All things offseason discussion part II

They get paid to write... unfortunately the offseason has a lot of down time.

Keim really shines once training camp rolls around. I think most writers this time of year have to dig deep to come up with regular content and more often than not it's just re-hashing the same stuff.

At least to me the Skins are extremely lucky to have Keim as a beat writer. I think about all the years where we would get tons of baseless speculation and little analysis in regards to what was actually happening on the field. In fact it felt like the only time we would get any analysis would come at the hands of number guys like football outsiders that even at times they did offer good content really wouldn't break down exactly how OT X got the ratings he was assigned.

Keim does what very few reporters do and what more really should do, in that he breaks down and explaind what is happening on the field and combines it with info such as perceptions from scouts and coaching staffs. Not to mention he frequently explains strategies and tendencies of both our coaches and those of upcoming opponents.

Washington Redskins now have more questions at safety - ESPN (http://espn.go.com/blog/washington-redskins/post/_/id/8807/redskins-now-have-more-questions-at-safety)
Ryan Clark: Still the starter. He was clearly ahead of Jackson when it came to running the show in the secondary at free safety. When Clark was on the field the communication was loud and crisp. You knew he was out there. When Jackson was on the field, he was way too quiet in comparison. Clark just needs to prove he can still be an effective starter.

Honestly its hard to find guys that break down the little things as well as Keim. In the past we would really only be limited to something like this:
'Clark is an old veteran who played well for the Steelers but now he's old so we don't know if old age will catch up to this old veteran who as we mentioned before is old.'

Regardless of who's in there at safety, we're still going to struggle in that area. Clark can't run, Rambo can't tackle or cover, Merriweather will at least hit someone but it will be a PF. The one guy I'm really looking forward to getting out there is Thomas.

Uh oh!
The Lions are growling.
I'm askeered.....

Calvin Johnson: Lions are poised for serious run at Super Bowl | The Detroit News (http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20140710/SPORTS0101/307100061/Calvin-Johnson-Lions-poised-serious-run-Super-Bowl)

Uh oh!
The Lions are growling.
I'm askeered.....

Calvin Johnson: Lions are poised for serious run at Super Bowl | The Detroit News (http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20140710/SPORTS0101/307100061/Calvin-Johnson-Lions-poised-serious-run-Super-Bowl)

Darn! I've lost all hope of us getting anywhere with a team like Detroit in the way. :D

The Lions could be good, but they'll be in a tough division. Packers are getting Rodgers back; Bears are getting Cutler back, plus Trestman will be in his second year; and the Vikings will likely have a better passing game with Bridgewater, as well as a better defense. I think the Packers are the best team in the NFC North, mostly because of #12, and we can be sure one of the NFC's wildcard spots will go to San Francisco or Seattle, but who knows.

Regardless of who's in there at safety, we're still going to struggle in that area. Clark can't run, Rambo can't tackle or cover, Merriweather will at least hit someone but it will be a PF. The one guy I'm really looking forward to getting out there is Thomas.

I'm not as pessimistic (or perhaps realistic) as you are about our safeties. Yet I do think that safety may be our weakest group overall.

I think most of us were hoping that the Skins would sign a top FA to play FS. I know I was. I was also naive enough to hope that Tanard Jackson could help us. Now, I'm hoping that Thomas turns out to be the player I thought he could be when we drafted him. Next, I'll be hoping that the Skins can make a trade for a safety or pickup a late cut who can help us. Hoping, hoping, hoping. That's all we can do.

Best hope for the secondary is the pass rush helps bail them out more often than not, and that some of the young guys can be improved enough to make a difference. Amerson, Thomas, Rambo, etc. Tough to imagine Breeland making an impact right away but fingers crossed anyway.

<snip> Next, I'll be hoping that the Skins can make a trade for a safety or pickup a late cut who can help us. Hoping, hoping, hoping. That's all we can do.

With the starters at safety pretty much set, perhaps we should bring back Doughty or Gumbs to compete for backup jobs. They're already familiar with the team and could help on STs. I think we can be sure of Meriweather, Clark, and Thomas making the team, so that leaves two safety spots open, at most. I'd vote to sign Gumbs and have him battle with Rambo for the 4th and final spot, with both making the team only if they're especially impressive.

Best hope for the secondary is the pass rush helps bail them out more often than not, and that some of the young guys can be improved enough to make a difference. Amerson, Thomas, Rambo, etc. Tough to imagine Breeland making an impact right away but fingers crossed anyway.

The Panthers showed that a great pass rush negates the need for an elite secondary

The Panthers showed that a great pass rush negates the need for an elite secondary

Giants as well when the Patriots were on the verge of 18-0. It would be nice to have both but I'll take a great pass rush over an elite secondary any day.