1st

Hard to argue with any of that. The truth hurts -- especially when it comes to our horrendous defensive line. I still can't believe Vinny "I don't believe in drafting defensive linemen" Cerrato not only still has a job but apparently has real influence. And yes, that is an actual quote from Vinny.

But here's the thing: for whatever reason, I still think the skins have a decent shot at the playoffs this year. Did any team in the NFC East really look that much better than us last year? McNabb is a major question mark in Philly, Dallas has a new coach, and the Giants had a miserable offseason -- and Campbell clearly looked like the better qb when he faced Eli last year.

So, you know, who the hell knows? But we obviously need a GM.

If I am first Great, if not I don't care:
Substance:
I think that this is a very down on ourselves article. I think we have 2 good LB, in Washington and I-Mac. and I hope Carter works out on DL they are not mentioned here (well Wash is)

If I am first Great, if not I don't care:
Substance:
I think that this is a very down on ourselves article. I think we have 2 good LB, in Washington and I-Mac. and I hope Carter works out on DL they are not mentioned here (well Wash is).

"Don't worry, we have a plan"...

What? That doesn't make you feel better?

YACK!!!!!!

Hey who ya'llthink will win the series, O's or Nat's? Skins or Ravens in the Preseason game? By the way, I think we should play the Skins-Ravens game somewhere other then their stadium like Annapolis, RFK or UMD.

From the last post, I will break character. I listened to that Portis interview. If this is still the situation that he explained this year, we will lose miserably this year.

Winning attitude fosters a winning team. It sounds like this team has no winning attitude. When the chips are down, your leaders step up. Sounds like we dont have leaders.

I hope he was just being bitter because of his injury. But his attitude might be telling of who he is more than what our team is.

Too many fans -- most of them extremeskin moderators -- think hope is some kind of plan.

It's not.

Werd pretty much to all of this.

The truth has been spoken...HOWEVER!!!

That was last year, the offense has another year under Saunders...look at KC's offense the year Saunders cmae and them the next year.....

Gregg Williams has more quality depth in the secondary than he did last year. I think we can compete for a wild card. Will we?

Who knows thats why they play the games.

Werd pretty much to all of this.

The truth has been spoken...HOWEVER!!!

That was last year, the offense has another year under Saunders...look at KC's offense the year Saunders came and then the next year.....

Gregg Williams has more quality depth in the secondary than he did last year. I think we can compete for a wild card. Will we?

Who knows thats why they play the games.

Werd pretty much to all of this.

The truth has been spoken...HOWEVER!!!

That was last year, the offense has another year under Saunders...look at KC's offense the year Saunders came and then the next year.....

Gregg Williams has more quality depth in the secondary than he did last year. I think we can compete for a wild card. Will we?

Who knows thats why they play the games.

Shame on Cindy for letting this become the guest blog. Could you not find anything positive to put up? I think I'd be happier with no new post at all for the day.

Couldn't agree more. The FO is the glaring weakness, and Coach Gibbs is not helping, although he's in a position to do so, by being so concilatory to Vinny, despite his ineptitude. Truth is, the Skins are with the likes of the Lions, the Cards, the Browns, until they prove otherwise. Question for the gallery... if the Skins got a REAL GM with real GM authority, how long would it take to right the wrongs of the past ten years? 3? 5?

You see, this is why I sell my seasons every year... until Danny grows up, we'll continue to be the laughing stock.

I appreciate the effort and I doubt I have anything more profound to say, myself, but this is boring. I feel like this is same-old, same-old: A Cliff's Notes version of the last six months of RI, without the hate and vulgarity.

The last sentence, amounts to "do things right" and, at least to my mind, sums up the way the Redskins handled this off-season.

This guest blog recycles about six month's worth of negative interpretations of the 'skins, without adding anything new to the debate.

Ok, sure, the 'skins have personnel issues in several areas, most glaringly at the D-line, but this point has been made everyday since close to the start of last season.

The 'skins FO has made 10 years worth of questionable personnel decisions - again, a point raised often (especially by JLC himself). This is a bit debatable, because there have been some draft and FA success stories (Samuels, Cooley, Moss, etc.), but its a fair (and often voiced) argument.

What the guest blogger really misses is the lack of a unifying vision/philosophy on the part of the FO as a whole over the last 10 years. This is supposedly what Joe Gibbs has been trying to address - with only mixed success (as judged by record and post-season appearances). With so many changes over the last decade in coaching and FO management, there has not been a consistent vision at work over this period. Even Gibbs brought in an entirely new offensive system last season, and changed the management structure of the coaching staff to accomodate the addition of Saunders. These kinds of wholesale changes still suggest that there has continued to be a lack of long-term vision even under Gibbs' leadership.

I suggest that EVERYONE listen to the Portis interview linked to on the previous blog. It is the second one down the list.

Jack may be a pessimist, but after hearing that, I am too. Disturbing, sad, patehtic state of affairs for the old burgundy and gold.

MOVE BACK TO DC. IMPEACH SNYDER!!

Jack - Good post and all, but it's easy to criticize a team, coaches, FO, etc., after a 5-11 season. If the team went 11-5 last year and made it to the NFC championship game, you'd be singing a different tune about Vinny, Danny, and Joe. If the Skins brought in 3 solid D-lineman and we still go 7-9 this year, fans would find another reason to blame on the record. What I'm saying is that any descent and halfway talented team can compete in the NFC if they stay healthy and execute. The coaches obviously know something about our current D-line that we don't or they certainly would have addressed the need a little more this off-season. As always, let the season play out and hope for the best, just like every year.

....tumbleweed....

nice guest blog.......only problem is that Raymer has been gone for awhile from our O-Line. Perhaps you are referring to Rabach?!

Jack, thanks for putting this together, glad to have this thoughtful piece to mull over on a Friday. 4 TCCLs to you for stepping up with a guest blog.

I'm choosing faith over doubt. For most of the critical pieces you cite as risks and weaknesses -- QB, O line, secondary -- I'm a glass half full guy. Campbell emerging as a solid, steady hand at QB. The O line healthy and thriving with a reinvigorated run game. Springs, Smoot, Rogers; Taylor, Landry.

I am still perplexed that we have done nothing to improve the D line this offseason, because they were such a glaring weakness last year. As with the secondary, I'm counting on health and better production this season.

And my faith in Coach Joe is unshaken. And I believe year two of Saunders/Gibbs will be far better than year one.

As for your last sentence, where you list the items which should be the front office's best practices, wouldn't you agree that they've done almost all those things this offseason? The fact that we still hold all of our 2008 draft picks feels like a sea change from seasons past.

So the big question... what would be a successful 2007 season? I'm trying to balance my fanatical tendencies with the realities of playing ball up here, coming off a 5-11 season. I want us to be competitive in every game; to play with precision and fire; to stay around .500 all season; and to be contending for the division title into December.

HAIL!

35332 - O's take 2 out of 3. Tonight and tomorrow night, but drop Sunday's game to Nat's. Redskins vs Ravens in preseason? Who gives a flying ....! Sorry, just don't care about the preseason let alone the 4th game.

I think there is some exaggeration here. Granted that we need to improve the DLine but with the focus on going back to the cover one/ 46 type defense the Line only has to occupy Olineman to let superior LB's and the SS make plays (maybe that is why we concentrated on upgrading those positions) to say that we only have 6 above average players is just negativity to serve an agenda. I know that the Organization and ownership and the sports section of you paper have bad blood and i think that it reflects in a great deal of the reporting that goes on here by many of the "journalists". (btw LFB, Springs, Griff, Smoot, Randy T, Sellers, and probably Landry are all "above average" as you put it) So i think that we have as much talent as anyone in the league and the difference between winning and losing on the field will come down to the will of the men playing and the ability of the coaches to inspire them.
One last thing, I dont care what squabbles you and your paper have had with the ownership of the Redskins..its the team we all love and if you and your staff want jouranlistic credibility with your audience should stop writing and reporting everything about the team in the most negative way and start making your work less biased and filled more with crediable points to support any opinion or analysis.

....

Posted by: phatskins27 | May 18, 2007 11:49 AM

Hey there fella from the extremeskins propaganda site. had you taken the time to read it, you would know this is a guest blog, written by a fan. It was not written by JLaC or anyone associated with the paper. Opinions are always welcome up here, but you gotta come correct son.

"but how often do you see teams like the Patriots, Eagles, and Ravens let good young talent ever reach unrestricted free agency"

Just from memory, David Givens(Pats), Daniel Graham(Pats) Adalius Thomas(Ravens)Derrick Burgess(Philly), Jeremiah Trotter(Philly), I'm sure I'm leaving a LOT of names out.

