What is your main gripe with the proposed Briggs deal?

vote and discuss, multiple selections are allowed

1)The magnitude of the contract Briggs is getting negates a lot of the future cap space we freed up with the Archuleta and Patten cuts.

2)Were probably going to have to cut Wynn to make this jive with the cap

3)This move doesn't improve the defense all that much. Defensive Line is still more important, and this still compromises our ability to improve there.

Out of the poll choices, I'd take both "out of position to get an impact player at No. 6" and "doesn't fill a need" if I could.

At the very least, this trade pours more resources into the defensive side of the ball where we badly need them. That's always a plus.

1) Team chemistry/impact on Rocky
2) Cap space assuming he signs for $20 mil guaranteed & has a contract more favorable to him a la AA & Loyd.

These 2 are so intertwined, team chemistry is impacted more by big $ signings than by vet. min. signings. I sure hope that the coaches think Rocky can play, if not this trade might make a lot more sense.

Other than this, on paper this is so obviously a good deal for us. We'd get a big time LB that is definitely an upgrade, and we could draft a DE or DT at 31. That's 2 starters for our ailing D.

Glad you asked the question Matty, cause I think some of the responses here have been quite irrational.

The Briggs deal makes no sense on a number of different levels.
1. We have sufficient talent and depth at the linebacker position. Where our d lacks is on the D-line, this is clear to any Redskins fan with any football sense. We had a league low 19 sacks last year. Is Briggs going to help rush the passer?? We also need an interior penetrating force the push the pocket and stuff the run. Is Briggs going to provide that?

2. Money, that boy wants the get paid and our salary cap situation for 2008 is not accommodating. Go check out the salary cap chart.

3. Wasted picks. We used two 2nd round picks and a 3rd round pick for Rocky McIntosh and TJ Duckett. Duckett is already gone; we at least need to try to DEVELOP McIntosh.

EVERYTHING!!!! Most importantly to me though is im sick and tired of getting players who only seem to play for a big pay day. To me, other teams have sucess because they draft young and hungry players who at least are playing to get that big contract. We on the other hand are the dummies who consistly pay them and when they get here they dont seem to make much of an impact. Given there are a few exceptions but for the most part they end up being role players not playmakers. For the past 8-9 years we have done the samething EVERY offseason, we try and buy a team. Why not we make like a 3 year plan not to do that, lets try and build through the draft for once and see what happens. I mean we are the richest franchise in sports year end and year out, we as fans, TRUE SKINS FANS will not go anywhere, we will always cheer our team, so why not try right? Im 25 years old, i was 11 the last time our team won the super bowl, i would give anything to experience that again before i cant chew my own food, i wanna experience what posser fans like bmore, seattle, jacksonville get to experience which is a winning franchise.

I chose all three, and for one simple reason: Value, specifically the lack thereof. This is a cover 2 outside linebacker whose stats benefited greatly from playing next to a perennial all-pro in Brian Urlacher and more importantly, behind a d-line that 4 or 5 times as good as ours. What's going to happen when he's asked to take on blockers on every snap because golston, salavea, daniels, wynn, carter, etc, just aren't good enough to consistently require the double team. In chicago, their D line was strong enough that the backers could really fly to the ball because the oline had their hands full blocking the DT's and DE's. That ain't happening in DC anytime soon, especially if this trade/sexual assault goes through.

Good thread.

First off, there are a few things that could be perceived to be absolutely right about this trade. For one, Briggs is a good linebacker. I'll get back to that in just a minute. Secondly, he's young and by all accounts, we'll still have a pick later in the first round. No biggie, right?

That being said, I still don't like the trade. I said Briggs was good, but he's not great as some might believe. I think you can plug most good linebackers behind that defensive line of Chicago's along with Urlacher, and come out with a stud linebacker. My thing with Briggs is and this trade, if he's not amazing then we have no business scuttling the sixth pick to the Bears.

Secondly, the cap ramifications will probably tie our hands some with negotiating with some of our 'core' guys. Which leads me to my next point, exactly what is a core Skin these days anyway? I'm sick and tired of hearing Joe Gibbs stand at that damn podium with those three (I'm about to get banned!) dusty Super Bowl trophies, talk about how we value this guy and that guy, and turn right around and pluck the next darling that will supposedly turn this franchise around. I'm not buying it.

We can't continue tell Redskins fans to be patient while at the same time importing high priced talent and creating an atmoshere of high expecations! It just doesn't work that way. This trade or aquisition will have a rippling effect.

Hey, if we draft Rocky McIntosh in the second round last year then we need to live or die with his ass on the outside this year. Plain and simple. It seems to me, we have this conditional committment to the guys we draft.

This is a great thread Matty, you've just made my morning because I really want to go off on why I hate this trade. I have several key reasons as to why I loathe this trade, you can see them listed berlow. Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy!

These are in no particular order

1) Lance Briggs is leaving a team that just played in the Superbowl to come play for a team that was 5-11 last year. To me, this says something about the man's character. He's not interesed in winning, he's interested in money. Why are we signing a player who was disgruntled on a team that played in the Superbowl?! It sounds to me like this guy is going to be a locker room problem. I don't think anyone would pay him as much money as he wants except DC!!!!

2) Once again, we're going to paying a man a lot of money before he proves himself to the Redskins. I would much rather have a hungry play, like Rocky McIntosh, out there. We paid Arch and Lloyd a lot of money before they proved themselves, and look how they played last season!

3) Rocky McIntosh. Seriously, what the hell?! We had to trade up draft picks to get this kid, and we're not going to start him AGAIN this season! This is really going to hurt his development.

4) Lance Briggs was a great weakside linebacker when he had a great DL infront of him. The Bear's D-Line is way better than ours, and from what I've heard, Briggs was kinda a seak and destroy linebacker and was able to do so cause his D-Line stopped O-lineman from blocking him. That's not gonna be the case in DC, he could make a lot of tackles for us, but if they're 5-6 yards down the field, what's it matter.

5) We need a draft pick to get a D-Lineman more than we need a linebacker. Somebody needs to knock some sense into Snyder, and tell him not to make this trade. His proclivity to spend lots of money has become a vice and is killing this team.

6)The draft day part won't be as fun with such a late pick in the draft.

I went with option 3, he doesn't fill a crucial need. IMO, I feel like our linebacking corps is the strongest part of our defense right now (which isn't saying much, but still) and we'd be better served drafting a Dlineman or getting another CB through a trade.

1) Team chemistry/impact on Rocky
2) Cap space assuming he signs for $20 mil guaranteed & has a contract more favorable to him a la AA & Loyd.

These 2 are so intertwined, team chemistry is impacted more by big $ signings than by vet. min. signings. I sure hope that the coaches think Rocky can play, if not this trade might make a lot more sense.

Other than this, on paper this is so obviously a good deal for us. We'd get a big time LB that is definitely an upgrade, and we could draft a DE or DT at 31. That's 2 starters for our ailing D.

Glad you asked the question Matty, cause I think some of the responses here have been quite irrational.


It could work out fine if we land the right DE or DT at #No 31. The draft is so heavy with potential studs at the two positions that we could just do that. However, I don't much feel like taking a chance and winding up with less than a high impact player at DE or DT (preferably at DE). I don't want to trade down lower than #8 and would be satisfied with #8 and late first rounder or second rounder (absolutely no less). I want to fill slots at DE and DT, one with a top player, another with a great prospect.
If this can't be done, I want to stay at #6 and grab Gaines Adams. Best case scenario if we trade down: Okoye and Anthony Spencer.