do we show our hand to soon (Barrow allowed to seek trade)

Before last year Barrow was an iron man and the guy that Williams trusted to come in and run his D.

In hindsight it's easy to say it's a move that shouldn't have been made, but until crystal balls are used as a evaluation tool stuff like this is going to happen unfortunately.

Instead of always focusing on the negative, let's look at the other side here. Williams must be pretty confident in the guys competing for the MLB spot if he's willing to dump a healthy Barrow.

I know some of you guys don't like to criticize our team, but the fact of the matter is that our front office has made the Skins a laughing stock on most websites.
Really?
Then by all means lets make sure the skins change everything they do so that aren't the laughing stocks on all these websites. I mean that's what they should care about right? Being the laughing stock of websites. Yeam that proves they need a GM. I love how everyone is bashing the decisions from this off season and they haven't even played a game yet. I think we ought to implement a new rule that there can be no bitching and moaning unless there is proven reason to. I am not saying that they have done perfectly this off season. I am saying that not one of us has any idea how these moves will pan out. If we make the damn super bowl will all you shut the f$%^ up? Actually if we make the super bowl will you apologize for being idiots? Not saying you are idiots but you could turn out to be totally wrong(making you and idot) or right(making you a genius) but unless you are psychic then stop proclaiming we need to fix a problem we don;t even knwo we if we have.

Here is one problem that our front office created and could have avoided, that contributed to this situation:
Given our salary cap situation, we do not have enough space to sign our rookies. We have to get rid of someone to sign our rookies and this telegraphs to all the other teams that we HAVE to get rid of someone.
So other teams will just sit back and wait for these players and get them for free; rather offer up valuable draft picks.
We have to dump the salary of RG and MB. Every team in the NFL knows this. We will not anything for them.
How could they have avoided this? Again...not saying I disagree but I am going to start policing statements like this. If you think they should have done something differently then you need to have a reasonable alternative. Simply bitching and moaning because something didn't work out perfectly is pointless. Things often don't work out perfectly in the NFL. Lets have a good discussion on what SHOULD have happened rather than complaining simply because you didn't like the result. Maybe the result was unavoidable.

Last year's personnel moves outside of Brunell were very solid and borderline exceptional with guys like Griffin and Springs, two moves that critics had a field day with. The jury is out on this year simply because we haven't seen these guys play yet.

Instead of jumping to the "we need a GM" take anytime something happens you don't agree with, why don't we see how this year plays out first?

Last year's personnel moves outside of Brunell were very solid and borderline exceptional with guys like Griffin and Springs, two moves that critics had a field day with. The jury is out on this year simply because we haven't seen these guys play yet.

Instead of jumping to the "we need a GM" take anytime something happens you don't agree with, why don't we see how this year plays out first?
Exactly! I really think we ought to give some benefit of doubt to a guy like Gibbs. He has earned the right to be trusted for now. We have probably had the best on paper offseasons just about every year in the last decade and it never worked out. For once we don't have a great off season on paper(according to many 'critics' and fans) and everyone is going nuts. What could possibily be worse than what we've done in the past? Give them a chance before we skewer them please!

personally i think we should cut our losses and move on. if any team offered a 7th round pick for barrow, i would take it. it's better than releasing him and getting nothing. same with gardner. because every other team knows they can get gardner without giving up a draft pick. but in the case someone will give up a draft pick, take it. stop all this, we want at least a fifth round pick for him. it's obvious they aren't gonna get one.

Last year's personnel moves outside of Brunell were very solid and borderline exceptional with guys like Griffin and Springs, two moves that critics had a field day with. The jury is out on this year simply because we haven't seen these guys play yet.

Instead of jumping to the "we need a GM" take anytime something happens you don't agree with, why don't we see how this year plays out first?

Preach on brother Matty! You'd think we were the only team to ever allow our players to seek trades. It happens all the time around the league

Sometimes members on this site get into a doomsday mentality where mass hysteria (albeit minimal) takes over. Every move in the '04 off-season that was applauded by the media i.e. Brunnell and Barow has YET to pay off. Conversely, the two moves Gibbs and co. were criticized for; signing Springs who had durability issues and Cornelius who had motivational issues paid off far more than anyone could have guessed. To our chagrin Barrow has not been able to repeat his performance from his days as a Giant. But we shouldn't laude the FO for this. Free agency is a crap shoot, if it was a sure thing then we'd reap more rewards from our off season spending. The media, like Len Pasquerelli, sometimes dictates the discourse (and displeasure) of the Redskins motives to its fans. Rather than bemoaning a poor decision we often lose sight that we have an owner who is willing to pay to make his team audibly better rather than staying pat. I guess what I'm trying to say is that rather than being a pessimist let's have a "wait and see" approach before we start criticizing the FO.

FINALLY! Yes, our front office IS to blame for the way they have bungled one situation after another! Why even sign Barrow, 35, to a 6 year 13 million dollar dealt to begin with! And why would you tell Lavernous Coles that you will trade him and suffer such a huge cap hit? This team needs a GM. Those of us that are old school remember when the GM was Bobby Beatherd and the team thrived with its personnell, now we flounder. Gibbs has proven he's a great coach, but he needs someone else to be the devil's advocate on personnell decisions, just like Beatherd was in the old days. Vinny Cerrato is NOT the answer, we need a GM that will work with the coach, and disagree with him when it is necessary. Yes, they have picked up a few good free agents in Marcus Washington and Cornelius, but for the most part our team is in disarray when it comes to the draft and free agency. Look at Darnerian McCants, signed him to a deal, gave him a nice sigining bonus, then sat his ass on the bench all of last season. We traded like a 3rd round pick for Brunnell who would've been cut anyway, then we trade Champ AND a draft pick for Portis. I know some of you guys don't like to criticize our team, but the fact of the matter is that our front office has made the Skins a laughing stock on most websites. We need a GM.

I couldn't agree more! We need a real G.M.
The Snyder/Cerrato duo has been mostly bad. As you point out they did some good, but mostly bad.
Talent evaluation is the main problem. Our lower round picks is where a G.M. makes his money and we have done terribly in that department.
Beathard/Casserly made great teams with lower round picks and cast offs.
On our current roster our only good players are the top pick/can't miss guys like Lavar Arrington, Chris Samuels, Sean Taylor, Patrick Ramsey, Clinton Portis and John Jansen were all first and second round picks. We have very few if any low round or undrafted players that that is playing great.

One could argue about the GM (and lord knows we have!!) but why is Barrow thing so bad? My impression is that Barrow and his agent ASKED for permission to seek a trade, and it was granted. SHould they have said no? Why? If the guy thinks he has value, why not? Same with Gardner--we're going to release him, sure. But maybe, before we do, some team is going to lose a WR in training ca,p to injury, and wont be able to take the chance of not getting Rod. They'll trade. Or not, and then we're where we were anyway.

How does this make us a laughing stock, blah balh blah?

As for the FO, I agree with Matty. Let's see it on the field. And Gibbs is only going into his SECOND year as president. It takes time to fix things. Are we in cap hell? No. Short of Taylor (is it the FOs fault he did what he was alleged to do?) and Arrington (Can you say POSTONS?), things seem to be falling into place IMHO.