Peter King Praises Redskins Offseason Moves

Sheriff Gonna Getcha · 01-23-2006, 12:16 PM

Lookie, lookie, we have someone supporting us at SI.com:

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/200...hip/index.html

For all the fans of the NFL's other 28 teams, those teams trying to get to where Pittsburgh and Seattle are going, and where Denver and Carolina tried to go this weekend, here are my shirtpocket notes from the last few, very eventful days:

1. Who do I think is off to the best start for 2006?

Clue: The owner rubs you the wrong way.

Another clue: When I finished interviewing the coach of this team last weekend, he shook my hand, wished me well and handed me a Bible tract.

Another clue: The team has a safety, a really good one, with a phlegm problem.

You've got it. The Washington Redskins. By signing ex-Chiefs offensive coordinator Al Saunders, the choreographer of the league's highest-scoring offense over the last four years, owner Dan Snyder now has spent approximately $4.6 million on Saunders and defensive game-planner/play-caller Gregg Williams -- in 2006 salary alone. An outrageous sum? Not for a man whose team will rake in something like $325 million in 2006. Would you pay a small percent of your gross revenue for the men you believe are the best offensive and defensive play-callers in football? If you wouldn't, you're not trying to win at any cost. For all the times I've killed Snyder over the years for his wasteful spending and jock-sniffing trophy collecting (most notably with the signing of way-past-his-prime Deion Sanders), this, as I said after the Williams signing a couple of weeks ago, is just smart business.

Now the one thing I'd throw in here as a caution -- and it's something Mike Shanahan echoed to me over the weekend -- is that there's an awful lot of bosses right now on Washington's offense. Joe Bugel used to be a head coach. Joe Gibbs has called plays forever. Quarterback coach Bill Musgrave has taught the quarterbacks his way. Now with Saunders coming in the door, how will the day-to-day coaching work?

These guys will say all the right things about all-for-one and one-for-all, but I'm big on the chemistry thing among coaches in locker rooms. How will Bugel react to Saunders telling him he's going to do things a little differently than Bugel's been coaching for 100 years? How will Gibbs react to Saunders saying, "Coach, I know you like Jason Campbell as your quarterback of the future, but for my offense, Patrick Ramsey is 10 times better?"

The point is, there's going to have to be a whole lot of ego-checking. I think it can be handled -- I can't tell you how impressed I am with the reincarnation of Gibbs and his readjustment to NFL life -- but it is something to be monitored.

Dick Vermeil left every facet of the offense to Saunders, and Saunders was so controlling that he never would call the same play over a four-game span. His theory was that if teams studied the Chiefs, he didn't want them ever to see anything predictable in the four previous games Kansas City played. "I think that's taking it a bit too far,'' Vermeil told me last year, "but you can't argue with Al's success. It works. He's done a fantastic job. And the fact is, teams do have trouble adjusting to what we do.''

It is an outrage that Saunders does not have a head-coaching job in this postseason of change. Over the last four seasons, the Colts, led by Peyton Manning and offensive coordinator Tom Moore, have put up 27.5 points per game. That's only second best in the NFL. The lesser lights, Kansas City's Trent Green and Saunders, have put up 28.7. I guess the consolation prize for Saunders is that he's making low-level head-coach money, but if I were him, I'd be furious.

onlydarksets · 01-23-2006, 12:23 PM

So, Patrick Ramsey should be our starter?

[onlydarksets steps out of the way to make room for offiss]

Sheriff Gonna Getcha · 01-23-2006, 12:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by onlydarksets

So, Patrick Ramsey should be our starter?

[onlydarksets steps out of the way to make room for offiss]

I don't think he was saying he necessarily thinks PR should be the starter. I think he was using the QB situation to make an example of how the coaching staff could clash.

amorentz · 01-23-2006, 12:27 PM

I love that Gibbs handed him a Bible tract. Classic.

onlydarksets · 01-23-2006, 12:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ramseyfan

I don't think he was saying he necessarily thinks PR should be the starter. I think he was using the QB situation to make an example of how the coaching staff could clash.

I was kidding.

