jason, Happy New Year to you too!

sorry dont understand what you mean by "term" exactly..."we have a plan" or "patience"?

honestly this is my first time logging in on the internet/wapo and was hoping for a big headling...changes in the FO...

ohh well

Great article! Depressing, but still very good.

I've said it before...it's not hiring a GM that's the issue, it's "Mr." Snyder willing to structure a front office were two strong-willed people (St. Joe and not-Vinny) can debate personnel ideas and have "Mr." Snyder interfere only when a tiebreaker is needed. He needs to hire the right person, and he needs to have enough self-confidence to butt out of football affairs until he is needed.

"Mr." Snyder really, really, really needs to read "Good to Great", by Jim Collins.

happy new year to all!

any thoughts on the draft...we pick somewhere early (6th?) in the first round and not again until next year??

linebacker or defensive line(preferably d end) would be my choice, however, if we could trade the first rounder for several 2nd and 3rd rounders it would eliminate the cost of the high pick and maybe give us some depth on defense.

Great article today, J-La. The only disappointment I had with it was that I wanted it to go on longer.

Snyder and Gibbs's method of handling of personnel acquisitions and usage, including player retention, seems so obviously pig-stupid that it beggars belief that they continue down this road. Reminds one of a certain political administration, it does. They can't see it because they're in the middle of it and therefore have no way of objectivley viewing the disaster that has become the Redskins. Oh well, fish don't know about water, either, I suppose.

Happy New Year! Hope you're all well and only moderately hung over.
Diddy, I saw this story and thought of you. I know how you love to use the Post to keep abreast of trends :)

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/artsandliving/features/2007/in-out-list/

just finished reading the article...wow! juicy stuff jason!

here're my two favorite quotes from Problems at the core:
Gibbs's strategy of relying on free agent acquisitions and trades alienated some players, jeopardizing his hold on the locker room.

The lack of success with new players has angered some coaches. Several assistants said they are frustrated with the lack of support they receive from Cerrato and the scouting department; players said they sometimes joke about precisely what Cerrato does to earn his titles. Players said he serves as Snyder's eyes and ears at Redskins Park. "We all know why Vinny is here," one prominent player said. "Dan."

lisa, thanks for letting me know about your sis. yeah, i feel pretty yucky...i'll see what i can find on webmd about it...

diddy, i don't have the arm strength to take my own head off. i guess jm could help me build the muscles needed for that?

What's up with Lisa's sister?

Cindy,

My sister is fine....thanks for asking. I don't think I could bear anymore family tragedy right now! Dealer mentioned yesterday that he cannot taste anything - my sister had that problem several years ago and it lasted for awhile then went away.

"Any ideas on which term will carry the day when Joe does speak".

My money's on either "proud" or "fought".

lol@myself and editor. nothing's wrong with lisa's sister. i'm experiencing lack of appetite and no tastes/craving for anything. and i LOVE to eat(non sweet stuff) when i eat i feel like i'm eating paper. [and no, you smartasses, i'm not eating paper!]

but i just went on webmd...none of the possibilites are all that good...

Physical disorders affecting appetite:
Infections
Fever - any fever may cause temporary loss of appetite.
Prolonged fever (see Fever) - may affect appetite long enough to cause weight loss
Viral hepatitis
Normal aging
Tuberculosis
Alcoholism
Hypothyroidism
Heart conditions
Heart disease
Heart failure
Liver conditions
Zinc deficiency
Hiatus hernia
Malabsorption
Duodenal ulcer
Stomach cancer
Cancer
Lung cancer
Common emotional or mental symptoms affecting appetite - causing people to lose interest in eating.
Emotional stress (type of Stress) - may lead to either under-eating or over-eating
Anxiety
Emotional upset
Grief or loss
Relationship problems
Depression
Depressive disorders
Anxiety disorders
Anorexia nervosa
Bipolar disorder - a less common cause of poor appetite.

if it doesn't go away by friday i'll go to the doctor...probly stress i guess...but i'm not stressed. maybe it's the skins season/performance. can i sue danny?

Whew! I was worried.
My diagnosis is Redskinsitis. I think you should do further research in this area of that list, given the 5-11 finish:

Emotional stress
Anxiety
Emotional upset
Grief or loss
Depression
Depressive disorders
Anxiety disorders

This will come as a shock, but my New Year's resolution is to not drink alcohol for 6 months. So at precisely 12:01am, I stopped drinking. Stayed out partying though until well into the morning. Got back at 5am and now I'm wide awake and not even close to hungover. I feel vaguely civilized. Also, as a virtue of my sobriety, I got a bunch of phone numbers. It's amazing what not being a drunken a$$ can do.

Not trying to be a downer but did anyone see that Walt Harris had yet another interception yesterday? His 8th for the season.

dealer,

Whatever you have, you should let Bono know about it. He'll help you find a cure. It's what he does.

In other news, you noted that Denny Green and Jim Mora are out, no?

nice article. brandon lloyd is an embarrasment. blaming campbell on that pass he claimed was underthrown is idiotic. i see plenty of good wr's making adjustments and plays on underthrown balls, take santana's td on randel els pass. do us a favor and become a rapper so we can cut you no questions asked. heres to hoping the skins can turn it around in 07. happy new years to you all

What an article! Everything is covered & everyone is talked to from coaches to equipment personnel, thank you!

I can't wait for the next installment

Really sad about Darrent Wiliams.

Cindy,

Are Dennis Green and Mora definitely fired? I've been at the gym so had not heard that although I expected as much.

Diddy, glad to hear you have stopped drinking and hope that resolution sticks.

editor, i just want to know if i can sue st. joe or danny.

oops! i thought someone was joking about DW being shot. i have no words just sad shti man!

ummmmmm i say double G is gone this year. and i wouldn't mind keeping gregg blache or the corner's coach as the skins D coordinator. (for the sake of continuity in schemes).

does anyone know if JC ever audible this season?

Mora and Green are definitely gone. No one can succeed in Arizona. They should just give the job to Mike Shula or Sam Wyche and be done with it.

Atlanta is fascinating...I think they have to go offense for that one.

BTW, I think the most interesting candidate for the Arizona job? Norm Chow.

Green and Mora are out, Saban is going to have a presser shortly......No clue yet what he's gonna say. He and Mora should wrestle for the 'Bama job.

lisa, that's what i just read on espn.com jim mora and green gone.

I wonder if Norm Chow would qualify as a Rooney Rule candidate...

thanks for the heads up on nick saban editor! and i just would like to say "f-u all who said he'll be a much greater success than spurrier!" just kidding! :)

Wow...those organizations wasted no time....next will be Art Shell and I do not think Cowher will return to the Steelers. Does anyone think Saban will really leave Miami for Alabama? Personally, I think that would a crazy move...but then again I'm an Auburn gal :-)

Not as many coaching opps as 06 but someone may still want Williams.

I think the next ones to go are Shell, Cowher, and Coughlin.

I think it's a fait accompli that Russ Grimm or Ken Whisenhut get that Steelers job.

Double G would be perfect for the Raiders, if you ask me.

Giants? No idea on that one.

It would be sheer lunacy to walk away from a guy with a name like Cleo Lemon.

diddy, norm to arizona? nah man. now you're trying to create a frankenstein's monster. i don't believe in stuff like that. norm's done a good job with vince. i'm sure he can do a good job with other QB's in the league. i would like to see him as an HC though.

here's my wishlist for 2007:
cheap FA's for skins
russ grimm not becoming the HC at the steelers
russ grimm coming to the skins as a possible successor to JG.
trading down in the first round, then trading down again in the first round
trading away lloyd and archie
double G leaving and one of his assistants staying gregg blache or corner's coach
dale lindsey leaving

Latest on Saban:

http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/sports/16362423.htm

Dealer, you left this off your list:

The ability to taste

thanks editor!!!!!!!!!

ummmm i think i thought i saw another lemon yesterday...forget what game it was. but i wondered how many lemons there are in this league.

ohh yeah..."taste"...well if this is skinsitis that i'm suffering from then i guess if all those things happen i have a good chance of getting my appetite and taste back.

