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

Obviously I'm wasting my time. Brad, you're absolutely right.

But for the record, it wasn't me that selected Sartz in the fifth round of anything, Joe Gibbs did. But I guess the HOF coach and his staff of professionals, whom are actually paid to do this stuff, know next to nothing, right? Brilliant. You're so right, defensive coordinators rarely ever blitz from the safety position... I mean, after all, it's just not 'safe' to do that. You're right, ok? You can't win a Super Bowl if you rank next to last in the league in total sacks, it just can't happen... good point. Oh, and only the d-line can create pressure and get sacks... you're right about that too. Well done, young man.

SkinsFreak wrote::roll: Obviously I'm wasting my time. Brad, you're absolutely right.

But for the record, it wasn't me that selected Sartz in the fifth round of anything, Joe Gibbs did. But I guess the HOF coach and his staff of professionals, whom are actually paid to do this stuff, know next to nothing, right? Brilliant. You're so right, defensive coordinators rarely ever blitz from the safety position... I mean, after all, it's just not 'safe' to do that. You're right, ok? You can't win a Super Bowl if you rank next to last in the league in total sacks, it just can't happen... good point. Oh, and only the d-line can create pressure and get sacks... you're right about that too. Well done, young man.

Well now you're just being facetious. Let's acknowledge that both of us have some good points. For instance, you have pointed out that the defense has been good without having dominant pass rushers or healthy run stuffers. Which is true. I have pointed out that the team, at least recently, has not had elite linemen to aid them if the other parts of the defense are not stellar. Which is also true. I share hope with you that the team has solidified the back lines of the defense enough that they can support the front line and be a good defense again. However, i also feel they don't have enough talented depth at the defensive line positions to sustain a good defensive presence if injuries were to occur. I feel the injuries are likely to happen, not because i'm a narcissist but because odds are it will happen. But in the end, you are right, its not in our hands. We will just wait and see what happens, hope for good health, and put faith in the coaching staff. However, they must prove last year was a fluke or heads will begin to roll.

Redskin in Canada wrote:[-X

The level of the debate already dropped several notches notwithstanding the good efforts made by several posters on our side of the argument, such as old-timer, Snout and myself. Even brad has been good in this thread.

If and when some of you on the Dark Side wish to engage in an analysis whether supportive or even critical of the Team without calling names or alleging that anybody has called you names, I will be happy to oblige.

In the meantime, peace brothers.

From the man who posted a cheerleader image ... yes, nothing but reasoned analysis from you

Best part of that: myself and the people with whom I agree have all made valid points, the rest of you are children.

What a stunning conclusion for you to reach.

Come off it man.

Fios wrote:From the man who posted a cheerleader image ... yes, nothing but reasoned analysis from you

Best part of that: myself and the people with whom I agree have all made valid points, the rest of you are children.

What a stunning conclusion for you to reach.

Come off it man.

A public self-service announcement from the Cup.

Reasoned analysis? Well, let us see:

You say:

Since this discussion is worth nobody's time, well, ...

naaaaahhhh, let us finish some sentences, Shall we?

Fios wrote:If you say you think Williams et al know what they are doing, ...

You should stop -any- second-guessing. They know it all and anybody that writes anything contrary to what I perceive to be critical, pessimistic or in any way not supportive of -my- personal interpretation of what I think the coaches are doing is WRONG.

Fios wrote:If you say the d-line wasn't THE problem last year, you're wrong, no matter what.

no matter that it had one of the worst performance against the RUN and no matter the noticeable drop in play when our DTs were injured last season.

Fios wrote:If you suggest the d-line, as it stands, can do what is asked of it, you are wrong and, further, you are asked to account for the possibility of injury

... notwithstanding last season's performance, the negative effect of injuries, and the short-sighted lack of high-quality depth.

Fios wrote:If you point out that all teams face injuries, you're reminded that the FO sucks and we don't have any draft picks and all of our FA signings are terrible.

notwithstanding the fact that a TOP-HEAVY team based on free agency lacks high -quality back up due to a wrong player-acquisition policy.

And, to make the ranting story short, ...

Fios wrote:And, for god's sake, do not have faith of any type, whatsoever. The people who spend time bashing and ripping and making the same points over and over and over and over and ignoring any evidence to the contrary are older and therefore wiser than you. So just admit the team sucks now, it will suck next year, everything is Snyder's fault, and you will be wise.

