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

In one year, I believe Shanahan and Allen have transformed the defensive line from and old veteran 4-3 line to a young 3-4 line with depth and lots of upside. They accomplished all this despite inheriting the Haynesworth headache.

1. Barry Cofield - NT - signed 2011. Cofield has been the NT for the NYG since his rookie year. Despite playing a 4-3, the Giants used Cofield as a NT to free up pass rushers like Strahan, Tuck and Umenyiroa.

here' what Shanhan had to say about Cofield:

“I thought he was the bell cow of their defensive line. He was a guy that was in the game the majority of the time, and you could tell he was a team leader. He played harder than any player on the team. You could tell that he took so much pride in everything he did. Very similar to Bowen. I said if we could get them, I think we could really help our football team. You get two guys who are 27 years old, two guys who are natural leaders, and that is how you build your football team. You build it up front on the offensive and defensive lines. We have a couple guys that I believe are future team captains and can lead.”

Stephen Bowen - DE - signed 2011 - Bowen has been part of the Dl rotation in Dallas for several years. An undrafted free agent, he has had to outwork and outplay other lineman to stay on the roster. Yet, each year he's had more playing time. Many analysts said Bowen was one of the more under-valued free agents available this year.

Here' what Shanahan had to say about Bowen:

“Playing Dallas, we got a look at him and saw him as being a very dominatant defensive tackle/defensive end. He has a lot of talent, lot of quickness, speed. He’s a young guy and has a lot of character. I thought he played as hard as any player on their football team and he was a guy we had targeted, and a guy we’re pleased about."

Adam Carriker - Skins swapped 5th and 7th round picks with the Rams for Carriker in 2010. In STL they tried to play Carriker as a "3 technique" DT who would play one gap and try to use quickness to disrupt the backfield. It didn't suit him. He preferred to use power and leverage instead. Haslett knew this from his time coaching in STL and the Redskins stole the former 1st round pick from the Rams. Despite not having a steady NT to play next to, Carriker was one of the bright spots on the line last season.

If the above three players are the starters this season, they all are 27 years old and within 3 months of each other.

The competition:

Jarvis Jenkins - DE/DT - 2nd round draft pick 2011 - Jarvis played on a Clemson team that featured Da'quan Bowers. While Da'quan made highlights, Jarvis played lots of two-gap responsibility. Sound familiar? the Redskins liked his strength, experience and unselfish attitude.

Kedrick Golston - DE/DT - 6th round pick 2006 - Kedrick has been through numerous coaching staff and scheme changes. Despite this he has contributed on defense and special teams every year without complaint. He has also been very durable and is known as a team player who works hard, is "high energy" and has an unselfish attitude.

Chris Neild - 7th round pick 2011 - Neild was a three year starter and anchored a WVU defense that ranked 3rd in the nation in total defense and 2nd in the nation against the run.

Vonnie Holiday - DE - signed 2010, 2011. Vonnie is the teams player rep and is a veteran leader. Depsite his age (35) he is very effective off the bench and can get after the QB playing "5 technique" DE.

Anthony Bryant - NT - signed 2010, was arguably the most effective NT last season. Will have tougher competition this year, but he has great size (360#+) and strength.

I think the FO has managed to find a collection of unselfish, hard working linemen without breaking the bank and still managing to get younger and deeper at the position. Good job to Shanahan and Allen. I think the competition for the three starting spots will be fierce!

Wow, we have improved from last year! Bonus is that Fat Albert is gone, tired seeing him just laying down and not trying. That guy was a bum.

Albert Haynesworth is 0-for-1 on his Pats fitness test, At least he's a consistent BUM.

1niksder wrote:Albert Haynesworth is 0-for-1 on his Pats fitness test, At least he's a consistent BUM.

"look mom....it's a Beached Whale - let's push him back into the sea"

I feel much better with this younger, better suited for a 3-4 group of DL.
Hoping the 27 remaining camp slots see a similar shift in OL.
I will take team guys over BIG NAMES any day of the week.

1niksder wrote:Albert Haynesworth is 0-for-1 on his Pats fitness test, At least he's a consistent BUM.

Lol that's awesome.

But somehow Belichick will make him AWESOME this year. Just wait . . .

Shanahan got a lot of grief for installing a 3-4 last year. And it was painful. But I figured, since we weren't SB contenders anyway, that it was probably wise to start implementing his plan as soon as possible.

