Football Outsiders: Redskins dead last in under-25 talent

[Longtimefan]

The fact the Redskins have quickly become an aged team should come as no surprise. Comparing them to teams like the Saints, Steelers and Patriots, all of whom have won SB's of late can be a little misleading. The core of all those teams have been together for an extended period, where the Redskins have crafted a group of players from different programs around the league with the expectation of them becoming a cohesive unit rather quickly.

The formula being utilized is one which generally leads to a higher turn-over ratio from year to year as the team continues to address it's needs with aging players as opposed to youth. If indeed "the future is now" the way the team is currently being constructed is understandable. It's easy to understand why coaches like Shanahan, that have won big in this league prefer older players. They make fewer mistakes and are less prone to cause problems off the field.

[tryfuhl]

Originally Posted by Longtimefan

The fact the Redskins have quickly become an aged team.

quickly become?

[Longtimefan]

Originally Posted by tryfuhl

quickly become?

It appeared for a moment we were considering a youth movement, especially after the 07 season when all our draft picks actually made the roster.

The idea now seems to have shifted more to the way coaches build teams, as opposed to the way GM's do. I know Shanahan is looking to protect his reputation as a winning coach, and that's understandable, but I like others wonder where this collection of aging veterans leaves the long-term future of the team, especially if you don't have instant success with them.

I have always been in favor of building to sustain. [QUOTE] " The race is not run for the swift and the strong, but for him that endureth till the end" [UNQUOTE]

[SirClintonPortis]

Originally Posted by Longtimefan

It appeared for a moment we were considering a youth movement, especially after the 07 season when all our draft picks actually made the roster.

The idea now seems to have shifted more to the way coaches build teams, as opposed to the way GM's do. I know Shanahan is looking to protect his reputation as a winning coach, and that's understandable, but I like others wonder where this collection of aging veterans leaves the long-term future of the team, especially if you don't have instant success with them.

I have always been in favor of building to sustain.

This cyncism of the Shanahan-Allen duo is hilarious. I pretty sure Shanahan knows how important the draft is, even if he didn't draft well on defense. He assembled one of the top offensive units in the league though the draft, even if the individual players like Cutler, Mashall, and Schffler are not that great by themselves.
Allen was given a tight budget to work with in Tampa, so basically had to use the draft to acquire talent and hence would understand the value of it.

Not only that, all these contracts are short-term and extremely cap friendly. They will not bog the team down like the Archuleta or Lloyd contracts(or Michael Nylander for the Caps).