POLL: Which Free Agents Should the Washington Redskins Re-Sign?

The NFL is going to be open for business soon. When it does, there will be a condensed and hectic free agency period while teams scramble to get rosters together in time for training camps.

Redskins head coach Mike Shanahan and General Manager Bruce Allen managed to save owner Dan Snyder some money last season and Allen has said the team will be "aggressive" in free agency.


As usual, there is much speculation about what players Washington will sign to the team in the coming weeks.  But what of the 11 Redskins free agents?

Will quarterback Rex Grossman return and compete for the starting job against self-proclaimed starter John Beck?  Will cornerback Carlos Rogers walk, signing with whatever team shows him the money?  Will right tackle Jammal Brown continue to improve in Shanahan's complicated offensive system, having benefited physically from the time off?  Will the Redskins re-sign converted linebackers Chris Wilson and Rocky McIntosh as they go into their second year of the 3-4 defense?

Who do you think the team should re-sign for the 2011 season? Feel free to add a comment supporting your vote - or lack of one.

Hail.

Reiteration: Washington Redskins in Free Agency - Having It Both Ways

I recently wrote about the tendency that Washington Redskins’ owner Daniel Snyder has had to go a little nuts during free agency; spending huge sums of money signing big-name players rather than hanging on to good, stable players and/or building the team from within via the draft.  This was a problem for both fans and the media and Snyder was criticized often for it.

Popular opinion today is that the Redskins have so many glaring needs on the roster that they need to go out and get fill-in-the-blank-with-big-name-free-agent to make the team competitive.

Do fans really want the Redskins to spend a bunch of money on free agents or do they want the team to build from within?

It would be nice if it was a black and white proposition but it’s not. Perhaps there’s a way to do both.

The first thing the Redskins need to do is decide whose job it is to lose at the quarterback position and announce it. Over-simplified, once this is done, people can stop wondering whether or not John Beck IS “the man” and then other positions can be addressed while the signal-calling situation  plays itself out (pun intended).  For purposes of this discussion, I’ll leave this topic right there.

The Redskins actually have a decent roster right now except for needing depth at a couple of positions. They have several players that are going to be free agents and if any of those players do not re-sign, the team will need to replace them. But if the team brings them back, it’s likely they’ll improve as head coach Mike Shanahan continues what he started last season.

Will owner Dan Snyder encourage his head coach to replace Washington’s free agents with big-name players?

Washington desperately needs a bona fide nose tackle (don’t look for Albert Haynesworth’s name here). They need major play-makers on the defensive line to improve the defense and offset the lack of a franchise quarterback. They need depth at corner and depth on the offensive line. This doesn’t mean there’s no talent at those positions on the team right now though.  Every player that struggled at any position last year should get somewhat of a pass because they were 1) playing in entirely new systems; 2) coming off of catastrophic injuries or 3) young.

The team will be into its second year in new offensive and defensive systems and one has to expect improvement if the same players are around. But this lockout has kept teammates from formally practicing together and cohesiveness is important to game-day success. Bringing in a bunch of new players is not going to help this with so little time available before the season begins.

Wide out Santana Moss, quarterback Rex Grossman, right tackle Jammal Brown, offensive lineman Stephon Heyer, defensive lineman Kedric Golston, linebackers Rocky McIntosh, Chris Wilson and H.B. Blades, cornerbacks Carlos Rogers and Phillip Buchanon; and safety Reed Doughty are all free agents.

Are the Redskins going to pull the same old thing once this lockout is over and let these guys all get signed away so that Dan Snyder can play ‘Fantasy Football’ with the big-name free agents that are out there?  Will the team go after wide receivers Braylon Edwards? Santonio Holmes? Randy Moss? Plaxico Burress? Is it important to win the off-season-big-name-sweepstakes?

Santana Moss needs no one to sing his praises. He is a number one receiver and the Redskins would be smart to re-sign him. He was extremely productive in the slot in Shanahan’s system and had a career year in 2010. Starting all 16 games, he gained 1115 yards off of 93 receptions and logged six touchdowns. Barring injury, one would assume that playing for a second year of the same system would only make him more productive - given that he has even a half-way decent quarterback throwing to him.

Consider that Moss has caught passes from six starting quarterbacks since coming to Washington (Patrick Ramsey, Mark Brunell, Jason Campbell, Todd Collins, Donovan McNabb and Rex Grossman). He has shown that he can do his “thing” regardless of who is throwing to him.  The popular thinking is that Washington needs a tall receiver on the team but the fact that Moss is not seven feet tall should not keep the Redskins from bringing him back.

