Free agency: where should we spend Dan's money?

[riggofan]

Raiding the Bengals' pantry!

[1niksder]

Raiding the Bengals' pantry!

Seems like the right thing to do since we took one of there cooks

[riggofan]

Good grief, this is an awesome article by Bill Polian.

NFL free-agency dos and don'ts
http://insider.espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/ ... agency-nfl

If you follow these guidelines, I guarantee the following things will happen:

• A segment of your fans will be unhappy.

• The local media will be very unhappy. (And they won't credit you for the dollars spent re-signing your own free agents, either, even though that does count on your cap.)

• The agents will be unhappy with you ... and will be vocal about it.

• And all will say, "You're not trying to win."

That was fine with me, because in reality, by following this approach, there are tangible benefits.

Your cap will be well-managed, which is absolutely necessary for sustained success. And you will have the ability to sign your own free agents first -- and they must be a priority, especially when you're a good team.

[riggofan]

I won't post the full article since its insider, but here are the tips. I believe these fourteen tips can be summed up just by saying, "Take a look at what Vinny Cerrato has done, and do the opposite."

1. Do fill needs and make sure the player has a specific scheme fit.

Free agency has a place in building your roster. If you find the right player to fit the right need and provide a missing component, it can be a good investment. But you want to make sure there is a precise reason you're adding that player.

2. Don't sign a player and change his techniques.

It is hard enough for players to adapt to a new team. For example, don't take a Tampa 2, 3-technique and expect him to become a Parcells/Belichick 3-4 DE. Those are totally different techniques, and players who have to make that type of adjustment don't make the transition well. Adapting and then trying to learn a new role on top of that adds complications that can ruin your investment. You could have a relatively brief window of return, so retraining shouldn't be a big part of it.

3. Do know the player you are signing very well.

In free agency, millions of dollars are on the line. If you miss, you'll feel it. So you'll want to be as informed as possible. You'll want to know a player's practice habits, his life off the field, his football intelligence, and any of his physical shortcomings, if any (and most have them). You'll gather this information through a variety of sources: a coach who has been with the player previously, a front-office person who knows the player personally, a trainer, your own psychological reports from when the player was in the draft, and your internal pro and college scouting reports. Even though those reports may seem dated, leopards usually don't change their spots. If there was a problem then, you can't assume it's no longer a problem now. You can't have a shortage of information.

4. Don't believe that "your culture" will change a person's behavior.

There is a tendency to believe that a player with character issues will turn things around if you put him in the right environment and provide the proper structure. I have rarely found that to be the case, particularly when the player is recruited and given big guaranteed dollars. If you don't want problems, don't sign problem players. Don't assume "your culture" is a fix.

5. Do realize that you are never one player away from a championship.

This game has a 100 percent injury rate, and your entire team's efficiency can be changed by just a few serious injuries. If only it were as easy as signing that "one" right player at the right time.

6. Do be very disciplined in sticking to your budget.

If you spend recklessly, there will inevitably come a time when you need the money that you no longer have. It sounds simple, but it's not an easy practice to execute.

7. Don't pay a player above his grade.

Don't give A-money (or years) to a B-player, and so on down the line. As discussed at the start of this article, the free-agent market as a whole is almost always a losing investment. Just because another team is willing to give a player a certain contract doesn't mean he's worth that price to your team. There is no universal price for a player because every player has a different value to each team. You need to trust your internal valuations and proceed off those figures, not the market.

8. Don't give A- or B-money (or years) to a player who doesn't play well on third down.

A- and B-grade free agents are supposed to be difference-makers and starters, respectively. If he's not playing well on third down, he's not earning his money. If a player is not even on the field on third down, he's definitely not earning big money.

9. Don't give a four-year or longer contract, even to an A-player, who is 28 years of age or older.

This rule doesn't apply to QBs, who can perform well beyond their age-31 season. For virtually every position besides centers, QBs and elite WRs, you will see a downturn in production beyond age 31. So if you give an older player a five-year deal, it's likely you're going to be eating a lot dead money. And you might not get equal production for the contract in the meantime.

10. Don't give a long-term contract to players with a significant injury history.

Significant injuries would include multiple major surgeries or concussions, or degenerative joint disease -- as diagnosed by a team physician in the physical. If a player has not averaged 12 games or more in the last two seasons, that is also cause to steer clear.

