2013 FA Thread (Updates on OP) New: Merling, Brace, Pashos, Trueblood, EJBig, Tapp, White, Williams, MATTHEWS; Re-up: Rex, Hall, Davis, Paulsen, DY, RJax, Lich, Sundberg, Baker, Sav, Golston, Kehl, Polumbus; Paycuts: Carriker, Moss, BMeri, J. Wilson

[SemperFi Skins]

I agree. Everytime he goes in offenses love running right over that highway that he creates on the left side of the offensive line. It was like clockwork. But he's one of Lorenzo's boys so it'll be interesting to see. Zo, Kedric, and Chris Wilson are all very close friends. I'm okay with keeping Lorenzo because of his character, but if there is a LB that is more talented than him that gets cut I will be furious. I thought we should've kept Kehl over him this season. I love his character but his overall skill doesn't sniff Vic So'oto (at OLB) or Roderick Muckelroy (at ILB) and his upside is almost maxed out because of his age.

That said, he's lost weight, gained weight, learned positions, and given more effort than any player in the last 20 years of this franchise easily. It's hard to let someone like that go, especially coming off of a Pro Bowl nomination, but we may just have to.

Two out of three of those guys should be gone without question. Especially if we draft a NT or keep Neild AND Baker and move Cofield to DE. Should be interesting.

You know, I was just pondering this thought the other day... Tarik El-Bashir seems to think the replacement for Fletcher, if retired, would be Alexander. Shanahan said straight up to Alexander that we would make a "competitive offer" but no guarantee he returns.

In comes the question of Keenan Robinson... I'm sure you all saw my rant on Orakpo with the pectoral muscle that seems to have hampered his last two seasons. I compared it to Jackson Jeffcoat, also of UT, who was out during Spring Training with the torn pectoral, tried to come back for the regular season and ended up tearing it again and missing the season... same situation as Orakpo.

This brings me to my point... Keenan Robinson had a torn pectoral as well which I totally forgot about. For some reason I thought it was an ACL tear like Carriker and the others.... Now this has me questioning the health of our future "starting" linebacking corps outside of Riley and Kerrigan... What if Orakpo and Robinson can't truly return to 100%?

Far too often you see players who have lost their edge due to the fact they do not want to reinjure... Linebackers are constantly being stuck in the chest by bigger OLineman.

Not trying to sound pessimistic, hell I love Rak and love what I saw out of Robinson... Just something to think about i guess

[skinsfan4128]

I agree. Everytime he goes in offenses love running right over that highway that he creates on the left side of the offensive line. It was like clockwork. But he's one of Lorenzo's boys so it'll be interesting to see. Zo, Kedric, and Chris Wilson are all very close friends. I'm okay with keeping Lorenzo because of his character, but if there is a LB that is more talented than him that gets cut I will be furious. I thought we should've kept Kehl over him this season. I love his character but his overall skill doesn't sniff Vic So'oto (at OLB) or Roderick Muckelroy (at ILB) and his upside is almost maxed out because of his age.

That said, he's lost weight, gained weight, learned positions, and given more effort than any player in the last 20 years of this franchise easily. It's hard to let someone like that go, especially coming off of a Pro Bowl nomination, but we may just have to.

Two out of three of those guys should be gone without question. Especially if we draft a NT or keep Neild AND Baker and move Cofield to DE. Should be interesting.

I think Zo is the only player of the three that should remain on the team this year. He is an excellent special teamer and is versatile enough to play in several areas in the defense. Golston and Wilson (did he actually play this year?) need to go. I agree that we need to take a good look at guys like Kehl, So'oto, and Muckelroy and not overlook them for the sake of Zo. However, I think they should do what they can to find a spot for Zo because of the intangibles he brings to the team.

[DC9]

I was just reading that article from TAB, SemperFi:

http://www.csnwashington.com/footbal...de-linebackers

If Fletcher decides not to return, the logical replacement would be Alexander. But Alexander, of course, is an unrestricted free agent. And after a career-year on defense and special teams, another club could make a serious bid for his services. Alexander told CSNWashington.com earlier this month that Mike Shanahan has promised him that Redskins will make a "competitive" offer, but there's no guarantee that he'll return.

Riley, on the other hand, has another season on his contract (at a cap-friendly hit of $707,500) and appears to be on the verge of becoming a star. His total number of tackles ranked 14th in the NFL and, with another season of experience under his belt, it's entirely possible he'll crack the top-10 in 2013.

Keenan Robinson, meantime, is recovering from season-ending surgery to repair a torn pectoral muscle. The 23-year-old was injured in Dallas and missed out on critical experience as the Redskins pushed toward the playoffs. But, assuming he returns from the injury 100-percent, the highly-regarded prospect figures to see an increased role next season.

