Re: Chris Samuels about to Retire
 

man i still cant believe just how bad this season is going. the news that samuels will most likely never play another snap of football again is just so mind numbing to me. in thinking about the future of the skins, the one bright spot i could think of is that atleast samuels has 4-5 good years left in him . . . now even that is gone.

man things cant get any worse.

go skins!!

Re: Chris Samuels about to Retire
 

When Chris first started hurting, Vinny pulled his plan out of his rear... pocket...and signed Levi Jones. I hope during the bye week the Redskins sign some other offensive linemen and maybe we'll win a couple more games this year. I don't know which ones, but I'd like to beat the Cowboys at least once if not twice, and of course the Giants the next time we play them.

Re: Chris Samuels about to Retire
 

Probably the best skins since the last SB. Jon Jansen had some good years too but not as good as Samuels.

Feel bad for him not getting the chance to play in a SB though. I guess it wasn't meant to be. A definate future Ring of Honor member.

Samuels lived up to the expectations and more.

Re: Chris Samuels about to Retire
 

Dare we say a Hall of Fame (potential) pick by this front office?

Never thought we'd hear that, right?

Re: Chris Samuels about to Retire
 

[quote=Mattyk72;615382]Dare we say a Hall of Fame (potential) pick by this front office?

Never thought we'd hear that, right?[/quote]

Uh oh...the ego is slippin'

Re: Chris Samuels about to Retire
 

We will be lucky to find a replacement any time soon -- guys like him are so hard to come by.

A couple years ago, I was at a Redskins/Giants game. The one where we wore our throwback jerseys, and blew our 17-3 (17-0?) halftime lead. You remember it. Well, I was sitting in the first row on the corner of the tunnel, and I was trying my best to have a positive effect on the guys as they came out to start the game, went in for halftime, and walked off the field at the end.

Before the game I was yelling at the top of my lungs, trying to pump up the players and even gave a few of them high fives. At the half I was congratulating them on their success, and just telling them to keep it up. After we lost, I was saying how it's okay, just one game, move on to next week, yadda yadda yadda.

I wasn't looking for any recognition -- I just wanted to do my duty as a fan -- but the only player to acknowledge me as he was walking off was Chris Samuels. He said, "Guys, I'm sorry. I'm sorry guys." I could tell he was sincere.

That meant a lot to me. Here's a guy who's willing to take responsibility, be held accountable, apologize for his mistakes, and even talk to the fans. It is no surprise to me that he was great at his position. People like that are good at everything they do, because they don't hide from their flaws and they don't make excuses. They just work harder. Sorry we couldn't get you a ring Chris.

Re: Chris Samuels about to Retire
 

[quote=GhettoDogAllStars;615401]We will be lucky to find a replacement any time soon -- guys like him are so hard to come by.

A couple years ago, I was at a Redskins/Giants game. The one where we wore our throwback jerseys, and blew our 17-3 (17-0?) halftime lead. You remember it. Well, I was sitting in the first row on the corner of the tunnel, and I was trying my best to have a positive effect on the guys as they came out to start the game, went in for halftime, and walked off the field at the end.

Before the game I was yelling at the top of my lungs, trying to pump up the players and even gave a few of them high fives. At the half I was congratulating them on their success, and just telling them to keep it up. After we lost, I was saying how it's okay, just one game, move on to next week, yadda yadda yadda.

I wasn't looking for any recognition -- I just wanted to do my duty as a fan -- but the only player to acknowledge me as he was walking off was Chris Samuels. He said, "Guys, I'm sorry. I'm sorry guys." I could tell he was sincere.

That meant a lot to me. [B]Here's a guy who's willing to take responsibility, be held accountable, apologize for his mistakes, and even talk to the fans.[/B] It is no surprise to me that he was great at his position. People like that are good at everything they do, because they don't hide from their flaws and they don't make excuses. They just work harder. Sorry we couldn't get you a ring Chris.[/quote]

This is the reason why I have all the respect in the world for Samuels and why I'm not a fan of Campbell's anymore.

Re: Chris Samuels about to Retire
 

How did he hurt his neck. The only play I remember seeing is one where he was just blocking and I did not notice anything real strange.