Cleo Lemon.

Priceless.

all of my girls are sleeping right now...what are the odds that they'll all wake up precisely at 4:00PM EST?

i say 100 to 1.

i soooooooooooo need a kitchen pass to attend this [skins]funeral (live! with you guys) so i can have closure.

Hmmm...Saban has been saying he is not leaving....not as adamantly as Gibbs but you never know....

Perhaps they could spend some quality time together....locked in the bathroom?

On second thought, for this kind of dough, I could forget Cleo Lemon.

http://www.palmbeachpost.com/dolphins/content/sports/epaper/2007/01/01/a1b_saban_0101.html

you know....the bathroom stuff works!

4-12, you listening? take your infant in the bathroom and turn the fan on...she'll stop crying/whining immediately. and it's okay to put the bouncer in there and leave her there. just make sure you can hear her.

hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm EDITOR!!! i think you got something here!

i could put the toddler in the bathtub during the presser. she usually lasts half an hour in there! but i could stretch it to 45 minutes. i just have to check the water level every 15 minutes. they can breathe underwater right?

how long can the presser be? jason, if you listening brother could you ask all the juicy questions right away in the first 10 minutes or so.

lemon who? FIFTY GAZMILLION DOLLARS? to be a college coach? WOW! ummmmmmm he's a goner.

That is what the IRS boys and girls call -- and I know this for a fact -- a boatload of money.

From Mortensen:
A current Alabama assistant told ESPN.com's Mark Schlabach on Sunday morning that former coach Mike Shula's staff expects Saban to be named the Crimson Tide's new coach sometime this week.

Yea! Auburn just won the Cotton Bowl!

Sorry, I can't embrace the theory or argument that the loss of the Clarks and Pierces _by themselves_ created this crisis. Although to be fair, I'm not sure too many people are arguing that.

Has it hurt? Sure, especially given the replacements brought in.

But even if this team had managed to hold on to those players, does anyone think that this year's 5-11 record would have been dramatically improved?

Marginally? Yes. My guess is that solid play from Pierce et al. would have mitigated some of the defensive shortcomings. Instead of 5-11, let's say 7-9 or 8-8?

Letting those players go has certainly complicated or deepened the problems that need to be addressed. And as we know, a team can only fix so many potholes in the offseason. But on my list of problems, losing the Pierces is on page #2.

But on my list of problems, losing the Pierces is on page #2.

Steve, problem isn't losing Pierces, that happens to all teams/w/wo GM's. the problem is the PROCESS of acquiring talent on this team. that PROCESS has created more holes than it's shored up to this point.

asking sincerely: didn't the article spell that out? (no way, i'm goint to read that article again...5 pages!)

lisa, what saban did was drive up his price by saying "i'm not interested" contrastly what spurrier did was stupid in business sense but makes him an extraordinary person in my eyes.

he said screw this headache...i'm quitting. instead of waiting for danny to flinch first and getting all the contract money or most of it.

Dealer:
"that PROCESS has created more holes than it's shored up to this point."

Agreed. That was the point of my last point (one that I mangled). As we know, a team can only fill so many holes in each offseason. Salary cap limits, competition for players, et cetera prevent a team from fixing more than 1 or 2 problems.

So, losing the Pierces increased the number of holes and the team winds up treading water from year-to-year. E.g., fill in one hole, create two more.

Another point, it seems to me, is that Gibb's idea of "Redskin tradition" or a "Redskin family" is undermined by using free agency so extensively. With such a high turnover, the ability to create a team spirit (whatever) is weakened.

If one wants to build a cohesive "family", the best approach would be to use the draft to build a nucleus that you keep from year to year and then augment that with the free agency.

By having free agency as you primary means of team improvement, you are almost making a mockery of the idea of "tradition" or "family".

They're in quite a mess right now. Some quick fixes might make them 8-8 or 9-7 but that's only a short term solution.

Dealer,
Hope it's not a duodenal ulcer. That sounds, um, awful.

Diddy,
I quit drinking four years ago and it was the best decision I ever made. Women are much more interested in you when you're not slurring your words (and they are).

True story!
Emilio just called. He's outside a Potomac Giant and saw a guy wearing a Brandon Lloyd 49ers jersey.
I suggested that perhaps it is indeed Brandon Lloyd.

Also, as I noted on the last post, if what Lisa found about next year's schedule is correct, there is no earthly reason we should not go at least 8-8 with even modest improvement in the defense. It's just not that hard of a schedule. Other than the Patriots and the Bears, I don't see any non-division games that really scare me.

Who is Emilio?

Redskins 2007 schedule:
HOME:
Dallas Cowboys
New York Giants
Philadelphia Eagles
Chicago Bears
Detroit Lions
Buffalo Bills
Miami Dolphins
Arizona Cardinals

Figure we lose to the Bbears, plus at least two others that we should win but soil instead. 5-3 at home is realistic.

ROAD:
Dallas Cowboys
New York Giants
Philadelphia Eagles
Minnesota Vikings
Green Bay Packers
New England Patriots
New York Jets
Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Figure we lose our three road division games and lose at Lambeau and New England.
3-5 on the road. 8-8 on the year.

That's not really asking too much, if our offense produces and our defense can do ANYTHING at all next year.

As I said before, all these games will be Sunday, 1pm. They will have no big trips, no jetlag, and definitely no MNF and probably no SNF. Just the type of routine that Joe Gibbs likes.

That last one was me.

Emilio is our sports editor; Emilio Garcia-Ruiz. We like him despite his failure to install a margarita machine.
Here's the non-NFC East lineup:
The home games will be against Chicago, Detroit, Buffalo, Miami and Arizona.
They'll be on the road against Green Bay, Minnesota, New England, the New York Jets and Tampa Bay.

Except you're forgetting flex scheduling. Those games might be shifted late in the season, unless they stink.

Are they changing the MNF lineup now too? Or just Sunday games? I didn't think about that.

Still, I think they're better off than last season when they had the AFC West (where they went 0-4, if I remember correctly?).

It remains to be seen how many teams we'll face coming off their bye week and where our bye will be.

So many ways to justify our failures!!

Lavar Walt Clark, what you said to Diddy was priceless :-)

I think our 2007 schedule looks relatively easy...and we should beat Green Bay if Favre does not return.

Saban is having a presser now....how can a college afford to pay him what AL is offering?

Thanks Lisa.

Several questions for Madame Editor:
How does one become a Sports editor? Do you have a passion for Sports, a passion for good writing or both? Did you work a sports beat somewhere else previously? Or did you edit in another section and slide over into Sports because it was your dream job?

Lastly, does it drive you nuts when we - the unwashed - make typos?

Merci.

Has Gibbs presser started? It's not coming up on my computer...

It's not coming up on mine yet either

Maybe St. Joe is going to Alabama.

The question is not whether a college can afford a coach like Saban (boosters, gotta love 'em), it's whether or not he's actually worth it.

Yay! Go team! He's thanking us, the fans.

I've got sound but no video.

He has thanked the fans. I was worried he would forget.

i got audio no video

It's an imagination test. You're supposed to imagine St. Joe. I wonder if he's wearing a vest.

I'm doing hand puppets to entertain myself. Hard to type and do hand puppets, but there it is.

"Not trying to be a downer but did anyone see that Walt Harris had yet another interception yesterday? His 8th for the season. Lisa"

In the same late game on Sunday (SF-Denver), both Walt Harris (SF) and Champ Bailey (Denver) had interception returns for touchdowns. In the same game.

And how many interception returns for touchdowns did the Redskins have for the season?