We lost a Guard. I don't think anyone would call Dock a GREAT player. You don't over-pay for a guard.

Raymer?

"...But, Jansen, Samuels, Thomas, and Raymer have all had injuries and are all getting old."

Nice job Jacko. You are absolutely right, there are some pieces from which to build.

I hate to point back to my post yesterday, but we really need to look no further than a team like the 49ers. After finally hitting rock bottom, a storied franchise chose to blow it up. Vinny was at the wheel and successfully rammed the ship into many an iceberg.

Reborn with the hiring of Mike Nolan and Scott McLoughlan (VP Personnel), they have methodically and patiently rebuilt the team. Despite the cap constraints, in just a short 3 year period, most agree this is a team on the rise.

Are they there yet? Of course not. There is a lot in common between these franchises. The owners of the 49ers are no different than Snyder, never put a chinstrap on, loaded with money and opinion, but the Yorks decided to get out of the way.

With all due respect Nate, the Skins's restraint and full bevy of draft picks mean very little. As B Mitch has said, the Skins have had the smallest amount of draft picks since '02.

A respected personnel guy, running the show, would never let that happen.

I would argue that drafting Landry is a sign of a long term FO plan. The easiest path would have been to take the most highly rated DL available--probably Okoye. They could have plugged him in next to Griff and said to their fans "see, we fixed our biggest weakness." The fact that they resisted the temptation to do this and selected who they thought was the best available player says a lot, at least to me. A 5-11 team can't fix every problem in one offseason, especially when that team lacks draft picks. Keeping all of next year's picks is good sign #1. By taking landry and not addressing the DL, they are building for the future. Maybe next year we draft a top lineman. Maybe we address the position through free agency again. But regardless, by not trying to "fix" the problem with a stop-gap solution, I think the FO is showing signs of a new direction. Anyone think we couldn't use a big tall possession WR? Or a pass rushing DE? Or a run stuffing DT? Of course we need good/better players in those positions, but not all of this can be done in one year. Gibbs made a mistake in 06 b/c he thought we were THAT close. I think he learned his lesson and this offseason really proves that. We still need another year or 2 to become a "legit contender" but I like the direction they are moving in.

Great guest blog, Jack, but you start by saying there are 20 better teams and we aren't close to top 10, then say we have a shot at the playoffs?? Still only 12 playoff spots, right? The AFC may have more talented teams, but we only have to worry about one of them at the end of the season if you know what I mean.

"J.D. Gibbs, president of Joe Gibbs Racing, said last week that he'd like to talk to Earnhardt but indicated it might not be a good fit. JGR promotes a family values image, and Gibbs said the organization would have a hard time accepting Budweiser, Earnhardt's longtime sponsor."

At leasts the Gibbses are consistent....

Same old tired diatribe. Not sure why this was even posted (again?). Before the draft many we're saying that thay applaud the Redskins for "not making a big splash," and "they finally get it!" as far as how to run a front office. Which is it? Should thay have gone out in free agency and found a costly big name palyer for the d-line or be restrained? Should the Redskins have taken the sure thing safety,the one everyone said was the best defensive player in the draft, or one of the five or six "maybe" D-Lineman? Some one comes up to you and hands you two million dollars but then says you take the sure thing two million dollars or take whats behind door number one,two or three. What do YOU do. Me, I'm taking the two million. By the way, safety was a need for the team. The coaches seem to think that the young tackles will come through for them and a DE may still be added. As far as letting players get away, Dockery wasn't even considered to be a good player until last year. There was even talk of looking for a repacement. He had a good,not great contract year. I just don't think Bugle/Gibbs thought he was worth a long term investment. We'll see how things go for him in Buffalo. Ryan Clark ain't Leron Landry. Even for less money. Smoot came back after proving he wasn't worth the investment that the Vikings made in him. The only two uncontestable mistakes were signing AA and letting Pierce get away. Fletcher helps make up for Pierce but lots of money and cap room were wasted on AA. After looking over the schedule I could see the Redskins going 10-6 this year maybe better if the defense is middle of the pack or better. Do you really think the D will not improve. I'm confident they will.

Yeah, got the Raymer thing wrong, meant Rabach. Sorry, and guys, please note I said that I think they are gonna go 8 - 8 or 9 - 7 and possibly sneak into the playoffs in a weak NFC. And Greg, I wasn't saying overpay for him, I was saying extend him before you have to overpay for the youngest most durable starter on your line. Perhaps this came across as too negative, but what I was trying to add to the debate was asking all the looney tunes people in here who think we're going to the Super Bowl to calm down. Let's set a realistic goal of going .500 in Campbell's 1st year, drafting and signing well next offseason and contending in the future. I think if a GM was hired today, it would take 3 years to turn the roster around. And I'm sorry but you can't say this was a successful offseason when you dump Archuletta for a 6th rounder, and sign not a single D-lineman. You don't think that Archuletta could have rotated with a young Landry in the box in Williams new scheme better than anything we could have gotten in the sixth? and don't forget he was the personal protector on punts....lol

k squared, the point I was trying to make that so far in THIS offseason we've seen more responsible behavior from the front office. I didn't say that past front office malfeasance has been forgiven, just that I think we may finally have turned the corner.

Perhaps we have seen rock bottom and are now finding our way forward, following the same arc as the one you described for the 49ers. Perhaps Joe Gibbs is leading the franchise to a new era, marked by smart, steady, responsible conduct.

Would I like to see us have a great GM in place? Of course I would! Do I have any faith in Vinny himself? Heck no! But I do have faith in Joe to get this thing turned around and lay a foundation for our franchise.

Things will never change as long as Snyder is the owner. He won't hire a GM and he won't be patient with player/coach personell.
So you have 2 choices: either realize this is NOT the type of team you can support, or suck it up and deal with the reality that the Skins will be an all hype/no substance team of losers until Snyder passes the team on to another owner... which will probably be 30-40 years from now.

It's similiar to the Bush 'presidency'
Clearly, he is a failure, but if you are a 'loyal Republican' you can choose to support him no matter what (which 28% of the country does). OR, you can accept the facts and choose not to support Bush, even though doing so is 'disloyal' to your political party.

I'm not saying that you should become a Dallas fan if you decide that the Redskins have changed so much that you cannot support them... there are plenty of other teams that run themselves like the old Redskins (Steelers, Panthers come to mind)

I'm just saying loyalty has it's limits.

You know, I too amfully conscious of the 'skins +s and -s. That's the nature of following a team. But I am also an eternal optimist. That's the nature of being a fan. I despise the FO for their bone-headedness. I think Snyder is a fool with a lot of $s. Yet, I think he is sincere about winning and knows how to do so. It may take him longer still to figure out how to win a football as well as he learned at his other efforts. So, what's the point?

There are two ways to win in the NFL: be a shut down defense that never lets a game get away. be an offensive scoring machine that puts games out of reach. Both styles have won super bowls in the last decade. Balance, having both great D and great O is rare. The Redskins have the potential to be an O that puts games out of reach. The D should be able to keep pace somewhat. I look for a lot of scoring early in games and opponents having to paly from behind. That in itself will create opptys that last year's D never saw. If we have good to great special teams it will come from coaching and willing cannon fodder.

We're going to win a lot of games this season.

Jack - thanks for stepping up to the plate. You've articulated what we've all been saying for months but it's good to put it all into a package once again.

I'm with you. I'm hoping for a 9-7 with Soups having a break out year where he makes some colossal mistakes but is all in all consistent and getting consistently better.

I think the 49ers analogy is a very good one. The question becomes, if we do have a good season and go deep into the playoffs, do the Danny and My Cousin Vinny maintain restraint they showed this year OR do they return to their coked up days of crap? This question becomes especially critical if Gibbs leaves.

Say they go 10-6 and make it all the way to NFC championship game? And Gibbs leaves? It seems Gwilligan steps in and takes over without question. Now I know my Kool Aid drinking ways means I'll probably be jigging when this happens (gawd help me) but right now it makes me shudder.

Love em, I'm choosing to believe that Gibbs is leading Snyder away from those bad practices which marked the beginning of his ownership, the profligate spending and pursuit of bright shiny objects (big-name/low-impact FAs, Steve Spurrier).

I'm choosing to believe that Snyder wants to win big and win consistently as much as we do. It's not easy for me, but I really want to believe that even a man like Snyder can change his ways, especially due to the influence of Gibbs.

