Free Agency/Franchise Tag thread 2011

...You know, Santonio Holmes is 5'10", and he's still a big red zone target. They throw him a lot of back shoulder fades on DB's who are a hair taller than him.

I keep hearing about this mystical "big red zone target", but I just don't see them in fashion as much as Redskins fans like to say. Maybe it's because they feel like we haven't had one, but red zone production isn't just about having a big wide receiver who is a "big target".

In the red zone, it's more about quarterbacks making quicker decisions in a smaller space and making better decisions at that. Having a tall guy in the red zone is a plus, but it's not necessary, especially if the defense knows you're probably going to be throwing the ball to the tall guy because he's tall.

Tall=/=good receiver, nor does it equal a good red zone target.

Fans kept screaming "TALL, TALL, TALL!" at Vinny Cerrato, so he drafted two of the tallest receivers available, then got a tall-ish tight end. So far, only Fred Davis has proven to be a viable target down in the red zone on a someone consistent basis (all three of his touchdowns were down on the goal line).

Besides, didn't we just draft two (actually talented, actually productive) tall wide receivers?

I think we need to kick the height fetish and just get players at the wide receiver position that can catch the football period.

This.

I don't think I've heard anybody put it better recently than you NLC

If I were the Redskins I would make an offer to Marc Bulger. IMO he has the best chance to be a legit starter and play at a high level. He has the chance to be the next Kurt Warner, meaning I'm comparing how Warner went to NY and then on the Az. If you can get a line and some wr's around him he can be as good as some of the 2nd tier guys below Brady, Manning, Brees and Rivers.

EW. Old. Pass. I guarantee you we aren't throwing away money or players to trade for old washed up vet QB's. They only guy I would ever consider trading for is Kyle Orton, and I don't think that will happen. Build our other areas of need this off season and get a good QB in the draft this year. We aren't going to fix the whole team in one go.

Don't sign a washed up vet just to say you did, sign someone who will have a great impact down the road and wait until you can get a QB with good value and hopefully longevity. It's not like we would sign a vet QB to groom a young guy we already have for the future. I doubt anyone we have here will be a long term solution for our team at the QB position for years to come.

Gak...Bulger is a beat up has been, I'd rather sign Steve deBerg.

I think the one thing we will see with us signing free agents will be the deals will not be crazy which will be a nice change. Another thing will be a better overall strategy with us taking our time and not out bidding ourselves like we did in the past. I dont expect after at 12:01 am when the period begins, 100 million guarentee floating along multiple phonelines outta the Skins FO...thank god for BA.

...You know, Santonio Holmes is 5'10", and he's still a big red zone target. They throw him a lot of back shoulder fades on DB's who are a hair taller than him.

I keep hearing about this mystical "big red zone target", but I just don't see them in fashion as much as Redskins fans like to say. Maybe it's because they feel like we haven't had one, but red zone production isn't just about having a big wide receiver who is a "big target".

In the red zone, it's more about quarterbacks making quicker decisions in a smaller space and making better decisions at that. Having a tall guy in the red zone is a plus, but it's not necessary, especially if the defense knows you're probably going to be throwing the ball to the tall guy because he's tall.

Tall=/=good receiver, nor does it equal a good red zone target.

Fans kept screaming "TALL, TALL, TALL!" at Vinny Cerrato, so he drafted two of the tallest receivers available, then got a tall-ish tight end. So far, only Fred Davis has proven to be a viable target down in the red zone on a someone consistent basis (all three of his touchdowns were down on the goal line).

Besides, didn't we just draft two (actually talented, actually productive) tall wide receivers?

I think we need to kick the height fetish and just get players at the wide receiver position that can catch the football period.


So Andre Johnson isn't a better red zone option than Santana Moss?

Did anyone actually think he'd stay out of trouble?

NFL.com news: Report: Cincinnati police arrest 'Pacman' for incident at bar (http://www.nfl.com/news/story/09000d5d820b24fd/article/report-cincinnati-police-arrest-pacman-for-incident-at-bar?module=HP_headlines)

Jones was intoxicated and uncooperative when asked to leave the bar, witnesses said, according to the television station. Police were called, but Jones still wouldn't leave, so he was placed under arrest. He tried to escape his handcuffs, and two officers had to restrain him, according to the report.

So Andre Johnson isn't a better red zone option than Santana Moss?

Andre Johnson is an excellent wide receiver period. Not just a red zone target. He's the best receiver in the league and he happens to be call, but he's not good BECAUSE he's tall. He's a big target in the red zone and he's physical, but my point is you don't need those guys to be productive in the red zone. Lots of other football teams who don't have Andre Johnson or Calvin Johnson or Larry Fitzgerald get by with having smaller wide receivers.

