably our best WR. if you would read the post, it was about how the lack of a solid O-line has made it so supposed playmakers like portis and coles can actually score and give us points. yards mean nothing if they dont end up in the endzone. money needs to be spent on offense, so these guys can put up the production we paid to get them here.

[Keino]

reading the post. an uninformed persons best friend. i didnt mischaracterize coles at all. i never claimed he DIDNT get 1200 yards. what ask is how many points hed given us this year. there are times this season he's looked worse than 50/50 with dropped passes. obviously its b/c he's hurting and playing through it and not on the top of his game. alot of it is conservative playcalling. either way, i havent seen anything from him this year that makes me feel good about him as a #1, although he is probably our best WR. if you would read the post, it was about how the lack of a solid O-line has made it so supposed playmakers like portis and coles can actually score and give us points. yards mean nothing if they dont end up in the endzone. money needs to be spent on offense, so these guys can put up the production we paid to get them here.

Your mischarachterization lies in that you said he wasn't a #1 WR, when he has proven that he is.

I have been frustrated by Coles this year myself, but probably because he has too much heart if there is such a thing. He probably should've take a week or 2 off to get his finger straight, and he probably should've not played the week after the Dallas game when he definately suffered a concussion.

Still, he's a #1 WR without a doubt. He's explosive and commands attention that no other WR on this roster can command. Not only that, he blocks like Heck and Never complains to the officials. Coles is a Throwback and definately a #1WR. That's where you mischaracterized him.

As I have contended throughout the QB debates and beyond, no single player or position on this offense is costing us. It's been a group effort, and it seems like there is a breakdown in some area, frequently, whether it be QB, RB, WR or O Line or TE. Throwing money at this problem won't necessarily solve it. Getting our best players healthy and playing together for another year under the same coaches will help tremendously.......

[Redskinfan28]

As I sit and watch Dwight Freeney make Ogden look like a rookie, all I can think is how awesome would ourdefense be with a guy like this. 15 sacks this year and he is fast. Our defense would be unstoppable if we had a DE with that pass rush ability.

Preach brother preach

[ConradCountry]

Preach brother preach

I know this sounds crazy but Freeney would hurt our defense. Our system requires 2 things from our d-line

1. To stop the run, something that Freeney flat out sucks at he pass rushes every play and the RB cuts underneath him.

2. To play in the system, the defense is built on everyone doing their job and not free lancing and with Freney shooting up field every play that won't work.

[IowaSkinsFan]

I know this sounds crazy but Freeney would hurt our defense. Our system requires 2 things from our d-line

1. To stop the run, something that Freeney flat out sucks at he pass rushes every play and the RB cuts underneath him.

2. To play in the system, the defense is built on everyone doing their job and not free lancing and with Freney shooting up field every play that won't work.

Maybe Freeney is doing what is asked of him in Indy and not free lancing? Who are we to speculate what his assignments are each game day?

Bill Cowher never asked Greg Lloyd to do anything except rush the passer in Pittsburgh. Are you saying that a Greg Lloyd in his prime would hurt our defense?

Great pass rushers are worth their weight in gold. I can't imagine a guy with 12+ sacks being a detriment to a defense.

[redwolf1218]

I feel like we already have a great pass rusher. He's been hurt. His name is Lavar Arrington. Doesnt anyone remember the year with Marvin Lewis when he led all NFL linebackers with 11 sacks? Imagine what he'll do in Greg Williams' system if he plays 16 games, and the offense improves and starts getting a lead early and eating the clock, and the other team is forced to pass. It's true the DE position is now worth gold, as is cornerback, with the bar having been set so high with the Kearse and Bailey deals, but that's just the point, I'm not sure if we need to throw more gold in that direction, when we might already have gold (Lavar) coming back soon and returning to form. Just my 2 cents. I say stick with what we have on D and work towards building the league's most dominant offensive line (that includes quality starters and backups all along the O-line).

[ConradCountry]

Maybe Freeney is doing what is asked of him in Indy and not free lancing? Who are we to speculate what his assignments are each game day?

Bill Cowher never asked Greg Lloyd to do anything except rush the passer in Pittsburgh. Are you saying that a Greg Lloyd in his prime would hurt our defense?

Great pass rushers are worth their weight in gold. I can't imagine a guy with 12+ sacks being a detriment to a defense.

I doubt any coach tells the guy to rush every play and allow Ogden to go to the second level and allow Jamal Lewis to follow him into the secondary. That doesn't make sense and in this blitzing system that would kill us.

[IowaSkinsFan]

I doubt any coach tells the guy to rush every play and allow Ogden to go to the second level and allow Jamal Lewis to follow him into the secondary. That doesn't make sense and in this blitzing system that would kill us.

You don't remember that scene from NFL films, Bill Cowher on the sidelines telling Greg Lloyd to simply "rush the Quarterback"?

[ConradCountry]

You don't remember that scene from NFL films, Bill Cowher on the sidelines telling Greg Lloyd to simply "rush the Quarterback"?

We don't know what the situation was and that is a 3-4 were you have people that just rush the passer, our system can't have that.