****OFFICIAL**** 2008 Washington Redskins Off Season Thread! (1 Viewer)

[TeddyKGB]

Come on, we know this team's M.O. It's 85 or bust. DJ Hackett? Bryant Johnson? Gimpy Javon Walker? Nah. Snyderrato sees Ocho's TD celebrations and an uncharted galaxy of marketing opportunities, and they will pay handsomely for those opportunities.

 

[fatness]

Once again the Redskins have become the most interesting team of the offseason. Fans of other teams, sad that their team does not have much of an offseason thread, come to this one instead to see what real fans are like.

It's Feb 12th and we are already 22 pages into the offseason thread......What's the over/under on the thread this year?

45

 

[fatness]

I'm very suspicious that Walker's career is done. His knee injury has done nothing but linger. Yeah, if he's healthy he's a force, but I don't like the idea of shelling out huge $$ only to get eight games out of him over two seasons or something. That would be a mess.

That's my only hesitation about Walker, also. I don't know if he'll be past his knee problem or not. Other than that I think he'd be a great fit. He gets open, he's strong, and the only mark against him attitude-wise is that he's pretty clueless about when and how to open his mouth about getting more money. I never got the feeling he was disruptive or a bad influence in the locker room, and I can't say that about Chad Johnson. You'd think someone would value Betts highly enough to consider him (and a low draft pick) in trade for a decent WR.

 

[fatness]

Position is Smith's if he wants it

Tennessee Titans assistant head coach Sherman Smith probably will be the Washington Redskins' next offensive coordinator if he wants the job.

Seahawks running backs coach Stump Mitchell will be at Redskin Park tomorrow and is expected to be offered and accept the same role with the Redskins, replacing Earnest Byner. Mitchell spent the past seven seasons working alongside Zorn on Seattle's offensive staff.

 

[Bizkiteer]

I think if they were to trade a higher pick for a WR, they should be going after Roy Williams...not Chad Johnson IMO.

 

[fatness]

Funny stuff HERE.

We heard the same stuff after Saunders landed with the Redskins before the 2006 season. He was said to be a mastermind who would rev up the team's inept offense.

It did not happen. Everyone of his plays might have worked on paper, but Mark Brunell would complete 35 passes for 35 inches, and the Redskins would finish with 13 points and lose the game. The 13-point pattern persisted after Campbell became the starting quarterback.

It was not until Todd Collins took over for Campbell that the D.C. region saw the full impact of the 700-page tome. But that was only because Collins had spent the last 10 to 15 years studying it before actually going out onto the field to execute it. In that context, it was not a playbook. It was a professional death sentence.

The NFL is usually not enamored with 50-year-old rookie quarterbacks.

 

[fatness]

Redskins land Mitchell from Seattle

Does anyone know who Earnest Byner pissed off, and why? The team was hesitant to keep him before hiring Zorn, and now he's being replaced by Mitchell.

 

[Sidewinder16]

Once again the Redskins have become the most interesting team of the offseason. Fans of other teams, sad that their team does not have much of an offseason thread, come to this one instead to see what real fans are like.

It's Feb 12th and we are already 22 pages into the offseason thread......What's the over/under on the thread this year?

45

I'm betting the ranch on the over.

 

[buster c]

I think if they were to trade a higher pick for a WR, they should be going after Roy Williams...not Chad Johnson IMO.

why would they do that? that would be a solid football move!

 

[redman]

Once again the Redskins have become the most interesting team of the offseason. Fans of other teams, sad that their team does not have much of an offseason thread, come to this one instead to see what real fans are like.

It's Feb 12th and we are already 22 pages into the offseason thread......What's the over/under on the thread this year?

45

I'm betting the ranch on the over.

Yeah, I think thayman forgot a digit.

 

[dgreen]

With a new OC and RB coach coming in, don't forget this guy they recently hired.

From Dan Steinberg's DC Sports Bog:

New Skins Asst. Loves the Onside Kick, Jesus

A few things you should know about new Skins offensive assistant Chris Meidt, who fast-tracked his way from the Oles to a job with the Redskins as an offensive assistant. He appears to be a stats nerd; according to this article he "spent two years as an information technology analyst before entering coaching and has a bachelor's degree in math and an MBA in information sciences. By applying his math and business knowledge to football, Meidt has found that there's a lot to be gained from aggressive, against-the-grain play calling. Two-point conversions and surprise on-side kicks are common practice for his teams."

Clearly Joe Gibbs didn't sign off on this, although no play in football excites me more than the surprise on-side kick, especially the dribbler straight up the middle that the kicker recovers, at which point, if this were the Redskins, Mike Wise would start singing "O Canada," since he sings it every time Shaun Suisham does anything.

