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February-28th-2005, 07:52 PM
Roster Review: Safeties
By Gary Fitzgerald
Redskins.com
http://www.redskins.com/news/newsDetail.jsp?id=5951
A year ago, the Redskins' safety position appeared to be somewhat unsettled. Now it may be one of the deepest positions on the entire team. Credit that to the emergence of rookie Sean Taylor, who ended up the 2004 season as a first alternate to the Pro Bowl, and the strong play of free agent pickup Ryan Clark.
First Taylor. He earned his first NFL start in Week 3--in front of a national television audience on Monday Night Football--and showed rapid progress from there. In Week 6 at Chicago, he logged his first NFL sack and first NFL interception, the latter sealing a 13-10 win for the Redskins.
Sean Taylor picks off a pass in front of Chad Johnson.
There was plenty more to come from Taylor. He finished the season with 89 tackles (62 solo), four interceptions and two forced fumbles.
"Each week, [Taylor] got better, and each week, he got more comfortable," assistant head coach-defense Gregg Williams said. "You'll see that he will continue to improve and develop in year two.
"His awareness of route concepts has improved. We ask our safeties to be very active in pattern reading and the run front, and he fits that perfectly. He has big play capability."
By season's end, the 6-3, 230-pound Taylor had developed into an intimidating force in the Redskins' secondary. Hard tackling and hard hits quickly became his staple.
"We want wide receivers to understand what it is to catch the ball inside the numbers," Williams said. "This is a territorial game and if you want part of that territory, you have to be ready to pay the price sometimes."
Early in the season, Williams was also touting reserve safety Clark as a player who had shown marked improvement on the field. When Matt Bowen went down with a season-ending knee injury in Week 5, Williams turned to Clark to replace him.
The 5-11, 200-pounder was never one to shy from a tackle last season; he finished the season with 91 tackles (65 solo). While Clark attributed his improvement to film study, Williams said he was most impressed with Clark's physical and tough play. This was a safety who took on burly Baltimore Ravens running back Jamal Lewis on more than one occasion.
"I didn't know much about Ryan before he got here," Williams said. "I smile inwardly about me wanting to cut him the first two or three days when he couldn't get through practice because he was out of shape. [Overcoming that] is a credit to him. He may not have a lot of rare athletic ability, but he plays hard, physical and tough. That's what we have to do. We have to get players like that on every area of our team."
Bowen started the Redskins' first five games of the season at strong safety. He showed a penchant for blitzing effectively, particularly in Week 1 against Tampa Bay when he sacked Bucs' quarterback Brad Johnson twice. They were the first two sacks of his career.
Bowen had started 22 consecutive games for the Redskins through Week 5 of last season. He was sidelined due to a knee injury. Since then, he has continued to rehabilitate his knee at Redskins Park and hopes to be at 100 percent by the time training camp is here.
With Taylor seemingly entrenched at free safety right now, it appears Clark and Bowen could head into training camp competing for the starting job at strong safety.
Andre Lott, the Redskins' fifth-round draft pick in 2002, had an injury marred 2004 season as well. He struggled through a hamstring injury early on, then tore a pectoral muscle in Week 8 and was placed on injured reserve.
Andre Lott during the Week 1 game against Tampa Bay.
Before the injuries, Lott had begun to make a name for himself in Williams' defense.
"I love this defense," Lott said. "Every defensive guy loves an aggressive defense so you can attack the offense instead of waiting back to take the blow. It gives us a chance to give the first blow."
Lott, a solid special teams performer, heads into the offseason as a restricted free agent. That means his status for next season is uncertain. If he does re-sign with the Redskins, it's likely that he'll back up Taylor.
Backup safeties Pat Dennis and Todd Franz were effective in nickel and dime packages last year while also serving on special teams. Dennis is an unrestricted free agent while Franz is a restricted free agent.
Another backup, Jason Doering, signed with the Redskins mid-year and played in a reserve role. The 6-0, 201-pounder suffered a several right ankle sprain in Week 14 and was placed on injured reserve.
First-year player Dennard Wilson suffered a knee injury early in training camp last year and was placed on injured reserve shortly thereafter. A Maryland product, Wilson hopes to make a name for himself in offseason workouts and training camp.
Positional Analysis: The safety position appears to have solid depth, but there are still some issues to work through this offseason. From a personnel standpoint, the team is set with Taylor, Clark and Bowen as the top three safeties. Doering has starting experience from his tenure in Indianapolis from 2001-03. What about the status of Lott, Franz and Dennis, each of whom are on the verge of free agency? Since they played key roles on special teams last season, expect several to be re-signed quickly.
