Say this for Ndamukong Suh. He has driven fixation with Robert Griffin III off the radar screen of Redskins fans.
That’s a blessing for RGIII.
But fans are aghast at the news that the team is interested in Kong Suh. They invariably compare Suh to Albert Haynesworth. That Fat Albert adventure still packs a traumatic wallop.
The Redskins’ approach to Suh will shine our first true light on new GM Scot McCloughan and whether he changes the team or the team changes him. The ‘Skins have been suckers for solving multiple problems with one big-name signing.
Fans can save the angst. There are three reasons why the Redskins will not sign Suh.
- The money
- The fit
- The misleading no-franchise hype.
Lessons from Albert Haynesworth
Lesson 1. The Money
No need for a deep review. The details are well known to Redskins fans. The bottom line is that Vinny Cerrato over-valued the talent on Washington’s defense and thus over-valued what Haynesworth would do to fix it.
What a strategic blunder. Haynesworth’s deal sucked the oxygen out of the salary cap, hindering the Redskins in shoring up other positions on defense. That’s the fans biggest fear about any deal for Suh.
Worse, the Haynesworth deal upset the gentlemen’s agreement among owners for defensive linemen salaries. Enraged owners, eventually imposed that disastrous $36 million salary cap sanction.
Cerrato and Snyder’s big swing for Haynesworth was an unforgivable lapse of strategic thinking.
Can Scot McCloughan do better with Ndamukong Suh?
Suh is already the NFL’s second highest-paid 4-3 defensive tackle. One suspects that Suh seeks a contract patterned after Houston DE JJ Watt’s $100 million ($20 million guaranteed) contract extension.
The Redskins project to $20 million salary cap space, they could conceivably structure a clever deal with Suh that would count $10 to 11 million against the cap in 2015 while counting on future growth in cap space to make a huge deal workable.
Unknown to us is Scot McCloughan’s vision of fitting the pieces together while burdened with a weighty contract for Suh. If that isn’t tough enough, think about the next lesson about Haynesworth.
Lesson 2. The Fit
Haynesworth was a mismanaged mess from beginning to end. The fault was more on the Redskins than on Haynesworth. !!!
The Redskins promised one thing to Suh to entice him to sign, but delivered another when they sent him to DC Greg Blache who was particularly inflexible delivering the promise. Then they converted to Jim Haslett’s 3-4 alignment.
Haynesworth did not help his cause, but he was upfront on his unwillingness to play the 3-4. After receiving $40 million in bonuses, he was not compelled to try. The fault for that rests squarely on the Redskins.
We have no idea what Joe Barry’s defense will be. If the Suh fits, wear it. He has the size to meet one of McCloughan’s values, to get big up front. But Suh is 4-3 lineman. We think Barry will stick with a hybrid 3-4. The nose tackle (Suh) may not be an every down lineman in Barry’s scheme.
The Redskins have needs at every level of the defense, too much to be filled by one player. Avoiding Washington’s propensity for one-player solutions is a test of McCloughan’s influence.
There are alternatives in the NFL Draft. Washington Huskies nose tackle Danny Shelton figures to be available when the Redskins pick fifth. DTs Arik Armstead (Oregon) and Malcolm Brown (Texas) give the Redskins first-round options with upsides upside and would sign on the rookie pay scale.
Lesson 3. Don’t buy the no-franchise hype
Detroit did not franchise Sun for reasons unique to them. It signaled nothing to the rest of us.
- HYPE: The Lions did not apply the franchise tag to Suh.
- The franchise salary for defensive ends is a shade over $11 million.
- Suh made $12 million in 2014.
Nobody, even the Lions, would franchise a player into a million dollar pay cut. Franchise tags are to offer a player a pay raise as the parties work on a long-term deal. Franchising Suh would have been hugely counter-productive. It is not a sign of Detroit’s disinterest.
The Lions still have the first call on Suh’s services.
Suh to the Redskins won’t happen anyway.
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