Sheriff Gonna Getcha · 01-23-2006, 12:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by onlydarksets

I was kidding.

I couldn't tell if you were kidding or not. Ahh, the internet.

onlydarksets · 01-23-2006, 12:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ramseyfan

I couldn't tell if you were kidding or not. Ahh, the internet.

My bad - I'll get on the emoticons next time! I thought it "lessened" the joke, so I went without. It was confusing, though.

SUNRA · 01-23-2006, 12:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by amorentz

I love that Gibbs handed him a Bible tract. Classic.

If there's any soul that needs saving Peter King is the one after the way he has passed of electing Art Monk into the Hall of Fame. Damn unrepentant sinner!

MTK · 01-23-2006, 12:40 PM

I think King raises a valid point with possibly having too many Chiefs (no pun intended), but if anyone can properly manage such an assembly of coaches it would be Gibbs.

onlydarksets · 01-23-2006, 12:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mattyk72

I think King raises a valid point with possibly having too many Chiefs (no pun intended), but if anyone can properly manage such an assembly of coaches it would be Gibbs.

That's BS, Matty. You totally intended that pun.

724Skinsfan · 01-23-2006, 12:58 PM

Is Peter King assuming that Joe Gibbs engaged in some clandestine operation without letting Bugel and Co know his intentions?

Gibbs: "hey guys, meet Al. He's the new offensive head coach. Joe B, why the glum face? I know I didn't mention to you that I was thinking about hiring this guy but it'll be alright.

Joe B: "That's bull sh*t! I ain't f*cking listen to a gotdam thing he has to say about the O-lne!"

PorterHouse · 01-23-2006, 12:59 PM

is Portis and Betts gonna put up Holmes and Johnson numbers next year?

steveo395 · 01-23-2006, 01:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PorterHouse

is Portis and Betts gonna put up Holmes and Johnson numbers next year?

well that would be amazing if that happens

VTSkins897 · 01-23-2006, 01:43 PM

king says that saunders should be furious that he doesn't have a hc position. but maybe he doesn't want one. he gets nearly as much money as some coaches and can do what he does best w/o all the pressure of being a hc.

That Guy · 01-23-2006, 03:56 PM

If you want to know what the coaching staff really thinks about the move, just ask joe (bugel). He's the only one that'll give you a straight answer... he couldn't use coach-speak to save his life (in the same way that portis rarely uses player-speak to avoid answering questions directly).

01-23-2006, 12:16 PM	#1
Sheriff Gonna Getcha Franchise Player Join Date: Feb 2004 Age: 45 Posts: 8,317	Peter King Praises Redskins Offseason Moves Lookie, lookie, we have someone supporting us at SI.com: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/200...hip/index.html For all the fans of the NFL's other 28 teams, those teams trying to get to where Pittsburgh and Seattle are going, and where Denver and Carolina tried to go this weekend, here are my shirtpocket notes from the last few, very eventful days: 1. Who do I think is off to the best start for 2006? Clue: The owner rubs you the wrong way. Another clue: When I finished interviewing the coach of this team last weekend, he shook my hand, wished me well and handed me a Bible tract. Another clue: The team has a safety, a really good one, with a phlegm problem. You've got it. The Washington Redskins. By signing ex-Chiefs offensive coordinator Al Saunders, the choreographer of the league's highest-scoring offense over the last four years, owner Dan Snyder now has spent approximately $4.6 million on Saunders and defensive game-planner/play-caller Gregg Williams -- in 2006 salary alone. An outrageous sum? Not for a man whose team will rake in something like $325 million in 2006. Would you pay a small percent of your gross revenue for the men you believe are the best offensive and defensive play-callers in football? If you wouldn't, you're not trying to win at any cost. For all the times I've killed Snyder over the years for his wasteful spending and jock-sniffing trophy collecting (most notably with the signing of way-past-his-prime Deion Sanders), this, as I said after the Williams signing a couple of weeks ago, is just smart business. Now the one thing I'd throw in here as a caution -- and it's something Mike Shanahan echoed to me over the weekend -- is that there's an awful lot of bosses right now on Washington's offense. Joe Bugel used to be a head coach. Joe Gibbs has called plays forever. Quarterback coach Bill Musgrave has taught the quarterbacks his way. Now with Saunders coming in the door, how will the day-to-day coaching work? These guys will say all the right things about all-for-one and one-for-all, but I'm big on the chemistry thing among coaches in locker rooms. How will Bugel react to Saunders telling him he's going to do things a little differently than Bugel's been coaching for 100 years? How will Gibbs react to Saunders saying, "Coach, I know you like Jason Campbell as your quarterback of the future, but for my offense, Patrick Ramsey is 10 times better?" The point is, there's going to have to be a whole lot of ego-checking. I think it can be handled -- I can't tell you how impressed I am with the reincarnation of Gibbs and his readjustment to NFL life -- but it is something to be monitored. Dick Vermeil left every facet of the offense to Saunders, and Saunders was so controlling that he never would call the same play over a four-game span. His theory was that if teams studied the Chiefs, he didn't want them ever to see anything predictable in the four previous games Kansas City played. "I think that's taking it a bit too far,'' Vermeil told me last year, "but you can't argue with Al's success. It works. He's done a fantastic job. And the fact is, teams do have trouble adjusting to what we do.'' It is an outrage that Saunders does not have a head-coaching job in this postseason of change. Over the last four seasons, the Colts, led by Peyton Manning and offensive coordinator Tom Moore, have put up 27.5 points per game. That's only second best in the NFL. The lesser lights, Kansas City's Trent Green and Saunders, have put up 28.7. I guess the consolation prize for Saunders is that he's making low-level head-coach money, but if I were him, I'd be furious.

