35 year old Vincent was signed by Redskins... watch him replace Archuleta...
ASHBURN, Va. (Oct. 16, 2006) -- After six weeks of letting receivers run unfettered through the secondary, the slumping Washington Redskins tried to address the problem by signing five-time Pro Bowl defensive back Troy Vincent.
Vincent, whose 47 interceptions ranks second among active players, was released from Buffalo Bills' injured-reserve list last week. The 15-year veteran hurt his hamstring in preseason and aggravated it in the season opener against New England, but he said last week he had fully recovered and was ready to take offers from other teams.
Vincent, 35, joins a team that has spent heavily on safeties and cornerbacks, only to watch them allow more passing plays of 20-plus yards (25) than any team except Green Bay. The Redskins (2-4) ranked 23rd in the league in pass defense, and they lost on Oct. 15 to a rookie quarterback (Vince Young) starting for a winless team (Tennessee).
Vincent had a strong season last year, with a career-high 102 tackles and a team-high four interceptions with the Bills. The No. 7 overall pick by Miami in 1992, Vincent played four seasons with the Dolphins and eight with Philadelphia before joining Buffalo in 2004, where he switched to free safety after spending his first 12 seasons as a cornerback.
Vincent was surprised when the Bills placed him on IR last month, given that his injury was relatively minor, but the team said it needed to clear a roster spot for other purposes. He was released Oct. 12 and had planned visits to several NFL teams.
The Redskins need help as much as anybody, both at safety and cornerback. The defense has only two interceptions this season, and one of those was by a lineman.
Adam Archuleta was signed to the richest contract given to a safety in NFL history in the offseason, but he has struggled in pass coverage and hasn't been a force as a run-stopper. Third-year safety Sean Taylor was expected to establish himself as one of the best in the league this year, but he has lacked his usual ferocity and has also been susceptible to passes over the middle. Nickel safety Pierson Prioleau was lost for the season opener with a knee injury in the opening game.
Shawn Springs, the team's only shutdown cornerback, made his season debut Oct. 15 after missing the first five games with abdomen and groin injuries. Even then, he played in only nickel packages, and he said today he might need another week or two before he's fit enough to play an entire game.
Second-year cornerback Carlos Rogers has been a disappointment. He broke his thumb in the Titans game, but the initial prognosis was that he would not miss a game.
Free-agent pickup Kenny Wright lost his receiver on a fourth-down play against the Titans, allowing a 23-yard completion on a key drive. The performance of another new acquisition, Mike Rumph, has been such a letdown that he was made inactive for the Titans game.
Vincent was at Redskins Park and was expected to talk to reporters later today.
His first assignment will be a tough one -- the Redskins will face one of the top passing offenses Oct. 22 when they visit Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts. It will be Vincent's 200th NFL game.
Vincent also is the president of the NFL Players Association.
