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

Still curious if the team might make a move to get another safety before the season. Weren't able to address the position in the draft and the guys in FA are big ??s too.

Anybody have any thoughts on DJ Swearinger who was just released by the Texans? Not a good player or just a poor fit in the defense?

D.J. Swearinger is apparently out in Houston.

Swearinger wrote on Instagram early this morning that it’s time to say goodbye to the Texans.

“One heck of an opportunity #texannation I appreciate everything and the opportunity and memories!! It’s time for a new chapter and the defining moment of my career!! So long #HOUSTONTEXANS,” Swearinger wrote.

Although there’s been no formal announcement, it has been reported for weeks that the Texans were looking to trade Swearinger. It now appears that they couldn’t find a trading partner and decided to release him.

The Texans’ second-round pick in the 2013 NFL draft, Swearinger started 12 games at safety last season.

5'10" 208 lbs. Maybe not the size SM is looking for.

We don't need anymore strong safeties. They'll pick up another FS as teams release players, there's no need to rush.

Damn, you're right. I always forget about that free safety v. strong safety thing.

I still kinda hope they take a strong look at Hall for FS. He dedinitely has the instincts to play the position.

Any good safety prospects coming out of next years draft?

What about that new guy that Scott brought from Seattle? Isn't he supposed to be a starter caliber guy? Is he Free or Strong safety?

There is a huge difference between safety positions...huge! Free safeties have to cover, run and have good hands. They are your last line of defense. Strong safety covers TEs and RBs and help out in run support. They typically are sturdy guys, over 200lbs.

Sean T could play either, but was a game changer at Free Safety.

LaRon Landry was truly a strong safety, when Sean got hurt and then got shot, we used LL as a free safety, he was terrrible at that. Everyone said, he's a bust, blah blah, blah...He was a bust at FS!! He should have been a strong safety all the way. He went to Jets played SS and was pro bowl. (Then he juiced and has biceps bigger than my thighs! I now believe football got in the way of LL's true love, that is working out.)

Jeron Johnson, from Seattle, is a strong safety. As is Phillip Thomas and Duke I from Denver. Goldson is our free safety, really our only free safety. We need another free safety. If converted to safety, Hall would be a free safety, a good cover guy, good instincts when ball is in the air, good hands. He is NOT sturdy enough to play SS.

My take -- If Sean hadn't died, LL and Sean together would be still playing for us as our safeties and we'd NOT be talking about the safety position, other than backups.

fredp45 wrote:There is a huge difference between safety positions...huge! Free safeties have to cover, run and have good hands. They are your last line of defense. Strong safety covers TEs and RBs and help out in run support. They typically are sturdy guys, over 200lbs.

Sean T could play either, but was a game changer at Free Safety.

LaRon Landry was truly a strong safety, when Sean got hurt and then got shot, we used LL as a free safety, he was terrrible at that. Everyone said, he's a bust, blah blah, blah...He was a bust at FS!! He should have been a strong safety all the way. He went to Jets played SS and was pro bowl. (Then he juiced and has biceps bigger than my thighs! I now believe football got in the way of LL's true love, that is working out.)

Jeron Johnson, from Seattle, is a strong safety. As is Phillip Thomas and Duke I from Denver. Goldson is our free safety, really our only free safety. We need another free safety. If converted to safety, Hall would be a free safety, a good cover guy, good instincts when ball is in the air, good hands. He is NOT sturdy enough to play SS.

My take -- If Sean hadn't died, LL and Sean together would be still playing for us as our safeties and we'd NOT be talking about the safety position, other than backups.

This is undoubtedly true. It is so dangerous and sad to play out that thought exercise, but I agree 100%. We can't really overstate the impact that Sean's still being alive would have had on our franchise (never mind on his family, especially his daughter). We all know he was that kind of player. I hate even talking about this.

fredp45 wrote:LaRon Landry was truly a strong safety, when Sean got hurt and then got shot, we used LL as a free safety, he was terrrible at that. Everyone said, he's a bust, blah blah, blah...He was a bust at FS!! He should have been a strong safety all the way. He went to Jets played SS and was pro bowl. (Then he juiced and has biceps bigger than my thighs! I now believe football got in the way of LL's true love, that is working out.)

LaRon was juicing long before he left Washington — he had that me-centered attitude here, too.

I don't think he was a bust for the Skins, though. Not a great player, but he gave us several serviceable years. It was really only at the end that he was garbage — and by the way, by the time he left town I'm pretty sure he had been playing SS again for a couple of years, so position was not the reason for his ultimate failure. He just couldn't cover.

