He's Moved On, But Have We?

Anyone that knows me understands that I am very biased when it comes to Defensive Players, especially Cornerbacks. I think it is extremely hard to draft Cornerbacks. I also think that it is extremely hard to find a cornerstone at Cornerback. I am really a fan of bigger, more athletic Cornerbacks. Nnamdi Asamougha, Al Harris, Ike Taylor, Cortland Finnegan, Mike McKenzie, Antonio Cromartie and Domonique Rodgers-Cromartie are all favorites of mine. But I am leaving one guy out, and it hurts me to admit this, but it’s been about 5 years now and I still miss him. I am selfish, I wanted him to stay and work it out. I know we got Clinton Portis in the trade, but if you ask me, I have always said that Denver got the better end of that deal.

Roland “Champ” Bailey was not your average Cornerback. This was the guy that any franchise would have used a 1^st round draft pick on. I would venture to say that he could have easily gone #1 overall in just about any NFL Draft, but thank goodness he went #7 to the Redskins. Standing at 6’0”, weighing in at 192 lbs., he may not be a giant, but he is big enough to cause some problems for the other teams passing game. His blazing speed (4.28 40-Yard Dash Time) and ridiculous vertical (44”), made it extremely hard for the Redskins to pass on him. And, although I hate the damn test, he scored a very impressive 25 on the Wonderlic (a good score for a Cornerback is an 18). I guess you can be athletic and smart after all huh? But all of the workout numbers pale in comparison to what he as done on the field.

Just look at what Champ’s done in his career. He has 547 Tackles, 2 Sacks, 43 Interceptions including a season in which he had the fewest passes thrown at him, but he led the NFL with 10 INT’s. He is also a 1998 Branko Nagursky trophy winner (awarded to the best college Defensive player in the nation), 8-time Pro Bowler, 3-time All-Pro 1^st team, and 3-time All-Pro 2^nd team selection. Probably one of the most decorated Cornerback in NFL history. And probably the closest thing you are going to get to a “Shutdown Corner” (a term that I hate because it is impossible to completely shutout any Wide Receiver). If you can’t see why I was heartbroken when he left, you don’t know football.

Don’t get me wrong, I am biased but, I am also greedy. I wish that it was some way that we could have gotten Clinton Portis without giving Champ Bailey. Can you imagine that? But I know we had to give something to get something. And although I love Clinton Portis, I still say that Denver got the better end of the deal, because we have yet to replace a guy that would have been a cornerstone for years. Well this Sunday he comes back to FedEx field for the first time since the trade. I know he is filled with anxiety and anticipation. But he will also be a bit nostalgic. For a long time I thought he wanted to leave. Well the story was, that the free spending Daniel Snyder, who usually never spares any expense, didn’t want to pay Champ Bailey. I am no scout, I am not even close to being considered an expert, but I know one thing. This is one guy that I would have been locked up in a contract for a VERY long time. There is no way Champ would have ever left. In any event, I will enjoy seeing him come back to FedEx field, even if it with another team. I will always remember the time that he played here in D.C. I can look like an expert right now stating the obvious, that Champ Bailey was, and probably still is a Top 5 Cornerback. But use your own two eyes in evaluating talent, especially the young men coming out in the draft. Tell me if you think that guys like Champ Bailey grow on trees. I can sure as hell tell you that they don’t and this is one mistake Daniel Snyder will always have to live with. Imagine if you will, for a minute, a starting lineup featuring:

Brian Orakpo – Defensive End

Jason Taylor - Defensive End

Cornelius Griffin – Defensive Tackle

Albert Haynesworth – Defensive Tackle

London Fletcher – Middle Linebacker

LaVar Arrington – Weakside Linebacker

Marcus Washington – Strongside Linebacker

Sean Taylor – Free Safety

LaRon Landry – Strong Safety

Sean Springs – Cornerback

Champ Bailey – Cornerback

I know it is a fantasy, but you can’t blame me for thinking it.

He Was Doomed From The Start

I have been biting my tongue for so long now, it is about to come off. I can’t do it anymore. I heard the most preposterous, most insane, most ridiculous solution to the Redskins problems the other day, and I just about lost it. “Bring back Mark Brunell!!” What in the world was this person smoking? Don’t get me wrong, I loved Mark Brunell, but do people have selective amnesia? Wasn’t Mark Brunell replaced by Jason Campbell? Hell wasn’t Mark Brunell replaced by Byron Leftwich in Jacksonville. And this is what people call a solution to the problem? Are you kidding me? I am going to ruffle some feathers, but some of Jason Campbell’s problems stem from him being a Black QB. Prove me wrong on this one, and I’ll stop posting.

