A Clarification on whether the Redskins are Re-Building

If you're talking about 50% of draft picks missing, how does it stand to reason that suddenly Luck or Tannehill will have a better supporting cast next year because a first round pick?

Based on a 50/50 failure rate, that makes those odds even less likely they'll have a better supporting cast than RGIII.

Since Mike Shanahan has been the head coach of the Redskins, there hasn't been a 1,000 yard rusher. Once either Roy Helu, Evan Royster, or some other running back accomplishes this feat, that's when the Redskins will start winning games. Along with a balanced attack to go along with the passing game, the offense will be explosive whether the quarterback is Robert Griffin III or Andrew Luck.

The offensive line has been in question since Shanahan's tenure as head coach. There's nothing wrong with the offensive line. The longer this group plays together the better they will be. Trent Williams, Kory Lichteinstger, Will Montgomery, Chester and maybe Jamaal Brown can be amongst the best offensive lines in the league. And they have depth with Maurice Hurt, Willie Smith, Sean Locklear, and Tyler Polumbus.

The defense played solidly last season as they moved 18 spots in the rankings from 31st to 13th. At one time during the season, they were actually ranked 11th, just shy of the top ten.

The Redskins have Stephen Bowen, Adam Carriker, Barry Cofield starting. As everyone knows, the defense will be getting Jarvis Jenkins back and young NT Chris Neild will be growing more into his nose tackle role.

The linebacking corps with Perry Riley, Brian Orakpo, Ryan Kerrigan, and possibly London Fletcher can only get better as they caused all sorts of havoc on quarterbacks and running backs last season.

In the secondary, the Redskins left a lot to be desired. This unit is probably the reason why the defense didn't get a top 10 ranking. They've added a few parts in free agency and Raheem Morris has been hired to direct the defensive backs. Landry and Atogwe are both gone, but the safety play could only improve from what we saw last season.

If you're talking about 50% of draft picks missing, how does it stand to reason that suddenly Luck or Tannehill will have a better supporting cast next year because a first round pick?

Based on a 50/50 failure rate, that makes those odds even less likely they'll have a better supporting cast than RGIII.

I think he's saying (in far too many words) that at least the Colts will have 1st rounders next year and the year after to add players around Luck. We will not be able to do so for Griffin. Fair point.

But it's MUCH harder to get the franchise QB than it is to fill in a surrounding cast. So you take your shot when you can. The mathematician in me says trading for Griffin is the right decision, simply because of the win shares a top QB represents to his team. But the fan in me also says that not trading up for Griffin would have been pussing out.

At some point, take an effing risk. Never up never in.

I agree, particularly when you're talking about taking someone later just to MAYBE get Barkley next year.

Even if we had those first rounders and ended up getting solely SOLID picks, a real QB is more than worth it.

Since Mike Shanahan has been the head coach of the Redskins, there hasn't been a 1,000 yard rusher. Once either Roy Helu, Evan Royster, or some other running back accomplishes this feat, that's when the Redskins will start winning games. Along with a balanced attack to go along with the passing game, the offense will be explosive whether the quarterback is Robert Griffin III or Andrew Luck.

The offensive line has been in question since Shanahan's tenure as head coach. There's nothing wrong with the offensive line. The longer this group plays together the better they will be. Trent Williams, Kory Lichteinstger, Will Montgomery, Chester and maybe Jamaal Brown can be amongst the best offensive lines in the league. And they have depth with Maurice Hurt, Willie Smith, Sean Locklear, and Tyler Polumbus.
Just a few question for you that I couldn't figure out from your post.

What do you think is stopping one of those backs from gaining 1,000 yards?
What do you think is causing the imbalanace in the offensive attack?

Why is there nothing wrong with the OL?
Why will this same OL that was barely average last year be amongst the best this year?

I will take a core of 2 strong OLBs a young LT and a potential franchise QB. Add in a potential DT in Jenkins, and some young RBs and I would say that as a nucleus it would be a very good one.

Just a few question for you that I couldn't figure out from your post.

What do you think is stopping one of those backs from gaining 1,000 yards?
What do you think is causing the imbalanace in the offensive attack?

Why is there nothing wrong with the OL?
Why will this same OL that was barely average last year be amongst the best this year?

Helu could have easily gained one thousand yards. But Mike Shanahan made him a starter only after Tim Hightower tore his ACL. In my opinion, Helu is our best running back last year and had he gotten more carries earlier in the season, he would have gotten 1,000 plus yards.

The Redskins ranked 16th in offense last year and that was with turnover machine Rex Grossman and that bum John Beck playing quarterback. Nothing was truly wrong with the offense. The amateurish quarterback play was the main contributing factor in how bad the offense was. The Redskins actually hung tough the first four games, but reality soon set in.

The offensive line was depleted by injuries. When the reserves did play, they struggled but at times they also played admirably. Sometimes when a team is trying to find itself, the coaches can replace players with other ones, but they also allow certain units to keep playing together until they are very good. The Redskins have a young offensive line. Brown was the elder lineman.

If you add Helu's and Royster's rushing yards this season they are at 968 with limited play time and Ryan Torain and Tim Hightower taking carries. With a full 16 game season Helu will easily crack 1,000 yards. I predict he gets 1,000 this season and Royster gets 500 plus. The addition of Griffin and his bootleg backside threat will open holes a la Mike Vick in Atlanta.

Many good points here, and I concede the point on strong cast and QB being tied at the hip, but one thing carries the day. You can win the SB with a great QB and a strong surrounding cast, but you can't win the SB with a strong surrounding cast minus a great QB. The example of Dilfer doing it no longer applies given the new rules the league is employing.I think winning the SB still validates your belief in the current QB. We saw it happen w/Eli a few years back: if the 49ers win the SB next year, they'll be front and center calling out people who called Alex Smith a bust.

If you're talking about 50% of draft picks missing, how does it stand to reason that suddenly Luck or Tannehill will have a better supporting cast next year because a first round pick?

Based on a 50/50 failure rate, that makes those odds even less likely they'll have a better supporting cast than RGIII.I don't follow you.

I don't know where Tannehill is going (I suspect Miami), but based on where Luck is going, we won't know who comprises the core of the Andrew Luck Colts for a year or two. They have Anthony Castanzo and Donald Brown, but Jerry Hughes appears to be headed for bustsville. That leaves Castanzo, Luck, Brown, and first rounders in future drafts as well as this year's high second rounder to build the core of the Luck Colts.

Miami has Dansby, Vontae Davis, Cam Wake, Jake Long, and Mike Pouncey. Like the Colts, that's a nice start, but we won't know where the strength of their core lies until they get to building around Tannehill (if they even pick him).

If you're core players bust, they bust and have to be replaced. Always possible. But the Redskins' highest draft selection after Griffin is already second round of 2013. To get a core player there, they'd need to do a really good job in the evaluation process, take a risk on a guy with some upside, and pick him. But that's not an advantage the Redskins will have over other teams, who could do the same thing (especially if RG3 pans out and we're picking in the middle of the draft instead of at the top).