I Wanna Be Like Mike..... Shanahan!!!

Just in case you have been living under a rock, Mike Shanahan is the new coach of the Washington Redskins. I have mixed feelings about this. It is a step in the right direction for a club that went 4-12. But, Shanahan struggled his last 3 years in Denver going 24-24. Hardly a record that is impressive. He is known as an authoritarian, and he has a ton more talent here in Washington, than he did in Denver. This could work out in his favor. But what should his first move(s) be? What should he do first? If I were a GM, I would start very simple. I want to be like Mike (Shanahan) for the next 7 months.

I have a sick obsession with the John Madden football game. Every year that it comes out, I am itching to get it. But, I wait for about a month to go buy it. Why, you might ask? Because, I have another sick obsession with the NCAA College Football game. And I have an Xbox 360 now so the game requires you to talk to the prospective college students to persuade them to attend your school, and even do in home visits/sit downs. You also have to schedule visits to your school and make promises to prospective students, if you so choose. It is extremely tedious, but once you have gotten your recruit and you see them through all four years of college and watch them develop into a pro prospect, you can export them to the Madden game. This is when the real fun starts. I love playing the Madden season and importing all of those college players that are pro prospects. I purposely get the worse team in the NFL, just so I can turn the team around. I love rebuilding a franchise. I love developing talent. I love the grind of Free Agency, the NFL Scouting Combine, The NFL Draft, and Training Camp. Most people want the pretty, well put together, teams. Give me the worst franchise and give me the power to make all of the final decisions. That to me is fun. It may be a bit crazy, but it gives me a chance to prove to everyone that I know what I am doing, and I can rebuild my franchise, my way. I do not like to follow others. I like marching to the beat of my own drum. This is where Mike Shanahan could take notes from me. I understand this is not a video game, this is real life. So here are my real life franchise moves regarding the Washington Redskins, if I were Mike Shanahan.

The very first thing that I would do, is grab Jason Campbell by the facemask, and tell him, "You are my guy. You are a Franchise Quarterback and I am going to get the best out of you over the next 4-5 years." My next task would be to grab Santana Moss and tell him, "You are my #1 receiver. You are a dynamic player. You are going to be a big part of what we do here, so please be ready for a great year." I would then go to Devin Thomas and Fred Davis and tell them, "You two will be my #2 Wide Receiver and #2 Tight End respectively." My next move would be to grab Clinton Portis and tell him, "Look, you have about two good years left in you before you really start to decline. I am going to milk you for everything that is left in your tank. So you'd better get with our Strength and Conditioning Team and get to work." My next move would be to go to Albert Haynesworth and ask, "How bad do you want to be the best Defensive Tackle in the game? Because if you want it bad, I want to know what Tennessee asked you to do. Whatever they asked you to do there, I want you to do here. No more of that asking you to occupy two blockers on 95% of the plays." My last move, before the draft, would be to go to Bobby Crumpler and Harrison Bernstein, the Strength and Conditioning Team, and tell them, "Hop in the next flight to Columbus, OH, to see my friend and Godfather of the Conjugated Method, Louie Simmons. Louie Simmons is going to break down the Russian style of training that made his gym, Westside Barbell, so popular. Westside is probably the strongest gym in the world. An 800 lb Squat, 500 lbs. Bench Press, and 700 lbs. Deadlift is a joke at Westside. They have 19 year olds doing that. Louie is also good at conditioning. His lifters are in such good shape it makes no sense. If you have to ask who Louie Simmons is, you do not need to be in the Strength and Conditioning field." By the way, if you were paying attention, this is the style of training that players like Donald Brown, Tiki Barber, Miles Austin, Deon Anderson and Brian Cushing used to get to the NFL. With that said, we will be off to the 2010 NFL Draft.

With the 4th Pick (4th selection, 1st Round) in the 2010 NFL Draft, the Washington Redskins select..... Taylor Mays, Free Safety from Southern California (U.S.C.). This will allow us to move LaRon Landry back to Strong Safety and fill a void left by the death of Sean Taylor. (R.I.P. Sean) Chris Horton will be used in certain packages during the season and Reed Doughty would be traded for a future (2011) Draft pick.