... and knowledgeable of the fact that under the Danny, we have a track record that STINKS in -every- single department whether it is wins and losses, Conference championships, number of playoffs trips, and since all of these are prerequisites, little respect and ZERO superbowl games and trophies.

Let me turn the table just a bit to paraphrase a statement more likely to be found in ExtremeSkins than here:

But since we have a Hall of Fame Coach -and- a man with a great defensive coach record, I will use any of those adjectives to justify and support -any- opinion of MINE as I wish. In fact, any opinion or statement that makes me feel uncomfortable or critical of my coaches and knowledgeable owner should be regarded as a personal criticism and name-calling attacks against me and my partners on my side of the argument. Anything argued on the other side is unreasonable and it does not address my logic. In fact, it is a waste of time.

And the above statement would be right. So, let's bring the Pom Poms out man.

Wow I totally forgot I started this one or I would have been more into the conversation. Basically I am here to admit I was mostly wrong. It was a knee jerk reaction but after watching film and stuff laundry is in my opinion going to do well. But I am still apprehensive about the front four having to stand on their own, if our secondary does become injured.

Redskin in Canada wrote:And the above statement would be right. So, let's bring the Pom Poms out man.

Sorry, don't own any, but since you're 'right', in your own mind, you are more than welcome to do a cheer for us using your pom-poms. While you're at it, put your skirt on too.

Clark wrote:Wow I totally forgot I started this one or I would have been more into the conversation. Basically I am here to admit I was mostly wrong. It was a knee jerk reaction but after watching film and stuff laundry is in my opinion going to do well. But I am still apprehensive about the front four having to stand on their own, if our secondary does become injured.

Careful with hot linking images there, Chris. I hear that's a gamble nowadays.

Irn-Bru wrote:Careful with hot linking images there, Chris. I hear that's a gamble nowadays.

I've been dumping everything into 1 of my 2 photo-bucket accounts.


I'm still scared to see what you guys saw.

Chris Luva Luva wrote:

Irn-Bru wrote:Careful with hot linking images there, Chris. I hear that's a gamble nowadays.

I've been dumping everything into 1 of my 2 photo-bucket accounts.


I'm still scared to see what you guys saw.

I'm still frightened and I saw it

Let's not discuss this so close to lunch time. . .

I'm still amazed that we can't have a sane, rational discussion about some perfectly well-founded concerns regarding the Redskins' pass rush.

Maybe I'll come back later, when I'm drunk, and this whole thread will make more sense...

Redskin in Canada wrote:[-X

The level of the debate already dropped several notches notwithstanding the good efforts made by several posters on our side of the argument, such as old-timer, Snout and myself. Even brad has been good in this thread.

If and when some of you on the Dark Side wish to engage in an analysis whether supportive or even critical of the Team without calling names or alleging that anybody has called you names, I will be happy to oblige.

In the meantime, peace brothers.

How can you analysis the moves made this year without this year playing out? Yet you and those labled "the oldschool" and Brad are doing this that. To further flaw your thinking you over look the change in scheme that was the caused by the same injuries that you kepp telling others can happen this year. They happened last year but you pnly see the fact that the player injured was unavailable, in fact it effected how others played and what schemes would be run.

Fios wrote:Whoah, whoah, believing the current coaching staff knows what it is doing is tantamount to admitting what a stupid, naive child you are, as I am.

SkinsFreak, it's not worth your time to make points, they won't be addressed. I pointed out yesterday that the Colts d-line sucked last year and the reply to that focused on their offensive line.

If you say you think Williams et al know what they are doing, you're naive and childish. If you say the d-line wasn't THE problem last year, you're wrong, no matter what. If you suggest the d-line, as it stands, can do what is asked of it, you are wrong and, further, you are asked to account for the possibility of injury.

If you point out that all teams face injuries, you're reminded that the FO sucks and we don't have any draft picks and all of our FA signings are terrible. If you point out that we've made a series of solid acquisitions, you're reminded they didn't come in the draft. If you point out that draft picks, especially late picks, are an inherent gamble, you're missing the point entirely which is that our FO sucks and we overpay for everyone. If you point out that is simply not true, you are wrong. If you point out that we've had an off-season that featured smart signings and moves to retain our players, you are reminded that we didn't do that in 2000 and that we don't have any draft picks. If you say you'd like to see the team get a GM, you are reminded that we once signed Bruce Smith and Archuleta was a bad move.

