Which new defender will have the most impact in '04?
 

Taylor will be League Rookie of the Year.

Tough call, but I'm going with Washington. He's on the cusp of stardom plus his signing (and I suppose Barrow's as well) moves LaVar to his natural weakside spot, where he should shine

Taylor seems like the obvious choice but I voted for Washington too, for the reasons Smootsmack mentioned above. We have a lot of good new players on D and I expect them all to have an impact.

Marcus C. Washington. This honestly might be my favorite signing of the offseason. He is a nice young bull, who is just getting ready to go crazy. Ask me at this time next year, I'll say Taylor, but he is still a rookie and will need some time to adjust to the NFL. Washington is gonna be hte man this year.

I'm going with Marcus Washington too, I think his signing could prove to be a great one and a very underrated one, at least right now it is.

Doh! If I'd known everyone was going to vote for Washington, I would have voted for Taylor. They both should be awesome. I can't wait to see what this defense can do.

I voted for Taylor, which all of you would have guessed but not because hes a Cane. Taylor changes the way our defense will be played, he allows us to do more than any other player we signed. Taylor makes up for the fact that we lost Bailey, Springs is a good corner but isnt forced to be a shutdown force because Taylor is back there. Taylor allows us to blitz our linebackers more, they used to always drop back to help with coverage. I bet you that Taylor blocks a punt this year. Dont be surprised if Taylor scores a few touchdowns to. having an elite safety lets you try so many more things. I cant wait to watch our D perform next year.

i gotta go with one of the most recent aquisitions in barrows. While i love the washington and taylor additions, i think one of the main keys to a good defense is having a dependable middle linebacker and the past few years, barrows has been near the top of the list. we haven't really had an all-around highly talented mlb in a quite a few years in my opinion and i think he is going to be a monster against the run and provide security over the middle when either or both of the outside lbs blitz the qb.

Barrow will make a better leader than Trotter. That will help a lot having a middle linebacker that steps in and takes charge.

[QUOTE=SKINSnCANES]Barrow will make a better leader than Trotter. That will help a lot having a middle linebacker that steps in and takes charge.[/QUOTE]

yeah and the guy has a very dedicated work habit and is always in tremendous shape. i think he's gonna be the catalyst who makes the whole defense run smoothly.

It was a good move to get him. Mitchell istn a bad player but having barrow changes it from a solid lb core that wont give up many big plays, to a group of skilled lbs that will make big plays happen. We stuff the run then they have to throw, then throw and we pick it then they have to run but have already given up on it. Mabye we'll actually have a positive turnover ratio and not give up so many points anymore. Our offense will help with that because im going to assume we wont leave our d in so many bad situations anymore.

I voted taylor but cosidering what we got out of the MLB position last year Barrow could be the guy who really stand's out as a difference maker, I also love the washington signing, I just hope our line can keep the O-line off of them to really let them play all out.

Ok, so who voted for "Other" and who is "Other"? Harris, Brown, Campbell, Salava'e?

I really like Washington and it was a tough call but I voted Taylor. The reason is I think, like it was said above, that he changes the entire way our defense plays. We can now blitz more and play more agressively. Also, I think as fans we will notice more of a difference in having a great safety because even though they didn't live up to their hype, we did have some above average linebackers the last couple seasons. Now that the Redskins have gotten some good skill position players on D, next year or maybe on June 1 if we're lucky, we need to get some D-line.

I have to agree Washington and Taylor are the most likely to have the highest impact on our D. But it would be best if DT Griffen and DE Daniels had the best year because it is our weakest position.

Although I believe that Washington is a talented player on the brink of a big year, I would still have to say that Taylor will make the strongest impact of any of the skin's new players. This is because a quick hardhitting safety can change the way the game is played. Wide receivers will start hearing footsteps and that can make them miss some catches that they would normally make. Furthermore, the opposing team's quarterback has to worry about this dart in secondary coming by and snatching the ball so he has to give an extra look or so before getting the ball off.
I think the biggest impact of Washington coming here is the fact that he will be playing strong-side linebacker, therefore moving Lavar back to his natural position of weak-side linebacker. This should be huge, but Washington is not going to be making the sacks for Lavar (even though I envision him getting quite a few of his own) so I cannot vote him at the top of my list for imcoming impact players.

*Lavar switching to weakside linebacker will benefit us in the following ways:
1) More sacks!!! (this is because he won't get blocked immediately as he does at the strongside position by tight ends. Rather, he will be going up against half backs and full backs and get more speed going, which will increase force, and allow him to run these blockers over)
2) More sacks!!! SORRY, BUT I CAN'T EMPHASIZE THIS ENOUGH!!

Well I hope Griffin does, cause it is almost a given that the rest will perform well. Plus if he does with the other d-line it will make the d-backs that much easier.

[QUOTE=SKINSnCANES]Barrow will make a better leader than Trotter. That will help a lot having a middle linebacker that steps in and takes charge.[/QUOTE]


The exact reason why I voted for him......

Ade Jimoh!
 

[QUOTE=smootsmack]Ok, so who voted for "Other" and who is "Other"? Harris, Brown, Campbell, Salava'e?[/QUOTE]

How quickly did you forget, Ade Jimoh!

Or did you think Ade is as good as gone come final cuts?

[QUOTE=backrow]How quickly did you forget, Ade Jimoh!

Or did you think Ade is as good as gone come final cuts?[/QUOTE]


Ade isnt a 'new defender', hes what we like to call a 'core Redskins'

I voted for Griffin. I think with 6 NFC East games and very suspect running games for all of them, most teams wont run outside on Washington and Arrington, forcing them inside right into Griffin. On pass defense, when we bring a blitz from either the weak or strong side, the LBs are going to get double teamed leaving the middle suspect and a good DT to make some big plays inside.

I voted for Taylor. He's gonna be a beast, I hope.

Although I think Washington will have a big impact at his position, it seems to me that Taylor, Barrow, and Griffin will have the biggest impact on the entire defensive system. Of those three, I see Taylor having more game-changing opportunities through interceptions, perhaps even running some back for TDs.

--Phin

I agree that Taylor's impact will change games, but I am also grateful to have Michael Barrow. Our Linebackers were so undisiplined last year, hopefully Barrow's experience will compliment Arrington's wild side.

anybody else curious as to who the "others" r that 4 people have voted for?

I wonder if Brandon Noble qualifies as a "new" defender, since he hardly made it onto the field last year. The "others" might include Noble or one of the new CBs (Ralph Brown, Walt Harris), maybe even DT Joe Salave'a or LB Billy Strother.

Perhaps Gregg Williams qualifies as an "other" as well.

Well, my guy is not even in consideration thanks to an incredible screw-up by the front office....

ARMEGIS SPEARMAN - All-pro, all-world!!!

You just watch, someone will snap him up eventually, THEN we'll be sorry!!!

Barrow is the kind of vocal and experienced vet we need. But don't ignore Walt Harris or Shawn Springs; these guys bring the kind of work ethic Taylor and even Arrington can certainly use, especially in transition to a brand spanking new defense