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Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Rebuilding the Redskins: The Possibilities of an Uncapped 2010 Season

The Redskins offense we see on the field today are the leftovers from a team built to win in 2005 under Joe Gibbs. That team was a dropped interception away from the NFC championship, and arguably a Quarterback away from being a legitimate Super Bowl contender. Their offensive line controlled the pace of the game. Santana Moss was a 1,500 yard receiver and Clinton Portis was a 1,500 yard rusher.

In 2009, this squad is a broken down shell of its former self. Most of the problems arise from an againg and oft injured offensive line. But comparing Clinton Portis of 2005 to Clinton Portis of 2009 is like comparing night to day. He no longer has the burst or agility that the Redskins would ride week in and week out. Since 2005, Santana Moss hasn't come close to another 1,500 yard season. He still shows up occasionally and puts up a 100 yard game, but he is no longer the constant threat that he was four years ago.

As this offense continues to struggle week in and week out against weak competition, it becomes more apparent that an overhaul is in order. And with the potential of an uncapped season in 2010, the Redskins could dump some of their inflated contracts and start rebuilding. If I had a shot at making these decisions, they would go like this...

Cut List (Players still under contract in the offseason):

Santana Moss: Redskins fans will never forget Monday Night miracle in Dallas, where Moss burned the arch-rival Cowboys for two touchdowns in the final four minutes to earn the Skins an improbable 14-13 victory.

Moss has been the Redskins' only legitimate receiving threat outside of Chris Cooley during his tenure in Washington. But aside from his breakout season in 2005, Moss hasn't been a consistent game-changer for the Redskins. Whether it's beacuse opposing defenses are constantly gameplanning Moss out of the game, or he has lost a step, I can't say. But Moss will be turning 31 in the offseason, and it is likely that his best seasons are behind him. I don't see a reason to keep an aging receiver with a big contract around for the rebuilding growing pains.

Antwaan Randle-El: I have trouble thinking that there is a #3 receiver in the league that is paid more than Randle-El. He lost his #2 spot this season to second-year receiver Malcom Kelly, and aside from the week 1 game against the Giants has been very quiet in the passing game.

When Randle-El was first brought to the Redskins, he was expected to make the biggest impact on special teams. He was a dominant punt returner in Pittsburgh, but has been ineffective in the return game in his stay in Washington. Aside from one punt return touchdown, Randle-El has been extremely inconsistent in the return game with an apparent loss of agility and speed.

DeAngelo Hall: Another giant contract that the Skins have a chance to dump in an uncapped year. While Hall has brought a few more turnovers to the defense, his poor tackling and constant lapses in coverage shouldn't give him a pass. I don't think another #2 corner in the league makes close to the $50+ million Hall earned in the offseason.

Todd Collins: Collins had a nice run at the end of 2007, leading the Redskins to four straight wins and a playoff berth. But the Redskins need to find the future of the quarterback position, and the nearly 38-year-old Collins doesn't have much left in the tank.

Phillip Daniels: Another aging veteran the Redskins could drop in a movement to get younger. While he is a decent run-stopper, his presence in pass rushing is nearly non-existent. A rotation of Carter, Orakpo, Jarmon, and Wilson on the line would give the Redskins a good mix of youth and speed.

Randy Thomas: Thomas has been one of the Redskins' best offensive linemen when he is healthy. But over the last few years, he has struggled to stay healthy. He will be turning 34 in the offseason, and is one of the Redskins' highest paid lineman. It's time to cut ties and bring some youth to the line.

Ladell Betts: Betts earned a big contract extension in 2008, and has since become a non-factor in the redskins offense. The modern model for success in the running game seems to be with a young rotation of three backs. Betts is 30, and it is time for the Redskins to get younger at the runningback position.


On the bubble: These are a few players that are borderline cuts, and players I would try and get some trade value from.

