Holdman.

Someone want to enlighten me what kind of player he is? It sounds like they may want him to start inside and from what I remember his stats are pretty good. I'm curious of him as a pickup -- so anyone who knows anything about him I'd like to know it!

Here's his ESPN Insider Profile, it's a little old but still gives an idea of what kind of player he is:

2004 Scouting Report - Football Scouts Inc.
Name: Warrick Holdman
Position: Linebacker
Grade: 70 | Key
Alert: None

Comment:
Holdman is an athlete and a range linebacker. Doesn't have to come off the field, he can play all three downs and is a little bit of a playmaker. Is good in pass defense situations, as well as the run, he is an explosive player that will make more than his share of plays. He is not a LB that wants to mix it up inside and when blockers catch him, he is not the same player. He doesn't have great stack and shed abilities, he must get by on beating offensive linemen to the spot with his first step quickness. If he is protected by his defensive line and allowed to flow the ball and make plays, he is very effective. The Browns really need him to have a consistent and productive year in 2004 as they are counting on him to anchor this defense.

My understanding is that, and most "experts" believe, he is a solid starter. Blanche and Lindsey (who coached him in CHI), are very, very high on him and they were the driving force behind the 'Skins' attempts to get him last season. With Griffin and Salave'a clogging up the line of scrimmage, hopefully he'll be able to post 130+ tackles at MLB.

My understanding is that, and most "experts" believe, he is a solid starter. Blanche and Lindsey (who coached him in CHI), are very, very high on him and they were the driving force behind the 'Skins' attempts to get him last season. With Griffin and Salave'a clogging up the line of scrimmage, hopefully he'll be able to post 130+ tackles at MLB.

Thats it in a nutshell. He will thrive in our defense the same way pierce did. He is smaller than a typical MLB, but our steady rotation of d-lineman will keep the big men off of him. The only question I have is will he be able to call the defense the way Pierce did???

From the description of him, he sounds ideal for Williams' defense. However, no mention was made of his pass coverage abilities (unless the reference to being a three down player implies he can cover well). Like mentioned earlier, I also hope he can be a defensive qb like Pierce.

Why didn't CLE choose to hold onto him? Along has he isn't having injuries problem like Daniels. :oink:

Why didn't CLE choose to hold onto him? Along has he isn't having injuries problem like Daniels. :oink:

Basically, Crennel is overhauling the Browns' roster. Holdman was a stud before getting injured in 2002 (he pulled in almost 150 tackles and 9 forced fumbles as an OUTSIDE LB in 2001). He hasn't been the same since (according to the WT). I think Lindsey is hoping he can revitalize his career.

we revitalized griffin, we can do it with holdman. griffin only had one sack the year before joining the skins along with limited tackles

and holdman is in the scheme he will be comfortable in

I definitely trust anyone that Williams and Blanche likes.

Thats it in a nutshell. He will thrive in our defense the same way pierce did. He is smaller than a typical MLB, but our steady rotation of d-lineman will keep the big men off of him. The only question I have is will he be able to call the defense the way Pierce did???

From what the redskins assistants coaches have said Holman is a leader. They described him as very similar to Pierce in that he studies the game, good at signal calling and getting his teamates in the right spot, just like Pierce. That is what Holman did on his other teams, according to our coaches who coached him in Chicago. Besides being athleticly gifted, he is also very smart.