DO NOT read the piece someone posted on the fact that the Redskins, under Williams, generate most of their pressure from the secondary because all that does is ... somehow ... prove you wrong. Do NOT point out that the Redskins haven't had a dominant defensive line under Gibbs yet still went to the playoffs and, even when they didn't, featured top 10 defenses.

And, for god's sake, do not have faith of any type, whatsoever. The people who spend time bashing and ripping and making the same points over and over and over and over and ignoring any evidence to the contrary are older and therefore wiser than you. So just admit the team sucks now, it will suck next year, everything is Snyder's fault, and you will be wise.

Yeah yeah yeah... I figured all this out pages ago, yet the thread trends along the same broken path.

So I'll give it another shot, not for those that want to debate without putting anything on the table and claiming to be on the right side of the debate. That pretty much wipes out "the oldschool"

Wait I'll use the same tatic they use






Doesn't quite get my point across they way I would like so I guess I'll have to actually spell out what I'm saying.













Brad this is for you ...

brad7686 wrote:

Fios wrote:

brad7686 wrote:Actually, in reference to the colts, they have a great defensive line in terms of the pass rush, which led to difficulty in passing against them. They just had no one on the team who could stop the run, until bob sanders got healthy. That made them a better defense for the playoffs.

By great, you mean tied for second-worst in the league, right? And, just out of curiosity, where does Sanders play?

Whoa i didn't say they were a great defense, sport. All i said is that the D-line wasn't their biggest issue. It was that nobody on the entire team could stop the run. And Bob Sanders is a safety, don't really know what your point is there, guessing its in relation to the landry pick, but the landry pick isnt really relevant to the current pass rush.

Landry wasn't brought in to improve the pass rush although he will, like Sanders he can play in the box in run support and forcing the offense to account for him in their blocking schemes. That alone will allow less offensive players to block defensive lineman.

This will also allow Williams to take Taylor out of the box so he can roam the defensive backfield. This only works when you have corners that can cover man to man. Here was the problem last year. Corners had trouble covering and Sean was down in the box. They upgraded the corners (no one can debate we should have kept Wright and Rumph over Smoot & Macklin ).

With corners that needed help the D-line fielded four guys but only rushed 3 for most of the season. Any sacks they got they had they got them against 5-3 odds, unless it was a coverage sack (with corners that couldn't cover and the saftey in the box) or a QB turning the wrong way.

The conclusion from those that don't sit around and say what they think is wrong went and looked at film and game situations and who was on the roster and a whole lot of other ands decided that the D-line could get the job done if the back 7 could be brought up to speed. Combined they brought in 3 LBs and 4 DBs during the off-season.

Will these moves fix the line is the wrong debate. Will these moves allow the D-line to do their jobs is a better question to be debating. Only time will tell but would they really be talking about putting Marcus in a 3-point stance if they didn't have guys like Taylor AND Landry behind the LBs.

Could you live with Washington at LDE, Carter on the other side with Griffin/Salave'a and Golston/Mongomery/Wynn on the inside, backed up by Marshall LBF and McIntosh as your front 7 every now and then?

Remember GW's base package is the Hybird 46 that put both OLB on the same sid of the field on most plays, that could put Marcus, LeMar and Rocky all lined up close or near the TE.

The pass rush as never came from the Defensive line in a Gregg Williams D, but he says he's going to turn them lose in 2007 and didn't feel a need to upgrade, so we'll see.

I'm not claiming to know more than anyone else here but there are quite a few here that just don't get it no matter how hard they try. This is for them, this is how I see it. I could be as wrong as "the oldtimers" we don't know.
The people in the know seem content, the player seem almost giddy.

For the most part we are all just fans and with that you get the full specturm.

BTW: RiC won't admit the team is moving in the right direction until Vinny is gone (if VC put a bullet in "the Danny" upon his firing RiC would never have another negative post about the FO), I on the other hand believe that will only prove Joe is fully up to speed, but with what he has done with Cerrato constantly in "the Danny's" ear I think he did a great job this off-season. Bringing in another Vet defensive lineman hasn't been ruled out, it just a matter of who will decided who's brought in.

1niksder wrote:The pass rush as never came from the Defensive line in a Gregg Williams D

Not that I disagree with your point at all, but this particular one isn't completely right.

With the Redskins, that's true. But not at his other stops.