"Quarterback Jason Campbell will compete in the DirecTV NFL Quarterback Challenge in the Cayman Islands this weekend. It will air on ESPN on Friday, Aug. 3. The event also features Minnesota's Tarvaris Jackson, Detroit's Jon Kitna, Jacksonville's Byron Leftwich and San Francisco's Alex Smith. "

I'm not asking for big splash signings, exactly the opposite, I'm asking for solid signings to reasonable contracts, like Smoot and Fletcher, but they were a lot of relatively young D-lineman that weren't big names that we could have had and I didn't even hear of us pursuing one. How is that possible? How could you not want to address that unit? Please don't tell me that any of us by the Old Ball Coach's if we just coach em' up line. Sorry, I saw how that goes. You can't coach up undertalented players. Does everyone really think that another year, another round of injuries and surgeries is going to equate to guys like Daniels, Wynn, Big Joe, and even Griffin having better years than 2004? Sure, they might be a little better than last year if they stay healthy, big if but when your only backups are 6th and 7th rounders and a collection of journeymen at best and your relying on those guys to find the find the fountain of youth and durability to bounce back in my humble opinion your mis-managing your team and no GM in their right mind would have left that D-line as is.

I disagree with a few things that were stated in the guest blog.......

The mentioned above average starters:
-Portis
-Moss
-Cooley
-Samuels
-Washington
-Taylor

I would add Springs, and Randy Thomas to that list. I also would not be surprised to see Griffin perform at a high level this year, or LFB be pretty good.

Our starters are actually pretty good when healthy.....the problem is we were very thin last year, and needed to stay injury free (which can almost never happen in the NFL)............we are also missing the most important positions, QB, d-line, and o-line!!!

Our O-line, for all the money and big names, is not very good. I wouldn't say bad, but they should be a top-5 or top-10 line for all that money, and I think we are just middle of the pack. Samuels is not a pro-bowl player, he just gets in on name recognition, and I think Jansen took a step backward last year.

Look at the Patriots, how many 'above-average' starters did they have last year?? Brady, Maroney, and their 0-line, and on D: Warren, Seymour, Wilfork, Samuel, maybe Hobbs........say 5 guys on offense and 4-5 on D.....we have 5 on O, and 4 on D......it's clearly about where that talent is allocated (d-line, qb, and o-line for the Pats)

And Jack, 'all the looney tunes people in here who think we're going to the Super Bowl...'?

I don't think more than a couple of people have made predictions about going to the Super Bowl up here.

But come on, man, hope springs eternal! I want to believe that the team is dedicated to getting back to the Super Bowl, and that if everything came together we really would be capable of playing at a championship level. And in this league I KNOW we have a shot at going worst to first.

If we can't be optimistic now, in the doldrums of the offseason, when can we?

Agreed Nate. No slight intended, I would agree we are far and away, better off with a GM. But, with all that Joe has done for the organization, he has defintely earned the right to lead the way.

On that note, I would like to add that i think 9-10 wins is our upper limit. A lot depends on Campbell, and if our D can turn it around......personally, I say Campbell still isn't very good, but our D steps-up and makes us an ok team, possibly 9-7 and playoffs

Blah, Blah, Blah, Blah, Blah...what a hack blog intro. Congrats on beating a dead horse.

These "guest blogs" are getting old. I don't care to read a fan's opinion as an intro, that is what the blog string is for.

The season hasn't even started and all I hear about is how bad we are going to be. Is it possible, certainly, but we haven't even gone trhough a scrimmage.

This is old tired stuff. You sound like a typical media head that was predicting the Redskins to win the division last year. Since that didn't happen, its all doom and gloom. Furthermore, Raymer does not play for Skins anymore, and Dockery may have been a good prospect, but he was the #1 holder and offside offender. The thing that really gets me is Snyder gets bashed for making all these moves after the fact! Not before! Also, now Snyder is getting bashed for NOT signing a big name defensive lineman. There's a reason we're all doing what we are doing for a living and not NFL GMs. I, for one, like to stay positive and support the team. In the end, that's all any of us can do anyway. Here's to a great season. Go Skins!

4th, um, how did Kitna get the nod for that? He's not the fellow I think of when I think of dudes with eye-popping ability that should be showcased in a fun, made-for-teevee skillz competition. Weird.

That was a very negative guest blog. Most everything about it looked like a blog from somebody that just doesn't understand the team very well. The problem last year was not the DLine, it was the back seven. The back seven has been vastly improved and if the injury bug doesn't hit, the defense will at least be back in the top half of the league, probably the top ten. The Oline is not going to go from the best in the NFL last year, to old and decrepid in one year.

To complain that the team does not have enough elite players is bogus. It's a team sport and this team is going to win the division.

That was a very negative guest blog. Most everything about it looked like a blog from somebody that just doesn't understand the team very well. The problem last year was not the DLine, it was the back seven. The back seven has been vastly improved and if the injury bug doesn't hit, the defense will at least be back in the top half of the league, probably the top ten. The Oline is not going to go from the best in the NFL last year, to old and decrepid in one year.

To complain that the team does not have enough elite players is bogus. It's a team sport and this team is going to win the division.

And for the guy who said I wouldn't have said this the year they went to playoffs and would have liked the Snyder/Cerrato FO then. I didn't. Our offense had like 100 yards against Tampa and like 75 against Seahawks. Portis and the Defense carried a still below average team to an unlikely playoff run, don't forget we were 5-6 before we rode Clinton the Horse Portis to a 5 game win streak with Lavar, Washington , and Taylor forcing turnovers and scoring almost as much as our offense. Right then we should have made moves to build on that foundation, we had a solid base, we needed to resign Clark, another solid young corner or two, Draft youth on the both lines and sign two big possesion reciever to compliment Moss, and do something to address Mark Brunel. I know hindsight is 20-20 but how could anyone watch the last 8 games of that season and think Brunel was a viable option still, he was pathetic. And Moss and Cooley were our only pass catching threats. So what do we do, we let Clark go (a "core Redskin"), we sign a guy everyone new was a egocentric jerk that SF was all to happy to get rid of (Lloyd), trade for another guy SF couldn't care less about keeping (Rumph), and sign another guy they deemed not worth keeping (Carter). People when your signing SF's cast offs your in trouble. And Archuletta was and is exactly what everyone else in the league thought, essentially a limited in the box blitzing safety, so we make the highest paid safety in history? The only siging that was acceptable was Randle El. We did nothing to address the growing age of our lines and we didn't either give Campbell the job from Day 1 like we should have (say like the Bengals did with Palmer and Kitna, and Kitna was twice the QB Brunel was the prior year to that move) or cut Brunel and bring in a Drew Brees or another veteran starter. Just poor management, by a front office who can't see the forrest from the trees (Gibbs b/c he is too emotional attached to the roster as the coach) or by two guys who shouldn't be in charge of a high school JV's roster (Snyder/Cerrato).

COWBOYS # 1 COWBOYS # 1 COWBOYS # 1 COWBOYS # 1 COWBOYS # 1 COWBOYS # 1 COWBOYS # 1 COWBOYS # 1 COWBOYS # 1 COWBOYS # 1 COWBOYS # 1 COWBOYS # 1 COWBOYS # 1 COWBOYS # 1 COWBOYS # 1 COWBOYS # 1 COWBOYS # 1 COWBOYS # 1 COWBOYS # 1 COWBOYS # 1 COWBOYS # 1 COWBOYS # 1 COWBOYS # 1 COWBOYS # 1 COWBOYS # 1 COWBOYS # 1 COWBOYS # 1 COWBOYS # 1 COWBOYS # 1 COWBOYS # 1 COWBOYS # 1 COWBOYS # 1 COWBOYS # 1 COWBOYS # 1 COWBOYS # 1 COWBOYS # 1 COWBOYS # 1 COWBOYS # 1 COWBOYS # 1 COWBOYS # 1 COWBOYS # 1 COWBOYS # 1

One other observation, friends: The thing that made G1 such a great coach and superbowl winner with three different QBs was control of the line of scrimmage. Football doesn't change. You still have to control the line to win. That said, there are different ways of controling the line. On the D side, you can take away all the options that a QB has giving the D-line a chance to dig in or move in. On the O-line it can be about having enough options that the opposition dioesn't know where the next punch is coming from.
What I'm saying here is tha contrloling the line of scrimmage doesn't have to cmoe from having the most meat. I can recall more than one instance last year where the lines looked bad, but it was because of bad calls from the coaches: Don't forget that key component.
I choose to hope, friends. The team chooses to hope, that's why they're practicing. That's why Portis and Taylor talk the way tohey do. Up with Hope, down with Nope!

Love em or Leave em,

I'm not a Snyder lover but you have to admit he has taken at least a semi-step backwards since Gibbs came on board. So you can't say that he has not been patient with player/coach personell. Now when Gibbs leaves that may be a different story and he will revert back to his old ways.

