Archive for March, 2012

Are The Redskins Re-Building? I’m 82% Sure They Are…Thanks To Vinny

This sh*t sandwich Vinny gave me has left a bad taste in my mouth!

Mike Shanahan was introduced as the Head Coach of the Washington Redskins on January 6th 2010, just 3 days after the Redskins finished a 4-12 season under Jim Zorn and 20 days after the hiring of Bruce Allen. The 2009 Redskins had 62 players appear in games during that season, a roster that was compiled by former Executive Vice President of Football Operations Vinny Cerrato. A little over 2 short years later, just 11 Redskins remain from the Zorn/Cerrato era. The won-loss record hasn’t changed much but the names on the backs of the jerseys sure have. An amazing 82% of those players are gone.

I guess a good way to describe the roster inherited by Allen and Shanny would be to say “there wasn’t a lot of meat left on the bone.” Of the 46 players that were cut, traded or not re-signed, 26 have yet to play another down in the NFL. Another 12 have barely played or played ineffectively and 2 guys have played at a Pro Bowl level. Here’s a look at all 62 players from 2009.

Still on active roster (11, 18%):

Lorenzo Alexander
Kevin Barnes
Chris Cooley
Fred Davis
Reed Doughty
Graham Gano
DeAngelo Hall
Rob Jackson
Will Montgomery
Santana Moss
Brian Orakpo

Andre Carter
Carlos Rogers

So, by my math it’s safe to say that Shanahan was handed a roster that consisted of over 50% of players that weren’t NFL caliber players. Obviously, the Redskins were in need of rebuilding, whether Shanny wanted to call it that or not. With only 18% of the players left from the Cerrato era, I have to say that the re-build is almost complete. All that’s missing now is Robert Griffin III and some W’s!

Cheers and Hail

Joe Gibbs Had A Mohawk

We’ve all had bad haircuts…you know, the type of haircuts where people ask you “what happened to your hair, did you lose a bet?” Well, in early 1988 Joe Gibbs lost a bet and we all won. Apparently, Gibbs promised his team that if the Redskins beat the Broncos in Super Bowl XXII, he would get a haircut like Alvin Walton. For those of you that are too young to know, Alvin Walton was a bad-ass safety for the Redskins who worked a mohawk for most of his playing career.

Props to Gibbs for owning up to his end of the bet. As far as Walton, he had 148 tackles during that strike shortened Super Bowl season, including 11 tackles behind the line of scrimmage. In one particularly amazing game against the Giants that year, Walton had 15 tackles, a sack and 6 tackles for losses. Alvin Walton > Laron Landry.

Cheers and Hail

Why The Redskins Should Trade For Tim Tebow

The Redskins should trade their 5th round pick to the Denver Broncos in exchange for Tim Tebow. In fact, I may be inclined to trade one of the Redskins 4th round picks (they have 2) in exchange for Tebow. Do I want Tebow to be the Redskins starting quarterback while Robert Griffin III learns the offense and adjusts to the NFL game? Hell no! Do I want Tebow to back up RG3 and step in in the event RG3 struggles or gets injured? Definitely not! I prefer Josh Johnson for that job.

When I watched Tebow quarterbacking the Broncos last year I saw a below-average NFL QB. The Redskins certainly don’t need anymore of those, they’ve already cornered the market with John Beck and Rex Grossman. What I also see when I watch Tebow is a combination of Chris Cooley, Peyton Hillis & Darell Young…and that’s what I want Tebow to be for the Redskins. A running back who plays some fullback and tight end as well. Tebow has a similar body structure to all three players, standing 6’2” and weighing 236 lbs. He’s already proven that he’s a NFL caliber running back while averaging 5.4 yards a carry with 12 TD’s on 165 career carries. Tebow played TE in high school for a year and NFL executives speculated that this was the position he would excel at when he was coming out of college. Is Tebow worth a 5th round pick? Take a look at the 5th round picks of the Redskins during the Dan Snyder era and tell me:

