The Redskins have tried this philosophy of team-building before and it hasn't quite worked out.
But the difference between Dana Stubblefield (and Bruce Smith and especially Deion Sanders) and Albert Haynesworth is that Haynesworth is in his prime at only 27 years old.
But the problem here is that in the NFL there’s a salary cap. In order to get someone in, you have take to someone out.
In this case the Redskins got rid of Shawn Springs, Marcus Washington, Philip Daniels and now Jason Taylor.
They also signed DeAngelo Hall to a huge deal because they think him and Carlos Rogers can be a great cornerback duo.
They also added guard Derrick Dockery in the only move which demonstrates an understanding that it was the offense that failed the team during the last 8 weeks of the season.
But going back to Haynesworth for a second, don’t believe everything you read in the papers. It is not a 7-year $100 million deal. It’s a 4-year, $48 million deal. In year 5 Haynesworth would get $29 million. No way that’s happening. The reason it works for Haynesworth is he gets $41 million guaranteed and can still hit the free agent market at a decent age. At $12 million per, it’s actual a fair deal for the best defender in the league. The problem is, not only did they release four players to fit in Haynesworth and Hall, they also renegotiated contracts with several others. Meaning if this gamble doesn’t pay off with a Super Bowl win, the team will be crippled capwise for years to come.
That’s exactly what happened the last three times the Redskins tried this philosophy. Maybe this time will be different.
3 comments:
the skins are one of the worst nfl franchises as they think it's fantasy football
Dan Snyder is betting that this is the last capped year in football and next year there will be no salary cap. Plus, they tried the hold on to picks and build through the draft and they selected two WRs, a TE, a punter, and a third-string QB while completely ignoring the offensive and defensive lines. That definitely didn't work.
I agree this time that the players they picked are in their prime and actually seem to have a desire to play in DC and not just collect money. Thats much different than just adding names like Smith and Sanders.
Losing Springs, Washington, and Taylor doesn't hurt the Skins much at all. All three players contributed very little last year as injuries and poor play were the norm for them. With Horton developing as a safety and Doughty back, Springs who is better as a safety now than a corner was expendable. They are weak at LB but Washington was hurt all the time. Taylor was a bust and didn't want to spend the offseason with the team so they cut him. And Daniels is entering his 13th or 14th year and never had a good season.
A smart man once said that its better to cut a guy a year too early than a year too late.
Josh, you are talking about specific players, I'm talking about the approach as a general philosophy.
And even if Taylor, Washington and Springs were old and injured then the Redskins probably would be better off getting three younger healthier players, instead of one or two huge contracts.
When you try something five times and it doesn't work you can keep doing it and hope it works, or maybe try a different approach.
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