In my opinion, this was a very negative post and a huge downer.

PDIDDY!!!!! what the Fck is your owner doing paying 6 BILLION for aQUANTIVE? and WTF is THAT?

gates actions are looking more and more like actions of another desprate owner, owner of your fav. team. at least when snyder buys freeagents we've actually heard of 'em!

Our talent level is actually pretty good.

QB = Solid but young
RB = Among league best
WR = Good #1, 3, & 4. Questionable Lloyd
TE = Solid #1 but no depth
OL = Above average unit, no depth
DL = Below average unit
LB = Average to solid, with potential (Mac)
Secondary = Potentially very good
ST = Can Suisham kick?

So, the keys to success are a healthy OL, a solid year from Campbell and some life out of the DL. I'd say 1-2 decent but cheap signings (e.g., Adams) and even the DL would have a chance to be average.

I'm not predicting 10 wins, but some seasons everything will go wrong and other seasons everything seems to go right. Big draft/depth picture aside, we have every reason to hope for solid success this year.

Please do not mention the Rumph trade as a horrendous event. I barely care about the joke we sent to SF for him (Taylor Jacobs).

Doesn't anyone ever have any original analysis of the Redskins front office. Blah blah blah, need a GM, that will fix everything. (See the last twelve articles by Sally Jenkins, Michael Wilbon, Thomas Boswell, et. all). Well the skins stunk it up for a long time in the 1990s with Charley Casserly and the Cooke ownership running the "classic" model that everyone wants them to switch to, just to point out. There are no guarantees in football. And in the modern game it is just so hard to predict. How quick we forget that just two seasons ago everyone was riding high on Mark Brunell and the 10-6 Redskins after defeating the Bucs in the first round of the playoffs.

midniterc,

Sorry, I don't think you'll find many people who would say our O-line was the best in the NFL. And they are all a year older with nothing behind them still. And if you really think that 4.5 yds/carry and 19 sacks was the problem than I'm not the one who doesn't understand the team or football. Our secondary was bad, but if the line could of at the very least held the point of attack our safeties wouldn't have led the team in tackles and wouldn't have been so easily beaten over the top b/c they were so worried about run support. And if the line could have generated any pressure at all our corners would have looked a lot better. Let's not forget, it's not like we went on a massive win streak when Springs did finally come back healthy.

I am so tired of hearing media types write about the need for a GM as if it alone will improve the Redskins. Adding a GM doesn't automatically insure success, case in point the Detroit Lions. How have they been doing? I hear especially on ESPN how the Chargers GM has done such a wonderful job. Well drafting LT and Drew Brees was a no brainer. How have they done in drafting players for their secondary? Not very well most are gone either traded or released. What the Redskins finally have is stability. Coach Gibbs knows what he is doing and probably one of the most important things he has done is helped Dan Snyder steer clear of old overpriced free agents. They did make a mistake last year with Archeleta but the mistakes are becoming fewer. It takes time to build a team and it can be done in different ways. If you look at the Patriots most of their "stars" come from late rounds of the draft or free agents that are castoffs. Signing Randy Moss this year is out of character for them so we will have to wait and see if this was a mistake.
The Redskins don't need a team of first round draft picks. They need consistancy among coaches and players. I think they are finally on this path. They also don't need a GM. Signed - Redskins fan in San Diego.

"Quarterback Jason Campbell will compete in the DirecTV NFL Quarterback Challenge in the Cayman Islands this weekend. It will air on ESPN on Friday, Aug. 3. The event also features Minnesota's Tarvaris Jackson, Detroit's Jon Kitna, Jacksonville's Byron Leftwich and San Francisco's Alex Smith. "

Posted by: 4th Floor | May 18, 2007 12:29 PM

I guess last year's champion couldn't be bothered to defend his title. Too easy. So we're sending Brad Johnson this year.

To all you guys who are bored with the blog, write your own uniquely original thoughts and topics to add to the discussion! What do you want to discuss then, all you do is bash the topic, then go on and debate it. I'm not hearing anything new from you guys either. Throw something out there and lets discuss! Until then, don't hate on the topic yet participate in the discussion. And BTW, I was not "high on Mark Brunel" after they went to the playoffs, he was pitiful.

I thought this competetion was for STARTERS only?

Jack - Your rant was exactly what I was talking about. You're critcizing a FO after the fact. Tell us WHO we should have signed last year instead of the players that we did sign? The FO tried to upgrade the team and build on the 2005 playoff run but failed. Sh*t happens, welcome to the NFL where any given team can win in any given year. They could have done nothing and we'll never know what the result would have been. Maybe this year those 2006 free agents will pay dividends for us. That's all we can hope for. I don't care who we sign, who we let go, I'm still going to root for this team and feel like we have a shot to win it all. Maybe I'm being unrealistic, but I don't care.

ok these skins need a GM blogs/articles/theories are just well too far overblown. i can name a ton of negatives about GMs around the league, just as easy as some of you can talk about negatives of no GM. Lets see, briefly, ernie accorsi put together a group of players are selfish 'me' players who dont mesh well up in NY(shockey, plax, eli, formerly tiki). I know the colts just one a SB, but look at how many defensive starters they lost this offseason so they can make room for freeneys franchise tag tender or the longterm deal he might eventually sign. oh and because they got almost two hundred million wrapped up between manning, harrison, and wayne. The Detroit Lions, Matt Millen, need i say anymore about that? i could go on and on about the bad decisions GMs make. like casserly passing on reggie bush and vince young for mario williams. yet, everyone here is crying about the redskins needing a GM, why? Why bring in someone else just as fully capable of making bad decisions?

Hey Jack,

As one of the folks that challenged you to do this, nice job.

Don't really agree with the analysis, though. I think this group is an enigma more so than any group in recent memory. To often I've come into the season believing whatever the conventional wisdom on the skins was and that's what this is to me.

You've capsulized the general mode of thought for almost every non-skins expert out there and did a nice job with it by the way.

I tend to think this team will be a pleasant surprise and will leave a way for St. Joe to exit gracefully.

I think Campbell has the gifts and now the experience to run saunder's O. We have fairly young, fast receivers and the potential for an explosive running game.

The D-Line is obviously a concern, but I think an improved secondary will improve the D-Line.

I'm not saying they're going to the show or even the NFC big game the way CP seem to think, but I think we'll have a winning record. Beyond that... who knows.

Topic:

What is up with the declining interest in baseball cards?

Discuss...

Jack, I would add that re-signing Pucillo and Wade has improved our O line depth very much. And in today's football you can't "groom" a young OLman for years to become a starter--they need to step in and play now. We aren't yet at the point that we have needed to address that seriously in the draft, although I do think next year would be a great time to start.

BTW, Casserly is one of the worst GMs in recent NFL memory. He's up there with Millen. I remember all of the knowitall's (King, Dr. Z, Pastabelly) who lambasted Snyder for getting rid of him. Well, Snyder's alternative hasn't exactly been good, but Casserly's results with a clean slate in Houston are horrible. As bad as the Skins have been, I'd rather be us than the Texans.

I know there are a lot of issues people want to look at with the Skins. Will Campbell succeed? O-line depth? Secondary? These are up for debate and seem pretty split opinion wise. The overriding, seems everyones a pessimist, we didnt address it enough issue is the D-Line. Seems a lot more detractors on this issue. My slant is this. The D line had issues TWO seasons ago. We needed depth and to bring in guys that would assume the roles more when Griff, Sal veia went away. We got Golston and Montgomery. Not splashy but they were rookies. Rookie DTs do not make a splash. Vince Wilfork and a couple of the guys in Chicago received accolades. But what made them effective as rookies was being in a good rotation and being SURROUNDED by talent, ie Briggs, Urlacher, a stout secondary. These rookies had to basically play full games due to Griff and Sal injuries for most of the season. No rotation. A little more weigh another year and the other guys staying healthy, this could be more than a serviceable rotation. I think Carter came on strong and the rest of our issues WERE injury. Joes first season, we lost Jansen preseason and down hill from there. Made the playoffs. Then were decimated last year by injury. Now the FO and Joe have done a poor job from the standpoint that high price individuals cost you depth. They are figuring that out this season, ie no splashy FAs. Skins WILL be back in the playoffs!!!
HAIL!!!!!!!!

Declining interest in Baseball (and Football - I had 2,000 cards in my teen years) Cards are due to the internet, MTV, BET, VH1, American Idol. Not enough time to think about some cards that don't do anything.......

My favorite most valuable football card - Boomer Esiason's rookie card. I treasured that card, I tell ya.

