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 think our DL is fine, even if we release Carriker. If we have the DL we currently have in 2013 we'll be just fine. Now, if we release Carriker, I would like to see the team grab a NT in the mid-rounds to potentially rotate with Cofield. But I don't think the DL needs any FA additions ... even guys like Starks ... who would command a lot of money.

Tell me who you have as our DLine rotations going in to 2013.

[Lavarleap56]

As I understand it we have not really talked much to any agents for our own guys yet. As you say this week will be the start of the conversations and news/spin will start to leak out.

We already talked to Santana Moss in January.

[MartinC]

We already talked to Santana Moss in January.

Great. Hope we can work something out so he stays another year. Same with Hall.

[DC9]

On Hall, in the back of my head I thought I heard him asked about this awhile ago in a radio interview, maybe it was on one of his weekly appearances on Lavar/Dukes show where he suggested that he's cool with the idea of restructuring but not so much a pay cut. But I could be confusing him for another player/interview.

Yeah he has said he'd restructure but I don't think there is a player out there who would take a pay cut sitting down, especially with the charisma of a DeAngelo Hall. Love the dude, but I'd say there isn't a snowballs chance. That money will have to be moved somewhere.

[DogofWar1]

Tell me who you have as our DLine rotations going in to 2013.

Obviously, with Carriker still here it's:
DEs: Bowen, Jenkins, Carriker, Merling
NT: Cofield, Neild, Baker, Brace

and then there's guys like Worthington and Anunoby.

IF (big if) Carriker was released (and maybe even if he's not) the FO probably gives Neild a chance to take the starter spot at NT, and kicks Cofield outside. If not, we'll have to lean on Merling more, which wouldn't be ideal, but who knows, he might have a Carriker-like career revival (hopefully without the Carriker-like season ending injury in week 2).

---------- Post added February-21st-2013 at 01:57 PM ----------

We already talked to Santana Moss in January.

Do you have any idea what the general tone of discussion was? I might have missed that earlier on. Thanks.

[DC9]

So, if we were to target guys in free agency, realistically, who would we target? Top 3 at CB and SAF ... since I think those are the primary areas of focus.

CB:
1.
2.
3.

SAF:
1.
2.
3.

http://www.extremeskins.com/showthre...-void-on-8-Feb)

Not trying to be a douche, I love what you've been saying, but I put a lot of time in on the OP and we've done this 100x already, lol. Check it out please.

[JamesMadisonSkins]

Tell me who you have as our DLine rotations going in to 2013.

DE: Jarvis Jenkins, Neal Brace
NT: Barry Cofield, Chris Neild
DE: Stephen Bowen, Merling/5th round pick

Let me be clear, if we release Carriker, I would expect us to fill that hole by either shifting Cofield to DE and drafting a NT (Kwame Geathers?) ... or getting an inexpensive FA. I just don't think we'd spend $6-8 million a year on a guy like Starks .... too many holes elsewhere. Why release Carriker for $4 million to pay twice as much for a replacement?

---------- Post added February-21st-2013 at 01:59 PM ----------

http://www.extremeskins.com/showthre...-void-on-8-Feb)

Not trying to be a douche, I love what you've been saying, but I put a lot of time in on the OP and we've done this 100x already, lol. Check it out please.

Well damn, I guess I should have looked more into what "OP" was ... haha my bad. That's quite a database, I'll have to keep checking that periodically as it gets updated.

[SemperFi Skins]

Obviously, with Carriker still here it's:
DEs: Bowen, Jenkins, Carriker, Merling
NT: Cofield, Neild, Baker, Brace

and then there's guys like Worthington and Anunoby.

IF (big if) Carriker was released (and maybe even if he's not) the FO probably gives Neild a chance to take the starter spot at NT, and kicks Cofield outside. If not, we'll have to lean on Merling more, which wouldn't be ideal, but who knows, he might have a Carriker-like career revival (hopefully without the Carriker-like season ending injury in week 2).

---------- Post added February-21st-2013 at 01:57 PM ----------



Do you have any idea what the general tone of discussion was? I might have missed that earlier on. Thanks.

At this point, I don't count guys like Merling and Brace really in to the mix... I can't add anyone in to the rotation who hasn't proved themselves yet in here or even in the league yet.

