Before I drop off the boards for an undetermined amount of time again, I just wanted to give my position by position thoughts on the season and what we should do going forward.
QB: Lamar played poorly yesterday but I still think there's a lot to like about what he did this season. The scheme hid a lot of his deficiencies but he clearly has the talent, which is a good thing. I don't question his mental ability at all. My biggest concern is his consistency, especially when it comes to his mechanics. I think you have to commit to him throwing more next year and taking his lumps as he develops. It might be a rough season but it's a long-term thought process. As far as a backup, I'm all on the RG3 train. I think he was the perfect teammate and mentor for Lamar and I'd like to see that continue.
RB: Edwards and Dixon did well but I'm still open to adding a dynamic threat back there. Edwards doesn't really catch much out of the backfield so it's hard to count on him going forward as teams adjust to the read option. I'd be open to re-signing Montgomery as I love what he does in pass protection and he also offers depth in a few different areas. Of course, that's dependent on him being super cheap.
FB: There is no longer a FB on this team. Ricard will likely move back to DL full time.
WR: Yet again, another overhaul is needed. I'm glad Snead is the one we got on the 2 year contract because him and Lamar seem to have some chemistry. It's time to invest in young weapons to put around Lamar, though. We should be looking for a big body with a huge catch radius since Lamar has accuracy issues. I think the bigger thing though is adding some quick route runners that can catch over the middle. Lamar does best throwing to the middle of the field so get him some guys that can get open quickly. Focus on the short plays to set up the long ones.
TE: I'd love to re-sign one of Boyle or Maxx, and I'd be open to both depending on the prices. Let Andrews continue to focus on pass catching while the other guys handle the blocking. I think Hurst will be fine, health pending of course. He had a tough injury to come back from at a tough position to miss time at.
OL: The scheme hid the issues this year. The interior was pretty terrible and it's time to invest heavy. I'm fine with Stanley and Brown at the T spots although both had rough games yesterday. LG needs an upgrade something bad. Skura was alright but I'm still looking for improvement. I'm not sure how much Yanda has left in the tank but we need to start looking for a future RG as well.
DL: I think this unit did really well. I still think Brandon Williams was a gigantic waste of money, especially when Pierce is outplaying him in nearly every facet of the game. I'm not sure how much Brent Urban will get, but I'm in favor of trying to re-sign him depending on the money. I'd hope Henry returning next year makes this unit even better.
ILB: Re-sign Mosley. I don't care about his coverage deficiencies because that's how the NFL works today. What doesn't get enough talk is his intelligence and football IQ. He's the leader of this defense and I think we'd be looking at a huge downturn if we let him get away. Peanut improved heavily as the season went on and Young still has room to develop.
OLB: I'm open to a cheap Suggs reunion with the caveat that he's a rotational piece at the most. It's time to let Bowser play. The sack numbers aren't there but he gets pressure in his limited snaps. I'd love to re-sign ZDS but he's the typical guy that will get more elsewhere. My biggest concern with letting him go is that we have no other OLB that can play 3T. Tim Williams needs to get his shit together, and Judon needs to be more consistent.
CB: Humphrey took the next step which puts Jimmy and/or Carr on the chopping block. I'd be in favor of moving on from one of them, but I have no strong feelings on which one - maybe Jimmy actually. I think Averett can play so I'd be comfortable with him as CB4. If we think it's a rebuild though, move on from both and save the cap.
S: It's time to find the FS of the future. I love Weddle but I think his time has come. He has it mentally, but physically, it's not the same anymore. I'd be surprised if he doesn't call it a career - his talk yesterday seemed to be heading that direction. I thought Jefferson rebounded from a tough year 1 and made that contract manageable. I think Chuck Clark is a good, solid stop gap if we find a FS that needs a little seasoning.
ST: No real complaints here. Tucker didn't have his best year but I'd still take him over any other kicker out there.
QB: Lamar played poorly yesterday but I still think there's a lot to like about what he did this season. The scheme hid a lot of his deficiencies but he clearly has the talent, which is a good thing. I don't question his mental ability at all. My biggest concern is his consistency, especially when it comes to his mechanics. I think you have to commit to him throwing more next year and taking his lumps as he develops. It might be a rough season but it's a long-term thought process. As far as a backup, I'm all on the RG3 train. I think he was the perfect teammate and mentor for Lamar and I'd like to see that continue.
RB: Edwards and Dixon did well but I'm still open to adding a dynamic threat back there. Edwards doesn't really catch much out of the backfield so it's hard to count on him going forward as teams adjust to the read option. I'd be open to re-signing Montgomery as I love what he does in pass protection and he also offers depth in a few different areas. Of course, that's dependent on him being super cheap.
FB: There is no longer a FB on this team. Ricard will likely move back to DL full time.
WR: Yet again, another overhaul is needed. I'm glad Snead is the one we got on the 2 year contract because him and Lamar seem to have some chemistry. It's time to invest in young weapons to put around Lamar, though. We should be looking for a big body with a huge catch radius since Lamar has accuracy issues. I think the bigger thing though is adding some quick route runners that can catch over the middle. Lamar does best throwing to the middle of the field so get him some guys that can get open quickly. Focus on the short plays to set up the long ones.
TE: I'd love to re-sign one of Boyle or Maxx, and I'd be open to both depending on the prices. Let Andrews continue to focus on pass catching while the other guys handle the blocking. I think Hurst will be fine, health pending of course. He had a tough injury to come back from at a tough position to miss time at.
OL: The scheme hid the issues this year. The interior was pretty terrible and it's time to invest heavy. I'm fine with Stanley and Brown at the T spots although both had rough games yesterday. LG needs an upgrade something bad. Skura was alright but I'm still looking for improvement. I'm not sure how much Yanda has left in the tank but we need to start looking for a future RG as well.
DL: I think this unit did really well. I still think Brandon Williams was a gigantic waste of money, especially when Pierce is outplaying him in nearly every facet of the game. I'm not sure how much Brent Urban will get, but I'm in favor of trying to re-sign him depending on the money. I'd hope Henry returning next year makes this unit even better.
ILB: Re-sign Mosley. I don't care about his coverage deficiencies because that's how the NFL works today. What doesn't get enough talk is his intelligence and football IQ. He's the leader of this defense and I think we'd be looking at a huge downturn if we let him get away. Peanut improved heavily as the season went on and Young still has room to develop.
OLB: I'm open to a cheap Suggs reunion with the caveat that he's a rotational piece at the most. It's time to let Bowser play. The sack numbers aren't there but he gets pressure in his limited snaps. I'd love to re-sign ZDS but he's the typical guy that will get more elsewhere. My biggest concern with letting him go is that we have no other OLB that can play 3T. Tim Williams needs to get his shit together, and Judon needs to be more consistent.
CB: Humphrey took the next step which puts Jimmy and/or Carr on the chopping block. I'd be in favor of moving on from one of them, but I have no strong feelings on which one - maybe Jimmy actually. I think Averett can play so I'd be comfortable with him as CB4. If we think it's a rebuild though, move on from both and save the cap.
S: It's time to find the FS of the future. I love Weddle but I think his time has come. He has it mentally, but physically, it's not the same anymore. I'd be surprised if he doesn't call it a career - his talk yesterday seemed to be heading that direction. I thought Jefferson rebounded from a tough year 1 and made that contract manageable. I think Chuck Clark is a good, solid stop gap if we find a FS that needs a little seasoning.
ST: No real complaints here. Tucker didn't have his best year but I'd still take him over any other kicker out there.