WOW! Redskins Rant of the Year

If this doesn't sound like me, I don't know what does.

http://1067thefandc.cbslocal.com/2010/11/16/chad-dukes-rant-on-the-redskins-59-28-loss/

Proving That He Knows Very Little About Football...

I'm sorry...Did X just trot out the names Troy Smith and Tyler Thigpen as being awesome players (aka, should be starters in this league)?

WHAT??

Ok, no.  You can't jump on the Troy Smith bandwagon because he's had 2 good games.  The dude is still nothing more than a backup in the NFL, and he's proved it the past 3 years.  Yes, he's got talent (he DID win the Heisman), but I'm sorry, he's not an NFL starter (otherwise, he'd be starting and not the "hey, let's try this trick" guy).

And Tyler Thigpen? Give me a break.  The guy is 3rd on the depth chart in MIAMI for a reason.  And the second Henne is healthy, Thigpen will be BACK ON THE BENCH.  Why? Because he's not good enough to be a starting QB in this league.

Sheesh.  They both suck, and anyone that thinks these two guys are viable NFL starters doesn't know football and should be doomed to have either guy as their team's franchise QB (except X because that would doom me also).

Rant over.

Bad Shanahan Moves: #2

I Worked With Him At My Last Job, He Knows My System


Only one problem....He's Rex Grossman and HE SUCKS!

Ok, so I don't need to go into too much detail as this has been national news for 2 weeks.  The benching of McNabb, with under 2:00 left in a winnable game, SHOULD be the worst Shanahan move so far, but it's only a close #2.  But, let's get real....this was REAL dumb...REAL DUMB!  And, not make it worse, he didn't just say, "Yeah, that was a mistake."  Instead, he said that his starting QB was dumb and fat.

Wow.

I have about a million speculative explanations for this, but none of them make me happy or really make this move acceptable.  It's just terrible....terrible.  I believe this move almost guarantees that McNabb will go to Arizona or Minnesota next year.  Nice work boys.

Bad Shanahan Moves: #3

He's Fast, Therefore He Must Still Be Good


Can someone please explain to me why Joey Galloway is on this team? How did he not get cut at the end of training camp? How did he not get released at the end of the preseason? I don't understand....he's 1,000 years old!

Bringing him in (and not even really making him compete for a job) is idiotic and counter-productive. I challenge you, Joe Fan, to provide me with a solid reason why Shanny-Burger to signed this guy last off season.

Do it.

Go ahead, I'll wait.









And when you're done, tell me how that reasoning has worked out.

Awful...just awful.

It Could Be Worse

I know I'm currently being slammed by my posting counterpart here at DDTKA for being to negative about Shanahan, so here's something positive.

At least we're not the Dallas Cowboys!!

Let's say that again...

At least we're not the Dallas Cowboys!!

I love it.  The Redskins are mired in rebuilding or retooling or whatever it is we're doing that will end with us being 8-8 at season's end (let it be known this is 2 games better than I predicted to start the season).  But I can't help but grin from ear to ear with every news item that comes out about the Cowboys.  Wade is finally gone, and Garrett is now in as interim.  I can't wait till the offseason.

My favorite part is...wasn't Jason Garrett considered the greatest thing since sliced bread about 2 years ago? Didn't Jerry Jones give him $3.5M to stay away from head coaching jobs? Now, no one is talking about him as a head coach anywhere, and there's a lot of speculation that he won't even stick in Dallas beyond interim.  What if he wins only 1 game (which is entirely possible considering the word out of Dallas is that all the players hate him)?

I can't wait until the offseason when Jerry Jones tries to convince a minority candidate to come interview for the job that he's already given to Jon Gruden (not a prediction...just a name to make a point).

I know you're not supposed to applaud other's failure (only your team's success), but in this case...with the Cowboys...

APPLAUSE!
APPLAUSE!

Bad Shanahan Moves: #4

Running Backs: I was awesome at Fantasy Football in 2006 too!

