Why the backstabbing?

People on this forum one day talk about how great a player is, and the second the Redskins fail to give the player a matching offer all of a sudden the player sucks, will be burned, or my favorite, should be in a car accident.

This is absolutely ridiculous. Our precious Redskins didn't match Pierces and Smoot's contracts. Pierce I'm sure wasn't close, and Smoots deal looks to be structured very nicely by the Vikes to give him a lot of money.

These two players are players we had shots at but didn't want to pay them what the market dictated they were worth. The whole "well, he doesn't play as well as Springs" bullshit pisses me off for the reasons that Springs doesn't have the intangibles. He's not the leader, he doesn't have the locker room pressence, and Springs has a history of being accident prone where as if Smoot can breath Smoot will play.

If they didn't want to match it, there's nothing anyone can do to change their mind. This doesn't make that player a bad person, or worthy of losing their career. All of these guys were loved and fan favorites last year. I don't agree with them being gone, but should I wish them ill-will or automatically change my tone on how I view them as a person. Most people who play AREN'T FANS OF THE TEAM THEY PLAY ON. This is a job for them, if they grew up watching football there's a 1/32 chance it was the skins that was their team (I'm sure the #s are different, but damned if I'm going to find that out!)

I just feel it's horrible how people are demonizing great players because we couldn't/wouldn't match their market price. Coles I can see, but that doesn't mean he should be bed ridden for the rest of his life.

I agree with you...though I think your wrong about Springs having a history of being accident prone

Daseal, If you ever left this board for LoveMeSomeSpurrier.com, I wouldn't wish you any ill will, though I'd be pissed that Matty didn't match the offer ;)

Daseal, I understand where you are comming from, but if players cannot bitch about their own team:then what are they going to bitch about? Certainly not about the fans, because they would be talking about themselves. It is the players jobs to play and bitch about it, and the fans job to cheer and bitch about it. Can't we all just do our jobs and agree that if you leave that we are not going to get along?


It is supposed to read if fans cannot bitch about their own team: then........

The whole "well, he doesn't play as well as Springs" bullshit pisses me off for the reasons that Springs doesn't have the intangibles. He's not the leader, he doesn't have the locker room pressence, and Springs has a history of being accident prone where as if Smoot can breath Smoot will play.


so you've been in the locker room to check that smoot really is a locker room leader? he talks a big game, but unless you've been in that locker... and i remember in spurriers 2nd year... smoot played hurt, but he played very poorly, so that's not really saying much. Last year they BOTH played injured... springs went and played through a concussion and he couldn't even button his own damn shirt after the game.

The reason people turned on them is because they spent so long talking about how they wanted to be here so bad, but it was out of there control, and LC turned into a real whiny a$$ B#$%# in 60 seconds flat. First offer, which gibbs says was close, pierce runs to the lights of NY and talks how great it is to be there. Smoot on the other hand said he would have rather stayed here, but the vikings offered him a ton more money the first three years, sso i can understand that.

I agree with Daseal. I wouldn't want you bastards as my enemy! You're sharks. Big toothed and jaws that would put a man in endless mental spin. I'm afraid of you, you, and you!

I really don't think most people on the board are backstabiing and mad at either Smoot or Pierce (I could be wrong, but that's the vibe I got).

As for Coles, I feel we're pretty entitled to bitch!

And to tell the truth, for all the talk about "we we're only a few bucks away from Smoot, why didn't we raise out bid, etc." it runs the other way too. Why didn't Smoot take a little less so he could "bleed burgundy and gold"? The guys a multi-millionaire, and he's still got to get every last penny. I really liked Smoot, but he's no saint.

It's a business, and that's the facts. It's tough on us fans, because we get attached to players and then they follow the cash. We long for the days when players stuck around. I miss Monte Coleman, damn it. I miss the days when skins for life really could happen. So I'm going to bitch about it a little!!!

Anyways, here's some folks we can kick when down as a group! (Not that I wish back problems on anyone, but if its gotta happen, it might as well be a newly signed COWBOY free agent lineman...)

Mort: Rivera suffers pain exercising (http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2009594)

I'd say "good luck" to Smoot, "can't wait to whoop up on you and the giants" to Pierce, and "screw off" to Coles. Smoot got a better deal plain and simple and can't be faulted. Pierce got a barely (really really barely) better offer and bolted. Coles Bent us over and had zero remorse about it. At least neither Smoot nor Pierce actually caused damage on the way out. Coles on the other hand showed his true colors and I think I and everyone else are entitled to be pissed off at him.

I heard on the radio Coles had another meeting with Gibbs, felt good about it, then the WP leaked the story and Danny cussed him out which was when he knew it was done. He said that he was looking to come back until the story was leaked. According to one of the zillion radio programs I catch swapping through channels!

It's just how these guys go from heroes to being absolutely demonized is scary. Wishing physical harm and the end of a players career because he went where they were going to pay him more? It's how the NFL works now. I'm still pulling for Smoot/Pierce, just not when they play us!

I understand complaining and not liking it - it's when things start getting really serious that I wonder what's going on. That_Guy - all reports say Smoot is a locker room guy, the clips of the Redskins before games show no other than Smoot in the middle of the huddle riling them up, at the Pittsburgh game I was right behind the skins bench. I saw smoot with Portis and Taylor getting them ready, and calling out other players. It was refreshing to see a leader on the team. Looks like we're down to 0 leaders. I think Ramsey will be a fine leader for the offense, but our defense needs someone, and LaVar has yet to fill the roll. Maybe Springs, Taylor, Washington or Griffen can step up!

to smoot and AP.....be gone and stay gone....

Well, I don't believe all the "stories" I hear on the radio. Oh, like the stories where Gibbs was going to quit after one season and so forth.

As far as the players, I really liked Smoot and I hate he left! I was very critical of him before this year....this was the first year he had really impressed me...before I thought he was all talk. I had hoped, and coach had hoped as well, that both Smoot and Pierce would have stayed. I don't blame them for going for the money...that's what 90% of the NFL players go for anyways.

Coles is a different story. I liked Coles and even when this mess first creeped into the media, I had hoped Coles would reconsider. But, the comment of "I didn't sign up for this." I don't believe that was a jokingly comment.

The way I see it is this: we can build shrines and temples for our favorite Redskins players, and while they are Redskins they may "love" the fans, but it's funny how those fans don't seem as important once they go sign a bigger multi-million dollar contract to play somewhere else.