If this was Joe Gibbs' plan, then it might work out.....

http://www.washtimes.com/sports/20050426-121046-3165r.htm

Everyone is wondering why the Redskins took Jason Campbell with the 25th pick.

Well, Washington Times writer Dan Daly has a good angle on why the Redskins did what they did.

He says that what happened this offseason with Smoot, Pierce, and Coles taught Joe Gibbs that there is no more loyalty in the NFL.

So Joe Gibbs looked at his QB situation. He knows he has Patrick Ramsey for 2 more seasons. And given how Patrick responded to the signing of Mark Brunell last offseason, Gibbs has to know that Ramsey isn't likely to re-sign with the Redskins after 2006.

And Gibbs has to know that Mark Brunell isn't going to be the Redskins starting QB in 2007.

So then you have to either look to the draft for a rookie or get a veteran in free agency or through a trade.

And looking back at last year's FA crop of QBs and this year's, and taking the brutal mistake of the trade and signing of Brunell, the veteran route had to be scary.

So then it becomes a matter of drafting a QB that can develop in time to be a starter in 2007.

The Redskins obviously liked what they saw in Jason Campbell this season. So they opted to make a bold move, get him in now, let him develop for a year or two behind Ramsey, and then they will be ready for 2007 when Ramsey is no longer a Redskin.

As long as their evaluation of Campbell is on the money, that sounds like a decent plan to me.

The only way it blows up in the Redskins' face and becomes yet another brutal move in the Snyder era of the Redskins is if either Campbell is a bust or the Redskins fail to improve this season and they surrendered a draft pick to Denver that could have been used in the 2006 Draft to get a better QB like Matt Leinart or Chris Leak.

The scariest part for me isn't Campbell's upside. I think he has a very good shot at being at least a solid pro QB. The scariest part for me is that the Redskins have spent this offseason doing more plugging of holes than really improving the team.

The one area of improvement this offseason was at center with the Rabach signing. Other than that the Redskins have just spent time make up for what they've lost. Moss and Patten were brought in, but Coles left and Gardner might be gone as well. They drafted Carlos Rogers merely to replace the departed Fred Smoot. And they didn't do anything to replace Antonio Pierce.

So if this team is better in 2005 than it was 2004, it will be about two things: the offensive coaching staff building a scheme that works against 21st century NFL defenses and if the Redskins are healthier this season than last. The Redskins are counting heavily on Jon Jansen returning and making the O-Line better. They are counting on Lavar Arrington and perhaps Michael Barrow being healthy and being major contributors on defense.

Only time will tell if thing work out according to plan.............

The Skins need to draft a real GM

Let me start this out by saying that I have a lot of faith in Joe Gibbs as a football coach.

But I do not have a lot of faith in Joe Gibbs as the President of the Washington Redskins and as the guy that is the head honcho when it comes to making personnel decisions. And the moves made this week heading into the draft and over the weekend have made me question his decision making process even more.

It all started with the trade for the 25th pick and the rumor being leaked that the Redskins coveted Auburn QB Jason Campbell at that spot.

Why on earth would they make a move 3 1/2 days before the draft if they wanted one guy and let that information get out? That is just not a smart thing to do.

Plus, I'm not big on trading future 1st round picks, especially in a less than stellar draft year such as this one and with a team that isn't exactly poised for a break out season. I'd rather be the team that adds the future 1st rounder to be honest.

Then draft day came. And while I thought I was prepared for the worst, it didn't make the sting of my dream draft being possible and the Redskins opting to go their own way.

The Redskins had Mike Williams fall to them at 9. And they opted for Auburn CB Carlos Rogers.

Now I have a lot of faith in Gregg Williams and his staff. Not only as a defensive coaches, but also
as talent evaluators. Last offseason, the Redskins were very successful in adding players on the defensive side of the ball via free agency and the draft. The only two miscalculations last offseason by the defensive staff were with regards to Mike Barrow's health and Sean Taylor's character. But when compared to the mistakes made in free agency on the offensive side of the ball last year, they are very minor in comparison.