Re: Chris Samuels about to Retire
 

[quote=CultBrennan59;614904]Well all signs point to samuels retiring after the season, and with that said I wish h the best and say he was one of the redskins all time greats. To bad he couldn't get a super bowl, but then again a lot of great players don't win super bowls. He never was a problem in the locker room, never had any fines or off field issues. Who knows CS could always come back to the team as an OL assistant coach.

Now can we get this disgusting season over with and draft russell okung the LT from Oklahoma state.[/quote]


CB59 - if Russell Okung is available the Skins better pick him - even Vinny should be able to understand that if Samuels is gone you must get the best Left Tackle in the draft next year over any other position - including quarterback. Look if we simply pick a qb over a left tackle we will be seeing the same thing next year no matter who who is qb - they will be running for their lives on passing plays and on run downs Portis will be seeing brick walls in front of him as our current tackles don't cut it.

As a matter of fact in next years draft we should use the 1st on Okung and with the 2nd rounf pick go after the best available right tackle/guard and grab him. Whichever position we don't get in the second round we than go out and get a free agent to fill that last spot and keep Rabach and Dockery in their places(you can't replace the whole line in one offseason).

My preference would be to draft the right tackle over the guard but I would be happy with either being selected in the 2nd round.

Even if it took a year or so to gel by going this route of drafting the offensive line over the qb we could than select a qb in the 2011 draft and have a solid offensive line in front of him so he wouldn't get killed like so many rookie qb's who get selected by bad teams that have cruddy offensive lines.

Knowing Synder though he will influence the team to select Bradford who will cringe as he will see the line he gets to play behind for years to come.

Re: Chris Samuels about to Retire
 

Lets hope Levi can be up and ready to go and be a difference maker. To help this horrible line.

Redskin Insider: Samuels to IR

Also this tweet crap: [url]http://twitter.com/Adam_Schefter/statuses/5322314540[/url]

Posted at 4:11 PM ET, 10/31/2009
Samuels placed on IR list

The Redskins placed tackle Chris Samuels on the season-ending injured-reserve list today because of a neck injury he suffered Oct. 11 against Carolina, the team has announced.

Coach Jim Zorn had indicated last week that Samuels was likely to go on IR over the bye week: "He'll probably go on injured reserve so we can get that roster spot," Zorn said.

In addition to the injury, Samuels, 32, also suffers from stenosis, or a narrowing of the spine, and sources have indicated that he may retire after the season. He reportedly has been told by experts that he risks paralysis if he continues to play. However, a source close to Samuels, who was examined by a specialist last week in California, said then that he would not make a final determination on retirement until December or January and indicated that he would not have a public announcement until that time.

"I will continue to seek medical advice. I hope to see where I am physically over the next couple months," Samuels said in a statement released by the Redskins on Oct. 30. "At this time, I have not made a decision, but I love playing for the Redskins and hope to be back."

Samuels was a 2000 draft pick, chosen third overall by the Redskins after winning the Outland Trophy at Alabama. He has six times been named to the Pro Bowl and played in 141 regular-season games. His 2008 season was cut short because of a triceps injury and he underwent triceps and knee surgeries in the offseason. He started the first five games this season before being injured.

The placement of Samuels on IR does, as Zorn indicated, create a vacant roster spot. With the Redskins on their bye week, they'll resume practice Monday at Redskins Park.

Re: Chris Samuels about to Retire
 

In semi related news on the injury front. I did not know both Westbrook and Blades needed surgery. More IR to come..?

ESPN.com

IR for Samuels; surgery for 2 others


ASHBURN, Va. -- Washington Redskins left tackle Chris Samuels is out for the season, and linebacker H.B. Blades and cornerback Byron Westbrook are recovering from knee surgery.

The Redskins made the expected move of placing six-time Pro Bowl lineman Samuels on injured reserve Saturday. Samuels has a chronic spinal condition and will decide in a few months whether to return next season or retire.

Spokesman Zack Bolno also confirmed that Blades and Westbrook had knee operations this week. Both were injured in the Monday night loss to Philadelphia and will miss next week's game at Atlanta at least. Coach Jim Zorn is expected to update the status of both players Monday.

The Redskins have a bye this weekend.

Re: Chris Samuels about to Retire
 

Yeah.. 2 weeks out both of those guys were already doubtful.

Samuels just needs to hang it up; I know that he still has the spirit but it's just not worth it, especially considering that the NFL still doesn't have in place a solid system for handling post-playing health issues, though I believe that they are making those steps, as evidenced by the recent actions by Goodell. He could help us, but really it's our fault for expecting him to last 15 years or whatever.