Fourth year receiver Malcolm Kelly, 6’4” is healthy and eager to show the team what he can do. Whether or not he is a play-maker in the NFL is yet to be seen. He was one at Oklahoma, snatching passes out of the air while being covered by defensive backs like a blanket.

Kelly has a lot to prove to be sure. College talent doesn’t always translate into success in the NFL. But he has great hands and is tall. He started 10 games in 2009 and in those games, averaged 13 yards-per-reception. While on IR last season for a severe hamstring injury, he spent his time studying and working out and needs to prove to Shanahan that he deserved to be kept on the team as well as why he was worthy of being a second-round draft pick in 2008.  Hunger is a good motivator.  If Kelly can stay healthy, he could be a huge part of this offense.

Wide out Anthony Armstrong started 11 games last season and averaged 19.8 yards-per-reception. He made some key plays for the Redskins in 2010 including a 48-yard touchdown reception against Green Bay snagging the ball from over the head of defensive back Charlie Peprah.

Shanahan needs to give Armstrong and Kelly a chance before he signs an Edwards, a Holmes, a (Randy) Moss or a Burress.

Right tackle Jammal Brown was acquired by Mike Shanahan last year in a trade that involved quarterback Donovan McNabb and some fairly complicated result-oriented circumstances that will affect future third and fourth-round draft picks. The former New Orleans Saint was coming off of hip and sports hernia injuries that kept him out the entire 2009 season and his play early in 2010 wasn’t very impressive. But he got better despite the fact that he would rather play left tackle.  The team should re-sign Brown. Shanahan’s offensive system is complicated and the offensive lineman knows how it works.

I would love to see the Redskins bring Carlos Rogers back. He’s a good corner.  Show him the money.  I don’t think that Washington has ever paid him what Rogers feels he is worth but they can afford it now.

IF Rogers goes to another team, then going after Oakland Raider’s free agent cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha - or perhaps the Baltimore Raven's Chris Carr - to compliment Pro Bowl cornerback DeAngelo Hall is a good idea. But that’s only if Rogers leaves.  In 2010, Rogers played and started in 12 games. He had two interceptions for 43 yards, one forced fumble, 43 tackles with 11 assists and 12 passes defended. Asomugha started in 14 of 14 games played, no sacks, 17 tackles with 2 assists and 6 passes defended. Who would you rather have in your secondary? Especially in this shortened off-season.

Heyer played in twelve games last year, starting five.  Golston had 17 tackles last year. McIntosh had 73 tackles and two sacks.  Buchanon had 40 tackles and two interceptions. Wilson had two forced fumbles. Doughty had a sack and 45 tackles. Blades played against the Tennessee Titans last season when McIntosh came out due to injury and did well. He is an important member of Washington’s special teams.

These guys are productive, contributing teammates. It’s not that the Redskins couldn’t go out and get free agents that would not be even more so… given time. But, again, in this shortened 2011 off-season, with the record of bad free agent signings that the owner has, wouldn’t it be better to reward the guys that have stuck around throughout the bad decisions and resulting drama? For instance, the defensive guys have done everything they’ve been asked to do in making the transition last year from what was a successful 4-3 defense to the 3-4 without complaint. The Redskins should pay them enough to keep them here and continue moving forward.

This year, Mike Shanahan had a great draft, bringing in defensive (Ryan Kerrigan, Chris Neild and Jarvis Jenkins) and offensive (Leonard Hankerson, Niles Paul and Aldrick Robinson) play-makers. But it’s a lot to ask for these rookies to be ready by game-day with the lack of access to coaching thus far. Washington has a good group of core guys on the roster and others waiting to be re-signed. I’m not suggesting that the head coach not bring in any free agents where positions are thin or where competition would be helpful. Returning to the need for a nose tackle, targeting the Jenkins brothers, Green Bay Packers’ defensive end Cullen and New York Jets’ nose tackle Kris is smart.

Depth on the offensive line is needed and word is that the team could target one of the Ravens’ offensive linemen (Jared Gaither or Marshal Yanda). But Shanahan should not just go out and “be aggressive” in free agency simply to snag a big name. The ‘old' Snyder would have loved to make a big splash with one of the afore-mentioned big-name receivers... especially since the team can afford to.  But just once, wouldn’t it be nice if the Redskins grew their OWN big name? Wouldn’t it be great if, at the end of this season, the guys on the NFL Network were talking about how smart the Redskins were to take a chance on developing “that” young guy? Perhaps the Redskins have a huge play-maker already on the team and just don’t know it yet.

