BJ and the Bears

SmootSmack

nice observation Hail

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RedskinPete

Snyders move on BJ's sign and trade could it be done again. Now that teams know the hole in thier deal. Can those holes be taken care of?

AnonEmouse

It could only be done again if a team makes an offer sheet w/o a signing bonus. It was a surprise the Saints didn't think of this when they made the offer (I thought there was one as nothing either way had been mentioned).

If clubs put a SB on the deal, the trading team must take the financial and cap hit on the bonus even if they are traded. Makes the deal very doubtful as they'll be paying cash to make the trade happen and creating dead space in to the bargain. Unless the trade is too good to turn down, I'd expect to see more SB's on offer sheets from here on out.

Beemnseven

Let's see, we lose a potential starting H-back in Bryan Johnson for a sixth round pick who's most likely headed for the practice squad?

I'm not as enthused about this deal as everyone else.

Mattyk

We were going to lose him anyway Beems, and at the hefty contract the Saints offered him it put the Skins right up against the cap limit. At least they got something instead of nothing is the main point.

SKINSnCANES

Gibbs apparently has a plan. Was Rock at the minicamp? Anyone know how Gibbs plans to use him? I dont know if Rock would be as good of a blocker for Portis. If we had Winslow, a play action fake to Portis or Winslow out of the backfield would have defenses scambaling to decide who to cover

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skinsfanthru&thru

plus a few reports r saying that Sellars did pretty well at the mini camp and could fill that role.

skinsfanthru&thru

I don't know if anyone has read this 2 or not but on espn's john clayton's quick hits, he talks about how the saints were willing to send a 5th round pick to washington for johnson but because of a rule stating that when a team matches an offer for a restricted player, they can't in turn trade said player to the team who offered the matched contract. Kinda sucks but I'm not sure how many spots different the two picks r. I'm just glad we got something for losing him.

joecrisp

That's exactly why the trade made sense. Yes, it sucks that the Skins lost Johnson, but if they had retained him, it would have caused too many problems with this year's cap. They were able to get a small consolation prize out of the loss, at least.

In hindsight (which, as we all know, is always 20/20), the best thing for the Skins probably would have been to give Johnson the 1st-round tender, which would have cost them $1.115 million against this year's cap (assuming he wasn't signed to a long-term deal), instead of the $2.2 million cap charge he would have carried under the Saints' deal, which the Skins were forced to match. Though there was a good market for Johnson's services, there's no chance anyone would have sacrificed a 1st rounder for Johnson, so the Skins would have had their man-- at half the cost he would have been.

SKINSnCANES

Id love a first round pick for Johnson. It wouldnt have happened but just think, we could have had two picks on teh first day!!

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"I'm used to winning, coming from the University of Miami. " Clinton Portis

joecrisp

Yes, Rock was at minicamp, but he was used exclusively out of the runningback spot, rather than the H-back spot where a fullback-type player would normally fit. This probably has a lot to do with Cartwright's frame, which at 5-7, 223 lbs, is much smaller than than the prototypical H-back. The guys Gibbs has been primarily using at H-back (Sellers, Chamberlain, Royal) average over 6-2, 255 lbs.

In blocking mode, the H-backs are frequently matched up against defensive ends and linebackers, working in tandem with the tight ends to negate a defensive overload or blitz. Cartwright doesn't have superior blocking technique to make up for his lack of size, and therefore is a bad fit for the H-back spot.

He looked okay at runningback, but didn't do anything special, really. In all fairness, though, it was difficult to take a whole lot out of the runningback's performances, since these were limited-contact practices.

I agree with you on the Winslow scenario. The possibilities for this offense with that kid in there are just mind-boggling.

joecrisp

Sellers was far and away the leader at the H-back spot. I think Bugel and Gibbs are pretty enamored with him. He was made to be an H-back.

I don't think Gibbs' desire to keep Johnson was so much an indication that he wasn't confident in any of the other guys at the position, so much as it was a desire to have at least two very solid guys in there that he could rotate and keep fresh, as well as provide quality depth at a critical position.

Mattyk

Sellers was the starting FB here before he left and helped pave the way for Davis, so he's a proven vet. It's good to hear he looked sharp in minicamp. Unless Chamberlain straightens out his act quick Sellers will easily beat him out.