I worry about the MLB spot
 

I can't help but worry about lemar marshall playing MLB. The guy was a safety in college. Antonio Pierce was able to adapt so quickly because he's the intellectual equivalent of Peyton Manning on defense. Now with the release of Barrow...i just cant help but wonder.

Re: I worry about the MLB spot
 

Think more like Holdman. I think he'll be the starter, but even if marshall does start he did a hell of a job at OLB. Hell they were both backups last year. I dont think AP was NEAR the linebacker everyone says he was. All that talk about him calling the D and all that... I just don't know. It's still GW's D. AP is not irreplacable and I think no matter who GW puts in we will be much improved. I'm not saying AP didnt do a great job, but I don't think we'll be left worse off with holdman or marshall, or any of the other 200 candidates we have now.

Peyton Manning of the Defense??? I'm not sure I'd go that far.

Re: I worry about the MLB spot
 

If Antonio Pierce was the Peyton Manning on defense, he would have been drafted in the first round and started from the get-go. Pierce played well for us last year, but I think playing under Gregg Williams' system had a lot more to do with it than his physical and mental attributes. Whether it's Holdman, Marshall, or McCune...he will have Arrington and Washington on his side to help him. I'm not too worried about our MLB position.

Re: I worry about the MLB spot
 

Neither am I, because if you weren't smart enough, you wouldn't be playing for Williams defense. And by smarts, I don't mean book smarts otherwise Taylor wouldn't have a job.

Re: I worry about the MLB spot
 

Yeah, peirce was a smart lb but I'm pretty sure Williams fed him the plays and peirce made adjustments at times whereas peyton calls most of the plays in the huddle and then adjusts them practically every play depending on what he sees when under center. I think a mixture of Holdman, Marshall, and Mccune will do well under Williams leadership, but I still wish Barrows had worked out and provided us with some on the field production.

Re: I worry about the MLB spot
 

Pierce is far from Manning. Before last year Pierce made as many bonehead mistakes as Sellers on special teams. He might have picked up the system well but thats exactly what he is, a product of the system. He will have 100 tackles this year because he is the MLB for a weak defensive team. Look at the MLB's in the league, they all have big numbers. Holdman is a much better LB than Pierce. Will he pick up the system as fast? We will have to wait and see. Don't sleep on McCune or Clifton Smith.

Re: I worry about the MLB spot
 

I am just waiting to see how Antonio does in a defense that isn't Greg Williams....I bet he goes back to being just another average linebacker and not the "smart" one that everyone keeps harping on.

Re: I worry about the MLB spot
 

[QUOTE=NFLNetwork]I can't help but worry about lemar marshall playing MLB. The guy was a safety in college. Antonio Pierce was able to adapt so quickly because he's the intellectual equivalent of Peyton Manning on defense. Now with the release of Barrow...i just cant help but wonder.[/QUOTE]

Whoa man, the intellectual equivalent of Manning? I mean, what were people thing of of AP before the start of last season, don't you think G. Williams and whoever gets that spot deserves a least a chance??

I think of Peirce and I think two words "system player." No more no less. He was one average sized piece in a big puzzle.

Hell, if he had any skills he would at least got drafted? Gregg Williams made AP, not the other way around!

I think the our biggest concern has to be who'll at least do as good as a job as Smoot. Not that he was any kind of game breaker ....

Re: I worry about the MLB spot
 

To be honest Im much more worried about that 2nd CB spot than I am about MLB. Pierce was a roleplayer his whole career. Smoot was a starter for a majority of his whereas Walt Harris wasn't. CBs are so essential to this defense and I really dont feel confident in Harris as our starter. I think Rodgers will be a great player one day; however hes missing part of camp, has an injury, and most of all still a rookie. I think that's going to hurt our defensive rating. I think it wont be ranked as high but I feel we'll get far more turnovers this year.

Re: I worry about the MLB spot
 

What really is aggravating is now that Pierce plays for the NEW YORK Giants.......now he's getting media coverage, even in SI's in and out segment.............

Re: I worry about the MLB spot
 

I'm sorry we lost him but remember we have two probowl linebackers starting this year. If Pierce were here he would not be a third.

Re: I worry about the MLB spot
 

actually he would have been, if we had a winning record last year we would have had 8-9 pro bowlers last year, i believe we had 8 alternates and 1 pro bowler (Washington).

Re: I worry about the MLB spot
 

[QUOTE=Daseal]Smoot was a starter for a majority of his whereas Walt Harris wasn't.[/QUOTE]

Harris has started many more games in his career than Smoot. I think it's like 100+ to 60. But the question is can he still start?

Re: I worry about the MLB spot
 

I think we can tell who the players are going to miss:

[quote]Five prominent Redskins gathered around the leather sofas in the lobby of Redskins Park in May alongside two position coaches, all sharing stories about the one that got away. Middle linebacker Antonio Pierce, the central nervous system -- if not the very heart -- of Washington's 2004 defense had departed months earlier for the New York Giants, but he was far from forgotten.

They shared some anecdotes about Pierce's tenacity and work ethic, and the impromptu meeting broke off after one player stated the obvious, "Man, A.P. was a hell of a player. He's really going to be missed," and the rest of group nodded in agreement. The loss of Pierce was but one of many story lines in an at times tumultuous offseason for the Redskins.[/quote]

Re: I worry about the MLB spot
 

[QUOTE=Daseal]To be honest Im much more worried about that 2nd CB spot than I am about MLB. Pierce was a roleplayer his whole career. Smoot was a starter for a majority of his whereas Walt Harris wasn't. CBs are so essential to this defense and I really dont feel confident in Harris as our starter. I think Rodgers will be a great player one day; however hes missing part of camp, has an injury, and most of all still a rookie. I think that's going to hurt our defensive rating. I think it wont be ranked as high but I feel we'll get far more turnovers this year.[/QUOTE]

Daseal, what the hell are you talking about??? Harris has been a starter almost his entire career. The only thing that kept him from being a starter was that knee injury in the season before we signed him. He's a former first round pick.

Anyway, I think calling AP the Peyton Manning of our defense is spot-on. We don't need to split hairs and argue over whether they're intellectual equals. The point remains that AP was responsible for lining guys up and recognizing formations before the snap. If you go back and watch the games again, see how many times he runs up and slaps Griffin on one side of the rear or the other. You'll see that Griffin promptly slides a few feet in one direction or the other, and then see how many times Griffin made a big play after that.

AP played an extremely important role in that sense. It's definitely a concern, replacing his recognition skills and ability to line guys up. I think that's why McCune was drafted; he's smart, a physical beast, and no stranger to making quick decisions thanks to his military background.

Now who knows who will end up as the starter this year; but that to me is the #1 concern on our defense. GW can drum up some sweet schemes, but somebody needs to be thinking like him on the field. I think one of our guys will emerge and do well with it; but it certainly is a big question facing our team.