For all the people screaming that this team has no talent and that wide out Sidney Rice must be grabbed off of the free agent market, what about all that “Do like the Pittsburgh Steelers do and build from the draft” business?

With this condensed off-season, every snap the players take together will be extremely important, whether it is during training camp or in a preseason game.  Granted, competition is important and the staff needs to have enough players on hand to provide that competition. I just hope that some of those players competing are already on the team.

Is Shanahan truly the magician that can develop the unproven player?  Can he bring some talented free agents on board to provide true competition without spending a fortune ?

I’m going with the hope that he has the finesse to do both.

Hail.

Washington Redskins In Free Agency: Learning From History

Here’s some original thought. Professional football is a business. Guys get cut, traded or are lost to other teams through free agency. Guys get hurt. Guys have bad luck. It’s the way of the world in the NFL.

When talented or popular players become free agents, teams can’t just keep them because they are talented or are popular. To even make it to the NFL, you must have talent. But most fans are pretty smart and there’s a reason these players are popular. Yes, much of the time, they are fan-favorites because of their personalities. But much of the time, they are fan-favorites because they have intangibles that make them special and knowledgeable fans recognize this.

When a player is metaphorically booted (cut, traded or allowed to get picked up after contract expiration) or, in one way or another unrewarded for their loyalty by management so that the team can go out and sign a big-name free agent, it’s bad.

While we always want to see people we care about succeed, it is maddening to see a guy that once wore The Burgundy & Gold endure the aforementioned booting and then, once with their new team, flourish. By the same token, it’s been maddening to watch the Redskins sign some big-name free agent only to see them don The Colors and then flop. While not always, there have been times when “getting paid’ has led to getting lazy.

Anyone in particular come to mind here?

Losing a hard-working, long-time member of a team can cause locker-room chemistry to suffer and players to become disenchanted and wary to see that hard work taken for granted.

Cornerback Champ Bailey was a fan-favorite when he was here in Washington. He went to the Pro Bowl for four consecutive years while with the Redskins and was traded to the Denver Broncos in 2004 for Pro Bowl running back Clinton Portis (signed to an eight-year contract worth $50.5 million) and a second-round draft pick. Bailey went to the Pro Bowl another four consecutive years while with Denver as well as going First Team All-Pro for three of them, including the first year he was in the Mile High City.

While losing Champ Bailey – basically a shut-down corner - bothered many, Portis made an immediate positive impact. In his first year here (his third in the league), he gained 1,550 yards-from-scrimmage (rushing and receiving), topped 100+ yards in five of 15 games that he started and eventually became one of the faces of the franchise. He not only brought his talent to the team, some maintain that he brought his heart and soul. He gave us Thursday costumes, an exciting rushing attack and blocking that rivaled many in the league. He helped the city through the death of much beloved safety Sean Taylor with grace, courage and maturity.

But he also brought a mentality suggesting entitlement that bothered people; making his own rules, bypassing coaches to get to the owner and a general lack of discipline.

Former Redskins safety Ryan Clark’s story is one that is particularly painful for me. Clark came to the Redskins prior to the 2004 season after being signed as an undrafted free agent to the New York Giants in 2002. It has been well-documented that Clark was a steadying influence on fellow safety, (the late, great) Sean Taylor, who’d had a rocky first few years in the league. Clark was a solid safety himself and the tandem was formidable. Although Taylor was freakishly athletic, Clark was a hard-hitting, dependable, complimentary talent to his young friend on the field. The year Clark joined Washington he played in 15 games, starting 11. He led Redskins defensive backs with 81 tackles (65 solo), ranking eighth in that category in the league.

In 2005, he played in 13 games, logged 58 (48 solo) tackles, and had three interceptions and a forced fumble.

After the 2005 season, Clark’s contract with the Redskins expired and, rather than coughing up the money it would take to re-sign him, they allowed him to be signed by the Pittsburgh Steelers. Washington brought in safety Adam Archuleta for $30 million over six, years plus a $10 million signing bonus. Hmmmm. Do you suppose Clark would have stayed for that?

At the end of an article from the Associated Press back then, it quietly states:

"The Redskins also lost free agent safety Ryan Clark, who signed a four-year contract with Pittsburgh. Clark became expendable when Washington signed Adam Archuleta on Monday.”

