rskinsfan10
05-09-2006, 04:30 PM
KS- What are your initial thoughts on the moves that the Skins made at the beginning of free agency?
DW- I clearly think that they helped themselves. We know that the guys that they brought in have played in this league and have made plays. They are young, and they addressed needs. You have to be able to free Santana Moss up so that he can be the game breaker that we all know that he is. So when you match up against the Skins, people will now have to get out of the notion that they can double up on Santana. Now, you have two other options, plus Cooley, and the guy that will really benefit from this is Clinton Portis. If they hit a couple of big plays early, that eight in a box designed to stop him is going to be over. CP then gets more space, and those running lanes will expand and he will begin to look more like the CP in Denver. Once that happens, he will be off and running.
KS- Offense sells tickets, and people are more up to par with additions on the offensive side of the ball, but what about the new faces on defense?
DW- Well, with Carter, you have a guy that is highly competitive. He's not one of those sweat hogs. He's a lean guy with quickness, great hands, maybe a bit undersized, but is a legitimate pass rusher. What you want is somebody that the opponents will have to defend. Now, I don't know how they will use Carter yet. I do know that at the end of the season, they were getting real good pressure. The healthier that they got at the end position, the better they got at getting after the QB. I thought that Daniels played some of his best football at the end of the year. Renaldo is coming off of the injury, but he's a great run stopper. I can see them maybe flipping on 3rd and long and just sending in different combinations. Then you start talking about putting McIntosh in the mix being a guy that can rush, and Washington's role will likely increase with LaVar's departure as far as getting after the QB. One thing that we didn't see this year as opposed to Gregg's first year was Springs coming in off the edge a lot more. I think that you will see him involved more this year. Gregg Williams likes to blitz in packages. They just boosted their athleticism, and that's really important for a team that likes to blitz.
KS- Let's not forget about Adam Archuleta.....
DW- Well, he's a headhunter. Simply put, he's an attack dog. The key to their success is stopping the run. You are looking for what Philadelphia does with Dawkins. I can see Archuleta in a similar role. Plus, you have Taylor who is the ultimate KO artist. So, you are talking about two very physical guys coming out of the secondary, which really helps your run defense. Also, when you play in a conference with good TEs like Alge, Shockey and Whitten, first thing you have to think about when putting a team together is who do you play. I thought that McIntosh was a great selection. They had to get a LB that could cover because you have to deal with Westbrook and Barber within your own division. You have four games where you have Pro Bowl caliber backs coming out of the backfield. You have to build on that. You have to be able to win your division. You know what Westbrook and Barber are going to bring, and now the Cowboys have added a stretch guy in TO along with an excellent TE. They will probably be looking to get more production out of their backs in the passing game. Remember, Emmitt back in their heyday caught 50 passes. You want to get the best guy, and you also want to get a guy that can help you match up well with what you have to face within the division, and I think that Archuleta does that for them.
KS- You mentioned that you thought getting McIntosh was great, but do you have any issues with what was given up to be able to get in position to draft him where they did?
DW- I'm not a critic or a proponent of any move like that until I can see a guy play. If Campbell is a starter and becomes a Pro Bowler, it was a fabulous move. If Rocky can step in and do the same, then again, it was a fabulous move. Next year's #2 is useless at this juncture. The only thing that matters is now. With the increase in the salary cap, their #1 priority in meeting needs is going through FA. So, the significance of next year's two, although it is valuable, is not going to help you win a single game this year. When you hear them talk about Rocky's Wonderlic test and his IQ, it's because they have plans to have this guy do a lot of different things. They feel like he's got the mental capacity to get the job done, plus you know that he's an excellent athlete. When you are trying to draft a starter, if you have to give a two to get him, then you do what you have to do to get him. What you have decided is that in your opinion, you need to upgrade that spot from what you currently have on the roster. Now, I would never do that for a backup, but you do it for a starter. People will say, "well what about Jason Campbell?" Well, QBs are exempt from this. Anytime that you can get a guy that you believe that will ultimately QB your team, then you have to make that investment. We've seen how many #1 draft picks have been busts at QB, so what's the difference if you have to wait a year or two to solidify that position?
KS- Well, you mentioned Rocky being brought in to solidify a position of need, which naturally brings me to our old friend LaVar. What are your thoughts on his signing with the Giants?
DW- October is a long time from now. We don't know who is going to be healthy, but LaVar is going to help any team on the defensive side of ball get better. A healthy LaVar Arrington is a Pro Bowl LB. When you add him with the defensive ends that NY already have in place, he's going to provide even more pressure on the edges. That in turn will allow more stunts as well. Believe me, when Samuels lines up, he's going to be looking at Uminyora and #55, and that's going to be something that the backs are going have to really get involved in as well. It will create problems as it did for other offenses when he was playing for Washington. The thing is, they won a lot of ball games and they lost a lot of ball games with LaVar. It's not one guy that changes it because they couldn't change it here. Having said that, I would definitely want to have him on my team if he's healthy. I thought that it worked out great for him because he felt that it was time for him to move on, and when you are that talented with the ability to make that kind of money, you make a move. Any player making over $10mil a year in this league is an endangered species unless he is healthy and highly productive. You are going to come up against that cap and people are going to say "you know what, a lot of love...", but if you have deficiencies on other parts of your team that you need to clean up, then have to do it.
