Redskins sign WR/KR Mathis

by TexSkins on Apr 5, 2008 12:48 PM EDT

The Redskins signed their first free agent (outside of their own free agents) of the offseason in the form of former Pro Bowl KR Jerome Mathis.

Meet your new KR. (P.S. The official site has it, so it's official.)

Casserly took the home whites with him to Houston. (Image from here.)

I'm not sure what this means for Rock Cartwright, who was brought back earlier in the offseason and has been the main kick return guy for the team. Mathis was never much of a recieving threat in Houston (the team who drafted him) so I have to view this as signing him to be a KR. He is wicked fast (like 4.31 fast), and in his 2005 Pro Bowl season, he had 54 kickoff returns for 1542 yards and 2 TDs, plus 12 punt returns for 68 yards. As a WR that year, he had only 5 receptions for 65 yards (13.0 yard per catch average) and only has 6 receptions in his career.

Part of that is because he's injury prone. He played 12 games in 2005, missed all of 2006 and played only 3 games last season. His injuries are the main reason Houston let him leave. He's had some run-ins with the law, as documented in the Yahoo! article above, but apparently all charges have either been settled or dropped.

I'm really not sure what to make of this. The article doesn't mention money, but I'm guessing it can't be much (if anything) above the minimum.

Thoughts, concerns comments?

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Comments

what it means

It means that betts is on the way out. They will try to work a trade with someone for Betts and Cartwright will be Portis' backup... and this guy will be our kick returner.

by goskins757 on Apr 5, 2008 1:55 PM EDT reply actions

I don't understand

How signing a kick returner means our backup halfback will be soon to leave. Are you saying that since Mathis is going to be taking over for Rock that the team will feel bad and want to give him the ball more, so he's going to play backup?
You need a [i]good[/i] backup in this league. If Portis gets hurt, Betts can still carry the load. If Portis gets hurt and Rock is forced to play, we lose. Unless of course you think Rock is good enough. I sure don't.

Talkin' Sports

by BlackOps on Apr 5, 2008 2:43 PM EDT up reply actions

stupid html

or whatever

Talkin' Sports

by BlackOps on Apr 5, 2008 2:44 PM EDT up reply actions

Nothing

I really cannot find any more about this signing. It seems in some ways that the Redskins are the last chance for once promising Hampton University players.
Maybe Rock will provide the stability and competition for him to succeed.
Every position needs a back-up, as for PR history it's not on his side: 5.7 career AVG on 12 returns.

by dr WNC on Apr 5, 2008 4:55 PM EDT reply actions

Lack of speed

on this team and I think that's why the signed him. ARE is not exactly scaring people with his punt returns.

by CptChaosSidekick on Apr 5, 2008 9:05 PM EDT reply actions

KR Mathis

I always thought that football was about competition. Did Mathis cost the Redskins anything? If, and it is a big if, he beats out Rock on kick returns in pre-season, then does he earn a spot? Still, Rock did a good job on kick off returns, but the Redskins were anemic on punt returns. Even if Mathis is good there, can the Redskins afford allocating two spots on the final roster for kick returners? I doubt that given other needs. Again, I think it is about bringing in some competition to everyone play harder.

by saratogan on Apr 6, 2008 11:11 AM EDT reply actions

And some speed

Agree, Competition
He adds speed to the team, while it's discussed here as being 4.3 in the 40. He has been clocked at 4.1. He can spread the field as a WR, and maybe he'll take on Mix's role last year on Kick offs with Mix being in more offensive plays.
He was a play maker in college: (closer to home and concentrates on Football...worth the chance?)
all american
Mathis, a senior, from Petersburg, Virginia, returned 25 kickoffs for 888 yards (35.5 ypr) and 5 TD... Led Division I-AA with an average of 29.47 yards per catch, hauling in 29 receptions for 864 yards and nine touchdowns... set a I-AA record with five kickoff returns for touchdowns (91, 99, 92, 80, 93) and led the country with an average of 35.5 yards per return... recorded three 100-yard games on the season... set a school record with 243 yards receiving against Gardner-Webb... had 11 receptions of 30 or more yards, 10 of those resulting in touchdowns... set a school record with a 98-yard touchdown reception at South Carolina State... 173 rushing yards and two touchdowns, including a 68-yard run against Norfolk State... 1,930 all-purpose yards for an average of 160.8 yards per game, sixth best total in I-AA... ended his career with 394 all-purpose yards in a playoff game at William & Mary where he had six receptions for 188 yards and two touchdowns, four rushes for 40 yards and 166 kickoff return yards, including a 93-yard touchdown... set the school record with receptions in 34 consecutive games.

by dr WNC on Apr 6, 2008 11:31 AM EDT up reply actions

wtf?

cartwright is easily the best kr we've had since brian mitchell left and i dont really want to see him stop returning kicks. it probably will be mathis and cartwright on KR's but im just not sure what this means. we don't need a backup KR ... especially when we have randle el and moss already... this must mean cartwright is switching positions full-time or betts is leaving, as goskins said. this could also mean, i suppose, that james thrash is on his way out as well. actually, that seems the most plausible, doesn't it?

another problem -- mathis was arrested for assaulting his pregnant girlfriend in feburary. as PFT says, we wouldn't have signed this guy if joe gibbs was still around... especially to replace a "core redskin" we just resigned.

hmm...

by mmford10 on Apr 6, 2008 12:42 PM EDT reply actions

Maybe...