I have been watching football for a while now. Do you recognize these names? Names like Vince Evans, Randall Cunningham, Warren Moon, Doug Williams, Daunte Culpepper, Donovan McNabb, Michael Vick, Vince Young, David Garrard, Byron Leftwich, Kordell Stewart, Aaron Brooks, Seneca Wallace, Dennis Dixon, Charlie Batch, Andre Ware, Troy Smith, Chris Leake, Josh Johnson, Josh Freeman, Andre Woodson, JeMarcus Russell, Pat White, Quincy Carter and countless others. There are other Black QB’s who were asked to change positions in the NFL in order to continue their careers. Do you recognize names like Michael Robinson, Josh Cribbs, Hines Ward, Brian Mitchell, and Antwaan Randle El? By no means am I saying that all of these guys were great, but are you meaning to tell me that not one of these guys were good enough to be considered a Franchise Quarterback? Not one of them? Are you kidding me? See when you have people like Mel Kiper telling you that Ryan Leaf will be better than Peyton Manning I don’t know how much I want to listen to him. Or when I hear Tim Couch is the best player in a draft that featured Daunte Culpepper and Donovan McNabb, I tend to scratch my head. And if you ask me Jason Campbell was doomed before he started.

I remember watching the draft and hearing when Jason Campbell was drafted. I was excited because you rarely hear anything good on draft day about a Black QB. One of the first things that I remember hearing Coach Joe Gibbs saying about Jason Campbell was something that I NEVER hear people say about any Black QB. “He is super smart.” How many times have you heard this about any Black QB? Go ahead and think. I’ll wait. I have all day. I have heard this numerous times regard non-Black QBs. Another term that I hear about average non-Black QBs is, “He has the “it” factor.” To me this is a cop out. The “experts” can’t really find anything to say that will set this guy apart so they make up something. The “it” factor!!! The “it” factor is a bunch of IT if you ask me. See right now, there are a myriad of things wrong with the Washington Redskins that are minor, but the general consensus is Jason Campbell is the biggest problem. Really?

See a couple of years ago when Carson Palmer was stinking up the joint, the “experts” were saying Palmer didn’t look like himself and that he is distracted by his Wide Reciever Chad Ochocinco (then Johnson), and that his Offensive Line was banged up, and that he was still feeling the after affects of his ACL surgery 4 years later. These are all excuses people. Even last year when Peyton Manning was struggling, he got a free pass. “Peyton Manning doesn’t look like Peyton Manning.” Look, just say the dude was playing poorly. Don’t get it twisted, I love Carson Palmer and Peyton Manning is the best QB in the NFL right now (but we all know when he gets healthy, Tom Brady is the best QB in the NFL, hands down). I think he’s a stud at QB, but he gets a free pass. Even Donovan McNabb, arguably the #3 best QB in the NFL at one point wasn’t getting his due respect. Matt Hasselbeck has pretty much done the exact same things McNabb has done, but for some strange reason, Donovan gets most of the criticism. Poor Josh Freeman couldn’t even celebrate his first NFL start and first NFL win in peace before some “expert” said that he didn’t have a great game. Which game was he watching? My point is, it doesn’t matter what Jason Campbell does at this point. He will never be considered good.

