Walters: Acquisitions We Already Had

[1niksder]

Acquisitions We Already Had

Around this time of year, I’m normally pawing through our latest free agent haul, figuring who will play where, and making up excuses for why my NCAA sheet of integrity went so awry (GO BIG BLUE !!). While the latter is as true this season as in years past, the former, as I have discussed in this column previously, has been comfortably quiet. While this certainly had more to do with limited funds rather than limited needs, perhaps some credence was given to the notion that we have several players who aren’t new to the team, but they will seem that way because of missing significant time last season.


Like most teams, injuries curtailed our progress and overall team success last season. This is not me saying that we would have won 13 games had we had perfect health, but one shouldn’t overlook the deleterious effect that injuries had on our team. Of course, now that the season has passed, the dark cloud that toiled over our 2004 season has given way to its silver lining. Unlike many teams, we now have a very real sense of what our reserves are capable of, and how they’ll perform in key situations. This is especially critical knowledge given the myriad of defensive packages employed by defensive savant Gregg Williams, and the numerous personnel packages that are contained therein.


It is also very easy for coaches to publicly express confidence in their players while still harboring private skepticism, but once that player has proven himself capable on the field, that inner apprehension gives way to a calculated comfort. Don’t forget that the injured player watching on the sidelines also notes his replacement’s performance as well, creating in his mind a greater sense of urgency and determination to come back from his ailment stronger than ever before.


But the valuable experience and information gained is not the only benefit of losing a player to injury to be seen in the subsequent seasons. A much more tangible benefit will be realized this season, when all of those key players make their healthy return to the field. In that sense, their return really is almost like a new player coming aboard, a fresh face back in his old place. There are several such players, so let’s take a look a few of the most important “new” old Redskins this upcoming season.


At the top of the list has to be stalwart lineman and friend of the column Jon Jansen. Rarely is a player with Jansen’s skill missed most for reasons other than his on-field ability, but a solid argument could be made that this was exactly the case with Jansen. As the longest tenured Redskin and a natural team leader, Jansen’s presence in the locker room and in the huddle is arguably more critical to our success than his presence on the line of scrimmage. Losing this steadying force put a ceiling over how well our line could be expected to perform, which subsequently caused similar restrictions to our offense as a whole, given that an offense (including its quarterback) can only go as far as their line can take them. Taking nothing away from Ray Brown and Mark Wilson, who filled in as well as could be expected, they are simply not Jon Jansen in any sense of the matter. Jansen’s healthy return blasts a hole in the fictional ceiling we dwelt under last season almost as big as the ones he’s sure to open in opposing defensive lines come September.


The inclusion of the next player on this list would seemingly make me out to be something of a hypocrite, given my sharp criticism of him on several occasions in the past. Although his pedestrian production has raised my ire before, LaVar Arrington’s talent has never been in question. I believe that LaVar benefited from watching last season unfold from the other side of the white lines. As a player whose star status has been fueled more by his reputation than by his accomplishments, it had to be a humbling experience to watch our defense, the same one that many were sure would crumble in his absence, soar to levels of excellence never before reached with him on the field. Don’t mistake my point for a declaration that we are a better team without Arrington, because that’s not its stated or implied meaning. The crux of the point is that we are not a defensive unit that rises and falls based upon his success, or that of any other single player for that matter. He witnessed firsthand how well this system performs without him, so there should be a fire lit under him to prove that it can be even better when he adds his significant talent to Williams’ proven system.


All of that established, all that’s left for us to do is wonder just how much better our defense can do with LaVar in it. While Lemar Marshall played very well in his place, he is clearly not Arrington’s athletic equal. Now that LaVar has presumably gained respect for the system that succeeded in his absence, one can only hope that he chooses to play within its parameters, and move away from the freelance style he so often employed in years past. Of course, with a defensive Einstein like Gregg Williams, that freelancing may actually be built into the structure of the defense, in which case the sky is the limit. If he (Williams) can manipulate last year’s workmen-like defensive roster into the top unit in the conference, then equipping him with a talent like Arrington for a full 16 games spells some much needed good news for Redskins fans.


Perhaps a less obvious absence last season was 2004 signee Phillip Daniels, who missed much of the season with a smorgasbord of injuries ranging from a torn groin, which I’m certain is every bit as painful as it sounds, to a broken wrist. Daniels’ healthy return won’t add the pass rushing force that our line is currently lacking, but it will add a solid veteran to the mix of young, eager-to-prove ends that began to earn their Burgundy and Gold stripes last season. Daniels has the versatility to move inside as the situation dictates, and is intimately familiar with the scheme, having not only played in it, but also having attentively watched it executed last season from the sidelines through the eyes of a seasoned veteran. If none of this sways your thoughts of the oft-injured veteran, let me then humbly submit that Gregg Williams himself has stated in no uncertain terms that our defense is better with Daniels on the field. Given our success last season, and that of Williams throughout his career, this should be enough to buy another chance for Daniels in all of our minds.


The possible return of Michael Barrow to his originally intended MLB position would certainly occupy a place in this discussion were its likelihood more certain. The “tendonitis” with which Barrow has been afflicted his entire Redskins career may either be rectified soon with therapy, or end his career, depending on how inventive our old friend Honest Len is feeling on that particular day. As is true with most things, the truth is probably somewhere in the middle, and the plans to shift Marshall to Mike to replace the departed Antonio Pierce illustrate that Barrow’s name is probably written on the depth chart in pencil at the very best.