So I have little doubt that Carlos Rogers will be a solid fit for the Redskins at CB. He has the size, speed, toughness, and playmaking ability to fit right in with what Gregg Williams wants to do on defense. The only thing that gives me pause about Rogers is his nickname "Cash" which apparently came from his habit of hanging out at casinos. That scares me just a bit.

But the disappointment of passing on TD monster, especially in the red zone, like Mike Williams was nothing compared to my disappointment when the Redskins took Jason Campbell at 25.

I have a feeling that Jason Campbell will make a nice NFL QB. I just don't like what the Redskins gave up to get him. As well as the fact that I don't like that the Redskins had 2 first round picks and did nothing to help themselves on offense for 2005.

That is why I believe that the Redskins need a real GM to run the personnel side of things.

Maybe they can draft Scott Pioli next year?

Day 2 was a little better

I was surprised when the Redskins took not one, but two FBs on day 2. Especially since Joe Gibbs doesn't use a FB in his offense.

But, Manuel White (UCLA) and Nehemiah Broughton (The Citadel) won't play FB with the Redskins. White will be worked in as an H-Back as well as a short yardage RB and Broughton will be a big RB for the Redskins. Plus, both guys will be asked to be special teams contributors right away if they want to make the roster.

The pick I really liked on day 2 was MLB Robert McCune from Louisville. Some people don't like him because of the fact that he's 26yo. I like him because he's served his country in the Army. I also like the solid work ethic, his freakish combine numbers (4.50 40 (some scouts had him running under a 4.4!!!!!) and 34 bench press reps at 225 lbs), and his insanely huge physique.

Plus he has a great story in all:

http://www.stlouisrams.com/article/48054/

With all of the talk of Pat Tillman the past week, I can't help but root for a guy like McCune. And hopefully I'll get that chance this season should he make the Redskins roster. At a minimum, I'm expecting him to be a special teams terror this season.

And finally, they took a smart OLB that they want to move inside with Jeremy Newberry from Stanford. Sounds a lot like Antonio Pierce to me.

The disappointment is starting to go away, but I still think this team needs a real GM to take the personnel decisions out of Joe Gibbs' hands.

There are about 48 hours left until the NFL Draft..........

And some interesting things have happened since yesterday.

One really interesting thing to me is that the NY Jets traded out of the 26th pick and added Oakland Raiders TE Doug Jolley. What interests me is that the Jets were looking at CB and TE at 26. And they made a move to address their TE need by trading out of the 26th pick and back into the middle of the 2nd round less than 24 hours after the Redskins traded into the 25th pick.

Do the Jets feel like the Redskins would take TE Heath Miller if he were there at 25? That's one theory that jumped into my mind.

One thing that does scare me a bit is that it appears that the Jets don't like the CBs that are likely to be there at 26. Either that or they are really close to a deal with FA CB Andre Dyson.

Now back to what the Redskins might do

It's a day later and I'm still not buying the talk that the Redskins want Auburn QB Jason Campbell at 25.

Joe Gibbs, Vinny Cerrato, and Dan Snyder held a press conference yesterday to debunk the whole talk of a rift between Gibbs and Cerrato and to talk about where they intend to go from here.

Right now, I'm of the opinion that the likely approach that they will take is to wait and see what happens with the top 8 picks. They have called the teams in the top 5 and gauged their interest in trading down, but in the end, I think they'll opt to wait it out as it will be too expensive to move up.

So they'll wait and see if Mike Williams falls to 9. The only way I see that happening is if Tampa Bay trades up to get Alex Smith at 1, Minnesota trades up to get Braylon Edwards at 2, and Chicago and Cleveland pass on Williams at 3 and 4. Tennessee and Norm Chow would have to pass on Williams as well, but I think that will happen given all of their needs on the defensive side of the ball.

It's a long shot, but it could happen.

If Williams is there at 9, then I think the Redskins will take him and it would be a great pick.

