CUT CARLOS ROGERS IMMEDIATELY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Irn-Bru]

You're missing the BIG difference. Carlos doesn't have anywhere near the speed that DG had. Maybe Carlos' technique can be improved (cant be any worse than it is now) and maybe he can even learn to occasionaly catch an int, but his speed isn't going to change. Speed can't be taught and he lacks the speed to be a top corner. As a result he has to play off of receivers and the short pass is always there against him. Just watch how far off of receivers he lines up on 3rd and 5. On the few occasions that he plays up on the line he gets beat deep.

Sure you can say that the line hasn't gotten as much pressure as they should and safety help hasn't always been the best, but its not like he is just struggling a little right now. Other than the Panthers game, Rogers has been horrible in coverage.

Speed is not the essential quality of a top cornerback. Carlos is no Olympian, but he's fast enough. You don't need 4.3 speed to be a top corner in the league. It's easy to dismiss him because he's not a 4.2-4.3 kind of guy, but it just isn't that simple when dealing with the CB position.

If you look at scouting reports on Rogers coming out of college, one of the things that they noted was that he gave too much cushion in his junior year but that, with confidence and time, he played much more physically and close to the line in his senior year.

Those are the kinds of things that you can change as a cornerback, and I don't see why Rogers shouldn't be given a chance. After all, what member of our secondary hasn't looked stupid more than a few times this year? Even Sean Taylor has looked like a fool a few times, and he's had by far the best performance this year.

You've used your blanket description of "horrible" to describe Rogers' play, yet while I agree that things were pretty bad in the first half of the season, he's shown a lot of improvement this year. He also does some things better than most corners in the league do already (his tackling is good, and he plays the wide receiver screen about as good as you can). In short, it looks to me like there's more upside than you're giving him credit for.

[ANT7088]

You're missing the BIG difference. Carlos doesn't have anywhere near the speed that DG had. Maybe Carlos' technique can be improved (cant be any worse than it is now) and maybe he can even learn to occasionaly catch an int, but his speed isn't going to change. Speed can't be taught and he lacks the speed to be a top corner. As a result he has to play off of receivers and the short pass is always there against him. Just watch how far off of receivers he lines up on 3rd and 5. On the few occasions that he plays up on the line he gets beat deep.

Sure you can say that the line hasn't gotten as much pressure as they should and safety help hasn't always been the best, but its not like he is just struggling a little right now. Other than the Panthers game, Rogers has been horrible in coverage.

Speed is not the essential quality of a top cornerback. Carlos is no Olympian, but he's fast enough. You don't need 4.3 speed to be a top corner in the league. It's easy to dismiss him because he's not a 4.2-4.3 kind of guy, but it just isn't that simple when dealing with the CB position.

If you look at scouting reports on Rogers coming out of college, one of the things that they noted was that he gave too much cushion in his junior year but that, with confidence and time, he played much more physically and close to the line in his senior year.

Those are the kinds of things that you can change as a cornerback, and I don't see why Rogers shouldn't be given a chance. After all, what member of our secondary hasn't looked stupid more than a few times this year? Even Sean Taylor has looked like a fool a few times, and he's had by far the best performance this year.

You've used your blanket description of "horrible" to describe Rogers' play, yet while I agree that things were pretty bad in the first half of the season, he's shown a lot of improvement this year. He also does some things better than most corners in the league do already (his tackling is good, and he plays the wide receiver screen about as good as you can). In short, it looks to me like there's more upside than you're giving him credit for.

I totally agree & I don't think he would be giving that cusion if he was confident in the guys behind him.

[skinsfan#33]

CBs successfully execute man coverage routinely in the NFL. at the very least, you should probably be able to stay within, oh, say, 5 or 6 yards of your receiver in such a situation- but rogers couldn't even stay that close.

This is true, but not on a deep slant with no safety help. Some cb amy have been close enough to knock down a poorly thrown ball, or tackel a slower WR, but had Tampa called that play against that deffensive call there is not a DB in the leaguee that would have stopped the play. And only 1 or 2 could have stopped the TD.
That was the perfect offensive play against the worst deffensive call for the play.

[cleg]

Coach Gibbs will be evaluating all these guys so I think there is a chance Carlos will be gone next year. But, we should not cut him, maybe we can get some picks for him.

[skinsfan#33]

maybe he can even learn to occasionaly catch an int, but his speed isn't going to change.

I think Roggers has dropped more catchable passes this year than any other Skins' player! Including all of the offensive players.

[UK Skins Fan]

And if he had turned only half of his drops into interceptions, we would probably be pushing him as a pro-bowler, regardless of what we thought of the rest of his play.

I'm not suggesting he is a pro-bowler by any means, but let's remember that we are talking about very fine lines here. I think Carlos is a lot better than some people here think, and he'll prove that next year (he'll have a better chance though, if we actually get a decent pass rush).

[The_Sonny_Of_Sammy]

He gets burned more often than an albino in a tanning booth.

