Quote:
Originally Posted by KI Skins Fan
I am one frustrated Redskins fan. Here's what I see.
We've gone back to the same bad habits that have cost us draft picks and cap space and that I believe will surely doom us to continued mediocrity. The Jason Taylor fiasco, another of our customary panic moves, cost us dearly in draft picks. Albert Haynesworth, as great as he is, represents a whopping chunk of our cap space which seems to have precluded our making other FA moves.
Meanwhile, we have holes to fill - big holes. We need a RT, a SLB, a RDE, OL backups, a Kicker, a Punter, a PR, and maybe more. Right now, it looks like we might bring back Daniels and Washington. That's nice, but, at this point in their careers they're only stop-gap solutions.
Even with Haynesworth, this doesn't look to me like a team that is poised to make a playoff run in the tough NFC East. Sure, I wanted Haynesworth, but what do I know? I'm just a dumb fan who loves to watch great football players do their thing in B&G. I don't need to have a plan. But shouldn't the FO have one? If they do, I just can't see it.
If you can detect a plan in all this, clue me in. Also, what do you think the plan should be?
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I'm bored today, so I will try (even though I am not a huge Vinny or Danny fan) to convince you that there may be a plan.
Exhibit A: Get younger. Since the start of free agency, the Redskins have released or not retained 35 year old Pete Kendall, 32 year old Marcus Washington, 36 year old Phillip Daniels, 34 year old Jason Taylor and 33 year old Shawn Springs. While Washington, Daniels and Taylor haven't been replaced (yet) chances are we will draft a replacement in the 1st round of the draft. We got 7 years younger at LG with Dockery and 8 years younger at CB with Hall. If we draft DE/OLB at #13, which we absolutely should, that's a significant age difference too. Also, if Heyer gets the start at RT, he's at least 9 years younger than Jansen.
Exhibit B: Build through the draft. I know this is funny to some Redskins fans, but building thru the draft is a long term strategy, not to bear immediate results. Do you want to know why our rookies played like rookies last year? Because they were rookies! If after 3 years, if they mirror '08 production then call them busts. We had 10 draft picks last year, 9 made the team. Yeah the Taylor trade cost us 2 picks but the same people bitching about that now were celebrating the possibilities when we made the trade. Sometimes trades don't work out. Show me a team that's 100% in their trading history.
Exhibit C: Not the 'same old Redskins'. Yep, we spent a ton of money in the first 3 days of free agency. Yep, we got the biggest fish in the pond. Like John Clayton said, since when is adding the best defensive player in the league a negative thing? The media and some fans that just parrot what they hear bemoaned all the money spent on Haynesworth, Hall and Dockery. So we go out and get the best DL in the game. We retain a 25 year old Pro Bowl CB and re-acquire a LG that fills 2 needs (getting younger and more athletic on the OL). Again, tell me how that's a negative. The 'same old Redskins' would have signed Haynesworth, traded this year's #1 and next year's #3 for Julius Peppers, signed Terrell Owens and would be trying to trade for Jay Cutler. That's the 'same old Redskins.'
Do we have a plan? It seems like we do. Will it work? Who knows but rather than listening to the 'same old Redskins detractors' look at the evidence with non biased eyes and decide for yourself.