Speaking of defensive backs, the Seahawks desperately need some corners and safeties for their playoff run, due to numerous injuries on their squad. Perhaps the Skins FO can get on the phone today and offer up a few defensive backs in exchange for draft picks, particularly Ade Jimoh and Arch Deluxe.

Well, one can dream, can't one?

Special teams was a highlight for us this year. Nice.

random thought wasn't it hilarious when Collinsworth called Brunell the x factor. That was the funniest thing I heard all year.

Thanks for the questions, Lavar. I'll try to be brief...
For me, it started with a passion for sports when I was a mere tot. Then, as I started reading more and learning about writing, I realized I could combine the two. I think that's pretty typical of how most of us get into this business. I've never worked in a section other than sports, altho I've considered it several times. I always realize that I'm happiest here with the insane hours and workload and the microscopic attention that people pay to sports. It really is the best job in the world.
Bloggers' typos and such don't bother me, but I do edit menus and stuff.

P Diddy:

Best non-alcoholic drink for the cocktail party scene:

Tonic Water with Lime, on the rocks.

Looks like a drink. Acts like a drink. Lasts awhile like a drink. (Tastes somewhat bitter so it lasts longer for most people. Some people like me actually like it - your mileage may vary.)

Cheers!

I actually drink club soda and lime quite a bit. And I usually only drink when I'm partying with friends. I never drink alone, and I rarely drink during the week (except in Barcelona and Vegas, both of which nearly destroyed me). This is actually not going to be that hard. The hard part is that Seattle is an inordinately dull town with nothing really to do other than go to bars.

It would be sheer lunacy to walk away from a guy with a name like Cleo Lemon.

Posted by: Jason's editor | January 1, 2007 02:23 PM

With Lemon on offense, shouldn't Jacksonville be required to have Ade on defense???

Ocho Ocho...that's BRILLIANT.

Not just BRILLIANT, that's GENIUS.

I'm still laughing. Great stuff.

The hard part is that Seattle is an inordinately dull town with nothing really to do other than go to bars.

I hit golf balls at a huge driving range in Seattle once. Other than that we just drank.

He just called the defensive line old.

Anybody got video yet?

No video.

He did say that there will be no GM.

I'm doing a little finger puppet show to St. Joe's audio. A bunch of fingers on one hand representing the fans. And a middle finger on the other representing the 'Skins.

Sucking up to Lloyd...That sucks.

This is not a Dexter Manley or Gary Clark in the making.

Oh yeah, and Archuleta's outta here!

LLoyd and Arch are staying. I guess we will see.

St. Joe should run for president.

Let the domination of free agency commence. We rule.

We will win the super bowl in March this year. We free agent our guts out.

P Diddy:

Excellent visualization - LOL - thank you!

I don't have the audio either, so I get to make up the dialogue as well. (Gibbs - "Since we are super-smart and you aren't, F you.")

How inconsequential is the Skins' presser? Unless I drifted off and missed it, ESPN News doesn't seem to have noticed that it was scheduled. Lots of college bowl game recaps, and Mangini and Saban presser coverage, however.

Best college play of the day: Gator Bowl - WVU vs. Ga Tech.

WVU snaps the ball but the O-Line stays in their 3-point stances; confusion ensues; WVU QB rolls left and throws for a touchdown while O-Line remains frozen. Brilliant!

(Actually, I think they just copied it from some of the Redskins D-Line schemes I saw this year.)

ocho, that is so genius that you should spell your name with two g's. and, yes, i am aware there are presently no g's in it.

USC cheerleaders are hot

I had only voice during the presser but that was ok.

I don't believe he said there would definitly not be a GM....he said they are exploring things. Or something like that.

Cindy, my goal for the new year (actually I've had this goal for quite some time) is to work in sports...it's my passion and I'm burned out with my present position. So if you know anyone in the sports industry seeking a salesperson (not retail :) please let me know!

If only NFL Films could do "tight spiral" footage of the 'Skins free agency war room. We could even be presented with the Norv Turner Trophy (a semi-realistic depiction of a trash can wrapped in aluminum foil). John Williams could score the background music, and we can have James Earl Jones utter the immortal line: "Here on the frozen tundra of Ashburn, Virginia, Redskins owner Dan Snyder pulled $20 million out of his butt and lit it on fire."

This is OUR TIME.

That is awesome....I love it....it would go great with crazy danny's emporium.

We could even be presented with the Norv Turner Trophy (a semi-realistic depiction of a trash can wrapped in aluminum foil)

P Diddy

LMAO!!!

"Here on the frozen tundra of Ashburn, Virginia, Redskins owner Dan Snyder pulled $20 million out of his butt and lit it on fire."

A slow-mo shot of Danny jogging out to Redskins One... Vinny C passing out videotape.

Anyone know what kind of plane Redskins One is?

Awkward moment of the New Year:

Jim Mora, Sr. discussing the firing of Jim Mora, Jr. on ESPN News.

Solid, ocgho-ocgho.

I believe Redskins One is a newer German model, called the Hindenburg.

Closest Call of the New Year:

Javon Walker was also in the limo at the time of the drive-by in which D. Williams of the Broncos was killed. (Walker was not injured.)

The Darrent Williams shooting is absolutely tragic. Everyone says he was a good dude. Very, very sad.

I can't believe Arch is going to stay here. Lloyd stormed past reporters yesterday? Hmmm

Also thought it was interesting that Gibbs says he fought hard to keep all the players we lost...well he did say the players that "wanted to keep" - does that mean he did not want to keep Clark?

Why did no one asked him about our salary cap problem?

On another note: how sad to get fired on New Years Day.

I seem to recall it's a Gulfstream.....found this gem from Shawn Springs.....I'm thinking that if any of you were woodworkers, you might have left a few splinters in the wood:

Springs, joking about how he has been spoiled by riding in owner Dan Snyder's Redskins One jet, which is outfitted with wood-grain toilet seats: "I can't fly commercial anymore."

Serious question/after-thought:

If an NFL player with a guaranteed bonus/salary is accidentally killed, what are the "cap hit" implications?

NFL head coaches have very nice golden parachutes. Their salaries are guaranteed. Plus, the League loves to recycle retread coaches, though Dennis Green may be finished at this point.

I feel worse for the assistant coaches, who once again have to pound the pavement looking for work.

BTW, anyone check out the University of Hawaii coaching staff? Pretty neat.

J-La great article today although now I have at least 10 of the problems on dealers list of maladies.

I take it nothing important was said in the presser big effin surprise.

Lloyd - there is one thing and one thing only to say about him BTCHI A$$ MOTHER FCKUER! Maybe the biggest of all time.

Here was my favorite part of the article - when Gibbs said you have to look at the team over 3 years and not one.
Duh okay Joe then let's look at the defense. 2004 #3, 2005 #9, 2006 - were we even ranked?

It's been a freefall. We're thin at every position like the article said and still you want to keep Williams around. If the last two games of this season didn't show what a colossal FUBAR defense we have then I don't know what does.

Exactly WHAT about the defense was good this year? And I don't mean passable or okay I mean GOOD? At this point I am even willing to give another team our first round draft pick if they'll take Williams. We're gonna give it away anyway for some ding dong FA.

Oh my god I am getting madder and madder and madder as I type this.

SERENTIY NOW SERENITY NOW SERENITY NOW SERENITY NOW SERENITY NOW SERENITY NOW BAMF BAMF BAMF BAMF BAMF BAMF BAMF

Oh hey Happy New Years guys.

Private jets are GREAT. Man, so much better than commercial travel. A NetJets subscription shouldn't be too out of the price range for someone with Shawn Springs's income.

Ocho-Ocho, you are rocking the mic today. And Diddy, strong as always. sfskin, Lisa, dealer, LavarWaltClark, and of course editor, all you guys and gals are keeping this thing rolling. Happy new year, everybody!

I just read about 1200 posts to get caught up. The past few days have been busy and fun, the Skins' loss notwithstanding.