He can go win a Super Bowl or two later on in his career and all people will remember is him struggling. He doesn’t get the excuses Palmer gets. Jason Campbell’s line is actually banged up. Jason Campbell is actually suffering from some minor injuries. Jason Campbell has never been backed up by the organization. Jason Campbell has never been referred to as a Franchise QB. Jason Campbell could go to other teams and start. Which teams you might ask? Buffalo, Miami, Cleveland, Kansas City, Oakland, Chicago, Detroit, Carolina, Tampa Bay, St. Louis, San Francisco and Seattle. But all he endures is criticism. I will hear people say that he doesn’t have a #1 Wide Receiver. I will hear people say that he holds on to the ball too long. I will hear people say that his Offensive Line is horrible. I will hear people say that he is playing for a poorly run organization. I will hear people say that the Redskins have no running game. I will hear people say that the Redskins don’t have the personnel to run the West Coast Offense. Well if Jason Campbell has all of these things working against him, why doesn’t he get a free pass? Because, from the beginning no one is really sold on Black QB successfully running any team. They are still looked at as athletes who happen to play QB. No one really thinks Black QB posses the mental capacity to handle a play book or to think quickly and make decisions (thanks to dumbest test in the world, the Wonderlic). And when the chips are down, people will use some very harsh and unnecessary adjectives to describe that particular player. Worthless, stupid, sorry, dumb, and god forbid the QB is a pocket passer, which Jason Campbell happens to be, he is called…. SLOW!!! All of these words ring with racial undertones that give me flashbacks. Face it people. Football is a microcosm of the real world. Guys like Jason Campbell could have a building fall on top of him, and for some strange reason, it would still be his fault.

I am one who believes in looking at players as players, not based off of skin color and I don’t use code words. I talk straight. If you ask me right now, I will tell you that I am sold on Tom Brady being the best QB in the NFL. I will tell you that the owners for New England and Pittsburgh are exactly how an organization should be run. I will tell you that, even though I am a bit biased, Joe Gibbs is the perfect mix between being an authoritarian and a players coach. At the same token I will tell you that the most controversial player in the NFL, Terrell Owens, is still the best player in the NFL. Donovan McNabb and Tom Brady are the only two QBs in the NFL to win on a consistent basis with less than stellar talent around them. The best Center in the NFL is Jeff Saturday. The best players in the NFL floating under the radar are Kyle Orton and Miles Austin. The next guy to be considered the best WR in the NFL is Brandon Marshall. The best Defensive Coordinator in NFL is Dick Lebeau. I am only biased when it comes to Defensive Coordinators. So I am by no means, blindly playing the race card. But, I will call a spade a spade. Jason Campbell is in the worse possible situation right now, and does not deserve the criticism that he is being laced with. We need to rethink our standards of what a good QB is. He is by no means the worse QB in the NFL, but he is the QB in the worse position. You can put Mark Brunell, Peyton Manning, Joe Montana, or Tom Brady back there, and they wouldn't do any better. If you know football, New England and Indianapolis got it right. Give your QB a line and it is amazing what they can do. Tom Brady is the perfect example. He won 3 Super Bowls with average Wide Receivers, but a stellar Offensive Line. In my opinion, give Jason Campbell an Offensive Line and a vote of confidence and he will join Doug Williams, hopefully one day, Donovan McNabb, as the only Black QB's to win a Super Bowl.

Atlanta Down, Denver Next!

Needless to say, the Redskins-Falcons game was a tale of two half’s. The funny thing is, I recognized both Redskins teams from each half. We are either clicking on all cylinders or totally embarrassing ourselves. And in the 1^st half of Sunday’s game, we were embarrassing ourselves. But something happened in the 2^nd half, we woke up.

I am not one to think you can just insert players and expect things to turn around. It doesn’t work that way people. It never does. You had better have a stable structure in place or your new parts are going to pick up old habits. We can fire Coach Jim Zorn, and we can let Jason Campbell go, but are those the best options for a team, an organization, or a fanbase that is wants to win now? Are people willing to be patient to wait for a team to turn it around? See the fans all think that they have the answer(s), but if we make any drastic changes, it will not equal a Super Bowl win people.

I would like some of the people who think that Jason Campbell is not good, to get under center themselves. That would be very interesting. The fact of the matter is I think Dan Snyder listens to the fans too much in my opinion. Everyone wants to win now, our owner makes the drastic moves that he thinks will equal Championships, and when it doesn’t work out, which is not a surprise, people start saying that Snyder doesn’t know what he’s doing. He may not be a football guy, and he may have a friendship with Vinny Cerrato that needs to be evaluated along with Cerrato’s job, but Snyder has done things that show me he wants to win now. The problem is someone needs to explain to him that you build through the NFL Draft and with the right Free Agents. I have heard every dumb statement under the sun. Here are some of the dumbest things that I have heard:

Jason Campbell is not an NFL Quarterback.

Todd Collins needs to start.

Clinton Portis has lost a step.

Santana Moss is a #2 or #3 Wide Reciever.

We need to start Colt Brennan.

LaRon Landry is worthless.

Marko Mitchell needs to start.

