More Free Agency

Redskins signed Brandon Merriweather for 2 years, 6 mil.... I don't hate it, but I'd prefer Atogwe or Landry. Merriweather has talent but hasn't been very good. Hopefully Raheem Morris can get something out of him, though. It also indicates we could plan to go into next season without any more serious moves at safety, which would probably mean, I imagine, Merriweather starting at FS and DeJon Gomes starting at SS with Reed Doughty as a utility backup and package player. That's a pretty phenomenally unspectacular group unless Merriweather seriously turns things around or Gomes makes a huge leap in his sophomore season.

We're still considered to be in the Eddie Royal sweepstakes, though the decision hasn't come.

Nicks(TB) and Grubbs(NO) have both been signed and Eric Winston is receiving a lot of interest. Paul McQuistan, in whom we supposedly had interest, has also been re-signed by Seattle. I'm very much hoping that we pull off a deal with Evan Mathis, who has been linked to us, the Ravens, and might stay in Philly. We've also more recently been linked to former Texans guard Mike Briesel, who fits our scheme but does nothing to excite. Mathis would be huge for us. Other than that, Steve Hutchinson (who could help out but is old) and recently-released Robert Gallery are the notable options in free agency.

Brandon Carr(DAL), Cortland Finnegan(STL), and Eric Wright(TB) have all been signed as well, meaning we aren't going to get a ton of CB help in free agency. We're still likely to bring someone in but we've been linked to people like Aaron Ross, so it's looking more like depth.

Kyle Orton(DAL), Chad Henne(JAX), Luke McCown and Jason Campbell(both CHI) have all been signed, making a return of Rex Grossman look like our most likely option as a vet to pair with RG3.

We're still interested in Fletcher, and there hasn't been any word of him talkin with anyone. We need to bring Fletch back, bottom line.

Stay tuned for more updates.

UPDATE 5:24: Steve Hutchinson signed to a 3 year deal by the Titans.

 

Good free agency fits for the Redskins

OG:
Carl Nicks
Evan Mathis
Ben Grubbs

C:
Chris Meyers

My first priority in free agency is offensive guard. We need at least one guard and a tackle, and there aren't many tackles on the market, but there are some great guards. If we could get Carl Nicks, Ben Grubbs, or Evan Mathis, it would be huge. Nicks and Grubbs are a lot bigger than the typical ZBS Shanahan offensive linemen, but good enough and athletic enough despite that (especially Nicks) to excel anyway. Mathis, at just over 300, is an even better fit, though he is older and less proven. Still, any of the three would be an immediate and huge upgrade for our offensive line. I mention Meyers since he's the only center that interests me. It's not as big a need with Montgomery (and Lichtensteiger being a fit at center too), but Meyers is such a fit for the ZBS, which he has been playing in in Houston, that I felt the need to list him. I doubt it would happen since we just re-signed Montgomery, but if it did, he'd still help us out.

CB:
Brandon Carr
Courtland Finnegan
Brent Grimes

I've been harping for quite a while on how much the Skins need to upgrade at corner. With Stanford Routt off the market and Lardarius Webb a restricted free agent, that leaves these three. Grimes is older and very likely to get tagged if Atlanta doesn't reach a long-term deal with him first, so he's less likely and less of an interest, even though he had a stellar year. Brandon Carr is my top pick, both because he's good and because he's young (26). The Cowboys are closely linked to Carr. Finnegan (28) would also be a player I'd be very happy for us to get. If we can't get any of those guys, luckily the draft is actually very well-stocked with promising corners, but I'd feel good about having one less thing to focus on in the draft (if we trade up for RG3, who knows what picks and how many we'll have left?) and having corner filled with a proven commodity.

Uploaded pictures

Handful of the  pictures I've taken at a few Skins games over the last couple years, in the slideshows to the right and bottom. Most of them aren't really edited like the Hankerson photo at the top of the page, but happy to have them accessible on here now. Check 'em out.

Quick LaRon Landry update

I know I haven't posted much recently. Partially that's due to news and updates to the Redskins, draft prospects, and the NFL in general being slower since the season ended, giving me less to talk about, and partially that's due to my being busy. I've seen a couple articles, though, dealing with Landry recently about an interview he gave, and I wanted to make note; in the past I've said I very adamantly think that the Skins should re-sign Landry but that his apparent refusal to get surgery is a huge red flag, and that it was a situation which I felt must have some more undisclosed information because it did not make sense. Well, more information has come out.

According to Landry, though the initial exam did lead to a doctor recommending surgery, second opinions had some doctors saying that it wasn't necessarily the best bet. Landry said he's opting for PRP (Platelet Rich Plasma treatment, which he had on his shoulder last year) and something I know nothing of called biological matrix to heal his Achilles. Landry says that he doesn't want to get surgery because it can require up to a year and a half of healing and doesn't necessarily ever result in full range of motion returning.

LaRon Landry

Small update here.

One of the things with which I have received the most disagreement is my evaluation of strong safety LaRon Landry. In this "what have you done for me lately" league, I always choose to remind that Landry was the favorite to win DPOTY through the first half of 2010, prior to his season-ending injury, and even in his injury-riddled  and -slowed 2011, he was still the Redskins best defensive back.

That said, another, more in-depth analysis can be quite enlightening, and I would highly recommend the following article on Landry's value by Advanced NFL Statistics' Brian Burke on behalf of the Washington Post's Redskins Insider blog:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/football-insider/post/what-is-laron-landry-worth-to-the-redskins/2011/12/22/gIQAdsTXBP_blog.html

Burke analyzes Landry's contributions in terms of EPA (Expected Points Added) and WPA (Win Percentage Added) compared to a hypothetical league-average player. While I would highly recommend reading the article, the following is one excerpt:

A look at the Redskins Free Agents this offseason

This is a look at impending Redskins free agents with the approximate grade I would give them on their value and as players.

LB London Fletcher: A-. Grade-wise, this one is tricky. Fletcher gets an A+ as a player/team-mate. One of the smartest, most well-respected guys in the league, and incredibly productive and effective in his own right. More like a B- in value, though, because he'll be 37 before next season. Seems to have a bit left in the tank, and is tied with Ronde Barber for the longest active playing streak, having never missed a game, but his age has to catch up to him before too long. Much more valuable to the Skins, and wants to come back.

SS LaRon Landry: A- Absolute stud at SS, dominant player, game-changer when playing. A bit of a blockhead and sometimes not focused on what he needs to do which allows him to get burnt in coverage even though he has the physical ability to stay with and challenge any wide receiver, tight end, or running back in the league. Still young, raw potential to be a HoFer, but the last 2 years there have been big injury concerns. Last year he was the DPOTY through the first half but then couldn't play the second half of the season, and this year he was extremely impactful when he played but was hobbled much of his time on the field and missed more than half the season. Great player but something of a gamble with health and brain. Definitely a SS, not a FS.

TE Fred Davis: B+ Totally outstanding receiving TE who is very physically impressive and excelled despite our offensive mess. Very fast, very strong. Sometimes effective but inconsistent as a blocker. His value is hurt by the fact that he's on thin ice with drug suspensions, but helped by the fact that he's a good guy, not a head case, and is very young.