Big Al suspended for the remainder of season

This all just clouds the fact that the Skins have had a top 10 defense the past few years
(the one bright spot), and now they are dead last. If we were winning and AH was missing games / practice and slack'in then who cares.....but the fact is there are other players on this team who have not risen up to the challenge and prepared themselves for these last two division games. DON'T LET A.H. OR WAPO/MEDIA DISTRACT YOU FROM THE REAL TEAM. The rest of them need show up and get a win against Tampa! No low drat pick losing, learn how to win for now, next year, and so on.

I totally agree with this. OK, Albert's gone. Now let see how this team respond. Al was a big part of the problem, but he was far from the only problem. Are these guys gonna suddenly stop dropping balls, start blocking, start tackling? We'll see.

Journalists are not lazy when they report facts. Those three guys - - along with Archuletta and Lloyd and - - you want me to go and find a few other names like Carrier? - - represent a sorry history of the ownership and the front office of the Washington Redskins for the last decade. Calling a reporter "lazy" simply allows you to pretend that the folks running this team for the last 10 years are better than stumblebums. They were not...


BTW, I think - - could not prove this beyond a reasonable doubt - - that signing Haynesworth was a Danny Boy move that Vinny merely carried out. Remember, I have had next to nothing nice to say about Vinny for the past 5-8 years but in this case, I suspect that this bad move is not something to put on his ledger.
I agree that reporting facts is not lazy, but trotting those names out whenever they type REDSKINS or SNYDER is what I am referring to. If Chris Johnson, Calvin Johnson and Patrick Willis were free agents and the Redskins signed them all, the lazy journalists I refer to would be saying, 'This is just like Deion, Bruce Smith and Haynesworth' because we spent money. We have made some terrible decisions, but report each case on it's merit rather than using 10 year old references to reinforce a point.

For example, watching ATH today, 3-4 "journalists" were calling Shanahan a failure already in DC because of the state of the team today, of course bringing up the 'same old Redskins' and even went as far as to question if we are even better than we were last year. Seriously? Can you tell me a legitimate sports journalist would even question if we are in better hands organizationally with Allen and Shanahan than we were with Cerrato and Zorn??? Yes, we've been ass crack lint for the better part of 10+ years, but can anyone NOT see how much better hands we are in long term, today being a major step in that direction. Shanahan & Co. demand professionalism, accountability and respect like nobody around here in a long time, INCLUDING Gibbs 2.0.

This was a pissing contest from the jump. But more than anything, this drama, highlights Shanny's inability to manage an NFL team and high profile athletes in particular.

For all the talk of change, this team is wose off defesively, only 2 points per game better offensively, and appears to be poorly coached of late. Shanahan mishandled the Jason Campbell trade, he mishandled MacNabb, bungled "Derrick" Thomas, and the Haynesworth saga is well documented and will dog this coach for a long time, in my opinion.


Hi, your premis is that coddling and babying big name players leads to success (in a team sport where everyone has to work together), and your support for this conclusion is that the Redskins defense is bad right now...

Wow...

MS is in his first year, in a system that has suffered from 11 years of colossal Snyder brand "fantasy football" mismanagement.

He inherited an O-line devoid of a single worthy starter, a RB core that was/is used up, A WR core that suffers from Snyderrato picks, a D-line that that is suited to a 4-3 when he wants to run a 3-4... LB's suited to the 4-3 when he wants to run a 3-4, a terrible secondary... And then he had Dan Snyder pushing Donovan McNabb Willy Parker and Larry Johnson on him (Think about it for a minute before you scoff, when did Shanahan ever go after older running backs or veteran QB's via trade? He's always drafted them and pulled RB's out of no where, he may have signed off on them, but they still smell like every Dan Snyder fantasy football move pre Shanny).

Look my whole point is this isn't the 80's anymore, and it's not the drink thing that matters, it's the whole staying out late and drinking thing that does. NFL guys drink during the season, that's completely obvious, but how many guys do you see out on a weeknight (not even a friday night) around midnight being plastered? I trust the guys' judgement who wrote in to Deadspin a lot more than I trust Haynesworth's. I'd bet that 90% or more of the players on our rosters were at home past midnight on a Thursday night, either sleeping or doing something not stupid like going out bar hopping to get your drink on.

Would you go bar hopping past midnight on a Thursday night if you had to be at work early the next morning?