You did get the sense, though, that Joe Gibbs was tied to "the chart," whereas Meidt brags about studying and then flaunting it, which is something you definitely want on your staff in 2008. There's a sidebar about Meidt and his use of game theory to guide decision-making, which includes this passage:

Meidt uses statistics from NFL games put into spreadsheets. Obviously there are differences between the pro game and NCAA Division III, where St. Olaf plays, but Meidt is confident that the frequency of situations and their outcomes is transferable, particularly when adjusted for less consistent college kickers and different clock-stoppage rules. If college stats were readily available, Meidt says he'd use them, but they aren't.

Meidt admits that probability modeling and game theory aren't for everyone. "You have to enjoy crunching the numbers," he says. "It won't work for people who are scared of numbers, because you've got to be pretty analytical."

A profile in the Minneapolis paper three years ago, which refers to him as a "genius," also says this:

As a high school quarterback at Minneota, Meidt set national passing records and won two state titles while maintaining honor-student grades and participating in band and choir. He sought to stock his new program with similar young men.

Band, huh? Wonder if he ever played the viola. Luckily, Meidt's notes from his St. Olaf Intro to Coaching Class are available online, and they include at once Biblical verses, a call to order one's priorities (Meidt's list goes 1. Faith, 2. Family, 3. Football, 4. Fishing), Six questions to consider when disciplining players (including No. 6, "WWJD?") and an explanation of how St. Olaf went from competitive to dominant under Meidt. Plus lots more. Never having taken a coaching class, this was legitimately interesting, especially the assignment about budgeting a trip for a team of 12-year-old rugby players.

Also, please take note of the St. Olaf fight song:

We come from St. Olaf, we sure are the real stuff.

Our team is the cream of the colleges great.

We fight fast and furious, our team is injurious.

Tonight Carleton College will sure meet its fate.

Um! Yah! Yah!, Um! Yah! Yah!

Um! Yah! Yah!, Um! Yah! Yah!

Um! Yah! Yah!, Um! Yah! Yah!

Um! Yah! Yah! Yah!

And also, let's consider the startling surge in St. Olaf connections coursing through the D.C. sports scene.

1) D.C. United New Media and Public Relations Manager Kyle Sheldon, who must have done something athletic at St. Olaf. (Update: He played for the soccer team.)

2) Official Washington Wizards beat writer Ivan Carter, a one-time Ole wide receiver who, in a probing 2005 Q&A with "St. Olaf Magazine" revealed that he adopted his football coach's life motto: "The grass is green. The sky is blue. It's a great day to be alive." I guess that's why he's always smiling. Man, I could not be less like Ivan Carter.

3) And now Meidt. Amazing.

 

[redman]

With a new OC and RB coach coming in, don't forget this guy they recently hired.

From Dan Steinberg's DC Sports Bog:

New Skins Asst. Loves the Onside Kick, Jesus

Please explain to me why this Steinberg guy is someone who's pov is something I should care about.

 

[dgreen]

With a new OC and RB coach coming in, don't forget this guy they recently hired.

From Dan Steinberg's DC Sports Bog:

New Skins Asst. Loves the Onside Kick, Jesus

Please explain to me why this Steinberg guy is someone who's pov is something I should care about.

Can't say. But, since he didn't really give his pov on anything, then it's a moot point right now.Long story short: Skins hired a guy who like statistics and probabilities and math. Based on that he like to do some unconventional things. And, he's now Zorn's Offensive Assistant.

 

[Sidewinder16]

With a new OC and RB coach coming in, don't forget this guy they recently hired.

From Dan Steinberg's DC Sports Bog:

New Skins Asst. Loves the Onside Kick, Jesus

Please explain to me why this Steinberg guy is someone who's pov is something I should care about.

Steinberg's POV* is irrelevant. But the info on Meidt is interesting. I like his apparent attitude toward football, although it reminds me a little too much of Spurrier. At least he's just an assistant. *Steinberg has to easily be the luckiest sonuvagun in the world to get paid for what he does. If only.

 

[redman]

With a new OC and RB coach coming in, don't forget this guy they recently hired.

From Dan Steinberg's DC Sports Bog:

New Skins Asst. Loves the Onside Kick, Jesus

Please explain to me why this Steinberg guy is someone who's pov is something I should care about.

Can't say. But, since he didn't really give his pov on anything, then it's a moot point right now.Long story short: Skins hired a guy who like statistics and probabilities and math. Based on that he like to do some unconventional things. And, he's now Zorn's Offensive Assistant.

You mistook the snarky portayal of this guy in that article with objective reporting of facts? I sure didn't. It looked to me like the author was doing everything he could in his limited powers to ridicule this hire. I'm not picking at you, but I just was wondering why "Dan Steinberg's" wannabe scathing critique should interest me.