Clinton Portis: Portis has been the backbone of the Redskins offense since Gibbs brought him in. The Redskins are 22-5 when Portis rushes for 100 or more yards. However, in the modern NFL, runningbacks do not have a very long shelf life, and Portis is nearing the end of his.

A week ago, he would have been on my cut list. But since the Redskins cut their two young talents at runningback this week, Marcus Mason and Anthony Aldridge, the Redskins would be left with nothing.

Portis is still a terrific pass blocker and a servicable back for the time being. I would lean toward keeping him, as I don't think he would merit any good trade value.

Laron Landry: Landry is a player I would try and get trade value for. He is a tremenous athelete and a former top 10 draft pick. The Redskins have the resources at safety to replace him.Reed Doughty has had a good 2009 campaign and played well in relief of Sean Taylor in 2007, and Chris Horton has proven to be a late-round steal with good ball-hawking skills.

If the Redskins could land a high second rounder or a first rounder for Landry, or a promising offensive lineman, I would take it.

Andre Carter: Carter is having a good 2009 campaign with the addition of Haynesworth. If he could put up something in the ballpark of 13 sacks (currently on pace for 16), he might warrant some good trade value from a team in need of a pass rusher. I would take anything higher that a mid-level second round pick.

Releases (Players with expiring contracts):

Jason Campbell: There may not be a more likeable guy on the team than Campbell. But through five years in the league, he hasn't shown the decision-making skills or accuracy of a top-tier NFL quarterback. I think the Campbell experiment in Washington is done.

Cornelius Griffin: Griffin will be 33 in the offseason, and the Redskins have some solid youth at defensive tackle. He has a decent-sized contract which the Skins can get off the books.

Three year plan - Draft/FA strategy: The most important need the Redskins need to address over the next few seasons is the offensive line. They need do bring in youth and quality depth to develop into a cohesive unit, instead of the stop-gap solutions they have relied on over the last several years.

The needs they should address through the draft and free agency:

1. OL: quality depth and a cohesive starting group.
2. Finding a franchise QB.
3. Building a young runningback rotation
4. Finding an OLB to replace Orakpo, moving him to DE.
5. Contine to build depth on the defensive line.
6. Solidifying the #2 CB spot


2010 Lineup:

QB: Open competition between Brennan, a FA pickup, and a draft pick.
RB: Portis
FB: Sellers
WR: Kelly/Thomas/Mitchell
TE: Cooley
OL: Fierce competition amongst offseason pickups. Hopefully Samuels returns as the cornerstone.

DE: Orakpo/Jarmon/Wilson rotation
DT: Haynesworth/Montgomery/Golston rotation
OLB: McIntosh/Draft or FA pickup
MLB: Fletcher
CB: Rogers/Draft or FA pickup
S: Doughty/Horton

Zorn Demotion Shows More of the Same From Snyder's Skins.

On Sunday evening, Vinny Cerrato "suggested" that Jim Zorn give up his playcalling responsibilities to offensive consultant Sherman Lewis, who has been out of the NFL since 2004 and was volunteering at a retirement home two weeks ago when he was called in by the Redskins.

In the bumbling yet likeable tone that Zorn has carried throughout his tenure in Washington, Zorn reluctantly complied with the wishes of the front office. As if things couldn't get worse for the Redskins, who stand at 2-4 after facing a historically easy schedule, the man who is supposed to come through for the team as a leader and motivator has effectively been emasculated by the Redskins' front office.

The hiring of Lewis and the move to strip Zorn of his playcalling responsibilities are another pair of questionable moves in a long list orchestrated by the Snyder-owned Redskins. Once again, Snyder's regime has shown that their tendency for harsh, drastic change underminds the desire to implement continuity and build a winning franchise.

If the Redskins' front office truly believes that the heart of the Redskins' problems lie in lackluster playcalling, they need to step back and take a look in the mirror. An average football fan pulled off the street could be brought in to call plays, and the results would look the same behind the porous offensive line that the Redskins have put together over the last few years. If you can't block, you can't run and you can't pass.