And he was hugely overrated the year he made the Pro Bowl with the Jets — just ask any Jets fan. Terrible in coverage, whether in Washington, New York, or Indianapolis.

Jeron Johnson, from Seattle, is a strong safety. As is Phillip Thomas and Duke I from Denver. Goldson is our free safety, really our only free safety. We need another free safety. If converted to safety, Hall would be a free safety, a good cover guy, good instincts when ball is in the air, good hands. He is NOT sturdy enough to play SS.

Agreed, except that I don't think Hall would make a good FS. Fans keep proposing it, but from all appearances the coaches haven't given much thought to the idea.

Irn-Bru wrote:

fredp45 wrote:LaRon Landry was truly a strong safety, when Sean got hurt and then got shot, we used LL as a free safety, he was terrrible at that. Everyone said, he's a bust, blah blah, blah...He was a bust at FS!! He should have been a strong safety all the way. He went to Jets played SS and was pro bowl. (Then he juiced and has biceps bigger than my thighs! I now believe football got in the way of LL's true love, that is working out.)

LaRon was juicing long before he left Washington — he had that me-centered attitude here, too.

I don't think he was a bust for the Skins, though. Not a great player, but he gave us several serviceable years. It was really only at the end that he was garbage — and by the way, by the time he left town I'm pretty sure he had been playing SS again for a couple of years, so position was not the reason for his ultimate failure. He just couldn't cover.

And he was hugely overrated the year he made the Pro Bowl with the Jets — just ask any Jets fan. Terrible in coverage, whether in Washington, New York, or Indianapolis.

Jeron Johnson, from Seattle, is a strong safety. As is Phillip Thomas and Duke I from Denver. Goldson is our free safety, really our only free safety. We need another free safety. If converted to safety, Hall would be a free safety, a good cover guy, good instincts when ball is in the air, good hands. He is NOT sturdy enough to play SS.

Agreed, except that I don't think Hall would make a good FS. Fans keep proposing it, but from all appearances the coaches haven't given much thought to the idea.

Why dont you think Hall could do FS? his instincts in coverage have often been great, especially as hes gotten older, he jumps a lot of routes and rarely gets burned.

I have heard the coaches asked about him moving to safety and they havent shut that down... I think they are just being careful, they want to see how he has recovered, how he looks on the field, and then may try that out as they get into OTA's and position drills.

Prowl33 wrote:Why dont you think Hall could do FS? his instincts in coverage have often been great, especially as hes gotten older, he jumps a lot of routes and rarely gets burned.

I'm with Irn-Bru on that one for the same reason he laid out. I have no idea if Hall is capable of playing safety or not. Just seems like one of those things fans have been talking about three or four years that has never happened.

riggofan wrote:

Prowl33 wrote:Why dont you think Hall could do FS? his instincts in coverage have often been great, especially as hes gotten older, he jumps a lot of routes and rarely gets burned.

I'm with Irn-Bru on that one for the same reason he laid out. I have no idea if Hall is capable of playing safety or not. Just seems like one of those things fans have been talking about three or four years that has never happened.

I'd think he'd be a natural at FS and assumed he played corner for the intense action, a real competitor.

there are many players that need to be added

these guys are going to take their time and add the players that make the roster better as they can not just because they "need" a FS

this is a process and they will not rush it - enjoy the ride, we're getting there

Prowl33 wrote:Why dont you think Hall could do FS? his instincts in coverage have often been great, especially as hes gotten older, he jumps a lot of routes and rarely gets burned.

I have heard the coaches asked about him moving to safety and they havent shut that down... I think they are just being careful, they want to see how he has recovered, how he looks on the field, and then may try that out as they get into OTA's and position drills.

As far as I can tell, the coaches were asked about it because Hall's made noise about it. It doesn't surprise me that they haven't flat-out said "no" to it. But the fact that they basically said "we'll see" tells me all I need to know. Ask any child what "we'll see" means when it comes to getting ice cream later.

Here's why I doubt we'll see Hall at FS: this is the kind of thing that we hear about every few years. Old Man Corner has lost a step so the team is "looking at" the possibility of switching him to safety. Sometimes even the coaches are behind it and the guy gets some practice time, just in case. I remember really well when this was a popular prediction for Shawn Springs. Then later we heard the same things about Fred Smoot. Champ Bailey was widely rumored to be someone that would transition toward the end of his career. And I could pull up articles for you on Carlos Rogers too, though he had been out of Washington for years by the time it was suggested. While I was trying to find sources for the guys I could remember, Chris Culliver's name came up on SF fan boards in topics suggesting that he be moved.