With Buffalo, he had Aaron Schobel as a passrushing DE (26.5 sacks in Williams' three years in Buffalo), and in Tennessee he had Jevon Kearse (26 sacks in the two years he played for Williams).

His best defenses (not in Washington) had a great passrushing DE on them.

See below for an example of rational debate:

1niksder wrote:

Landry wasn't brought in to improve the pass rush although he will, like Sanders he can play in the box in run support and forcing the offense to account for him in their blocking schemes. That alone will allow less offensive players to block defensive lineman.

This will also allow Williams to take Taylor out of the box so he can roam the defensive backfield. This only works when you have corners that can cover man to man. Here was the problem last year. Corners had trouble covering and Sean was down in the box. They upgraded the corners (no one can debate we should have kept Wright and Rumph over Smoot & Macklin ).

With corners that needed help the D-line fielded four guys but only rushed 3 for most of the season. Any sacks they got they had they got them against 5-3 odds, unless it was a coverage sack (with corners that couldn't cover and the saftey in the box) or a QB turning the wrong way.

The conclusion from those that don't sit around and say what they think is wrong went and looked at film and game situations and who was on the roster and a whole lot of other ands decided that the D-line could get the job done if the back 7 could be brought up to speed. Combined they brought in 3 LBs and 4 DBs during the off-season.

Will these moves fix the line is the wrong debate. Will these moves allow the D-line to do their jobs is a better question to be debating. Only time will tell but would they really be talking about putting Marcus in a 3-point stance if they didn't have guys like Taylor AND Landry behind the LBs.

Could you live with Washington at LDE, Carter on the other side with Griffin/Salave'a and Golston/Mongomery/Wynn on the inside, backed up by Marshall LBF and McIntosh as your front 7 every now and then?

Remember GW's base package is the Hybird 46 that put both OLB on the same sid of the field on most plays, that could put Marcus, LeMar and Rocky all lined up close or near the TE.

The pass rush as never came from the Defensive line in a Gregg Williams D, but he says he's going to turn them lose in 2007 and didn't feel a need to upgrade, so we'll see.

I'm not claiming to know more than anyone else here but there are quite a few here that just don't get it no matter how hard they try. This is for them, this is how I see it. I could be as wrong as "the oldtimers" we don't know.
The people in the know seem content, the player seem almost giddy.

For the most part we are all just fans and with that you get the full specturm.

Thanks.

It really doesn't help to turn a perfectly sensible thread about the Redskins pass rush into yet another debate on the front office.

I remain firmly in the camp that believes an upgrade to the d-line is necessary, if only to bring in some younger, fresher legs to the rotation. The team's management have clearly shown where they think the problems of last year lie though, and it would be silly to think that Cerrato and Snyder have made that judgement. I am absolutely certain that Williams is the prime mover in this, so if we're questioning anybody's judgement, then it should be his. After the Archuletta debacle, he certainly shouldn't be given a free pass either - he may be a defensive guru or a genius, but that doesn't automatically lead to the conclusion that we've been going along the right path so far this offseason.

I guess my conclusion (if I've reached one) is that I can see the sense in upgrading the back 7 (no doubt that the injuries in the secondary combined with poor depth were a major problem last year). I still believe that the defence can return to the top 10 next season, without any further work being done to the roster. BUT, I'd feel a whole lot more confident if our defensive line wasn't so reliant on players that have not been able to stay consistently fit for the last two years.

UK Skins Fan wrote:It really doesn't help to turn a perfectly sensible thread about the Redskins pass rush into yet another debate on the front office.

Agreed but you can't blame those that do it, considering what the FO track record is and the perception that things haven't change.

Even when things changes some will still think it's being done wrong.

UK Skins Fan wrote:I remain firmly in the camp that believes an upgrade to the d-line is necessary, if only to bring in some younger, fresher legs to the rotation. The team's management have clearly shown where they think the problems of last year lie though, and it would be silly to think that Cerrato and Snyder have made that judgement. I am absolutely certain that Williams is the prime mover in this, so if we're questioning anybody's judgement, then it should be his.

They drafted 2 DL last year and brought in about 5 right after the season ended (meaning they've been working with the coaches all off-seaon)

UK Skins Fan wrote:After the Archuletta debacle, he certainly shouldn't be given a free pass either - he may be a defensive guru or a genius, but that doesn't automatically lead to the conclusion that we've been going along the right path so far this offseason.