11. Do beware of players whose production dramatically increases in their contract year.

If a player is lousy for three years and then spikes in Year 4 and becomes a world-beater, be careful. You're more likely to get the production from those first three seasons, but you'll be paying for the results of the fourth. It's not a knock on the effort of the first three years, it's a trust in the bigger sample size.

12. Don't chase the market, particularly for someone else's player, and don't allow agents to manipulate you.

There is a lot of pressure on GMs during this time of year. Everyone will be advocating for a deal that is in his best interest, so you have to make sure you do the same and stay focused on what's best for your team. Set the price you feel is fair, and if that price escalates, walk away.

13. Don't pay a free agent more money than the A-players or B-plus-players on your team.

This has to do with both rewarding loyalty and maintaining a balanced cost structure within your team. For example, if the Colts were in the WR market, don't pay a free-agent receiver more than you're paying Reggie Wayne. Why? Because it creates bad locker-room chemistry. Players might not know much about the history of football, but they all know what everyone at their position around the league is making.

14. Do save your money if you're not yet ready to contend.

This one is new, growing out of the latest collective bargaining agreement. Now, unused cap room can be rolled over as long as a team stays above the cap floor. To that end, don't waste your money on C-grade players, or even B-grade players who aren't going to help in the long term. Save your money and use it to extend your homegrown players.

Seriously, that's a funny article to read and consider how many of these tips the Redskins would have broken over the past decade.

[SkinsJock]

Some very good points here - I do hope these guys learn from all the mistakes that have put us in this position

we're not a good team - we need to be patient - this is the Redskins reality



to simplify the do's and don'ts even more

1. Do fill needs and make sure the player has a specific scheme fit.

find the right player to fit the right need and provide a missing component ... make sure there is a precise reason you're adding that player.

2. Don't sign a player and change his techniques.

It is hard enough for players to adapt to a new team.... You could have a relatively brief window of return, so re-training shouldn't be a big part of it.

3. Do know the player you are signing very well.

4. Don't believe that "your culture" will change a person's behavior.

If you don't want problems, don't sign problem players. Don't assume "your culture" is a fix.

5. Do realize that you are never one player away from a championship.

This game has a 100 percent injury rate, and your entire team's efficiency can be changed by just a few serious injuries.

6. Do be very disciplined in sticking to your budget.

It sounds simple, but it's not an easy practice to execute.

7. Don't pay a player above his grade.

Just because another team is willing to give a player a certain contract doesn't mean he's worth that price to your team.

8. Don't give A- or B-money (or years) to a player who doesn't play well on third down.

If he's not playing well on third down, he's not earning his money. If a player is not even on the field on third down, he's definitely not earning big money.

9. Don't give a four-year or longer contract, even to an A-player, who is 28 years of age or older.

For virtually every position besides centers, QBs and elite WRs, you will see a downturn in production beyond age 31.

10. Don't give a long-term contract to players with a significant injury history.

If a player has not averaged 12 games or more in the last two seasons, that is also cause to steer clear.

11. Do beware of players whose production dramatically increases in their contract year.

You're more likely to get the production from those first three seasons, but you'll be paying for the results of the fourth ... trust in the bigger sample size.

12. Don't chase the market, particularly for someone else's player, and don't allow agents to manipulate you.

Set the price you feel is fair, and if that price escalates, walk away.

13. Don't pay a free agent more money than the A-players or B-plus-players on your team.

This has to do with both rewarding loyalty and maintaining a balanced cost structure within your team.

14. Do save your money if you're not yet ready to contend.

Save your money and use it to extend your homegrown players.

[1niksder]

The Colts have released Samson Satele, who started 13 games in the regular season and two playoff games because he had a $4M cap hit for 2014, he'd be a upgrade from Will Montgomery who carries a $3.425M hit this year. Cutting Will would save almost $2M in cap space...

[riggofan]

Some more food for thought as we get closer to the start of free agency:

The 6 Moves the Washington Redskins Must Avoid in Free Agency
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1980 ... ree-agency

1. Overpaying Perry Riley Jr.
2. Bringing Back Josh Wilson
3. Keeping Adam Carriker
4. Overpaying for Any Position Except Defensive Back
5. Emphasizing Youth over Experience
6. Signing Eric Decker

I mostly agree except maybe for #5. The writer says Shanahan was wrong to emphasize youth and points at 3 losing seasons out of 4 as proof. I'm not sure I buy that as legitimate evidence. We had more problems to overcome than just a young roster, and I'm pretty sure the results weren't any better when we had the oldest roster in the league. lol. There is always a place for some older, experienced guys, but I'm on board with focusing on the younger players.