[DC9]

DE: Jarvis Jenkins, Neal Brace
NT: Barry Cofield, Chris Neild
DE: Stephen Bowen, Merling/5th round pick

Line 1:
Jenkins, Baker, Bowen

Line 2:
Brace/Merling, Neild/Pick, Cofield (The Oreo Line)

---------- Post added February-21st-2013 at 02:02 PM ----------

At this point, I don't count guys like Merling and Brace really in to the mix... I can't add anyone in to the rotation who hasn't proved themselves yet in here or even in the league yet.

Don't sleep on Doug "Long Arms" Worthington

[Lavarleap56]

Any metric needs to be viewed in context. But imo we shouldn't let lack of context devalue a good metric.

Context includes the level of play of the surrounding players but also includes scheme.

We have to take into consideration the effect of playing a lot of Cover 3 has on D.Hall PPF stats.
Cover 3 and Zone Cover-2 (to a lesser extent) relies on the a combination of pass rush and underneath zone coverage from other defenders to take away certain routes that by scheme a Cover 3 corner is not in position to defend.

---------- Post added February-21st-2013 at 09:46 AM ----------

I hope and don't expect them to make a 'splash' signing. Sign a quality player? Sure. But when I hear 'splash' signing I get nervous. We should be smart with our cap room.

You are 100% correct Greenie. Advanced stats need to be used more of a guide rather than a rule on production. Football outsiders and Pro Football Focus are good sites, use them daily. But I find a lot of holes in their "stats" when you get into the film. Recently I had a discussion with Pro Football Focus about the Giants game winning pass to Victor Cruz vs the Redskins. They assigned the full blame to Wilson which made Williams grade better. After the talk they assigned the 77 yards and the TD to Williams for blowing his coverage.

I have been reviewing film on Greg Toler and use PFF game grades as a guide for what games to look at at. The film doesn't always reflect the stats. They tend to attribute targets or completions to the closest player regardless of scheme. I have ran into this issue a lot but it is what it is.

[SemperFi Skins]

DE: Jarvis Jenkins, Neal Brace
NT: Barry Cofield, Chris Neild
DE: Stephen Bowen, Merling/5th round pick

Let me be clear, if we release Carriker, I would expect us to fill that hole by either shifting Cofield to DE and drafting a NT (Kwame Geathers?) ... or getting an inexpensive FA. I just don't think we'd spend $6-8 million a year on a guy like Starks .... too many holes elsewhere. Why release Carriker for $4 million to pay twice as much for a replacement?.

So you're also looking at Merling and Brace as starter material though they haven't proved themselves anywhere yet? If i'm not mistaken, Brace would serve better as a NT, but I could be wrong. You're not resigning Baker who is a nice fill-in for Cofield? I don't have faith that Nield even makes the team next year.

I'd go with Bowen - Cofield - Carriker -------------- Jenkins - Baker - ??? (potential FA/draft or someone unproven already on the roster who shows it in camp... or Richard Seymour!)

[JamesMadisonSkins]

Sorry I was mainly putting what I thought was a depth chart together. As far as rotating lines ... the 3-4 throws so many combinations out there, that I'd hesitate to do Line A and Line B ... but I think the combinations are certainly there, and while Brace and Merling may not be starting caliber, they could be decent depth if both pan out.

[Skinsinparadise]

I have been reviewing film on Greg Toler and use PFF game grades as a guide for what games to look at at. The film doesn't always reflect the stats. They tend to attribute targets or completions to the closest player regardless of scheme. I have ran into this issue a lot but it is what it is.

I like Toler. We've been debating D. Hall some. Any word of whether he would take a serious pay cut as opposed to keeping his salary intact but restructuring so the cap hit is felt more in subsequent years?

[DC9]

The Panthers have reached out to free agent DT Dwan Edwards about a new contract.
Edwards was Carolina's lone effective interior defensive lineman in 2012, and new GM Dave Gettleman is on board with trying to retain him. Going on age 32, Edwards should not be a highly coveted free agent if he hits the market.

The Steelers will meet with free agent Steve Breaston's agent at the Combine.
Breaston was released by the Chiefs on Tuesday, and the Steelers were immediately connected to his name. Breaston grew up in the Pittsburgh area, and OC Todd Haley was the offensive coordinator for the best season of Breaston's career in 2008 with the Cardinals. He'll likely come cheap after a disastrous season that saw him catch seven passes.