He is a solid tackler, but he doesn't flow to the ball or have Linebacker insticts like Fletcher (and few do, I know) or a guy who has played linebacker their whole lives does either (Muck, Keenan, Kehl, Riley) and to me, that's just going to make all of the difference in the world when it comes to picking the 53.

Maybe we keep him and give him a ST spot like Banks. But to me, he isn't a playmaker on special teams and wouldn't rate that spot that could be given to a younger guy you are trying to groom (like a Jordan Bernstine?).

It just sucks because I know he's a fan favorite, but I don't know if the juice is worth the squeeze, so to speak.

---------- Post added January-29th-2013 at 01:33 PM ----------

I think Zo is the only player of the three that should remain on the team this year. He is an excellent special teamer and is versatile enough to play in several areas in the defense. Golston and Wilson (did he actually play this year?) need to go. I agree that we need to take a good look at guys like Kehl, So'oto, and Muckelroy and not overlook them for the sake of Zo. However, I think they should do what they can to find a spot for Zo because of the intangibles he brings to the team.

Wilson played on 3rd downs (in spite of my attempts to get more snaps for Rob Jackson) in the middle of the season because he was quicker around the edge than Jackson. Then when Haz saw that Jackson was pretty much the best thing to happen to the Redskins since "Hail to the Redskins" was taken back from the Cowboys... Wilson was relegated to teams and Zo and RJax split reps on 3rd down.

[skinsfan4128]

I was just reading that article from TAB, SemperFi:

http://www.csnwashington.com/footbal...de-linebackers




He is a solid tackler, but he doesn't flow to the ball or have Linebacker insticts like Fletcher (and few do, I know) or a guy who has played linebacker their whole lives does either (Muck, Keenan, Kehl, Riley) and to me, that's just going to make all of the difference in the world when it comes to picking the 53.

Maybe we keep him and give him a ST spot like Banks. But to me, he isn't a playmaker on special teams and wouldn't rate that spot that could be given to a younger guy you are trying to groom (like a Jordan Bernstine?).

It just sucks because I know he's a fan favorite, but I don't know if the juice is worth the squeeze, so to speak.

---------- Post added January-29th-2013 at 01:33 PM ----------



Wilson played on 3rd downs (in spite of my attempts to get more snaps for Rob Jackson) in the middle of the season because he was quicker around the edge than Jackson. Then when Haz saw that Jackson was pretty much the best thing to happen to the Redskins since "Hail to the Redskins" was taken back from the Cowboys... Wilson was relegated to teams and Zo and RJax split reps on 3rd down.

Appreciate it, DC9. Yeah, now that you mention it, I recall the duel going on between Jackson and Wilson til Haz went with Jackson. Either way, Wilson doesn't add much to warrant a roster spot to him. Nor Golston for that matter. Nonetheless, i'd like to see Zo back on a 1-2 yr deal. With that said, something tells me that Zo will garner more interest from other teams than Shanny may deem its worth.

[DC9]

Appreciate it, DC9. Yeah, now that you mention it, I recall the duel going on between Jackson and Wilson til Haz went with Jackson. Either way, Wilson doesn't add much to warrant a roster spot to him. Nor Golston for that matter. Nonetheless, i'd like to see Zo back on a 1-2 yr deal. With that said, something tells me that Zo will garner more interest from other teams than Shanny may deem its worth.

Like I've said, I really LOVE Zo's character. I'm going to do the "Ride to Provide" this year with him and donated money to it last year. On the field he is an above average player. But I doubt very seriously he will garner a ton of interest in the offseason from other teams. The reason I say that is the role he plays on this team is normally a contributing veteran (Like he is) or an up and comer getting groomed (like a rookie or a player who is in his second year, etc). Perry Riley played this role the first year and a half on the team until he took over for Rocky McIntosh at the end of last year.

Zo is a football player. But I honestly think he lost weight because he wouldn't make the roster as a Linemen in the 3-4 scheme and there was really no where else to put him. I say this with the utmost admiration for what he brings to the team, but that's just how I feel. I don't see teams beating down his door for a guy who is going to be 30 years old in May and really only has 1 season of experience as a Linebacker in the League. They will definitely be getting a "team first" guy with a huge heart though.

I could be wrong though.

[skinsfan4128]

Like I've said, I really LOVE Zo's character. I'm going to do the "Ride to Provide" this year with him and donated money to it last year. On the field he is an above average player. But I doubt very seriously he will garner a ton of interest in the offseason from other teams. The reason I say that is the role he plays on this team is normally a contributing veteran (Like he is) or an up and comer getting groomed (like a rookie or a player who is in his second year, etc). Perry Riley played this role the first year and a half on the team until he took over for Rocky McIntosh at the end of last year.

Zo is a football player. But I honestly think he lost weight because he wouldn't make the roster as a Linemen in the 3-4 scheme and there was really no where else to put him. I say this with the utmost admiration for what he brings to the team, but that's just how I feel. I don't see teams beating down his door for a guy who is going to be 30 years old in May and really only has 1 season of experience as a Linebacker in the League. They will definitely be getting a "team first" guy with a huge heart though.