Then I'd expect the Redskins to look at CB and possibly DE at 25.

The more likely option will be that the Redskins go on the clock at 9 and start fielding calls from teams like Houston and San Diego that might want to jump up ahead of Detroit and Dallas to get some help on defense.

San Diego would be the best option for the Redskins to deal with because they don't own a 3rd round pick and might be forced to give up their late 2nd round pick to trade up 3 spots to secure the edge pass rusher that they really need. If Shawne Merriman is there at 9, then the Chargers very well might be willing to pay that price.

If the Redskins do indeed trade back to around the 12th or 13th pick, then I'd expect that Auburn CB Carlos Rogers to be the Redskins pick.

They would then look at adding a pass catching weapon at 25 either with Virginia TE Heath Miller or a WR such as UAB's Roddy White, Oklahoma's Mark Clayton, or perhaps Arkansas QB Matt Jones who is attempting to switch to WR in the pros.

Jones would be an intriguing pick because of his freakish athletic ability. One interesting tie in is the fact that Jones one of his agents is the brother of former Redskins DT Dave Butz.

Plus, the Philadelphia Eagles are reportedly hot for Jones. And you can't turn down a chance to tick off a division rival, right?

Redskins make a big draft move well before the draft

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/draft05/columns/story?columnist=pasquarelli_len&id=2041257

The Redskins traded their 3rd round pick in this year's draft, along with their 1st and 4th round picks in the 2006 draft, to Denver for the 25th pick in this year's draft.

Now all sorts of media people are speculating what the Redskins will do with the 9th and 25th picks in the draft.

Pasquarelli and Clayton at ESPN.com seem to think that the Redskins are high on Auburn QB Jason Campbell.

But that makes no sense to me on two fronts.

First, why let everyone know who you want and give them 3 1/2 days to trade up to the 20 to 24 range to take him if they really want him? If the Redskins really wanted Campbell, then I would expect that was the last thing that you'd hear out of Redskins Park and that the trade wouldn't have been made until the Broncos were on the clock and Campbell was still on the board.

Second, I just can't see Joe Gibbs going with a new "franchise QB". And that's what they would be doing by giving up 3 picks to get Jason Campbell. Joe Gibbs doesn't have the time or the patience to deal with a rookie QB right now. Plus, he has to want to improve this tema right now in order to make this trade look better via making that 2006 1st round pick as late as possible.

Personally, I think the Redskins have to be looking at another option that is bouncing around in the media: packaging the 9th and 25th picks to trade up and get Michigan WR Braylon Edwards. Or, if the Vikings beat them to the punch, to move up and get Southern Cal WR Mike Williams.

The other thing the Redskins could be doing is something that they are currently denying: trading that 25th pick for a player. Like say Buffalo Bills CB Nate Clements perhaps. Gregg Williams has plenty of experience coaching Clements and he would be a nice fit as an upgrade over Fred Smoot. The big question with a deal like that is can that Redskins come to terms with Clements who will be the most sought after CB in FA next summer in all likelihood?

But let's say that the Skins stay at 9 and 25, who will they go after?

Personally, I think they would look at CB and WR or TE in the 1st round if they stay put and use the picks.

Gibbs will want guys that can step in and help this team next season.

At 9, the Redskins could wait and see if Edwards or Williams falls to them. If they don't, then they can look at one of the top 3 CBs in the draft in Antrel Rolle, Adam "Pac Man" Jones, and Carlos Rogers.

At 25, the Redskins could address the need that they didn't fill at 9 with a WR such as Roddy White, Mark Clayton, or former Arkansas QB Matt Jones. They also could go for a prospect that would be near and dear to Joe Gibbs' heart, the best TE in this draft, Heath Miller from Virginia. If the Redskins had taken a WR at 9, then they could look at CB at 25. Super fast Fabian Washington from Nebraska might be on the board at 25. Another option at 25 could be a pass rushing DE such as Erasmus James, David Pollack, Matt Roth, or Justin Tuck.

