Does Sage Rosenfels = Fabian Washington?
Mar 18, 2008 2008 Draft, 2008 Season, Dancing With the 'Tards, DeAngelo Hall, Demarcus Faggins sucks, Non-Texan stuff, Predictions Guaranteed To Go Wrong, Rosie Rosenfels, The Schaub Experiment, You remind me of ____
Bear with me as this little ride might be a bit bumpy (translation: I’m a senile old coot, just happy to have my apple mush at the end of the day).
So, we know that our heroic Texans are willing to trade Rosie Rosenfels, and we know that we’re really, oh just super interested in re-signing Craig Nall to be Teh Schaub’s backup. We know that a certain team up north is willing to cough up a third round pick for Rosenfels. And we know (jeez, repetitive much?) there are reports the Texans are trying to trade back and flip 1st round picks with the Steelers and pick up a 3rd round pick for the effort (follow the link all the way down just above the comments).
What else do we know? Well, it looks like CB Fabian Washington is on the block. I think it’s fair to say that he has underperformed his expectations. While at Cornhusker U., I thought he would be a star at the next level. However, injuries and inconsistencies – and the occasional wife beating – have insured that his stay in Oakland Los Angeles Oakland Whatever will be short. Better yet, his contract is good for two more years, and it’s about as cheap as can be imagined for a player of his caliber.
With DeAngelo Hall on the cusp of entering Raider-land – a trade almost sure to not end well – the Raiders will have a complete log-jam at CB. But, because the Raiders will have to spend their 2nd and 6th round picks on that special head-case, they’ll be terribly short of picks come draft day. You don’t exactly have to be Travis Johnson to see where I am going with this.
Washington will be cheap to acquire due to the aforementioned injuries, inconsistencies, and his off-field transgressions. Plus, Washington isn’t the perfect player by any means: he’s weak in run support, for example. The Raiders aren’t exactly well-known for doing anything well these days, and with Washington only 25 this season, he has plenty of time to turn things around. Oh, and did I mention that he ran a 4.28 40?
This has “match made in heaven” written all over it. Trade the lowest 3rd round pick (probably the Steelers pick if that deal goes through) for Fabian Washington. Then, give me one part Fabian Washington and one part Ray Rhodes, and we might have a Chris McAllister caliber player at CB. Now, bugger off cuz Matlock is on, and I need to adjust the rabbit ears.
PS: Am I the only person who just really doesn’t like The Mountain Goats? I’m intrigued by “The Big Sleep,” so I got that one with my emusic subscription. Also got Levon Helm and the RCO All Stars, Flogging Molly, and Tinariwen tonight. IOW, my usual genre-cluster-fuck of monthly downloads. Weeeeee!!!!
Edit: Corey Smith re-upped with the Lions, so he’s out. I see this as: 1. another straw we go DE in the 1st round (though not a big, back-breaking straw), and 2. why we brought Chaun Thompson aboard to play the speed rusher role off the end. Yeah, he’s a LB, and he’ll compete for the SAM position with LVJ Bentley and Zach Diles, but Chaun does have the size (close enough) and speed to play that role if necessary. Total speculation, though.
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March 19th, 2008 at 5:23 am
Off the CB topic but, in line with the old coots club:
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/fb/texansfront/5631498.html
Now, back to applesauce and Johnny Carson re-runs..
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March 19th, 2008 at 5:44 am
i agree that we could probably get Washington for a 3rd round pick. the only problem i see is that Fabian reminds me way to much of Phillip Buchanon. fast, doesn’t tackle, raw potential…
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March 19th, 2008 at 7:04 am
@2: What’s odd, though, is that Washington was considered to be an impact player pretty quickly out of college, at least a high-end quality nickel-back. It seemed just a matter of time before he would be a true shut-down corner. But, yeah, I’d have to agree he does deserve that “raw” tag now. He’s kinda the typical Raiders 1st round pick: fast. I like fast, but I wonder if matching him up with a Rhodes, somebody who can develop, will help him turn the corner.
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And remember: while P-Buch sucked for us, he’s a starting CB for the Bucs. He found a home in the Cover 2. Perhaps Washington can find one with us.
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@Eric: If Mittens was the one to send you into deep depression, it’s Chad Stanley who led the team in inducing heart attacks. Cheers to another year of the Turk.
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March 19th, 2008 at 7:42 am
I’m noticing a trend here: BFD doesn’t give two shits about whether or not a player has any character flags.
Please Ma, I don’t wanna be the Bengals!
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March 19th, 2008 at 7:47 am
[...] off of BFD’s last post–or, more accurately, on sentence in the italicized post script to that post–I thought [...]
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March 19th, 2008 at 7:52 am
Hmmmm, not necessarily true, TBL, but not necessarily inaccurate.
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I think people make mistakes. If you have a recurring history of being a fuck up – Bryant McKinnie comes to mind, then no thanks. Chris Henry? No. I think, as fans, we sometimes have unrealistic expectations about the fallibilities of athletes when history teaches us that they are as human as I am.
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Also, TBH, I’m taking a Moneyball approach here. Now, Moneyball’s macro-strategy is grossly misunderstood, so here it is: invest when you get the most bang for the buck. It’s really no different from business in the you want to maximize your investment. Right now, Roger Goodell and his gang are coming down hard on miscreants. This is depressing their value due to the threat of suspension, increased legal fees, bad publicity, etc. I see this as an investment opportunity that can have large pay-offs. Re-write contracts to include specific, behavior incentives and counseling (or whatever), and give players a second or even third chance. Build the rest of your team with character and guidance and create a strong internal framework.
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As a yearly contributor and occasional volunteer (pre-kids) to Austin Safe Place, spousal abuse, specifically, is an issue close to my heart.
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March 19th, 2008 at 7:53 am
@ marroncito: My thoughts exactly. Last time we took on a CB from the Raiders who had shown flashes of speed and a propensity for fleeing contact, I nearly went on a killing spree. Fool me once, shame on you. Trade for Fabian Washington, and I’m liable to punch a nun.
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March 19th, 2008 at 8:58 am
@ Tim: To be fair, those uppity Sisters need punched every now and then.
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March 19th, 2008 at 9:32 am
I think you’d also have to weigh Washington against the kind of corner you could draft at this (theoretical) spot or earlier. Is there someone with sub 4.3 speed? Eh, maybe. Is there someone who’s been arrested? Almost certainly. Is there someone who’d be just as much of a “project” for Rhodes? Definitely.
I say draft a kid instead.
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March 19th, 2008 at 1:45 pm
i’ve always been a very firm believer that one of the biggest reasons the raiders have sucked for so long is the constant turnover in their coaching staff. it seems like every year al davis brings in another coach that tries a new system. how can any skilled position player get comfortable enough with a system to succeed when it changes every year? with regard to fabian washington, i think it’s very possible that his off the field problems might be due to his being a product of his environment. think about it, fresh out of college and he goes straight to the raiders? not exactly a structured and healthy environment for a young player. coming to a franchise like houston would be a great move for a kid like this. he would be around some actual role models. well…that’s my two cents worth.
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March 19th, 2008 at 9:39 pm
Adding to this equation you’re formulating….Rotoworld is now reporting that Quinn Gray will be visiting Reliant this Sunday.
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March 20th, 2008 at 7:30 am
Yep, it’s looking more likely that Sage will be traded soon. I don’t mind Gray at all, either, as our backup.
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March 23rd, 2008 at 6:20 pm
[...] before we see some dominoes start to fall, though I don’t know if it’ll look like my heavenly nirvana (the attendance of virgins may vary). I can say that I am excited about the possibilities, but [...]