Kudos to Dan Snyder and Vinny Cerrato

After a good night's sleep and a big glass of Kool-Aid (what happened to the Kool Aid avatar btw?) here's my new view on D&V.

You know what, screw it. The right side of our line is back, Zorn is going to find a way to get Portis and Betts involved in the passing game, and Campbell has another year under his belt. Maybe the FO did need to take a reprieve and let the jet cool for a summer. The one thing D&V deserve kudos for is that they have done nothing to overshadow Coach Zorn, they are letting him do his thing and they went out and got him the weapons he needs to run his offense.

Smootsmack, you are absolutely right on James, he could be a steal and if not he only cost us a 7th round pick next year so its worthwhile. I have been anti-VC for so long that I am just accustomed to panning everything he does, I will give him and the team a chance. And they do deserve kudos for not trying to win their 8th consecutive Summer Super Bowl title. I see the o-line being a force, Jason Campbell spreading the ball, and Clinton Portis running buck wild. I'm officially on board!

I didn't think we were better than them last year. I'd say we were about even. Now we've lost #21, they've added Samuel, plus we're learning a new offense and all the old guys that we're really counting on are a year older. And right now they've got a better QB.

I think it's fair to say the Eagles have their share of question marks as well. McNabb's health being the main one. He's already missed some time this offseason with a sore shoulder.

-They have some potential drama brewing with Sheppard still on the roster.

-They still don't scare anyone at WR.

-Westbrook is a gamer but he's also inching towards 30 and with his workload a breakdown could come at any time.

OK, maybe saying "holes" on the o-line is a bit strong, although there's a reason Pete Kendall didn't get a long term deal from the Jets and I'm guessing it rhymes with Darthritis Peas.

SO drafting his eventual (either this year or next) replacement wasn't addressing that need?

** Sorry, posted this before reading your response just above.. Was arguing with the GF until 3am so I'm still a bit feisty! :argue:**

Well it goes without saying that those of us who are optimistic about next season are absolutely assuming Campbell will develop into the player we think he can be: a legitimate winning NFL starting quarterback. To argue that, should our QB not take some significant steps forward over the course of the next year we will be in trouble, is one thing. To argue that the change at coach somehow precludes this is another entirely. I for one think that our offense will be improved next year, and thus remain optimistic.

On the bolded part, I vehemently disagree. The fact that Campbell has not yet established himself as a stud QB, COMBINED with the fact that he'll be working under a new coach in a new system in Zorn, reduces the chances that the offense will click successfully in year 1.

Because with Brees, Payton got a QB who already had a stud season. With Roethisberger, Tomlin got a guy who had led his team to a SB win. With Romo, Wade got a guy who set the world on fire in the final 10 games of the previous season.

Turner? He got an up and coming QB in Rivers, who hadn't yet arrived. What happened? The coaching change resulted in a worse record than the year before. Now when you've got that line, plus Tomlinson, plus that defense, you can still make the playoffs. But the Redskins don't have SD's talent to get them through the flux of a coaching change.

There's not a lot of precedence for instant success when you combine a new head coach with a not-yet-established NFL QB. Can you think of any recently? I can't.

After a good night's sleep and a big glass of Kool-Aid (what happened to the Kool Aid avatar btw?) here's my new view on D&V.

You know what, screw it. The right side of our line is back, Zorn is going to find a way to get Portis and Betts involved in the passing game, and Campbell has another year under his belt. Maybe the FO did need to take a reprieve and let the jet cool for a summer. The one thing D&V deserve kudos for is that they have done nothing to overshadow Coach Zorn, they are letting him do his thing and they went out and got him the weapons he needs to run his offense.

Smootsmack, you are absolutely right on James, he could be a steal and if not he only cost us a 7th round pick next year so its worthwhile. I have been anti-VC for so long that I am just accustomed to panning everything he does, I will give him and the team a chance. And they do deserve kudos for not trying to win their 8th consecutive Summer Super Bowl title. I see the o-line being a force, Jason Campbell spreading the ball, and Clinton Portis running buck wild. I'm officially on board!