We spent too much money on Albert Haynesworth.

We need to bring back Mark Brunell.

We need to get rid of DeAngelo Hall, Fred Smoot and Carlos Rogers.

To steal a line from Chad Ochocinco, “Child please!!”

Anyway, I don’t want to spend too much time talking about nonsense. I wanted to give my opinion on the Denver Broncos game. And I wanted to start with a guy that everyone ran me down about but he has the Broncos clicking on all cylinders on Offense, and that is Kyle Orton. Do you believe me now that Orton can play at the NFL level? It helps every Quarterback in the NFL to have a game changing player at Wide Receiver. And boy do they have a scary Wide Reciever in Brandon “The Beast” Marshall. But we need to keep in mind that they have two other good Recievers in Jabar Gaffney and a guy the “experts” said was not that good, Eddie Royal. To me Eddie Royal is the perfect #2 Wide Receiver. He runs good routes, has sure hands and is faster than “they” said he was. They also have two good backs in Correll Buckhalter and Knowshon Moreno. But what really scares me about the Broncos is that Defense. With all due respect to Brian Dawkins and Champ Bailey, the guy on that Defense that should have everyone worried is Elvis Dumervil. At 5’11” 248, “they” said that he was too small to play Defensive End, but he is perfect in a 3-4 Defense as an Outside Linebacker. Boy were the experts right!! He is 2^nd in the NFL for sacks (10) only to Jared Allen (10.5). To make a long story short, they are going to give the Redskins problems, but there is a chance to win this game.

The Redskins have to do exactly what they did in the 2^nd half of the Falcons game. We have to have a ball controlled attack on Offense. Chew up some clock and keep that potent Denver Offense off of the field. The problem is, that Denver Defense is very good at creating turnovers, so don’t expect any deep passes from Jason Campbell. You need pass protection to allow those plays to develop downfield. And I don’t know if you have been watching, but our line is not good at pass protection. We have to take a conservative approach to give ourselves a chance to win, especially considering that Clinton Portis, more than likely, will not play. I hate to admit this, but even from the beginning of the season, I didn’t have us winning this game. My prediction is

Denver 20, Washington 14.

Sorry fellas. I still love you though.

The Diesel’s Mouth Is In Overdrive

From the stories that we have heard over the years, we all know that John Riggins will speak his mind. It is good to finally hear someone who will say what they want to say, when they want to say, but will also give people their due respect when it is appropriate. I will listen to the The Diesel before I will listen to Skip Bayless. Riggo at least put on some pads and has some experience on the gridiron. But, I think the Diesel may have gone a bit too far. There is something to what he says about the disconnect between former Redskins players, and the organization, but to say Daniel Snyder has a dark heart was a bit comical and over the top.

I am glad that Riggo pointed out the fact that there is something wrong with ownership. I mean I have been wondering for years, why is it that Joe Theismann, Darrell Green, Art Monk, Monte Coleman, Jeff Bostic, Brian Mitchell, Joe Jacoby, Russ Grimm or even Mark May along with a list of others, are not in high positions with Washington Redskins Inc.. We all know that Daniel Snyder is not a football guy. We all know that Vinny Cerrato is not popular with the fans. We all know that Dan Snyder is the one responsible for Vinny Cerrato’s decisions. But to say that this man is a bad person takes this entire situation beyond football. If you do not like Dan Snyder I can respect that. But before you make a comment about a man, make sure you know that man. Riggo has no personal stories that will back up his claim. To a man, it is alright to go off of your gut feeling, but once you open your mouth you had better know what you are talking about. I love John Riggins to death as a former Redskins player, but this claim is mistimed and misplaced.

The one thing that I will give Riggo is that he has been consistent with his disdain for Dan Snyder. I understand that he believes Dan Snyder has driven the Redskins organization into the ground. I mean the Redskins have a 78-89 record during Snyder's regime. We (the Redskins) are also 52-66 since Cerrato's second tenure began in 2002 and Coach Jim Zorn is the fifth head coach since 2000. The organization has spent hundreds of millions of dollars on players and coaches in the last decade and has three playoff berths (1999, 2005 and 2007), and two wild-card playoff victories (1999 and 2005) to show for it. But call Dan Snyder a failure as an owner. Call him a sorry excuse for an owner. Call Dan Snyder an egomaniac, but do not call him a dark hearted person.