 

[dgreen]

With a new OC and RB coach coming in, don't forget this guy they recently hired.

From Dan Steinberg's DC Sports Bog:

New Skins Asst. Loves the Onside Kick, Jesus

Please explain to me why this Steinberg guy is someone who's pov is something I should care about.

Can't say. But, since he didn't really give his pov on anything, then it's a moot point right now.Long story short: Skins hired a guy who like statistics and probabilities and math. Based on that he like to do some unconventional things. And, he's now Zorn's Offensive Assistant.

You mistook the snarky portayal of this guy in that article with objective reporting of facts? I sure didn't. It looked to me like the author was doing everything he could in his limited powers to ridicule this hire. I'm not picking at you, but I just was wondering why "Dan Steinberg's" wannabe scathing critique should interest me.

I didn't see anything that ridiculed the hire.

 

[fatness]

I'm not picking at you, but I just was wondering why "Dan Steinberg's" wannabe scathing critique should interest me.

Because it's funny?

We come from St. Olaf, we sure are the real stuff.Our team is the cream of the colleges great.We fight fast and furious, our team is injurious.Tonight Carleton College will sure meet its fate.

That's good stuff.

 

[dgreen]

If you don't like Steinberg's take, here's the article he refers to. Meidt is quoted a bunch in that article.

 

[redman]

I didn't see anything that ridiculed the hire.

I'll highlight what I saw:

New Skins Asst. Loves the Onside Kick, Jesus

A few things you should know about new Skins offensive assistant Chris Meidt, who fast-tracked his way from the Oles to a job with the Redskins as an offensive assistant. He appears to be a stats nerd; according to this article he "spent two years as an information technology analyst before entering coaching and has a bachelor's degree in math and an MBA in information sciences. By applying his math and business knowledge to football, Meidt has found that there's a lot to be gained from aggressive, against-the-grain play calling. Two-point conversions and surprise on-side kicks are common practice for his teams."

Clearly Joe Gibbs didn't sign off on this, although no play in football excites me more than the surprise on-side kick, especially the dribbler straight up the middle that the kicker recovers, at which point, if this were the Redskins, Mike Wise would start singing "O Canada," since he sings it every time Shaun Suisham does anything.

You did get the sense, though, that Joe Gibbs was tied to "the chart," whereas Meidt brags about studying and then flaunting it, which is something you definitely want on your staff in 2008. There's a sidebar about Meidt and his use of game theory to guide decision-making, which includes this passage:

Meidt uses statistics from NFL games put into spreadsheets. Obviously there are differences between the pro game and NCAA Division III, where St. Olaf plays, but Meidt is confident that the frequency of situations and their outcomes is transferable, particularly when adjusted for less consistent college kickers and different clock-stoppage rules. If college stats were readily available, Meidt says he'd use them, but they aren't.

Meidt admits that probability modeling and game theory aren't for everyone. "You have to enjoy crunching the numbers," he says. "It won't work for people who are scared of numbers, because you've got to be pretty analytical."

A profile in the Minneapolis paper three years ago, which refers to him as a "genius," also says this:

As a high school quarterback at Minneota, Meidt set national passing records and won two state titles while maintaining honor-student grades and participating in band and choir. He sought to stock his new program with similar young men.

Band, huh? Wonder if he ever played the viola. Luckily, Meidt's notes from his St. Olaf Intro to Coaching Class are available online, and they include at once Biblical verses, a call to order one's priorities (Meidt's list goes 1. Faith, 2. Family, 3. Football, 4. Fishing), Six questions to consider when disciplining players (including No. 6, "WWJD?") and an explanation of how St. Olaf went from competitive to dominant under Meidt. Plus lots more. Never having taken a coaching class, this was legitimately interesting, especially the assignment about budgeting a trip for a team of 12-year-old rugby players.

Also, please take note of the St. Olaf fight song:

We come from St. Olaf, we sure are the real stuff.

Our team is the cream of the colleges great.

We fight fast and furious, our team is injurious.

Tonight Carleton College will sure meet its fate.

Um! Yah! Yah!, Um! Yah! Yah!

Um! Yah! Yah!, Um! Yah! Yah!

Um! Yah! Yah!, Um! Yah! Yah!

Um! Yah! Yah! Yah!

And also, let's consider the startling surge in St. Olaf connections coursing through the D.C. sports scene.

1) D.C. United New Media and Public Relations Manager Kyle Sheldon, who must have done something athletic at St. Olaf. (Update: He played for the soccer team.)

2) Official Washington Wizards beat writer Ivan Carter, a one-time Ole wide receiver who, in a probing 2005 Q&A with "St. Olaf Magazine" revealed that he adopted his football coach's life motto: "The grass is green. The sky is blue. It's a great day to be alive." I guess that's why he's always smiling. Man, I could not be less like Ivan Carter.