2000 - Quincy Sanders
2001 - Darnerien McCants
2002 - Robert Royal
2002 - Andre Lott
2004 - Mark Wilson
2005 - Robert McCune
2006 - Anthony Montgomery
2007 - Dallas Sartz
2009 - Cody Glenn
2011 - Dejon Gomes
2011 - Niles Paul

There is no educated argument against trading a 5th round pick in exchange for Tim Tebow. I state my case with the above names. Are you in favor of drafting another Robert McCune or bringing in a guy who’s a proven winner, a tireless worker and probably the best athlete on the team? Tebow can be a major offensive weapon with just 10 touches a game and will be the red zone threat the Redskins still desperately need.

Bill Belichick wants Tim Tebow…and I’m sure he wants him for the same reasons I’ve listed above. He certainly doesn’t want him to take snaps away from Tom Brady or to groom Tebow to be Brady’s successor. Belichick sees Danny Woodhead on steroids and I’m sure Josh McDaniels would go crazy with his new toy. I can already see the 3 tight end sets with Aaron Hernandez and Rob Gronkowski.

I’m not sure how much input John Elway will allow Tim Tebow into this trading process. If Elway looks out for Tebow I’m sure he’ll trade him to a team that will give Tebow another legitimate shot to be a starting QB in the NFL. However, those teams will be few to choose from and it may come down to the best offer on the table…the Redskins need to be among those teams. The Redskins are still a team that lacks playmakers and leaders, Tebow could be both.

Cheers and Hail

Rare Find: 1983 Washington Redskins Basketball Team

Click to enlarge

While rummaging thru some of my Redskins memorabilia I’ve collected over the years I came upon the above gem. It’s a flyer for a ‘Redskins-Basketball’ exhibition game that was sponsored by The Record Den. I attended the exhibition game which was held at Stonewall Jackson HS in Manassas, VA sometime in 1983.

The back of my flyer was signed by Todd Leibenstein, Rich Milot, Tony Peters and Art Monk. According to the notes that I wrote on the back, there were actually 2 games played that night. One saw the Redskins defeat the Manassas Journal Messenger by a score of 39-35. The other game featured the Redskins vs. The Coaches and the Skins won that game 35-34.

I do remember the game and collecting the autographs after. Somewhere, I have photos of the games but I’ve yet to find them. I wish I could remember what kind of low-post game Joe Jacoby had or what type of ball-handling skills Joe Washington brought to the table but I was only 9 years old at the time and I’ve had a shit ton of beers since then.

The Record Den’s flyer brings it’s own amount of awesomeness to the table. The pictures of the latest technology (Walkmans, projection tv’s and Colecovision) send me further down memory lane. Remember, The Record Den can handle all your antenna needs.

I never took my autographed flyer to The Record Den to receive my “special discounts” so I’m worried that I may have missed out on 10% off Frogger. No worries, I was always an ’Erol’s’ kid anyway.

Cheers and Hail

In Defense of Randy Edsall: One Former Player’s Take On Why Danny O’Brien Is An Amateur

I don’t know Danny O’Brien. And as a rule I avoid attacking amateurs.  But that is just what his behavior and actions are: Amateur.

Does that reek of unprofessionalism, a passing and uninformed comment more likely heard atop a bar stool, than eminating from the likes of blogger extraodinaire Rob Lunn? Sure.  But while my pedigree may include articles published on GQ, Deadspin, ESPN, or even a fulltime job writing for NESN (kill me) the part of my resume that most readily defines me, nay, qualifies me to comment on college football’s happenings is that I managed to play (survive) five seasons of it.  More importantly, these seasons were spent under the man that the DC Press is now so quick to refer to as a tyrant, that is of course when not haphazardly writing grandiose depictions of Maryland’s head coach delivering rousing speeches to a room of chairs.  Clever.