Did I read correctly that Diddy has invited all the blog peeps to his luxury box for the Shehawks-Cowgirls game and then to a postgame party in his luxury condo atop the Space Needle?

I'm actually pretty excited to go to the game. Should be great to watch the Cowboys lose. I'm going to hang out at the lobby of W Seattle in case Carrie Underwood decides to make a guest appearance in town.

:-)

Okay now to get some perspective. D. Williams shooting is absolutely tragic. Of course these days you have to be an elite athlete or superstar to get any news coverage if you're a black man who gets shot in America. We all live in cities where it happens at least once a day.

Second we hit the 3000 dead mark in Iraq with our guys in uniform. Ugh. It will be a happy new year if we can get them home.

Okay wow now I'm just a gigantic downer. Sorry. I will now sing a happy song to make me and you feel better. Just imagine Whitney Houston pre crack days singing the Mna Mna song from the muppets.

sfskin,

I think if another team (college or pro) comes after our some of my coaches the Skins will let them go. But they are not going to fire them.

I think I've achieved the serenity now to which sfskin aspires. I know that nothing I do or say will affect this team's behavior one whit. Even though I wish they had done better this year, they didn't, and the season is over. We move on, and that's okay. I'm choosing to focus on the positives from '06, where I can find them.

Look, I am a fool for this team, just like most of you. Hopefully they will get things straightened out and make it work better next season without too much of an uproar; calamitous, dramatic, panicky changes and marquee signings have for the most part not worked for us. Some of the pieces in place are solid, some are not. But all the teams in this league are so close that a few tweaks in the roster plus a few breaks on the field can add up to a huge swing as far as wins and losses.

The schedule (the '07 opponents, I mean) has me licking my chops, wishing we didn't have to wait nine months to kick off the new season. I'm ready for Redskin football again.

mmna mmna doo doo da doo doo
mmna mmna doo doo doo doo
mmna mmna doo doo da doo doo
doo doo doo da doo doo doo doo doo doo

mmna mmna doo doo da doo doo . . . come on everybody

Happy New Year, Nate! And Congratulations for surviving your personalized three-day hazing (Friday night/Birthday night/New Year's Eve).

Nate - if I actually achieve a level of zen about this team then I'll have to find some other outlet for my insanity. I'm sure I will for a few months but it's so fun doing it here.
I feel we're a little like the blog equivalent of Jackass . . .let's see what this feels like. . .

sfskin, I hope you and everybody are with me in visualizing the Muppets version of the Mnah Mnah song or however it's spelled. That is a killer song. Thanks for planting that one in heavy rotation in my noggin for at least the rest of the day...

Lisa has an upcoming birthday? What's the date? As the most recently celebrated (taking the mantle from, I think, Diddy) I should lead the charge in celebrating the next. Anybody else coming up soon?

Capricorns represent! Heh.

Am I mistaken, or did JASON LA CANFORA come in here with four posts in under 48 hours?

Like a silverback gorilla asserting his authority over the pack, J-La has made it clear that this is and shall remain his blog.

Is there anyone who would actually want to take the HC jobs in Arizona and Oakland? Talk about coach killers.
Still I think Gregg Williams would do an excellent job in either location.

I'm thinking the Cinci job might open up too. I'm a fan of Lewis but three 8-8's and all the arrests well not good not good.

Can a silverback gorilla be accurately characterized as "super-conscientious"?

Nate, my birthday is January 17th (horrors!)

All: Gibbs is on NBC4 right now...he is quite angry and said that what Jason wrote is INACCURATE. Especially the comment about Rock Cartwright who he says he would trust with his life. He also said he was on the phone with Pierce, Clark, and others to the bitter end trying to get them to stay.

He said that he realizes since we are 5-11 that the organization will be criticized but asked they his entire tenure be viewed in terms of keeping the "core group" instead of this season.

I don't think Jason will be welcome at the Park anymore.

Oakland's Al Davis almost always defaults to having former offensive coordinators as head coaches, trying to recreate the glory years of Cliff Branch, et al. I would expect him to make a run at Whisenhut of the Steelers this year.

Arizona, on the other hand, needs lots of help on defense. Grilliams would be an excellent fit as the new Cardinals head coach.

(Talk about certain people deserving one another: Grilliams + Bidwell = Perfect!)

"I don't think Jason will be welcome at the Park anymore."

Posted by: Lisa | January 1, 2007 06:00 PM

Uh-oh. Sounds like the blog name may have to change to "Redskins Outsider".

I get dibs on Jason's parking spot at Redskins park.

What are they going to do? Take away the WashPo's season tickets?

Well, the season is over and I'm pretty sure Jason will be on a different beat next season. He probably wants desperately to be on a different beat.

That being said, Gibbs was quite agitated and basically said the article was BOGUS.

Lisa, I am out here, safe and sound, and given Coach Joe any opportunity to have it out with me over the article. I am sitting around doing nothing here, again, just to give them a chance to vent if need be.

Been here 4 hours; no one has said a word. If the story was INACURATE, I think I would have heard something.

Will keep you posted.

Draft order:
http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2715578

Joe can be agitates all he wants, and he has that fraud George Michael to do his dirty work for him. But I'm not bought and paid for and that article is totally legit. He may not like, but that captures what people in this organization think and feel, as uncomfortable as it may be.

There is one clause about Rock Cartwright in like a 2,000 word story. If that's the gripe, so be it. They were worried that he fumbled too much to be an every down back if need be due to injuries. There is no slight in that and Rock would be the first to admit he put the ball on the ground too much in the past.

I have been on the receiving ends of tirades out here before, and have received no such reaction today. That tells me all I need to know. Whatever they say to house organs like the website and Channel 4 is of no consequence to me. They exist for a reason entirely different than what we do at The Post, namely, journalism.

Marching bands should be prohibitted from playing Led Zepplin. (Speaking of the Hindenburg - that was hilarious, editor!)

They may have to extend halftime to get all of "Stairway to Heaven" in.

Jason, Gibbs did not point you out exactly...did not even mention the Post (I don't believe) but G. Michael mentioned "what was written" and specifically mentioned Rock so I took that to mean it was your article.

***News Flash***
Ashburn, VA
01/01/07

"Washington Post Company purchased by Daniel Snyder"

In a surprise announcement late this afternoon, Daniel Snyder, owner of the Washington Redskins, announced that he has purchased The Washington Post and its affiliated media properties. This appears to be the next step in consolidating Snyder's burgeoning media empire, based in Washington, D.C.

While the financial details of the deal are still emerging, it appears that no draft picks were involved. Knowledgable insiders noted that while Snyder may have paid significantly more than market value for the Post properties, the excellent past performance and "core qualities" are "well worth the price".

In an unrelated announcement, veteran sportswriter Jason La Canfora of the Washington Post has been promoted to the position of Senior Beat Writer and assigned exclusively to the Baltimore Orioles, effective immediately.

If this halftime were any longer, the roses would die.

In order of preference, here are my three favorite George Michaels:

1. George Michael from Arrested Development
2. George Michael formerly of Wham!
3. George Michael of WRC-TV

Jason, I know a great lawyer if it comes to that. His name is Bob Loblaw.

Kelli Johnson just asked Saunders if he is interested in any of the head coaching jobs out there...he laughed and said "hey, we were only 5-11 - I'm concerned with turning that around."

J-La, if there were any doubt about it, THIS community of Skins fans absolutely has your back.

It's not only justified but should be expected to have such criticism in the wake of such a season. If anything, the Skins should acknowledge how fortunate they are to have WaPo's precise, reasonable, deliberate, constructive criticism based on facts, versus the sort of garbage that is swilled by some outlets (viz, NYC papers).

Thanks again for keeping the beat and keeping it strong. May the Force be with you in '07.

God, "Arrested Development" was great.

Every single thing on that show was laugh out loud hilarious. The banana stand, the stair car, Buster's hand, all of it. Amazing.

