One of the Redskins' more notable offseason acquisitions, Dashon Goldson is someone the coaches trust as a leader and who teammates are looking up to

Dashon Goldson isn't worried about what he accomplished during a successful run with the San Francisco 49ers. He has also moved on from a trying two seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The 30-year-old safety is only concerned with what he can do for the Redskins this season.

"The only thing that matters is what I do from here on out," Goldson said. "I'm here now. Everybody's going to have their opinions, everybody is going to feel like they're a coach or their opinion counts, but I ignore all that stuff. I play ball. I know what I am and my teammates and peers know what's going on."

Goldson was drafted by the 49ers in the fourth round of the 2007 NFL Draft when current Redskins general manager Scot McCloughan was their Vice President of Player Personnel.

So when McCloughan saw a need at the safety position in Washington, he had no hesitation pulling the trigger on a trade to acquire the two-time Pro Bowler from the Buccaneers this offseason.

"I'm very lucky to have Dashon Goldson, who I drafted when I was San Francisco," McCloughan said. "Knowing not just the kind of football player he is, but the leadership he brings, the intelligence he brings, for not just for the position but for the whole secondary. You know, a guy they can trust on."

Goldson, along with 12-year veteran DeAngelo Hall, is viewed as one of the key leaders of the secondary.

Fellow safety Trenton Robinson said Goldson, a University of Washington product, is one of the players he's looked up to dating back to their days together with the 49ers.

"I played with him a long time ago in San Fransisco and he's always been one of my favorite safeties," Robinson said. "So I just get to learn from him every single day and when my time comes I know I'll be ready."

Head coach Jay Gruden sees a "natural leader" in Goldson.

"He holds guys to a high standard and guys like that are hard to find," Gruden said. "We think he does have a lot left in the tank. We know he is a physical football player, there's no question about that. Getting to know him over the course of the OTAs, I did not know about his leadership and I did not know how smart he was, and I'm very impressed with those two traits also."

Off the field, Goldson said the group in the secondary "get along and joke around."

"We enjoy each other's company and we're out here and get along," Goldson said. "The camaraderie has been good since I got here. I don't really know what it's like before, but it's been great and feels like we've been playing together for a while."

On the field, he's hoping to play a physical enforcer role, leading a defense that will "knock the snot out of people."

"I think that with our secondary and our linebackers, and our defense alone, we have the potential to be great," Goldson said. "As long as we get that pressure on that quarterback I think we'll get our hands on the ball and give our offense more opportunities to put points on the board."

RELATED LINKS:
-- Seven Things We've Learned About Dashon Goldson
-- Dashon Goldson 'Looked Up To' Sean Taylor

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