Redskins Insider: Draft Review

Man, he really has a bug up his ass for DS and VC. It seems like they can do no right. Part of me hopes the WR's and TE burn it up just watch him twist. I got no feelings one way or another for the guy but some of his ill-will seems a little over the top. There are some legitimate criticisms but, jeez, it's not like this wasn't an area of need where top talent was available.

Yes. They took a bit of a gamble - gambles have down sides, deal with it. Should we have spent more on defense, I dunno we have been pretty defensive oriented the last few drafts and, as a result, offensive depth has suffered.

Bottom line...

If the Redskins do not score 30 points a game EVERY game, this draft will be completely fruitless. Lets look at this from an offensive standpoint for a second... They LOVE Lorenzo Alexander, Stephon Heyer, and now have a solid RG-RT from the draft. They still have Clinton Portis and Ledell Betts. Now, they have one of the best TE's in the draft, arguably the best game changing receiver and KR threat, and another big body in Malcolm Kelly. ARE wont be around come 2011, and Moss may be on his way out as well. This was a great pickup, with SUPERIOR pass catchers the west coast offense can flourish. I can only imagine set running plays with Mix, Kelly, Cooley and Davis all at wing spots within the lineup. We can become highly dynamic, and possibly turn into the greatest show on grass.

Lets face it, Tryon has the attitude and strength to become a strong defensive playmaker. Kareem Moore can easily beat out Doughty. I think Caleb Campbell, Craig Steltz or Jonathan Hefney would have been better pickups, but I trust Blache.

I hope Erin Henderson is within our RFA group and maybe Erik Ainge and Jamar Adams...

All in all I think Rob Jackson could be a poor man's justin tuck, and I truly love the Fred Davis pick...

Okay, let's slow down here. The Skins 'aint going to score over 30 points a game next year. That would probably be the biggest offensive turn around in history if it happens. They undoubtedly added some very important pieces to the puzzle this weekend, as you've noted, but that would be a big jump.

Hey at first glance your screen name looks like another dude that comes around here every now and then. His name is Schneed.

agree they will not score 30 points/game next year but YOU CANNOT DENY the fact that everything they have done from the moment Gibbs retired to the present time has been focused to jumpstart the offense. From the firing of Saunders and the hiring of Zorn, the the proclomation that Campbell is the starter and bringing in all those offensive draftees. I know the defensive is getting old but lets cmon they were solid last year, really no chnage in philosophy and we did strenghten the secondary.

I do think that 2008 will be an improvement in the offense but it will take at least a full year for the team to digest the new offense and for the new kids to get their feet wet.

I was debating whether to create another thread with this but it seems like the best forum for it right here. I felt the same way about the JLC blog post this morning when I read it so I sent him an e-mail. He's always been cool about replying to my e-mails so I figured I'd give it a shot.. Here's what I sent and I italicized his response. Despite how you feel about his writing or stance, he's a stand-up dude IMO.

JLC-

First of all, thanks for all that you do and the diligent work that you put in to keep us informed year round on all things Redskins!

I do however have to point out that I’ve been troubled by your tone on your recent posts. While you aren’t a fan (nor should you be as a journalist) there is a decidedly more negative/bitter tone towards many things in your blog since the coaching search. I’m not deluded enough to think that Danny and Vinny are above reproach or are right all or even most of the time, but I’m willing to let this play out with Zorn without the gloom and doom that accompanies your recent postings. My concern is that people will stop reading the blog because they don’t want to always read the negative tone and the Post will eliminate it for lack of traffic.

I’ll continue to tune in to the blog postings and thanks again for all of your efforts!!

Hail.

JLC Response:
Thanks so much for taking the time to write, John. Awesome of you to do so. I'm just trying to hold them accountable and see if their words match their deeds, as they ask the fans to pay gobs of money for this product but are generally less than forthcoming or truthful to these same fans.
When they do something positive - lkike trading down, etc - I'm never shy to say so. And if they make puzzling and unusual moves - which pretty much defines the last 4 months - then I detail why succesful front offices and people around the league found those moves odd and potentially troubling to the fans here.
Lately, the weird has outweighed all else and without gibbs there and just snyder and cerrato running the show they are going to be evaluated every so closely. Neither has anything close to a sparkling track record, and in my opinion warrant a critical look as they make major decisions that will shape the franchise.
Thanks again for reading the blog and sending the email. I will definitely keep your words in mind.
Cheers

He is a standup guy and will respond to most emails. I just wish he could outline what he did like about the Redskins draft. It just seems odd when most draft experts are giving the Redskins a good grade and here's JLC tearing them a new one.

the skins having a wr rated so high they couldnt pass on him even though they had other needs . . sounds like when we drafted taylor jacobs instead of mike doss, "we were just so surprised he was still there we had to do it!!"

go skins!

This guy is kind of turning into a gas bag who doesn't provide any real info. I mean, I'm not going to sit here and say the skins are going 13-3 this year...but one can at least be positive. This was a GOOD draft...we got three players with first round grades, and then proceeded to shore up some holes for depth. Initially, I didn't like passing on DL, but I think we did a good job, and I'll wait till after June 1st to make any judgments.

I call BS on the "being honest with fans" crap. What I infer from that is "being honest with journalists so when we write what they tell us we don't look like idiots after they do something different". I mean really how are they not being honest with fans? That doesn't even make sense. He just seem slightly bitter that his contacts are gone and he is left with the people he just doesn't like and can't get much info from.

the skins having a wr rated so high they couldnt pass on him even though they had other needs . . sounds like when we drafted taylor jacobs instead of mike doss, "we were just so surprised he was still there we had to do it!!"

go skins!

For the record, Mike Doss hasn't been a player either and is now a reserve with the Vikings (i.e. not the team that drafted him). Historical analogies are pretty slippery, and not all that useful, when it comes to the draft IMO.

the skins having a wr rated so high they couldnt pass on him even though they had other needs . . sounds like when we drafted taylor jacobs instead of mike doss, "we were just so surprised he was still there we had to do it!!"

go skins!

So the Skins are supposed to say to themselves "Say, look who's available. A player rated far and away better than anyone else on our board. Ohhh, but he is a WR and I remembr a couple years ago we drafted a WR in a very similar situation and it didn't work out. We better pass on the guy since we blew this once before."

Is that what you are saying?