I (heart) Strawberry Shortcake.

Nate, Gibbs did say that he expected criticsm and that it was warranted after a 5-11 season - just not to that extent.

Jason, Buges is very upset as well. He said there may be truth to some of it but most of it is fiction. He also seems most concerned about the statements about Rock and Ladell.

Jason great story. You did not give in to the spin. I remember when Rock Cartwright fumbled in early in the year, I think Jacksonville or Houston, and Gibbs yanked him. He and Betts have fumbling problems. So Gibbs stretches the truth all the time because he thinks of the fans as sheep and he is the Shepherd. "No loud noises in the paper Jason, might spook the sheep".

Your coverage is right on the mark. I'd like to see you back covering the team next year. Since we all live in/around Washington, which is genrally associated with laws and bill of rights etc. I would like to suggest someone pull together a Redskins Fans Bill of Rights...the headline entry would read "full time employment of a proven football mind as General Manager, always moderating the money making aspirations of the owner and the win now desires of the coaches"...it might also contain league market index rules on the prices of; Beer, Hotdogs, Parking, training camp...and so on. The Redskins price must be at or below the leabue mean. With enough signatures, it could be forwarded to Sir Danny, the CEO.

Since all fans are customers, and Dan probably feels the need to run an IS0-compliant organization, the signed customer requests would have to be noted and saved and referred to/considered when designing future products and setting prices.

Sung to the tune of "No Secrets" (note to MV - loved your revised lyrics to my hit "You're So Vain" but there was no need to change the opening line - it perfectly describes our arrogant genius assistant head coach!)

We have no draft picks
We gave Denver everything
Shutdown corners, early rounders in the past
And Duckett, he didn't last
We signed a cast of busts from Arch to Lloyd
Brandon only graded high in Vinny's fantasies
And though Coach Joe knows talent better the more that he explores
Sometimes we wonder
Often we wonder
What a GM would see in that game film of yours

The draft room was cold
Our picks were gone but for one
Now we're longing for Marty and son
Wanting and needing no #1
Then some free agents came, we never asked for Al to come
He drank a pint of Danny's Kool-Aid rum
And later when Coach Joe told Al
His 700 page playbook was a bore
Sometimes we wish
Often we wish
Coach Joe kept Pierce in the Redskins core

In the name of super smart, in the name of what is fair
Coach Joe always answer fans' questions
But 5 and 11 doesn't answer our prayers
And though we know that its Coach Joe that we adore
Sometimes we wish
Often we wish
That GM Joe never, never, never knew
That Broncos' phone number of yours

I was in college in Philadelphia in the late 60s. George Michael was a rock and roll DJ on WIBG (formerly a regligious station). Needless to say, I was very surprised when I saw he became a sports anchor in Washington.

Since Gibbs says he needs to take a long hard look at everything. Why doesn't he look at what's really happening. They lost guys because they low ball them. They restructure every year their "core guys" and trade every pick for unproven free agent castoffs from bad teams. I understand the guy has to protect his team but instead of worrying about what's being written and attacking every single article why doesn't he attack the fact his team is terrible and we as fans are ticked off about it. Instead of making excuses he needs to find some answers and chasing every story that's written is not what's important. It seems they are more concerned with image than W's.

Besides it's someone who is their every day not someone just flying in for a quick hit.

Keep bringing it JLC.

JLC keep up the good work brother. Speak the truth and shame the devil. And if need be you know I will make that DC/VA run to cover your back.

I think it's unfair to say these guys don't want to win. Can you imagine the Napoleonic glee on "Mr." Snyder's face if he got to hoist the Lombardi Trophy on a dais in the middle of a field littered with raining confetti? And I think the desire to win still burns at the core of who St. Joe is. He's a football coach, always has been, always will be (despite the little diversion to the soap box derby thing in North Carolina).

The problem is that they have the wrong approach to building a winner.

I do think that we as fans also need to gain some long-term perspective here. This is a worst-to-first League these days. Who knows what next year will look like? If Portis, Prioleou, and Springs were healthy all year, who knows what this year wold have looked like?

Great article J-La...

I can't say I like all of these "anonymous" sources and league executives but so be it...

I don't know about you guys but I don't think the Redskins are that far away. 5-11 brings every decision under a microscope. I think next year will be the tell-tale year of how much Gibbs and his staff have learned. I know we have all these genious GM's and coaches on this blog, and much of the criticism is well deserved, but the coaches don't give up 237 yards from scrimmage, nor do they drop passes. I think the Redskins are damned if they do and damned if they don't. If they built a team through the draft then, we'd be impatient with how long that takes. We do it the way we've been doing it and we're inrresponsible. I say keep everybody in tact, and draft and sign free agents for depth. (except cornerbacks...we need one "shut down" corner and one nickel corner.

Keep giving us the goods J-La.

Amen...P. Diddy

People underestimate injuries and what they mean to a team. Yes we need depth, but for some of these idiots to make every player we ever let go into a hall of famer is ridiculous. Antonio Pierce was the only one who, to me, was a bonehead move.

Where was all of this hindsight when we:
1) Trades Coles for Moss(franchise record)
2) Champ for Portis(franchise record)
3) picks for Cooley(gets better every year, except stop dropping 3rd and 8's)
4) drafted...did I say drafted Sean Taylor

This upcoming season is my judgement season.

I can agree with your assessments sic and diddy still a little frustrated with the season that's all....by the way the truth and rumors section of SI seem to think the Bills are not going to let Clements walk away seeing that they are 39 million under the cap.

The "anonymous" sources was one thing Bugel mentioned having a concern with.

Mark, did you know that Mike Holgrem used to sing in a band before coaching? I saw a clip of this on American's Team - it was funny watching a young Mike Holgrem sing and dance...

Diddy, I agree. Every season is different and several teams who were picked to succeed this season failed while others who were thought to be losers have succeeded. I have hope....

J-La turns out nobody likes the journalist when they're on the bad end of a story. Anonymous sources aren't great but you've got no control over that. The thing that kills me is that people are getting upset about your article that implicitly calls into question your, Cindy's and WaPo's journalistic integrity. Umm if you were the New York Post maybe but otherwise shut up.

Also this team is 5-11 in 15 long years of crap with 2 happy exceptions. So I'm sorry but they deserve every ounce of criticism they get even St. Joe.

Last year we had success and then they go in and reshuffle the entire deck except where they needed to - QB. Why? Why? Why? And now we're supposed to have faith that this organization which has made some of the worst decisions in the league is going to figure it out in the off season?

A defense that is supposed to be even average doesn't give up nearly 1000 yards in offense in two games unless there are internal problems. I agree the players bear a huge part of the responsibility but they need someone to model leadership for them and while Gibbs may be doing that it's not enough to counteract the other stuff.

Name me the leaders on this team? Portis and Moss maybe but what about on D. I suppose in the days of free agency team loyalty is decreased and that is exacerbated by all the personnel merry-go-round shti the FO does.

I'm all for minimal moves in the off-season especially on offense. But I'm judging this team now cause as usual I'll be back next season no matter what. I figured Gibbs would have a successful turn around in 3 years and I didn't even think SB I just meant a consistently winning team but that hasn't happened so it's time for everyone in that organization to stand up and take responsibility and put up or shut up.

Crap now I'm mad again.

Mnah mnah doo doo da doo doo . . .

Strangely enough, Ernest Byner was on Monday Night Live (the Redskins Show) and he said he wants to open up the RB starting position to competition....let Clinton and Betts compete for it. I thought it shocking he would say that - especially on TV. Does not mean Gibbs will go for it, though.

Jason's editor....

Why does the article "Gibbs Holds Final Team Meeting" link to the boxscore of the Gints game? Broken link?

Lisa - ugh don't even say that outloud. Byner needs to shut up. Portis should be starter now period. He's done everything the team asked including rushing back from an injury that screwed him for the rest of the season.

