Jason La Canfora will miss Shawn Springs

I meant to post this the other day, but apparently a certain Redskins' beat writer will miss cornerback Shawn Springs more than most fans will.

Don't get me wrong, I thought that Springs was a fantastic player for the Redskins -- but only when he was able to play. He just simply missed too many games, and Springs, who actually turns 34 tomorrow, may be slowing down a bit as he enters his 13th season in the NFL. He managed to play in all 16 games in 2007, but he played in just nine games each in 2006 and 2008. That's a little over 70 percent of the Redskins' games in the last three regular seasons, and that's not accounting for the snaps he missed when he had to leave during the first and second quarters.

But La Canfora isn't worried about that. Instead, he throws some love Springs's way, which is fine, I guess, but then he manages to take a shot at the rest of the Redskins' nickel cornerback options.

Wanted to give a shout out to Shawn, one of the coolest cats I have ever covered in any pro sport, and someone who should be a great fit with the New England Patriots. His sense of humor, candor and outgoing nature will be missed by those who cover the team. ... Fred Smoot lacks the size to really play there, aadn his game was on the steep decline in 2008. Justin Tryon is downright tiny, and he has a ways to go to show he can play at this level. It will be interesting to see who becomes that third corner, and how he fares.

Obviously since I'm not around the team, I don't know how cool Springs is off the field. I just thought that was weird to see, but it made me laugh. As for the negative tone of the post, I don't understand why it's such a big deal unless La Canfora is just upset that one of his buddies won't be in Washington.

Again, Springs was great during his time with the Redskins. But the team freed up $6 million in cap space with the move, and the Redskins have younger options in DeAngelo Hall and Carlos Rogers at the starting cornerback positions. It would be nice to have a lockdown cornerback in the slot, but how many teams actually have that luxury? Instead, the Redskins brought in a younger and better player in Albert Haynesworth to help give the team a more consistent pass rush, which aids the entire defense (including the nickel corner).

La Canfora may be bitter, but he doesn't need to be grasping at straws every time the team makes a move. The Redskins wanted to free up some cap space by not paying too much money for a player almost into his mid-thirties. Isn't that what Redskins' fans have been begging for?