This Roster Leaves Me Feeling - Meh

[thinker]

I'm ever hopeful about the Skins - but the starting 53 man roster leaves me with a bit of a sinking feeling. Nobody but those wearing the most rose colored glasses could possibly be predicting a deep playoff run this year. If we improve by 3-5 wins that would be great progress. The confusing thing to me is if you know you aren't going to contend for a championship THIS year - why do you fill the roster with so many short term players? If you're going to (hopefully) win 8 or 9 games this year, why do you do it with all these older players?

By my count there are 24 players on the 53 man roster that are new or were added to the roster late last year. Of those 24, only 8 could be seen as legitimate YOUNG prospects -- Keiland Williams, Young, Paulsen, Banks, Lichtensteiger, Trent Williams, Riley, and Sundberg. There are a few older - heretofore journeyman guys who may step up but that's still different than having a guy who is 23 and going to be a star for 10 years.

I like our players - but look at the age/injury history of our skill guys on offense: McNabb, Grossman, Portis, Johnson, Sellers, Moss, Galloway. We are young and deep at TE, no doubt. The starting OLINE has guys who's closest birthday is age 29, 30, 32, and 33. That's not incredibly old but it sure isn't young either. So on offense, who are the young up and coming stars to be? Even our developmental QB is 29.

On defense we are younger, especially in the back 7 (now 8), but our DLINE is mostly one fat malcontent (maybe for just a few more days) and a bunch of guys playing their last year - Daniels and Holliday, reclamation projects - Carriker, Bryant, and Kemo and only two younger homegrown guys - Golston and Jarmon.

So while I'm confident that we'll be much improved this year - who are the guys that we added who will be a part of the core that will contend for a championship, in say 2012 - particularly on offense?

[ConnSKINS26]

I would definitely add Carriker into the "young DL talent". If he stays healthy.

[Burgold]

No Armstrong?

Actually, I'm glad to see a no or minimal hype team for once. We've had all world teams every year for the last 10 on paper. They weren't the paper they were printed on.

Hopefully, this year we start finding this blue colar guys that make the foundation and we keep building. I'm excited for a guy like Armstrong. For Davis to take another step. To see if Thomas can convert potential into accomplishment. See if Orakpo builds upon his success or suffers a sophmore slump (HEY! WHY ISN'T ORAKPO list amongst our young stars to be!).

I agree we are not Superbowl team, but I we've had enough paper tigers. It's time to build a team and let stars emerge out of that.

[Boss_Hogg]

it's an average roster no doubt.

Yet I am pleased we did not go after all of the big name free agents on the market.

[Thirtyfive2seven]

The skins need to draft more young players and develop talent that way.

[hoskins]

You need to re-establish a tradition of winning. All young players plus new systems would mean a 2-3 win season. That, in turn, would make it difficult to impose the discipline that Shanahan wants. Players are less likely to buy into hard work and tradition when you're getting blown out.

So I think this is the right answer to where we are as a franchise. Make the team respectable first, then add players in 2011 and 2012 to make the team really good.

[brianm23]

Dude, it's a 4-12 team? What were you expecting? Shanny said right out of the gate that it'll take time to build a team but we were going to be competitive.

A new coach/GM isn't going to load the team with Super Bowl talent in one year, which is why I'm rolling my eyes at the fans screaming for us trading for that "one" guy who's going to make us contenders. It's not going to happen, even with that one guy.

[kreitmaster]

We will definitely win more games this year but IMO a lot of that is from the new coaching staff and McNabb. The team is very similar from last year with some veteran band aids at RB/WR/DL etc. That being said, the defense is pretty solid and mostly ready to give us 3-4 solid years depending on Kemo's recovery and the progression of the DL. That means we can focus on skill positions to fill in free agency and pick up some more young OL in the draft.

[MLSKINS]

The roster looks meh??

It's going to take more than one year to make the team younger. But instead of looking at the player ages, look at their skills for this season and let next season take care of itself.

In one season we upgraded the GM, Head Coach, QB, and O-Line. Those four positions along were the reasons this team underachieved. I am not going to say we are going to be world beaters, but you can't think about the age of this team because we will continue to get better under this regime.

[skins25]

The skins need to draft more young players and develop talent that way.

first you need to have draft picks in rounds 1-4

[Ruff Stuff]

You need to re-establish a tradition of winning. All young players plus new systems would mean a 2-3 win season. That, in turn, would make it difficult to impose the discipline that Shanahan wants. Players are less likely to buy into hard work and tradition when you're getting blown out.

So I think this is the right answer to where we are as a franchise. Make the team respectable first, then add players in 2011 and 2012 to make the team really good.

This. Thank god someone gets it.

[Last Fan Standing]

You need to re-establish a tradition of winning. All young players plus new systems would mean a 2-3 win season. That, in turn, would make it difficult to impose the discipline that Shanahan wants. Players are less likely to buy into hard work and tradition when you're getting blown out.

So I think this is the right answer to where we are as a franchise. Make the team respectable first, then add players in 2011 and 2012 to make the team really good.

Agreed! And it is not as if there were a lot of young talent around that we simply chose to pass on. Unless you want us to fill our roster with undrafted rookies for the sake of getting younger we had to use the best players available to fit our new schemes. I do hope that some of the young guys we stashed on the practice squad can develop over the next year and become young talent in the future and hopefully the FO will make better choices in future drafts.

[rockfan7224]

I'll be thrilled with a .500, anything extra will just be icing on the cake. You have to look at how bad of a situation we were in last year, and look at the incredible turnaround that has taken place in just ONE offseason. Whether you think the roster is average or not, there's no doubt in my mind that we're headed in the right direction for once.

HTTR!

[thinker]

No Armstrong?

Actually, I'm glad to see a no or minimal hype team for once. We've had all world teams every year for the last 10 on paper. They weren't the paper they were printed on.

Hopefully, this year we start finding this blue colar guys that make the foundation and we keep building. I'm excited for a guy like Armstrong. For Davis to take another step. To see if Thomas can convert potential into accomplishment. See if Orakpo builds upon his success or suffers a sophmore slump (HEY! WHY ISN'T ORAKPO list amongst our young stars to be!).

I agree we are not Superbowl team, but I we've had enough paper tigers. It's time to build a team and let stars emerge out of that.

Armstrong is 26+ and never done anything in the NFL. I think he's an interesting prospect - and we'll see. In my OP, I didn't address the defense as much because I think we do have a lot more young talent there in the LB's and DB's. Obviously guys like Orakpo are stars now and hopefully will continue to be.

[thinker]

Dude, it's a 4-12 team? What were you expecting? Shanny said right out of the gate that it'll take time to build a team but we were going to be competitive.

A new coach/GM isn't going to load the team with Super Bowl talent in one year, which is why I'm rolling my eyes at the fans screaming for us trading for that "one" guy who's going to make us contenders. It's not going to happen, even with that one guy.

Exactly! It's a 4-12 team which isn't going to the Superbowl really soon - That's my point. If we really are building something to last, then why did we add so many Vonnie Holliday types who aren't going to be there when we have a chance to contend. ?