On a slightly related note, Clayton picked Portis as the NFC East's Most Improved Veteran in 2008. I don't really even know what he meant by that. But it sounds pretty awesome!

In the past I have been a critic of D&V for their high dollar/ high profile/high bust rate of the past (2001 to Gibbs arrival) as it relates to free agency and player personnel decisions. We consistently had the highest payroll combined with consistent losing record. Not a great track record.
Which is why some people do not like VC because Dan Snyder seems to hold a diffrent standard for him. DS keeps VC around for some reason despite some really poor seasons. Maybe by firing VC it would require DS to admit to poor FO management?
Then Gibbs arrived and our poor habits diminished. We made the playoffs for the first time in years.
I am glad to see D&V have stayed on the Gibbs course since Gibbs left.

It is too early to give Kudos, but I like what they have done so far since Gibbs left..so far.
I do not like to second guess player personnel until the players have a chance to prove themselves on the field. But the only move I have second guessed recently is the 3rd draft pick (TE). At a time when we are getting very old in the offensive and defensive lines, a 2nd team TE seemed like a luxury pick. We will see.

My only concern is we are one of the oldest teams in the NFL.
Guys like Jansen have have not made it through a season with out missing significant time since gas was under $2 a gallon. Our starting LG is pushing 40. Two of our better DL (C. Griffen and Phillip Daniels) and Shawn Springs are old.
My only concern is their replacements have not stepped up on the field and proved they are ready to take over.

Pete Kendall turns 35 tomorrow. Old for a football player, yes. But saying he's pushing 40 is stretching it just a bit.

Or did I miss something and 35 is the new 40?

No way does Kendall make it all 16 games this year. I know Buges is getting this guy Reinhart ready.

No way does Kendall make it all 16 games this year. I know Buges is getting this guy Reinhart ready.

He might not... but it's worth noting the last time he missed more than a start or two was back in 2001. Even with his bad knees he's been a rock.

On the bolded part, I vehemently disagree. The fact that Campbell has not yet established himself as a stud QB, COMBINED with the fact that he'll be working under a new coach in a new system in Zorn, reduces the chances that the offense will click successfully in year 1.

Because with Brees, Payton got a QB who already had a stud season. With Roethisberger, Tomlin got a guy who had led his team to a SB win. With Romo, Wade got a guy who set the world on fire in the final 10 games of the previous season.

Turner? He got an up and coming QB in Rivers, who hadn't yet arrived. What happened? The coaching change resulted in a worse record than the year before. Now when you've got that line, plus Tomlinson, plus that defense, you can still make the playoffs. But the Redskins don't have SD's talent to get them through the flux of a coaching change.

There's not a lot of precedence for instant success when you combine a new head coach with a not-yet-established NFL QB. Can you think of any recently? I can't.

Well if you are going to bring up the Sean Peyton example from that year you would also have to talk about the Jets and Mangini, who while not necessarily having a not yet established qb, did have a tumultuous situation that I would think to be worse than ours. As for your other examples, fair enough, but I think it’s important to point out that all those players got better under their new coaches (Rivers notwithstanding). Roethilsberger had followed a disastrous Superbowl performance with an even more disastrous season, and I don't think many were expecting him to grow into the elite passer he became last year. Romo, after a hot start in 06, had faded down the stretch and was not a sure thing by any means. Rivers? I think his struggles had more to do with his deficiencies as a player than with the coaching change, as Turner, in spite of his abundant faults, has a stellar record of working with quarterbacks. Even Brees was not known to be more than a good QB prior to his teaming with Peyton, who brought his game to another level.

There are also examples (Alex Smith comes to mind) of players who greatly regressed under new tutelage. But my point is that historical precedence does exist for QB's getting better after a coaching change.

I think your position is prudent and almost certainly represents the conventional wisdom around the league vis-à-vis the Skins; however, after a summer of Kool Aid drinking I am buying into Zorn and banking that JC will take a huge step forward this year. I also took a trip to Amsterdam this summer – now that's some Kool Aid they have over there! But that's another story...