Now we are going to start seeing the payoff from taking our lumps last year. The coaches and players have a year of experience with the 3-4. The problem players (Haynesworth) and players who just didn't fit the scheme (Carter, Jarmon) are gone.

Everyone new that we've brought in fits the scheme. The foundation is laid.

Not the easiest way to get from A to B, but it was probably the fastest.

Irn-Bru wrote:But somehow Belichick will make him AWESOME this year. Just wait . . .

fact.

Irn-Bru wrote:we weren't SB contenders anyway

Actually that explains a lot....

It really ruined my SB party to find out the Skins weren't playing in it. I could have sworn . . .

tribeofjudah wrote:

1niksder wrote:Albert Haynesworth is 0-for-1 on his Pats fitness test, At least he's a consistent BUM.

"look mom....it's a Beached Whale - let's push him back into the sea"

In NE, they may well harpoon him

The one move I did not like was trading Jarmon for a WR. We could have had Jarmon instead of Holliday. Jarmon had gained weight and was playing at 290...he was perfect for a LDE in a 4-3 and that translates well to a RE in the 3-4. I really really didn't like that trade. Like we needed to add another wr to the mix. Stokley might have stayed and we could have kept Jarmon. I get the feeling Shanahan is ridding the team of all guys that were here when he arrived.

The Roster has about 20 guys left on the roster that was here when he got here

fredp45 wrote:The one move I did not like was trading Jarmon for a WR. We could have had Jarmon instead of Holliday. Jarmon had gained weight and was playing at 290...he was perfect for a LDE in a 4-3 and that translates well to a RE in the 3-4. I really really didn't like that trade. Like we needed to add another wr to the mix. Stokley might have stayed and we could have kept Jarmon. I get the feeling Shanahan is ridding the team of all guys that were here when he arrived.

One way to look at it is, based on his play in the "evaluation games," Shanny thought after all he had seen in Jarmon, he was better suited for a 4-3 team. He probably thought that he was going to have to release him at the end of camp. Why not get something for him instead of nothing? The Broncos most likely did their homework and saw the same in Jarmon. Now, you have two HCs seeing the same thing in one player. The fact that he was traded for a quality player says a lot for JArmon, he wasn't just being dumped. The key is guys fitting into the scheme.

How valuable is Holliday to the Redskins? It is hard for us to evaluate his leadership value to the team. He is a very experienced 3-4 guy. Is he a coach on the field? My guess is he must be to keep keep his old behind around.

fleetus wrote:In one year, I believe Shanahan and Allen have transformed the defensive line from and old veteran 4-3 line to a young 3-4 line with depth and lots of upside. They accomplished all this despite inheriting the Haynesworth headache.

1. Barry Cofield - NT - signed 2011. Cofield has been the NT for the NYG since his rookie year. Despite playing a 4-3, the Giants used Cofield as a NT to free up pass rushers like Strahan, Tuck and Umenyiroa.

here' what Shanhan had to say about Cofield:

“I thought he was the bell cow of their defensive line. He was a guy that was in the game the majority of the time, and you could tell he was a team leader. He played harder than any player on the team. You could tell that he took so much pride in everything he did. Very similar to Bowen. I said if we could get them, I think we could really help our football team. You get two guys who are 27 years old, two guys who are natural leaders, and that is how you build your football team. You build it up front on the offensive and defensive lines. We have a couple guys that I believe are future team captains and can lead.”

Stephen Bowen - DE - signed 2011 - Bowen has been part of the Dl rotation in Dallas for several years. An undrafted free agent, he has had to outwork and outplay other lineman to stay on the roster. Yet, each year he's had more playing time. Many analysts said Bowen was one of the more under-valued free agents available this year.

Here' what Shanahan had to say about Bowen:

“Playing Dallas, we got a look at him and saw him as being a very dominatant defensive tackle/defensive end. He has a lot of talent, lot of quickness, speed. He’s a young guy and has a lot of character. I thought he played as hard as any player on their football team and he was a guy we had targeted, and a guy we’re pleased about."

Adam Carriker - Skins swapped 5th and 7th round picks with the Rams for Carriker in 2010. In STL they tried to play Carriker as a "3 technique" DT who would play one gap and try to use quickness to disrupt the backfield. It didn't suit him. He preferred to use power and leverage instead. Haslett knew this from his time coaching in STL and the Redskins stole the former 1st round pick from the Rams. Despite not having a steady NT to play next to, Carriker was one of the bright spots on the line last season.