3) And now Meidt. Amazing.

The useful information here would fill maybe two paragraphs. This was an editorial, and I fail to see how it can be read positively.Now, maybe Steinberg is absolutely right, but given that an editorial consists in part of one man's conclusions and opinions, I'd just like to know who this guy is and why I should care.

 

[DCThunder]

With a new OC and RB coach coming in, don't forget this guy they recently hired.

From Dan Steinberg's DC Sports Bog:

New Skins Asst. Loves the Onside Kick, Jesus

Please explain to me why this Steinberg guy is someone who's pov is something I should care about.

Can't say. But, since he didn't really give his pov on anything, then it's a moot point right now.Long story short: Skins hired a guy who like statistics and probabilities and math. Based on that he like to do some unconventional things. And, he's now Zorn's Offensive Assistant.

You mistook the snarky portayal of this guy in that article with objective reporting of facts? I sure didn't. It looked to me like the author was doing everything he could in his limited powers to ridicule this hire. I'm not picking at you, but I just was wondering why "Dan Steinberg's" wannabe scathing critique should interest me.

Steinberg is the same guy who chased Gilbert Arenas (or somebody) around DC with a water pistol a couple of summers ago, IIRC.Having said that, an offensive assistant or a HC who challenges some of the sacred cows of the NFL would be a refreshing change. Maybe that's "spurrier like", but it also might work. That was my point upthread about other NFL coaches not having a "book" on Zorn's tendencies and how that might help the Redskins in the short run to get their mojo back. This team needs to be unpredicatable and "different" to begin to matter again in the NFL as a whole.

 

[fatness]

Now, maybe Steinberg is absolutely right, but given that an editorial consists in part of one man's conclusions and opinions, I'd just like to know who this guy is and why I should care.

Why not make this a bit easier. Instead of the "show me why I should care" stuff, why not state your objection to the guy's column? Or to the guy. Or to whatever you're objecting to. It's easier.

 

[dgreen]

Now, maybe Steinberg is absolutely right, but given that an editorial consists in part of one man's conclusions and opinions, I'd just like to know who this guy is and why I should care.

Okay, forget Steinberg. Read the article Steinberg based his blog on, which I linked a few posts up.

 

[dgreen]

I like his apparent attitude toward football, although it reminds me a little too much of Spurrier.

But Meidt and Spurrier reach that apparent attitude in different ways. Spurrier seemed to do it with a "my system rules" belief while Meidt uses math.

 

[Sidewinder16]

You mistook the snarky portayal of this guy in that article with objective reporting of facts? I sure didn't. It looked to me like the author was doing everything he could in his limited powers to ridicule this hire. I'm not picking at you, but I just was wondering why "Dan Steinberg's" wannabe scathing critique should interest me.

I'm pretty sure "objective reporting of facts" is nowhere to be found, or even insinuated, in Steinberg's job description. I'm almost certain "snarky portrayals" and "scathing critiques" is. It's just what he's paid to do. Essentially, he's the blogging equivalent of a local sports talk show host.

 

[fatness]

If it really matters to anyone: Dan Steinberg in wikipedia

Interview with Dan Steinberg

Dan Steinberg in his own words

Do we have to vet all authors before posting links now? Tough crowd.

 

[fatness]

Stump Mitchell hired as RB coach

With the hiring of Mitchell, the status of Earnest Byner is unclear. Byner interviewed with Tampa Bay, and the Redskins only offered him a one-year deal. Byner is a great guy and among the hardest-working members of the coaching staff, many players told me during the season, and it seems he's in limbo now. We're still awaiting a official clarification of Byner's status. We previously reported that the Redskins hoped to, in essence, trade Mitchell for Byner, but Seattle could have other plans for their vacant running backs position.

 

[dgreen]

Do we have to vet all authors before posting links now? Tough crowd.

Maybe redman is just having a rough day.GROUP HUG!!!!!!!!!

 

[Sidewinder16]

If it really matters to anyone: Dan Steinberg in wikipedia

This pretty much tells you how serious you should take Steinberg's POV:

Dan created an international journalistic sensation when he provided Cheese coverage from the XX Winter Olympics in Turin (Torino), Italy.

 

[Sidewinder16]

Do we have to vet all authors before posting links now? Tough crowd.

Maybe redman is just having a rough day.GROUP HUG!!!!!!!!!

In.

 

[redman]

Do we have to vet all authors before posting links now? Tough crowd.

Maybe redman is just having a rough day.GROUP HUG!!!!!!!!!

In.

#######s.

 

[redman]

I like his apparent attitude toward football, although it reminds me a little too much of Spurrier.

