The-Hogs.net - Washington Football Discussion, Redskins to Commanders Era

Q&A With Roger McIntosh

McIntosh: 'I'm Glad to Be a Redskin'
By Gary Fitzgerald and Casey Husband
Redskins.com
April 29, 2006




Roger McIntosh
Linebacker Roger "Rocky" McIntosh was drafted by the Redskins in the second round of the 2006 NFL Draft. He spoke with Redskins.com shortly after the team selected:
Q: What are your initital thoughts on coming to Washington?
A: "I feel good. I appreciate them going out there and picking me up. I am glad to be a Washington Redskin."

Q: Did you get a sense that you were the player the Redskins had targeted all along?
A: "I spent a lot of time with them when I was there. There was nothing but positive things that that they had to say about me. They really showed that they cared about me."

Q: Did you think you might get drafted higher?
A: "I thought I was going to go a little higher. They traded up to come and get me and I appreciate that."

Q: What are your impressions of Washington's defense?
A: "They are a very stingy defense and very athletic. The guys just go out there and fly around and that's what I did my senior year at Miami. They did their homework and found it in me that I am fast, can play all three positions and that I am a very aggressive guy."

Q: How did your visit go here when Washington was recruiting you?
A: "It went well. I spent a lot of time with the linebackers coach and the defensive coordinator."

Q: What most impressed you about Washington?
A: "They have an awesome defense with a lot of superstars. They have a lot of guys from my alma mater. They're a very attractive team to be associated with."

Q: What is it about the Miami Hurricanes and the success that a lot of their players have at the NFL level?
A: "We just do what we do. We're very well-prepared coming out of college. We compete at the highest level, against each other and against opponents. And we win a lot of games, point-blank."

Q: What kind of expectations do you have for your rookie year?
A: "I just want to get out there and play. I love playing the game of football and I'm glad I've made it this far. I know it's not over yet. I have a lot more work to do."

Q: What do you think you do best on the football field?
A: "Probably attacking the line of scrimmage--that is one of the best attributes that I have. I attack with my speed. I also know where plays are going and I read offensive sets."

Q: Coaches here have talked about your versatility. Coming into the league, what position do you think you are best suited to?
A: "I play where I'm needed. My weight can go up or down if the position requires it. I can move well. I learn things quickly. Wherever they need me, that's where I'm going to play. Personally, I like to play outside."

Q: What are your thoughts about possibly following LaVar Arrington at outside linebacker?
A: "It would be great to go in there and follow in his footsteps. He was a great player along with the other linebackers there. I am just happy to move into any spot I can."

From This article, I found the following:

At Miami, he played three seasons with Redskins safety Sean Taylor and one with running back Clinton Portis. Portis and Santana Moss have been in head coach Joe Gibbs' ear about McIntosh's talents in recent weeks. Gibbs jokes that Portis is now the team's "assistant general manager."

In any event, having Taylor, Portis and Moss around figures to ease the transition for McIntosh, who is expected at Redskins Park on Monday.

Various media profiles have referred to McIntosh as "not your typical U. of M kind of guy." He already has degrees from the University of Miami in Criminology and is close to two more, one in African-American Studies and the other in English.

unter13 wrote:Guess what, next year we'll trade a 2008 draft pick to get that second round pick back if their's really someone there we need. and that goes for the year after that and the year after that. Don't worry about it. The Skins will be fine and so will Rocky. Relax

Bingo!

I like this pick. This is the guy I wanted for a long time.

We were agressive and made sure we got who we wanted.

You can't pick the guy you want with the 53rd pick unless you are lucky and he falls to you or you are reaching.

The trade was very fair, we didn't give up too much. Someone posted the trade table numbers earlier.

I love the answers he gave to the Q&A above, he is clearly a pretty smart guy. This just proves my point further:

PulpExposure wrote:

Various media profiles have referred to McIntosh as "not your typical U. of M kind of guy." He already has degrees from the University of Miami in Criminology and is close to two more, one in African-American Studies and the other in English.

There is no way we were going to take Jackson, G Williams would never let a rookie play MLB. Heck, he didn't let ST or Rogers start at the beginning of their rookie seasons.

Here is all you need to know on Mcintosh...



