Shaun Rogers Brings About a Variety of Opinions
By Zac Snyder
Former Lions defensive tackle Shaun Rogers is apparently ending his free agency tour after three stops. It is too early to tell if he has actually made a decision but it is likely that he has a pretty good idea what he wants to do. The visit list may be complete after stops in Washington, Kansas City and New Orleans. We’ll see if another team or two jump into the mix but it looks like one of these three teams has the lead to acquire Rogers’ service.
Fans in Detroit will understand better than anyone that Shaun Rogers will be greeted by plenty of supporters and detractors in whichever city he decides to call home. I have been interested to follow Rogers this off-season and observe the reactions from those that blog about his potential suitors.
As you can imagine, it is a mixed bag.
The first thing that struck me when reading various takes on a potential Rogers signing is that bloggers’ opinions are obviously swayed by the recent history of their favorite team.
Shaun Rogers visited with the Washington Redskins first. Riggo’s Rag blogger Miles Aghajanian has obviously been jaded by the Albert Haynesworth fiasco and is leery of Shaun Rogers simply being Albert 2.0. Miles takes a pragmatic approach at weighing the pros and cons but ultimately decides that the Redskins’ true need is for a younger DT, not another potential distraction.
Patrick Allen has been all over the Shaun Rogers story for the Kansas City Chiefs blog Arrowhead Addict. The Chiefs seem committed to building their team the right way under Scott Pioli, much like the Lions are trying to do. The Chiefs are about making the moves that make the most sense, not necessarily the moves that create the biggest news. Allen expresses his concern that bringing in Rogers could disrupt the team’s progress but understands that others will view it as big news. From Arrowhead Addict:
"When healthy, Rogers can be a very disruptive force playing the NT in a 3-4 defense. I am not crazy about this and I think signing Rogers could have more downside than upside but regardless of my opinion, this is going to be exciting news in Chiefs Nation."
The New Orleans Saints are the closest to a championship of the three teams Rogers has visited. With the Saints no longer holding the designation of defending Super Bowl champion, their fans are sure to be looking for the player that will push them back to the top. Keith Null of Who Dat Dish thinks Shaun Rogers could be that player, or at least be the solution to their run-stopping woes:
"The defensive line is light, widely considerd among the smallest in the NFL, and the Saints desperately need a big nose tackle to plug up the middle and help their sixteenth ranked rush defense."
I sent out a tweet from the SideLion Report twitter account yesterday that a lot of Lions fans probably agree with:
"Loving the #Lions DL right now. Glad to see the Shaun Rogers circus stopping elsewhere. Liked him when he was here but don’t want him back."
ESPN.com NFC North blogger Kevin Seifert picked up on my sentiments and reflected on how the Lions ability to stay out of the Shaun Rogers running (and on again, off again Albert Haynesworth trade rumors) represents a significant step forward for the organization:
"Rogers played in Detroit for seven seasons. Haynesworth played seven seasons under Lions coach Jim Schwartz when both were with the Tennessee Titans. Simply put, the Lions don’t need either of them. Talent-poor teams owe it to themselves to consider every possibility, no matter what baggage exists. But at defensive line, at least, the Lions don’t have to go there."
The thing we all have to remember about the Shaun Rogers saga is that it doesn’t end when he signs with a team. It continues on through the offseason and into the season as it is a constant crap-shoot as to whether his head and heart are in the same place as the rest of his body.
I ask you this, Lions fans: Do you care where Shaun Rogers ends up?
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