Marcus in the Middle?
 

From Lenny P's column:

"Nice, modestly priced pickup by the Washington Redskins this week, when they signed former Chicago and Cleveland linebacker Warrick Holdman to what is believed to be a one-year contract. Over the last couple of seasons, the six-year veteran hasn't been the same player he was for the Bears early in his career. But Holdman is still just 29 and knows how to play the game, and Redskins defensive coordinator Gregg Williams will figure out a way to make good use of him. The acquisition of Holdman, who has played all three linebacker spots at various junctures of his career, almost certainly will make Mike Barrow expendable. The veteran middle linebacker missed the entire 2004, season and Washington probably will jettison him after June 1, when it needs salary cap space to sign its draft choices. Holdman might join the group of linebackers vying for the starting job in the middle, where the free-agent defection of Antonio Pierce to the New York Giants has created a big hole. But [B]don't discount the possibility that the Redskins will move strong-side linebacker and 2004 Pro Bowler Marcus Washington into the middle[/B], and use Holdman to fill his slot. When they were recruiting Washington last spring as a free agent, Redskins coaches floated the idea of playing him in the middle, and it could happen. Regardless who lines up where, the addition of Holdman gives Williams a lot of flexibility, assuming LaVar Arrington returns whole from the injuries that limited him to just four games a year ago."

Re: Marcus in the Middle?
 

I don't like it. I really like him playing strong side!

Re: Marcus in the Middle?
 

Very interesting, he's definitely big enough to play in the middle.

Wow, did Lenny P just say something positive about the Skins?!

Re: Marcus in the Middle?
 

[QUOTE=Mattyk72]Very interesting, he's definitely big enough to play in the middle.

Wow, did Lenny P just say something positive about the Skins?![/QUOTE]


Not really, he's just listening to himself talk, no way we move Marcus inside for Holdman, just a bunch of nonesense, L Pasta has nothing substantial to write about I guess.

Re: Marcus in the Middle?
 

MW was an absolute stud on the outside last year. Why mess with a good thing? I say keep him where he is

Re: Marcus in the Middle?
 

I agree TAFKAS. Holdman will be another pass rusher brought in to give the opposing QB' s problems. I 'm glad he realized he messed up last year signing with the browns instead of us.

Re: Marcus in the Middle?
 

i hope they keep marcus on the outside. don't try and change what works perfectly. barrow will most likely be gone, and with arrington and washington on the outside, we will be better. plus we will have a lot of depth in the middle, with lemar marshall, warrick holdman, and others there.

Re: Marcus in the Middle?
 

In that recent interview Williams gave, he said that he wasn't going to move Washington or Lavar. So I doubt it. (I think the interview is on skins.com.) Still, I trust Williams to make the defense work, so he can do what he wants. One of the big things is that he confuses offenses, so moving around Washington might have that effect. But given that the MLB is the main playcaller, I very much doubt that Washington will be given that job. He kicked ass last year. Why mess him up?

Re: Marcus in the Middle?
 

I agree, I don't think Williams use MW in the middle... I really think we have some great options there in McCunes and Lemar Marshal... I also agree that Williams can do what he wants to do... He is a definsive genius and If he puts Ramsey in at Middle Linebacker you would have to agree with the move...

Re: Marcus in the Middle?
 

washington needs to stay were he is for the simple fact that he does a great job covering tight ends or running backs. i don't want him tied up in the middle the whole game.

Re: Marcus in the Middle?
 

Williams discounted the idea of moving Lavar or Marcus to the middle in an interview on Redskins.com a month ago.

Re: Marcus in the Middle?
 

If it aint broke dont fix it. Keep Washington where he is now, I'd say. I think we are going to be just fine at MLB, we have a variety of guys who should push each other for the starting job.

Re: Marcus in the Middle?
 

Exactly, Washington's cover skills are EXCELLENT. We have some really good atheletes in Taylor, Arrington, and Washington to cover.

Re: Marcus in the Middle?
 

I don't really like Lavars covering skills... I would rather him just lock on to the quarterback or the RB...

Re: Marcus in the Middle?
 

I would rather the season started tomorrow, i cant stop thinking about my skins.

Re: Marcus in the Middle?
 

Redskins: LaVar's cover skills are probably at the bottom of that trio, but it gives us a lot of flexability because he CAN cover which is the important thing.

Re: Marcus in the Middle?
 