A dark heart is the D.C. Sniper from 2002. A dark heart is anyone who is willing to kill themselves and others because of religious beliefs. A dark heart walks into a building and starts shooting people just because of their ethnicity, religion, or skin color. Dan Snyder is not a dark heart. I am sorry I have to defend him in this respect. I do not agree with a lot of moves that he has made, but no one can say that he has not tried to win. No one can say that he has not tried to take a different approach to trying to put out the best product on the field. He may not have done it correctly, but he has tried. I do not know what happened with Coach Joe Gibbs and Greg Williams. We all know that something went on behind closed doors that is not being discussed. We all know that it was for personal reasons why Greg Williams was not Joe Gibbs’ successors. It could not have been for performance reason. We had a Top 5 Defense, three of the four years that Williams was here. But this has nothing to do with Dan Snyder being a dark hart.

I understand that we are all frustrated. I understand that we all want to win the Super Bowl this year. But we all need to calm down. I remember in 2005, the Pittsburgh Steelers were 7-5 and left for dead. People wrote them off and basically had the Steelers playing for a high draft pick. Well Pittsburgh rolled off 4 straight wins, locked up the #5 seed in the AFC Playoffs, and played three road games before landing in the Super Bowl against the Seahawks. By the way, Pittsburgh won the Super Bowl that year, 21-10 and had a very young Ben Roethlisberger at Quarterback. I also remember a 5-7 Redskins team from 2007 that rolled off four games and made the playoffs. What about the 5-6 Redskins team from 2005 that rolled off five straight wins and made the playoffs? My point being, you just do not know when the ship gets righted. You do not know when things are going start to clicking. People do not like hearing it, but Vinny Cerrato did put together a Playoff teams, but injuries, and lack of experience at Wide Reciever, as well as knowledge and trust of the West Coast Offense, have ravaged what should have been the NFC East Champs. We actually have the talent to go 11-5, but we are just not there yet. Blame that on whoever you like, but to question a mans heart is fighting words. And of all of the things that I have heard people say about Dan Snyder, this one crossed the line. Sorry Riggo I love you to pieces, but you went overboard.

London In The Middle

Most people wonder why I like football players who are virtual unknowns. The main reason why is because I have this theory that people like to take the safe road and draft “can’t miss” players. I am more of a person who will gamble on player if I see something that I like. It wouldn't matter to me what "they" say about him. By the way, who the hell is "THEY"? Take for instance Bill Walsh’s gamble in 1985 drafting on Jerry Rice out of Mississippi Valley State with his pick in the First Round (16th Overall). Most people thought that he had lost his mind. I mean this kid was going to a Historically Black College that was considered small for a Division I-AA (now the FCS [Football Championship Series]), and reportedly only ran a 4.71 40-Yard Dash. But Bill Walsh being the genius he was, said that he liked what he saw on film and wanted this kid no matter what. Well I think Bill Walsh’s gamble paid off just a little bit. Fast forward to 1998. Why didn’t anyone see the same thing in London Fletcher? Not only was he disrespected by not being drafted in 1998, but the disrespect continues to this day.

London Levi Fletcher-Baker was born in May 19, 1975 in Cleveland, Ohio. Standing at about 5’10” and 245 lbs., this guy, at least to me, is built like a football players, but the “experts” didn’t think so. Some said that he was too small. London played both basketball and football, lettering in both sports, in High School. This should have been clue #1 people. There are skills that carry over from basketball to football, and vice versa. London initially started at St. Francis University playing basketball, but then later transferred to John Carroll where he not only played basketball, but football. Now I understand that John Carroll is supposedly a Division III college. For those of you who don’t know, Division III is the lowest level of college sports. But, how was a player who is this productive, overlooked? How did the “experts” miss London Fletcher? I get testy because these people will criticize these young men to no end, but will never admit when they have made a mistake. One such player who immediately comes to mind is Dallas’ standout Wide Receiver, Miles Austin. This, to me, is pathetic. Austin is one of the most talented receivers in the NFL. And he actually attended the NFL Scouting Combine and he still didn’t get drafted. And guess what, London Fletcher didn’t get drafted either. But, I guess I shouldn’t be surprised that the “experts” missed Fletcher. He doesn’t “look the part” to them. What in the world were they looking at?