Chargers GM Tom Telesco said he thinks Ryan Mathews can be a "bellcow" back.
Telesco added that he's a "big believer" in the two-back system, though. Mathews was held to just 3.84 YPC and one rushing touchdown in 2012 behind a dismal offensive line, and we wouldn't expect the new coaching regime to just hand the reins over to the fourth-year, injury-prone back. For the first time since Mathews has entered the league, expectations are low in the fantasy world, and he'll certainly face competition in the backfield

The Titans plan to tender an offer to restricted free agent C Fernando Velasco.
Tennessee was reportedly undecided on the topic last weekend. Velasco, 28 tomorrow, graded out as Pro Football Focus' No. 11 center in 2012, and he was one of the lone bright spots on the interior of the line.

WGR 550's Joe Buscaglia expects the Bills to give Aaron Williams "one more crack" at becoming an NFL cornerback.
The 34th pick in the 2011 draft -- selected ahead of Andy Dalton and Colin Kaepernick -- Williams has struggled mightily in coverage through two seasons. Williams was viewed as a safety by several teams coming out of Texas, and could be given a look there if he doesn't show progress at corner this summer.

Bills beat writer Joe Buscaglia is growing "less optimistic by the day" that the team will re-sign free agent LG Andy Levitre.
Levitre doesn't seem to be a candidate for the franchise tag, and team president Russ Brandon has said the team will only use it as a last resort. FS Jairus Byrd is the more likely candidate, anyway. Levitre, 27 in May, is intent on shopping for the best offer, and he's our No. 1 free-agent guard on the market.

Bills GM Buddy Nix is hopeful of re-signing free agent CB/KR Leodis McKelvin.
"Leodis is a guy we’d like to keep," said Nix. McKelvin increased his market value with a prolific season as a kickoff and punt returner, but he wants to play cornerback more for his next team. Expect McKelvin to hit the market.

Dolphins GM Jeff Ireland described a recent meeting with free agent CB Sean Smith's agent as "optimistic."
"But we still have a long way to go," added Ireland. Smith is seen as a candidate for the franchise tag by the Palm Beach Post, and Ireland hinted earlier in the day that he knew who he was going to use it on already. Smith is said to be seeking $8 million annually on his next contract.

Although he's open to trading Matt Flynn, Seahawks GM John Schneider says the team's "primary model" includes keeping the backup quarterback.
It's just front office speak. Flynn is due a $5.25 million salary, $2 million of which is guaranteed, and that's a steep price for a No. 2. Schneider would likely take a late-round pick in exchange for the soon-to-be 28-year-old. Teams could be unwilling to even pay that price, and Seattle may then just flat-out release Flynn.

Coach Greg Schiano says the team has yet to contact free agent FS Ronde Barber about playing in 2013.
Last weekend, it was reported that Barber, 38 in April, was still undecided on his playing future after being noncommittal as the season winded down. It would seem to be Tampa Bay or bust for Barber as it's the only team he's ever known.

---------- Post added February-21st-2013 at 02:28 PM ----------

I have been reviewing film on Greg Toler and use PFF game grades as a guide for what games to look at at. The film doesn't always reflect the stats. They tend to attribute targets or completions to the closest player regardless of scheme. I have ran into this issue a lot but it is what it is.

I'm a Toler fan as well. DC/DMV guys have typically done well under the Shanahan regime. He is also a bit more physical and could really help out against the bigger recievers.

If we land him I would love to grab the Honeybadger in the draft. I know a lot of people are not high on that kid, but what's killed the Redskins in recent years has been the slot receiver. I know it's hard to go into the slot right away out of college, but this kid could solve that problem. He's got good hands and technique off the line of scrimmage. DeAngelo played well in the slot this year, and Safety help will make him even better, but he's not a long term answer.

---------- Post added February-21st-2013 at 02:34 PM ----------

Mark Bullock ‏@UkRedskin1
Unlikely for #Redskins, but strengthens CB market RT @Rich_Campbell: Dolphins CB Sean Smith heads toward free agency: http://wtim.es/Xsac0r

[DogofWar1]

At this point, I don't count guys like Merling and Brace really in to the mix... I can't add anyone in to the rotation who hasn't proved themselves yet in here or even in the league yet.

I don't disagree, which is why Merling is 4th on the depth chart (same as Golston) at DE, and Brace at 4th at NT. Honestly, I don't think we even need 4 NTs, I think either Brace or Baker will gone, and the unit will end up Cofield, Neild, and Baker or Brace.

I don't think we need to invest a pick on the D-line if we don't release Carriker, but if we do it might not be a bad idea to add somebody. Specifically where/who I think is based on Neild, and whether he can take over the NT job from Cofield and kick him outside.