Agreed, I was just saying that he is at the top of the trio (when healthy) of blowing up the QB or RB... You are absolutely right that the LB core that we have now gives us great flexibility... Do you think that the Skins are thinking of life after Lavar with the way they drafted???? Here is why I think they may be going that road (and I am not saying I agree with it..)

1. His attitude toward upeer management on his contract

2. His attitude towards the coaching staff on the way his injury was handled

3. His lingering knee (I know it is getting better but will he be as explosive?)

4. Our cap situation isn't the best

5. His trade value after this year if he has a good year will be high

6. Lemar played well when he was out and they drafted the future of middle linebacker for us (It looks like)

Just some thoughts, what do you think???

Re: Marcus in the Middle?
 

there's no way they move Marcus to the middle when u take into account the fact that Marcus and Arrington will two of the teams best options for getting pressure on the qb from the outside on a regular basis. Williams will be able to get a mix of Marshall, Holdman, and the rookie to take care of the middle. And even though the writtings on the wall for it being over for Barrow, you never know cuz if he were to finally get healthy enough to play, he's the best option for the MLB spot.

Re: Marcus in the Middle?
 

Problem is Redskins, it'll be a long time till we can dump laVar thanks to the crazy contract we gave him.

Re: Marcus in the Middle?
 

[QUOTE=Daseal]Problem is Redskins, it'll be a long time till we can dump laVar thanks to the crazy contract we gave him.[/QUOTE]


Got that right!

Re: Marcus in the Middle?
 

We are about 6 million dollars closer right now though!!!

Re: Marcus in the Middle?
 

if lavar returns healthy and has a probowl year AGAIN or if he plays good but does not RETURN to the probowl he will not be leaving the skins. lavar IS and has ALWAYS been the skins best linebacker. i'm quite certain lavar will live up to his contract that some on this board, myself EXCLUDED, say was too big.

Re: Marcus in the Middle?
 

i agree with wolfeskins. people treat lavar like he's washed up and not worth the money, but the guy is a perenial pro bowler when he is healthy.he has a good contract, but you guys treat him like he isn't worth anything and he's wasting the redskins time. you guys talk about him like he has way more negatives than positives.

Re: Marcus in the Middle?
 

mooby, you and i are on the same page on this one. when the skins gave lavar that contract he was coming of of his 2nd or 3rd consecutive probowl. he was worth every penny. he gets hurt and people want to trade him away and say he's overrated. the skins paid good money to him to keep him and people say they overpaid. then the skins lose two players ( smoot and pierce) who are not nearly as good as lavar and those same people say the skins should have spent more money on them. those people who make those comments are trying to play both sides of the fence.

Re: Marcus in the Middle?
 

Lavar has played at a pro bowl level in spite of the coaching turn over that has been a Redskins staple over the years. Now, with a retruning coaching staff, maybe we will be able to see what Lavar can really do. Look for his true break out year to be next next season (2006-2007). If he would have played more last year, I think that this would be his big year.

Once Williams and Arrington get comfortable with each other, look out.

Re: Marcus in the Middle?
 

hell, i'd say if lavar had not got hurt he would have been the nfl defensive player of the year. and that is not at all far fetched.

Re: Marcus in the Middle?
 

Positives: Great athelete, Good personallity to be the face of the Redskins, hard hitter. Always around the ball. Explosive hitter.

Negatives: Huge contract that limits what the Redskins can do as far as the salary cap is concerned, Complains about everything - and does it through the wrong venues (I don't wanna get in a 3 point stance, waaaaaaaah; You owe me 6.5M that would have been impossible to add to my contract when the deal was written, WAHHHHHH; I don't need coaching--I'm a freelancer!), Overpursues. Is a bitch to deal with thanks to The Postons and him thinking he's above every other NFL player and making it hard to market his name.

LaVar is exciting to watch, but I think LeMarr Marshall played more reliably than he does. LeMarr won't make the huge plays, but he won't overpursue and get knocked out of the play for a big gain like LaVar will do. Is LaVar our best linebacker? Probably. Is he worth the contract? Probably not.

Also, don't act like this became an issue when Arrington got hurt. Many people on this board weren't, and still aren't, happy with LaVar's salary.

Re: Marcus in the Middle?
 

i've only been a member since aug. 2004 so i don't know what was said about lavar before that but i'm doubting that people were saying he was overrated when he single handedly turned the skins season around during marty ball or when he was making probowls or when he was ending troy aikmans career. did he make some mistakes on and off the field yes but his possitives out way his negatives. do you want to trade sean taylor because he's acting like a punk. marshall played just good enough to stay but did not excell the way others did , lavar will excell.

