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GRANT PAULSEN: Redskins should add a dash of Peppers Date published: 2/8/2009
THE Washington Red- The last time a Redskins defensive end posted more than 11 sacks was in 1991. Mann did it that year--on a team that won the Super Bowl, which probably isn't a coincidence. The NFL's top pass-rushing teams have won the Lombardi Trophy the past two years. Manley compiled 18 sacks in 1986. There have been years since when Washington barely totaled that many as a team. This past year, Andre Carter and Jason Taylor, the Redskins' two starting ends, didn't combine to register a third That's not good enough. But Washington's days without a top-tier pass rusher could be numbered. The Redskins, who haven't drafted a defensive lineman in the first round since Kenard Lang in 1997, may get a chance to bid on the services of Julius Peppers. Word out of Carolina is that it's "unlikely" that the Panthers will be able to sign Peppers to a long-term contract. The All-Pro defender is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent next month. The 29-year-old seven-year veteran set career highs in sacks (14) and forced fumbles (five) in 2008--far more than any Redskin had. A three-time Pro Bowler and two-time first-team All-Pro, Peppers is one of the NFL's most gifted athletes. Acquiring the University of North Carolina product to start at left defensive end, opposite Carter, could serve as a solution to a problem the Redskins have been trying to answer for more than a decade. Carter is a hard worker and a true professional, but his two years in Washington are proof that he shouldn't be relied upon to be the Redskins' top end. He's a quality second option, which is what he'd become if Peppers were signed. Jason Taylor didn't produce the hoped-for results I'm still a believer in Chris Wilson, a low-profile end who hasn't been given many chances to make an impact in his two seasons in Washington. But even if Wilson does develop into a solid player, he doesn't promise to be the type of player that Peppers has become. Few players do. Getting in on the Peppers sweepstakes should be a no-brainer for Redskins owner Daniel Snyder, who is no stranger to throwing money at high-profile free agents. Washington can only hope Peppers and the Panthers part ways. If and when that happens, Snyder's courtship of the game-changing talent should begin instantly. Grant Paulsen can be reached at The Free Lance-Star, 616 Amelia St., Fredericksburg, Va. 22401 or by fax at 540/373-8455.
you can sign a veteran DE that is worth the money in Peppers and you don't have to deal with the growing pains of a fresh faced college kid for a couple of years. Peppers is a right now player, toss him in there and he's going to get you results now, not 3 years down the road. He's a better Jevon Kearse in his prime.
The skins should lose the "sign high priced free agents" model. A quality DE can be found in the 2nd and 3rd round of most NFL drafts.
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