| Mr Briggs Goes to Washington...- 4/3/07 For over a week now, the Washington Redskins have been in trade negotiations with the Chicago Bears for the frustrated, but up-and coming outside linebacker Lance Briggs. Briggs, slapped with the franchise tag by the Bears that will pay him the average of the five highest paid players at his position ($7.2 M), wants out of Chicago. The Redskins, unsurprisingly, are looking to make “upgrades” again this offseason even after addressing a need at linebacker by signing the tenacious, but aging, London Fletcher to a lucrative 5-year deal. Coming into the offseason the projected starting linebacker corps for the 2007 season looked like this: Marcus Washington at strong- side, Lemar Marshall in the middle, and the second-year out of Miami, Rocky McIntosh (who would presumably replace last year’s starter, free agent Warrick Holdman who still remains unsigned by the ‘Skins) on the weak-side. While Washington will stay put at the strong-side, the addition of Fletcher, a middle linebacker and “quarterback” for Redskins’ Defensive Coordinator Gregg Williams’s defense while they were both in Buffalo (where Williams was the head coach before coming to serve in Washington), has moved Marshall to the outside where he will compete with McIntosh for a starting role next season. This is where Briggs comes in. In only his fourth year, at age 26, Briggs is already a two-time Pro Bowler at the weak- side position and has had the benefit of playing on one of the best defenses alongside arguably the league’s best defensive player, perennial Pro Bowl middle linebacker Brian Urlacher. Adding Briggs would almost certainly give the ‘Skins one of the most feared linebacking corps in the league (which may almost be a necessity given how poorly the defensive line played last year). The problem, though? What to do with Marshall, a locker room leader and a veteran who’s spent his whole career in Washington, and McIntosh, a young prospect who showed flashes of brilliance when he was finally inserted into the lineup at the end of last season (and for whom the ‘Skins already have dealt two picks in this year’ s draft to be able to move up and pick him last year) . The most important issue is team chemistry, something the team dramatically overlooked last offseason, and, for all intents and purposes, was what led to the team’s pathetic 5- 11 record last year. By bringing in high-priced free agents like Adam Archuleta (bust, traded for Bears 6th round pick), Brandon Lloyd (bust, inexplicably paid a $5M bonus to remain with the team after logging, get this, the worst season of a starting wide receiver ever), Andre Carter (bust for the majority of the season before he really started to bring it on at the end of the unsalvageable season), and Antwaan Randl-El (solid utility player, but whether he was worth the phat $30M deal is questionable; the jury is still out on him this season, although I did like him as the second wide receiver in the last couple of games when Lloyd was benched), and getting rid of cheap, “glue” players like Omar Stoutmire, Ryan Clark, and Walt Harris, the Redskins showed their players that they valued outside “superstars” more than loyal, consistent playmakers. As a result, unfamiliarity and resentment lingered in the locker room this past season, and if you can’t get things straight in the locker room, you don’t have a chance on the field (think T.O.). Briggs wants a multi-year deal, something the Bears at this point are unwilling to give him. Frustrated by the Bears’ unwillingness to let him test the market, Briggs threatened to sit the whole season out, before reducing that number to all but six games, to satisfy a full season played under the terms of the franchise tag. The ‘Skins, believed to already have a deal set in principle with Briggs, have offered the Bears their much-coveted 6th pick in this year’s draft in exchange for Chicago’s 31st. While at the 6th pick, the Bears would almost certainly land an elite player, the Bears’ primary concern is with the signing bonus that such a pick would entail; something in the neighborhood of $15M. The Bears are reportedly not willing to make that deal, but are expected to make a counteroffer soon; sources say that in addition to the pick, they will demand another player, likely Marshall, McIntosh, or Rookie standout DT Kedric Golston, a 6th round choice last year who impressed, filling in for an injured Joe Salave’a early on before occupying the starting spot outright. Now, the most important thing to keep in mind is that the Redskins don’t need to make this deal. Would it help the defense? Most definitely. But the ‘Skins need to be weary. I see why they’re trying so hard to acquire Briggs. His skill, his age; he’s a proven player, something Head Coach Joe Gibbs and Co. will take any day over an incoming rookie, no matter how much hype and potential surround the player. If Chicago wants either McIntosh or Golston, you have to nix the deal. You can’t trade either of your two best (cheap!) 2nd year veterans while simultaneously trading away your chance to develop a superstar (the ‘Skins have the luxury of not having to throw their pick right into the fire) just to take on a big-time playmaker and an even bigger contract. It’s just not fiscally responsible, and if it’s anything the ‘Skins have been consistently careless with, it’s that. But now, we wait. As with all trades, there’s a chance that this might not even go down at all. But the possibilities are tantalizing: Washington, Fletcher, and Briggs, three 240+ lb. ‘backers known for their intensity and playmaking abilities, trying to bring a defense back to life that struggled to the tune of 31st worst in the league last season. After a year under their belt, the offense finally looks set, with “QB-of-the-future” Jason Campbell finally QB-of-the-present. Look for them to put up similar numbers as the Kansas City Chiefs did after one season of Al Saunders’ play-calling – after a rocky first season, the Chiefs became the most potent offensive club in the league, a top-5 offense mainstay, leading the league in yards Saunders’ last two years there. If that’s the case, the defense doesn’t even need to play phenomenally for the Redskins to compete, just in the neighborhood of a top-15 club. Of course that will be a drastic improvement from this past season, but if all goes well, look for Briggs to be a major part of that revival. |
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