Lance Briggs Part II

[riggofan]

I was reading this piece about Lance Briggs this afternoon:

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/f ... index.html

Basically says he's planning to test the FA market next year.

Just curious if you guys think the Skins will take a run at him again? Especially with Rocky likely out next year.

And secondly, any opinions on Briggs after seeing him play this year?

[Assasin atm]

I was reading this piece about Lance Briggs this afternoon:

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/f ... index.html

Basically says he's planning to test the FA market next year.

Just curious if you guys think the Skins will take a run at him again? Especially with Rocky likely out next year.

And secondly, any opinions on Briggs after seeing him play this year?

I think it would be a good pickup for us especially since rocky might not even play next year and he might be slowed up a little after that as well so why not throw some money at Briggs. Unless he wants too much and it would cut into new d-line money or it would keep form addressing other needs but i think lb is a need unless Blades proves he can step in that roll and play consistantly well.

[crazyhorse1]

I was reading this piece about Lance Briggs this afternoon:

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/f ... index.html

Basically says he's planning to test the FA market next year.

Just curious if you guys think the Skins will take a run at him again? Especially with Rocky likely out next year.

And secondly, any opinions on Briggs after seeing him play this year?

I think it would be a good pickup for us especially since rocky might not even play next year and he might be slowed up a little after that as well so why not throw some money at Briggs. Unless he wants too much and it would cut into new d-line money or it would keep form addressing other needs but i think lb is a need unless Blades proves he can step in that roll and play consistantly well.

Where does you get the news that Rocky may be out next year?

[Assasin atm]

Last i heard the other day unless more news came out was his injury in most cases take atleast a year to get back on the field.

[absinthe1023]

The days of chasing high-priced FAs are over. The 'Skins are more than one player away from contending with the top teams in the league on a consistent basis.
Briggs will command top dollar, and that money could be much better spent in acquiring young, solid talent all along the offensive line and at DE.

[Assasin atm]

I would think the skins would release Mark Brunell and Brandon Lloyd so that will free up some space unless theres a penalty that would be in effect for next season if they did do that.

[KazooSkinsFan]

The 'Skins are more than one player away from contending with the top teams in the league on a consistent basis

Hmm, we are 7-7 with half our team. We have 7 wins, 6 close losses to teams including Green Bay, Dallas, Tampa Bay and have been blown out once.

Your thinking is we SHOULDN'T go for any top players so we have more money so we can spread the money across more mediocre players to blend in with our players coming back. And that will move us OUT of our mediocre record and into competing with top teams.

Wow, I'm impressed. We really need thinking like the observations in this post on board to take the team to the next level, I heard the GM job is open. Think about it.

[absinthe1023]

The 'Skins are more than one player away from contending with the top teams in the league on a consistent basis

Hmm, we are 7-7 with half our team. We have 7 wins, 6 close losses to teams including Green Bay, Dallas, Tampa Bay and have been blown out once.

Your thinking is we SHOULDN'T go for any top players so we have more money so we can spread the money across more mediocre players to blend in with our players coming back. And that will move us OUT of our mediocre record and into competing with top teams.

Wow, I'm impressed. We really need thinking like the observations in this post on board to take the team to the next level, I heard the GM job is open. Think about it.

Firstly, I've seen real GMs, and I'm no GM

Secondly, I think you partially misinterpreted my post.

I stand by the fact that the 'Skins are more than one player away from consistently being among the best teams in the league.
Name me a single, available player at any position of need that could singlehandedly have the 'Skins record at 12-2 or better this year.....
I don't think Lance Briggs (or any FA, for that matter) could have done that for this team.

A large part of the reason that close games have been lost is that key starters have gone down and have not (in many cases) been replaced with quality backups. A quality NFL team requires depth at key positions, especially along the lines. Identifying and retaining this depth is especially important in the era of the salary cap.

Any team can put together a decent starting lineup by overpaying frontline guys (ex. - the Redskins of the past several years), but this is done at the expense of depth.
It's true that the occasional "diamond in the rough" (ex.- Stephon Heyer) can be found on the cheap, but that's becoming less common today as scouting continues to improve and everyone has access to film on any given player.