In the end, I expect the Redskins to look more for immediate help with whatever picks they end up using on Saturday. I just do not see Joe Gibbs being patient enough to groom a young QB.

Get me some football players!!!!!!

I still can't believe how much buzz is created by the NFL Draft Combine and private workouts.

Although, I have to confess that Matt Jones running a sub-4.4 40 at 6'6" and 242 lbs has got me really intrigued.

But the thing I still can't get past is how many people have Ronnie Brown, who played second fiddle to Cadillac Williams at Auburn, rated as the best RB in this year's draft. And it's based largely on the solid workout that he had at the combine.

Was Auburn's coaching staff so dumb that it kept playing an inferior RB?

Plus, did I miss something when I watched Cedric Benson this past season?

It might be the same thing I missed watching David Pollack make big play after big play because he's being touted as a mid to late 1st round pick and I'd take him in my top 10.

You see, I want football players.

I don't want Jeff Tedford robots playing QB for my team. And that's why I wouldn't take Aaron Rodgers before the middle of the 2nd round.

I don't want defensive players that are out for the glory and not out to win. That's why I'm not as high on Shawne Merriman as many people. I see him as another Lavar Arrington. And while at times that's a good thing. It's not a good thing when he blows his assignment while freelancing to try and make a big play and it backfires on him.

I don't want WRs that have low 40 times and yet don't have a lot of experience in a passing offense and are a gamble. That's why I'd pass on Troy Williamson.

I want a smashmouth workhorse RB. That's why I like Cedric Benson.

I want a WR that is willing and able to make key plays. That's why I not only like Braylon Edwards and Mike Williams, but why I also like Mark Clayton.

I want a QB that can manage the game. And that's why I like Auburn's Jason Campbell.

I want a mean, nasty, versatile OL. And that's why I like Michigan's David Baas and former Nebraska Cornhusker Richie Incognito.

But, I can see why scouts and GMs can get all caught up in 40 times and highlights and upside and ignore production. I do it every time I see a Matt Jones highlight.

That guy is a freak. And I want him on my team just to see if he can become something special at the WR position.

Girlfriend gone wild

I still can't believe what I witnessed last night at my beer league game.

We played a team that the last time we played there were a ton of penalties and 2 guys got 3 game suspensions for fighting.

Last night's game started out OK. I think the fact that we jumped out to a 5-0 lead helped keep tempers lower than last time.

But as the other team came back, things got a little chippier.

Then with about 6 minutes to go and our lead down to 8-6, all hell broke loose. There was a bit of a scrum in front of the other team's net and punches started to be thrown.Two players jumped off the other team's bench to join the brawl.

Then it really got interesting.The rink door opened and the girlfriend of the best defenseman on the other team ran out onto the ice with a goalie stick in hand.She runs up to the pile and starts swinging the stick. Then she starts throwing punches and kicking people.The ref pulls her off the pile and she falls onto the ice.Then she decides to kick the ref in the package and start punching him.Eventually she was led off the ice by her boyfriend, things settled down, the ref kicked all 10 skaters that were on the ice out of the game, and things ended somewhat peacefully.They let the clock run down to 3 minutes to play and only one more person took a penalty and that was for yelling at the ref because they opted not to call a penalty on one of our guys when he accidentially ran into their defensewoman.

I knew Girls Gone Wild was at a local club last night. I guess they should have sent one camera to the rink........................

Say it ain't so Mo! Say it ain't so!

For the 2nd day in a row Mariano Rivera blew a save against the Red Sox. And this time the Yankees' hitters were unable to save his bacon.

I know we are only 3 games into the season, but blowing his first two save chances has got to get some people worried despite the fact that Mo is many peoples' pick as the best closer ever.

I just hope he that other teams don't pick up on what the Red Sox have done against Mo recently. Although, few teams have as good of a lineup as Boston does, so that should work in Mo's favor.

Bo knows 'roids?

