Why did we release Leon Washington?

CANHawk":2uaiwm26 said:

Basis4day":2uaiwm26 said:

CANHawk":2uaiwm26 said:

Well, one thing that isn't really being discussed is that Leon is set to make a lot of money this year for a 30 y/o 3rd down running back who at this point is really only a return guy. What I imagine might have happened is that we decided he's not worth the money to us (given we have Harvin, Tate and others who can return kicks, that's fair) so they released him (and his fat contract). Now, correct me if I'm wrong but I believe that he has to clear waivers before he's a UFA. So the way I can imagine it happening is that they granted him the opportunity to see if anyone is interested in taking on his current contract, or at the least willing to offer him something better than what we were willing to offer. If nobody is, I can see Leon come back for a deal somewhere closer to the vet minimum.

How many times have we seen guys leave and come back in the past? I think LeRoy Hill has done it at least 4 times in the PC era. I'm not holding my breath that Leon comes back mind you (because somebody could very well decide he's worth the money... I think he IS worth the money) but it's a possibility that he's not done here...

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No. He's been in the league too long. He is UFA and can sign with any team.

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I didn't know that. Thanks for the info. Point still stands though, if he doesn't get a better deal than we are willing to give he could still be back.

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TwistedHusky":1syv6e8l said:

The thing about a return game is that people forget just how valuable it is.

But at the end of the game, no matter how good your RB or WR, the clock still runs. Someone like Leon could bring us close to FG range with only seconds left. It gave us more options at the end of games, and saved games that might have been out of reach.

Finally, starting drives at the 30 or 40 after the opponents score takes some of the pressure off of the offense. They are not near their own GL, if something goes wrong you have breathing room. Even if the drive dies you can punt and play field position. But driving the length of the field is easier when you cut the field in half.

I have always seen the return game and kickers get undervalued but frankly I have seen a lot of games won because of one or the other.

I suppose you can say we have Harvin we didn't need him, but I am not sure how much of a price you can put on not having to fix what isn't broken. Our return game was one of our key weapons and now it is a question mark.

I know we needed the space, but you don't remove one of the top players in their field, that was also a positive and effective locker-room presence, and expect not to lose anything.

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redhawk253":1a0z4f1u said:

BattleOfSeattle":1a0z4f1u said:

redhawk253":1a0z4f1u said:

i agree with the main parts of your post.. except for 2 things.. i dont really want harvin returning kicks with the amount were paying him and his value in the offense.. i think it will fall to someone else on the team or maybe one of our draft picks.. and 2....... leon doesn't have breakaway speed? i think you need to check up on that logic.. thats one of his best weapons.. he isn't really the shiftiest guy.. he was just good at seeing an opening making one cut and using burst to try and get through the opening before it closed.. a guy lacking breakaway speed doesn't have 8 kick/punt returns for tds...

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Percy Harvin is a weapon, and that is why he was acquired. He's extremely versatile, and one of the most explosive players in the league. You want the ball in his hands as often as possible. Considering how much draft capital we relinquished in order to obtain the rights to him, as well as the financial commitment we've given him—why wouldn't you try to maximize his attributes and value? You don't give up a first, third, and seventh round pick, in addition to $25.5 million guaranteed to not be used in as many ways as his talent allows.

I think you're confusing "lack of breakaway speed" with "slow", which is certainly not what I was insinuating. Leon is still plenty fast, but he does not have the kind of fifth-gear speed that Percy does, at not least not at this point in his career. I can recall numerous occasions where Leon was tackled in the open field, whereas someone with more burst and speed in the same position would have taken it to the house. That's not necessarily a slight on Leon. He was a Pro-Bowl returner for a reason. But again, it's a combination of factors that played into this decision. The only thing I wish the front office did differently here was trade Leon to the highest bidder, but it was a classy move to allow him to go to a team of his choosing.

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you just supported my argument for not using harvin in kickoff returns.. one of the most dangerous plays in the game.. you don't put a guy that is going to be implemented in the offense in a ton of different ways and have so much value and importance in that sense on a kickoff return where its common knowledge many guys get injured. he is going to be more valuable to the team in the offense than on returns.. we didn't give up 3 picks and 25.5 million in guarantees to a guy because we like'd the added ability to return kicks which many different players can take care of.. this isn't to say they will never use harvin in any returns.. i can imagine scenarios where were down with little time left and it would give us a boost.. but i dont think we can necessarily asume that he's going to be returning all or even a majority of our kicks.

and i still think you are mistaken on leon.. you didn't say comparatively the same speed as harvin.. you said "he lacks breakaway speed" theres only one time comes to mind leon was caught in "open field" from BEHIND... and that was when he slowed up and started to show boat in the panthers game where he got tackled on the one yard line... any other time you are referring to he is being caught by a player coming at an angle... leon definately does not "lack breakaway speed" as evidenced by his returns this past season.

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