Recent Switches to 3-4 Defense Usually Mean Improvement

[NLC1054]

Stupid to overpay? Yes. Stupid to pay period? Not so much.

The thing is...you can't fix every hole you want to in the draft. Even with several good draft classes, you have to think, how many of those guys will be come legitimate starters?

When you really look at it, (thinking very loosely) you're looking for your starters in rounds 1-3, and maybe 4. The rest of the draft is mainly to add depth. That, and every position isn't going to be well represented in the draft.

This year's draft was weak on DBs, safeties especially. It was obvious that last year that free safety was a hole, as well as the depth at strong safety. Kareem Moore wasn't going to be an answer. Barnes played well enough for a corner playing safety, but they really want him to play corner more than anything.

So when O.J Atogwe becomes a free agent, and you're staring down a very weak class of safeties, and you don't have any proven guys who can play the position, then it makes sense to add a free agent. And they not only added a free agent, but they paid him in a deal that was very fair to both sides and was the right amount of money for O.J's skill level and his age.

The problem in the past wasn't that we added free agents; it was that we added free agents at positions we didn't need to add free agents at, and then them made them deals that they couldn't refuse, because Vinny was a ****ing dumbass and would set the market price for a guy too high, and no team was willing to come close to the kind of money we were offering.

Whereas with Bruce and Mike, we invited O.J in, talked with him extensively, offered him a fair deal...and then let him walk out to test the rest of the market place. The Vikings pursued him hardcore, but since he wasn't 1.) pressured into taking a deal from us and 2.) allowed to see what other teams would offer for his services, he decided to come here.

I think a team like Atlanta has done a good job of drafting talented players while also spending wisely in free agency. There can be balance doing both. It's easier when you're already a contender, but when you've got as many holes as the Redskins have, and as little depth, then you need free agency to fill the holes.