Hmm if I don't drive a Chevy does that mean this is NOT my country?

Great article, Jason. Lots of anonymous sources, but when multiple sources are saying the same thing, that takes care of the problem, in my opinion. It's been a lot of fun reading this blog in an otherwise frustrating season.

sfskin, I think you hit on the all-important subtext of those Chevy ads. If you're not driving a Chevy, the terrorists have already won.

I like the infux of new blood on the board the past few days. New posters, a lot of variety, spicing up the conversation. A good sign for the offseason.

Has anyone noted how cool it is to be in the first division to send 3 teams to the playoffs in one season? Come on, you have to admit that is cool, and it casts our poor division record in a slightly more satisfying light. Cold comfort, like just about everything right now, but I'll take the good where I find it.

Is it too early to make a prediction for next year's record? 10-6 and wild card. Print it.

Isn't it funny that Washington has 2 administrations that have failed miserably: Snyder/Cerrato/Gibbs and Bush/Chenney.

J-La, it would be very interesting if you could do an article that compares the two groups, as the similarities are plentiful:

Both groups surround themselves with their cronies and 'yes' men (Bush/Chenney with Rumsfeld and other buddies from his daddy's regime; and Snyder with his puppet Cerrato, Gibbs with his coaching pals from Gibs I)

Both groups talk about 'staying the course' when current strategy is clearly wrong (Iraq is as much of a disaster as the Redskins personnel moves)

Both groups make public statements that contradict their actions (Bush promised to be a 'uniter' and a 'man of God' but he acts extremely divisive and unethical; Gibbs talks about keeping core Redskins, and then cuts Pierce, Coles, LaVar, Smoot, Harris, etc.)

Both groups have evidence of 'cover ups' and corruption (Bush/Chenney with lies about WMDs, wire tapping, Enron, Haliburton, etc., and Snyder/Cerrato/Gibbs with the LaVar and Archuletta fiascos)

Both groups are finally getting backlash for years of unfulfilled promises (voters kicked Republicans out of congress and fans are calling for a full boycott of the Skins)

After the American people communicated their displeasure to Bush in a way that even HE could understand (the mid terms), Rumsfeld was gone...
Maybe, just maybe, if we get this boycott rolling, Snyder/Gibbs will get rid of Cerrato and bring in a real GM.

I may be alone in this but I hope the Baltimore Ravens lose in their first playoff game. I like McNair but never really think of him as a Raven and I'm sick to death of Ray Lewis saying they are the best team in the NFL.

Ugh...back to work tomorrow....

Sad But True, I agree with the general gist of what you're saying, except for this statement:

>>> "Iraq is as much of a disaster as the Redskins personnel moves"

People are dying in Iraq because of the Bush Administration's hubris and incompetence. The only thing dying in DC because of the 'Skins failures is the gleam on St. Joe's legacy.

FYI - Kelli Johnson of Comcast (yes, guys I know you know who she is :-) did an interview with Gibbs (no questions off limits) which will be aired later in the week. However, a "snippet" was just shown. In the snippet, Kelli asked him again about the GM situation. Gibbs said he is not opposed to it if Snyder and the others in the organization think it is the way to go and it is something they will continue to discuss (or words to that effect).

P-Diddy, Very good point...Thank you for calling this to my attention.
I was trying to compare the failed Iraq strategy (if we even have one?) to the failed Redskins personnel strategy...
I did not intend to imply that the frustrations of being a Redskin's fan is at all comparable to the horrible situation in Iraq for our troops, their families, and our country as a whole.
I apologize for not clarifying this in my original post.

No worries, SbT. I got what you were trying to convey, but I think a comparison like that requires a bit more precise wording.

SbT, Diddy, earlier I was trying to craft a post comparing J-La and his peers to embedded war reporters. Something about how their ability to get real, unfiltered information directly from the front lines to us at home -- minus the spin provided by the generals and leadership away from the front -- is critical to our development of a much richer understanding of these complex (but completely different) situations.

But I couldn't figure out a way to word this without diminishing the importance, profundity and very real danger intrinsic to the Iraq experience. SbT, you cleared the way for me to make this awkward comparison. Thanks.

Again, just glad we have access to Redskin Park by way of Jason. That inside dope, combined with the dialogue we engage in up here, have made this the most enjoyable bad Skins season in years.

P Diddy:
"People are dying in Iraq because of the Bush Administration's hubris and incompetence"

Sorry, I know we don't want to turn this site into a political one. But people are dying in Iraq because brutal thugs opposed to democracy and freedom are killing folks.

You know, like those that committed 9/11? Al-qaeda? They're in Iraq killing folks. Along with the Iraqi Baathist fascists that brutally ran the country for decades?

Sure, criticize the Bush policies. That's fine and legitimate. But let's not give a pass to the real folks causing the mayhem and violence in Iraq.

And it's not the neocons or Bush folks, my friend.

Again, sorry for the non-Redskins content. Last one from me. I'll keep shut if you wish to response.

Thanks. Happy New Year.

Well done, Sad but True!
The comparisons between the two failing groups were right on point.
I must say, I never thought I'd stop voting for the Republicans until 'W' became president, but now I just can't 'vote my party' anymore--actually, I can't even say the Republicans are 'my party' anymore--
and who knows, if things keep going this way for the skins, maybe in a year from now I'll be writing that 'I never thought I'd stop cheering for the Redskins'

Can: Open
Worms: Everywhere
Let's keep this to a Redskins/football blog.
Remember, any energy spent going back and forth on politics is energy that could be used to hate on the Cowboys!
DYK: Dallas has only 1 victory over a team that finished over .500?

Why is the media so far up Dallas' butt that they need a tour guide and a flash light to find their way out?
They beat nobody this year, except the Colts who are a flawed team, and that was a close game in Dallas (Colts also lost on the road to the 3 non playoff teams: Jags, Titans and Houston)... yet everyone is sooo eager to crown them the team to beat. Why?
Dallas gets beat by the worst team in the NFC, in Dallas, and all I hear on ESPN is "this is a good thing for Dallas to lose like this, it will help them in the playoffs"
Are you kidding me?
Is everyone afraid of Parcells or something?

Steve Sunni and Shiite Muslim been killing each other since the death of Prophet Muhammad. (peace and blessing of Allah be upon him) That's over 1400 years of fighting. So for Bush and his crew to think that they are going to come in there and solve this problem shows how off course they are.

Also go back and study who provide weapons and money to Iraq and Sadaam during the Iraq and Iran war. Also go back and do some research on who provided training and funding for OBL during Afghanistan and Russian war.( Does Oli North should ring a bell with you) We have to take responsibility for our actions.

I may be in the minority here, and I'm hardly an optimist on things Redskin, but I truly believe that the Gibber/Snyder is going to shake up the personnel org.

The move could be as simple as adding a scouting director type and a few scouts to Ceratto's current team (a minor move) to something in between, like sending Vinny packing, or the extreme measure of hiring a GM.

Frankly, I believe that Snyder needs to do something to make himself feel like he is addressing "the lost season." Just like the surprising Saunders move last year, I think that this crew will go for the bold move. I do believe that they see the issues they've created through the current way of doing business and will try to respond somehow. I'm not saying that what they do will be the right thing (my gut is that whoever they add will have his authority undermined midseason when Vinny is called back by Snyder as a "consultant") but when Gibbs talks about "a process" it usually means that something is going down. Look at all of the big developments in the past few years, from the Bryan Johnson trade in 04 to Lavar, to Coles, and so on, when Gibbs talks about "a process" something is going down. When something isn't going down (TO, Randy Moss, Gibbs car accident, Gibbs is usually pretty unequivocal.

Anyhow, this is simply my take on things. I'll become optimistic if someone with a feel for VALUE and a focus on the long term is added to the personnel dept in any capacity. If Ceratto is sent packing I'll dance the jig.

