Redskins release Devin Thomas

i hear what you are saying, but after watching last season and this preseason and these first 5 games your telling me that devin thomas could not help this team more than joey galloway or roydell williams?? i have a serious issue with that, if anyone player would be the one to get the ax as of right now it should be williams, shit williams cost us about 20 yards yesterday when he made a block in that back about 10 yards behind banks.

my whole problem with this is he was never given a chance. you could see the hunger in him every time he touched the feild with special teams, i just don't know why he wasn't given an opportunity to get in there with the offense.

Because he drops a lot of balls?

It could be that even though he practices hard, he does not pay enough attention to certain elements in his play. It's like when I practiced piano. Before I got a good teacher, all I did was just tried to learn the notes haphazardly. After I got a good teacher, I learn some little tricks to address "hiccups" and facilitate memorizing the music. It could be that Thomas just kept on not addressing the little things even after McCardell came along to coach him up.

I wanted DT to succeed. I did. But, I can point to any number of moments where he had the opportunity to become THE guy, and he hasn't. If he does in Carolina, then oh well. He won't be the first or last guy to get cut, only to go somewhere else and succeed. He has had 3 training camps in which we needed a receiver to step up. He didn't. We have had two coaching staffs, one of whom was desparate for him to step up. He didn't. He had 36 regular season games to come in and knock the socks off the coach, 40 catches and 445 yds later -- He didn't.

Did anyone look at that catch by Armstrong yesterday or last week, and say - Man, DT would have done that! I didn't. Did anyone see Galloway's comeback to start moving the chains and think - DT has done that. I didn't.

I don't know why Roydell Williams is here, but the fact that DT didn't surpass him, to me says far more about him than about a HC who has made a living turning players into PLAYERS. I'll hold my tongue on MS' ego, but right now, we need players who want to play the game, and not athletes who want to play their games.

Good luck DT, shame you couldn't be what we all thought you could be.

granthpaulsen
Shanahan on releasing a skilled player: "This profession that we're in is not based on talent it's based on people working extremely hard."
10 minutes ago
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Adam Schefter

WR Devin Thomas claimed by the Panthers on waiversm
11 minutes ago

Kinda says it all right there. I mean what else does Shanahan have to say?

Everyone is talented in the NFL, but what separates the good from the great is hard work. Thomas obviously wasn't working hard enough, according to Shanahan.

You guys complaining are really funny! Shanahan is exactly right in saying he'd rather have less talented guys who work hard on his team. The Redskins of the 80's were probably not the most talented team on the field, but they worked hard and we hail them as being the players of the glory years of this team.

Devin Thomas just didn't cut it. Learn to live with it and accept it. We have the coach we have desperately needed for years, even during the Gibbs II era (and it really pains me to say that!) So far, give me a team full of Anthony Armstrongs over a team of Devin Thomas' any day of the week.

Bottom line here is Shanny is continuing to run this team on a few principles and cutting a guy like DT reinforces some of them.

* You practice and play hard -- nobody is safe.
* You buy into what we're doing here -- no prima donnas
* I'm the boss, and my word is law

etc.

Not that I'm comparing the two guys, but does anyone think that an old school coach like Lombardi would have put up with Haynesworth pouting or DT loafing? I don't think so.

Hell, Belichick just traded away Randy Moss, who is arguably one of the best ever to play at his position, and you have to believe there is some issue beyond salary and contract there.

Shanahan's ego may yet cause him to overreach, but what he's doing right now (IMO) is continuing to build very clear rules for this team and to enforce them, no matter how painful they may appear. You don't think cutting DT and promoting AA sends a positive message and fires up the players?

To be clear, Shanahan never drafted DT, and he has no allegiance to him (like the previous staff, ie. Cerrato). Hopefully Shanahan will be able to draft guys he likes (ie. R.Torain) and develop & hold onto them going forward.

Shanahan is awfully consistent - he has been building HIS own team from day one.
- dump Betts/ARE/Cartwright
- dump Campbell
- dump DT
- bench AH after failing to trade him

He's also seems to have an eye for talent so far:
- Carriker, Lichtenstein (sp?)
- Armstrong
- Trent Willaims instead of Okung
- Torain

At 3-2 and 2-0 in our division, I'll give him the benefit of the doubt.

Panthers are sooooo turrible in WR depth that Thomas is clearly better than anyone else they have.

Steve Smith????

Wow.


We could have been facing DT this week:

Twitter / Darin Gantt: Per @caplannfl, the Colts ... (http://twitter.com/daringantt/statuses/27159147190)

Wonder if that was real interest in DT or the Colts trying to get a slim advantage over us with picking up an ex disgruntled player?