Roger McIntosh Draft Profile
MCINTOSH "Rocky" McINTOSH
Outside/Inside Linebacker
University of Miami Hurricanes
#50
6:02.3-231
Gaffney, South Carolina
Gaffney High School


OVERVIEW
McIntosh is a versatile defender who has experience at all three linebacker positions. The team's most experienced player in 2005, he provided a young defense with veteran leadership, as the unit ranked fourth in the nation in total defense (270.08 ypg) and scoring defense (14.25 ppg) while leading the Division 1-A ranks in pass defense (152.17 ypg).

McIntosh developed a reputation as a hard-hitting, hard-working player who made plays all over the field during his career at Gaffney High School. He earned Super Prep All-America honors and was rated the 15th-best linebacker in the country by that recruiting service as a senior. The All-South second-team pick was named to the South Carolina Shrine Bowl team and also excelled in the classroom, graduating with a 3.0 grade point average.

McIntosh spent the 2001 season redshirting at Miami. He started six games at linebacker in 2002, posting 43 tackles (24 solos) with eight stops for losses, a pair of pass deflections and a forced fumble. A preseason knee injury in 2003 limited McIntosh to reserve duty, where he produced 23 tackles (16 solos) and batted away two passes.

He started six times at strong-side linebacker and three times in the middle for the Hurricanes in 2004, earning All-Atlantic Coast Conference honors. He missed several late season games, including the Peach Bowl, with a shoulder injury, but still finished second on the team with a career-high 111 tackles (37 solos). McIntosh also registered four sacks, 13 stops for losses and eight quarterback pressures.

McIntosh was again named All-ACC honorable mention as a senior. He started the final 11 games at strong-side linebacker, leading the team with 89 tackles (50 solos). He posted 5.5 sacks and 10 stops behind the line of scrimmage while also causing one fumble and recovering two others.

In 46 games at Miami, McIntosh started 26 times. He recorded 266 tackles (127 solos) with 9.5 sacks for minus-69 yards, 32 stops for losses of 124 yards and nine pressures. He had two fumble recoveries, three forced fumbles and seven pass deflections.

ANALYSIS

Positives: Like most former Hurricane linebackers, McIntosh is a product of the team's fine weight room...Has a well-built frame with solid muscle tone, thin waist, long arms, limber legs, good bubble and big hands...Shows above average explosiveness and acceleration to close on the ball and the lateral range to race from sideline to sideline...Shows very good hip snap when changing direction and keeps his feet when chasing, taking good angles to shut down the cutback lanes...Gets a good jump on the ball due to his read-and-react ability, doing a nice job of recognizing blocking schemes...With his field instincts, he could be very capable of calling assignments from the middle linebacker position, but his explosive speed is also ideal for the outside...Uses that quickness to slip past blocks in tight quarters, but also has the hand strength to stack and control...On his forward charge, he stays low in his pads with arms extending to push the guards back into the pocket...Has the ability to keep run containment and the speed to string plays out and make big hits in pursuit...Effective wrap-up tackler who generates good pop on contact... Makes good adjustments working in space and has the speed and lateral range to mirror receivers on underneath routes...Gets good depth in his pass drops and has the foot speed to stay with receivers going deep...Very agile and flexible moving in space and his upfield burst will generally surprise slower offensive linemen on the pass rush... Uses his hands effectively to work through trash, demonstrating the ability to dip his shoulder and bend the corner...Adds value as a gunner on the kick team coverage units.

Negatives: Better in man coverage, as he lacks a good feel working in the zone (eyes the quarterback too long and is not always quick handling switchoffs)...When he gets too narrow with his base trying to slip through blocks, he will lose his balance and is slow to recover...Has good strength, but sometimes prefers to take the long loop around blockers rather than attacking in-line and the result is that he is late getting to the ball...Does not have natural hands to intercept the ball (lots of bobbles and double catches)...Even with his impressive leaping ability, he does not time his jumps well to get to the ball at its high point.

McIntosh is another in a long line of physical, quick Hurricanes linebackers in recent years. He has a good feel for the flow of the game and is very alert to blocking schemes. He gets a very good jump on the ball because of his field vision and has the explosive speed to quickly beat slower offensive tackles coming off the edge. He also uses that quickness well to avoid blocks and disrupt the pocket.

