Mark Sanchez at 13th?

I'm with you in thinking (hoping?) this is all just a smokescreen. For all we know this could have all started back with Cutler :)

... yes I'm that optimistic

Could be. You know, no one outside of the respective front offices knows what we offered for Cutler. We could have offered a loaf of bread. But one speculative news report said that we offered the farm and then that report got reprinted over and over and over...Like the Nazi Goering said, a lie told often enough becomes the truth.

In truth we may never have been serious about Cutler, we may have just been playing with everyone else. If so, it worked.

You know, last year Malcolm Kelly was quite surprised that we drafted him. He said that we barely spoke to him before the draft.

I mention this because if this is the modus operandi of our FO, this means that Sanchez MUST be a smokescreen. If we like to keep our choices on the way-way-down-low, Sanchez cannot be one of our choices.

Continuing this line of thought, Ayers said the same thing when asked about being drafted by us - "They've hardly spoken to me." Perhaps, then, the plan is to take Ayers at 13.

The Ayers part is my weaker argument here. My stronger argument is that trading up for Sanchez does not fit our past pre-draft behavior.

That's a tough pull. Kelly wasn't our first pick nor did we get exactly who we wanted in the 2nd. Hell he was our 3rd pick in the 2nd.

You know, last year Malcolm Kelly was quite surprised that we drafted him. He said that we barely spoke to him before the draft.

If Malcolm Kelly was surprised we drafted him then he isn't too bright. DS and a contingent of Skins people, including Jason Campbell, flew to Norman to work him out personally prior to the draft.

I agree Lotus. We also had no idea we were thinking of taking Mayo. I certainly don't remember any mocks having us taking him. This is what gives me hope. :)

Mayo might not have been on any mocks (because most mocks are worthless), but we knew he had a personal visit to Redskins Park and I think JLC even had a blog post about the team being interested in him. Probably if you search this site you can find some talk about it someplace.

My point is not to disparage your memories, but to say that I actually do not think that the Skins operate very well in the cloak and dagger department. They try really hard sometimes, but the stories seem to get out. Just off the top of my head, Albert Haynesworth's agent dining with DS at the combine, "secret" private workout with Jason Campbell prior to the 2005 draft, Lance Briggs talk, and the list can go on. Not everything happens, but there is usually some fire behind the smoke. I think the M.O. with this F.O. is that if the stories are out there with more substance than "x high profile free agent is available, the Redskins must be interested" then they usually have some legs.

When the Redskins do deal in smokescreens they are of the "we are not interested in Jason Taylor" and then trade for Jason Taylor variety. Usually the intentions of ownership are fairly obvious by their actions unless they just lie about their intentions.

If Malcolm Kelly was surprised we drafted him then he isn't too bright. DS and a contingent of Skins people, including Jason Campbell, flew to Norman to work him out personally prior to the draft.



Mayo might not have been on any mocks (because most mocks are worthless), but we knew he had a personal visit to Redskins Park and I think JLC even had a blog post about the team being interested in him. Probably if you search this site you can find some talk about it someplace.

My point is not to disparage your memories, but to say that I actually do not think that the Skins operate very well in the cloak and dagger department. They try really hard sometimes, but the stories seem to get out. Just off the top of my head, Albert Haynesworth's agent dining with DS at the combine, "secret" private workout with Jason Campbell prior to the 2005 draft, Lance Briggs talk, and the list can go on. Not everything happens, but there is usually some fire behind the smoke. I think the M.O. with this F.O. is that if the stories are out there with more substance than "x high profile free agent is available, the Redskins must be interested" then they usually have some legs.

When the Redskins do deal in smokescreens they are of the "we are not interested in Jason Taylor" and then trade for Jason Taylor variety. Usually the intentions of ownership are fairly obvious by their actions unless they just lie about their intentions.

Yeah that doesn't sound right, the Skins were all over Kelly

If Malcolm Kelly was surprised we drafted him then he isn't too bright. DS and a contingent of Skins people, including Jason Campbell, flew to Norman to work him out personally prior to the draft.



Mayo might not have been on any mocks (because most mocks are worthless), but we knew he had a personal visit to Redskins Park and I think JLC even had a blog post about the team being interested in him. Probably if you search this site you can find some talk about it someplace.

My point is not to disparage your memories, but to say that I actually do not think that the Skins operate very well in the cloak and dagger department. They try really hard sometimes, but the stories seem to get out. Just off the top of my head, Albert Haynesworth's agent dining with DS at the combine, "secret" private workout with Jason Campbell prior to the 2005 draft, Lance Briggs talk, and the list can go on. Not everything happens, but there is usually some fire behind the smoke. I think the M.O. with this F.O. is that if the stories are out there with more substance than "x high profile free agent is available, the Redskins must be interested" then they usually have some legs.

When the Redskins do deal in smokescreens they are of the "we are not interested in Jason Taylor" and then trade for Jason Taylor variety. Usually the intentions of ownership are fairly obvious by their actions unless they just lie about their intentions.

You are correct about the Skins going to Norman to work out Kelly. But you are overlooking the "we like you, we like you" banter that is part of the process. Apparently we never gave Kelly that vibe although clearly we did like him. We made it look even to Kelly that we were just doing due diligence without real interest. With Sanchez we've done the opposite - very obvious wining and dining, no denials of news reports, etc.

You are correct that sometimes we have failed miserably at cloak-and-dagger. But such antics have worked on other occasions. And the whole trade-up-to-get-Sanchez thing is so blatant, there is no attempt at cloak-and-dagger, not even a failed attempt. It makes me think that it is all a ruse.

As for lying, that is precisely what I am accusing the Skins of. However, it is lying for strategy, as in poker. So let's use the milder term: bluffing.

My point is not to disparage your memories, but to say that I actually do not think that the Skins operate very well in the cloak and dagger department. They try really hard sometimes, but the stories seem to get out. Just off the top of my head, Albert Haynesworth's agent dining with DS at the combine, "secret" private workout with Jason Campbell prior to the 2005 draft, Lance Briggs talk, and the list can go on. Not everything happens, but there is usually some fire behind the smoke. I think the M.O. with this F.O. is that if the stories are out there with more substance than "x high profile free agent is available, the Redskins must be interested" then they usually have some legs.

When the Redskins do deal in smokescreens they are of the "we are not interested in Jason Taylor" and then trade for Jason Taylor variety. Usually the intentions of ownership are fairly obvious by their actions unless they just lie about their intentions.I remember that Florio had the story like two weeks before the draft that the Redskins were going to deal for the Broncos' first round pick and take Campbell with it. I mean, that one got flat leaked to him by someone close to Snyder.

lotus i think you are remembering incorrectly - it was devin thomas who said he was surprised we drafted him because we had zero contact with him before the draft

lotus i think you are remembering incorrectly - it was devin thomas who said he was surprised we drafted him because we had zero contact with him before the draft

That sounds more plausible, I actually thought it was Fred Davis though

I remember that Florio had the story like two weeks before the draft that the Redskins were going to deal for the Broncos' first round pick and take Campbell with it. I mean, that one got flat leaked to him by someone close to Snyder.

I thought Len Pasquarelli broke that one

I thought Len Pasquarelli broke that one

I thought the Campbell leak was the start of the JLC / Post - Snyder feud. This was when they shut the info folow to him. I am not at all sure I am correct, just what I think I remember.