Taylor was not happy about losing his friend and mentor for reasons easy to understand. Not only did the team lose a good safety, Archuleta did nothing to prove he was worth the money. In 2006, he started in only seven of 16 games, logged one sack, one pass defended and 49 tackles for the Redskins.

One of the things that made the situation so bad was that, after paying Archuleta upwards of $30 million, he became the highest paid bench-warmer in the NFL. In his defense, the safety was asked to play press man coverage, which he wasn’t very good at. He eventually found himself replaced by safety Troy Vincent very early in the season and the relationship between he, the coaching staff and the media deteriorated from there.

Had Ryan Clark been offered that $30 million, the only discussion of safeties would likely have been about how good the Redskins’ were.

While Archuleta was warming the pine here in Washington, in Pittsburgh Clark was starting 12 games, getting an interception, defending four passes, recovering three fumbles and logging 48 solo tackles while assisting in 24. Pittsburgh had themselves a good starting safety pair in Clark and Pro Bowl safety Troy Polamalu.

In a March 2006 online forum, a fan summed up well how many Redskins fans were feeling at the time – before we knew what a bust Archuleta would be:

“Honestly, I would have just resigned Ryan Clark.

Archuleta is probably a marginal upgrade, but Clark really wanted to play here, with this team, with these guys, with these coaches. Until I hear otherwise, in my mind Archuleta came here because we held out the most money.

I think there's a lot to be said for chemistry, and I think Ryan Clark brought a lot of that to our locker room. He will certainly be missed...

Hopefully Arch can bring that same attitude.”

As happens with many players not put in the best position to win, once he left Washington, Archuleta went on to play for the Chicago Bears and logged 54 tackles, two sacks, one interception, forced fumble and a fumble recovery.

That same season, Washington also wooed and signed defensive lineman Andre Carter, wide receiver Antwaan Randel El and perennial back-up quarterback Todd Collins. In the press, there were stories of limousine rides, expensive dinners and Wizards basketball games in luxury seats.

"At 6:30 p.m. yesterday, a caravan of four limousines lined up in front of Redskins Park to shuttle top Redskins personnel and free agent receiver Antwaan Randle El, defensive end Andre Carter, safety Adam Archuleta and quarterback Todd Collins to dinner and the Washington Wizards-Detroit Pistons game.

“Owner Daniel Snyder, Coach Joe Gibbs, player personnel director Vinny Cerrato, offensive coordinator Don Breaux, assistant head coach-defense Gregg Williams and H-back Chris Cooley were joined by Carter, Archuleta and Collins.”

During the same timeframe, the Redskins authored one of the biggest free agent signing busts when wide receiver Brandon Lloyd was brought in from the San Francisco 49ers. The most disappointing of the free agents signed that year; Lloyd caught only 23 passes for 365 yards in 2006.

Lloyd was not only unproductive, he was a locker room diva who had some notable temper tantrums during two games that season: once during a 24-14 loss to the Atlanta Falcons where he threw a helmet and again during a 36-22 loss to the Indianapolis Colts. During the Colts’ game, there was shouting on the sidelines and teammates stepped in to calm him down. Then head-coach Joe Gibbs benched the receiver and scrambled to assure the media that he would be returning the following year as head coach. Lloyd did not last long in Washington.

After he left the Redskins, the receiver made a quick stop in Chicago resulting in similar stats with the Bears as he’d had here. But, to return to the point of players leaving the team only to go elsewhere and blossom; he ended up in Denver and last year he made the Pro Bowl. He closed out the 2010 season with 77 receptions for 1,448 yards and 11 touchdowns. Not too shabby.

The season following the handing out of contracts worth six-years, $30 million (Carter); seven-years, $31 million including a $10 million signing bonus and a $1.5 million roster bonus (Randel El); and a six-year, $30 million contract with $10 million guaranteed (Lloyd); a really loyal and dynamite player for the Redskins became a victim of politics. Defensive tackle/linebacker LaVar Arrington was forced out of the organization and ended up joining former Redskins middle linebacker Antonio Pierce with the NFC East rival, New York Giants.

Pierce had been a popular, talented Redskin that was released by the team even after he led the Redskins with 112 tackles (85 of which were solo) and was named an alternate to the Pro Bowl. He also recorded two interceptions, returning one for a touchdown, with one sack and a pair of fumble recoveries. Signing with the Giants, he went on to log an incredible 109 solo tackles and went to the Pro Bowl in that first year in New York.