With the 36th Pick (4th selection, 2nd Round) in the 2010 NFL Draft, the Washington Redskins select.... Bruce Campbell, Left Tackle from the University of Maryland. Just in case Chis Samuels cannot finish his career, we are prepared.

We have no 3rd Round Pick because we used it on Defensive End, Jeremy Jarmon in the Supplemental Draft in 2009. I think it was a pick well spent. I just hope he recovers from his ACL injury.

With the 100th Pick (4th selection, 4th Round) in the 2010 NFL Draft, the Washington Redskins select.... Mike Johnson, Offensive Guard from the University of Alabama. We need a back up for Derrick Dockery. Although Dockery is a beast, and durable as hell, we have learned injuries are not predictable. So this is just in case.

With the 132nd Pick (4th selection, 5th Round) in the 2010 NFL Draft, the Washington Redskins select.... Sherrick McManis, Cornerback from Northwestern University. I have been following this young man his entire career at Northwestern. With Carlos Rogers' tenure up in the air and Fred Smoot aging (and doing nothing about it to try to slow it down), I have to build for the future. McManis and Kevin Barnes would be my featured Cornerbacks for years to come.

We have no 6th Round Pick because we traded it away on Jason Taylor, and then we released him. So what do we have to show for it right now? Good move Vinny "The Dipstick" Cerrato.

With the 196th Pick (4th selection, 7th Round) in the 2010 NFL Draft, the Washington Redskins select.... Stevenson Sylvester, Outside Linebacker from the University of Utah. I have been following this young man for the past two years. And since the Brian Orakpo Project is not working out at Linebacker, and Marcus Washington is not walking through that door, I think we need a Linebacker to play Strong Side and handle some of the speedy Tight Ends and Halfbacks that we are going to face, especially within our own division. This will allow me to use Brian Orakpo the way he is supposed to be used, as a Defensive End.

That would be it folks. There will be no big name signings in the Free Agency period(s). There will be no big re-signing of any of our Restricted Free Agents. They are getting 2 year contracts that have options to be picked up in the second year, and will be loaded with incentives. So they can play around if they want to. I would have no shame in going back out on the market to replace them. You have to be a bit indifferent towards the players. Once they feel that you have no backbone, you are done. It is like dating. You can't let someone walk all over you, and then think that you are going to get your power back later. It is a pipe dream. I hope Coach Shanahan shoves his foot so far up some players asses that they have to open their mouths to tie his shoe. You cannot sugarcoat anything. We were 4-12 in 2009 and it WILL NOT happen again, while I am on the job. I guess this is why I am not the coach. I would have a radical approach. But, what if.... what if my approach worked? Would it be the blueprint for others to follow. Because if you know me personally, then you know that I am not going to follow anyone else. But I will blaze a trail. And I hope Mike Shanahan is the same way. Good luck coach.

The Inaugural Dezzy Awards

In the spirit of the 2009 NFL Regular Season ending on January 3, 2010, I have have come up with my own version of an awards ceremony. These are awards given (not literally) to the player(s) who had outstanding seasons at their respective positions. Without further ado here are the winners for the 2009 Dezzy Awards.

Award For Best QB
This one was tough, but I went with Drew Brees. A year after falling short of breaking the NFL record for most passing yards in a season, he only came back rolled off 13 straight wins. I picked Drew Brees because of what he has to work with at the Wide Receiver position. He has not one person at the Wide Receiver position that is considered a star. This is not my words, this is the general consensus of the media. Brees posted a 109.6 Passer Rating, completed 70.6% of his passes (363-514), passed for 4,388 yards, had 11 Interceptions, and posted 36 Touchdowns (34 Passing, 2 Rushing). All while playing with Devery Henderson, Lance Moore, Marques Colston and Robert Meachem. All four of these guys are good. For some strange reason, the media thinks otherwise. In my book Drew Brees had the best performance of any QB in the NFL given the amount of talent that "they" say he has around him.

