lance briggs

[brad7686]

http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/6640430

Foxsports is reporting Chicago turned down the Redskins offer.
Good news for those who don't like the deal.

And good for those who do like the deal, even though they may not see it yet.

[CcHhDd]

Looks like everyone who thought we were giving up on rocky were proved wrong thanks to fox sports.

I would just like to emphasize how little our team depends on our defensive line. If anything.. our line's core is its DT. When griffen came to town he really did bolster our defense. But williams system never put a premium on defensive line play. Instead it requires great linebacking and supurb secondary coverage. So that's why I feel drafting a DE would be a waste.

[SkinsJock]

I guess we all have to post in all the Briggs threads - this deal was never going to be anything but what was originally offered and even though that heavily favored our team IMO it was not going to involve anything else! no thanks to anybody (like Fox Sports) - this was all under Gibbs control.

A lot of people got all bent out of shape and just assumed that our guys were going to screw it all up again - did not happen - Let's all move on people, Gibbs is in charge and he is determined to get this group back on track - Williams will have the defense back in the top 10.

Gibbs Saunders and Williams are the best group of coaches in the NFL and they will get this team back on track.

[Chris Luva Luva]

Santana gave an interview on Sirius radio yesterday. They asked him about the Briggs deal and he said he didn't understand why they'd do that. He said that Rocky can handle the job.

But of course I know people will say Moss aint a coach and blah blah blah. Thats true.

But that just shows how the locker room feels about these things. Some things are needed, some aren't. These type of moves are what destroys chemistry....but thats just my opinion.

[KazooSkinsFan]

Santana gave an interview on Sirius radio yesterday. They asked him about the Briggs deal and he said he didn't understand why they'd do that. He said that Rocky can handle the job.

But of course I know people will say Moss aint a coach and blah blah blah. Thats true.

But that just shows how the locker room feels about these things. Some things are needed, some aren't. These type of moves are what destroys chemistry....but thats just my opinion.

Or it could mean that as a player making a public statement he's supporting his teammate since he has no say in the matter anyway, and if Briggs becomes his teammate he'll support him too.

[SkinsFreak]

Santana gave an interview on Sirius radio yesterday. They asked him about the Briggs deal and he said he didn't understand why they'd do that. He said that Rocky can handle the job.

You don't think he would say on the radio that Rocky can't handle the job, do you? They are teammates and they're both from the U. I would have said the same thing as Moss. But I do believe Moss is genuine with that statement and I agree with him.

I think all of us have been a little confused regarding the Rocky situation. But I don't think anyone was wanting to get rid of him.

[Chris Luva Luva]

Found on another board. GO BILLS!!!!

“I played for Dick Jauron,” said Briggs of his rookie season. “I always thought Dick Jauron was a great coach. I liked playing for him.

This potential trade could pick up some steam because Buffalo is coached by former Bears front man Dick Jauron, who Briggs played for as a rookie.

Buffalo is offering their pick in the first round – No. 12 overall – to the Bears for Briggs, although Angelo would have to include another selection in return for that deal to happen.

According to a report from Scout.com , the New York Giants have made an offer to the Chicago Bears for linebacker Lance Briggs. The report also states that the offer would be for the Giants number one draft pick; 20th overall. It went on to add that they would need to sweeten the deal a bit for a move to actually happen.

[SkinsFreak]

This is not my opinion, but I just wanted to mention it. Gibbs has said that the areas of need on the defense were at the LB and DB positions. The other night on one of the draft specials on the NFL Network, they were reviewing the defensive prospects and then team needs. They did not have the Skins listed as one of the teams that needed d-line help. I'm not sure why. All I can think is that maybe they feel the injuries to our d-line were the problem and they will be healthy this year. In 2005, our d-line was pretty good, specifically Griffin and Daniels, who had 8 sacks that year. And with the addition of Carter, Golston and now Fletch, maybe they see things differently. I don't know, though.

[Chris Luva Luva]

I love Gibbs but IMO he's 110% wrong on that belief. Our issue's stem from the line and trickle down.

Line - Huge help needed. We need a starting/monster DT. A pass rushing DE won't hurt from next yeas draft...
LB - Set for this year, could use a good rookie for depth.
DB - Set for this year, could use a good rookie for depth. Look for a future starter next year.
Safety - Set for 1-2 years. Bring back Clark . Look for a safety in the next 2 drafts.

IMO.

[PulpExposure]

This is not my opinion, but I just wanted to mention it. Gibbs has said that the areas of need on the defense were at the LB and DB positions. The other night on one of the draft specials on the NFL Network, they were reviewing the defensive prospects and then team needs. They did not have the Skins listed as one of the teams that needed d-line help. I'm not sure why. All I can think is that maybe they feel the injuries to our d-line were the problem and they will be healthy this year. In 2005, our d-line was pretty good, specifically Griffin and Daniels, who had 8 sacks that year. And with the addition of Carter, Golston and now Fletch, maybe they see things differently. I don't know, though.