I was a football nut when I was younger. I even brought the 'History and Game Recap of the Superbowl I - XXIV', which was the last SB played before publication. I can't tell you how many times I took that book to the toilet and would read all of the recaps and background info and just sit there in amazement until my legs fell asleep on me and I knew it was time to get up off the toilet......

Carol

Trading the pick that was vick and getting LT and Brees was not a no-brainer, it was arguably one of the best moves in the last 20 years there was no hype on LT or Brees that was anywhere near the hype on Vick that move took courage and forethought to fill two needs with two solid players than go for the big name, and then to follow up that with trading Eli Manning to get Phillip Rivers and "Lights Out" Merriman was a stroke of genious. No GM is perfect and I don't think our every move would be perfect if a GM was making it. But our FO has had 10 years of ineptitude that any GM would have been fired for a long time ago. Evidence:

Duckett
Archuletta
Jeff George
Bruce Smith
Deon Sanders
Mark Brunel
Patrick Ramsey
Taylor Jacobs
Rod Gardner
Ryan Clark
Smoot version 1
Antonio Pierce
Brandon Llloyd
letting Trent Green go
Letting Brad Johnson go when he went 10 - 6 and won the division
and a host of traded away for little return or wasted draft picks on guys who aren't even in the league anymore.

The list of our successes comes nowhere near the list of our failures. Any GM would have been fired long ago. It is well past time that we get someone else in to call the shots.

Jack,
Thanks for the reality check...don't apologize for the post. It was a good one.
You really stirred up the hornet's nest.

I'm betting you get 400+ comments on this post.

After 5-11, I'm almost certain 07 will be an improvement. Last year 8 wins made the playoffs (go figure).

BT,

I don't know for sure (too many brands of cards??? the emergence of video games and technology???), but I'm absolutely furious over it... I spent all of my money as a kid on baseball cards and now that investment probably amounts to as much as a turd sandwich.

Predicting how well a team will do is hard enough the day before the season starts. I wouldn't do it for money even if there was only a week's worth of games left.

But predicting it during the initial camps, when all that is heard from every team is good news, and every pundit focuses on on last year's record - it is impossible! Fun, but impossible. Who would have predicted the Steelers would go from being champs to not making the playoffs? I remember last year, everyone was saying the NFC East would dominate; the Skins, Giants and Cowboys would do well, and battle it out for the playoffs with the winner going to the Superbowl. The Eagles would spend another post-season at home with the tough competition they would face.

Not that predictions should be avoided - they are fun to read and think about - I'm busy making my own picks now - but keep this in perspective, people.

Carol, you are long on opinion, but short on fact.

You are right, hiring a GM does not breed success. Hiring a qualified, experienced, and savy GM does.

John Butler, San Diego's GM, is a prime example. He took over in '03, two years after Brees was drafted as a 2nd round, not 3rd round pick, in '01.

Butler orchestrated the steal of the draft, maybe the decade, in the '04 draft and took Eli Manning 1st overall, then traded him to NY Giants for Philip Rivers PLUS NY 3rd in '04, PLUS 1st and 5th picks in '05.

Butler then used the NY 1st round pick to get a some guy named Merriman, as well as Luis Castillo with their own 1st. In '06, he took Cromartie, cornerback out of FSU, and O Line Marcus McNeil, who started and made the Pro Bowl, as a rookie.

Take a look at the elite, Indy (Bill Polian), New England (Scott Pioli), Baltimore (Ozzie Newsome), Pittsburgh (Rooney?), and San Diego (Butler). All of them are regularily in the playoffs, in contention every year, devoid of cap hell, and full of respect around the league.

Yeah, having a top flight GM and FO is overrated.

Jack,
If the pure basis of your point is "we need a GM". I am definitely on board. I have a solution that is solely predicated on Danny not being the owner. We hire Marty S. as our GM. Say what you want but his hand was heavily in all the SD moves you mentioned. He will hire Cowher to move in for Coach Joe, who remains Pres!!! We all can debate over Cowher, but he will be the best available option by far in the off season, and both these men are still very young for those respective positions. Cowher takes care of hires for D and Spec teams. and brings in Russ Grimm to be O coordinator. We can keep Russ from takin a head job for a while with money... Alas just day dreaming!

Jack, while I appreciate your efforts, you did make some broad, generalizing statements. Taking into consideration that coming out of last year Griffin was coming off a surgery that prevented him from getting in shape, and that this year he is NOT coming off any surgeries, and is noticably bigger, I'd say he's going to have a good year. Carter played great the last 4-6 games of the year, I've got no reason to believe that he wont continue to do that.

I'm convinced that some people just want something to piss and whine about. I mean, for crying out loud, next thing you know we'll have a guest blog dedicated to losing Antonio Pierce, or how Snyder signed Jeff George, and Deion Sanders.

Never got into trading cards. I'd have a hard time being willing to pay for them for my own sake - why would I value a piece of printed cardboard? If I need details,statistics, or a picture of any athlete, I can easily find them online. And there are better ways of making investments ...

And if you scroll up a mere 6 postings, there you will find, Jack himself, pissing and whining about none other than Jeff George, and Deion Sanders.

MOVE ON. That was 7 years ago, WTF!!!!

Ricky Bobby - I am upset about it too. I used to love going to the baseball card shop and buy the cards of my favorite players. I think you are right that there are just too many brands producing too many cards.

4th floor - You have a valid point as well. Maybe that is why "pokie mon" (sp.) cards, etc. have become so popular

hey Jack are you related to Sally"MORON"Jenkins????????????

I'm not exactly sure what we're even discussing here.

FACT: The Skins FO is in the bottom quarter of the league.

FACT: The team's performance will continue to be average to poor as long as the circus continues.

But... FACT: You have to give credit where credit is due.. this team also showed tremendous restraint in terms of free agency, the draft, etc. THIS year. I'm thrilled, but don't forget the last time we showed restraint... it was in '05, when we were out of money... Result = 10-6, playoff win.

The following year, last year, it was back to their old ways like an alchy who fell off the wagon. Over spending galore, draft picks for candy, etc.

The real test to see if this FO has learned its lesson will be next year, or maybe not even until '09 when they free up some cap space. Right now their hand is forced, so it's easy to say they showed restraint. Let's see what they do over the next 2 years.... that will be the real test, especially if they clear a little bit of cap room.

Oh, and I completely disagree with anyone who says we are NOT in cap trouble and never have been. We are in a constant state of cap trouble. If we weren't, we would have to beg players to restructure year in and year out. We wouldn't have to restructure deals in the middle of the year to sign core guys like Betts. We wouldn't come within 2 dollars of the cap max. We wouldn't be completely void of solid depth on the dline. People need to look outside the box and realize that cap hell doesn't necessarily mean that you are over the cap and your team is constantly purging players, which does also happen here. It's also when your team is completely limited on options, forced to beg for restructures, demand bonus money back from players, are unable to re-sign core guys, etc.

A smart FO doesn't do what they do.

I'm not exactly sure what we're even discussing here.

FACT: The Skins FO is in the bottom quarter of the league.

FACT: The team's performance will continue to be average to poor as long as the circus continues.

But... FACT: You have to give credit where credit is due.. this team also showed tremendous restraint in terms of free agency, the draft, etc. THIS year. I'm thrilled, but don't forget the last time we showed restraint... it was in '05, when we were out of money... Result = 10-6, playoff win.

The following year, last year, it was back to their old ways like an alchy who fell off the wagon. Over spending galore, draft picks for candy, etc.

The real test to see if this FO has learned its lesson will be next year, or maybe not even until '09 when they free up some cap space. Right now their hand is forced, so it's easy to say they showed restraint. Let's see what they do over the next 2 years.... that will be the real test, especially if they clear a little bit of cap room.

Oh, and I completely disagree with anyone who says we are NOT in cap trouble and never have been. We are in a constant state of cap trouble. If we weren't, we would have to beg players to restructure year in and year out. We wouldn't have to restructure deals in the middle of the year to sign core guys like Betts. We wouldn't come within 2 dollars of the cap max. We wouldn't be completely void of solid depth on the dline. People need to look outside the box and realize that cap hell doesn't necessarily mean that you are over the cap and your team is constantly purging players, which does also happen here. It's also when your team is completely limited on options, forced to beg for restructures, demand bonus money back from players, are unable to re-sign core guys, etc.

A smart FO doesn't do what they do, but I guess time will tell if they have righted the ship.

Csquared - The Skins FINALLY have some stability in the coaching staff and you want to bring in a new coach who in turn will bring in his own staff?

Many thanks to JamesTuthill for tracking down the Portis interview where he goes into detail about the disfunctional 2006 Redskins.

Seeking out and finding nuggets like this is what this blog is all about. Again, thanks.

