Parks has been doing an awesome job working on the free agency posts here lately, pulling in the collective opinion of the Hogs Haven faithful. I thought a good question to kick around today would be:
Which Redskins Free Agent would you aggressively attempt to bring back in 2011? By "aggressively", I mean simply to offer a deal that could cause the player to decline to test the market further. Some assumptions are being made here, given the lack of a new CBA, so go easy on that aspect. I am also eliminating a few names from the debate that appear on free agent lists around the interweb that don't belong in this conversation. I apologize in advance to fans of Mike Furrey, Joey Galloway and Hunter Smith.
I am also crossing off a few players that I don't think will generate a ton of interest around the league but could be decent signings, like Reed Doughty and H.B. Blades. If the Skins want these guys back, we can probably agree that they can have them at reasonable prices and minimal competition.
Further, does anyone really want to spend time today arguing the merits of Stephon Heyer over Phillip Buchanon? And does anyone think Rex Grossman will end up anywhere else?
Hmmmm...
Tell you what: If you had to pick between Rocky McIntosh, Carlos Rogers and Santana Moss, where would you deploy your resources?
Yes...that sounds like a much better question today. To be fair, there are other guys that we would be wise to bring back, but these three players are the ones that might best split the debate...maybe.
Would it surprise you all to learn that I am leaning towards Rocky? Briefly, my reasoning goes like this (and I reserve the right to change my mind next week after I watch the video of Santana burning the Cowgirls on Monday Night Football a few times):
- I want our young receivers to sink or swim...on the field. I want these guys getting all the reps in practice and on Sundays--assuming they earn them. I fear that if we retain Moss, he will continue to be misused as a #1 receiver instead of the studly #2 option he could be in the slot for a team with an incumbent stud. I see us pursuing a Lance Moore or Jacoby Jones type to compete for the starting slot position. Ridiculous Statement Alert!! Rex Grossman and Jacoby Jones will be a real poor man's version of Tom Brady and Wes Welker. For the purpose of this debate, I am choosing to turn the page on offense and focus on defense.
- Carlos, while a great defender, has at times expressed unhappiness and frustration with being here. While I get that the man has to look out for himself and his professional interests, it has been a distraction. I don't think we will get a hometown discount and I don't know how interested he is in being part of our REBUILDING effort. (My word, not Bruce Allen's.) On one hand, you need guys with the cover skills that Carlos possesses. On the other hand, we had Carlos last season and our defense stunk out loud.
- Rocky might not be a prototypical "fit" in Haslett's defense but he produced last season. I see the linebacking corps as one of our biggest areas of concern going into Year #2 of this defense. I don't think he will be terribly expensive to retain (certainly cheaper than Carlos, right?) and while he is an injury risk himself, I think he gives us a bit of insurance against injuries to other linebackers that are bound to occur. To me, signing Rocky does the least to hamper development of young players, while giving us quality depth at a position of need.
That said, I think it is a long shot that the Redskins sign Rocky. Between Carlos and Santana, Carlos probably has the more important skill set that we need, but if you're handicapping this at home, I think you are probably right to give Moss the edge.
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