Back in 2006, I was untouchable at Fantasy Football.  Not so much because I was so awesome, but mainly because most of the folks I played with still didn't know what they were doing.  The only relevance this has to my argument is that back then, the entire Redskins RB corps (at the start of the season) was amazing also.

I'm sorry, but this felt just like "Fortune .500" Redskins. For a team that should be rebuilding (no one told Shanahan), keeping Larry Johnson and signing Willie Parker made NO SENSE AT ALL. LJ was done and everyone knew it (hence his release from KC), and Fast Willie has just been Normal Willie for years now, which is why Pittsburgh dumped him. I know that people say that we didn't pay them much, so why not take a chance on these guys, and here's the reason: We could have paid the same money to an undrafted rookie (or some first or second year player in free agency) and actually developed him into, at very least, a serviceable backup to Clinton Portis. Hell, maybe we would have gotten lucky and he could become a feature back. But the book had already been written on Johnson and Parker and summarized for us by other teams. Why did we need to reread the book?

It should be noted, however, that Shanny did ultimately cut his losses with these bums and release them.  Still though...seemed like a waste of an off-season that that position.

Bad Shanahan Moves: #5

Receiving Corps: At Least They're Taller Than Santana

I believe this to be Vinny's thinking when he drafted these guys, but I'm going to blame Shanahan for not putting them on the field. Kelly is always hurt...fine, then release him. Kelly couldn't get on the field because Roydell Williams and Joey Galloway (who I will get to later) are much higher caliber players ?? I'm sorry, but I can't believe that those two guys are so much better that it would cancel out the upside of Kelly being a young player.

Why isn't Fred Davis on the field? What happened to our two dangerous TEs and the two TE set? I mean, here's an example of Shanahan jettisoning talent to feed his own ego.  He's so "my way or the highway", that he's willing to go to battle with bums instead of putting talented young players on the field.

Fail #1.

Are You Sure We Can?

In response to X's response...

Please don't mistake my "questioning Shanahan" to say that it's all his fault, or to say that I think he's doing a bad job overall.  Yes, some of the problems are inherited...however, some of them are problems of his own doing.  I think now is a fine time to start taking a critical look at what he's done. Doesn't mean fire him...it just means that he's the coach of my team and I think it's time to take off the beer goggles.

1. Who said he's on the s-list? I'm merely pointing out some mistakes so far. All coaches make them, but not all coaches are coaching my team. And, you just happened to name the 3-5 teams with the most problems, but would you take what they have going in Oakland over this? How about Kansas City? A common problem with today's fan (especially here), is that they take any realistic criticism and turn it into a complete indictment of the coach.

2. What do you mean no reason? He got fired because, for 5 years, he showed complete futility at player selection and personnel decisions. Don't even talk to me about RBs because you and I know that was more about scheme than talent (see Olandis Gary, Mike Bell, etc.) Denver won he Super Bowl last in the '98-'99 season.  Elway retired and Denver failed to make the playoffs 3 out of the next 4 years. They had late season implosions the next 3 years and then failure the next 2. He went through 4 defensive coordinators in 4 years. He didn't get fired for no reason...the OWNER WAS ONE OF HIS BEST FRIENDS!  Why would his friend fire him for no reason? That just doesn't make sense. He basically pulled this same kind of crap in Denver, riding the gravy train of 2 super bowl victories. Eventually, they had enough. 

I'm not saying he's terrible, I'm just saying...before we give him a free pass, just remember why he was even available to us in first place.

Moss To Tennessee

According to Adam Schefter, Moss has been claimed by the Tennessee Titans at #22.

This is bad news for the Skins and their poor pass defense (turnovers excluded).

That was fun...now back to work.

Is This Really Happening??

I'm pretty sure this is the MOST WATCHED WAIVER WIRE RELEASE EVER! In fact, I'm willing to bet that 100% of people NOT working for an NFL team have never cared about an NFL waiver wire in their life.

