Return Of Lavar
 

What kind of Impact do you think Lavar's return will have on the team this year? 2004 was supposed to be his breakout year moving from strong-side to weak-side linebacker. Despite being the number one ranked defense in the NFC, I have jokers here at work saying that we don't need him. I tend to think otherwise. I don't think you can ever be good enough in football. His superior skills and leadership could bring us a long way.

I also tend to think otherwise.

No one can conivnce me that we were better without him. I honestly think we may have been a playoff team with him. As good as our defense was it was not a consistent big play defense. They were great against the run and great against the pass but imagine the big plays Arrington could have provided. We could be talking 3 or 4 more turnovers generated. If we get those extra big plays at the right time we're a 9-7 team and everything is different. Of course this is all total speculation but it is quite possible.

I mean with the combination of Taylor and Arrington, we have two of the biggest playmakers in the NFL.

With Lavar coming back, it will only make our defense stronger. Point blank.

Did someone call LaVar a leader? Classic comedy! Whiner - not a leader.

He'll make a good defensive unit that much better.

agreed...he'll make the Skins D better...

and i dont think he wants to be a leader...he wants to play ball...you have guys like Springs, Pierce and Washington who can lead...

I see LaVar as a leader on the field, I could care less about his contract squabbles. Players understand that's the business side of things, I guarantee in the locker room nobody cares about his grievance they way the fans do.

I would be whining about 6 million dollars too......I don't care how rich I am.

It's not the contract squabbles that keep LaVar from being a leader. It's his lack of concentration and education to play his position. He overpursues many, many plays. As many big plays as LaVar makes, he also gives up a big play with counters, etc.

I don't see LaVar as the leader of our defense. To me - Fred Smoot has that role. I think he's more important than Pierce because of that reason (I know that makes me a minority, but what else is new!)

LaVar is by far the leader of the defense. He was very focused last year until his injury. He wants to be the best and lead the team. I think it was pretty obvious that he was he hurt in the Bucs game and still played the Giants game and had an impact. Maybe he is too much of a competitor for his own good. I thought last year he would have made a push for D-MVP and I think he will be even more focused and pissed this year.

lavar provides many things for the skins. they would have had waay more turnovers with him. they needed him no questions asked

[QUOTE=maxknee]lavar provides many things for the skins. they would have had waay more turnovers with him. they needed him no questions asked[/QUOTE]


Welcome to board Maxknee......

Lavar is the impact player that offenses MUST know where he is on the field at all times. That alone generates havoc on a d that was one of the best in the league.

I am not a big Lavar fan he's way overated, he's judged by his athletisism and not as a football player in which I think he is not, he's just another physically gifted player who doesn't have an instinct for the game.

[QUOTE=offiss]I am not a big Lavar fan he's way overated, he's judged by his athletisism and not as a football player in which I think he is not, he's just another physically gifted player who doesn't have an instinct for the game.





how can you say he doesn't have instinct ? he may not be the best student of the game but instinct is what he plays of off more than anything else. playing of just his instinct has put him in the pro bowl a few times. spending this past year on the sidelines just watching, listening and learning the d in the class room is going to make him even better than before. to say he is overrated , in my opinion , is crazy.

[QUOTE=Mattyk72]I see LaVar as a leader on the field...[/QUOTE]

Let's just say he leads by example. :oink:

Lavar will make a huge difference!!! Every Quarterback in the league is going to be looking to see where Lavar is coming from because he'll be headhunting!!!! I can't wait to have him back. The true leader on the D though is Antonio Pierce, and we must get him to stay. (hopefully Smoot too).

Lavar Arrington is the most physically gifted athlete on the Skins defense - and maybe on the whole roster. He makes big plays and he gives up big plays. Daseal has hit that one on the mark.

Arrington is not a leader on the field or off the field because he is an individual player who thinks first about what he is doing (hence his love of "freelancing" ) and not about what the team needs to be doing. When he signed his big contract about a year and a half ago, his comment then was that he could now assume a leadership role because he was being paid like a leader. That statement alone tells me he has no idea what a leader is or what a leader needs to do in order to be effective in that role.

Makes no difference if anyone thinks the Skins would be better with him or without him. Given his monster contract, there is NO way the Skins would cut him or trade him.

In terms of leadership and team bonding skills, can we hear from PSUskinsfan11 about how big a leadership role he played at PSU. Let me only say in summary that he was not exactly considered a "coach on the field".

SC - Sean Taylor is the best athlete! You hate him, but Greg Williams (I think) said Sean Taylor is the best Safety, Linebacker, Wide receiver, Running back, Cornerback we have on our team.

As far as pure athleticism that's a tough call between Taylor and Arrington, I'd put them at 1 and 1a.

We should feel lucky that we have that kind of talent on the defensive side of the ball. Now all we need is a little more talent on the offensive side and we should be fine.

[QUOTE=Redskins_P]We should feel lucky that we have that kind of talent on the defensive side of the ball. Now all we need is a little more talent on the offensive side and we should be fine.[/QUOTE]

Very true, hopefully next season we can avoid the injury bug that bit us so hard this year.

Matty - the injury bug hit the defense hard. We lost our best tackle, but that shouldn't be an excuse for being the worst offense in the league. Other than that our offensive starters ended the season a lot like they started it. Coles was hurt from day 1, and he wouldn't sit and he probably won't be healthy next year either. We lost Thomas for a couple games, Samuels had a few injuries but played through them, and played well. We lost Portis when it was too late and if we were going for a playoff spot he probably would have played.

