Simeon Rice will not be a Redskins, neither should Michael Strahan

by Skin Patrol on Aug 2, 2007 10:52 AM EDT in Redskins Analysis

Word on the street is that Michael Strahan and the Giants are as sour as ever, and Simeon Rice is still a free agent. For a defensive line that was questionable last year with virtually no personnel change, these two veterans are intriguing possibilities. First, let's put the Rice talks to pasture, per the Post:

Team management received sub-par internal scouting reports on free agent end Simeon Rice, sources said, and have made no contact with the former Pro Bowler. Nor are they expected to.

Fine with me. He's not the perennial 10+ sack a season DE he was even two years ago.

We'll give Strahan a look:

Management did instruct scouts and coaches to compile offseason reports on defensive end Michael Strahan over the winter, however. Strahan is threatening to retire and is locked in a contract impasse with the New York Giants.

I don't like Michael for the drama he's currently in, and also because I think he, like Rice, simply isn't the sack monster of yesteryear. I also don't like how this scouting endeavor was initiated:

Owner Daniel Snyder likes Strahan after watching him battle his team in the NFC East, team sources have said, and should Strahan become available, the Redskins could become a suitor. The Giants would likely be reluctant to trade him within the division, and several teams are monitoring his situation closely.

If we needed to address the defensive line this offseason, we should have done so. Waiting for an aging malcontent who is enviable only because our owner watched "him battle his team", a player who likely won't be fetched for a fair price anyways given that he's a division foe, is just too little too late. If the defensive line is as good as our inaction this offseason suggested, let's see it. If they aren't, then Michael Strahan simply is not the answer.

But you know what? Scout him. Find out what our personnel guys think, give him a fair shake, and at least entertain offers. I could be swayed to Strahan's camp so long as the price was right.

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