Those are all just cornerbacks associated with the Skins. Across the league you get all kinds of discussions among fans about how this or that aging CB should switch to safety to extend his career and help add depth. If you do a little google searching you'll quickly see what I mean.

Here's the thing though: when has this ever been successful? Can you think of anyone in, say, the last 5-7 years who did it and actually helped their team in the process? Or is this just something that fans and players who have unfailing confidence in themselves suggest, while coaches mostly blow it off as unrealistic? I suspect the latter is true. The whole idea seems, more than anything else, like a gimmick to me.

The skillset required to play FS is actually quite different than it is for CB. To play at a high level at both positions would require a world-class athlete in his prime, not a 32-year-old accomplished vet just trying to milk a few more dollars from the league. I really don't see any advantage to be gained by plugging Hall in back there that we couldn't get with a random FA picked up by McCloughan.

Maybe I'm wrong, but the thing I'd have to see before giving this another thought would be some serious interest on the part of our coaches or GM.

There is also the issue of Mind set. Hall has a risk taking mind set... always has. Free Safety must be EXTREMELY cautious about taking risks... There is no safety behind him.

Irn-Bru wrote:

Prowl33 wrote:Why dont you think Hall could do FS? his instincts in coverage have often been great, especially as hes gotten older, he jumps a lot of routes and rarely gets burned.

I have heard the coaches asked about him moving to safety and they havent shut that down... I think they are just being careful, they want to see how he has recovered, how he looks on the field, and then may try that out as they get into OTA's and position drills.

As far as I can tell, the coaches were asked about it because Hall's made noise about it. It doesn't surprise me that they haven't flat-out said "no" to it. But the fact that they basically said "we'll see" tells me all I need to know. Ask any child what "we'll see" means when it comes to getting ice cream later.

Here's why I doubt we'll see Hall at FS: this is the kind of thing that we hear about every few years. Old Man Corner has lost a step so the team is "looking at" the possibility of switching him to safety. Sometimes even the coaches are behind it and the guy gets some practice time, just in case. I remember really well when this was a popular prediction for Shawn Springs. Then later we heard the same things about Fred Smoot. Champ Bailey was widely rumored to be someone that would transition toward the end of his career. And I could pull up articles for you on Carlos Rogers too, though he had been out of Washington for years by the time it was suggested. While I was trying to find sources for the guys I could remember, Chris Culliver's name came up on SF fan boards in topics suggesting that he be moved.

Those are all just cornerbacks associated with the Skins. Across the league you get all kinds of discussions among fans about how this or that aging CB should switch to safety to extend his career and help add depth. If you do a little google searching you'll quickly see what I mean.

Here's the thing though: when has this ever been successful? Can you think of anyone in, say, the last 5-7 years who did it and actually helped their team in the process? Or is this just something that fans and players who have unfailing confidence in themselves suggest, while coaches mostly blow it off as unrealistic? I suspect the latter is true. The whole idea seems, more than anything else, like a gimmick to me.

The skillset required to play FS is actually quite different than it is for CB. To play at a high level at both positions would require a world-class athlete in his prime, not a 32-year-old accomplished vet just trying to milk a few more dollars from the league. I really don't see any advantage to be gained by plugging Hall in back there that we couldn't get with a random FA picked up by McCloughan.

Maybe I'm wrong, but the thing I'd have to see before giving this another thought would be some serious interest on the part of our coaches or GM.

You make a lot of good points.

I suppose the prime examples are Ronnie Lott (6' 3", 203, 4 years at CB, 1 in transition, 9 years at safety, mostly FS and some SS)
and Charles Woodson (6' 1", 200, 14 years at CB, 3 at safety, first year at SS then last 2 at FS).

Hall has been at CB from the beginning and goes 5' 10", 197.

Chris Luva Luva wrote:We don't need anymore strong safeties. They'll pick up another FS as teams release players, there's no need to rush.

Right you were, CLL. Eight teams put a claim on Swearinger. Skins not among them.

Nothing on Chris, but Stevie Wonder could see that coming!

fredp45 wrote:Nothing on Chris, but Stevie Wonder could see that coming!

Probably right. For me personally, I'm still adjusting to life with a legit GM.