I was referring to the injury bug on the D, you're right injuries weren't a huge factor on O.

I dont know that we need his leadership. Middle linebackers lead. That's why they moved Arrington to weak side. His aggressiveness and athleticism pulls him out of position. He is better suited as a follow up linebacker. His speed can close down a running play from behind. But in that role, he will be explosive in our defensive. I dont know that it's feasible to trade him anyway, due to his cap figure. Im excited about seeing what he does within this defensive scheme. Lavar on the weakside implies less blockers, which allows him to showcase his acceleration.

Antonio is perfect for the middle. Im concerned with Barrow though. We do pay him an aweful lot to sit him. And we cant trade him after his "no show" last season.

And as for the Arrington for Moss trade rumors. That is simply stupid. We dont need to sell our defense to pay for our offense. We have the draft, we'll get Williams(wr),(slow, but big and strong) or Heath Miller(TE) from Virginia to supplement our "developing" offense.

100 % chance that we go offensive in the first round this year. Or trade that pick for a wide out. Remember, Danny is on our side, so think big.

If they trade Lavar I wouldn't be upset one bit.

Yeah, maybe slide Antonio back to where he was on the outside. He's just not as fast.

Dasea:

I do not hate Sean Taylor - even a little bit. I don't think he's a "fine fellow" or a person in whom I would place any great amount of trust, but I don't hate him at all.

I said here before - I think in regard to Danny Boy Snyder - that the kinds of people I really hate are the ones who do monstrously awful things (Hitler, Stalin, Jeffrey Dahmer, Charles Manson). I merely think Sean Taylor is a spoiled egomaniacal brat. My shorthand for that is:


MEATHEAD !!


And BTW, I think Arrington is the better athlete of the two...

Ive said it before and I'll say it again, I would love to see LA traded for a bunch of picks ala Herschel Walker. Unfortunately last season killed any trade potential he may have had.

LA isn't going anywhere, neither is Portis or anyone else with a significant cap hit.

A healthy Lavar Arrington will make the defense better. It's as simple as that.

The trade rumors are nothing more than that...hypothetical rumors that are about as likely to happen as Freddie Mitchell turning into Art Monk...both personality and performance wise.

Lavar needs to stay he can not only play Lb but Dend which makes him a great pass rusher. Let the man heal, we didn't for trotter and he did very well in philly all healed up.

i can't believe all the trade lavar talk, some of you say would be good. lavar is, hands down, the best player the skins have had on d in a long time. he gets hurt and everyone wants to get rid of him. if he had played this past year there is a good chance he would have been defensive player of the year and the skins record might have been better also. i would also suspect that having the opportunity to coach lavar was a factor in greg williams coming to washington

[QUOTE=wolfeskins]i can't believe all the trade lavar talk, some of you say would be good. lavar is, hands down, the best player the skins have had on d in a long time. he gets hurt and everyone wants to get rid of him. if he had played this past year there is a good chance he would have been defensive player of the year and the skins record might have been better also. i would also suspect that having the opportunity to coach lavar was a factor in greg williams coming to washington[/QUOTE]

Please Wolf come back to reality here. :D Willam's came to DC for 2 reason's MONEY and a understanding that he's next inline to take over when Gibb's retires it also gives him a chance to learn overall head coaching skill's as well as offensive schemes from one of the great's of all time! LAVAR! Now don't you feel silly? :cheeky-sm :biggthump

[QUOTE=wolfeskins]i can't believe all the trade lavar talk, some of you say would be good. lavar is, hands down, the best player the skins have had on d in a long time. he gets hurt and everyone wants to get rid of him. if he had played this past year there is a good chance he would have been defensive player of the year and the skins record might have been better also. i would also suspect that having the opportunity to coach lavar was a factor in greg williams coming to washington[/QUOTE]

Defensive player of the year? Sorry to tell you this buddy but LaVar is not that good. Maybe if he was Julius Peppers, yes, but that he is not. How many people in here would trade LaVar for Peppers?

I hope I'm not repeating to many other posters similar thoughts, in that I believe even with his occasional mental lapses, a team never has enough playmakers. especially one who is physically gifted enough to break the game open (positively) in multiple ways. I mean imagine having the option of washington coming from one side and lavar and taylor on the other. unless the qb gets the ball away quickly in that situation, he's up sh*! creek without a paddle.

[QUOTE=offiss]Please Wolf come back to reality here. :D Willam's came to DC for 2 reason's MONEY and a understanding that he's next inline to take over when Gibb's retires it also gives him a chance to learn overall head coaching skill's as well as offensive schemes from one of the great's of all time! LAVAR! Now don't you feel silly? :cheeky-sm :biggthump






i agree with you that greg wanted to learn from gibbs but i would bet that when greg williams looked at the reterning players for the skins defense he was very happy and excited to see the name lavar arrington.

[QUOTE=saden1]Defensive player of the year? Sorry to tell you this buddy but LaVar is not that good. Maybe if he was Julius Peppers, yes, but that he is not. How many people in here would trade LaVar for Peppers?




two different positions so some people would trade and some would not. both are better than the other at their respected position. i didn't say he would have been d p of the year , i said he had a good chance and i stand by that statement. he had been voted to 2 or 3 consecutive probowls and was just about to be part of the #1 d in the nfc and , in my opinion, lavar would have flurished in greg william's defensive system.