Right now, eventhough the Redskins are 2-5, Fletcher is on pace to have 162 tackles this year. This is ridiculous, but not a surprise. Since 2000 London Fletcher has not missed a game. That’s right, a Middle Linebacker in this day and age who has played in every game since 2000. And if you watch any game in which he plays, he always seems to be in on almost every play. He averages about 10 tackles a game. Still not impressed? This guy has finished in the top 10 for tackles almost every year. Right now, the only player that I can see doing that is Patrick Willis for the San Francisco 49ers. What is amazing to me is that Fletcher has NEVER been voted to a Pro Bowl. Now I know that the Pro Bowl is a popularity contest, but come on now people. We want the best players in the NFL represented at the NFL’s All Star game. Jon Beason, Patrick Willis and Brian Urlacher are VERY good players, but so is London Fletcher. We have to get together to help this future Hall Of Famer take a trip to Honolulu, HI (or Miami this year) to put the icing on the cake for a player who is not supposed to be in the NFL according the experts.

The fact of the matter is this guys position is very brutal. He has to ram his body into another players body on almost every play. As one trainer put it, his position requires him to use his body like a battering ram. And we all know that football is a collision sport, so when I hear the team “Injury Prone” it makes the hair on the back of neck stand up. Injuries are a part of the game and are pretty much the luck of the draw. Yes, you can train your body to minimize injuries or the impact of injuries, but you can’t completely avoid them. And well all know that just about everyone plays hurt. Fletcher is no exception. I am pretty sure he has little aches and pains all season long. But, the amazing thing is, here we have a player who has not missed a day of work in almost 10 years. How many people can say that. His job is one that is thankless, but if you are good people will take notice. There is no surprise that when Defensive Coordinator Greg Williams, left St. Louis to go to Buffalo and then Washington, that he made sure to bring London Fletcher with him. If you ask me, in a season of disappointments, Fletcher has been one of the bright spots. But then again it doesn’t surprise me. I have been watching/paying attention to the draft for about 4 years now, and I have seen players like Terrell Owens and Brandon Marshall get drafted in later rounds, but players like Tim Couch go #1 overall. No knock on Couch, you are worth what teams are willing to pay for you. But Tim Couch isn't even in the NFL anymore. So did the experts get that one right? By the wa, how much is London Fletcher worth? To me, he is worth a 1st Round draft pick, but if nothing else, at least one trip to the Pro Bowl. Get on it people.

The Safety

I have been a Redskins fan for over 25 years. I have watched a lot of games and I have liked a lot of players. I can remember wanting to be Joe Washington, or Charlie Brown. I can even remember thinking I was going to be the next Art Monk, Darrell Green, or Gary Clark. But, when I went to college in the mid 1990’s, especially after Art Monk left, I lost a bit of interested in the Redskins. I loved football and I loved the home team, but past Michael Westbrook, there was no player on the Redskins that could catch and hold my attention. And that all changed in the Spring of 2004, when one Sean Michael Maurice Taylor of the University of Miami was drafted #5 overall. I had not seen him play in college, but just watching his highlights at the NFL Draft that year caught my attention enough for me to look forward to the 2004 NFL Season.

The “experts” had Sean Taylor as possibly the best player in the draft. Keep in mind, that same year, players like Ben Roethlisberger, Eli Manning and even Phillip Rivers were available in that draft. This just further illustrates the kind of talent Sean Taylor possessed. Taylor’s 2003 season in college was a very decorated one in which he garnered All-American honors, Big East Conference Defensive Player of The Year, and was a finalist for the Jim Thorpe Award. At the NFL Combine, Taylor was clocked running a 4.51 40 Yard Dash, which is good for a Defensive Back, especially a Safety. He also weighed an astounding 231 lbs., which is almost the size of a Linebacker. But the most impressive thing about him was his unheared of Vertical leaping ability (39”) and the range he had in coverage. So needless to say, I was a bit upset that I never saw him play college ball, but I got to see enough of him in pro’s, and he did not disappoint.

One of the things that I liked about Sean Taylor, was his team approach. I know he never really participated in voluntary workouts (if it is voluntary, there should not be a big stink about him not participating), but when he did show, I never once heard or saw him take any plays off. His teammates loved him and more importantly, the Redskins fans adored him. He was never one to do things to thrust himself into the spotlight. He always let his play do his talking for him. From his bone crushing hits, to his timely interceptions, to his willingness to lay a lick on a defender from the other team on Special Teams, this guy showed people how you should approach the game of football. You would be hard pressed to find too many Redskins fans that do not miss Sean Taylor. We all knew that he was going to bring it every game, every play, every year.