So I suppose this is where we are at, 2-10 now qualifies the press/media/ivory tower occupiers to look down upon College Park with a disdain for the football program and it’s leadership I have not before seen.  Where do I start?    I could point to a lot of ills that Edsall inherited, including but not limited to a scorned coach-in-waiting, a departure of 20-something seniors, and a boat load of NFL Talent (this past season’s departures include, precisely zero NFL caliber athletes), or the fact that long time and beloved coach Ralph Friedgen’s last move was to exit less than gracefully or squash the controversy surrounding said departure with even an ounce of dignity.

Combine that with his wife handing out “consoling cookies” in the wake of a loss to lowly Temple and well, Danny O’Brien is the least of our concerns.

But of course, that’s why I’m here, to tell you why Danny O’Brien is an unrivaled prick, plotting, conniving asshole, right?  Wrong.  But the story is almost too juicy to resist: Starting Quarterback, contentious coaches, and a media hungry for something, anything, to hang a poor season on. So this is it.

I can’t speak to the inner workings or dynamic of Maryland Football, but per one conversation with an NFL scout familiar with both his current charge and that in Storrs, “He’s running the program the exact same way as he did in Connecticut”  Well, I’m sure not “exact same” is accurate considering that Edsall inherited an NCAA hours-allotment restriction from the previous regime, but if all else remains constant, this is the same coach who won two Big East titles,  took me and my brothers to five bowl games, graduated an NCAA leading amount of players, and transformed the culture and expectation to win at football in Connecticut.

And all he ever asked of us? Commitment.  To do the little things right EVERY day, to do them right EVERY time.  And to play each play like it was the last play we’d ever play. These mantras meant; be clean shaven, sit up straight in meetings, turn your cell phone off, no earings at team functions, wearing the proper team issued gear and obeying the rules and expectations on the field and in the classroom.

These are the same qualities and regulations that are now being cited as evidence of his unbridled tyranny.  News flash; these are the things that spawn successful members of society; good sons and brothers and fathers.  The people of high moral fiber and character that achieve success despite the odds.  All he asks is that you buy in.  All the way in.

But as is often the case with any change, it is and was met with resistance.  The University of Maryland was no different.  Beginning with their starting quarterback.  A season opening win against Miami, then some struggles and a refusal to take ownership.  I’d defy anyone to find a quote from Dan Orlovsky, Matt Bonislowski, DJ Hernandez, Tyler Lorenzen, or Zach Frazer where they didn’t take ownership of a loss or for struggles.  And conversely, an instance where they did not credit on the field success to their offensive line, receivers or running backs, or that stout UConn Defense.

But no such leadership or accountability from Danny O’Brien.  None.  Instead, the rumors swirled about his former recruiting coach and scorned coach-in-waiting James Franklin talking behind closed doors about O’Brien joining them at Vanderbilt the following season.

As most of us know, the NCAA requires and athlete to sit out a season if he transfers laterally or upwards in terms of competition.  That is unless said athlete has already matriculated.  He can than pursue his “studies” and eligibility elsewhere without penalty.

Let me be clear, I’d say that less than .5 percent of all the athletes I’ve known at the Division I level could effectively navigate the language and strategy of the NCAA’s by-laws, let alone effectively execute such a decision without a little “coaching.”  Am I insinuating something? Absolutely.

Also, the commitment aspect of buying in, of giving it your all, means that the school will renew your scholarship (per the direction of the head coach and athletic department) and since these are “amateurs” we are talking about, all they ask in return is your unwavering dedication to the program and its goals.  Do I disagree with this model? Absolutely, I think that scholarships should be guaranteed, but they’re not and thus the crux of the situation.

So, Danny O’Brien was committed.  His scholarship renewed, and a day later, the commitment reneged.  His last semester paid for and yet he was no longer a part of the program.  So he would graduate then transfer to the program of his choosing, with two years of prime eligibility.