I don't think Arch was a debacle, I think he was just what the team needed and somehow effected the way the off-season is handled. Hopefully that one pick-up will keep them from repeating the same mistake

UK, I admit that I was one of the "grumpy" ones in this thread, and I apologize if I offended anyone, including RiC or my dear friend Brad. But, grumpy only from the standpoint that I believe it is quite difficult, if not completely ignorant, to make a blanket statement that our defense will ultimately suck next season because they didn't address the d-line in the draft. Even if they made no moves at all to upgrade the defense this offseason, to simply say they will have the same outcome next year is ridicules and is what bothers me, along with those who seemingly have the innate ability to predict the future. It's just not a fair assessment. There are simply too many factors to be considered than to simply put the onus solely the players themselves.

I don't think there are any Redskin fans anywhere, that wouldn't want to upgrade the d-line, including me. IMO, it's just a matter of the fact that you can't upgrade every position in one offseason, therefore you must prioritize, which I think they've done. But regardless of what I or anyone else thinks, I would like to see it first before drawing conclusions. I really don't think that is too difficult to comprehend. I want facts, not speculations prematurely made by those that are not completely informed, and NONE of us are completely informed at this point. I WILL give them the benefit of the doubt.

That said, the following post you previously provided, along with some tidbits released from the coaches in pressers, are VERY insightful and I believe sheds quite a bit of light on the issue, and most importantly, offers some explanation without them completely giving away their whole plan or showing all their cards at once.

UK Skins Fan wrote:I think offseason grumpiness has well and truly set in around these parts.

I've seen some negative threads on these boards, but I didn't think this one was bad?


To try to answer the question at the start of the thread, perhaps these might help:

Once the 2004 Pro Bowl pick is back on the field, the Redskins plan to use him more often with his hand down in passing situations.
"We want to rush Marcus more," coach Joe Gibbs said.
That's fine with Washington, a defensive end as a senior at Auburn before switching to linebacker with Indianapolis, where he played his first four NFL seasons. Washington recorded a career-high eight sacks in 2001, his first year as a starter.
"I like being aggressive, I like attacking," Washington said with a grin. "It won't be so much re-routing guys and more of just reading the quarterback and going. When I first came into the league, I did more rushing than anything. I'm excited. I'm going to have to shake some of the rust off and really work that part of my game. It's going to be fun because you get to kind of cut it loose a little bit."

(http://www.washtimes.com/sports/20070510-120707-6526r.htm)

“All I know is we are attacking more as far as our line,” Redskins end Renaldo Wynn said of his early impressions from the organized team activities. “I notice a difference in how we’re playing more aggressive and keeping more guys on the field to rush.”

But the Redskins hope that Cornelius Griffin and Phillip Daniels will be fully healthy.... They hope second-year tackles Kedric Golston and Anthony Montgomery make enough progress.

“We’re still in the market if people become available,” Williams said. “But we did a good job of bringing in young guys last year.”

But the coaches have also told the linemen they will be freed up to rush more. The players have said that Williams almost apologized to them for how they were used last year.

“It’s establishing more one-on-one matchups,” Carter said, “and having the four-man front get after it and let it loose. We’re excited knowing that’s what they’re gonna do; now it’s our time to shine.”

(http://www.examiner.com/a-720043~Defensive_line_looking_to_become_the_aggressors.html)

SkinsFreak wrote:UK, I admit that I was one of the "grumpy" ones in this thread, and I apologize if I offended anyone, including RiC or my dear friend Brad. But, grumpy only from the standpoint that I believe it is quite difficult, if not completely ignorant, to make a blanket statement that our defense will ultimately suck next season because they didn't address the d-line in the draft.

No offense taken. We are passionate about our team and we have reached diffrent degrees of frustration over the last decade. Some handle it one way while others do so differently. No problem. Thanks.

I only ask that you go back to the thread and see that several of the issues raised by ourselves were raising a concern. They were not condeming the next season to failure. All of us expressed hope that things will work out. We said, however, that without an upgrade, the current setup atr DL would be a gamble, a very expensive gamble. This is no condemnation of the coaching staff or our current players.

I believe in my headcoach and admire him profoundly. He is one of the key most important keys to the solution of our problems. My concern is that he is not getting all the help that I think he needs.

