Oh My Godfrey
As reported everywhere including here, the Redskins signed veteran LB Randall Godfrey.
There’s been a lot of negative reaction to this pickup mostly centering around the fact that Lamar Marshall (who was released to make room for Godfrey) got screwed and knew the system really well. Perhaps the best way of summing up that resistance is to link to our friends at Hogs Haven. Their comments can be found here.
But with all due respect to Skin Patrol, I’m glad Godfrey puts his family first. I certainly do (as can be evidenced by my slow posting rate recently which I promise will change), and I want NFL players to as well. This isn’t just about family values. It is a sign of the kind of player you are getting. I don’t pretend to know anything personally about Mike Vick or Pac Man Jones, but something tells me that they wouldn’t be particularly worried about their kids school situations or any other aspect of their family’s lives. When Vick had his lawyer deliver his no apology apology recently, the statement included an apology to his mother. But frankly, if he cared what his mother thought about the situation, he’d have stopped fighting dogs before he got caught.
The fact that Godfrey thought his son might need his father around when he started high school means we are very unlikely to turn on Sportscenter one morning and find out Godfrey was arrested. It also means he’s going to care about his team mates. If he’s willing to sacrifice his career for his son, you can bet he’ll appreciate this year even more.
As for Marshall, I’ll admit he got a little screwed in this business. He has worked hard for the team and I hate to see him go. But Godfrey is bigger, has very good instincts and can back up all three LB positions. We want to keep some of the younger LBs like Campbell and Sartz around for special teams and for development since this is an aging LB corps.
Overall, I like this pickup. It has little downside and a lot of potential upside. Godfrey adds some much needed beef in our undersized LB corps, and despite complaints to the contrary knows the system from his days with Williams before. Give Randall a chance guys, I think you’ll find you like him.
-DW