Either way, it would be totally out of character for Gibbs to stand pat.

Ok, here are two attempts to change the subject. And I am guilty of making one of the flawed comparisons which got us pointed in a not-as-much-fun direction.

1. Boise State is leading Oklahoma 21-10 at the half. You gotta love seeing a non-BCS conference team taking it to a 'traditional powerhouse'. Especially this gang of donkeys from the blue turf in Boise. Love these dudes.

2. I know somebody noted this above, but I thought it was hilarious that Bryant Gumbel kept referring to "Odie Jimoh." It must have sucked for the Jimoh family watching at home, but it was funny. The only person place or thing named Odie I can think of is the dog in 'Garfield.' By the way, has Jimoh been cut yet, or do they wait a little bit before whacking dudes?

TB, great points above. I am inclined to agree with you, especially because we know Gibbs is staying (which has never been in doubt as far as what Gibbs has said, as Lisa reminds us) and we have to hope for the best he and Snyder can come up with.

One thing not commented on so far is that Snyder could be a real wild card here. I think he's been waiting for the offseason, because he has been like a dormant volcano all year. Not as many shots of him emoting in the owner's box, no stories about him tearing down to the locker room, really nothing at all to indicate he made a big fuss during this season.

But just because he's keeping a lower profile doesn't mean he isn't feeling immense frustration about the failure of this season. Finishing 5-11 in a very weak NFC has to just be crushing him. I wonder if he will assert himself more than he has before during Gibbs II. At some point he's going to explode like that dormant volcano.

A 93 year old man on his death bed asks his 92 year old wife if she ever cheated on him during their 72 years of marriage. She doesn't want to answer but he insists saying he has to know before he dies. She says, "Remember when the IRS audited you and a week later the audit was canceled and you even got a refund?" He says, "Well one time in 72 years isn't that bad." So she says, "Well wait a minute. Remember that time you got fired during the holidays and a week before Christmas you got your job back plus a raise?" The old man was hurt but says, "Two times in 72 years that's still not that bad." She says, "Well hold on. Remember the time you wanted to be elected president of your country club and you needed 48 votes?"

A happy and prosperous NY to you all.

this falls under "sad but true":

i know some people, hardly a friend to them btw but they refuse to watch sports. they claim that it's the "man's" way to keep you from concentrating/knowing what's going on with things that really matter like the wars, politics.

look at us for example we spend so much time disecting player/coach interviews. i just spent 45 minutes listening to the same BS el presidente has talked about for 3 years now. [and btw, we aint going nowhere with this FO next year neither!]

when was the last time we watched a presidential candidate's interviews on "meet the press" and on other shows to create an informed opinion of him/her? i stopped because 5 hours of fuball pregame shows were much more fun. and do you think we would be electing the same people in office if we had spent all that time researching our candidate?

we depend on our fav. networks to tell us what they think of candidates. they shove it down our throat and we swallow without even taking our eyes off of a single play.

seriously how often are we wrong with our votes? don't you think our ancestors were right when they didn't give the masses any "vote" in how to run the kingdom? now idiots like me have the power to elect a King. wouldn't you want your King to earn his stripes? and if the King was doing badly i'm sure his advisors would have him killed or overthrown in no time.

yes, i'm being sarcastic but what got me thinking about this was Skins. and how insanely bulletproof this franchise is. skins will always make money, no matter how much they suck because there are 7 million people living just in this area, and probly millions that have moved out of this area, that need a distraction, from life.

but yes, please please boycott their merchandise, that's the least we can do. yes, even the new "classic 'R' t-shirt". yes, it looks good but fight your urges!

and ohh after listening to the presser i came away with this:

#8 will be back (i don't want to piss anyone off by telling them what i really think he will come back as ;)

and skins will continue to suck...unless there's a major change in philosophy in talent acquisition.

i want to write more but need to sleep...

One thing not commented on so far is that Snyder could be a real wild card here. I think he's been waiting for the offseason, because he has been like a dormant volcano all year.

That is a very good point Nate. I only hope explode all over double G candy ass.

#8 will be back (i don't want to piss anyone off by telling them what i really think he will come back as ;)

You just did Dealer. I saying it right here and right now. If Brunell starts next year I am not going to cheer or watch this team!And I will lose all respect for Coach Joe.

Nate, I think you may be on target about Snyder. In every interview (the presser, George Michael, Kelli Johnson) Gibbs has stated that he has been talking with "Dan" a lot the last few days and it started immediately after the last game. Even though Snyder is a money maker and not a Jerry Jones media hog, he does want to win.

tb, i'm with you too. something's going down. and really if we, insane fans, are talking about boycotting his merchandise, snyder has to feel that there's something "off" about what he's doing. he's tried EVERYTHING. and nothing's worked.

but i don't believe in gibbs as the savior that he portrays himself to be. he's here cuz they offered him insanely more amount of money than anyone else did and insanely more control than any other fool of an owner would ever allow. and his cronnies would be making $0 if they weren't here with gibbs. i would love to be his posse.

jm, there's no way he's coming back as the starter. i was just going to say that looks like he's coming back as the backup to JC.

but did you see him on saturday? do you want that to backup your QB? his shoulder might be hurt but...well did you hear what CC said on tv about him trying to pick up that first down?

does anyone know if jason (of this blog) made it home okay?

Dealer I would like to see Brunell cut. But with the salary cap hit we will take with AA or B Llody being cut. I don't see Brunell being let go as well. Hate to sound like Lisa but we stuck with him so no need to waste energy talking about it. lol

ohh btw, eagles is my team in the playoffs and they will win the SB this year. and it'll be so much fun to watch the whole D mcnaab and jeff garcia juggle next year.

and florida will beat Ohio next monday for the national title. why? cuz USC kicked UM's butt...

i hear you jm. but i don't think lloyd will be cut. i think they're trying to trade him. all that talk about lloyd and AA was all about talking them up to trade. they proly gonna have to eat up some salary...or can they do that in the NFL?

but yeah...i thought all that good talk about those two in the presser was building them up for trade/trade bait

wow! just read howard's article! It confirmed what I knew...Gibbs and Saunders weren't always on the same page. My summary is that Gibbs got away from his principles this year...plain and simple. I'm growing tired of all of these anonymous players and coaches. Yeah...they need to vent and give the "real deal" but WE WERE 5-11!!!! How about a defensive stop against Tennesee! How about some defense in the Atlanta game!

It was a good article by Howard...but with all of these anonymous sources...you think they can find out who killed Tupac and Biggie???

I think the glass is half full not half empty. Pounding the ball to set up the big play passing attack is redskin football.JC continued developement and abilty to be the teams franchise qb is the most important element in building a consistent playoff calibur team. That in itself will help lesson the pain of the idiotic player moves the team has made over the past several years.Build the defense from the front back think manley ,mann, butz and grant.Pressure from your front four makes everything else, coverage and blitzes better.

Hey guys...what do you think about this? How involved do you think Dan should be during the season. Should Dan have gone to Gibbs sooner and demanded a change at QB? I suspect that Gregg Williams is in more hot water than we think. I truly beileive that the offense is on the rise, but the defense regressed. Do they get a mulligan after two seasons in the top ten. I say no...I think Williams has some 'splainin to do.

I take exception to that "anonymous" league executive that questioned whether a "run first" offense can work and that this is a "pass first" league. That's crap...The NFL is about mashing mouths and mixing up the pass. That's why the Colts have not won the superbowl. They are pass first...run second

Oh yeah...has anyone discussed that brining in a GM is not like changing cleats...it takes time to evaluate the current talent and coaches and get on the same page with an owner who didn't want one to begin with. Also, it could mean coaching changes and "blowing up" the team. I'm not against a GM...just be careful what you wish for.

Anyone up watching the Fiesta? Wow, what a game.