01-23-2006, 12:23 PM	#2
onlydarksets Playmaker Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: all up in your business Posts: 2,693	Re: Peter King Praises Redskins Offseason Moves So, Patrick Ramsey should be our starter? [onlydarksets steps out of the way to make room for offiss]

01-23-2006, 12:27 PM	#4
amorentz Special Teams Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Washington, DC Age: 44 Posts: 368	Re: Peter King Praises Redskins Offseason Moves I love that Gibbs handed him a Bible tract. Classic.

01-23-2006, 12:40 PM	#9
MTK \m/ Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: NY Age: 52 Posts: 99,537	Re: Peter King Praises Redskins Offseason Moves I think King raises a valid point with possibly having too many Chiefs (no pun intended), but if anyone can properly manage such an assembly of coaches it would be Gibbs.

01-23-2006, 12:58 PM	#11
724Skinsfan Playmaker Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Roanoke, VA Posts: 3,508	Re: Peter King Praises Redskins Offseason Moves Is Peter King assuming that Joe Gibbs engaged in some clandestine operation without letting Bugel and Co know his intentions? Gibbs: "hey guys, meet Al. He's the new offensive head coach. Joe B, why the glum face? I know I didn't mention to you that I was thinking about hiring this guy but it'll be alright. Joe B: "That's bull sht! I ain't fcking listen to a gotdam thing he has to say about the O-lne!"

01-23-2006, 12:59 PM	#12
PorterHouse No new threads for you Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: lancaster,pa Age: 49 Posts: 230	Re: Peter King Praises Redskins Offseason Moves is Portis and Betts gonna put up Holmes and Johnson numbers next year?

01-23-2006, 01:43 PM	#14
VTSkins897 Impact Rookie Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Richmond, VA Age: 41 Posts: 890	Re: Peter King Praises Redskins Offseason Moves king says that saunders should be furious that he doesn't have a hc position. but maybe he doesn't want one. he gets nearly as much money as some coaches and can do what he does best w/o all the pressure of being a hc.

01-23-2006, 03:56 PM	#15
That Guy Living Legend Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: VA Age: 42 Posts: 17,553	Re: Peter King Praises Redskins Offseason Moves If you want to know what the coaching staff really thinks about the move, just ask joe (bugel). He's the only one that'll give you a straight answer... he couldn't use coach-speak to save his life (in the same way that portis rarely uses player-speak to avoid answering questions directly).

Peter King Praises Redskins Offseason Moves

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