I could be wrong though.

Well, I have to think teams will give him a look because of his reputation as a tea-first guy and the versatility he brings. I agree that teams won't be running through walls to get him, but I think he'll garner some attention. Thing is, I think Shanny will monitor that interest and decide on a fair deal (and I think Zo will more than likely stay with the team as opposed to leaving if the deal is fair) to retain him. He played decent at LB but the inexperience definitely showed.

Glad to hear you participating in the Ride to Provide program. Hats off to you. Perhaps Zo will provide you some info to his thinking. No pun intended.

[Hiro]

If there's one guy I would love for us to extend sooner rather than later, it's Perry Riley. The guy is an absolute tackling machine, and seems ready to take the mantle as our leading ILB.

I could see us taking a flier on another ILB in rounds 2-4. While we have Keenan, I would feel more comfortable with us taking another speedy guy to throw into the mix.

[TheLongshot]

Being versatile buys you a lot in this league. It will keep you around longer than most. While I don't expect teams to break the bank on Zo, I expect he will get some good interest from what he brings to a team.

[DC9]

Rotoworld evening nuggets:

The Bears worked out free agents OLB Sergio Kindle and CB Brandon Hogan on Tuesday.
Kindle has started to gather up some interest around the league with teams adding players on reserve/future contracts. He worked out for the Giants last week, so he should be able to latch on somewhere this offseason. Hogan was the No. 98 overall pick in the 2011 draft by the Panthers. He was released from injured reserve in October.

EDIT: Brandon Hogan is 24 years old and played college ball at WVU. He is from Manassas, VA and went to Osborn High School. Hmm...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0gZDsuAOUSg





Steelers beat writer Gerry Dulac says the team "almost certainly" plans to re-sign impending free agent CB Keenan Lewis.
The Steelers have a nice trio of corners to build their defense around with Lewis, Ike Taylor, and Cortez Allen, although the group has been susceptible to giving up the big play. 25-year-old Lewis is just entering his prime, though, and should garner plenty of interest if he reaches the open market.

[Laxpunk2006]

Laxpunk - This is from 2 weeks ago.


Follow Dan Hanzus on Twitter @DanHanzus.

Thanks for that, hadn't seen it.

Well the TE's in our scheme don't really do the conventional blocking all that much. We had our guys going against the grain instead of blocking in line. What does bother me though, is that he's bad at blocking in the 2nd level.

I think that is what stood out to me about that scouting report. What was particularly concerning to me was:

Also a poor cut blocker, as he fails to execute good angles to get out and neutralize second-level defenders.

I'm not sure how often our guys are actually cutting but the inability to take good angles and get to the second level sounds like what we ask our guys to do. Hopefully the comments by Dan Hanzus that Semper Fi posted are an indication that he has improved those skills. It would be interesting to know what our staff thinks of him but we're obviously not going to find that out this time of year.

[darrelgreenie]

If there's one guy I would love for us to extend sooner rather than later, it's Perry Riley. The guy is an absolute tackling machine, and seems ready to take the mantle as our leading ILB.

I could see us taking a flier on another ILB in rounds 2-4. While we have Keenan, I would feel more comfortable with us taking another speedy guy to throw into the mix.

Zaviar Gooden Mizzou

[Lavarleap56]

ZO won't be next man up at ILB when Fletcher retires.

Ked- Haven't heard but I think he is gone as well.

Wilson- Gone

Kennan Lewis- Don't expect the Redskins to sign one of the top CB prospects in FA.

[darrelgreenie]

ZO won't be next man up at ILB when Fletcher retires.

Who do you think the next man up would be if not Zo?

It makes sense for Zo be the interim next man-up and gradually transition to Kehl or Keenan, if they earn it/win it from him?

[Lavarleap56]

Who do you think the next man up would be if not Zo?

It makes sense for Zo be the interim next man-up and gradually transition to Kehl or Keenan, if they earn it/win it from him?

Riley will slide over into Fletcher's role and Robinson (If healthy) will have first dibs at winning the the other spot.

I have just started going through this thread, do far it's been pretty entertaining, but i'm only 402 posts deep. People on the staff feel Robinson is in a sense their Lawrence Timmons, obviously has to develop into those shoes but high praise.

[DC9]

Riley will slide over into Fletcher's role and Robinson (If healthy) will have first dibs at winning the the other spot.

I have just started going through this thread, do far it's been pretty entertaining, but i'm only 402 posts deep. People on the staff feel Robinson is in a sense their Lawrence Timmons, obviously has to develop into those shoes but high praise.

His speed and coverage skills were fantastic when he was able to get reps (Keenan).

And I love Zo, LL, but this kid So'oto has some ball skills.