For anyone who hasn't listened yet and is too lazy to go back and find the link, here it is:

http://www.sportstalk980.com/cc-common/podcast/single_podcast.html?podcast=JohnThompson.xml

There are a number of Portis interviews on the page. Skip down to the one labeled "CP opens up very candidly in his weekly appearance with SportsTalk 980, revealing his insights into the organization."

THANKS FOR THE LAUGH CRAY-BABY SKINI FANS. HAHAHAHA. WANT SOME CHEESE FOR YOU WHINE. HAHAHAHAHAHA. COWBOYS MOST SUCCESSFUL NFL FRANCHISE EVER. TAKE THAT TO THE DRY-CLEANERS CRY-BABY SKINI FANS

CC, Sorry, I was partly kidding around with the link between Schottenheimer and Cowher and Grimm and Redskins! Seriously, I am optimistic for this season. But if the Skins stay healthy and are woeful you can bet change is coming...

I used to be huge into sports cards.....the downfall was a huge shift inthe industry.....instead of a few brands with 15 cards in a pack, there were like 40 brands, some selling 'packs' of 1 card for liek 10 bucks! The overwhelming supply was horrible....

I still remember when a decent card price was like $2-5 for a good player rookie, but when Randy Moss had a huge rookie year, his cards were going for like $50+!! A lot of these pushed collectors out....

mugamack;

What does that Portis interview make you think? It makes me think we are FCUKED!!

Jason you could have not said it any better

With all due respect I find this guest blog to be rambling and incoherent. I could write the same blog in two sentences. Here goes:

As Steve Spurrier used to say, "You are what your record says you are." This is a 5-11 team until they prove otherwise.

Done. See this way I don't have to make any mistakes like referencing Cory Raymer who was cut a year ago and frankly should have been cut on the spot after his sub-in performance at Seattle (though I assume she meant Rabach) as well as saying teams like the Pats don't let good young talent like Dockery go. The Pats do it all the time. On the offensive line alone, Joe Andruzzi and Damien Woody come to mind.

I was never a collector, but I read somewhere about the trading card biz having an enormous boom and bust, and is still recovering from the bust. So perceptions today are probably whacked because prices soared during the boom period.

Here's an article on the topic which may be interesting, about the comeback of baseball cards:
http://seattleweekly.com/2007-04-25/news/after-the-bust-baseball-cards-are-making-a-comeback.php

Jack, What's the value in telling people to have a pessimistic outlook? If I had the time, I could come up with just as many things we're doing right. Off the top of my head: It's Gibbs 4th year of go-round #2 and most of the rest of the coaching staff has been here that long too. Also, our offense really showed some big potential toward the end of last year. Sure, Jason is inexperienced. That's the pessimistic way of looking at things. He's also young and hungry and sat waiting for a few years to prove himself. He's got a terrific arm and lots of potential. Sure, I was upset when we got rid of Brad Johnson and Trent Green, but both are not without their own limitations. The grass is always greener.

I'm not saying that I think everyone should believe that we're going to be 10-6 or better next year. But, I believe that, and I don't need someone to reiterate the major pessimistic viewpoints that are already made continuously on this blog.

Jon,

I agree on the downfall, and it's sad. This may sound ridiculous, but baseball cards were a huge part of my life growing up. Honestly, my childhood was family, playing rec and back-yard sports, watching sports, and collecting baseball cards.

Heck, I remember waiting for the mailman to come at the end of the month so I could look at Beckett, the pricing guide. Do they even make that thing anymore? I looked at one a few years ago and had to put it down after cards like my Ripken and Griffey rookies were going for like 5 dollars. In the hay-day they were over a hundred dollars, and I even spent over a hundred dollars on some of those cards... so depressing to think about it..

CC,

They should have resigned Clark, signed Joe Jurevicious (sp?), personally I would have cut Brunel and gone after Brees, Sam Adams or Grady Jackson or Ma'ake Kemoeatu, maybe you still do the Carter deal but not at that contract and also with another end like a Ryan Picket or Masanto Pope or Trevor Pryce or Kimo von Oelhoffen, another WR like Randy Hymes for Baltimore (huge guy like 6'6") or Marcus Robinson along with Randle El, corners like Will Allen or Phillip Buchanon or Terrell Buckley or Ahmad Caroll or Jamar Fletcher, a punter like Todd Sauerbrun, and a kicker like Ryan Longwell.

You will notice out of that list the only real big name is Brees. Sure hindsight is 20 - 20 but the writing was on the wall that our Dline depth was poor, Brunel had reached the end of the line (the two pitiful playoff games) our secondary was thin behind the starters and that Ryan Clark and Taylor were a great fit, and we need a big possession WR to compilment Moss. You wouldn't be able to make everyone of these moves but you could make a lot of them for what we paid Carter, Lloyd, and Archuletta. Remember the new CBA that year gave us room to operate and I for one would have been very happy with 50% of these moves over signing a safety everyone in the league knew couldn't cover and a WR who his on team hated.

Either Portis isnt the person we think he is, maybe a little too negative and not seeing the situation right, or our team is full of a bunch of players who dont seem to care and will not step up.

But which ever it is, it is not a good thing. He threw at least half of the team under the bus. Maybe they deserve it, which makes him the holder of the key to the future by leading by example.

If they did not deserve it, then there is a hugh disconnect on this team which may never be repaired.

COWBOYS PLAYER CARDS ALWAYS GO UP IN VALUE BECAUSE THEY ARE THE BEST PLAYERS FOR THE BEST TEAM.

Glad folks liked the Portis interview. One of the many interesting things Portis says in that interview, which I verified by watching game tape but have never seen reported, is that the team ran substantially more stretch/zone blocking at the end of the year for Betts than they did in the first 10 games or so for Portis/Betts. I found this hard to believe so I consulted and the game tape and, as usual, Portis was right. It is in fact very noticeable if that is all you are watching for. The early games we ran about 50/50 of man/pull-and-trap blocking vs. stretch/zone blocking. Later, it is overwhelmingly stretch/zone for Betts down the stretch.

What does this mean? I am not sure. It might mean that Gibbs/Saunders thought Betts was better suited for stretch plays or, as Portis intimates, that the line itself is better suited for stretch plays. Portis has made clear that the stretch/zone blocking is what he prefers.

Maybe Jason knows.

I really gotta work on my typos.

COWBOYS PLAYER CARDS ALWAYS GO UP IN VALUE BECAUSE THEY ARE THE BEST PLAYERS FOR THE BEST TEAM.

Posted by: | May 18, 2007 02:00 PM

i hear boofer's voice sounding like: "HAVE YOU SEEN MY BASEBALL?" and "FRANKS AND BEANS, FRANKS AND BEANS"

I am a little confused... That interview with CP is 5 months old. If I am wrong then sorry. If not, I am not taking the temperature of CP or this team based on comments from a guy who is extremely competitive, just endured a 5-11 season, and finished on IR, and as yet had not even had surgery or started rehab!!?? I would be DAMN frustrated too. He just said we are going to the NFC Champ. game a few days ago!!!! Hail! Go CP...

Hmmm I agree with the very last part of this blog. And parts of the beginning pointed in that direction. Succinctly: You can't build a teams on free agents in this league anymore because teams are able to keep quality players. Even doormats such as the Phoenix Cardinals and Oakland Raiders. The Raiders were probably the last team to build successfully from free agency. But they had an excellent core of players where even past their prime they were better than most. The only players teams are releasing are usually problem players. There is the exception of teams in cap hell like the Redskins and that may be why they had to give up Dockery. But more than that: look at the problems Archuleta and his salary caused. Are you going to pay Dockery more than Samuels?

But you still need free agents to fill the gaps. One can make a good case that Casey Rabach (not Cory Raymer) could make all-pro with a good season. As could Santana Moss. HB Blades could become your next Harold McLinton, Neal Olkewicz.