It's unfortunate that quality backups look like "mediocre players" in comparison to flashy FA starters in the eyes of the average fan with a fantasy football mentality, but NFL teams must make a firm committment to balance and depth in order to succeed consistently. Look no further than the Steelers and the Patriots for good examples of this.

In my opinion, the 'Skins need to focus more on rebuilding the core of the team from the inside out (i.e. acquiring quality depth along both lines) than they do in chasing down the hot free agent of the moment.

[CanesSkins26]

The 'Skins are more than one player away from contending with the top teams in the league on a consistent basis

Hmm, we are 7-7 with half our team. We have 7 wins, 6 close losses to teams including Green Bay, Dallas, Tampa Bay and have been blown out once.

Your thinking is we SHOULDN'T go for any top players so we have more money so we can spread the money across more mediocre players to blend in with our players coming back. And that will move us OUT of our mediocre record and into competing with top teams.

Wow, I'm impressed. We really need thinking like the observations in this post on board to take the team to the next level, I heard the GM job is open. Think about it.

Or perhaps we could try building through the draft instead of signing more high priced free agents. We have a lot of holes to fill for next season and it's going to be very difficult to fill them all through free agency.

[HEROHAMO]

Rocky will be back next year. Its not like he snapped his ACL. I beleive it was the mcl.

[Gibbs4Life]

Make a run at Ed Reed, right now we need a safety folks. 37 is a L.I.A.B.I.L.I.T.Y and I'm afraid the Vikes know it; these next two games are really gonna make us miss 21 even more because of his run stuffing, Sean would just cover soo much ground and stuff RB's, if Peterson or Chester T. get a good lick on 37 he might not finish the game.

[CanesSkins26]

Rocky will be back next year. Its not like he snapped his ACL. I beleive it was the mcl.

He tore both the ACL and the MCL. What was reported was a 9-12 month recovery and most players are not back to 100% until about 18 months.

[CanesSkins26]

Make a run at Ed Reed, right now we need a safety folks. 37 is a L.I.A.B.I.L.I.T.Y and I'm afraid the Vikes know it; these next two games are really gonna make us miss 21 even more because of his run stuffing, Sean would just cover soo much ground and stuff RB's, if Peterson or Chester T. get a good lick on 37 he might not finish the game.

Is Ed Reed a free agent?

[HEROHAMO]

Rocky will be back next year. Its not like he snapped his ACL. I beleive it was the mcl.

He tore both the ACL and the MCL. What was reported was a 9-12 month recovery and most players are not back to 100% until about 18 months.

Ok that is a different story, wow.

Briggs will command a hefty salary.

[VetSkinsFan]

Last report I heard was both ACL/MCL.

http://www.nfl.com/news/story;jsessioni ... nfirm=true

McIntosh tore both the ACL and MCL in the first quarter of Sunday's 22-10 victory over the New York Giants. An MRI on Monday confirmed the diagnosis, and he will have reconstructive surgery in the coming weeks.

[riggofan]

I guess my original question though was more do you think the Skins WILL pursue Briggs rather than SHOULD they?

And secondly, do you think Briggs would be a good addition? Is he worth the money he'll command?

[absinthe1023]

I guess my original question though was more do you think the Skins WILL pursue Briggs rather than SHOULD they?

And secondly, do you think Briggs would be a good addition? Is he worth the money he'll command?

No.
No and no.

[CanesSkins26]

I guess my original question though was more do you think the Skins WILL pursue Briggs rather than SHOULD they?

And secondly, do you think Briggs would be a good addition? Is he worth the money he'll command?

Yes I think they will. Not only is Rocky out for most of next season, but Marcus Washington doesn't look like the player that he used to be. Should they? That's a different story. It's too early to say yes to that. No doubt we need a starting caliber linebacker, but there will be other ways to get that (draft, lower priced free agents, etc.)

[1niksder]

I guess my original question though was more do you think the Skins WILL pursue Briggs rather than SHOULD they?

And secondly, do you think Briggs would be a good addition? Is he worth the money he'll command?

