Redskins, Springs Ponder Move to Safety
By Gary Fitzgerald
Redskins.com
January 25, 2007
Shawn Springs turns 32 in early March. With speed a necessity at the cornerback position, the 10-year veteran knows that he may have to transition to a new position--safety--to prolong his NFL career.
That transition may come sooner, rather than later.
When Springs was placed on injured reserve on Dec. 27 with a fractured scapula, head coach Joe Gibbs made a point to discuss Springs' versatility in the secondary.
"Certainly, he is someone that has a future with us," Gibbs said. "We think he can play a number of spots for us back there besides cornerback. He is very important for us at corner, but he can play other spots, too."
Springs' reaction?
"I'll do whatever coaches ask me to do," he said. "I will say that the way I felt toward the end of the year and the way I was running, I would think corner is probably the thing you want to use me at the most. Then I would move to safety. I would love to do that, too."
Whether to move Springs to safety is certainly one of the team's off-season decisions. It might force the team to address the cornerback position in free agency or select one in April's NFL Draft.
It would certainly solidify the Redskins' depth at the safety position. With Sean Taylor set at free safety, the Redskins would also have plenty of experience at strong safety with Springs, 15-year vet Troy Vincent and Pierson Prioleau returning from a knee injury.
Adam Archuleta, Vernon Fox, who is an unrestricted free agent this offseason, and 2006 sixth-round draft pick Reed Doughty might also be in the mix at safety. All three are strong special teams performers.
If Springs makes the move to safety, he will have plenty of guidance from Vincent, who made the transition from cornerback to safety in recent years.
Vincent was a five-time Pro Bowl cornerback for the Philadelphia Eagles before shifting to safety for several games with the Redskins earlier this year.
The safety position requires that the defender be more assertive in run defense while also staying active in pass coverage.
Of course, with more offenses employing three, four and sometimes five wide receiver sets, the coverage skills that Springs and Vincent would bring as safeties has to be intriguing for assistant head coach-defense Gregg Williams.
Springs' 2006 season was plagued with injury. He was sidelined early in the season after undergoing abdominal surgery, then when he attempted to return to action, he suffered a groin injury.
He suffered the fractured scapula, or shoulder blade injury, in the Week 16 game at St. Louis.
Springs said that he expects to be ready to rehab the injury in early February. It's expected that he will be on pace to participate in most off-season work.
Springs finished the 2006 season with 44 tackles, along with one interception and seven passes defended.
With Springs sidelined for seven games, the Redskins' defense finished 31st overall in the NFL last season and the pass defense was ranked 23rd.
Springs knows that change could be on the horizon for the secondary.
"In the offseason, I'll go back and look at film to see where we made mistakes in the secondary--maybe it could be something simple that we can fix," Springs said. "But something has to be fixed. I won't deny that something has to be changed. We have way too much talent and we have to do better."
Springs hopes that team officials don't give the secondary an extreme makeover, though.
"I wouldn't scrap everything," he said. "I think we have some really good players here. When I've been able to stay with teammates and play with them, even if we did have a bad year, we still had certain players that jelled together.
"You have to keep that nucleus. Whatever that nucleus is for the Washington Redskins, I think they have to do that."