But Meidt and Spurrier reach that apparent attitude in different ways. Spurrier seemed to do it with a "my system rules" belief while Meidt uses math.

Sight unseen, if you will, Meidt's description most reminds of the MLB "Moneyball" guys. I agree that some fresh perspective and approach is healthy here, so I'd welcome anyone with something to contribute at this point.

 

[dgreen]

I like his apparent attitude toward football, although it reminds me a little too much of Spurrier.

But Meidt and Spurrier reach that apparent attitude in different ways. Spurrier seemed to do it with a "my system rules" belief while Meidt uses math.

Sight unseen, if you will, Meidt's description most reminds of the MLB "Moneyball" guys. I agree that some fresh perspective and approach is healthy here, so I'd welcome anyone with something to contribute at this point.

Agreed. Or that dude Belichick uses with a photographic memory. There was a thread recently. Charlie Adams or something like that.

 

[dgreen]

I like his apparent attitude toward football, although it reminds me a little too much of Spurrier.

But Meidt and Spurrier reach that apparent attitude in different ways. Spurrier seemed to do it with a "my system rules" belief while Meidt uses math.

Sight unseen, if you will, Meidt's description most reminds of the MLB "Moneyball" guys. I agree that some fresh perspective and approach is healthy here, so I'd welcome anyone with something to contribute at this point.

Agreed. Or that dude Belichick uses with a photographic memory. There was a thread recently. Charlie Adams or something like that.

Ernie Adams

 

[phrozen]

I like and pretty much agree with this take on the Zorn hire by Rich Tandler:

« Video of Green TDParalysis by analysis

I’ve been suffering from paralysis by analysis for the past 48 hours. Every since the hiring of Jim Zorn, I’ve been bookmarking articles about the hire and about the process, ready to pick them apart and point out the biases, the illogical and untrue statements, and the hypocrisy present in so many of them. But as soon as I found one that was good fodder, I’d find another one that was even dumber.

So, first I’m going to go into a little more detail about my opinion of the hiring and then, over the coming days when I’ve gathered enough of the good, the bad, and the Adam Schein take on the Zorn hiring and do a few prize pull quotes from them with a reasoned response.

While it was surprising, I like the hire. It was absolutely nothing like what everyone said a Dan Snyder hire would be. He was a small name, an outside-the-box idea, a tiny splash in the pool. It’s as though Zorn was hired by the Bizarro Snyder, at least according to his media image.

As far as the hiring process, I’m just glad it’s over. I don’t buy for a second that he was brought in as OC with the notion that he was a candidate for the head job. Snyder and Cerrato were suffering from their own case of paralysis by analysis and it occurred to the latter that the solution to their dilemma was the guy that was settling into the office down the hall from the one that used to belong to Joe Gibbs. If you’re obsessed with process, as many in Washington tend to be and as many writers tend to be, the search was a black mark. If you’re interested in results, all’s well that ends well.

I like Zorn, from what I’ve read about him and what I’ve heard from him. Speaking of outside the box, that defines his thinking. Whether it’s having his QB’s play dodge ball or romp on a Slip ‘n’ Slide (see video embedded below) or riding his bicycle to work, he thinks about thinks and does things just a little bit differently than the rest of us. It’s not necessarily a case of different is better (more on that later), but the change from the cookie-cutter approach is refreshing.

Zorn’s introductory presser yesterday was not a virtuoso performance by a polished performer by any stretch of the imagination. He sounded nervous and he committed a few gaffes like the maroon and black reference, which was especially embarrassing because he volunteered the incorrect information. He’ll be consulting with a PR firm before the media blizzard starts in the summer.

We don’t know whether or not Zorn will be successful as a head coach. Many, of course, have buried him as one of the worst hires in years. I don’t think that he will be, but there’s no way of knowing for sure. Of course, it’s the fact that we don’t know that makes the two thumbs down reviews so utterly void of credibility.

His success, or lack thereof, will not be determined by his lack of experience as a coordinator. I’ll take that back partially; it may hurt him this coming season. Plenty of coaches have been successful with limited or no experience as an NFL coordinator, Andy Reid (zero seasons), Tom Coughlin (zero seasons) and Mike Tomlin (one season). On the other hand, many star coordinators have flopped as NFL head coaches (look no further than Turner, Norv and Petitbon, Richie). It may take a year for him to get down the mechanics of things, but, ultimately, he either has “it” or he doesn’t.

I am really warming up to the hire - At first I was a little but the idea of Zorn as the Head Coach has me He is unproven but that is not always a bad thing. Look at Fassel, he can be considered proven (took a team to the SB) but we all agree he would have been a terrible hire.