I actually think if we could start a defensive line of Carter, Golston, Griffen and then Daniels, we'd be pretty good. The problem comes when someone gets injured. We have literally no depth.

Carter goes out, we lost our best pass rusher, by far. Griffen goes out, and we lose our only serious run-stopper. Daniels goes out (and he's 34...and injury prone), and Wynn steps in. And then we have NO depth whatsoever at end (Evans I suppose, but a 3 man DE rotation is brutal).

We need to look towards the future. Carter is still young (27, iirc), so that position should be set for awhile. Golston is young. Other than that, we have 2 DE's who are 34 and 32 (Daniels and Wynn), and Griffen who is capable of playing at a very high level but is getting nicked up and getting older. We need an infusion of young, good talent on that line, imho.

I'd love any of the 4 d-linemen mentioned, but I think I'm going more towards Jamaal Anderson than anyone. I like his combination of size and passrush ability...I just think that he would be an excellent match with Carter on the other size.

[fleetus]

Santana gave an interview on Sirius radio yesterday. They asked him about the Briggs deal and he said he didn't understand why they'd do that. He said that Rocky can handle the job.

But of course I know people will say Moss aint a coach and blah blah blah. Thats true.

But that just shows how the locker room feels about these things. Some things are needed, some aren't. These type of moves are what destroys chemistry....but thats just my opinion.

This is more evidence that chemistry is such a big part of a teams success. At the end of last season a big article was written in the Post breaking down why the team failed. It cited numerous veterans who said they just didn't understand some of the FO moves.

The majority of fans look at just the surface to determine how good a player is. Number of sacks, number of touchdowns, number of highlight reel plays etc. The players work together every day. They know which players pull their own weight , who is overpaid and who is underpaid. I'd be willing to bet that at some point during last season, some of the players went to Gibbs and said, why is Rocky only on Special teams? Gibbs didn't fire Lindsay just because the LB corps underperformed. Hell, half the position coaches should have been fired under that criteria. He fired him for his poor handling of their 2nd round pick (who they traded up for) while Holdman did nothing to deserve a starting spot, IMO.

If the players are left scratching their heads after some of the FO moves because they know the guy already on the roster can do the job well, then the teams performance will suffer. This cannot be overlooked.

[skinsfan#33]

Looks like everyone who thought we were giving up on rocky were proved wrong thanks to fox sports.

I would just like to emphasize how little our team depends on our defensive line. If anything.. our line's core is its DT. When griffen came to town he really did bolster our defense. But williams system never put a premium on defensive line play. Instead it requires great linebacking and supurb secondary coverage. So that's why I feel drafting a DE would be a waste.

And that is why GW's defenses are usually in the lower half of the NFL in sacks and turn-overs.

IT ALL STARTS UP FRONT. Offense or defense, if your line is week, so is your team.

[Chris Luva Luva]

Is it true that Vinny said on Lunch with the Skins that he doesn't believe in drafting defensive linemen in the 1st round?

[fleetus]

Looks like everyone who thought we were giving up on rocky were proved wrong thanks to fox sports.

I would just like to emphasize how little our team depends on our defensive line. If anything.. our line's core is its DT. When griffen came to town he really did bolster our defense. But williams system never put a premium on defensive line play. Instead it requires great linebacking and supurb secondary coverage. So that's why I feel drafting a DE would be a waste.

And that is why GW's defenses are usually in the lower half of the NFL in sacks and turn-overs.

IT ALL STARTS UP FRONT. Offense or defense, if your line is week, so is your team.

As usual, a little exagerration in both directions when the truth is in the middle. Jevon Kearse? 26 sacks and 12 forced fumbles in 99-2000? Their D-line was very good. Look through Ten and Buf stats for 97-2000 and 2001-2003 respectively before making that statement.

[SkinsJock]

Is it true that Vinny said on Lunch with the Skins that he doesn't believe in drafting defensive linemen in the 1st round?

If that is what he said, it really means very little - nobody is really saying anything that you can take too seriously right now. The only unfortunate truth is no one is going to pay any attention to Cerrato anyway, so if he was trying to mislead anyone they wouldn't be led by anything he said.

[funbuncher]

If we are so interested in going after franchise players, I wonder if we spoke to any of these teams near the bottom of the first round about their franchise players? There are 3 defensive ends and a corner. All would have made more sense than a WLB. Surely we considered/are considering these options as well, right?