I knew he was a special talent when he would take time out to talk to children. He was so gentle and compassionate when it came to kids. It surprised me that someone so ferocious could have such a soft spot for the little people. But, of all the things that I have seen him do, one particular play of his stands out to me the most. In a game in 2007 against the Detroit Lions, the Redskins were thoroughly dominating. There was a 4th down in which the Lions were punting the ball. James Thrash was back to return. As Thrash caught the punt and started to make his way up the field, he was doing his best to avoid defenders. Thrash catches the sidelines and has a defender from the Lions in hot pursuit of him. In a split second, I saw the defender from the Lions disappear as I heard a loud pop. It happened so fast that I had to wait for the replay to be shown so I could see who had just delivered this timely, but vicious block. When the replay was shown, it was not that much of a surprise that Sean Taylor was the man. And when the cameras caught him on the sidelines, a guy that never smiles during a game had a smile on his face from ear to ear. He was just as happy to block on Special Teams as he was to run down and smash a Running Back or Wide Receiver on Offense, or to intercept a pass. Trust me, this guy could have play numerous positions on the football field, but he chose Safety. This was the icing on the cake for me.

Sean Taylor, could have played Wide Receiver, Running Back (which he did in High School), Tight End, Cornerback, or Linebacker (trust me at 230 lbs. he wasn’t too far off). But he chose to play Safety, Free Safety at that. If you don’t know there is a fair amount of intelligence that a player needs to posses to play Free Safety. You have to have a feel for the game and anticipate, before the ball is snapped, what the other team is going to do. I know the fashionable thing to say is he has good instincts, or he is such a good athlete with natural ability, but let’s be honest people. At his position you have to be smart. This is an attribute that is not mentioned when people discuss Sean Taylor and it is bit disturbing, but I’ll save that for another post. It says a lot to me for a guy with that kind of ability chose to do an unselfish thing and play a position that doesn’t necessarily attract a lot of attention for the benefit of the team. This is the real reason why I liked Taylor.

I thought I was alone in my grief and sorrow to receive the news that Sean Taylor had passed away. But, as I made my way around Washington, D.C. I saw t-shirts, hats, jerseys, even cars, sporting Sean Taylor paraphernalia. At the next home game at FedEx Field, there was an inordinate amount of #21 jerseys, and hand towels, pictures and signs honoring the life of Sean Taylor. But nothing stuck out more to me than a train ride home one day on the Red Line here in D.C. in between Brookland and Fort Totten train stations. A concrete wall displayed how deep our cities grief went. Someone took the time to spray paint Sean Taylor’s name on the wall. To me this is a sign of respect. Sean Taylor had respect in the ‘hood. Everyone old enough to watch football loved him, and we still miss him. I don’t ever think we will see another player like him in a long time. I think it’s only fitting that he was inducted into the Ring of Honor at FedEx Field, because we all know, he would have been taking a trip to Canton, OH had he had the chance to play out his career. But as much as I, the fans, his family and his teammates miss him, the real loser in this situation was his precious little girl, who will never know her daddy. This to me is the real tragedy. And for all of us, he is irreplaceable.

R.I.P. Sean!!! God made you for us, but he needed you for much bigger things.

Is This The End?

Is this the end? Is it over? It can't be. I don't want to hear it. I mean, it’s not everyday that you hear someone talking about an Offensive Lineman, but I had to say something about a very important piece on the Washington Redskins’ Offensive Line. The reality is we may have seen him take his last snap in the NFL, but what a career did this man put together. I am talking about Chris Samuels. Next to your Center, your Left Tackle is probably the most important position to fill on the Offensive Line, and did we fill it in the 2000 NFL Draft with our 3^rd overall pick. Samuels played in 141 games, played in 6 Pro Bowls, was 2^nd team All Pro (All NFL) 2001, and was the 1999 Outland Award winner in college for being one of the best Lineman in the country. So when we talk about cornerstones of a franchise, or a Franchise player, Chris Samuels is/was the very definition.