Bo Jackson is suing a newspaper that carried a story that said that he used steroids.

I truly hope that the story is bogus. Bo Jackson was the greatest all around athlete I've seen in my life and I'd like to think that what I saw was real and not some chemically enhanced performance.

Although, would it really shock too many people if the story were true? Bo was such a freak that I would believe it if he had to use chemical enhancement to do some of the things that he did.

While I can understand why he'd want to clear his name, I think it is somewhat of a compliment that people want to say that they can't believe that he did what he did without extra help.

A little over 2 weeks until the NFL Draft

With no concensus #1 pick and a lack of real studs at the top of the draft class, this year's draft is either going to be really exciting or really boring.

But honestly, even the most boring NFL Draft comes off as exciting with the way ESPN produces it. Mel Kiper Jr. alone is worth ticking off the wife, right?

Plus, there is always the "How long will it take the Vikings to make their pick" pool that is getting bigger by the year.

The Empire Strikes Back

The Emperor finally got his Darth Vader.

And even without his best stuff, Randy Johnson kept the Red Sox at bay. Although, he did need a little help from Matsui in the 2nd inning.

But you know that as long as Johnson is healthy in the playoffs, the Yankees have got to be liking their chances. There is no way Johnson melts under the pressure in the postseason like say Kevin Brown or Javier Vasquez did last year.

MLS kicks off their 10th season

If nobody goes to the games, did they really happen?

Maybe I'm being too harsh, but poor weather and poor timing (why open up the season the same night as the semifinal games in the NCAA men's basketball tournament?), the opening night attendance is less than stellar for MLS' 10th season.

Although, the reported attendance numbers were better than what it looked like on TV. Columbus reported over 14000 fans in attendance. And on TV it looked like 3000 or 4000.

Chivas reported a crowd of over 18000 to see the defending champion DC United play in Chivas USA's first ever MLS match. But there were a lot of empty seats.

Some other random notes from MLS' opening weekend:

That FC Dallas-Chicago match had some of the ugliest uniforms I've seen in a while.

I love watching Clint Mathis play soccer. Even if it was in a tornado and nobody on the field could make a play. Just his crack on goal from just past mid-field with the wind at his back was worth watching that mess.

It's too bad Landon Donovan didn't make his LA Galaxy debut. His team sure could have used the help.

I wish I had the money to buy the MLS Direct Kick package. Although, my wife is glad that we don't.

Three weeks until the NFL draft

And this year's draft is going to be fun because it is sooooo wide open.

Nobody really has a good handle on who will go #1.

People are saying that the top of the draft is weak and people won't want to move up. But you just know that some team or teams will.

And then you have the drama of stuff like where will superfreak Matt Jones go and how far will Adrian McPherson and Maurice Clarett fall in the draft given their checked pasts.

The only problem is that the Buffalo Bills lack a first round pick, so Chris Berman's cab driving source is unlikely to give him the inside info on who they are taking.

NHL and NHLPA to meet today

http://www.boston.com/sports/hockey/articles/2005/04/03/raised_stakes_for_sanderson?pg=2

Now, as for what is rumored to be proposed by the PA side:
Salary cap of $42 million (includes $39.8 million in salary and $2.2 million in benefits).
Salary floor of $34 million.
Franchise player, with neither salary nor benefits to be included in $42 million cap figure, but club to pay 50 percent tax.
Unrestricted free agency lowered to age 27 from 31.
Entry-level salaries to be capped at $1.2 million (including performance bonuses) per season.
Qualifying offers for restricted free agents lowered to 75 percent (from current position of 110 or 100 percent, based on player's existing salary).
Five-year limit on all individual contracts (currently no term restrictions).
Team revenue sharing, of varying percentages, during regular season and playoffs.

If that is what the NHLPA offers up, that should be a good enough starting point to get a deal done rather quickly.

Which would then beg the question of why it took the NHLPA this long to come up with an offer like that.

I'd love to hear Goodenow's answer to that question that would have to be asked by any player with a brain.