By Gary Fitzgerald
Redskins.com
http://www.redskins.com/news/newsDetail.jsp?id=5951
A year ago, the Redskins' safety position appeared to be somewhat unsettled. Now it may be one of the deepest positions on the entire team. Credit that to the emergence of rookie Sean Taylor, who ended up the 2004 season as a first alternate to the Pro Bowl, and the strong play of free agent pickup Ryan Clark.
First Taylor. He earned his first NFL start in Week 3--in front of a national television audience on Monday Night Football--and showed rapid progress from there. In Week 6 at Chicago, he logged his first NFL sack and first NFL interception, the latter sealing a 13-10 win for the Redskins.
Sean Taylor picks off a pass in front of Chad Johnson.
There was plenty more to come from Taylor. He finished the season with 89 tackles (62 solo), four interceptions and two forced fumbles.
"Each week, [Taylor] got better, and each week, he got more comfortable," assistant head coach-defense Gregg Williams said. "You'll see that he will continue to improve and develop in year two.
"His awareness of route concepts has improved. We ask our safeties to be very active in pattern reading and the run front, and he fits that perfectly. He has big play capability."
By season's end, the 6-3, 230-pound Taylor had developed into an intimidating force in the Redskins' secondary. Hard tackling and hard hits quickly became his staple.
"We want wide receivers to understand what it is to catch the ball inside the numbers," Williams said. "This is a territorial game and if you want part of that territory, you have to be ready to pay the price sometimes."
Early in the season, Williams was also touting reserve safety Clark as a player who had shown marked improvement on the field. When Matt Bowen went down with a season-ending knee injury in Week 5, Williams turned to Clark to replace him.
The 5-11, 200-pounder was never one to shy from a tackle last season; he finished the season with 91 tackles (65 solo). While Clark attributed his improvement to film study, Williams said he was most impressed with Clark's physical and tough play. This was a safety who took on burly Baltimore Ravens running back Jamal Lewis on more than one occasion.
"I didn't know much about Ryan before he got here," Williams said. "I smile inwardly about me wanting to cut him the first two or three days when he couldn't get through practice because he was out of shape. [Overcoming that] is a credit to him. He may not have a lot of rare athletic ability, but he plays hard, physical and tough. That's what we have to do. We have to get players like that on every area of our team."
Bowen started the Redskins' first five games of the season at strong safety. He showed a penchant for blitzing effectively, particularly in Week 1 against Tampa Bay when he sacked Bucs' quarterback Brad Johnson twice. They were the first two sacks of his career.
Bowen had started 22 consecutive games for the Redskins through Week 5 of last season. He was sidelined due to a knee injury. Since then, he has continued to rehabilitate his knee at Redskins Park and hopes to be at 100 percent by the time training camp is here.
With Taylor seemingly entrenched at free safety right now, it appears Clark and Bowen could head into training camp competing for the starting job at strong safety.
Andre Lott, the Redskins' fifth-round draft pick in 2002, had an injury marred 2004 season as well. He struggled through a hamstring injury early on, then tore a pectoral muscle in Week 8 and was placed on injured reserve.
Andre Lott during the Week 1 game against Tampa Bay.
Before the injuries, Lott had begun to make a name for himself in Williams' defense.
"I love this defense," Lott said. "Every defensive guy loves an aggressive defense so you can attack the offense instead of waiting back to take the blow. It gives us a chance to give the first blow."
Lott, a solid special teams performer, heads into the offseason as a restricted free agent. That means his status for next season is uncertain. If he does re-sign with the Redskins, it's likely that he'll back up Taylor.
Backup safeties Pat Dennis and Todd Franz were effective in nickel and dime packages last year while also serving on special teams. Dennis is an unrestricted free agent while Franz is a restricted free agent.
Another backup, Jason Doering, signed with the Redskins mid-year and played in a reserve role. The 6-0, 201-pounder suffered a several right ankle sprain in Week 14 and was placed on injured reserve.
First-year player Dennard Wilson suffered a knee injury early in training camp last year and was placed on injured reserve shortly thereafter. A Maryland product, Wilson hopes to make a name for himself in offseason workouts and training camp.
Positional Analysis: The safety position appears to have solid depth, but there are still some issues to work through this offseason. From a personnel standpoint, the team is set with Taylor, Clark and Bowen as the top three safeties. Doering has starting experience from his tenure in Indianapolis from 2001-03. What about the status of Lott, Franz and Dennis, each of whom are on the verge of free agency? Since they played key roles on special teams last season, expect several to be re-signed quickly.