Arrington’s situation, however, was some of the worst handling of a player I’ve witnessed in my many years as a Redskins fan. As a long-time supporter/worshipper of Joe Gibbs, I was extremely disappointed as once again, the team was losing another favorite because the organization could not or would not do the right thing. The fact that Gibbs seemed powerless or unwilling to do anything about it bothered a lot of long-time supporters of the Hall-of-Fame coach. First we lost Bailey, then Clark and Pierce and now Arrington was embroiled in a situation that could not possibly end well. Gibbs was saying some of the right things some of the time.

"We're making an all-out effort to take care of our guys first," Gibbs had said in an interview back then, before learning that Pierce was leaving for a divisional rival. "And then if there's someone out there who we think can help the ball club, we'll pursue that."

But like all coaches, Gibbs gave his fair share of non-answers. For reasons given publicly that would have rivaled current head coach Mike Shanahan’s first and second explanations of why QB Donovan McNabb was benched last year, Arrington was relegated to “spot” duty in the early games of the season and, according to him, not told why. The press was given partial or convoluted reasons for it from Arrington's slow recovery from knee surgery to problems in practice to his hit-or-miss playing style.

Arrington is a man known to speak his mind and, given the fact that his immediate coordinator was the infamous Gregg Williams, it should be no surprise that the relationship between the linebacker and the team was always “interesting.” By October of 2005, between the contract issues that had come between Arrington and management (Arrington said that his contract was rushed through missing a $6.8 million bonus verbally agreed upon in order to make the signing deadline), knee injuries and what Williams said was Arrington needing “to practice better,” things came to a head. Arrington had seen little playing time by then wasn’t shy about letting people know how he felt about it.

"Coach Williams says I've got to show them in practice," Arrington said at one point. "Well, in practice, give me some reps so you can see what I can do. If you're not going to play me, then don't play me. Just don't make things up about why I'm not playing. I'm healthy. I'm of sound mind and body. Don't try to slander me. It's being insinuated that I'm not smart enough to play this defense. That's absurd."

Arrington ended up buying out his contract with the Redskins in the end and joined Pierce in New York, showing that, while the knee injuries had done some damage, he had enough left in the tank to be of value to a team.

The way Bailey, Clark and Arrington were treated became a blue-print of Snyder’s affinity for making a free agency splash and looking for the big name free agent rather than keeping the guys who have faithfully contributed to this team.

There have been other free agent signings that didn't work out so well for the team (Can you say “Deion Sanders”?) but also trades and signings that have – like wide out Santana Moss for Laveranues Coles in 2005. Coles was/is a very good receiver but Moss became the “Cowboy Killer” here in Washington because of an innate ability to make huge plays during Cowboys – Redskins games. There isn't a much more complimentary nickname for a Redskin. The former Miami Hurricane went to the Pro Bowl the first year he was here and has been a hugely productive receiver for the team.

Andre Carter was a great teammate, a hard-worker and talented defensive end. Two of his five years here, he posted double-digit sack numbers. The veteran was cut last season, however, after not transitioning to the 3-4 defense as well as management had envisioned.

When this lockout is over and there is finally a free agency period, the Redskins are going to have to figure out what they are going to do about several players that have become free agents this season. Wide out Santana Moss, quarterback Rex Grossman, right tackle Jammal Brown, offensive lineman Stephon Heyer, defensive lineman Kedric Golston, linebackers Rocky McIntosh, Chris Wilson and H.B. Blades, cornerbacks Carlos Rogers and Phillip Buchanon and safety Reed Doughty are all free agents of one type or another.

Most of these guys – in fact, all but Grossman, Brown and Buchanon – have been popular, contributing members of the team for several years. Will management go after the big names in free agency (like cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha) rather than trying to woo back a player like Carlos Rogers by paying him what he’s worth?

So much goes into whether or not a player succeeds in any given system. The point is, that if all of the talented Redskins free agents are let go with no chance to even compete, only to be replaced by big names at big money, we’ll know that some things never change and we are likely to see history repeat itself here in Washington - again.

Hail.

Washington Redskins: Thank You, Al Davis

Al Davis might have made my day. I’ve been tweeting about what a great birthday present it would be for me (it’s coming up soon) for the Washington Redskins to sign Oakland Raiders’ free agent (FA) cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha once the lockout is over. Reading Rich Langford’s piece on the Silver & Black Pride  reiterating why the owner of the Raiders may not be re-signing Asomugha just made me all the more optimistic that it could happen.