Not now no. But when I was younger there were nights when I was out late. I personally don't believe any of the sources ( bartenders ) anymore than I believe AH.

Hi, your premis is that coddling and babying big name players leads to success (in a team sport where everyone has to work together), and your support for this conclusion is that the Redskins defense is bad right now...

Wow...

MS is in his first year, in a system that has suffered from 11 years of colossal Snyder brand "fantasy football" mismanagement.

He inherited an O-line devoid of a single worthy starter, a RB core that was/is used up, A WR core that suffers from Snyderrato picks, a D-line that that is suited to a 4-3 when he wants to run a 3-4... LB's suited to the 4-3 when he wants to run a 3-4, a terrible secondary... And then he had Dan Snyder pushing Donovan McNabb Willy Parker and Larry Johnson on him (Think about it for a minute before you scoff, when did Shanahan ever go after older running backs or veteran QB's via trade? He's always drafted them and pulled RB's out of no where, he may have signed off on them, but they still smell like every Dan Snyder fantasy football move pre Shanny).

Agree with 99% of this...

However, Shanahan did go after Jake Plummer while in Denver - - and Plummer was hardly a wet-behind-the-ears rookie at the time. Since you asked...

Hi, your premis is that coddling and babying big name players leads to success (in a team sport where everyone has to work together), and your support for this conclusion is that the Redskins defense is bad right now...

Wow...

MS is in his first year, in a system that has suffered from 11 years of colossal Snyder brand "fantasy football" mismanagement.

He inherited an O-line devoid of a single worthy starter, a RB core that was/is used up, A WR core that suffers from Snyderrato picks, a D-line that that is suited to a 4-3 when he wants to run a 3-4... LB's suited to the 4-3 when he wants to run a 3-4, a terrible secondary... And then he had Dan Snyder pushing Donovan McNabb Willy Parker and Larry Johnson on him (Think about it for a minute before you scoff, when did Shanahan ever go after older running backs or veteran QB's via trade? He's always drafted them and pulled RB's out of no where, he may have signed off on them, but they still smell like every Dan Snyder fantasy football move pre Shanny).

I can sign off on about 60% of this. I don't think McNabb, Parker and Johnson were Snyder moves. I wouldn't call our secondary (when healthy) terrible by any stretch.

I agree with the history of the past 11 years of mismanagement but in doing so you have to realize its going to take at least 2 full offseasons and by full I mean TRUE free agency plus drafts to change the roster to his vision. 2012 will probably be 'his' team, meaning a franchise QB, his style of RB, reliable WR and a strong OL. Right now we have none of these. This offseason we led the league in turnover but most of them were short term stopgap type deals. Even McNabb's deal means he won't be here past 2011. Its way too early to call the paint dry on Shanny's picture of this team.

Agree with 99% of this...

However, Shanahan did go after Jake Plummer while in Denver - - and Plummer was hardly a wet-behind-the-ears rookie at the time. Since you asked...

And the whole Browns D line (Gerard Warren, Courtney Brown, Ebenezer Ekuban and Michael Myers).

I agree that reporting facts is not lazy, but trotting those names out whenever they type REDSKINS or SNYDER is what I am referring to. If Chris Johnson, Calvin Johnson and Patrick Willis were free agents and the Redskins signed them all, the lazy journalists I refer to would be saying, 'This is just like Deion, Bruce Smith and Haynesworth' because we spent money. We have made some terrible decisions, but report each case on it's merit rather than using 10 year old references to reinforce a point.

For example, watching ATH today, 3-4 "journalists" were calling Shanahan a failure already in DC because of the state of the team today, of course bringing up the 'same old Redskins' and even went as far as to question if we are even better than we were last year. Seriously? Can you tell me a legitimate sports journalist would even question if we are in better hands organizationally with Allen and Shanahan than we were with Cerrato and Zorn??? Yes, we've been ass crack lint for the better part of 10+ years, but can anyone NOT see how much better hands we are in long term, today being a major step in that direction. Shanahan & Co. demand professionalism, accountability and respect like nobody around here in a long time, INCLUDING Gibbs 2.0.


There is no way on the planet that anyone can say that the 2010 Redskins are worse than the 2009 Redskins. With 4 games to play, this year's team has one more win than last year's team. You are what your record says you are - - and in this case it says the Redskins aren't real good but they are improved over last year when they were really awful.