2006 Carlos Rogers Trading Card

[SkinzCanes]

What a joke. He thinks that all that's stopped him from making the Pro Bowl this season is dropping some int's. What about all the td's and big plays that he's given up? I guess those don't count in his world.

Rogers Is in a Tough Position

By Jason La Canfora
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, December 15, 2006; Page E01

To Carlos Rogers, what has kept this from being his breakthrough Pro Bowl season are a half-dozen or so dropped interceptions. Rogers, in his second year at cornerback with the Washington Redskins, figures that, had he managed to hold onto the football, the team would have won more than just four games, he would be among the NFL leaders in interceptions and he might be considered one of the better young defensive backs in the league.

Whether Rogers's theory is valid may be subject to debate, but the reality is that he has failed to come close to the expectations that go with being the ninth pick in the NFL draft. Punishment for failing at cornerback is usually swift in the NFL and comes in the form of a wide receiver sprinting down the field. In a season in which Washington's defense has collapsed, Rogers has often been on the wrong end of those plays, dating from the first game in September.
"If I even just picked up the balls thrown to me, I think it would be a Pro Bowl season," Rogers, 25, said. "So I think I'm getting there. I've got games and quarters and things when I've played to where people know -- and I'm not worried about what people think -- but to where I know I should be playing at, for instance, the Carolina game. I've got to continue to have games like that every year and week in and week out and completing my interceptions. Then I can be where I want to be."

Rogers does not have an interception -- the entire team has only five -- despite having balls repeatedly thrown his way and being tested weekly by opponents. He falls for pump fakes and stop-and-go moves that sometimes result in huge gains such as the 60-yard completion to Philadelphia wide receiver Reggie Brown on Sunday in the Redskins' 21-19 loss to the Eagles. With the safeties playing poorly, too, there is usually a lack of support on such breakdowns. Rogers added that a more sustained pass rush from the defensive line would make the jobs of the defensive backs easier. "It all starts up front," he said.

Rogers will face another test this weekend in New Orleans, against the NFL's top-ranked passing offense, averaging 303.5 yards per game.

No teammate or coach would deny Rogers's talent and ability. He plays with the physical edge that the coaches demand, helping to stop the run and tackling bigger players. But his play his been suspect -- particularly in the first half of the season when top cornerback Shawn Springs was injured -- and he tends to repeat his mistakes.

"Carlos has gotten the opportunity to make his plays and as a top 10 pick people expect you to make those plays and hold you to a high standard," Springs said. "And he has all the talent in the world and I think he'll be fine, but when the opportunity comes, you've got to make those plays. So I think, and I hope, he understands that and is coming around because the corner spot is tough. Every corner has to find his way and I talk to him, but you've kind of got to let them find their way, too. We have different personalities in some ways, and I was a little more aggressive. I couldn't wait to talk to guys and find out, 'How the hell can I do this as fast as possible?' "

The Redskins have plenty of experience with Springs, the third overall pick in 1997, and safety Troy Vincent, a perennial Pro Bowler as a corner. Cornerbacks coach Jerry Gray had a distinguished career at that position as well, and all do what they can to pass along pointers. Much like second-year quarterback Jason Campbell, his close friend and teammate at Auburn, Rogers is expected to make football a daily part of his spring and summer routine.

"A lot of time guys don't understand how important the offseason training camp is in order to build up the technique that you're going to use during the season," Gray said. "And it'll sink in for him that, 'Hey I've got to put time in and the more time I put in, the better I'm going to be.' "

Vincent, 35, often is one of the last defensive players to leave the field after practice. He works with other veterans on small corrections -- recently Vincent and eight-year veteran Kenny Wright were doing just that with the rest of the team already inside -- and Vincent would like to spend similar one-on-one time with Rogers.

"There's a lot I would love to talk to him about," Vincent said, "and obviously I've shared some thoughts with him from time to time. But when the offseason comes -- because there's a lot of people in his ear right now -- I'm hoping we'll get a chance to talk and spend some time together and work on some fundamentals of being a corner."

Washington's secondary has been ineffective, and there could be changes. Springs is coming off another major injury and, with his salary cap figure around $7 million next season, restructuring his contract may be required. The Redskins will definitely need a new nickel corner with Wright and Mike Rumph not panning out, and many in the NFL expect them to pursue Buffalo cornerback Nate Clements, considered the best free-agent defensive back available.

No matter the scenario, expecting Rogers to perform like a No. 1 cornerback next season seems like a tall order right now. Taking the next step forward appears to be up to him.

"I think he's going up and down and the more consistent he can become the better he can be," Gray said. "It's something he's got to fight. Being in this position is tough. It's like being a second-year tackle in the league. So in his defense, he's a young guy and he has to battle all those things and understand, 'Okay, why did I get beat? Why didn't I get beat and why did I make that play?' And then don't get beat with the same thing again. When he starts doing that, and they start seeing that, then he'll know he's improving, and that's the position he's got to put himself in."