[emoses14]

Some more food for thought as we get closer to the start of free agency:

The 6 Moves the Washington Redskins Must Avoid in Free Agency
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1980 ... ree-agency

1. Overpaying Perry Riley Jr.
2. Bringing Back Josh Wilson
3. Keeping Adam Carriker
4. Overpaying for Any Position Except Defensive Back
5. Emphasizing Youth over Experience
6. Signing Eric Decker

I mostly agree except maybe for #5. The writer says Shanahan was wrong to emphasize youth and points at 3 losing seasons out of 4 as proof. I'm not sure I buy that as legitimate evidence. We had more problems to overcome than just a young roster, and I'm pretty sure the results weren't any better when we had the oldest roster in the league. lol. There is always a place for some older, experienced guys, but I'm on board with focusing on the younger players.

I think 1 is far too cute by half. Who determines if they overpay? And I agree that they shouldn't overpay him, too. I also don't think they should overpay at DB. I think we need to find 1 or 2 safeties in free agency that are starting veterans to hold us over until we find out what Rambo and Thomas can do with proper coaching/time. I also would welcome merriweather and doughty back.

[Kilmer72]

Many more holes in defense but, I think if we want to give Robert a chance, Oline first. Sink the rest in defense and plug holes(wide out also). We are going to have to sign players like Robert and Morris eventually. This will take a long time. I said when we got Shanahan it would take 5 years or longer and people tried to say "not in today's NFL... 2 or 3 years." We need to grow our own product. To hire someones elses that let them go for cap reasons just hinders ours. Bruce has been getting FA at a bargain mostly. Stay the course and things will come together.

[riggofan]

Many more holes in defense but, I think if we want to give Robert a chance, Oline first. Sink the rest in defense and plug holes(wide out also). We are going to have to sign players like Robert and Morris eventually. This will take a long time. I said when we got Shanahan it would take 5 years or longer and people tried to say "not in today's NFL... 2 or 3 years." We need to grow our own product. To hire someones elses that let them go for cap reasons just hinders ours. Bruce has been getting FA at a bargain mostly. Stay the course and things will come together.

hah. I don't think people were wrong to say "2 or 3 years in today's NFL", but that assumes your team is a well run franchise.

[SkinsJock]

it's going to take time to fix the mess here - the first step was to get 'control' out of Snyder's hands ... and that has been taken .... it seems

The last few years have been tough to take partly because of Mike's ego not letting things here be 'managed' correctly both on the field and with player acquisitions

we are in decent shape financially but we have a lot of work still to do to rebuild this franchise


it's going to take more than a season and a lot of things have to go well ... but ... we do have a franchise QB and that is a huge plus

[1niksder]

Latest Rumors

The Redskins are considered a possible landing spot for free agent Aqib Talib.
Talib has ties to secondary coach Raheem Morris, but wouldn't be a great fit with outside corners DeAngelo Hall and David Amerson both under contract. Washington may be better suited to make a run at Captain Munnerlyn for his ability to play the slot. Talib is reportedly looking to be paid as a "top-of-the-market" corner and could command over $8 million annually. Mar 8 - 4:32 PM

Reported Contact: John Keim ESPN

Aaron Wilson ‏
@ravensinsider

In addition to the Titans, the Redskins are among the other NFL teams interested in Ravens free agent Arthur Jones, according to a source

Emmanual Benton ‏
@manny_PPI
#Redskins have interest in #Dolphins DL Randy Starks per source. Isn't expected to be re-signed by Miami. #Falcons could be interested.

Chris Russell
@russellmania980
About Linval Joseph & the #Redskins - I hear he would be open to the old 4-3/3-4 switch & remember he basically replaced Cofield. #Redskins

Emmanual Benton
‏@manny_PPI
Starks is a #DMV native... went to school in Waldorf, MD. Is said to be interested in playing close to home.

Chris Russell
@russellmania980
When the gates open for real on Tues at 4:00 I would be very surprised if #Panthers UFA FS Mike Mitchell isn't a top target for #Redskins

[riggofan]

Glad to see the team taking a look at Anthony Collins:

Mike Jones @MikeJonesWaPo
Follow

As @john_keim said, #Redskins expressed interest in S Mike Mitchell. Talib and CIN RT Anthony Collins also players of interest, as expected.