Re: Chris Samuels about to Retire
 

I hate to say this, but Samuels needs to retire. He's in danger of being paralyzed, and it seems that even if that doesn't happen, he'd probably get injured again regardless. I'm sure competitors like Samuels would hate to leave the league not in their own terms, but I think it'd be stupid for him to jeopardize his health.

Re: Chris Samuels about to Retire
 

[quote=skinsfan_nn;619040]In semi related news on the injury front. I did not know both Westbrook and Blades needed surgery. More IR to come..?

ESPN.com

IR for Samuels; surgery for 2 others


ASHBURN, Va. -- Washington Redskins left tackle Chris Samuels is out for the season, and linebacker H.B. Blades and cornerback Byron Westbrook are recovering from knee surgery.

The Redskins made the expected move of placing six-time Pro Bowl lineman Samuels on injured reserve Saturday. Samuels has a chronic spinal condition and will decide in a few months whether to return next season or retire.

Spokesman Zack Bolno also confirmed that Blades and Westbrook had knee operations this week. Both were injured in the Monday night loss to Philadelphia and will miss next week's game at Atlanta at least. Coach Jim Zorn is expected to update the status of both players Monday.

The Redskins have a bye this weekend.[/quote]

Well maybe we will activate our 3rd pick CB Kevin Barnes this week against the Falcons. Boy what a wasted 3rd pick a CB.

Re: Chris Samuels about to Retire
 

Good read by Peter King on Samuels in his MMQB

[url=http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/writers/peter_king/11/01/mmqb.week.8/1.html]Brett Favre elated he came back and that Vikings are winning - Peter King - SI.com[/url]

Two very good tackles -- Chris Samuels and Walter Jones -- are nearing the end, and that shouldn't be something just in small type this weekend.

Jones has been a better player, Samuels a better leader. I'm writing about them because I think we -- fans, media, people in the game -- are so inured to players near or at the end of their careers that we turn the page with no regard to the person who has to walk away. That's life. But each has been such an honorable player and person in the game that I think a few paragraphs need to be written about them.

Jones, who turns 36 in January, couldn't come back from microfracture surgery on his knee. He's going to try again in 2010, but the history of microfracture is such that anyone with that much wear on his tires, and at that age, is doubtful to return. "It's too early for a career eulogy,'' said Seattle coach Jim Mora, "but Walter's level of consistency, his level of excellence, is unmatched. In a world in which there's so much boastfulness now, and self-promotion, Walter's gone about his business in a very respectful and dignified way.''

Jones was dominant at the point of attack in the run game, and he had the feet to swing outside and latch onto the top pass-rushers. From this era, he and Jonathan Ogden will go down as top-10 tackles of all-time.

Samuels was drafted by the Redskins third overall in 2000 to be their left tackle for a decade. He almost made it. He's started 141 of 150 games, playing through painful shoulder, knee, ankle, back and neck injuries. But now, having been advised he risks his long-term health if he continues to play with a neck injury, he'll sit the rest of the season. Many of his teammates think he's played his last game.

I followed Samuels in 2000 during the run-up to the draft and through training camp -- in part because SI wanted to do a you-are-there story on a top prospect as he prepared to leave the cocoon of college and enter the pressure of playing right away in the NFL, and in part because of the rise in importance of left tackles. Michael Lewis tells the tale of the value of a left tackle superbly in The Blind Side, and I credit him for seeing what the game has become. Tackle has joined quarterback and pass-rusher as the three most important cornerstone positions for NFL teams.

But as I followed Samuels, I saw not only a good player but also a compelling and conscientious person. The day before the draft, at the Marriott Marquis Hotel on Broadway, he twice turned away the housekeeper who wanted to make up the room. "It's OK,'' he said. "I got it.'' He'd already made his bed, tidied the room and straightened up the bathroom, hanging the towels neatly on the rack.

In training camp, Bruce Smith and Dana Stubblefield took it upon themselves to school the rook and make his life miserable on and off the field. He took the taunts and the hazing through mini-camps, but determined he wouldn't take it once the real practices started. It took just one practice for Samuels to fight back, taking Stubblefield on a wide rush and, when Stubblefield popped him in the forehead, Samuels cold-cocked him with a roundhouse right to the neck, just below the helmet. He knew as the cornerstone of the offensive line, he had to be a fighter and defend not only his turf but his peers'. He became one of the go-to guys on the team.

