Redskins have the worst defensive line in the league

[Ade Jimoh Fan Club]

I still haven't heard anyone argue the fact that our secondary will significantly bolster our pass rush:



No one can argue that our pass rush sucked last year - but don't forget that our DB situation is much, much improved with serious depth: Springs, Smoot, Rogers, Maklin & Butler at CB and Taylor, Landry, Prioleau & Stoutmire at Safety. And don't forget the ever-versatile ADE at both!

Seriously, you can't tell me that the improved coverage won't lead to more time for our DE's to get to the Quarterback. IMO, if you want to improve pass rush, you can attack it from two persectives, better rushers or better coverage - the Skins went coverage.

[Beemnseven]

Originally Posted by Ade Jimoh Fan Club

I still haven't heard anyone argue the fact that our secondary will significantly bolster our pass rush:



No one can argue that our pass rush sucked last year - but don't forget that our DB situation is much, much improved with serious depth: Springs, Smoot, Rogers, Maklin & Butler at CB and Taylor, Landry, Prioleau & Stoutmire at Safety. And don't forget the ever-versatile ADE at both!

Seriously, you can't tell me that the improved coverage won't lead to more time for our DE's to get to the Quarterback. IMO, if you want to improve pass rush, you can attack it from two persectives, better rushers or better coverage - the Skins went coverage.

The problem with this philosophy is that if your secondary gets banged up, then you've got NOTHING in terms of a pass rush. It's crucial to have D-linemen who can get pressure on the QB by themselves. We didn't have that in '06, Springs and Prioleau got nicked up and we set the NFL record for fewest sacks in a non-strike year.

I'd like to think the secondary is significantly better than last year. But Rogers still needs to progress, Smoot is a question mark thanks to his performance in Minnesota, and Springs is still on the fragile side of 30. Are Macklin and Butler far and away better than than the likes of Kenny Wright/Mike Rumph? I hope so, but do we know for sure?

These are the things that make me pessimistic about '07. The secondary is right behind the D-line as far as the biggest question marks of the upcoming season.