However, you really BUILD a team with the low round draft picks NOT THE HIGH ONES. First, with the cap, they cost too much, second they turn out to be higher risk than low rounder. Low rounders must produce and prove themselves to get a starting job and to get paid. 1st rounders get a huge signing bonus that makes them instant millionaires. Need I remind you of Gibbs last mistake: Desmond Howard? Or Michael Westbrook? Rod Gardner? Let's look way back at Tory Nixon a second rounder beaten out for a spot by Raphael Cherry? Where the hell is Markus Koch and WR Walter Murray. But low rounders (6th round on) Mark Rypien, Ravin Caldwell, and Kurt Goveia made the team. Poor CB Brian Davis got yanked by Richie Petitbone and eventually released. And Timmy Smith had one great game. But Ed Simmons and Clarence Vaughn made the team. Beyond Darrel Green we find Chip Lohmiller at number one. He was well worth the pick when all is said and done despite being just a kicker. But Mike Olphant and Jamie Morris? What happened to them? However, 6th rounder Stan Humpheries became a superbowl QB in SD. Oh gosh remember their 1st round defensive tackle? Tracy Rocker? What happened to him? But you know who was drafted in the TENTH round and made the team? Mark Schlereth. He probably has a few rings on his fingers. He has a ring from the Skins. He has 2 from Denver blocking for John Elway. Then tbey drafted LB Andre Collins. He made the team but didn't really distinguish himself. But in the FIFTH round they drafted a RB named Brian Mitchell. Now who would you rather have on your fantasy team? Mitchell or Collins? Rocker didn't work out so they draft another 1st round DT in Bobby Wilson. After that well there was Ricky Ervins ... sigh ... but then they made one of the COLOSSAL mistakes ... a Snyder Cerrato mistake before they even had the team. They let an obscure TWELFTH rounder they drafted go. They released him. His name was Keenan McCardell. YOU might have heard of him? So the following year they draft Desmond Howard. Okay so Howard turned out to be a great return man. But who would you rather have on YOUR TEAM? WR Keena McCardell or Desmond Howard? You can lay this error right on HOF coach Joe Gibb's doorstep. The very last player drafted that year Matt Elliot worked as a center guard both with the 'Skins and the Panthers. After that the draft gets decidedly worst!!! Because now both the high rounders and the low rounder were unable to make the grade or the team. Post Gibbs: Heath Schuler, Tre Johnson, Gus Frerotte, Cory Raymer, Andre Johnson. Then finally they draft Steven Davis in the FOURTH round. He the all-pro running back. Then Kenard Lang and Derek Smith. Followed by Stephen Alexander, Skip Hicks and Shawn Barber. 3 of the last 6 are still playing. Then Champ Bailey, Jon Jansen, La Var Arrington Chris Samuels. This shows marked improvement drafting in the higher rounds but not in the lower rounds. AND THEIR MEDIOCRE RECORD reflects that.

That was long-winded. But look at the draft picks made recently? Compare them with the past. Look at the contributions low rounders have made as opposed to the 1st rounders. And how much more trouble the high rounders created for the team and team chemistry. EVEN granting the explanation of an out-of-control owner.

LOW ROUND PICKS thriving and surpassing like Anthony Montgomery and Kedrick Golston are absolutely vital to winning a super bowl. The high rounders usually live in the critical skill positions like QB, RB, WR, CB, LT.

Then there are the special guys you might find at LB and safety. As Springs put it: 3, 9, 5, 6. The places the defensive backfield was drafted in the 1st round. It could become something really special or a grand bust. Only time will tell. Best way to gauge success is by their attitude. If they have the right attitude the SKY IS THE LIMIT just ask Keean McCardell TWELFTH round draft pick of the Washington Redskins.
Smoot would be 45 and in the 2nd round.

Why is everyone getting up in arms about the CP Interview?!?!?!

IT WAS DONE AFTER THE LAST WEEK OF THE SEASON LASSSST YEAR!!!

We talked about it here and we all thought CP was a stand up dude for calling out the necessary people. WTF are y'all trying to do?!?!?

We are eons from last season and he and the WHOLE team has had time to reflect on it...

Good work James Tuthill;

I noticed the very same thing last year. It seemed when Brunell was in, our offense was completly different than when Campbell was in.

Hopefully it was only coincidence that Betts was the benefactor. I guess we will find out September 9th.

I am still very worried about Portis' comments about how the team seems to be afraid of the coaching staff. Also it seems that the running plays are gibbs, and the passing is Saunders. Kinda like the DB's were during the deep throat scandal last year.

Too many generals, not enough soldiers in the coaching staff.

muga, Zebra, um, you dudes are talking about a radio interview from two and a half months ago, during Super Bowl week? I think you're obsessing a little too much. It was just Clinton being Clinton.

If I were coming off an incredibly frustrating and disappointing season for the team and myself individually, I'd have a lot of venting to do as well. All those emotions would be magnified during Super Bowl week, watching two other teams prepare for the title game.

All the recent quotes from all the dudes, including Clinton, have been very positive. I'm just sayin'.

THANK YOU 4th FLOOR!!

Oh right, it was even farther back than the SB week interview. Sheesh.

periculum, Congrats on the thesis. Check your facts though. Andre Collins was credited with the most tackles for the 1991 Super Bowl-winning team. Hardley someone who "...didn't really distinguish himself."

Hardly

I think some things in the Portis interview we can chalk up to frustration (like throwing Derrick Dockery under the bus, my gosh that was harsh).

But other things, like saying Lloyd, Brandon has alientated the whole organization, why are we to believe that has changed? I am going to assume, unless told otherwise, that Lloyd, Brandon is about as popular in the Redskins locker room as he was in San Fran.

> periculum, Congrats on the thesis. Check your
> facts though. Andre Collins was credited with the > most tackles for the 1991 Super Bowl-winning team.
> Hardley someone who "...didn't really distinguish > himself."

True but then mustn't we ask ourselves why they let him go to try out some of the guys the drafted at LB? And what happened to him after he left? Of course the same might be said for Mark Rypien. But then he was low rounder who lasted quite a while.

Have to defend JamesTuthill on the interview.

I asked for proof that Portis was down on Lloyd. dcsween chimed in that he'd like to see the proof too. No one came to JamesTuthill's defense (although many of you had apparently already listened to and discussed the interview months ago). So JamesTuthill went back and found the interview.

And I thanked him for it. I didn't attack Portis, I just thanked a guy for finding the info for me.

While I'm at it I'd also like to thank Jack for the guest blog - you couch everything in fairly pessimistic terms, but I agree with your overall assessment My hunch is the most likely result of 2007 is within a game of 9-7 (not really going out on a limb there), but I have hope that the team could win the NFC East.

I didnt read all the comments, but did anyone notice that this blogger still thinks Raymer is our center?

Plus Periculum, do you have any facts to support your thesis that winning teams are built around low round draft picks? Cause I ClOSELY have paid attention to every team's entire draft the last five years, and there just really isn't that many late rounders that stick.

New England is probably the best at it, but even they cut a LOT of late round guys.

I want more draft picks for the Redskins, and you can unearth some gems here and there a'la Marques Colston and Mark Anderson, but I think you're theory is heavily flawed.

huh?

I think you also indirectly overvalued Keenan McCardell.

Thanks mugamack,

Yes, that is how the Portis interview came to be discussed. Folks were questioning my statement that Portis did not like Lloyd so I went and found and linked the interview.

Your analysis of the offensive line is completely off. Clearly D Dockery was the work player on the line and frankly was a liability for most of his time here. His play did improve at the end of last year, but he was still the worst player on the line. Samuels, Thomeas and Rabach all have at least 3 good seasons left in them. 30 to 32 years of age for an o-lineman is not much. They can play a couple more years at a high level. The deal Dockery got from Buffalo was insane. Kind of like the deals we gave archaleuta, and B Lyodd.

Your analysis of the offensive line is completely off. Clearly D Dockery was the work player on the line and frankly was a liability for most of his time here. His play did improve at the end of last year, but he was still the worst player on the line. Samuels, Thomeas and Rabach all have at least 3 good seasons left in them. 30 to 32 years of age for an o-lineman is not much. They can play a couple more years at a high level. The deal Dockery got from Buffalo was insane. Kind of like the deals we gave archaleuta, and B Llyodd.

Who farted? This blog stinks.

Debate on this....
SI.com rankings for QB's going into 2007.

1 Peyton Manning
2 Tom Brady
3 Carson Palmer
4 Drew Brees
5 Philip Rivers
6 Donovan McNabb
7 Ben Roethlisberger
8 Marc Bulger
9 Matt Hasselbeck
10 Michael Vick
11 Tony Romo
12 Matt Leinart
13 Jay Cutler
14 Vince Young
15 Brett Favre
16 Steve McNair
17 Alex Smith
18 Jeff Garcia
19 Jake Delhomme
20 Chad Pennington
21 Jon Kitna
22 Eli Manning
23 Damon Huard
24 Trent Green (assuming he's a Dolphin)
25 Jason Campbell
26 Rex Grossman
27 Byron Leftwich
28 J.P. Losman
29 Matt Schaub
30 Josh McCown
31 Tarvaris Jackson
32 Charlie Frye

WOW, TOUGH CROWD.

Good on the effort Jack. It takes courage to put your words up for scrutiny, and that should be applauded.

On a related note, what the hell is Sarah Silverman doing on my Maxim cover?