DW- I clearly think that they helped themselves. We know that the guys that they brought in have played in this league and have made plays. They are young, and they addressed needs. You have to be able to free Santana Moss up so that he can be the game breaker that we all know that he is. So when you match up against the Skins, people will now have to get out of the notion that they can double up on Santana. Now, you have two other options, plus Cooley, and the guy that will really benefit from this is Clinton Portis. If they hit a couple of big plays early, that eight in a box designed to stop him is going to be over. CP then gets more space, and those running lanes will expand and he will begin to look more like the CP in Denver. Once that happens, he will be off and running.
KS- Offense sells tickets, and people are more up to par with additions on the offensive side of the ball, but what about the new faces on defense?
DW- Well, with Carter, you have a guy that is highly competitive. He's not one of those sweat hogs. He's a lean guy with quickness, great hands, maybe a bit undersized, but is a legitimate pass rusher. What you want is somebody that the opponents will have to defend. Now, I don't know how they will use Carter yet. I do know that at the end of the season, they were getting real good pressure. The healthier that they got at the end position, the better they got at getting after the QB. I thought that Daniels played some of his best football at the end of the year. Renaldo is coming off of the injury, but he's a great run stopper. I can see them maybe flipping on 3rd and long and just sending in different combinations. Then you start talking about putting McIntosh in the mix being a guy that can rush, and Washington's role will likely increase with LaVar's departure as far as getting after the QB. One thing that we didn't see this year as opposed to Gregg's first year was Springs coming in off the edge a lot more. I think that you will see him involved more this year. Gregg Williams likes to blitz in packages. They just boosted their athleticism, and that's really important for a team that likes to blitz.
KS- Let's not forget about Adam Archuleta.....
DW- Well, he's a headhunter. Simply put, he's an attack dog. The key to their success is stopping the run. You are looking for what Philadelphia does with Dawkins. I can see Archuleta in a similar role. Plus, you have Taylor who is the ultimate KO artist. So, you are talking about two very physical guys coming out of the secondary, which really helps your run defense. Also, when you play in a conference with good TEs like Alge, Shockey and Whitten, first thing you have to think about when putting a team together is who do you play. I thought that McIntosh was a great selection. They had to get a LB that could cover because you have to deal with Westbrook and Barber within your own division. You have four games where you have Pro Bowl caliber backs coming out of the backfield. You have to build on that. You have to be able to win your division. You know what Westbrook and Barber are going to bring, and now the Cowboys have added a stretch guy in TO along with an excellent TE. They will probably be looking to get more production out of their backs in the passing game. Remember, Emmitt back in their heyday caught 50 passes. You want to get the best guy, and you also want to get a guy that can help you match up well with what you have to face within the division, and I think that Archuleta does that for them.
KS- You mentioned that you thought getting McIntosh was great, but do you have any issues with what was given up to be able to get in position to draft him where they did?
DW- I'm not a critic or a proponent of any move like that until I can see a guy play. If Campbell is a starter and becomes a Pro Bowler, it was a fabulous move. If Rocky can step in and do the same, then again, it was a fabulous move. Next year's #2 is useless at this juncture. The only thing that matters is now. With the increase in the salary cap, their #1 priority in meeting needs is going through FA. So, the significance of next year's two, although it is valuable, is not going to help you win a single game this year. When you hear them talk about Rocky's Wonderlic test and his IQ, it's because they have plans to have this guy do a lot of different things. They feel like he's got the mental capacity to get the job done, plus you know that he's an excellent athlete. When you are trying to draft a starter, if you have to give a two to get him, then you do what you have to do to get him. What you have decided is that in your opinion, you need to upgrade that spot from what you currently have on the roster. Now, I would never do that for a backup, but you do it for a starter. People will say, "well what about Jason Campbell?" Well, QBs are exempt from this. Anytime that you can get a guy that you believe that will ultimately QB your team, then you have to make that investment. We've seen how many #1 draft picks have been busts at QB, so what's the difference if you have to wait a year or two to solidify that position?
KS- Well, you mentioned Rocky being brought in to solidify a position of need, which naturally brings me to our old friend LaVar. What are your thoughts on his signing with the Giants?
DW- October is a long time from now. We don't know who is going to be healthy, but LaVar is going to help any team on the defensive side of ball get better. A healthy LaVar Arrington is a Pro Bowl LB. When you add him with the defensive ends that NY already have in place, he's going to provide even more pressure on the edges. That in turn will allow more stunts as well. Believe me, when Samuels lines up, he's going to be looking at Uminyora and #55, and that's going to be something that the backs are going have to really get involved in as well. It will create problems as it did for other offenses when he was playing for Washington. The thing is, they won a lot of ball games and they lost a lot of ball games with LaVar. It's not one guy that changes it because they couldn't change it here. Having said that, I would definitely want to have him on my team if he's healthy. I thought that it worked out great for him because he felt that it was time for him to move on, and when you are that talented with the ability to make that kind of money, you make a move. Any player making over $10mil a year in this league is an endangered species unless he is healthy and highly productive. You are going to come up against that cap and people are going to say "you know what, a lot of love...", but if you have deficiencies on other parts of your team that you need to clean up, then have to do it.