FWIW I am a fan of CJ coming here. Like with all trades I hope that Washington does not give up to much and overpay for........nevermind. I forgot this was the Redskins where the owner overpays for everyone he wants. Carry on.

 

[fatness]

I just noticed this site a little while ago, and I'm posting it here for you guys suffering from the same mental health disorder that afflicts me: Obsessional Redskin Syndrome.

MVN.com's Redskin articles

You can sort them by year, and keep up with the new ones as you read the old ones. There's some pretty detailed stuff there.

2008 Redskin articles

2007 Redskin articles

2006 Redskin articles

and so on and so on and scooby dooby doo

And This Article on their 2006 offseason is just plain good reading.

At the time, it appeared that the Redskins were just being impulsive. In hindsight, they certainly were. But it was a carefully calculated impulsiveness, one that was designed to give the Redskins a new foundation, a new critical edge that would launch them to the front of the NFL.

The new plan worked so well, and yet yielded awful results. How is this possible?

We are talking about a team who gave out 4 ridiculous contracts in 2006, and saw the market inflate the value to players of similar quality by upwards of 40%. In retrospect, this was pure genius.

In the genius lies the problem. The Redskins had one “free” offseason to load up on as much football talent as they possibly could. They were restricted to players who had expired contracts, or were being actively shopped. They couldn’t wait until next year, or the price tag would be 1.4 times more per player. They had to pay and reap the benefits now.

The Redskins’ front office trusted their coaching staff to deliver like they had in 2004 on their recommendations for talent. Al Saunders wanted Antwaan Randle El and Brandon Lloyd, and Gregg Williams wanted Andre Carter and Adam Arcuhleta.

Unfortnately, the Redskins were crippled by the Lloyd and Archuleta deals. Both deals, Arch’s especially, had a wonderful opertunity to end up as steals. If Lloyd had developed into a great receiver, the Redskins would be sitting on a top level passing game right now. If Archuleta had replicated his performance in St. Louis, the Redskins would have a stingy, no-nonsense run defense, and likely another pass rusher on the DL in Amobi Okoye.

More importantly, the 2006 Redskins could have been a historically great football team. They could have had it all: rush offense, pass offense, rush defense, pass defense. Though the kicking game still would have been an issue, that team could have made the 2005 version look like a group of talentless overachievers.

Of course, Archuleta and Lloyd are who we thought they were. So was Randle El and Carter at least in 2006. The failure of the team to cash in on their big spending spree led to a team that was very vunerable, and not very deep. Injuries derailed a team who was lacking depth, and the 2006 Redskins crashed and burned.

The Redskins squandered an excellent financial advantage, and a chance to build a team through free agency that would have been an effective shortcut to the top. They squandered it by passing up on free agents who panned out elsewhere, who they could have had in the exact same capacity of the guys they got.

Don’t blame the cap guys for Washington’s inability to get over the hump after 2005. Blame the guys who thought that they could coach players with clear weaknesses into Super Bowl Champions. For as ahead of the curve as this organization was, they really deserved a better result.

 

[fatness]

Director of sports medicine Bubba Tyer just confirmed what Zorn had said: Cornerback Carlos Rogers, who was injured in the Oct. 28 loss to the New England Patriots, isn't due back until September or October. Linebacker Rocky McIntosh, who was injured in the Dec. 16 victory over the New York Giants, is expected back in July.

Tyer said Rogers has made great strides in recent weeks, but that it's normally a 12-month recovery after tearing the ACL and MCL as he did. Since McIntosh only tore his ACL, his recovery is expected to take six months. What this means is that incumbent cornerback Shawn Springs can rest even easier about his job despite his excessive $7.5 million salary cap number and that there's a less of a need for the Redskins to add a high-priced free agent linebacker like Lance Briggs of the Chicago Bears.

David Elfin

 

[fatness]

Maybe redman is just having a rough day.GROUP HUG!!!!!!!!!

In.

#######s.

Build up the fire in the trash can, guys, and pass Redman the booze in the bag.

 

[southeastjerome]

I like his apparent attitude toward football, although it reminds me a little too much of Spurrier.

But Meidt and Spurrier reach that apparent attitude in different ways. Spurrier seemed to do it with a "my system rules" belief while Meidt uses math.

Sight unseen, if you will, Meidt's description most reminds of the MLB "Moneyball" guys. I agree that some fresh perspective and approach is healthy here, so I'd welcome anyone with something to contribute at this point.

Agreed. Or that dude Belichick uses with a photographic memory. There was a thread recently. Charlie Adams or something like that.

Yes. I like it and I don't even know if this guy will help or not. It is sort of the kind of thinking the Redskins really never adopted. Its a breath of fresh air if you will. And it could be said that hiring a stat nerd like Bill James was a pretty good thing for the Red Sox.

