Off-Season Moves Thread

**Mskins** · 01-10-2013, 09:42 AM

Maybe we could keep all the news in the same thread like last year. I guess the first draft thread is coming soon too.

**Mskins** · 01-10-2013, 09:43 AM

The Redskins signed DE Phillip Merling and five others to future’s contracts :

http://washingtonexaminer.com/redski...2#.UO6MC-TWieM

**Mskins** · 01-10-2013, 09:47 AM

Merling was the player I remember wanting badly in the 2008 draft and the Skins were rumored to be heavily interested. Well at least with Vinny in charge all the rumors were in fact true so I believe the team was close to take him early in the second round. He went to the Dolphins and we drafted Devin Thomas. Both ended to be major bust. At 6-5 and 315 pounds he has the size to play DE in our system but I can't say I'm expecting a lot from him.

**JonBlaze** · 01-10-2013, 10:19 AM

heh, Merling. He was pretty high on our want lists a few drafts ago.

**X-White** · 01-10-2013, 10:07 PM

He was high on my list I know that. I was so mad when we passed on him to trade down. Well we'll see just how big of a bust he turned out to be.

**Darrell Green Fan** · 01-11-2013, 10:57 AM

Oh yeah, remember the Merling talk very well. Who the hell knows what to expect now.

**Mskins** · 01-29-2013, 12:49 PM

Danny Smith to interview for Steelers’ special teams coaching job

**dcskins** · 01-30-2013, 04:15 PM

http://espn.go.com/nfl/playoffs/2012...t-cap-strategy

Looks like were 4 mil over the cap... I know most of that will change by the time free agency starts, but it looks like we wont have very much space to do much.... Not a big shocker, but on the bright side!!! The Cowpuks are 18 mil over, hikes!!!! :)

**JonBlaze** · 01-30-2013, 10:21 PM

I'm going on record for Mike Wallace. I know people are down on him. I think he'd flourish here. He won't need to be the #1 guy and his price tag has dropped considerably. I'd prefer Percy Harvin, but he ain't coming cheap and he's probably not leaving anyway.

**Breed** · 01-30-2013, 10:35 PM

Just read on the KFFL hotwire that Fletch isn't sure if he's coming back next year. That would be a big blow if he didn't.

**X-White** · 01-30-2013, 10:44 PM

Losing Fletch would be a big roll but I really wonder if Rob couldnt move inside.

I would absolutely love to have Percey Harvin but I dont see that happening. Nor do I see any way we could afford Wallace. I know cutting Morgan would save us a lot of money and if Fletcher did retire that would give us more. We save a little cutting Brown dont we? not a bunch but I think I remember seeing we would save some. Re-doing Halls contract would help out a lot as well.

**JonBlaze** · 01-31-2013, 12:50 AM

I don't think the Skins have many huge cap eating type deals. It's gonna be a million here, a couple million there. They can be active if necessary in free agency to an extent.

Fletch saying he's not coming back = contract leverage talk. He's not going to just play for free here, but I think at this point he would have loyalty to the organization. I'm not saying low ball the guy, but they should pay within reason.

**Darrell Green Fan** · 02-01-2013, 10:52 AM

Wait, didn't Fletch just sign a new deal? Why would he be leveraging contract talks? I think he would be a huge hole if he left. He took a lot of heat for playing like an old man last year but the fact is he was hurt and once he got better his play reverted to form.

**Breed** · 02-01-2013, 01:04 PM

Originally Posted by X-White

Losing Fletch would be a big roll but I really wonder if Rob couldnt move inside.

Ruz posted an article in a thread I made specifically about Rob Jack and apparently he's already made one position switch, from a 43 DE to a 34 OLB. I'm not really against a player switching positions per se, but I wish we didn't have so many players on defense and all LBs of some kind, Orakpo, RK, One Man Gang (multiple times already) Jackson, who have all already switched positions at one time or another.

While its a small sample size. I think a case could be made that the best OLB play we've seen since Haslett took over the defense has come from Jackson.

On the possible plus side to your suggestion. Rasta also posted in the same thread about a website that claimed Jackson was one of the better pass covering OLBs of last year. That would bode well from a pass defense perspective and Jackson possibly replacing Fletch as Fletch has a lot of pass coverage responsibility. Duck also posted something in the thread about Haslett already having a preseason defense that had Rak, RK, and Jackson all on the field at the same time.

Last note and possibly the most significant thing. In the same thread KickSave posted that Jackson will be a free agent going into next season. The Skins may very well have to show Jackson the money if they wanna keep him. I for one certainly don't want to lose him.

**skinswin!** · 02-03-2013, 01:35 AM

Originally Posted by Mskins

Merling was the player I remember wanting badly in the 2008 draft and the Skins were rumored to be heavily interested. Well at least with Vinny in charge all the rumors were in fact true so I believe the team was close to take him early in the second round. He went to the Dolphins and we drafted Devin Thomas. Both ended to be major bust. At 6-5 and 315 pounds he has the size to play DE in our system but I can't say I'm expecting a lot from him.

I too wanted them to go after Merling in the draft. I think it's a decent signing considering the injuries we had with Orakpo and Carriker.