Now I by no means pretend to know what Vinny Cerrato has planned for the opening of free agency on Feb. 29 (and I don't think he does either) but the following projections are what I feel the team should do to address the holes we need to fill.
(Editor's note: I realize I promised the completion of my mock draft this weekend however, because I am so unfamiliar with most of the prospects right now I will post a new mock draft after the completion of the combine, once I can do more research on the topic.)
Despite Jim Zorn's recent comments about both Santana Moss and Antwaan Randle El being good fits for the offense, it appears Cerrato and company think the Skins need a more durable WR. And even though free agents may not be a priority, the buzz is D.J. Hackett could be reunited with Zorn this offseason.
I personally think if we brought back midseason signees Keenan McCardell and Reche Caldwell, we should be fine. Size doesn't catch passes, talent does and I think there are enough guys in the current group with talent that we can get away with being a little undersized. This is not a position to worry about in free agency.
If we go after anyone in free agency, I think the one guy we should seriously consider is Justin Smith. This guy gets after the QB and paired with Andre Carter, these two would wreck havoc on opposing OL's and provide the type of pass rush we haven't seen since the days of Dexter Manley and Charles Mann. The only problem with this scenario would be that Dan Snyder would have to go back to his old ways of whisking people away on Redskins 1 before they knew what hit them. Smith will demand top dollar and will probably be out of our price range (is that an odd statement to anyone else?) 15 minutes after free agency opens.
An option at safety could be Mike Doss. If he too isn't vastly overpaid once this thing gets underway, he could be a valuable leader brought in to fill a tough hole. He isn't Sean Taylor by any stretch of the imagination but he could be the guy who helps seal the wound.
If you haven't gotten it from this post already, all signs point to the Redskins actually building through the draft for once. Gone seems to be the influence of George Allen bringing aging veterans looking for one last run. If that truly is the case, we may finally get that permanent turnaround we've been searching for since Snyder bought the team. Maybe the guy has finally learned his lesson.
Showing posts with label Mike Doss. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mike Doss. Show all posts
Saturday, February 23, 2008
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
2007 Previews: Minnesota Vikings
Note: This is a team-by-team look previewing the 2007 season. These are my official thoughts on how I think things will play out.
Last year: 6-10 (third in NFC North)
Best addition: Mike Doss (S, Colts)
Key personnel loss: Fred Smoot (CB, Redskins)
2007 outlook: The Vikings have a lethal secondary after adding Doss to play alongside Darren Sharper, but the loss of Smoot means they are still searching for someone to play opposite Antoine Winfield. But three studs in the secondary is a great start. Add that to a defensive line showcasing Kevin Williams, Pat Williams and Kenechi Udeze and you've got a strong defense - at least until you look closer at the LB corp, which leaves something to be desired.
On offense, Minnesota is turning the reigns over to unproven QB Tarvaris Jackson and with no veteran backup, things could get interesting. One thing Jackson will have is plenty of RB's to play with after the drafting of Oklahoma product Adrian Peterson in the first round. But Jackson won't have much help in the receiving department so any judgments of Jackson's performance may not be entirely accurate.
Key to success: Fans will look to the progress of Jackson to determine if Minnesota made the right move in letting journeyman Brad Johnson walk away a second time, but the real key here will be the WR's and their ability to help their QB. None of them have really lived up to expectations and if they continue to fall short this year, defenses will be able to stack the box against the run and then it won't matter how many decent RB's the Vikings throw out there, they will have no room to run.
Against Washington: The Skins will travel to Minnesota with two weeks left in the season and if things go as planned, both teams will be hoping to be playing for a playoff spot. This game comes during a tough December for Washington in which it will host Chicago and Dallas while traveling to New York and Minnesota in between.
Fantasy sleeper: Troy Williamson. This is a make or break year for Williamson, who will be counted on to help bail out Jackson in times of trouble. If Williamson wants to stick in Minnesota, he will need to have a big year. And any owner smart enough to draft him in later rounds will be rewarded when Williamson's speed leads to big plays. But if he flops, he will frustrate owners who decide to play him before he has given any reason too.
Last year: 6-10 (third in NFC North)
Best addition: Mike Doss (S, Colts)
Key personnel loss: Fred Smoot (CB, Redskins)
2007 outlook: The Vikings have a lethal secondary after adding Doss to play alongside Darren Sharper, but the loss of Smoot means they are still searching for someone to play opposite Antoine Winfield. But three studs in the secondary is a great start. Add that to a defensive line showcasing Kevin Williams, Pat Williams and Kenechi Udeze and you've got a strong defense - at least until you look closer at the LB corp, which leaves something to be desired.
On offense, Minnesota is turning the reigns over to unproven QB Tarvaris Jackson and with no veteran backup, things could get interesting. One thing Jackson will have is plenty of RB's to play with after the drafting of Oklahoma product Adrian Peterson in the first round. But Jackson won't have much help in the receiving department so any judgments of Jackson's performance may not be entirely accurate.