Why is Chris Russell tweeting that the Skins should go after Darren Sproles???

[UK Skins Fan]

It seems that Collins may have a market as a left tackle, so we're unlikely to get him unless we overpay. I don't like the Talib idea - too much risk attached for such a gamble. And Mitchell leaves me underwhelmed.

I like Sproles, but he seems like a bit of a luxury, given the other needs we have.

Of course, all of these "expressions of interest" are probably agent-generated nonsense anyway!

[riggofan]

I like Sproles, but he seems like a bit of a luxury, given the other needs we have.

That was my thought as well.

[SouthLondonRedskin]

Yeah, not up for Talib or Sproles. Would be much happier with Captain Munnerlyn at CB, much better value.

I'd like to see them go after Golden Tate or Dexter McCluster, would be good in the slot but can also return kicks, and that's a 2for1 option we shouldn't overlook. If we draft a WR instead then I think they should be able to return kicks also.

Lival Joseph would be good for the DL, and Mike Mitchell at S I think would be good.

Don't be surprised if they keep most of the OL and work on improving RG3's release time and adding targets for him instead. Doing too much too quick could be a bad idea so the line may have to wait. However a lot will depend on what they think of Gettis, LeRib and Compton - if they are all busts in their eyes then they will address the line now.

[riggofan]

Yeah, not up for Talib or Sproles. Would be much happier with Captain Munnerlyn at CB, much better value.

I'd like to see them go after Golden Tate or Dexter McCluster, would be good in the slot but can also return kicks, and that's a 2for1 option we shouldn't overlook. If we draft a WR instead then I think they should be able to return kicks also.

Lival Joseph would be good for the DL, and Mike Mitchell at S I think would be good.

Me too. It seems to me that by improving the DL, improving the safety positions, you don't have to have Aqib Talib. I like the players that are being mentioned right now as possible targets.

I like Golden Tate, as well, but I think he'll be pricey. Not sure they could squeeze him in with all of these other needs. I know its a little riskier, but very good chance one of these big, young WRs will be available to draft in the 2d round. Maybe Kelvin Benjamin or Allen Robinson.

Don't be surprised if they keep most of the OL and work on improving RG3's release time and adding targets for him instead. Doing too much too quick could be a bad idea so the line may have to wait. However a lot will depend on what they think of Gettis, LeRib and Compton - if they are all busts in their eyes then they will address the line now.

Not sure I agree, but I guess we will find out soon. Personally, I think we'll see 2-3 new starters on the OL. Bye to Montgomery/Polumbus (maybe that lines up with what you're saying about keeping "most"). It just seems crazy to think that footwork and release alone are enough to protect RGIII. I'm sure he can improve in those areas, but he is what he is.

[riggofan]

Bengals just released center, Kyle Cook.

[riggofan]

Btw did anybody else hear that Carlos Rogers was released by the 49ers today? I can't imagine him returning, but would he pull a Smoot?

[tribeofjudah]

How about we pick up Revis...?

[SouthLondonRedskin]

How about we pick up Revis...?

...and drop him where...?? New England..???

[riggofan]

lol. Wouldn't this be crazy?

The Washington Post reports free agent CB Carlos Rogers could be a "possibility" for the Redskins.
Washington is in the market for a slot corner with Josh Wilson a free agent. That's where Rogers excels at this point in his career. The 32-year-old started his career in D.C. and shouldn't command more than a one-year deal.

[Chris Luva Luva]

lol. Wouldn't this be crazy?

The Washington Post reports free agent CB Carlos Rogers could be a "possibility" for the Redskins.
Washington is in the market for a slot corner with Josh Wilson a free agent. That's where Rogers excels at this point in his career. The 32-year-old started his career in D.C. and shouldn't command more than a one-year deal.

LMAO nice. That'd be funny.

[riggofan]

Aaron Wilson ✔ @RavensInsider

Redskins are hosting free agent offensive lineman Bruce Campbell (Maryland) for a visit today, according to a league source

[chiefhog44]

I would love to pick up Chris Clemons and Tarrel Brown on the cheap. This free agency confirms IMO that Snyder is completely OUT of the picture. Finished. We are finally building this correctly.