Ed Valentine - Let's look within the NFC East today for a player who might fit at a position of need for the New York Giants. Rocky McIntosh is a five-year veteran who seems miscast as an inside linebacker in Washington's 3-4. Most analysts see him as a better fit on the outside in a 4-3.
Kevin Ewoldt of SB Nation's Redskins website, Hogs Haven, had this to say about McIntosh:
Rocky McIntosh is a fantastic team player who just shows up to work and plays hard. That was very evident when the Redskins did not give him a long-term contract after the 2009 season, which he was upset about as it dragged on, but he still showed up to workouts. Rocky has attended most of the player-led workouts this off-season as his future is again in question.
Rocky did not have a good season last year. He missed tackles and seemed to be out of place in the new 3-4 defense. He is not all that great in coverage, but he is great at everything in between the tackles and in short yardage-type plays. I'd be surprised if the Redskins re-sign him, but he should be able to step in and contribute wherever he does play.
Star-divide
Could McIntosh be the strong side linebacker the Giants seem to need, with Keith Bulluck unlikely to return and Clint Sintim still not having grabbed the job? Prior to switching inside in the Redskins' 3-4, McIntosh made his living playing on the weak side -- where Michael Boley currently resides for the Giants. Regardless, McIntosh might be an upgrade for Perry Fewell's defense -- on either side of middle linebacker Jonathan Goff.
Here is the scouting report from McIntosh's SB Nation player page:
Assets -- Highly athletic, runs very well, hits hard, and tackles soundly. Very productive overall. Has the tools to excel in coverage and is improving in that area. Flaws -- Has had multiple knee injuries. Not as aggressive as he could be.
McIntosh's PFF scores from 2008 and 2009 are not impressive, -13.4 in '08 and -2.4 in '09. I am throwing out 2010 because McIntosh was not playing outside, where the Giants would utilize him. You wonder how much those numbers were affected by the fact that Washington was mediocre to awful during those two seasons.
One more thing to consider. Long-time friend Rick Snider, currently a columnist for the DC Examiner, calls McIntosh a "strange cat" who "doesn't talk to the media much."
I don't know if his personality should or should not be an issue. Then again, the Giants already have plenty of guys who talk too much -- so a quiet guy might be just fine.
Your thoughts?
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