Betts will be used as a draft day trade. He's getting paid pretty well for#2 but this is a two back league. However they didn't go after Rock or any other back to make you think Betts is going anywhere.

I think a Thrash departure is more realistic then Rock going anywhere. Don't forget we line up two players on the kick returns so if Thrash leaves there's a slot open. I would have to think that the team wants someone else returning punts. Randel El isn't the answer for punt returner and you don't want a starter returning punts anyway.

by CptChaosSidekick on Apr 6, 2008 1:53 PM EDT up reply actions

I don't understand this signing at all

The Washington Times speaks well on it.

My issues:

Rock Cartwright is a good kick returner. We just signed him. Now we sign another kick returner?
Mathis has injury issues.
Mathis is not that good of a wide receiver.
Mathis is not a tall receiver.
Mathis, though innocent of the CRIME, probably hit his common-law wife. This isn't a case of him going to court and beating the wrap through the legal system; she dropped the charges while subsequently moving to a different state. I have a low opinion of people who hit women.

This signing makes no sense to me.

Go Register. Or else.

by Skin Patrol on Apr 6, 2008 1:59 PM EDT reply actions

Additionally...

the timing was goofy and suggests the team knew better than to emphasize this signing.

Go Register. Or else.

by Skin Patrol on Apr 6, 2008 2:00 PM EDT up reply actions

How did

the team emphasize this signing? I think it's the media making a big deal that it took us this long sign some one from another team due to us being quiet this offseason. Another thing is we haven't had a lot to talk about this offseaon as well, so I think people might be getting excited over not much at all.

This signing doesn't make all the sense in the world but he also has to make the team. He might not make it past cuts.

by CptChaosSidekick on Apr 6, 2008 2:20 PM EDT up reply actions

On the timing...

I meant the team was de-emphasizing the signing. And regarding the timing, I didn't mean this late in the year, but rather that the news was released late in the day, which isn't all that typical. If you want to emphasize a signing, you announce it in the afternoon or the following morning. If you don't want to draw attention to a signing, you release the news while families are eating dinner.

Go Register. Or else.

by Skin Patrol on Apr 6, 2008 2:50 PM EDT up reply actions

Time of the Year

Or it could be that everyone has forgotten the time of the year. If my counting is correct the Redskins web page list 67 active roster players, Mathis will make 68.
With no changes we have 9 draft day picks...
Total 77
The ability to sign undrafted players: 3
OTA's and other off-season opportunities to reduce and add players as needed...
the Roster limit of 80.

The Redskins will be taking chances with players over the next 3 months. They will want to start Camp with 80 players...At the End of the Third Week(4th redskins) of pre-season games the team has to reduce to 65, after the 4th week(5th redskins) the reduction is down to a roster of 53 with 8 or 9 for the practice squad.

A "pro-bowl" caliber player who may be ready to concentrate on football can be worth the one roster space of the 80 available.
Hampton is a local school, with the new head coach a previous 2001 coach from the Redskins..?
Sign him or 4 undrafted players? and with this years draft line-up already undrafted players are less important to getting to 80

The time of the year! Getting to a roster of 80 for the start of camp.

by dr WNC on Apr 6, 2008 2:29 PM EDT up reply actions

I hope you're right

that his focus is on football. I don't mind the team signing people so much as I wish they'd fill up the few roster spots available with guys who, even if things go well, can really improve the team. Assuming that Jerome Mathis is better than Rock Cartwright at returning kicks and earns a roster spot as a result, was Rock Cartwright a guy we needed to replace?

The other alternative is that he turns out to be a much better WR than he was in Houston; I'm skeptical of that, but at least it would improve the team as it addresses a need.

Go Register. Or else.

by Skin Patrol on Apr 6, 2008 2:53 PM EDT up reply actions

Makes Sense...but who?

Who is available which falls into that catagory,
Possibly a FB/TE who was provided an injury settlement, who is according to some going to be the backup FB? :) Nope, he's signed
A potential FB, from the same school as the new RBs coach, who was released earlier in the year, Nope, He's signed too.

Rock is signed and is a leader on this team, not only as a KR but also on kick offs, and one of those intangible leaders.

We could have gone with players like:
#94 Marques Douglas DE-Damn he was signed by TB
#51 Takeo Spikes-LB
Ok, I do not feel like looking at who's available, but taking out RFA or Franchised players there is not a lot of value available, if Mathis becomes the next Devon H. it was worth the risk. With 3 pre-season games to see him do his thing, without getting hurt...should help.

by dr WNC on Apr 6, 2008 3:22 PM EDT up reply actions

People have forgotten

This has been the most boring (good for the team though) offseason of all time. We have become accustom to big splashes and proclaimed winners in Free Agency for the past couple of years.
I don't really think we know what to do with ourselves.

To pass the time I torture my roommate (cowboys fan) with things like "why haven't they resigned Marion Barber?" "I know they're trading for McFadden, and he in turn will suck and the 'boys will suck." Then I look for eagles fans and tell them to shut the fuck up until they win a super bowl, and that Donovan McChucky soup is a pansy ass dandelion.

..but hey that's what I do to pass a boring offseason

by CptChaosSidekick on Apr 6, 2008 2:53 PM EDT up reply actions