McIntosh relies more on his quickness to beat blockers when attempting to penetrate, but will sometimes put so much effort into taking the long loop that he gets taken out of the play. He needs to be more active with his hands in attempts to shed, but does a good job of using his upper body strength to push the guards back into the pocket. He has valid strength to punish ball carriers and hits with good pop on contact, but is not the type that can create a pile using his power.

His lateral range allows him to flow to the ball and make plays at the opposite end of the field. He is very capable of staying on the hip of tight ends and backs in the underneath passing game and has the acceleration to mirror receivers on long routes. But despite his ball awareness, he struggles in zone coverage, as he will bite on play action and eyes the quarterback too long.

McIntosh might be better suited to play inside, where his speed will be more effective shooting the gaps rather than trying to elude blockers coming off the edge. He knows all of the position assignments and can quickly take the play from the chalkboard to the playing field. He shows good urgency closing on the quarterback and has the loose hips needed to redirect on those times he gets a bit reckless and overpursues.

Durability issues might concern some, as he has dealt with knee and shoulder problems in recent years. He is no Jonathan Vilma when it comes to generating consistent big plays, but he is not the type that will make mistakes more than once. With his valid foot speed and upper body power, he can contribute either playing the middle or on the strong side. He will also bring instant value on the special teams coverage units, as he adjusts to the fast-paced game at the NFL level, before contributing as a starter on defense.

INJURY REPORT

2003: Suffered a knee sprain during August camp, missing the season opener vs. Louisiana Tech.

2004: A shoulder sprain forced McIntosh to sit out the Wake Forest (11/13) game and the Peach Bowl vs. Florida.

2005: Limited during spring drills by lower back spasms.

CAREER NOTES

Recorded 200 of his 266 career tackles, all of his 9.5 sacks and 23 of his 32 stops behind the line of scrimmage in his last two seasons.

AGILITY TESTS

Campus: 4.54 in the 40-yard dash...315-pound bench press...465-pound squat...33.5-inch vertical jump.

HIGH SCHOOL

Attended Gaffney (S.C.) High School, playing football for head coach Joe Montgomery... Developed a reputation as a hard-hitting, hard-working player who made plays all over the field during his career...Earned Super Prep All-America honors and was rated the 15th-best linebacker in the country by that recruiting service as a senior...The All-South second-team pick was named to the South Carolina Shrine Bowl team and also excelled in the classroom, graduating with a 3.0 grade point average.

PERSONAL

Criminology major...Son of Darcia and Roger McIntosh...Nickname "Rocky" was given to him by his grandmother...Born Roger A. McIntosh on 11/15/82...Resides in Gaffney, South Carolina.

Steve Spurrier III wrote:

DCGloryYears828791 wrote:

SkinsFanInHawai'i wrote:Found this posted on ES

We just traded:
2nd round, No. 53 (370 points)
6th round, No. 189 (15 points)
2nd round, 2007 draft (=85th pick, 165 points)
TOTAL: 540 points

To the Jets for:
2nd round, No. 35 (550 points)

Now that might just be the most useful and insightful post ive seen in this thread. Can all of you pessimist just stop trying to be our front office and sit back and watch. Its all of the same people who were bitching last year that we wasted draft picks, our front office has no clue what they are doing and then we go 10-6. If you want off the bus, get off, ive heard for two weeks now, that Rocky was high on the list of lb's and it doesn't surprise me that we have another guy from ......THE U. 212 tackles k and 8 sacks in two years from a lb???? and he stinks or is not worth that pick???? COme on people.

Really? A made-up statistic provides insight?

A 10-6 record shouldn't give the front office a free pass on draft decisions. Blindly trusting Gibbs as a coach is one thing, but in case you've forgotten, he has zero championships as Team President.