18. Cincy - Justin Smith - DE who has been franchised, the same situation as Briggs, but more of a need position.

24. New England (from Seattle) - Asante Samual - CB, another position we could use more than LB.

27. New Orleans - Charles Grant - DE - defensive end good... don't kow much about him as a player.

28. New England - Asante Samual - CB, 28 is still higher than 31.

32. Indianapolis - Dwight Freeney - DE who has been franchised, the same situation as Briggs, but obviously a team need. Somehow I doubt the Colts would have parted with Freeney for the value of one 1st rounder though. Bill Polian is one of the shrewdest GM's in the league, and he probably would have demanded next years 1st from us as well, so it's probably for the best that Danny not deal with him.

Everyone of these players makes more sense for our team position-wise than Briggs. The difference is that these guys aren't all stomping there feet and making threats to sit out the season. That of course explains why the Bears might be more willing to deal him, but not necessarily why we would want him.

I really like the idea of trading down and coming out with 2 starters, but not so much for another LB. Can anyone do a good Rosenhaus impersonation and call our FO with this idea please? Or maybe we could all just pool our funds and pay Rosenhaus to do our bidding for us.

[fleetus]

Speaking of Rosenhaus, he worked us and the Bears to perfection. Before all this started, the Bears and Briggs were not talking, at all. It was a stalemate. Since that day Rosenhaus mentioned to the media that the Skins were interested in Briggs, he's orchestrated the following developments:

1. In depth Media coverage of the Briggs situation
2. An offer from the Skins to the Bears
3. Renewed talks between the Bears and Briggs
4. Interest from several other teams that need a LB more than the Skins (Giants, Bills, Eagles and maybe more)

So Rosenhaus hopefully will cut Danny a little slack during the next negotiation with one of his clients. Don't bet on it though

[SkinsFreak]

Speaking of Rosenhaus, he worked us and the Bears to perfection. Before all this started, the Bears and Briggs were not talking, at all. It was a stalemate. Since that day Rosenhaus mentioned to the media that the Skins were interested in Briggs, he's orchestrated the following developments:

1. In depth Media coverage of the Briggs situation
2. An offer from the Skins to the Bears
3. Renewed talks between the Bears and Briggs
4. Interest from several other teams that need a LB more than the Skins (Giants, Bills, Eagles and maybe more)

So Rosenhaus hopefully will cut Danny a little slack during the next negotiation with one of his clients. Don't bet on it though

That's what a good agent is supposed to do. Drew and Dan are friends, so I think Drew would try to favor Dan in a lot of potential deals.

[1niksder]

That's what a good agent is supposed to do. Drew and Dan are friends, so I think Drew would try to favor Dan in a lot of potential deals.

Let's not forget the fact that if Briggs signs the franchise offer Drew doesn't get anything out of the deal because there is no signing bonus involved.

[lowtharofthehill]

The reason the redskins looked at briggs was because they want to get rid of the sixth overall pick, from what i have read the Skins only think one player is worth top ten money for the team in the draft and that is WR Calvin Johnson..besides him they are not very interested at any player in the top ten...while briggs is expensive in overall money spent by Snyder he would not be much more than a 6th pick in the draft who would command about 12-20 million signing bonus depending on position...The redskins want to trade down and get two players out of the 6th pick...I still dont think that the Skins are very interested in D lineman...i don tknow why but i havent seen the Skins go after or make any serious moves in FA or in the up comming draft for a Dlineman

[frankcal20]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/co ... 02711.html

Redskins May Still Trade for Briggs
Chicago Weighs Offer For Its Disgruntled Star

By Jason La Canfora
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, April 27, 2007; Page E01

The Washington Redskins and Chicago Bears have rekindled talks under which the Bears would trade Pro Bowl linebacker Lance Briggs to the Redskins, NFL sources said yesterday.

While a deal was not a certainty, one source with knowledge of the situation said there was a "50-50" chance a trade would be completed before Washington makes its first selection in the NFL draft tomorrow. The source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said it was possible the teams also would swap their first-round draft picks, with the Bears receiving Washington's sixth overall selection in return for Chicago's 31st pick.

Last month the Redskins offered their sixth overall pick to Chicago for Briggs, 26, and the Bears' first-round pick. The Bears countered by asking Washington to add linebacker Rocky McIntosh to the offer, and when the Redskins refused the sides broke off talks. However, the teams have discussed other scenarios in recent days, according to sources, with the Redskins holding firm to their original offer and refusing to include McIntosh or other draft picks in a trade.

The Bears have remained open to trading Briggs and have bristled at the contract demands of his agent, Drew Rosenhaus. According to one league source, the Bears could settle for Washington's original offer prior to Saturday should no better deal come along. The Redskins could in turn request additional compensation for their first-round draft choice.

Briggs, a two-time Pro Bowl weak-side linebacker, has been in a contract dispute with Chicago since the Bears lost to Indianapolis in the Super Bowl. The dispute centers on Chicago's decision to name Briggs the team's franchise player, which allows it to pay him a one-year contract at $7.2 million. Briggs wants a long-term contract and has threatened to sit out most of next season if the Bears don't trade him or work out an extension.