Twitter and ProFootballTalk.com can't refresh fast enough!

Can we...???

In light of recent events, I have to ask...

Can we start criticizing Mike Shanahan yet?

I, like many of you, have given Shanahan (and Bruce Allen, for that matter) a free pass ever since they got here. This, of course, was due to the fact that the Redskins have been so inept as an organization for so long, it was just nice to see Danny-Boy hire someone with a shred of credibility that has been in the NFL the last 5 years (you know...like a normal franchise).

The question is, when does the honeymoon end? Next year? The year after? I've said since April that I'm not going to let this season stress me out because you can't erase a decade of poor management in a single season. At the same time, I'm not sure I want to turn the other cheek on some downright insane moves this year.

In the coming days, I will post the top 5 WORST moves by Shanahan so far, and you can decide for yourself if you're ready to criticize. I will leave you with 2 things:

1. The list of 5 worst moves wasn't hard to come up with. In fact, it was harder to narrow down to ONLY 5.

2. The only reason Shanahan was available to be the coach of the Redskins is because he got FIRED in Denver (for basically this same crap).

"I'm Sorry, What???"

http://www.myfoxhouston.com/dpp/sports/nfl/101102-jamarcus-russell-washington-redskins

Now that you're done reading that....ummmmm...what?? I have to be honest, if this actually happens, I think I may need to actually start questing Shanahan's ability to handle the personnel of this team.

Top 5 Tips For Getting Fired

Ok, so fine.

I was trying to be relatively quiet this season, but the NFL has turned into the WWE with it's insane story-lines and jaw-dropping plot twists. So, we'll start with...

Top X Tips For Getting Fired

5. Start 2-6 despite having, arguably, the best RB in all of football.

4. Tie yourself to a 41-year-old QB with a bad ankle and a history of INTs and "diva-ism".

3. Send your players to the home of the QB in #4 to convince him to come back, despite his claims that he's too injured to play anymore.

2. Spend all of your petty cash (3rd round pick) to get the crankiest WR in football, whose most famous quote is "Straight cash homie." (love that quote)

1. Inexplicably release the WR in #2 after only 2 weeks on the team for seemingly no reason other than, "He hurt my feelings."

I'd like to start a "Bonehead Play of the Week" spot here, and I was going to give it to Mike Shanahan before about 3pm today. Instead, it goes to Brad Childress, who MUST be suffering from a sever blow to the head.

Nice work. Hope you're happy as the offensive line coach in Carolina next year (or, if I'm lucky, the head coach in Dallas).

{Insert 'Yo Mama' Joke Here}

First, let's get the general accounting out of the way....

Note: I'm a very busy person. I'm SO incredibly important, and everyone should bow to my awesomeness.

Premier 1-on-1 Championship Standings:

Keenan 2-0

X 0-2

I don't have to assign insults to X because the data clearly shows that I'm 100% better than him in every way.

Now, down to business...

Draft

Given they only had 4 picks, I think the Skins did okay. I like Trent Williams at #4, although I thought they might give us the swerve and get SS Berry from Tennessee. Williams should be able to start at LT from day one, and McNabb has maneuverability and is hard to bring down, so that should help hide some of Williams' rookie mistakes.

The Skins' other 3 picks are irrelevant, and do not warrant discussion.

Latest News

Jason Campbell is out of town! No shock there...but what is shocking is what they got for him. A fourth rounder...IN 2 YEARS! That's right people....they got a 4th rounder in 2012. Not a 4th rounder next year, not a conditional 4th rounder in 2012 that moves up to a 2nd rounder based on performance. But, literally....A FREAKING 4th ROUNDER in 2012.

Now, I know that Campbell isn't the next Peyton Manning, or even the next Eli for that matter....but he's a decent QB. His numbers in all the major QB categories (% completion, TDs, INTs) have increased in each of the last 4 years. He's proven that he's a team player that can get the job done in even the worst situations. He's proven that he'll never complain or throw his team under the bus. Yet, somehow, they weren't able to get more than a gum wrapper for him in a trade.