As a matter of fact, I am increasingly of the opinion that Barrow’s injury was no more tendonitis than it was preeclampsia. The only legitimized treatment for actual tendonitis is rest, and it is obvious that Barrow has gotten plenty of that. This leads me to believe that there is a more serious underlying condition, the severity of which appearing to be quite high. Perhaps he is content to continue to choose rehabilitation over surgery, but should that be the case, the success rate of his preferred course of treatment appears to rival that of the Kerry Campaign.


Of course, Redskin physicians recommended surgery for Laveranues Coles as well, and we all know what happened there. Either we are browsing the roster of Tomophobics Anonymous when searching for the next Redskin, or our team physicians are to medicine was Rod Gardner is to catching passes. In both the Coles and Barrow situation, rehabilitation seems to have been given a fair amount of time to remedy each man’s injury, and both times it failed to bring about better health. Given that, I think any physician from Dr. Andrews to Dr. Nick could see that surgery is the best course of action.


Carrying on with the theme of tenured Redskins having big 2005 seasons after disappointing or nondescript 2004 campaigns, there are a number of names on the roster that did not lose last season to injury, but who may also get an opportunity to shine this season as well. Immediately the name Taylor Jacobs comes to mind as someone whose time may be at hand. Jacobs, our first selection in the 2003 draft, has spent most of his short NFL career buried in the bowels of the depth chart. But with the departure of Coles, and the blessed day soon coming that Gardner joins him, Jacobs finds himself in a position to earn more time on the field, and finally begin to justify his selection by doing something other than blocking punts.


Darnerian McCants, the only receiver currently on the roster with any size, should also seize this opportunity much in the same manner as Jacobs. However in the case of McCants, his size presents something that among our receivers is unique only to him, whereas Jacobs’ speed, though impressive, is already possessed in abundance among our two top wideouts, Santana Moss and David Patten. McCants has received his share of criticism, some of it deserved and some of it not, for his reluctance to play special teams. But if McCants will apply some logic to his current status for a moment, swallowing that lack of enthusiasm would only enhance both his worth to the team, and the opportunities he’ll have to play for it.


Some of the younger players on the roster, Chris Clemons, and Garnell Wilds to name a few, are also primed for the next step into the regular rotation. The latter, at least at this point, appears to have the inside track for the nickel corner slot, while Clemons’ situational pass rushing prowess is something that he should be able to parlay into a spot on the active roster. These are also two of the better examples of hidden gems that can be found waiting anxiously after the last name of each season’s draft is called. Perhaps the optimism that surrounds them and others of similar origins on our roster stems from a familiarity we have with them, or maybe it is actually justified. Either way, they and others like them figure to receive real chances to prove their worth this season.


If you still find yourself a little down because we have tiptoed our way through free agency, then maybe the thought that we have a truckload of talent returning from injury this season will ease your troubled mind. Gibbs has stated publicly that we didn’t have a large number of needs, and while that may be a classic example of Gibbs’ skill in media posturing, there is also a nugget of truth in it. There is a lot of talent already on the roster; it is just a matter of those who possess it coming through this season.


Well, Redskins fans, the draft is roughly a month away, and that means two things: first, we will be rumored to be involved in most every wild trade scenario that pudgy fingers can concoct (when is our contract with Samari Rolle official ??), and second, the column’s much anticipated mock draft is introduced. Just like last year’s version, the one you laminated to preserve it for generations to come, this year’s issue promises to rival that of all the top experts, if not in accuracy, at least in spelling and punctuation. Next week is when it makes its debut, so be sure to check back next week for your weekly Redskins football fix. Hail to the Redskins!

Questions and comments should be sent to Trevor Walters at skins.fan@comcast.net

http://www.thewarpath.net/showthread.ph ... #post74283

[tcwest10]

1niksder...did you write this ?
I don't know your name, so I'm asking.
I never go to extremeskins.

[1niksder]

1niksder...did you write this ?
I don't know your name, so I'm asking.
I never go to extremeskins.

Nope A gut name Trevor Walters over at warpath.net not even close to what we have here but not as over the top as ES

[tcwest10]

See ? I thought 'WarPath" and "ExtremeSkins" were the same outfit.

I wonder...do they care if you cut and paste from there to here ?

[1niksder]

See ? I thought 'WarPath" and "ExtremeSkins" were the same outfit.

I wonder...do they care if you cut and paste from there to here ?

He writes a weekly article and I've posted a few here always with a link and his name in the thread title

Besides he writes his articles for Skins fans and the best Skins fans are right here

[tcwest10]

Darned straight, baby. Just asking, in case I see something I like somewheres else and want to bring it "home" with me.

[1niksder]

I guess most info found on the internet can be reposted as long as we give credit to the writer and provide a link

I'm sure if we were doing somthing wrong BH would let us know the proper way it should be done.

[BringThePain!]

I need some cliff notes... it's too loooooooooooonnnnnnnnnnnnnggggggg!

[hatsOFF2gibbs]

I need some cliff notes... it's too loooooooooooonnnnnnnnnnnnnggggggg!

I hear ya dude!

[DeathByLinebacker#56]

Well written post. It's a long offseason and a time for reflection. Thanks!

[Skin by Grace]

I appreciate it ...the off-season is getting boring