I like Carlos Rogers. He doesn’t get enough credit. Playing opposite Redskins Pro Bowl cornerback DeAngelo Hall last season, Rogers had trouble getting his hands on a few sure interceptions. But he covers well, breaks up a lot of passes and presses his receivers. In 2010, he started and played in 12 games and had 2 interceptions for 43 yards. He defended 12 passes, forced one fumble and had 43 tackles while assisting in an additional 11. Unfortunately, his days in Washington appear to be over based on what he said recently to the media about becoming a Philadelphia Eagle and playing against the Redskins. You never know what a nice monetary offer might do to change somebody’s attitude though. Defensive coordinator Jim Haslett could do worse despite Rogers’ comment.

The Redskins have other DBs on the team besides Hall, who holds the number one spot at the position. As well as Hall, there is 6’1”, 190 lbs. Kevin Barnes, 5’11”, 190 lbs. Phillip Buchanon (if he is re-signed) and 5’10”, 201 lbs. Byron Westbrook plus the un-signed rookie defensive backs, 5’11”, 200 lbs. DeJon Gomes (who played safety and linebacker as well at Nebraska) and 5’10”, 188 lbs. Brandyn Thompson.

Once a Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) is in place and Free Agency begins, things are going to move quickly. Rather than the typical couple of months, teams will more than likely have about two weeks to fill in their rosters for training camp. Word is that the new CBA might change unrestricted FA requirements back to four years rather than current six which means the 2011 FA class will be huge. Redskins General Manager Bruce Allen has said that the team will be aggressive in free agency and head coach Mike Shanahan will probably bring in some corners to compete for Rogers’ vacated starting position. Nnamdi Asomugha is the most talented of the free agent cornerbacks out there so why wouldn’t the team look at brining him in?

A lot of teams will be vying for Asomugha’s services and it’s possible that the Redskins will miss out on him depending on whether Shanahan is willing to beat the highest offer. Even if he is, the player might simply choose to go somewhere besides Washington.

The Redskins could go after the former Cincinnati Bengals’ Johnathan Joseph – a very talented defensive back who, at 27, is still young. The Atlanta Falcons’ Brent Grimes will be available if not resigned. And the New York Jets’ Antonio Cromartie is a free agent. But the Bengals, Falcons and Jets all use a 4-3 defense and Haslett doesn’t need 4-3 personnel when the team is trying to solidify the 3-4 in its second year. Both of the Baltimore Ravens’ FA cornerbacks Chris Carr or Josh Wilson could work for the Skins because the Ravens play a hybrid defense. Pittsburgh Steelers’ Ike Taylor will be available from the Steelers who run the 3-4 defense as well.

Chris Carr, 27, started all 16 games last year. The 5’10”, 180 lbs. back logged 2 sacks, no interceptions, no touchdowns, 8 passes defended, forced three fumbles, and made 54 tackles.

Josh Wilson, 25, played in 14 games, starting 9. This 5’9”, 189 lbs. cornerback had 9 interceptions, one touchdown, 14 passes defended, one fumble recovery and 34 tackles.

Ike Taylor, 31, played in 16 games, starting 15. The 6’1”, 191 lbs. back had one sack, two interceptions, and no touchdowns. He defended 10 passes, forced one fumble and made 46 tackles. However, the Redskins need to continue to get younger.

Asomugha’s stats last year were not his best although he did go to the Pro Bowl and made First Team All-Pro (for the second time). The Raider FA started in 14 of 14 games played in 2010 but it wasn’t his most productive year.  With 17 (solo) tackles, no forced or recovered fumbles, no interceptions and no touchdowns, one would have to go back in time a bit to see how talented he is.  In 2006, he played in all but one game, had 50 tackles, 48 of which were solo, 1 sack, 8 interceptions for 59 yards, 1 touchdown and 19 pass breakups. Compare that to one of the most productive cornerbacks in the league – New England Patriots’ Devin McCourty. In 2010 he logged 60 tackles, had 7 interceptions for 110 yards, 2 forced fumbles and 17 passes defended.

The Redskins would do well to have any one of the aforementioned cornerbacks come to Washington and compete with Barnes, Buchanon and Westbrook. I am not saying that these current Redskins are not good enough to start opposite Hall. But, like quarterback John Beck, we have not seen enough of them to really know. Actually, I’d like to see them do really well in training camp. Team chemistry is important and they were all on the squad last season. It would be nice to see the team already in place stay together and do well.  Kevin Barnes has shown some real talent.