The fact of the matter is at his position of Left Tackle, in about 90% of the cases, you are protecting your Quarterback blindside. That’s because most Quarterbacks are right-handed. And most teams put their best Defensive Ends on the right side of their line, which is the left side of the Offensive Line, so guess who has the honors of facing the best pass rushers in the league on a weekly basis? Not only did Chris Samuels face them, but in many cases, he made them pull a Whodini and disappear. His job is thankless. Block to keep your Quarterback clean, and to open holes for your Running Back. Boring, right??!! Not so much when you are the Quarterback of a football team. Your Left Tackle is the equivalent of a Body Guard. He should be every Quarterbacks best friend. The other team’s goal is to get your Quarterback and knock him out of the game. It sounds brutal, but it is the very nature of the game. You have to have a mean streak. You almost have to be borderline nasty. Trust me, when you are staring down pass rushers like Julius Peppers, Mathias Kiwanuka, Osi Umenyiora, Jared Allen and Trent Cole, that nice guy stuff goes out the window. But Chris was a different person. He was a monster on the football field, but a compassionate person off of it.

Chris Samuels started the Chris Samuels Foundation in 2006. Their mission is to strive for community stabilization through home ownership education, economic development and youth initiatives. The youth initiative is something that stands out to me because of one particular situation. A young lady from Washington, D.C. wanted to attend the Alvin Ailey School for dancing in New York City. With the cost of attending being out of her reach Chris Samuels and his Organization stepped in to help this young lady fulfill her dream. Here we have this NFL player who plays a position in which you have to be nasty, and he takes time out for a young lady whose dream is attend a dancing school. But, it doesn’t stop there. Samuels is also currently active in the lives of teenagers who attended two Washington, D.C. inner city schools in Ballou and Anacostia. If you are a D.C. native and you attended either one of these school in the 80’s and 90’s, you know that a lot of people didn’t want to deal with the children there. Again, here we have a man that doesn’t need to take time out of his busy schedule to make time for inner city kids. But Chris Samuels is more than a football player. He is very definition of what is means to be a real man. Doing what needs to be done, when it needs to be done.

I remember walking into a club here in Washington, D.C. and seeing two massive human beings standing by the bar. As I walked closer, I immediately recognized one guy as a young man with whom I attended High School. He motioned for me to come over. Now I am not a little guy by any means, but he and the other guy dwarfed me. I was very hesitant to walk over to greet him, because this other guy looked like he was ready to strangle someone. As I got closer, I started planning my escape route if this other guy didn’t like me for some reason. My old High School friend says, “Hey Desmond what’s up? I want you to meet Chris.” Now at this point I have not made eye contact. So I slowly turn around to shake hands, it’s none other than Chris Samuels. If you don’t know, Samuels is about 6’5” 310 lbs. and is only carrying around about 6% bodyfat. I am thinking to myself, I don’t need this drama. I reached out to shake his hand. Why did I do that? His entire hand covered mine. And with a smile he says, “What’s up?” So I am feeling a bit more at ease. Well we talked shop for about 5 minutes. I thanked him for his time, said goodbye to my friend and walked away. I have meet a lot of people, but he left a favorable impression on me and forever changed the way I view Offensive Lineman in football. I see why a lot of people like him. He is very well mannered, well spoken, and friendly, but you have to get him to talk to you. For some reason he does not strike me as a person who opens up to a lot of people. I don’t really blame him because when you are a star, everyone wants to be your friend.

When you are watching a football game, remember that the guy whose names that you don’t hear have the most important jobs on the field. We tend to forget, that if you are not hearing their names, they are having a good day. The have to push against another human being on almost every play. Their legs are always in the line of fire. The heads take an inordinate amount of punishment. They have to be very intelligent and make quick decisions. They have to be big, powerful and strong, as well as agile. They have to endure criticism as a group even if four of them are doing well and one isn’t. They are Offensive Lineman. They are the guards, the gatekeepers. They are always key to the outcome of any game. Chris Samuels is one of these guys. He is the most recent in long line of Lineman that played for the Washington Redskins. Now we can hear his name mentioned with the likes of Jeff Bostic, Joe Jacoby, Russ Grimm, George Starke, Mark May, Jim Lachey, and even Mark Schlereth. We may not see him in a football uniform again so I wanted to take this time to say this.

Thanks for the years you gave to Washington Redskins. I have no doubt that, even if we never see you in the burgundy and goal again, we will see you in Canton, OH someday.