And now the question is “why is Randy Edsall blocking poor Danny-O?  All he wants to do is join his recruiting coach and get a good education!”  Simply put, Danny O’Brien, is playing the victim, when in reality he is simply sowing the seeds of his actions.  He did not do the right thing, or the little things, right.  He didn’t own his dissatisfaction with his head coach, the direction of the program or his standing as a starter.  No, instead he schemed and manipulated the system.

Albeit, a system that I would whole heartedly agree exploits its athletes.

So, we can look to Randy Edsall as the evil doer, the guy who won’t let this kid get the education he wants.  Or we can look at it as I do, his hand was forced.  He had a QB who wouldn’t buy in, an exit-ing coach(es) who were undercutting his authority and in my opinion, most likely scheming for said QB behind closed doors, simply put these sort of actions should not stand.

So where does that leave Maryland?

Well, if things are “the same as they were at UConn” then Edsall is just beginning Spring Ball and the 2012 season with what will be his first season with “his guys.”  If I know Coach, the “leave the body, take the jersey” mentality is fully in place; if you can’t do your job and be part of the team concept then they’ll find someone who can.  The cancers have been cut out and it’s time to see what can be accomplished in College Park without the inmates running the asylum. And I’m excited to see what Maryland can do on the field and in the ACC.

Where does this leave O’Brien?  He’ll play out his eligibility and eventually be an NFL prospect and the character issue will come up and he’ll have to answer to a line of questioning about the circumstances of his departure.  The same questions will be posed to the tightly knit coaching community, one known for brutal honesty, and then we’ll see how it all plays out on (un)drafted day.

Rob Lunn is a former defensive tackle for the University of Connecticut.  He owns and operates his own blog Thoughts From a Fat White Guy. Follow him on twitter @TheFatWhiteGuy

Acting Like Redskins

I think there’s an old saying that all actors want to be athletes and all athletes want to be actors. Sometimes, paths are crossed and quite frankly the term “keep your day job” almost always applies. Here’s a list of current and former Redskins who’ve dabbled in acting.

Joe Theismann

JT’s acting credits include ‘BJ and the Bear’ ‘The Man from Left Field’ ‘Sam Marlow, Private Eye’ and ‘Cannonball Run II’. He’s also appeared as himself in lots of TV shows including a recent episode of ‘Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives’.

John Riggins

Riggo actually committed himself to building an acting career which peaked on a 3 episode stint on ‘Guiding Light’. Riggins also appeared in an episode of ‘Law & Order’ and ‘1st & Ten’. Riggo showed his acting versatility by playing a football player by the name “L. David Riggins” in the later show.

Art Monk

Monk played himself in the major motion picture ‘Jerry Maguire’. Art’s entire dialogue: “Hey Rod, How you doing, man? Tough one out there.” Unfortunately, all this does is remind me that Monk played for the Eagles. Around the 8:25 mark here.

Chris Cooley, Todd Yoder & Lindsay Czarniak

All three appeared in the movie ‘Ghosts Don’t Exist’ in which Cooley played Deputy Dan and doubled as the executive producer.

George Michael

George obviously didn’t play for the Redskins but he hosted several Redskins related shows. George was in ‘8 Seconds’ ‘Tin Cup’ and ‘Silence of the Lambs’.

Jason Fabini

The former Redskins offensive lineman appeared in the movie ‘Made’ with Vince Vaughn and Jon Favreau.

Dana Stubblefield

The original “Albert Haynesworth” played a character named the Alamo in the movie ‘Reindeer Games’.

Frank Herzog

For me, Herzog will always be the voice for the Washington Redskins. But, after being relieved of those duties, Frank appeared in ‘Step Up’ ‘State of Play’ and ‘National Treasure’.

Terry Crews

Crews played for the Redskins in 1995 and he’s carved out the most successful acting resume among all current and former players. Crews has over 62 acting credits on IMDB including roles in ‘Bridesmaids’ and ‘The Expendables’. Correction, as one reader pointer out Crews did not play the role of ‘Terry Tate, Office Linebacker’. I’m going to leave up the clip because it’s awesome.

Cheers and Hail