Vision Quest: Just Say No to Briggs

The Redskin off season thus far has been abnormally quiet. Sure we have had a couple of signings on defense and even solved the Archueletta problem, but there has not been the signature big move that almost every off-season under Daniel Snyder has brought. The relative calm of the Redskins front office was supposed to reflect the fact that this team was only a few small pieces way from success. We were told we were only a few injuries away from success last year and one or two role players were enough to get us back into the playoffs.

Apparently that has all been a façade.

Once again the Lance Briggs deal is rumored to be back on the table. Going into the draft weekend Daniel Snyder has made it clear that he wanted to make a big splash in the off season. It is now clear having exhausted all options of moving up to get Calvin Johnson we will settle on Lance Briggs as that big move. Not satisfied with playing with the talent we have or picking with the draft picks are left with the redskin FO is poised to make another big flashy, unnecessary move.

This is Daniel Snyder’s brain…this is Daniel Snyder’s brain on Briggs.

I understand the argument from the Pro-Briggs side and to be fair parts of me agree with them. Briggs is a Pro-Bowl player, proven at his position. He is a talent upgrade over last year’s starter, Holdman, and a safer play then the potential of Rocky McIntosh. No one else wants to trade down and this could be the best deal we get value wise.

Sorry but I just can’t buy this move. Dan Snyder, and now it seems Joe Gibbs as well, are addicted to the big flashy move. It is time for an intervention.

So here is my 7 step program for kicking the Briggs addiction.

1.) Realize the Draft Value of this trade is inferior. The Draft Value chart places the value of the 6th pick at 1600 points, and the value of pick #31 at 600 points. The value difference is 1000 points, equal to a mid first rounder. In essence we are saying that Lance Briggs straight up is worth trading a mid first rounder for. Keep in mind Briggs status (holdout) for the Bears and the redskin paltry draft situation (I.E. no picks) and I can’t say we would or should do this trade. And this is just straight up, Chicago actually wants more back.

2.) Believe in Rocky McIntosh. Just last year we used the equivalent of two second round picks to get this guy. And now we are willing to trade the equivalent of a mid first rounder to sit him on the bench. Briggs addicts will tell you that the coaching staff must understand that rocky can not play. If that is the case why are they supposedly unwilling to throw him into the deal? Rocky looked very good in pre-season and decent during the few times he got to play at the end of the season. Rocky needs to be given a chance to show what he can do in games. We paid too much to sit this guy on the bench,

3.) Do not forget the importance of Leverage. The Briggs addicts will tell you this is the best deal we can get so we should just take it. Well I submit to you we do this each and every year, and each and every year we are taken advantage of. Briggs has already threatened to sit out the year in Chicago, why are we willing to let Chicago off the hook and give them more then they should get in their situation? Our lust for other people’s talent has made us the league’s sucker every time a deal goes down. There is a reason why Denver keeps calling us on Draft Day; it is the same reason why you call your ex-girlfriend late at night for a hook up. We are easy and it won’t cost a team much. Time to start keeping our pants on during draft day and gain some respect around the league.

4.) Remember we should address what we need, not what we want. Going into the off season the biggest reasons for the defensive failure was at Defensive Line. We have done nothing to address this, and trading for Lance Briggs will do nothing to address it either. Trading down this far in the draft will almost assuredly mean more risk that our pick will be able to adequately address this need as well. The studs of the draft, Okoye, Adams, Anderson, will all be gone. We will be left hoping that our scouting department can get the best of what’s left. Do you trust the scouting department? I didn’t think so.

5.) Beware the system stud. Lance Briggs could very well be a product of a system and not necessarily the super stud player that Snyder thinks he is. He has played his entire career in the same NFL system suited to his skills. That system, a straight cover-2, is very different then the system Gregg Williams has employed the last thee seasons. Can Briggs adjust? There is not a shred of real evidence showing he can, so the risk for the Redskins should be reflected in the price we are willing to pay. It is not. Remember Archueletta & Trotter …how did they work out for us?

6.) Great teammates can pump up your reputation and stats. Briggs entire career he has played behind a stud defensive line and next to one of the best linebackers in football in Brian Urlacher. Is Briggs as good as we think, or does he look it because of all the help he got? In DC he will be behind an aging defensive line that will generate very little pass rush and next to a decent but nowhere near as versatile middle linebacker in Fletcher. He will not be the same player for us as he was in Chicago, almost guaranteed.

7.) Be true to yourself on your abilities. This might be a good trade for a team on the verge of a Super Bowl. One more piece to put them over the top. However we are not that team. It is a long shot whether we can rebound enough to get into the playoffs, and one guy at a position we already have depth and talent at is not going to make that difference. This is a desperation move, and we all know how those work out don’t we?

It is time we send the three headed monster of Gibbs Cerrato and Snyder to rehab. You have the players you have wanted in the past. You have the picks that you have left for yourself. Time to earn the money that you are paid. If we are just a few players away, prove it on the field and stop trying to find the magic fix in the off season.