In 2010, Barnes, 24, played in 10 games, starting two (one at safety) after Rogers was injured. Barnes grabbed an interception off of a pressured David Garrard pass and the Redskins ended up beating the Jacksonville Jaguars. Barnes also broke up 5 passes and logged 14 tackles. The former Bruin played well at the end of last year and believes he can start for Washington.

Byron Westbrook, 24, played in 16 games but did not start any. He made four tackles and picked up a fumble. The DB played primarily on special teams, returning a couple of kicks. We don’t really know what he’s capable of at cornerback full-time.

Phillip Buchanon, 30, is the oldest of the three. He played in every game in 2010, starting five and having a productive year for not being a regular starter (though he did start for Oakland in 2004 and Tampa Bay in 2008). The DB had two interceptions for 51 yards (the longest was 43 yards), two forced fumbles and one fumble recovery. He made 40 tackles and was involved in eight more.

Given the type of play that results from good competition, and knowing how hungry this Redskins team is to win, I am going to send a big thanks to Al Davis for not having the good sense to see what he has and hang on to it… something that Washington has had problems with in the past (can you say, “Champ Bailey” or “Ryan Clark”?).  Asomugha would add talent, experience and depth to the cornerback position if the Redskins were to sign him. In my opinion, he has the right character to enhance the locker room. According to Langford, Asomugha is not aggressive enough on the field and so Davis, in having to choose to re-sign Asomugha or just keep defensive lineman Richard Seymour, might choose to keep only the latter. Langford describes the cornerback as “…the ultimate professional. He is well-prepared; he keeps himself in shape; he is a student of the game; he is courteous with his time with the press, and he helps tutor the younger players.”

I hope that Shanahan makes a good move and gets the cornerback signed, sealed and delivered to Redskins Park in time for training camp and some fierce competition. Maybe then I’ll get something else I’ve wanted for my birthday (which occurs during the offseason) for a while now… the prospect of a Burgundy & Gold secondary that strikes fear into the heart of opponents’ offenses – every offense, every time.

Hail.

Washington Redskins: Could Change in Mentality Bring Repeat of History?

The Washington Redskins players are not alone in their attempt to stay in shape and be ready for football when this work stoppage is finally over. While the player-only workouts during the lockout have been attempted in secret, they have ended up being regularly attended by the media and so have gotten attention. There have been many tweets about it, YouTube videos of players working out, and articles about teams working out together during this strange off-season. The theme of staying in shape is a common one around the league these days. 

There was a time, however, when that wasn’t necessarily the case.

Once this lockout is over, there is going to be a huge push by coaches to get teams ready for a football season. There will have been no mini-camps, no strength/conditioning programs and no official organized team activities (OTAs) when the players finally get into their facilities. Depending on the date an agreement is finally reached, it’s likely that training camps will follow shortly and hopefully, on time. There is hope that no games will be missed – preseason or otherwise – but there is no guarantee of that. With the lack of OTAs, injuries to players are a concern in the coming season.

Long-time or knowledgeable Redskins fans know that two Super bowls won by their team came in seasons immediately following work stoppages. In 1982, the season was shortened from 16 games per team to nine because of a players' strike and Washington beat the Miami Dolphins 27-17 to win Super Bowl XVII. That season, the strike began on September 21, 1982 and lasted 57 days until November 16th. No games were played during that time, unlike the later strike, in 1987, where replacement players were employed and games were played.

In 1987, The NFLPA struck for 24 days and the regular season was reduced from 16 games to 15. The only games missed were in the third week of the season and the Washington Redskins, as in 1982, won Super Bowl XXII that year.

It would be awesome – however naive - to fantasize that Washington could go on to win a Superbowl in 2011 after another player work stoppage. However, this team is in no way similar to the teams that made up the Redskins back in 1982 and 1987. In those two years, the previous seasons’ teams were already very good.

In 1981, the Redskins' record was 8-8 and it was then head coach Joe Gibbs’ first season. He had the likes of Joe Theisman on his roster at quarterback, Joe Washington and John Riggins at running back, Art Monk receiving, Don Warren and Rick “Doc” Walker at tight end. There was Jeff Bostic, Joe Jacoby and Russ Grim on the offensive line and Mike Nelms returning balls.

Gibbs had a defense that consisted of Dave Butz at defensive tackle and linebacker Monte Coleman scoring six touchdowns. It was a team of veterans who were with the team the following season and were ready to take the next step.