[die cowboys die]

i found that article VERY discouraging. if you read between the lines in everyone's comments about him, it really makes it sound like he is not putting in the work necessary to improve. not taking advantage of the advice others are willing to spend their time giving. hopefully this is all just "out of context" or something, but the comments about him seem pretty consistent from several different people.

with shawn springs and troy vincent willing to teach him, he should be THRILLED (not to mention, obligated by his $$$contract) to spend every last second they're willing to give him, learning from them and working hard to be the best.

i think one of the worst things that can happen to a player is for them to think they are great, to think they are a pro-bowl player (especially when they're not). all lavar arrington ever did in response to criticism was talk about the pro-bowl he made 50 years ago, as if that means anything at all. he had all the physical tools to be dominant, but part of why he never progressed was because he thought he was already the greatest.

michael vick's biggest problem has been the same thing- he is always on a mission to prove that he is the greatest ever, that he's a great passer. he gets mad when people don't believe it. the reality is, he has a TON of work to do to become a consistent passer, but he will never do it because he doesn't think he NEEDS to do it, he thinks he is already the best.

we can only hope rogers does not have this diseased mindset.
you would think getting torched repeatedly this season would beat it out of him. but he seems to find ways to excuse himself, instead. "can't do much about it." he seems to be on the verge of openly criticizing the playcalling at times as well, in self-defense. the more i read from him the more i wonder if he was the "snitch".

[USAFSkinFan]

so how is next year's defense going to be any better? Springs isn't getting any younger, Fox has done okay filling in, but he's no starting safety...

[John Manfreda]

so how is next year's defense going to be any better? Springs isn't getting any younger, Fox has done okay filling in, but he's no starting safety...

Its not going to be any better.

[1fan4ramsey]

The interception he made today was very close to being dropped and Brees hit him square in the chest....geez.

[Gibbs4Life]

Take it easy on Carlos he did make the play to win the game today, not to mention the int, yes he almost dropped it but hey he caught it. This guy is a young corner and we've invested alot..alot in him we must have patience...after the amount of patience we've given other players on this team ahem MARK BRUNELL I think Carlos deserves another year.

[fredp45]

In addition to taking it easy on the guy, you better pray he turns into a solid corner or we're in deep trouble down the road. We already need a corner to replace Springs, we don't want to NEED another to replace CR.

[welch]

Rogers defensed the pass that he intercepted. Played to the right spot. He also played the last pass correctly. That was the end-game play -- if Rogers misses, then NO wins.

A point to remember, is that Darrell Green was beaten again and again during his first four or five seasons. He could recover because he was so much faster than anyone playing -- Bob Hayes is the only player who had Green's advantage over other players. (That is, how many other world-class sprinters have been NFL-quality football players?)

Green mentioned, around '86, that he had finally developed the skills...he was no longer depending on his speed to recover from mistakes.

Rogers, obviously, has to learn the position. If he doesn't, he won't last more than another year or two. That has happened before: remember Vernon Dean and Tom Carter?

I hope he works and learns. It's clear that his teammeates and coaches are telling him to learn. You certainly don't give up on a CB -- a tough position -- after twp seasons.

[SkinsJock]

..I'm not suggesting he is a pro-bowler by any means, but let's remember that we are talking about very fine lines here. I think Carlos is a lot better than some people here think, and he'll prove that next year (he'll have a better chance though, if we actually get a decent pass rush).

Thank you UK Skins Fan - looks like the view from across the pond is a lot clearer than to some here!

After his INT and how he played today I wondered if anyone would bring this up

Funny how some here have such strong opinions about some of the players and what they feel is wrong with the offense or the defense This is stiill a team game and it all comes down to how they play together.

Rogers looks like he will be fine when the rest of the D plays like they did today.

[joebagadonuts]

After his INT and how he played today I wondered if anyone would bring this up

I laughed so hard when he picked that ball I almost threw up. It hit him square in the chest and he STILL bobbled it!

[USAFSkinFan]

does anybody else pull there hair out when you look up and it's 4th and 5 and the 'Skins have a chance to end the game right then and there without any drama... and Rogers (and sometimes Springs) is 15 yards away from the line of scrimmage? I know Brees didn't look that way on the pass, but it would have been a lot easier completion than the one he made... I wish defenses would play us like that...

[SkinsJock]

Funny how an INT is almost not an INT because he almost did not make it. Kind of like saying Billy Kilmer was not a very good QB because of how he threw the ball!!

The WR almost caught the ball and then Taylor arrived .... should have counted but he dropped it

Or, "I'm not really pregnant!!!!"

[joebagadonuts]

Funny how an INT is almost not an INT because he almost did not make it. Kind of like saying Billy Kilmer was not a very good QB because of how he threw the ball!!

The WR almost caught the ball and then Taylor arrived .... should have counted but he dropped it

Or, "I'm not really pregnant!!!!"

I hope you're not referring to my post. I never said it was 'almost not a pick'. I just thought it was funny, given all the criticism that Rogers received on this board, that he didn't catch it cleanly. That doesn't take anything away from his play.