Archives for March 2007

‘”Good stance, long arms, tough to bull rush in pass protection, athletic, has outstanding range. Aware on zone blocks, he can bend his knees. Good short set, good use of his hands, can adjust to movement, good anchor, okay on short pulls, has some quick twitch, hitting ability, big guy that can cover up defenders, can work his hips to wall off, has some hip roll, engulfs linebackers and smaller DTs, gets some pancakes, looks in better shape than he was in college.”‘

‘Years from now, there is a good chance fans will look back and say March 2, 2007, was the pivotal moment, for better or worse, in the Marv Levy- Dick Jauron regime. They have stuck their necks out with these moves. The Bills’ franchise does not have the luxury of writing more checks to cover up spending mistakes. Dockery and Walker need to produce for the Bills.’

‘At 6-foot-4, 305 pounds, Whittle, who graduated from Camdenton in 1993 before playing his college ball at then-Southwest Missouri State University, spent seven of his previous NFL seasons with the Giants (1998-2002, 2004-2005) and was part of the club in 2000 that faced Baltimore in Super Bowl XXXV. In 1998, he was originally a Giants’ rookie free agent signing.’

‘Here’s a suggestion to pursue a trade for San Diego’s Michael Turner, who has been backing up LaDainian Tomlinson and is a restricted free agent. He’ll be an unrestricted free agent after this season and his price will be much higher.’

‘It remains to be seen if Dockery, Walker and Whittle will make the offensive line better, but they are upgrades over the previous starters.’

‘For the first four years of his career, Dockery — a former third-round pick from Texas — provided stability, sometimes dominance, for the Redskins’ offensive line. He started in 61 of a possible 64 regular-season games, helping pave the way for huge ground seasons from running backs Clinton Portis and Ladell Betts. In fact, the Redskins’ backs accumulated the fifth-most yards running behind the left side in the league last year (the Bills were 14th). Dockery’s an outstanding pass blocker, too, as evidenced by surrendering just 4.75 sacks during the last two years (13.75 over four seasons).’

‘However, there are reasons why it might behoove the Bills to make a move sooner – if they are determined to deal McGahee. One reason is the lack of teams in need of a starting running back.’

‘"It’s really a terrific day for us," said Bills coach Dick Jauron. "It was just an outstanding day. We have a very happy building. Our free agency is maybe not totally complete, but with the addition of these three, it’s been terrific for us. We really feel good."’

‘The move for Bly is just the first of several Denver will attempt to make as they continue trade talks, including a deal for Buffalo running back Willis McGahee. It could take around a third-round pick to get the former University of Miami star.’

‘Kelsay’s signing keeps intact the 10th-best pass rush in the NFL. Kelsay and Ryan Denney combined for 11.5 sacks from the left side to complement Schobel’s 14 from the right.’

‘CB Kiwaukee Thomas is an underrated veteran who could start in place of Clements until Ashton Yobouty is ready.’

‘Dockery: "Terrific size and athleticism at the left guard position. Every play, he plays hard and with technique. Clearly, you can see he’s a big man with long arms, pass protection-wise with ability in the run game also. He’ll be a force on the left side next to Jason Peters. We’re excited about that."’

‘Walker was a starter at both tackle and guard in Oakland for the past two seasons, but missed the final 10 games in 2006 because of a stomach injury. The 6-8, 345-pounder was originally a second-round selection by Oakland in the 2002 draft.’

Fletcher is signed, Dockery is lost (Washington Post)

Redskins sign Fletcher to deal (Washington Times)

Skins reach $25M deal with MLB Fletcher (ESPN)

Fletcher agrees to deal with Redskins (AP)

Fletcher Visits Redskins Park (Redskins.com)

Redskins free agency monitor 2007 (Redskins.com)