Having said that, I would say that Mike Shanahan has fallen way short of expectations for this year. That is not to say he is a failure nor is it to say this team should have 9 wins at this point of the season. His "failures" have been in terms of building cohesion on the squad to make it into a team. It's not just Haynesworth - - and by the way that opera went on a lot longer than it should have.

We had DeAngelo Hall declaring that it is his defense and he is going to track the opposition's #1 receiver all over the field no matter what the defensive coordinator called or said. Even if he didn't mean it, that is not the kind of thing that should ever come out of the mouth of a player who is imbued with the concept of "TEAM".

And I think that it is Mike Shanahan's fault that the concept of "TEAM" has not taken hold in the 2010 Skins squad. That is a large portion of the job that a head coach has to do.

I also think that Shanahan's handling of the "McNabb benching" in the 48 hours after it occurred was juvenile. That is what I would have expected from a 35-year old rookie head coach not a guy with Super Bowl rings. He blew it - - and the bulls[p]it he tried to sell on that issue hung around in the locker room and stunk out the joint for a while.

The Skins are far better off with the current regime in place than they were - - - assuming that Danny Boy Snyder continues to sit on his thumb and to not try to insert himself into the running of the team or the construction of the roster for 2011. But Mike Shanahan has fallen way short of expectations despite the improvements he has obviously made.

[QUOTE=mooby;766675]Look my whole point is this isn't the 80's anymore, and it's not the drink thing that matters, it's the whole staying out late and drinking thing that does. NFL guys drink during the season, that's completely obvious, but how many guys do you see out on a weeknight (not even a friday night) around midnight being plastered? I trust the guys' judgement who wrote in to Deadspin a lot more than I trust Haynesworth's. I'd bet that 90% or more of the players on our rosters were at home past midnight on a Thursday night, either sleeping or doing something not stupid like going out bar hopping to get your drink on.

Would you go bar hopping past midnight on a Thursday night if you had to be at work early the next morning?[/QUOTE

Bro, I can assure you many Redskins are out and about during the week drinking, that would include a few coaches too.

I'm not sure what's the norm around the league these days, but Redskins players have always been a part of the night life in D.C.

There is no way on the planet that anyone can say that the 2010 Redskins are worse than the 2009 Redskins. With 4 games to play, this year's team has one more win than last year's team. You are what your record says you are - - and in this case it says the Redskins aren't real good but they are improved over last year when they were really awful.

Having said that, I would say that Mike Shanahan has fallen way short of expectations for this year. That is not to say he is a failure nor is it to say this team should have 9 wins at this point of the season. His "failures" have been in terms of building cohesion on the squad to make it into a team. It's not just Haynesworth - - and by the way that opera went on a lot longer than it should have.

We had DeAngelo Hall declaring that it is his defense and he is going to track the opposition's #1 receiver all over the field no matter what the defensive coordinator called or said. Even if he didn't mean it, that is not the kind of thing that should ever come out of the mouth of a player who is imbued with the concept of "TEAM".

And I think that it is Mike Shanahan's fault that the concept of "TEAM" has not taken hold in the 2010 Skins squad. That is a large portion of the job that a head coach has to do.

I also think that Shanahan's handling of the "McNabb benching" in the 48 hours after it occurred was juvenile. That is what I would have expected from a 35-year old rookie head coach not a guy with Super Bowl rings. He blew it - - and the bulls[p]it he tried to sell on that issue hung around in the locker room and stunk out the joint for a while.

The Skins are far better off with the current regime in place than they were - - - assuming that Danny Boy Snyder continues to sit on his thumb and to not try to insert himself into the running of the team or the construction of the roster for 2011. But Mike Shanahan has fallen way short of expectations despite the improvements he has obviously made.
I'll agree that I expected far less drama than we had this year.. Hall, McNabb, Haynesworth-all too public and too much foolishness. He should have taken whatever was offered at the draft for Al. He should have reprimanded Hall for his comments (although I think in the grand scale they were really benign) and the McNabb handling was a disaster.

That being said I think the concept of TEAM is much stronger than it has been since the Taylor tragedy. It's unrealistic for anyone to expect that he or anyone else can completely change the tenor and culture of the entire locker room, especially with a room full of mercenaries, in one offseason.