Since they have shown that this is a "win now" year and that the cap means practically nothing... Make no mistake, with the signings of the Big Three this team must win this year.
1) Sign either Ray Willis or Khalif Barnes to play RT.
From LT to RG the Skins are set for this year. They have no starting RT. Heyer and Jansen are NOT it for a team that is a contender. Willis would be the answer to the RT position for years. Barnes would fit nicely at RT this year and until Samuels retires... Which should be in a year or two. Along with a move for Willis or Barnes (Can I have both, Daddy?) are plans Zorn and Co. have announced about trying to get Kendall back in a reserve role.
This would give us a line of Samuels - Dockery - Raback - Thomas - Willis/Barnes with Kendall (or another C/G free agent), Heyer, and Rinehart in reserve.
2) Sign Igor Olshansky to play LE/LT. Right now he is a 3-4 DE, but at 6'6" 309 Lbs he would be a run stopping DE that would shift to DT on passing downs. This would work great with the way the Skins have stated they want to move Haynesworth around. As an example, look at how the Giants have killed QB's by moving and mix-matching big DLs and quick Ends. Forget about running by the left end. Olshansky will absorb and destroy most of the blocking in that direction.
This would give us a d-line of Carter - Haynesworth - Griffin - Olshansky with reserves of Golston, Alexander, Wilson, and Jackson. There's a drop off there at DE, but I think #13 is a great place to pick up a DE this April.
3) Sign LBs Kevin Burnett and Khary Campbell. Khary needs to come back as he is a great fit for this team as a back-up and teams player. Burnett is on the rise as a LB in Dallas and would be a great fit at the SAM. Plus, he's an SEC alum, albeit from the East side of things. And the Skins have a desperate need for LBs. They're gonna have to sign at least three.
Starting LBs would be (W-M-S) McIntosh - Fletcher - Burnett with Campbell and Blades (and who else?) in reserve. I have to say that the LB situation scares the crud out of me. McIntosh has a very suspect injury history in college and the NFL, Fletcher showed his age at the end of the year in 2008, and there is no starting SAM on the roster at the moment.
Will the Skins be able to do all three, or even two of these things? Maybe only in fantasy. But they should be able to accomplish at least one of them and in the process go a long ways to ensuring that Zorn has a decent shot at success in his second year.
The skins needs have been known for some time. DE, DT, CB, OT, OG, SLB -But how to address them has been the big question. Trading did not work. Jumping in to the free agency boldly filled three needs and the draft will be how they fill the remaining holes, this year and next. Adding a durable YOUNG Quality CB to replace a great but injury prone CB and FINALLY getting the dominant DT they needed will be a big lift for a defense that got nothing out of SLB, DE Taylor or Springs at CB last year and still managed to be one of the top D’s in the league. DT Griffin lead our defense into the top five the first year we signed him off free agency so imagine what happens with a DT the quality of Haynesworth. The draft will provide the OLB who can play DE in passing situations and there are several. In fact there is even a dominant MLB who could fit that bill if he is available at 13. The idea of adding Olshansky is a good fit if the price is right and they certainly will need to either draft a DE or OT for depth with their 3rd pick this year and look to get the starter for one of those positions next year in the draft. But really the defense should be solid if they draft a pass rushing OLB and offensively we should see marked improvement if Zorn comes up with a down field passing scheme to compliment a great short game that he and Campbell mastered last year. Campbell however may not be the long range future for this team if he cannot get any vertical in his game. He has the arm, athleticism and the brains but a big part of QB is heart and confidence. Some of which may have been coached out of him prior to Zorn getting here. He needs to be aggressive and if he is ..the skins win the NFC East THIS YEAR. And that is a better bet than the stock market right now! *smile*
ReplyDelete