Key to success: Fans will look to the progress of Jackson to determine if Minnesota made the right move in letting journeyman Brad Johnson walk away a second time, but the real key here will be the WR's and their ability to help their QB. None of them have really lived up to expectations and if they continue to fall short this year, defenses will be able to stack the box against the run and then it won't matter how many decent RB's the Vikings throw out there, they will have no room to run.
Against Washington: The Skins will travel to Minnesota with two weeks left in the season and if things go as planned, both teams will be hoping to be playing for a playoff spot. This game comes during a tough December for Washington in which it will host Chicago and Dallas while traveling to New York and Minnesota in between.
Fantasy sleeper: Troy Williamson. This is a make or break year for Williamson, who will be counted on to help bail out Jackson in times of trouble. If Williamson wants to stick in Minnesota, he will need to have a big year. And any owner smart enough to draft him in later rounds will be rewarded when Williamson's speed leads to big plays. But if he flops, he will frustrate owners who decide to play him before he has given any reason too.
Friday, July 20, 2007
2007 Previews: Indianapolis Colts
Note: This is a team-by-team look previewing the 2007 season. These are my official thoughts on how I think things will play out.
Last year: 12-4 (Super Bowl champs)
Best addition: Anthony Gonzalez (WR, 1st round draft pick out of Ohio State)
Key personnel losses: Mike Doss (S, Vikings) and Cato June (LB, Buccaneers)
2007 outlook: With the proverbial monkey finally off the backs of Peyton Manning and Tony Dungy, what will the Colts do for an encore? Well, when the only impact pickup in the offseason is another weapon for Manning, Colts fans have to be thinking about a repeat. And they have no reason to think otherwise, at least as far as the offense is concerned.
Defensively however, this will be a brand new team - which may not be a bad thing given the Colts previous shortcomings in this area. Gone are leaders like June and Doss but it was apparent that Bob Sanders was really the glue that held that unit together as they markedly improved when he came back from injury and the Colts always seem to have another LB ready when a top flight one departs. And with Dungy's penchant for building defenses, it seems to not matter who is back there, they will be good enough to keep their offense from being outscored.
Key to success: All eyes will be on 2nd year RB Joseph Addai and how he takes to the role of being the sole back. He was drafted last year to replace the departed Edgerrin James and between him and the recently departed Dominic Rhodes they actually did what James could not and get to a Super Bowl. But now Addai has to go it alone and while it may be unreasonable to expect the Colts to repeat, if they do it will be because Addai was more than adequate at replacing both James and Rhodes.
Against Washington: The Skins probably should have beaten the Colts last year given the position they were in at halftime and the beating they had dished out to Manning but Indy came to life in the second half and beat Washington 36-22. The two teams do not meet this season.
Fantasy sleeper: Ben Utecht. While Dallas Clark gets most of the pass catching responsibilities in this offense, Utecht is actually in the same role Clark was when Marcus Pollard was still in Indy. Utecht has the ability to catch and get open and with defenses focusing more on Clark, he should be able to find ways to contribute in the two-TE sets Indy runs. With TE always being a position of peaks and valleys, Utecht may prove to be better than most of the regular starters in the league.
Last year: 12-4 (Super Bowl champs)
Best addition: Anthony Gonzalez (WR, 1st round draft pick out of Ohio State)
Key personnel losses: Mike Doss (S, Vikings) and Cato June (LB, Buccaneers)
2007 outlook: With the proverbial monkey finally off the backs of Peyton Manning and Tony Dungy, what will the Colts do for an encore? Well, when the only impact pickup in the offseason is another weapon for Manning, Colts fans have to be thinking about a repeat. And they have no reason to think otherwise, at least as far as the offense is concerned.
Defensively however, this will be a brand new team - which may not be a bad thing given the Colts previous shortcomings in this area. Gone are leaders like June and Doss but it was apparent that Bob Sanders was really the glue that held that unit together as they markedly improved when he came back from injury and the Colts always seem to have another LB ready when a top flight one departs. And with Dungy's penchant for building defenses, it seems to not matter who is back there, they will be good enough to keep their offense from being outscored.
Key to success: All eyes will be on 2nd year RB Joseph Addai and how he takes to the role of being the sole back. He was drafted last year to replace the departed Edgerrin James and between him and the recently departed Dominic Rhodes they actually did what James could not and get to a Super Bowl. But now Addai has to go it alone and while it may be unreasonable to expect the Colts to repeat, if they do it will be because Addai was more than adequate at replacing both James and Rhodes.
Against Washington: The Skins probably should have beaten the Colts last year given the position they were in at halftime and the beating they had dished out to Manning but Indy came to life in the second half and beat Washington 36-22. The two teams do not meet this season.
Fantasy sleeper: Ben Utecht. While Dallas Clark gets most of the pass catching responsibilities in this offense, Utecht is actually in the same role Clark was when Marcus Pollard was still in Indy. Utecht has the ability to catch and get open and with defenses focusing more on Clark, he should be able to find ways to contribute in the two-TE sets Indy runs. With TE always being a position of peaks and valleys, Utecht may prove to be better than most of the regular starters in the league.
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