By some miracle, this may give Zorn a chance to pull the Redskins locker room together and get them on a run. Perhaps the relief of the extra responsibility of playcalling will allow Zorn to focus more on building morale in the locker room and getting this team motivated.

But in reality, this is likely the first step before Zorn is fired after the Monday night matchup with the Eagles.

Monday, October 12, 2009

Failure filters down from the top.

I wonder what Dan Snyder and Vinny Cerrato were thinking as they watched D'Anthony Batiste struggle mightily in place of perennial pro-bowler Chris Samuels yesterday.

I wonder what they were thinking as their all-pro tight end had to stay in and chip Panthers pass rushers instead of splitting out wide, creating mismatches and making plays in the passing game. For the first time in over 70 games, Chris Cooley was held without a catch.

I wonder what they were thinking as their first-round draft pick at quarterback was repeatedly shoved into the turf behind a makeshift offensive line. Campbell was sacked four times and hurried and hit over a dozen times.

Redskins nation needs to realize that the performance of the 2009 can no longer be put on the players or the coaching staff. As two great Washington Post articles by Thomas Boswell and Sally Jenkins summed up, the problems at the top of the Redskins organization prevent anything resembling a championship contender from taking the field. At this point, they can hardly even put out a competitive team from week to week.

As I stewed over the Redskins ineptitude, which has spanned nearly my entire lifetime as a fan, and more specifically in the Dan Snyder era, I came up with a similie that suits the way this franchise is run.

Essentially, the Redskins Organization is like a failing car manufacturer.

The Redskins team itself, the final product that hits the field on Sundays, is like the car that this manufacturer produces. And the bottom line is the Redskins organization is putting out a product that has not been built on a solid foundation.

Every year they come out with a few attractive new features that attract buyers. A new receiver is like a shiny new paint job, a new playmaker at cornerback is like an attractive new interior, a top-tier quarterback is like a high-powered engine, etc.

However, the guts of this product, the frame, is poorly constructed. The guts of a football team are the offensive and defensive line and overall team depth. While the Redskins improved on the defensive line this offseason, for the most part they are sorely lacking in these areas. Without a strong frame to hold all the other parts in place, it should be no surprise that this car is destined to fall apart on the tough road that is the NFL.

Likewise, the ones who drive this car, the coaching staff, can't be fully blamed for the poor performance of the vehicle. Especially in the case of Zorn, who had little to do with the product we see on the field today, he is merely steering a broken product. We can question the decisions he makes while driving, sure. And a good coach is capable of steering a product to its highest potential. But ultimately there is a ceiling created by an inferior product that prevents success at the highest level.

Does it make any sense to blame a poorly constructed car for breaking down? Or to blame the person driving it when it doesn't perform at a high level? I don't think so. The blame has to go to the top. The ones who put it together.

When we get to the top, the assembly line and the plant that constructs the Redskins vehicle, the real problems shine through. The people in charge of putting the correct parts in place for this car to perform at a high level are failing tremendously. Rather than spending their efforts researching new technology and putting new parts in place, which in the NFL happens through the draft, the Redskins try and plug holes with older parts and and add new asthetic elements to make their product look better than it is.

The duo of Dan Snyder and Vinny Cerrato have continually ignored the deep-seeded issues with the Redskins by refusing to draft young talent, especially on the lines, and build depth throughout the roster.

Until the problems at the top are fixed, there is no hope for the Redskins. Even if they bring in one of the top coaches on the market next year, no significant improvement can happen until Cerrato is gone and Snyder gets his hands out of the football operations.

Like most of Redskins nation, I will be back next year for the lastest Redskins model. I'm addicted, and hope that one day my Redskins will be the meanest machine on the road. But unless changes are made at the top, I won't expect anything more than a casual Sunday drive in my Redskins clunker.