Vinny tips his hand on the final 53

[BigHairedAristocrat]

Regardless of who our #2 and #3 RBs are, the thought occurred to me that neither Rock or Betts will likely still be on the team in 2 years. We're financially committed to Portis, but neither of them is particularly explosive, and other than one great stretch a couple of years ago for Betts, neither of them has done much of anything as an RB in the NFL. What i'm getting to is that within the next 2 years, we're probably going to use a high draft pick or two on a running back to spell Portis on a more consistent basis and add some "UMPH!" to our running attack. So in the long-term, it doesnt really matter who makes the roster behind Portis now; so we might as well pick the guy(s) we think have the best chance to make an impact now. If we really need special teams help, then Rock stays. If we don't there,s no reason to keep him around. Betts is useless on special teams, so what we have to ask is, are Mason, Alridge, or Dorsey better complimentary backs to Portis than Betts. If not, then there's no reason to cut Betts.

One other thing to consider is even if we added Mason, Aldridge, or Dorsey as an extra running back, they probably wouldnt be active on gameday, since the plan would always be to have Rock for Special-Teams-Only and Betts for Backing-Up-Portis-Only and Sellars is our Only FullBack. So the only reason to keep a 5th back on the 53-man roster is because we are worried about injuries and feel the potential 5th back is so amazing that he wouldnt last on our practice squad. From that perspective, I don't think Mason, Aldridge, or Dorsey deserves to be a 5th back, who will always be inactive on gameday. I could potentially accept it if one of them made it at the expense of Betts or Cartwright, but not as a 5th guy. If thats the plan, we'd be better served to place two of them on the practice squad and see who sticks.

At the end of the day, i'd be truly shocked if our RB situation doesnt look exactly like it did last year. The only option i can really see is trading Aldridge for Cartwright. The dude's got some serious speed and Cartwright doesnt really contribute as much to this team as some think he does. Remember, despite all the talk about how vital he is to our special teams, not a single team in the 31-team league wanted him when he was a FA last year. Not one. If that's not damning, then I don't know what is.

[GTripp0012]

Originally Posted by BigHairedAristocrat

Regardless of who our #2 and #3 RBs are, the thought occurred to me that neither Rock or Betts will likely still be on the team in 2 years. We're financially committed to Portis, but neither of them is particularly explosive, and other than one great stretch a couple of years ago for Betts, neither of them has done much of anything as an RB in the NFL. What i'm getting to is that within the next 2 years, we're probably going to use a high draft pick or two on a running back to spell Portis on a more consistent basis and add some "UMPH!" to our running attack. So in the long-term, it doesnt really matter who makes the roster behind Portis now; so we might as well pick the guy(s) we think have the best chance to make an impact NOW.

We're not really that committed to Portis past 2010 either. He's going to be expensive to get rid of whenever we choose to go in another direction, but I think a season with an Alexander-esque 3.2 YPC is probably a prereq to Portis leaving Washington. As long as he's productive, we'll keep employing him.

I agree that the only logical reason that the team wouldn't have spent a late round pick on a back this year is that they are at least planning on using a second rounder on one next year. We could have had Javon Ringer or James Davis in the 5th round instead of Cody Glenn, but the team thought Glenn offered more on special teams, and that they could do better than Ringer or Davis.

[BigHairedAristocrat]

Originally Posted by GTripp0012

We're not really that committed to Portis past 2010 either. He's going to be expensive to get rid of whenever we choose to go in another direction, but I think a season with an Alexander-esque 3.2 YPC is probably a prereq to Portis leaving Washington. As long as he's productive, we'll keep employing him.

I agree that the only logical reason that the team wouldn't have spent a late round pick on a back this year is that they are at least planning on using a second rounder on one next year. We could have had Javon Ringer or James Davis in the 5th round instead of Cody Glenn, but the team thought Glenn offered more on special teams, and that they could do better than Ringer or Davis.

Good point. Congratulations on post 8888.

[GMScud]

Originally Posted by GTripp0012

We're not really that committed to Portis past 2010 either. He's going to be expensive to get rid of whenever we choose to go in another direction, but I think a season with an Alexander-esque 3.2 YPC is probably a prereq to Portis leaving Washington. As long as he's productive, we'll keep employing him.

I agree that the only logical reason that the team wouldn't have spent a late round pick on a back this year is that they are at least planning on using a second rounder on one next year. We could have had Javon Ringer or James Davis in the 5th round instead of Cody Glenn, but the team thought Glenn offered more on special teams, and that they could do better than Ringer or Davis.

Man I was pulling really hard for Javon Ringer pre-draft, and was really annoyed when we took Glenn. I'll be even more annoyed when Glenn gets cut. Given Jonathan Stewart's health right now, I wouldn't be surprised to see Ringer see some time in Carolina. He's a burner with nice strength and would have made sense with our 5th pick. If Marko pans out, I guess I can forgive Vinny.

[BigHairedAristocrat]

Originally Posted by GMScud

Man I was pulling really hard for Javon Ringer pre-draft, and was really annoyed when we took Glenn. I'll be even more annoyed when Glenn gets cut. Given Jonathan Stewart's health right now, I wouldn't be surprised to see Ringer see some time in Carolina. He's a burner with nice strength and would have made sense with our 5th pick. If Marko pans out, I guess I can forgive Vinny.

For what its worth, i think Glenn will make the team. Henson many not even make the PS. I was also pulling for Ringer. However, if the plan is to draft a true complimentary back to Portis that can scare defenses, then we really need to use atleast a #2 on the position. Looking at another thread on this post, next years draft seems pretty deep at the RB and OT positions in the first 2 rounds. Campbell is showing some promise, so unless Heyer and Mike Williams both turn into starting-quality tackles, i'd be shocked if we didnt go OT and RB with our 1st two picks next year.

[Hamoskinz]

Originally Posted by GMScud

Man I was pulling really hard for Javon Ringer pre-draft, and was really annoyed when we took Glenn. I'll be even more annoyed when Glenn gets cut. Given Jonathan Stewart's health right now, I wouldn't be surprised to see Ringer see some time in Carolina. He's a burner with nice strength and would have made sense with our 5th pick. If Marko pans out, I guess I can forgive Vinny.

Yeah, I saw the preseason game (vs Giants was it) and I was trying to remember who mentioned the name Javon Ringer in the draft forums. I guess it was you but he is exactly the type of back we are looking for, a scat back that can threaten to score 6 every time he touches the ball.

[dmvskinzfan08]

Originally Posted by BigHairedAristocrat

At the end of the day, i'd be truly shocked if our RB situation doesnt look exactly like it did last year. The only option i can really see is trading Aldridge for Cartwright. The dude's got some serious speed and Cartwright doesnt really contribute as much to this team as some think he does. Remember, despite all the talk about how vital he is to our special teams, not a single team in the 31-team league wanted him when he was a FA last year. Not one. If that's not damning, then I don't know what is.

Good point!!