By 1987, the Redskins had won 10 or more games per season for the last four years. In 1983, they were 14 and 2; in 1984 they were 11 and 5, in 1985 they were 10 and 6 and in 1986 they were 12 and 4. All but one of those years, they made playoff appearances. In 1987, the Washington Redskins were a team that could withstand a strike and still have a chance to win. They had players like pro bowlers Charles Mann and Darrell Green, Gary Clark and an amazing amount of players who had been on the 1982 Superbowl team.

It is admirable that the Redskins, as a team, have been so involved with the player practices and with individually working hard to stay in shape. They will need to be both unified and physically fit this year to have a chance with so many other things working against them in this lockout year. In going back and looking at that 1987 strike year, I found contrasts in how the players conducted themselves then compared to how the 2011 Redskins have during this lockout.

Most Redskins in 1987 were heavily involved in picketing during the strike in an attempt to keep the replacement players from getting into the Redskins’ training facility. Middle linebacker Neal Olkewicz was the NFLPA player representative and he would organize the rotation of players, making sure someone was always on hand to hold up a sign and represent the striking players.

However, although they were involved with that activity some of the time, the rest of the time there was not a lot of emphasis put on staying in shape physically - at least not publicly. According to an article dated September 28, 1987 in The Washington Post, striking Redskins were “running errands, mowing the lawn or sunbathing by the pool at the Dulles Marriott Hotel.” Even Joe Gibbs took rare time off the day the article was written.

“I’ll probably have a fight or two around the house,” he said to the reporter with a chuckle according to the reporter.

Dave Butz spent time during the strike trying to fix his home computer – with caulking, no less, according to another Washington Post article written on September 19, 1987. This was, of course, early in the strike, before he knew it was going to last for 57 days. Butz had been through the previous strike and knew that down time was not good for professional football players. He said that there had been too much “leisure time” from September 20 until November 17 in 1982. And so, he decided that during that 1987 strike, he would go hunting.

Other players were happy to tell reporters what they would be doing and much of the time, it wasn’t working out.



“I mowed lots of grass,” said Pro Bowl guard R.C. Theilemann.

In the articles I was able to find, only one player openly admitted he was trying to stay in shape.

“I hung out, worked out quite a bit,” said linebacker Rich Milot. “But I don’t remember doing anything special.”

I did find out that the 1982 and 1987 Redskins worked out and/or practiced together a few times... just not as much or as publicly as the 2011 players. In fact, according to Washington Post reporter, Ken Denlinger, that is one of the reasons the 1982 team recovered so well from the strike.

After the 1987 strike, Joe Gibbs knew he was going to have his work cut out for him getting his players back to shape.

“It’s my job to work with them and make the most out of this break,” he said. And his players seemed to agree. They were much more successful than the current team at keeping their practices secret.

“We’ve gotten together and gone over stuff,” linebacker Mel Kaufman said, “but we don’t want to be disturbed or to have any distractions.”

The willingness and enthusiasm to work out together that the current Washington Redskins players have displayed is such a great thing. We don't know that this is hugely different from the 1982 and 1987 teams. They might have felt the same way. Because any practices they had were not made public, there is no way to truly know without talking to all of them.

The lack of team OTAs is likely going to be a problem for every team in 2011 but some have bigger problems than just that. There are teams with brand new coaching staffs (Oakland Raiders, Denver Broncos, Cleveland Browns, and Carolina Panthers) and teams with new quarterbacks (Cam Newton/Panthers, Blaine Gabbert/Jacksonville Jaguars, Christian Ponder/Minnesota Vikings, Andy Dalton/Cincinnati Bengals, Colin Kaepernick/San Francisco 49ers).

The Redskins have their own set of problems. The lack of a prototypical nose tackle is a dilemma. There are questions at so many positions: quarterback, cornerback, running back, wide receiver and all along the offensive line. Those questions may be answered as soon as the lockout ends and Free Agency opens up. General Manager Bruce Allen has said that the team will be aggressive during this period. And once training camp begins and guys can begin competing for positions, coaches and fans alike will have a more clear idea of who will actually be filling the aforementioned positions. Going into the second year of head coach Mike Shanahan’s system will help.

But what will also help is the fact that the players for Washington have been working together once a month during a time when there is no other way for them to build any sort of game timing or cohesiveness. That is not to say they should not do things together like fishing or playing golf but these activities would not really help them get ready for a fiercely violent game that is going to come very quickly once this lockout is over.

I don’t know if the current players have much knowledge of how their predecessors spent their work stoppages. I do know that the current players have shown a real dedication to their craft during this lockout. If history can ever repeat itself in the NFL, let’s hope that this is the year and the Washington Redskins are the team.

Hail.