Re: Marcus in the Middle?
 

Taylor's situation is kind of enigmatic. He's not saying what's going on, the 'skins aren't saying what's going on. I'm guessing he wants a new contract, but we're jumping to conclusions. Missing optional camp happens a lot, and even the almight LaVar has missed it before. Was that not blown out of proportion because he's the media's darling?

LaVar is a talented athelete. No one on this board does or could dispute that. The main argument is what's he worth? Is he better to have on the field than Marshall, does Marshall do a fine job for making 500k(?) a year? Sure does.

Re: Marcus in the Middle?
 

Perhaps the talk about Washington playing MLB last year because coaches weren't sure what they had in Pierce? :oink:

Re: Marcus in the Middle?
 

[QUOTE=Daseal]LaVar is a talented athelete. No one on this board does or could dispute that. The main argument is what's he worth? Is he better to have on the field than Marshall, does Marshall do a fine job for making 500k(?) a year? Sure does.[/QUOTE]


marshall did a FARE job , moreso than fine job. he was consistantly average. so the answer is yes it's nice to have a consistantly average player on the field but it's better to have a more explosive lb who makes a few mistakes but makes more "game altering" plays than mistakes. at the time of lavars' contract extension i thought it was a great move because he had been playing great football . his extension kinda mimiced the extension that ray lewis had received prior to lavars'. every team has big money tied up in 1 or 2 players. the skins' just happen to be lavar and samuels.

Re: Marcus in the Middle?
 

I still don't understand someone who piles on Arrington... but defends Coles.

I'm still scratching my head on that one.

:confused-

Re: Marcus in the Middle?
 

are you kidding me??? this is lavar we are talking about....whether he has had management problems or his injury...dont doubt this guy IS mr Redskin...who better, aside from gibbs is the poster child for our defense. Perhaps even our whole team.
i dont even believe you guys state that he is expendable...how is a man that is truly trying to play his heart out for his team, who HAS played his heart out, expendable? You dont find that passion in people around here very often..

Re: Marcus in the Middle?
 

I concur don't mess up a good thing.................

Re: Marcus in the Middle?
 

[QUOTE=TAFKAS]From Lenny P's column:

The acquisition of Holdman, who has played all three linebacker spots at various junctures of his career, almost certainly will make Mike Barrow expendable. Holdman might join the group of linebackers vying for the starting job in the middle, where the free-agent defection of Antonio Pierce to the New York Giants has created a big hole. But [B]don't discount the possibility that the Redskins will move strong-side linebacker and 2004 Pro Bowler Marcus Washington into the middle[/B], and use Holdman to fill his slot. When they were recruiting Washington last spring as a free agent, Redskins coaches floated the idea of playing him in the middle, and it could happen. Regardless who lines up where, the addition of Holdman gives Williams a lot of flexibility, assuming LaVar Arrington returns whole from the injuries that limited him to just four games a year ago."[/QUOTE]


I agree only with Lenny P's assessment that M. Barrow will be a June 1st cut!
On all of the rest of the above, he is full of Pasta!

Re: Marcus in the Middle?
 

We probably shouldn't get hung up on where players line up in this defense. Shawn Springs was a top-flight cover corner for us last year, and he was sent on blitzes several times a game. The standard roles for players (corners do [i]X[/i], linebackers do [i]Y[/i], etc.) don't hold true in this defense. Line up wherever the hell you want boys - just fill your spot after the ball is snapped.

Re: Marcus in the Middle?
 

[quote]
"We want our linebackers--outside of Marcus Washington and LaVar Arrington--to be able to play all the positions" Williams said. "It just makes us better when the next best athlete can fit into the spot we need." --Greg Williams
[/quote]

To me, that doesn't sound like someone who is contemplating Marcus Washington at MLB.

--Phin

Re: Marcus in the Middle?
 

I agree with BrudLee. It seems Williams has everyone playing with versatility so that they can play any position. According to his statements, it doesn't SEEM that he is changing Marcus to MLB. Since you wouldn't think it would be a big deal, he would have said it, don't you think?

Re: Marcus in the Middle?
 

Just to clear things up... I don't want Levar to go. I am just asking if anyone thinks that the things I said in my previous post look to the Skins maybe trying to out Arrinton. I am one of his biggest fans, trust me.

I was doing cartwheels when the Browns picked Courtney Brown

Re: Marcus in the Middle?
 

no. i don't think the skins will try to get rid of lavar.