As a rule the Redskins do not discuss specific trades, and team officials reached last night refused to comment on the possibility of a trade for Briggs.

During a press conference Tuesday, Coach Joe Gibbs was asked about Briggs and, while he did not rule out a deal, he said that for every 100 trades discussed between teams one actually gets finalized. "It's extremely hard to do," he said.

Gibbs and Redskins owner Daniel Snyder have professed a preference for established veteran players over draft picks and said they planned to continue aggressively exploring possible player acquisitions.

Snyder spent parts of two nights with Briggs and Rosenhaus during the NFL meetings in Arizona last month, and Rosenhaus has a reputation at Redskins Park as a dealmaker and someone Snyder likes working with.

Redskins Brandon Lloyd and Shawn Springs were present on at least one of those nights, with Snyder asking their opinion of Briggs, sources said. Some league sources believe the Redskins already have contract parameters in place with Briggs should they acquire him. The team used a similar tactic when attempting to trade for cornerback Dre' Bly earlier this offseason, proposing a hefty contract to the player during trade talks.

The Redskins are looking for more playmakers on defense following a season in which they registered just six interceptions and a franchise-low 19 sacks. They have been exploring options to trade their sixth pick since they have lingering questions about many highly rated college prospects.

Briggs was drafted by Chicago in the third round in 2003, and posted one sack and two interceptions last season. He is the only NFL player to return an interception for a touchdown in each of the last three seasons and made 134 tackles in 2006. Some scouts believe his production was a result of Chicago's defensive system, which is designed for the weak-side linebacker to make plays in certain situations. The scouts also noted that the overall talent on the Bears defense -- middle linebacker Brian Urlacher may be the best defensive player in the game -- helped Briggs immensely. They cautioned against expecting he would automatically have the same impact in Washington.

The Redskins are adopting many aspects of the Bears' defense this season, however, according to sources, and on their internal scouting reports they highly value Briggs's ability to thrive in downfield pass-defense coverage. The Redskins have concerns about depth at linebacker, with strong-side linebacker Marcus Washington coming back from major hip surgery and McIntosh having knee problems. Briggs's presence in pass coverage would allow the team to blitz other linebackers as a means of addressing its pass rush problems.

The Redskins' lack of a top-flight defensive end remains a major issue, but there are no ends worthy of the sixth overall pick in this year's draft in the estimation of many NFL clubs, including the Redskins, sources said. Snyder and Gibbs would likely continue exploring trade or free agent options to land one should they get Briggs.

The Redskins also have diligently scouted all players likely to get picked in the first round in case they did swap their pick for a lower selection. Bolstering the defense, which was ranked 31st in the league last season, remains a priority in the draft.

Fourteen of the top defensive players came to Redskins Park for visits last week, and with the Bears' 31st pick the Redskins would likely consider a handful of players who have earned high marks internally should they still be available. Pittsburgh cornerback Darrelle Revis, and Mississippi linebacker Patrick Willis are of particular interest, sources said, but both will likely be gone by the 31st pick. Texas cornerback Aaron Ross and safety Michael Griffin, and Oklahoma linebacker Rufus Alexander, have strong ratings and could be available.

The Redskins are also intrigued by receivers Ted Ginn Jr. (Ohio State) and Dwayne Bowe (Louisiana State University). Although wide receiver is not a pressing need, they could be tempted to take one of them at the end of the first round if they trade down.

Again I just don't see where we have an area of need. The only way this trade would make sense would be to move down to the 31, and trade Briggs for a few mid round picks. Say a 2nd and a third? I'm not sure. I'm just guessing here. I just don't see how we need a LB'r. I think that there is more value in the 6. We should hold off until draft day and see who is where when our pick is up. If we are not getting anything, then I don't have a problem with it.

[Gnome]

If Washington and Rocky have lingering injuries - major surgery? - and Williams is switching to more of a Tampa 2, then this trade needs to happen. We get a pro bowl backer and keep a first rounder. Smart, smart move. Hopefully the skins can get more out of the deal and leverage the bears stupidity for not taking the trade a month ago into an additional pick.

[SkinsJock]

Washington Post & Jason La Canfora = not worth reading especially not worth a link and then printing the whole article

I mean, there is a chance that this deal could happen, just like there is a chance that we could end up getting C Johnson - it is just not a "50-50 chance" - that is just so typical of this idiot and hs stupid rag.

"a source with knowledge"

[Irn-Bru]

I like that we might ask for additional compensation as well. Sounds like the kind of thing Washington would do in the past few years -- I hope we get someone else to do it for once!

[SkinsJock]

good idea FFA! - we deserve at least a second AND a third round pick for the salary cap ramifications of taking over at 2

I hear that Johnson will get about $33-35 million over 4 years - this is based on last year's $ signings