It seems to me that the guest blogger has lots of opinion but little proof. Here is his argument for why we have below average talent on our team.

"We are an old, aging, injury-prone team, that just isn't as talented as almost 20 teams in the league but certainly not anywhere near the top ten! Need evidence? Other than Clinton Portis, Santana Moss, Chris Samuels, Chris Cooley, Sean Taylor, and maybe Marcus Washington there isn't a single player on the Redskins team that would take over at least 10 players at that position.
Now let's look at that statement that means that only 6 of our 22 starters are above-average players."

Brother, the math says if you are better than 16 starters at your position (32 teams) then you are above average. So, if we were an average team then 11 of our 22 starters would be better than average and 11 wouldn't.

By your own admission we have 6 players that are far above average (top 10 type players).

I'd add the following players to the "above average" list. Griffin, Rogers, Springs, Flecher-Baker, Thomas, Campbell, Jansen, and Betts.

So, that means we have 14 above average players (way above an average team's 11) and 6 of those players are top 10 type players.

The math says we are above average. So, take your pessimism elsewhere.

I'd add the following players to the "above average" list. Griffin, Rogers, Springs, Flecher-Baker, Thomas, Campbell, Jansen, and Betts.

So, that means we have 14 above average players (way above an average team's 11) and 6 of those players are top 10 type players.

The math says we are above average. So, take your pessimism elsewhere.

Posted by: 50% is average | May 18, 2007 02:36 PM

Carlos Rogers above average? HAHAHAHAHAHAHA. Pass me what you're smoking.

I hear ya SkinPatrol. Kudos to folks who take the time and effort to put their words up in writing.

I also applaud your effort yesterday which was a thoughtful one. Your defense of Cooley in subsequent postings also forced to me go back and review all sorts of Football Outsiders numbers this morning, which is always good. This blog keeps me on my toes.

You guys are right;

3 months ago. But this time of year everyone is optimistic, even the players. They have to be, why come to work if not?

Not trying to be a true pessimist, but if you think the FO is messed up still, then this kind of resentment and team disarray could still be in place.

Remember it is only OTA's, people have had time to cool off, but when the first crisis comes about, we will really see if these issues are squashed as many think they are.

Jeff Garcia should be higher in my opinion. Eli Manning, Tony Romo, Michael Vick and Donavan McNabb are all too high. I'll let Jason Campbell prove himself before I start to argue on his behalf. I'm confident he'll move up the list without my help.

Jeff Garcia should be higher in my opinion. Eli Manning, Tony Romo, Michael Vick and Donavan McNabb are all too high. I'll let Jason Campbell prove himself before I start to argue on his behalf. I'm confident he'll move up the list without my help.

FYI...I have it on good authority that BOOFER is actually Chris Larry. you can choose to believe or not believe, but it is what it is.

P.S....I just cracked the mystery of 4th floor changing his name to ES temporarily.

Posted by: Blog Police | May 17, 2007 10:38 PM

I have a feeling the Skins are going to prove your article completely wrong this season. The offense, particularly Campbell, Betts and the O-line started clicking toward the end of last season. It's not unreasonable to expect significant improvement this year, since everybody is returning, and Al Saunders system typically takes about a year to get fully implemented, and this is his second year. Secondly, if Lemar Marshall did his job as middle linebacker last season, S. Taylor would not have had to make 120 tackles. The middle linebacker should be any teams leading tackler. London Fletcher should instantly take care of that problem averaging close to 135 tackles per year. HUGE upgrade at safety with the release of Archuletta, and major upgrades at cornerback, which you just brushed over. Macklin, smoot, and Rogers are better than the average teams top 3 CBs, plus we have springs (when healthy). You point to injuries to o-linemen and d-linemen, but you could pretty much say that about any teams o-line and d-line, it's a tough sport, and injuries happen. Offense returning and a significantly upgraded defense (i.e., holdman won't be there to give up 66 yard runs this year). We did well to keep our starting corps in place this year, and it will pay dividends this year, as we don't have anybody that has to learn "the system," except for the rookies. It's going to be a good year, just for the simple fact that many fans have given up hope. That's usually when it happens. I'd love to review this blog article at the end of the season to show you how wrong you really are about this season.

Jack is right...this team will be improved, in 07 but it is not a SB caliber team. Can the Skins win the division? Maybe. Can they win a wild card berth? Why not.

Can the FO start building the team for long-term success? Yes, anything is possible.

As Fans can we be patient and accept some short term pain (not signing DLman), deal with salary cap issues and watch the team "coach then up"? I guess not.

I'd rather see them pick up the 2nd and 3rd rounders and develop elite players. That seems like the only way to see the sustained high level of play (championships) we want as Skins fans.

Hail!

Please don't let these negative nancy's blog here anymore. J-la should be the only negative nancy allowed to blog around here. Leave the negative nancy talk to the Philly fans, who are never happy with anything.

Please don't let these negative nancy's blog here anymore. J-la should be the only negative nancy allowed to blog around here. Leave the negative nancy talk to the Philly fans, who are never happy with anything.

Please don't let these negative nancy's blog here anymore. J-la should be the only negative nancy allowed to blog around here. Leave the negative nancy talk to the Philly fans, who are never happy with anything.

Pass the Kool-aid.

Just in time for the U.S. Open, Ace Authentic recently released its 2005 Signature Series set - essentially the first "high end" tennis card set, with all the bells and whistles collectors have come to associate with baseball, basketball, football and hockey issues.

DALLAS COWBOYS AND GEORGE W. BUSH ARE THE 2 BEST THINGS TO HAPPEN TO THIS COUNTRY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

by ranking of the qb's. First Favre, Hasselback and McNair should be higher. Romo and Vince Young are just right.

I hope JC show's them all that he should be higher ranked.

Deisel,

Dude, Sara Silverman is HOT! For a chick married to Jimmy Kimmel.

Re: Sarah Silverman... personality is a big contributor to hotness. She's done a lot to establish a naughty girl persona -- check that, way beyond naughty into dirty girl territory -- and she's pretty funny. That counts for a lot.

She's kind of the sleazy cousin of Tina Fey.

DALLAS COWBOYS AND GEORGE W. BUSH ARE THE 2 BEST THINGS TO HAPPEN TO THIS COUNTRY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Posted by: | May 18, 2007 02:54 PM

I've never laughed so hard in my life. Thanks for the chuckle.

It's easy to be negative isn't it. Just like it's easy to say "sell" a stock "after" it's dropped 10%. It's much more difficult to be positive with a team that has been so bad for so long. So I understand you taking the easy route. History doesn't predict the future in football, and this is the year the skins turn it around for good.

Please--Would it be possible for the guest blog posts to contain paragraph breaks? I know they are guests, but I'm sure the Post could spare a paragraph break or two. Please?

I think a refresher on the concept of the guest blog would be in order. Captain Obvious says:

The guest blog allows just about anybody to sound off at length on just about any topic, ideally related to the Skins.

Cindy and Jasno welcome guest blog contributions, I think first and foremost because they highlight the participatory nature of the blog. And in lean news times, or during a J-La vacation like this week, they give us something to discuss AND can provide an excuse to start a new thread when the previous one has accumulated hundreds of comments.

The drawback is that this is almost always a one-active-thread-at-a-time blog, so if you don't like the post at the top you may not be motivated to add any comments. And you may not enjoy the conversation that comes from a blog you didn't enjoy in the first place.

Just trying to respond to an undercurrent of negative commentary about guest blogs in general and this one in particular.
I think a lot of that criticism misses the point, and is too harsh. And I want to see guest blogs continue, because I almost always enjoy getting a new perspective or in-depth analysis, even on a topic we've spent time on before.

Anyway.

I kind of expected this reaction. It is indicitave of the "this is our year" point I was trying to make. I actually think we have a legitimate shot at a winning season and a playoff birth. But we are a long way from legitimate contention. We are a second-tier team that is in need of a major overhaul at critical positions on our roster. The sooner we all start accepting that (and the Danny) and not putting the win now pressure on this team and start building for the future by getting some youth in and developing it the better we will be in the long run that was my entire point. Anyway, talk to everyone Monday, I'm going drinking!!!

P.S.- Can we lay off the Raymer thing, I know Rabach is our center, I was going to make the point that Ray Brown and Raymer were our top backups and how pitiful that was decided not to and mixed up the names. SHEEEEEZ. Sorry!

What a freakin' blowhard I am. Sorry, that was awfully scolding in tone, even for me, Cap'n Obvious.

Happy Friday, everybody.

I pooped my pants.

Oh yeah, NYC blog peeps, I'll be in Gotham two weeks hence, right after Memorial Day. Let's meet up for a drin