 

[fatness]

Earnest Byner is gone

All Byner has done is deal with Portis - a high maintenance guy and then some - and develop Mike Sellers, Ladell Betts and Rock Cartwright, all of whom performed at a Pro Bowl level in one capacity or another at one time or another (like Betts as the feature back in the second half of 2006).

So they make this man - well respected as a coach, player and human being in this game - sit around and wait on his job. He goes to work everyday, despite being treated like this, and is classy as ever at Redskins Park the last few weeks, other coaches said.

 

[southeastjerome]

Earnest Byner is gone

All Byner has done is deal with Portis - a high maintenance guy and then some - and develop Mike Sellers, Ladell Betts and Rock Cartwright, all of whom performed at a Pro Bowl level in one capacity or another at one time or another (like Betts as the feature back in the second half of 2006).

So they make this man - well respected as a coach, player and human being in this game - sit around and wait on his job. He goes to work everyday, despite being treated like this, and is classy as ever at Redskins Park the last few weeks, other coaches said.

Kind of sad. Obviously having a soft spot for Byner being a former player and doing good things with Sellers, Portis, Betts and Cartwright as stated above, its a little upsetting to see him go. If Stump Mitchell can make the new offense tick a little bit better, that's what it comes down to. I really hope Byner lands in a good situation and I am sure he will.

 

[Lowen1]

Earnest Byner is gone

All Byner has done is deal with Portis - a high maintenance guy and then some - and develop Mike Sellers, Ladell Betts and Rock Cartwright, all of whom performed at a Pro Bowl level in one capacity or another at one time or another (like Betts as the feature back in the second half of 2006).

So they make this man - well respected as a coach, player and human being in this game - sit around and wait on his job. He goes to work everyday, despite being treated like this, and is classy as ever at Redskins Park the last few weeks, other coaches said.

This makes me sad. I liked EB. I don't fault Zorn, he is the coach, and clearly Stump Mitchell will be helpful in implementing the WCO.

The sad thing is how Snyder treated EB. The blog posting from JLC goes into more details. A couple of years ago, the coaches got extensions, EB's was for a year less. This offseason, the assistants got two year deals, EB got offered a one year deal. As JLC said, for a guy that gave his all as a running back and coach, he wasn't treated real well.

 

[Marvelous]

If it really matters to anyone: Dan Steinberg in wikipedia

Interview with Dan Steinberg

Dan Steinberg in his own words

Do we have to vet all authors before posting links now? Tough crowd.

I heard Dan Steinberg a couple of years ago when George Mason went to the final 4. He was being interviewed on a sport radio show. He said he was considered George Mason basketball's beat writer since he had atteneded a few of the games during the season. No one else at the Post had. He was pretty amusing with lots of interesting stories. But he was pretty low on the totem pole if he was covering George Mason basketball and all the other schools/sports that never got any press.

 

[fatness]

Drew Rosenhaus represents big-time Redskins Clinton Portis, London Fletcher and Santana Moss. He was also the agent for late safety Sean Taylor. But two Cincinnati sources told me that there's no way that the Bengals will let Rosenhaus force them to trade Chad Johnson no matter how badly the unhappy Pro Bowl receiver wants to be a Redskin.

David Elfin

 

[fatness]

Casey Rabach

At the age of 30, Rabach had easily his worst year as a Redskin in 2007. Watching him in 2007 was like watching a 38 year old man with the experience of a rookie trying to handle the Center position in the NFL.

In his defense, Rabach was playing next to Pete Kendall, who isn’t the greatest guard himself and had been with the team for all of two weeks when opening day came, and Jason Fabini, who was playing Guard for the first time in his career. The lack of Redskin experience had to affect Rabach’s job to a certain degree.

That doesn’t excuse the seven year vet’s inability to make the correct line calls or to adjust to blitz. Far too often, linebackers would get free shots on the Redskins’ Quarterback, and Rabach was at fault. Always quick to double team a defensive tackle to help out Kendall, Rabach looked sluggish and lazy when trying to adjust to a late blitzer. Rarely, if ever, would the block get made.

As one could imagine, this makes for quite the issue when a team knows it only has to rush 5 to get pressure on the quarterback. Though Clinton Portis had a great year in pass protection, the damage was often already done when the pocket collapsed.

 

[southeastjerome]

Per JLC's blog:

Smith Decision TomorrowFrom Jason Reid: Just got off the phone again with Tennessee Titans assistant head coach/offense Sherman Smith, who said he will inform the Redskins whether he will accept the offensive coordinator position tomorrow. Smith had planned to inform new head coach Jim Zorn today but was unable to meet with Titans Coach Jeff Fisher. Smith promised Fisher he would speak with him before giving Zorn his decision."I'm really excited about the opportunity Z-man has offered to me and I think it could be great," Smith said. "But I have to follow the process. I have been with this man [Fisher] for 13 years and I owe him that much."

