The Good
- Adding Albert Haynesworth and Brian Orakpo obviously provides a badly needed upgrade for the defensive line. Signing Renaldo Wynn was a solid move to add much needed depth. He is a good character guy with a solid work ethic who will help Brian Orakpo develop.
- Resigning DeAngelo Hall was a must or the secondary would have been a complete mess. Shawn Springs was a great player, but really only played part-time due to his various injuries. Hopefully, Carlos Rogers and Fred Smoot can combine for a complete season on the other side despite their inevitable injuries.
- Bringing back Derrick Dockery was a great move. After getting lulled to sleep in Buffalo, hopefully, Derrick will be reinvigerated returning back to DC. Signing OT/G Jeremy Bridges also adds some much needed depth to the offensive line. He has started at OT, but many think he is a better fit at G. Either way, it is great to have a quality player that can play both spots when needed. As for Mike Wiliams, why not? We took a longshot on DE Erasmus James. This year it's Williams. It doesn't hurt to try. Okay, some times it does.
The Bad
- Drafting DE Brian Orakpo and suddenly teaching him to play Strongside LB for the first time is utterly rediculous. It is hard enough for a rookie player to come in and make an impact at one position. Naturally, Snyder Inc. want him to play two positions part-time. This is no disrespect to Brian, but he will spend the entire season trying to figure out whether or not he is in the right spot on the field rather than letting his insticts take over at his natural position. Instead of being an explosive player at his DE, he will be be all over the field, frequently behind plays trying to catch up and it will cause him to lose focus when he does play DE.
- This whole scenario reeks of Lavar Arrington. Lavar had the potential to be one of the best and most feared LB's in the league and Dan Snyder personally ruined his career by hiring new coaches and implementing new defensive systems year after year. Lavar was never used properly and obviously never fulfilled his great potential.
- OT is still not a good situation. We are one injury away from a disasterous season. If the Redskins lose Chris Samuels to injury, the running game and the Redskins offense will go nowhere. Somehow, someway, we need to find another reliable backup.
So What's Left To Do?
With our annual lack of draft picks and Dan Snyder's "spend all our money on one player" approach to free agency, it was obvious that we were going to be shorthanded at either Defensive Line or at Linebacker for the 2009-10 season. At least now we know the answer is Linebacker.
At this point, there are no more "big splashes" to be made. There are no more elite free agents or big name available via trade. Instead, we need to take a play out of the Patriots book and find that proverbial diamond in the rough. We need to sign a quality veteran for a minimal salary that fits our exact need. When the Redskins hopefully finish experiementing with H.B. Blades, Robert Thomas, and Chris Wilson, there are a few players to watch. Here is one of the more intriguing players to think about.
- Travis Laboy - IF , that is a big IF, he is healthy, Travis would be an ideal fit. He played DE alongside Albert Haynesworth in Tenessee and played Strongside LB for Arizona last season. His problem has long been his health. He is not big or strong enough to hold up at DE and getting beat up by much bigger OT's has taken a toll on him. He could still be a good spot rusher for passing downs and a fill in at SLB. If he is healthy, he would be definitely be worth bringing in to look at.
---
JacksGhost
Washington Redskins Hog Blog