My thoughts: Shan-Allen-han should have traded Campbell BEFORE making the trade for McNabb.

One Parting Shot: Please get rid of Albert Haynesworth.

Big News!

If you haven't heard by now, then you're not reading this blog, so....

Donovan McNabb is a Washington Redskin!! At first, I wasn't sure how I felt about it, but I think I've got an opinion now. I think this is good for the Skins, and I'll tell you why...

McNabb is not some over the hill veteran onto which D. Snyder dumped a bucket of cash. He's an established QB in the NFL and a 6-time pro bowler. He's considered (and I agree) to be just below the elite QBs in the league (i.e. Brady, Manning, Brees). Having a guy like this on your team can't be bad. I'm sure X, who loves to overhype players, will say that McNabb is elite, but let's be real...he's not. His accuracy has always been an issue, but it's a problem with lots of QBs, and the fact is...they guy has a 2:1 TD to INT ratio. He doesn't turn the ball over. The Redskins definitely got better with this trade.

This move also removes the Redskins' immediate need to draft Jimmy Clausen (who appears to be a doucheback, btw). McNabb can give the Skins 3 solid years and probably 2 more years of grooming a young player. While I recognize this move does not directly solve the long term need for a franchise QB, I think it's a move in the right direction. Was Clausen (or even Bradford) going to be the next Matt Ryan? Hmmmm....doubtful.

Additionally, this move also forces, I hope, the Skins to draft Russell Okung or Bryan Bulaga or Trent Williams. Rebuilding the offensive line should be their top priority now, and I wouldn't be surprised if they trade out of the 4 spot to pick up some additional picks (3rd rounder maybe?). If you think about it, the Skins should definitely be able to pick up a pick this year and next year when they trade Campbell (Oakland, you know you want to overpay for him).

The one thing to point out, and I'll leave on this note, is that if Vinny had made this move, we'd probably all be killing him. But, in Shan-allen-han we trust. Boy what a difference having real football people running an organization makes!

Don't Worry, I'll Help...

First things first, that title means nothing.

Glad I got that out of the way.

In our attempt to revive this blog and have some fun, X and I will both try to post regularly. How can you tell the difference between X's posts and mine:

1. I use proper punctuation.

2. I use proper capitalization.

3. I make sense

Ok, on to football.

I'm, generally speaking, pleased with the direction of my beloved Skins. No flashy moves. No huge free agent signings that address nothing (hello Albert!). I'm not sure what the point of the Larry Johnson signing is, but whatever, he was cheap. Shan-allen-han (no, that's not a typo) has instilled a bit of confidence that they know what they're doing, so I'm assuming the LJ move is merely a short-term-stop-gap to the RB of the future (perhaps 2-4 years down the road).

At this point, all we can do is wait for the draft. I've heard tons of chatter that we'll take Clausen, Bradford, Suh, Okung, G. McCoy (thanks for the clarity major media outlets). I, for one, would like to see Okung taken with the #4 pick for a few reasons:

1. LT's are generally as good as advertised and don't end up as busts. Even if they do, they can be moved to RT or G and be very effective.

2. Getting a franchise QB that's going to get pounded into rock-salt behind a mediocre OL his first 2-3 years is just a setup for failure (see: David Carr, Joey Harrington, Patrick Ramsey, Jason Campbell...to a certain extent).

3. We already have a $40-million guaranteed DT. No need to overpay for another one. Haynesworth can play DE in a 3-4, and a NT can be signed in free agency.

The reality is, however, that Okung has only a 25% chance of being on the board at #4, especially with the Lions at #2 and a need to protect their own investment (read: Matt Stafford). In that case, I hope they consider Brian Bulaga or Trent Williams, or move way down to get Maryland OT Bruce Campbell. Also, there are some guards in this draft and we're going to have to replace Randy Thomas.

My tagline this year: Stay patient Skins' fans!