I dont know exactly what made up statistic you are talking about but to answer your question as to how many championships Joe Gibbs has one for our franchise, its 3. AND its the only three we have so IF you are a Skins fan you had better trust when this man makes a decison. Im so sick and tired of fairweather, judgemental fans it makes me sick to my stomach. Look, if you disagree with the pick write a damn post saying that, but don't turn into one of those pos nfc east fans who knocks their organization when they don't agree with something. If it wasn't for Joe Gibbs we wouldn't even know what the hell an Super Bowl looked like, so sit back and enjoy and if you don't like it, like i said, get the hell off of the bus. We don't need you anyway. GREAT CHOICE JOE and GREGG and VINNIE and DAN!!!!! HAIL SKINS, THROUGH THICK AND THIN!!!!

chaddukes wrote:

unter13 wrote:Guess what, next year we'll trade a 2008 draft pick to get that second round pick back if their's really someone there we need. and that goes for the year after that and the year after that. Don't worry about it. The Skins will be fine and so will Rocky. Relax

Bingo!

Excellent post. And if we keep putting it off year after year who cares!!! You make the most out of what you have that year!! WHo knows what the 53 or 59th pick would have been next year!!!

Great Post!!!

DCGloryYears828791 wrote:Excellent post. And if we keep putting it off year after year who cares!!! You make the most out of what you have that year!! WHo knows what the 53 or 59th pick would have been next year!!!

Great Post!!!

In two years we'll be in Draft Hell

1niksder wrote:

DCGloryYears828791 wrote:Excellent post. And if we keep putting it off year after year who cares!!! You make the most out of what you have that year!! WHo knows what the 53 or 59th pick would have been next year!!!

Great Post!!!

In two years we'll be in Draft Hell

Anyone know Rocky's birth date?

I reserve the right to disagree with anything I wish and no one on this board or any place else can say I'm not a loyal fan. If all we did on this board is agree with absolutely every move made unconditionally, it wouldn't be much of a discussion would it?

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to see we made a bad move and overpayed grossly for a player that we probably didn't need to trade up for in the first place. So through poor decisions we basically gave away next years 2nd and this years 6th. The margin for error in the NFC East is too narrow to be throwing away valuable draft picks, whether we use those picks to bring in guys like Lloyd(3rd) and Portis(2nd) or we draft guys like Jansen (2nd) and Betts(2nd) they are crucial to our success.

So, NO, I don't agree with the move whether it was a Gibbs move or a Snyder move, it was a bad move. and YES I am a loyal Skins fan. I just call it the way see it.

so when is someone going to get some video on this guy? I'm ready to see rocky attack

fleetus wrote:I reserve the right to disagree with anything I wish and no one on this board or any place else can say I'm not a loyal fan. If all we did on this board is agree with absolutely every move made unconditionally, it wouldn't be much of a discussion would it?

You are definately allowed to have your opinion. Yet, when you say things like this:

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to see we made a bad move and overpayed grossly for a player that we probably didn't need to trade up for in the first place.

Yet here, you're basically saying that anyone who thinks this was a good move is an idiot. So while you expect everyone else to respect your opinion, the above indicates that you belive your opinion is the only right one. Do you see a problem with that?

You get respect if you give respect.

I read posts on here from people saying he was a reach, and I read posts that say he was a steal. Well, so which is it? I'm still looking for some pre-draft articles and such that relate how high, or low, he was expected to land in the draft.

Chris Luva Luva wrote:Its not "ok" when we consistently overpay for most of our acquisitions/trades. Im tired of this team being on the short end of the stick in these situations. We gave Denver too much in 2 consecutive seasons and we gave up too much for Rocky.

Sure we'll all root for the guy but we're giving away picks. We're giving away chances to get great guys in the draft.

WE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Dan Snyder is going to ask you to open up your wallet?

Fanforever wrote:
WE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You forgot the question mark.

Our lineup is starting to sound like a quarry.
Between Cartwright and MacIntosh...
Admittedly, I don't follow college ball. I also try not to get too overly involved in the dealings. I'm definitely a results oriented, bottom-line "What can you do for me right now ?" guy.
I couldn't care less about next year's pick.
Welcome to Washington, Rocky. You're gonna be a star.

I was shocked when I read this thread. This was a great move. Why? Because with the amount of movement we made in Free Agency...we don't have room to add more than 2 rookies from the draft to our roster this year.

So why is everyone crying and moaning about trading sixth round picks that a) won't make our team and b) were used on a quality LB at a position of need??

Please relax and start understanding that Gibbs and Cerrato aren't morons. Gibbs has done great evaluating talent in the draft (Cooley, Taylor, Rogers)...people on the other hand have not (i.e. crying about not taking Kellen Winslow and last year Mike Williams).