When Sean Taylor died senselessly, Samuels vacillated between outrage, fury and leadership -- knowing he had to be there for the grieving, mostly younger guys in his locker room, which he was.

"I've been here six seasons,'' Chris Cooley told me, "and three of those six seasons we've had some significant turmoil. But I never saw guys quit or try less, and part of that is because of Chris. He set such a great example with his work and his play. Part of being a leader is just showing up every day and working hard, and that's all he's ever done.

"It's just so unfortunate that we lose him. He's been the solid rock of the Redskins for 10 years. Cherished by the community. So respected by everyone in the locker room. He's the kind of guy who would have made a great Hog. That's about the greatest thing I could say about him -- he would have fit in with those great Redskins of the past.''

If Samuels and Jones are forced to retire, the league will be diminished without them, and without players like them.

Re: Chris Samuels about to Retire
 

damn, just makes you realize how important he was off the field as he was on it. I hope it won't be long before they put his name and number up in the ring of honor.

Re: Chris Samuels about to Retire
 

Great Stuff from King on Samuels. Don't discount how athletic Chris was as a left tackle. I found a YouTube clip of Santana Moss highlights, and the 2nd and 3rd plays (starting at 0:25) are Samuels at his best, first using pure athletic ability to get to the edge and seal it on the key block of an 80 yard WR screen TD, then pass protecting to perfection, without any help from the TE or RB. Samuels was probably the best draft pick of the Snyder era - I wish we could get players like him every year. [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iGNo3LXHbjQ&feature=PlayList&p=A81F531386E4EDCD&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=31]YouTube - highlights of Santana Moss[/ame]

Re: Chris Samuels about to Retire
 

i just wanted to bump this thread and give everyone a heads up and fyi, tonight on nbc4 news at 11 lindsay czarniak is doing a sit down with chris and they are talking about his injury and his plans for the future. i'm sure it won't be any breaking news but it looks like a good watch she is visiting him at his home.

my personal opinion, i hope he never takes another snap in the nfl, not worth it, and as much s as i have givin him over the years he will go down as one of the greatest redskins ever, a solid lineman that could always be counted on

side note lindsay is freakin hot

Re: Chris Samuels about to Retire
 

the report is starting now

Re: Chris Samuels about to Retire
 

That's a great article by Peter King. Thanks for sharing it SS. I agree Matty. Once he retires I'd put him in the Ring of Honor right away. He deserves it.

Re: Chris Samuels about to Retire
 

[quote=53Fan;630384]That's a great article by Peter King. Thanks for sharing it SS. I agree Matty. Once he retires I'd put him in the Ring of Honor right away. He deserves it.[/quote]

totally, how long has he been an anchor holding up the left side. There was a stretch when we could only run to the left side because thats where the holes were thanks to Samuels.

A truly great player who belongs in Redskins lore.

Re: Chris Samuels about to Retire
 

[quote=mlmdub130;630370]the report is starting now[/quote]

He maintained he's optomistic about being able to return and play again. That he does not want to think of his career in past tense.

I can understand his love of the game, but he's flirting with an incessant condition which could cause him permanent paralysis. He's much too young to be paralized for the remainder of his life. He's faced with a decision he should think long and hard about.

Re: Chris Samuels about to Retire
 

[quote=Longtimefan;630493]He maintained he's optomistic about being able to return and play again. That he does not want to think of his career in past tense.

I can understand his love of the game, but he's flirting with an incessant condition which could cause him permanent paralysis. He's much too young to be paralized for the remainder of his life. He's faced with a decision he should think long and hard about.[/quote]

after watching that replay during the peice when he got the last stinger at the panthers game, i would say time to call in quits. if you watch it you just see his whole body go numb, all it takes is one more hit and it will stay numb

tried to find a vid of the injury but found this, might have to watch it twice to see it

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hbfiaqEkNS0]YouTube - Chris Samuels Fadeaway[/ame]

Re: Chris Samuels about to Retire
 

^^

Haha...I DID have to watch exactly twice to see it...wasn't sure what I was looking for and somehow missed it compeltely the first time. Hilarious.

Watched it a third time for a second laugh!