My gut initially was telling me that he wouldn't take the job, but reading into this and seeing that he wants to meet with Fisher first, I gotta think that he's planning on accepting. Why would he want to meet with Fisher if he did not want to take the job? I don't know a whole lot about Sherman Smith, but it would be good to see the "Z-man" get his first choice of OC.

 

[redman]

Per JLC's blog:

Smith Decision TomorrowFrom Jason Reid: Just got off the phone again with Tennessee Titans assistant head coach/offense Sherman Smith, who said he will inform the Redskins whether he will accept the offensive coordinator position tomorrow. Smith had planned to inform new head coach Jim Zorn today but was unable to meet with Titans Coach Jeff Fisher. Smith promised Fisher he would speak with him before giving Zorn his decision."I'm really excited about the opportunity Z-man has offered to me and I think it could be great," Smith said. "But I have to follow the process. I have been with this man [Fisher] for 13 years and I owe him that much."

My gut initially was telling me that he wouldn't take the job, but reading into this and seeing that he wants to meet with Fisher first, I gotta think that he's planning on accepting. Why would he want to meet with Fisher if he did not want to take the job? I don't know a whole lot about Sherman Smith, but it would be good to see the "Z-man" get his first choice of OC.

I agree with everything you said.

 

[fatness]

My gut initially was telling me that he wouldn't take the job, but reading into this and seeing that he wants to meet with Fisher first, I gotta think that he's planning on accepting. Why would he want to meet with Fisher if he did not want to take the job? I don't know a whole lot about Sherman Smith, but it would be good to see the "Z-man" get his first choice of OC.

My gut feeling all along has been that Smith wants to parley his Redskin job offer into getting more money from the Titans. If he doesn't get more money from them, then he'll decide whether to take the Redskin job or not. If he chooses to stay with the Titans with no raise, he can say he did it out of team loyalty.If he truly wanted the OC job he would have taken it already.

 

[fatness]

The deadline to hit the $116 million salary cap is Feb. 29 (15 days away), and the Redskins are whittling away at their number. The Redskins just cut their salary cap overage in half by converting Pro Bowl tight end Chris Cooley's $11 million roster bonus into pro-rated money, saving almost $8 million. That leaves them about $8 million over the salary cap. Defensive end Andre Carter, receiver Antwaan Randle El and guard Randy Thomas also have reworked their deals since the end of the season with agreements that shift money to future seasons while adding a voidable final year in each contract.

David Elfin (I wonder if he looks like a leprechaun?)

 

[fatness]

About Joe Gibbs. From Ryan O'Halloran.

I asked him if he had spoken with Dan Snyder about the job description of his 'special adviser' title he was given last month. Gibbs said: "For me, it will be whenever he calls and wants to talk about something or anybody up there wants to talk to me about anything that will help the Redskins. I won't have a formal role and I certainly won't be there on a weekly or even monthly basis. ... I'll help anytime I can but I'll have so much going on down here that this is where I'll be."

Gone.

 

[fatness]

Rich Tandler on what to do about Brandon Lloyd

1. Cut him now—Lloyd is scheduled to count $4.2 million against the cap in 2008. If the Redskins were to do a straight cut right now there would be an acceleration of $7.1 million in signing and option bonuses already paid. That nets out to a net charge of $2.9 million against the cap (negative savings, if you will). This would be a way to start clean under the new coaching staff, get him off the books, and not leave a lingering cap hit.

2. Cut him now designated as a June 1 waiver—This is something that's around now for the second year. A team can cut a player at the start of free agency but have the cap hit come as though the move took place after June 1. This would push most of Lloyd's dead cap into 2009. The Redskins would save $2.4 million of cap money this year (although it will stay on the books until 6/1) and they would have a dead cap charge of $5.3 million in 2009.

3. Cut him after June 1—The early June 1 cut is advantageous primarily to the player as it gives him a chance to find a job when the market is still lively. While it's highly unlikely that a team would give up a player or a pick for Lloyd, it might be worth keeping him around on the slim chance that someone might do it.

4. Give him a shot at earning a roster spot—If the Redskins go with options 2 or 3, they still will be hamstrung in free agency as that $2.4 million in savings won't be available to them until after June 1. As long as that's the case, why not see if he can be productive with a fresh start, a new offense under a new coaching staff? In the event he makes it, it's a plus for Zorn and the team gets some return on its investment of cash and picks. If he doesn't (the more likely outcome), they can cut him in camp and put the $2.4 million in savings towards extending Jason Campbell or filling a need arising due to injury.