I think the glass is quite full on offense. If Soups really does spend the off season throwing 1000 passes to Moss and ARE and even Lloyd (although let's send him to Oakland) and working on his technique I think we're going to be generally pretty good and in many cases tough to beat.

But then there is the defense. I know I've been harping on it all day but I really believe this unit needs some overhauling in players, schemes and attitude and I know I know I know he probably isn't going anywhere but I really think Williams has to go. jm has been calling it for weeks that these guys aren't playing for him and I'm not sure how you change that.
By the way where was he Saturday? There were no shots of him on the sidelines.

Also the NYTimes had a scathing critique of Bryant Gumbel today it was hysterical.

As far as the politics stuff goes I'm as big a political junkie as I am a Skins junkie and let me tell you that one of the hardest parts of my job as a civics teacher right now is getting kids to believe that this political system and government is worth paying attention to and getting involved in. The hubris of this administration has spilled out into so many areas of our government and we're potentially at a tipping point of American influence and power. We are going to be recovering for years to come.

I am currently watching Mad Hot Ballroom which is a documentary about public school kids in NYC learning and competiting in ballroom dancing and it is awesome! This movie shows so many of the reasons why I teach and why I love kids. Everytime I think the world is doomed they remind me that there is a group of people coming up behind me who are going to do some serious a$$ kicking.

This might be the best game ever.

Anonymous sources are a necessary evil and a staple of modern journalism. It's easy to sit on your couch and tell someone to attribute their name to their opinion, but when doing so jeopardizes food on the table or their kids' college educations or relationships they've built over time, they aren't going to do it. That's why we have First Amendment protections for journalists and their sources, it's why we have whistleblower laws, and it's why we're able to get the truth where we otherwise wouldn't.

Granted, the veracity and reliability of those sources can't be determined when they're anonymous, that's why you have to determine for yourself how much faith and trust you want to place in the media outlet. For example, I trust the journalistic integrity of the WashPo, and don't trust a thing I read on Wonkette or PerezHilton.com (though it is entertaining).

Again, it's up to you to decide if you want to believe what Jason, his editors, and the WashPo have printed.

BTW, as someone who constantly has to contend with anonymous sources being quoted in articles about my business, I'll tell you his: it's absolutely a waste of time to even attempt to track them down. Often, they're right or at least their point of view is right.

I suspect that different levels of the 'Skins organization have different perspectives on this year. The truth is, they stink and their approach is not working. That's undeniabe, even by St. Joe. The difference of opinion lies in what each constituency within the organization believes is the root cause and/or solution. That's to be expected in any organization consisting of more than one person.

Great article today on Saunders and Gibbs.

Jimmy Johnson and Barry Switzer so close they could be wearing the same suit. So great, who makes this stuff up?

HOLY COW, what a Fiesta Bowl. WOW.

Oh God, that proposal is unreal. LOVE IT.

I don't like the proposal Did. It's tacky. Obviously it was pre-arranged, otherwise there's no camera there, and there's no chance of her saying no. That was just dumb. But the rest of the game was amazing.

He proposed to a really hot cheerleader. That's the part I love.

You're right though, tacky. About as tacky as proposing on a scoreboard.

I think I'm going to propose to a Seagal at this weekend's game...

That was one of the wildest college football gams I have ever seen. What an ending. That's just awesome for Boise State.

Always trust Earnest Byner. If he says Betts and Portis should compete, then so be it. Maybe if Portis thinks someone's chasing him down for the number one spot he won't pull himself out on third and 1.

"I completely understood and agreed with the decision," Saunders said of the decision to name Campbell the starter. "They paid a lot of money for Jason. They traded in the draft to get him. They had a lot invested in him. The time was right to see what the young man could do. I feel bad for Todd because he sort of got caught in the crosswinds. Decisions were being made that affected him that he really could not control."

They, they, they. Saunders has not bought in....

Well, at least maybe the articles will stimulate changes within the organization. Bugel and Gibbs admitted reading yesterday's article. Pretty sure Snyder did as well.

I'm from the syracuse, ny area and it seems like i'm missing out on a lot of info that you guys have with interviews and all that. Is this all from local radio and tv or are there some other decent online sources for all this?

Had to wait a few days before this post,you know they say if you blog while you're upset,you might blog some things you dont really mean,but after 2 days nothing has changed ,so here goes:Reality hit me in the face hard Saturday night.I mean hard like Holdman meeting Brandon Jacobs one on one in the hole hard.How we let Tiki come up in here and run for 200 and change like he was EmmittDickersonBrownPaytonSanders III was absolutely absurd.And then GrillzManboobs comes on Comcast answering questions with an attitude like someone has the nerve to question him about this defense that he wrote,produced and directed.And you guys who keep defending letting Pierce go by saying his numbers dont match what NY is paying him,SAVE IT!!!When you play with the kind of hellfire he does,numbers dont matter.You know why?Because he MAKES YOU HAVE TO DEAL WITH HIM,or he will deal with you.The play where we tried to run the fake reverse to ARE and dump the screen to Betthefumbles and Pierce dropped him for a 5 yard loss,as much as I love Gibby,all I could think was"thats what you get coach,thats what you get for listening to GrillzManboobs."

Big Pisano,

There are articles in the Washington Post which you can access online but I'm getting lots of info from local televisions shows here in DC.

soft or finess! We only use soft or finess with a woman. This is the NFC East baby. Bring the damn wood and leave the soft or finess for home.

The NFC East is about brutality, about kicking someone's ass," That's right!!!

And start the offseason by kicking double g ass out the door!

alright, thanks anyway. buy hey if anyone wants to know what's going on with the bills i'd be happy to help out

Any thoughts on what the Redskins should do with their #6 pick? I'm hopeful that they can arrange some type of trade back to garner more picks than they currently have. They definetly need to draft on the defensive side of the ball, but then, G-Will wont play them, so why bother?

jm220,

Maybe Williams will leave for ATL or AZ but I doubt it....maybe Oakland if Shell gets fired

i just heard on 980 that WAPO is reporting that jerry gray (the CB coach) is being considered for either the Texans or Texas Defensive coordinator position...

"they they they" yep. JC, CP aren't al saunders guys. and even after the "redskins football" talk...he still doesn't get it. he still goes thru crucials stretches of the game being weird Al (trying trick plays, reverses, giving up on run)

Question for JLaC/Howard:

Now what? Playoff coverage? Do you get paid seasonally or do you have an annual salary that takes into account the slave hours you work during the season. Last summer Jason had the world cup to cover, but what about this year? Are you responsible for keeping yourselves busy?

questions that still remain unanswered(from this past season):

1. why didn't they play Rocky Mcintosh?
2. what exactly happened with archie? [archie didn't get benched. lloyd got benched. archie got lavared. but why?]

dealer,

Jerry Gray has stated he would be interested in a position with one of the Texas colleges (the one he attended) but he had not yet been approached by them.

Steve Czaban is certifiably NUTS! I need to stop listening to him because he drives ME insane. Where does he come up with the stuff he is saying?

JLaC:

you can't tell me that you believe for a second that if the Redskins had stood pat that they would have had a dominating season this year. I get the players saying that, but you can't believe it as offense stunk last year and special teams was no great shakes either. . .

No doubt, what they did do, certainly did not work out this year. that's been beaten to death. But I also don't buy that we had to stand pat. I think you nailed it yesterday saying that the talent evaluation part of the organization needs more talent and maybe more organization.

If we are going to criticize, let's focus on the fact that the redskins are trying to implement an approach that they can't pull off with the current cast of characters they have in the talent evaluation side of the organization.

jm et. all, why are you guys harping on double G and not al saunders? like i said the D was missing 5 starters! FIVE! that's almost half the D!!!!!!! name one coach in the league that'd have done better with 5 scrubs?

AND KNOWING THAT!!!!!!! Weird Al only thought about his 700 page playbook and didn't care to protect the D when calling plays. WTF IS THAT?????????