If the above three players are the starters this season, they all are 27 years old and within 3 months of each other.

The competition:

Jarvis Jenkins - DE/DT - 2nd round draft pick 2011 - Jarvis played on a Clemson team that featured Da'quan Bowers. While Da'quan made highlights, Jarvis played lots of two-gap responsibility. Sound familiar? the Redskins liked his strength, experience and unselfish attitude.

Kedrick Golston - DE/DT - 6th round pick 2006 - Kedrick has been through numerous coaching staff and scheme changes. Despite this he has contributed on defense and special teams every year without complaint. He has also been very durable and is known as a team player who works hard, is "high energy" and has an unselfish attitude.

Chris Neild - 7th round pick 2011 - Neild was a three year starter and anchored a WVU defense that ranked 3rd in the nation in total defense and 2nd in the nation against the run.

Vonnie Holiday - DE - signed 2010, 2011. Vonnie is the teams player rep and is a veteran leader. Depsite his age (35) he is very effective off the bench and can get after the QB playing "5 technique" DE.

Anthony Bryant - NT - signed 2010, was arguably the most effective NT last season. Will have tougher competition this year, but he has great size (360#+) and strength.

I think the FO has managed to find a collection of unselfish, hard working linemen without breaking the bank and still managing to get younger and deeper at the position. Good job to Shanahan and Allen. I think the competition for the three starting spots will be fierce!

+1

Question: Has Golston re-signed?

Not yet

Haynesworth may only play in one game this season. You can bet that if he does, it will be on Dec. 11.

Mississippi Hog wrote:Haynesworth may only play in one game this season. You can bet that if he does, it will be on Dec. 11.

He's got to pass that conditioning test first

DL is an area that could still see a new big signing. I'd kind of prefer inside LB, but you gotta go with who you can get. I think these three will be on the DL, but I'm not sure all three will start.

KazooSkinsFan wrote:DL is an area that could still see a new big signing. I'd kind of prefer inside LB, but you gotta go with who you can get. I think these three will be on the DL, but I'm not sure all three will start.

I would have disagreed with you on signing another DL, but now that Holliday has been traded, I could see them adding someone for depth and training camp competition, at least. If they don't, then the there will be only 4 main players competing for 3-4 remaining spots. (Bryant, Golston, Neild, D. Scott) (assuming Cofield, Carriker, Bowen are locks to make the team)

fleetus wrote:

KazooSkinsFan wrote:DL is an area that could still see a new big signing. I'd kind of prefer inside LB, but you gotta go with who you can get. I think these three will be on the DL, but I'm not sure all three will start.

I would have disagreed with you on signing another DL, but now that Holliday has been traded, I could see them adding someone for depth and training camp competition, at least. If they don't, then the there will be only 4 main players competing for 3-4 remaining spots. (Bryant, Golston, Neild, D. Scott) (assuming Cofield, Carriker, Bowen are locks to make the team)

Like I said I'd prefer an inside linebacker, but we don't have a true NT. I'm not sure what the market's like right now. I'd be happy with what we have though, I think we have bigger needs.

fleetus wrote:

KazooSkinsFan wrote:DL is an area that could still see a new big signing. I'd kind of prefer inside LB, but you gotta go with who you can get. I think these three will be on the DL, but I'm not sure all three will start.

I would have disagreed with you on signing another DL, but now that Holliday has been traded, I could see them adding someone for depth and training camp competition, at least. If they don't, then the there will be only 4 main players competing for 3-4 remaining spots. (Bryant, Golston, Neild, D. Scott) (assuming Cofield, Carriker, Bowen are locks to make the team)

Any have any good or bad on Neild? My brother seems to think that in a year or two he will be our NT.

fleetus wrote:

KazooSkinsFan wrote:DL is an area that could still see a new big signing. I'd kind of prefer inside LB, but you gotta go with who you can get. I think these three will be on the DL, but I'm not sure all three will start.

I would have disagreed with you on signing another DL, but now that Holliday has been traded, I could see them adding someone for depth and training camp competition, at least. If they don't, then the there will be only 4 main players competing for 3-4 remaining spots. (Bryant, Golston, Neild, D. Scott) (assuming Cofield, Carriker, Bowen are locks to make the team)

I'd like to bring back Golston for depth.

yupchagee wrote:I'd like to bring back Golston for depth.

+1

Wilson too.