Puuuhhhlleeeasssse...

Someone who is upset with this trade pleas tell me:
What good would it do our team to keep all of our picks this year, when we know for sure that we can't keep the players we select with them.

Once McIntosh turns into the next Johnathan Vilma type player I guess you'll find something else to complain about.

You can have as many draft picks as you like, but if you don't turn them into players that can contribute to the team, then all your draft picks are worth less than a pair of rusty nails. Sure, you can sit at #53 and pick a player that was rated the 53rd best in the draft, but that won't help you if he doesn't play the position that you need, and won't fit into your system.

I'm really impressed with those posters who have unequivocally stated that he would still have been there to pick at #53 - that's some prediction given that is 20 picks later.

Rocky sounds like a good pick to me, and I'm not that concerned about what we gave up to get him, just as I won't be concerned about what we gave up for Campbell if he works out. Linebacker was a need, Rocky was the guy Williams wanted, and that's fine by me. We may have overpaid a little, but I'd rather we overpaid to get what we need (obviously within reason), than sit still and draft the best linebacker available, just to tell everybody that we paid the right price.

1niksder wrote:

DCGloryYears828791 wrote:Excellent post. And if we keep putting it off year after year who cares!!! You make the most out of what you have that year!! WHo knows what the 53 or 59th pick would have been next year!!!

Great Post!!!

In two years we'll be in Draft Hell

you're such a weenie We only need a couple picks here and there to fill maybe a hole or two. Which really arn't to big a holes to begin with. Like someelse said, are draft is getting free agents or trading these so important 3rd and 4th round draft picks for young already proven players that will step right in and start for 5 years or so. Who knows what your going to get in the draft? The Skins narrowed it down to one guy they really loved (Rocky) and had to give up a pick later in the 2nd round, one of their 6th round picks and a 2nd round NEXT YEAR to make sure they got him. By NEXT YEAR Rocky will be a starting LB with a year under his belt in Greg Williams scheme. This is what Gibbs and the good Redskin teams do. Sometime back in the 80's the Skins didn't have their first pick until the 8th round. Get Use to it boys and stop crying. We still have 3 or 4 picks today and are team is SWEET.

My take, and you don't need to be a rocket scientist to understand it, is -- we addressed all of our "starting" needs in Free agency, except for OLB. Then, we drafted the guy our scouts and coaches really liked at the OLB position versus waiting until 53 and hoping he's there and if not, settling for a guy that isn't who you really wanted. So, we've filled every "starting" need we had coming into this off-season. How can anyone complain about this?

Beyond a starting OLB we need depth at a few positions still (like Boss says, all teams need depth somewhere on their team so no need to be worried). If we're able to fill a couple depth issues at OL & S in rounds 5-7, I'll be really pleased with what moves we've made this year.

I'm not too worried about our 2nd round pick next year -- it'll be the last pick in the 2nd round -- if you know what I mean!!!

Well, everyone, I didn't read every page, so I don't know if anyone has given my view yet.

First off, even some Cowboy fans agree with me there was not a better player in the beginning of the second round that the Redskins could have selected for ourselves. Heck, we probably would not have found a better fit in the first round outside of AJ Hawk. Our main question mark was linebacker.

Rocky McIntosh is first off is a smart linebacker. He usually graded out as the best linebacker for the Miami Hurricanes and also was the smartest football wise. McIntosh is one of the best linebacker as far as playing the run in the draft. This is on top of his sideline-to-sideline ability. He is the perfect fit for the Redskins.

If you want a comparison, think about Lemar Marshall on the weakside back in 2004, except McIntosh is a better playmaker. I'd compare him to Marcus Washington, but that much hope is almost homerish.

Another Huricane! we will soon be called the Washington Hurricanes.

I'm a little suprised we passed on Darryl Tapp and that he droped to 63rd. Also, if we wouldn't of signed Brandon Lloyd we could of had Chad Jackson, I think he was the best WR in the draft. He's gonna ge an awesome pro.

SkinsFanInHawai'i wrote:We gave up the 64th pick next year
to move up 18 spots to 35.
Looks like the Jets got screwed to me

Dont forget the pick this year. We gave them 2 2nd rounders for one!