Yes I think they will. Not only is Rocky out for most of next season, but Marcus Washington doesn't look like the player that he used to be. Should they? That's a different story. It's too early to say yes to that. No doubt we need a starting caliber linebacker, but there will be other ways to get that (draft, lower priced free agents, etc.)

Blades was drafted this year though not as high as Rocky, and as played well when given the chance. He'll be starting the last two games and that will go a long way in determining what the Redskins will do in the off season at LB. If Blades can handle the job then they'll just need to find a guy to hold down one side until Rocky gets back, remember Rocky didn't "get it" until year two. If it turns out that HB is the better off just holding down the spot then I could see them making a run at Briggs.

Washington will be the first stop Briggs makes once the market opens. I'm sure he'll also point out that if "the Danny" signs him then he can say see I got Briggs without giving up picks and still have McIntosh.

[HEROHAMO]

I guess my original question though was more do you think the Skins WILL pursue Briggs rather than SHOULD they?

And secondly, do you think Briggs would be a good addition? Is he worth the money he'll command?

Yes I think they will. Not only is Rocky out for most of next season, but Marcus Washington doesn't look like the player that he used to be. Should they? That's a different story. It's too early to say yes to that. No doubt we need a starting caliber linebacker, but there will be other ways to get that (draft, lower priced free agents, etc.)

Blades was drafted this year though not as high as Rocky, and as played well when given the chance. He'll be starting the last two games and that will go a long way in determining what the Redskins will do in the off season at LB. If Blades can handle the job then they'll just need to find a guy to hold down one side until Rocky gets back, remember Rocky didn't "get it" until year two. If it turns out that HB is the better off just holding down the spot then I could see them making a run at Briggs.

Washington will be the first stop Briggs makes once the market opens. I'm sure he'll also point out that if "the Danny" signs him then he can say see I got Briggs without giving up picks and still have McIntosh.

Blades is a middle linebacker. He is undersized already. I think he can excel at the MLB spot not the weakside backer. Blades is more instinct and solid tackling. Ideal for MLB.

Blades and Fletcher are of the same mold. It does not affect the fact that we need an outside linebacker no matter how well Blades plays.

I am hoping Godfrey can step in and fill the hole for now at OLB. Either on Strong or weakside.

[brad7686]

I think it might be necessary to go after him. Its not a breathtaking FA class anyway. We gotta address LB and probably corner as well. Try and address O in the draft, cuz there aint much in FA.

[LOSTHOG]

http://blogs.suntimes.com/bears/2008/01 ... ested.html

Here we go again...My favorite part of this is the opening "word out of Washington"

[spudstr04]

Several league sources believe the Redskins will "heavily pursue" impending free agent Lance Briggs this offseason.

Briggs makes a lot more sense in Washington now that Rocky McIntosh is likely to miss the start of next season. When McIntosh returns from his knee injuries, he could be moved to the strong side. The 49ers are also expected to go after Briggs, who can't be franchise tagged again this year.

http://www.rotoworld.com

[SkinsJock]

We do not have a lot of holes to fill as some have suggested - we need to add depth to both lines - we need to address our secondary and we may need to ascertain if Lloyd or Mix can be our "big" WR that can take some pressure off Moss

We do need to find a really good DE and drafting one that can be an instant success is impossible - that position takes years to be any good - same for a really good CB - those are the only 2 positions I might go after people - we do need to get some young guys through the draft or as inexpensive FAs - we do not have a lot of "holes" here - we need quality depth and players who fit the team we have.

We saw in the last few games what can happen when we play with intensity.

[CanesSkins26]

We do not have a lot of holes to fill as some have suggested - we need to add depth to both lines - we need to address our secondary and we may need to ascertain if Lloyd or Mix can be our "big" WR that can take some pressure off Moss

We don't have that many holes, but especially on the defensive side we are looking at having to add around 3-5 new starters. We likely are looking at another starting defensive tackle, defensive end, weak side linebacker, cornerback, and possibly safety. Offensively we need another starting receiver to complement Moss and depth on the oline. If Rock leaves we are looking at a replacement at kick returner as well. That's a lot to fill in one off- season.