Hail,

RiC

I should probably know better than jumping into this thread so late, but I think there's a point no one has made yet: Every aspect of the defense except the line has been addressed through free agency or the draft, or some cases, both.

This leaves us with more or less the same guys. I think it's reasonable to think that age is not going to help the veterans, especially if they are already injury-prone. However, it's also reasonable to expect that age will help the young players, especially those that have already shown promise.

The coaches absolutely deserve respect, and undoubtedly know a whole lot more about football than I do. But what I know about Gibbs is that he finds someone to run the defense for him, and the less he has to get involved with it, the better. I also know that he was most successful when he had help with making personnel decisions.

Williams definitely also deserves the benefit of the doubt. He's fielded the best Redskin's defenses I've seen since the days of Richie Petitbon. I do think he's gambling here, though. I think he couldn't get any of the players on the line that he wanted, so he's going to make the best of what he's got and hope for a little luck. I don't think this is an unreasonable thing to do, but it's not exactly a reason for unbridled enthusiasm, either.

Redskins stick by D-line
By David Elfin
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
May 15, 2007


If the Washington Redskins' defensive line were a stock, it would be a sell in neon lights.

The line was pivotal to Washington's defense in 2004, when the Redskins allowed a league-low 3.1 yards a carry and finished third overall. Two years later, that line allowed 4.5 yards a carry (25th), making it heavily responsible for the team's decline to second-to-last overall on defense.

Two starters and two reserves are on the wrong side of 30. Starter Phillip Daniels, the 34-year-old left end, had surgery on both ankles and a wrist in January. Neither 30-year-old starter Cornelius Griffin, the left defensive tackle, nor 32-year-old Joe Salave'a stayed healthy in either of the past two seasons.

The other starters, right end Andre Carter and right tackle Kedric Golston, aren't sure things either. Carter, signed to replace 33-year-old Renaldo Wynn in March 2006, was looking like a bust until he enjoyed an excellent December. Golston, a sixth-round draft choice who supplanted Salave'a in November, is more a testament to work ethic than athleticism.

Yet the Redskins did not pursue any linemen in free agency and bypassed the top collegians at the position, instead using the sixth pick to add a safety, LaRon Landry, to a secondary full of former top-10 selections. Not one of Washington's five draft choices was a defensive lineman. Coach Joe Gibbs said the Redskins didn't feel pressure to add new talent, and assistant head coach-defense Gregg Williams is sticking by his players.

"Williams said he had faith in us, and he lived up to that," Griffin said.

Carter, 28, said the players have to justify that faith.

"The coaches have all the faith in the world that we'll get the job done," Carter said. "But this is a production business. If you don't produce, the next thing you know, you'll be out of here. I have all the confidence in the world that we will produce."

To do that, Daniels slimmed down from 285 pounds to 277, and Griffin is noticeably bigger from the waist up after an injured shoulder kept him from lifting weights for much of the previous offseason.

"When I first came here, I had a chip on my shoulder," said Griffin, who felt cast off by the New York Giants. "Maybe after being the No. 3 defense and then No. 9 [in 2005], we didn't have the same chip on our shoulders. This year we have a different mentality. We have a chip on our shoulders because we've been to the bottom.

"Last year is in the past," Griffin said. "I don't forget about it. I learn from it, but I've only got two arms. I can't hold on to the past if I'm going to grab on to the future and go forward. I'm a lot stronger and maybe a lot faster. You can see the difference. I'm a lot bigger up here and more explosive. My hips are healed up."

Williams said an improved secondary should allow his linemen to be more aggressive this season, but Carter understands that doesn't mean he just can go after the quarterback.

"Turning it loose means we should have more opportunities, and when you hear that, all you can do is smile," said Carter, who had four sacks in the final five games of 2006 to finish with a team-high six. "But you have to stop the run in order to get those opportunities. Last year, we weren't up to par on first and second down. We always ended up third-and-3, third-and-2. That really limits those opportunities."

The line has more support in the back seven and is in better shape physically. Maybe Daniels can justify calling 2006 "a fluky year where nothing went right."

But NFL players rarely improve or get healthier after 30. So why should anyone expect the line to return to its pre-2006 standards in 2007?

"I can't answer that," Carter said. "It's like in the business world. If you know the guy can do the job and he's accountable, then that's the guy you rely on. I believe these guys have a lot more football left."

http://washingtontimes.com/sports/20070 ... -3278r.htm