But we saw it in the Cowboys game that Santana Moss is a fine red zone guy. He snagged two touchdowns in the red zone. It's not about height, it's about route running and quick decisions buy the quarterback. Would I rather have Andre Johnson? Sure. But that's because Johnson's a better all around receiver at this stage of his career, and it's a nice plus that he happens to be tall. (And even then, they're not throwing him a lot of fade routes; he's just beating guys with his route running).

And like I said; we drafted a wide receiver that's 6'2", another that's 6'1", we have a guy on the roster who is 6'4", and two tight ends that are 6'3" and 6'4"-ish a piece. How many more big bodied tall guys do we need before we have a "legitimate red zone threat"?

The problems in the red zone have been less about "we don't have enough tall guys!" and more about not having quarterbacks who are able to make those quick reads in the red zone and getting the ball out. Look at what Rex did at the end of the season; for all Rex's flaws, when we got down in the red zone, we were scoring touchdowns instead of kicking field goals.

With Donovan we could go on a great drive, but once we got inside the 30 or 20 and the field got shorter, he struggled. Don't know how many times he actually had a guy open but he checked the ball down or threw it to someone who wasn't going to be able to score or manage to underthrow a five yard pass. (See: Cooley, TWICE in the Tampa Bay game).

Tall guys are a plus, but they're not necessary.

Andre Johnson is an excellent wide receiver period. Not just a red zone target. He's the best receiver in the league and he happens to be call, but he's not good BECAUSE he's tall. He's a big target in the red zone and he's physical, but my point is you don't need those guys to be productive in the red zone. Lots of other football teams who don't have Andre Johnson or Calvin Johnson or Larry Fitzgerald get by with having smaller wide receivers.

But we saw it in the Cowboys game that Santana Moss is a fine red zone guy. He snagged two touchdowns in the red zone. It's not about height, it's about route running and quick decisions buy the quarterback. Would I rather have Andre Johnson? Sure. But that's because Johnson's a better all around receiver at this stage of his career, and it's a nice plus that he happens to be tall. (And even then, they're not throwing him a lot of fade routes; he's just beating guys with his route running).

And like I said; we drafted a wide receiver that's 6'2", another that's 6'1", we have a guy on the roster who is 6'4", and two tight ends that are 6'3" and 6'4"-ish a piece. How many more big bodied tall guys do we need before we have a "legitimate red zone threat"?

The problems in the red zone have been less about "we don't have enough tall guys!" and more about not having quarterbacks who are able to make those quick reads in the red zone and getting the ball out. Look at what Rex did at the end of the season; for all Rex's flaws, when we got down in the red zone, we were scoring touchdowns instead of kicking field goals.

With Donovan we could go on a great drive, but once we got inside the 30 or 20 and the field got shorter, he struggled. Don't know how many times he actually had a guy open but he checked the ball down or threw it to someone who wasn't going to be able to score or manage to underthrow a five yard pass. (See: Cooley, TWICE in the Tampa Bay game).

Tall guys are a plus, but they're not necessary.


I agree and I also see in the red zone why we struggle.. Small Wr's make it harder on QB's. Unless your Tom Brady, Manning or Rodgers right now you really see teams with that BIG WR make plays down there often..
DET, AZ, HOU, MIA, DALLAS, SD.. All have big targets and all have good offenses accept maybe Miami. I'm JS it helps to have a Tall WR for that main reason.

I'm not concerned about guys "making plays". I'm concerned about guys catch the football. Devin Thomas was tall but he was a crap red zone target because he was a crappy route runner.

Calvin Johnson, Larry Fitzgerald, Andre Johnson, Brandon Marshall, and Dallas' receivers aren't good because they're tall, they're good because they're great receivers. Being tall HELPS, but it is not the determining factor in red zone success. Quick quarterback decision making is. A short guy is just as likely to make a play as a big guy in the red zone if the quarterback knows where to go with the ball.

Again, two nice red zone guys are Cooley and Davis, but there were more than a couple times where, despite being open, and despite being big targets, McNabb flat out missed them. So it really falls on the quarterback to make it happen with whatever weapons he has.

Not that I don't like big, tall wide receivers, but I don't also buy the "taller guys are easier to find" argument, especially if a guy comes open. Most wide receivers are going to be as tall if not slightly taller than most DB's in the league. And like I said, I think most of the tall receiver fetish from the Redskins' fan standpoint is that people feel as though we haven't had any of those guys.

We have had those guys before, but they were all either lazy, weren't good as running their routes, or their only defining attribute was being kinda tall and that was it. It's the execution that makes Andre Johnson a frakkin' beast, not his height.