Core of the Redskins problem: Greed

I'm sure it is cause he wasn't happy with his deal since last season. So seeing Archuleta get paid probably bugs him, but I don't think he's not playing hard because of that. I think he's having a decent season, just a little suspect in pass coverage, but why the hell is playing one on one with guys all the time anyway?

Guys, maybe the Sean Taylor example wasn't good because I think it distracts us from the real issue, which is the personnel strategy.

I know Taylor has a huge following on this board and I'm one of his biggest fans.

All I'm saying is that when you are playing to make a highlight reel you are going to play more undisciplined than when you are playing for your team. I think some guys may be playing for themselves moreso than for their team and I think the personnel strategy is a big influencer on that.

DriftReality,

I couldn't agree with you more on most of your assessment. Bringing in free agents and paying big money to outsiders does have a demoralizing effect on your psyche. Plus chemistry always takes time. It's kind of like bringing in contractors to do your work (I'm a Gov Tech Lead and hate to bring in 'hired guns' to do your work but that's the govt' way, I digress). Cultivating draft picks is a much more long term successful way to build a Super Bowl Champ but this owner doesn't get it after 7 years. Is he insane or what. He keeps making the same mistake over and over. That's the definition of insanity. On top of the emotional effect all the free agents have on the team people are out of position at times. Free Agency should be a supplement to your team to fill gaps not a way to build your entire team.

PS. - That was a cheap shot and uncalled for; dealing out the racial card when comparing Taylor and Archuletta.


DJdunick, thanks for your perspective. I think most of us in the professional world realize what it would be like to bust your ass and then have management bring someone else in when you were up for a promotion.

I'm sorry if you felt the race issue was out of order. I thought about whether or not to include the point and ultimately, I honestly felt that it was accurate. I think we would have to be wearing blinders if we were to feel as though race is not a factor in professional sports today. I'm not saying it is right, but I feel that it is a reality.

Whenever they talk about the black/white issue at quarterback, it seems as though players are always being quoted on how the NFL attempts to turn black athletic quarterbacks into other positions. Don't you think that race must play an issue across the field?

This race card business is a joke. Sean Taylor has gone through a lot in his young career and I can't think of another team in professional sports who would have been so supportive as the Washington Redskins have been.

The jury is out on Archuleta since he is learning a new defense in a context where everything is out of whack due to all the injuries. The Redskins thought they were signing a great player, an experienced veteran with truly exceptional ability who would fit perfectly with what the Redskins wanted to do. Taylor can expect a hefty raise when his contract is up if he keeps making progress like he has. Gregg Williams has made it clear Taylor is the player with the most talent he has ever coached. Archuleta was supposed to be the guy who really sent our secondary over the top, to help get us to the Super Bowl. The Redskins didn't feel that Ryan Clark was that kind of player.

The Redskins wanted to sign Pierce, but Pierce wanted the big stage of New York. A judgment was made about Smoot that we could do better with a draft choice, supported by a veteran at that position to give him time to mature, than to give him a huge contract. Who knows all the reasons went into the decision about Smoot. The basic point is correct - not to pay him a lot more than Springs. Archuleta may not be the player they hoped for, and it may have been a mistake to sign him, but they thought they were getting a special player who would be a major difference maker. Taylor's talent at this stage in his career, especially with how things have gone with him overall, is not a suffcient reason to say we cannot pay anyone more than him at safety in my view.

We have been setting ourselves up for a Super Bowl run, and now has not been the time to just go on draft choices. If you are a core Redskin, and you don't want to leave like Pierce did, you will be rewarded on this team.

Drift,

As far as Taylor is concerned. Let's face facts. Race had nothing to do with his current contract. How about blaming his agent and the fact the for the terriffic performer he is on the field he's a basket case off the field and makes bad decisions. Remember how he hired/fired agents? And lest we forget that the current management has a history of bringing in players from the outside and paying them more then draft picks (the few that we have) regardless of color.

The only other factor that I could think of besides playing ability that would factor into the pay level would have nothing to do with black and white, it would have to do with the color green. With Sean Taylors antics on and off the field (spitting @ the Tampa Bay game, personal fouls, arrest on gun charges) I would certainly believe that Archuletta's squeeky clean image is more marketable then Taylor's.


I do agree his level of play has deteriorated. I watched him closely last week against the Giants and on a couple of plays I was used to seeing his 'hit seeking missle' hits and instead he delivered a very soft hit. I'm not sure what his problem is.

I know we all want answers but this thread is really digging for something that isn't there. I think it's really dangerous to start throwing around the race card and insinuating that players are upset with what other players are making. This sort of speculation is a little over the top in my opinion. Let's get back to some of the more likely issues we're struggling. Adjusting to a new offense, no offensive identity, injuries, etc.

I know we all want answers but this thread is really digging for something that isn't there. I think it's really dangerous to start throwing around the race card and insinuating that players are upset with what other players are making. This sort of speculation is a little over the top in my opinion. Let's get back to some of the more likely issues we're struggling. Adjusting to a new offense, no offensive identity, injuries, etc.

I disagree with the race issue. However, I don't buy that fe agent additions don't hurt. Look at the Yankees, they don't win cause they don't have chemistry. It's kinda the same situation. Hell, baseball's hardly a team game. The Skins have to be on the same page or they get exploited. With constant turnover in the roster, you can't tell me that doesn't hurt.

I disagree with the "greed" aspect. Can anyone define greed, by the way?

Is it greedy to win as many games as you can? Is it greed to make as much money as you can?

I've never understood the whole "greed" thing, in any sense. We all want what's best for us, and the same goes for the team.

I disagree with the race issue. However, I don't buy that fe agent additions don't hurt. Look at the Yankees, they don't win cause they don't have chemistry. It's kinda the same situation. Hell, baseball's hardly a team game. The Skins have to be on the same page or they get exploited. With constant turnover in the roster, you can't tell me that doesn't hurt.

We didn't have that much turnover this year. We have two new starters defensively. That shouldn't tear a defense apart.

We didn't have that much turnover this year. We have two new starters defensively. That shouldn't tear a defense apart.

There are a lot of guys hurt right now, so there were 3 on the line yesterday, 2 in the defensive backfield and kinda 1 in the linebacking core. When you lose Springs and add a guy who can't cover it's gonna hurt. I think Springs getting back would help...a lot. However, Clark was much better in coverage than Archuleta and they were fine against the run last year, so why replace him?

I'm throughly tired of the Snyder angle. Look, we can't have it both ways here: Gibbs is team president, head coach, the face of the skins, and intemately involved with EVERY decision the team makes, at pretty much every level. Snyder is an easy target becuase we won under JKC, Snyder came in, and we haven't won. Plus, his style rubs lots of people the wrong way. But do you REALLY think that Snyder is doing things that his boy hood idol and hero Joe Gibbs doesn't ask him to? He signs the people that Gibbs asks him to sign. Full stop. This is not 2000; this is not the Spurrier era. This is a Joe Gibbs football team, and it's successes and failures are his. I am a huge fan of Gibbs, and he is one of my heros as well. But he'd be the first to say that this is on him, and that Danny has only done what he's been asked to do by the football people at redskins park. And that means JG.