Award For Best HB
This one was very easy. Chris Johnson, by far, was the best Running Back in the NFL this year. I was a little upset when Tennessee passed on a local product in University of Tennessee's Wide Receiver Robert Meachem, who now plays for the New Orleans Saints. I wondered, how in the blue hell, drafting a Running Back was going to help Vince Young in the passing game. Fast Forward 2 years. My question was answered and then some. Chris Johnson is probably the fastest player I have ever seen in a football uniform. Not only that, Johnson rushed for over 2,000 (2,006 yards [6th player in NFL history to do so]), 14 Rushing Touchdowns and set the NFL record for most yards from scrimmage (2,503 yards [2,006 yards rushing, and 503 yards receiving]). He also had 16 total Touchdowns (14 Rushing, 2 Receiving). Most players in the league expressed how much fear he struck in their hearts. This is one guy who can score on any play. I am happy that he is recognized for being a good guy as well. You don't hear about him in any trouble. He works hard and his teammates love him. Good job Chris.

Award For Best Fullback
So the Fullback position was almost abolished a few seasons ago. But with guys like Tony Richardson, Le'Rron McClain, Lorenzo Neal, Brad Hoover and Mike Sellers. You could make a case for why you need them. And Leonard Weaver was the next level of Fullback. All Weaver did was duplicate the efforts of Le'Ron McClain in 2008. Unfortunately, the Dezzy Awards were non-existant. If you need a big block to spring your Halfback, call Weaver. If you need a ten yard carry, call on Weaver. If you need a two yard carry, call on Weaver. You need some one to pick up a blitz, call on Weaver. And if you need another receiver out of the backfield, call on Weaver. He did it all. As if Donovan McNabb needed another weapon. Congrats Weaver.

Award For Best WR
There is really no surprise here. The new breed of Wide Receivers are here. Larry Fitzgerald, Anquan Boldin, Calvin Johnson Jr., and Brandon Marshall are what the new Wide Receivers are going to look like. But the guy that embodies all of their skills combined had a great year for a team that finally finished with a winning record (9-7). Andre Johnson had 101 catches, 1,569 receiving yards, and 9 touchdown catches. In my eyes, he has been overlooked time after time for being recognized as one of the best, if not, the best Wide Receiver in the NFL. He is another player in a long line of University of Miami Hurricanes, to just get it done at the NFL level. He is a true freak of nature at 6'3" 225 lbs., strong and fast. Congrats Dre'.

Award For Best TE
I love watching the new breed of Tight Ends in the NFL. Guys like Chris Cooley, Antonio Gates, Dustin Keller, (soon to be known) Cornelius Ingram, L.J. Smith, Todd Heap along with others are just flat out good. These guys cause so many match-up problems that I couldn't imagine how much sleep a Defensive Coordinator gets the night before a game against one of these guys. But my Best TE Award goes to Dallas Clark. Every time I watch him play, I ask myself. Where did the Colts find this guy? Clark had 100 catches, 1106 receiving yards, and 10 touchdown catches. I didn't think I would see 100 catches from a Tight End. Heck I didn't think I'd see 98 catches from a Tight End, but Jason Witten did is 2 years ago. Dallas Clark does play with one of the best QB's in the NFL, but when I watch Clark play he is very good at getting open. He is also good at getting off of the line of scrimmage, is faster than most give him credit for, and in a day and age where players, myself included, rely so much on those new age football gloves, Clark does it barehanded. He should also win the best hands award. LOL.. Please note that I did have two honorable mentions: Vernon Davis and Jason Witten. Two guys who are 1b. and 1c. in my opinion.

Award For the Best Offensive Line
I love awards like this one because people often overlook the most important part of any Offense. It is your Offensive Line. If you don't have a good line, don't expect production from your Quarterback. Just ask Jason Campbell. I have a watched a few games this year, and by far, the Best Offensive Line Award goes to the Indianapolis Colts. I don't think I have seen Peyton Manning touched in the last two season. His uniform is always clean. So to Charlie Johnson, Ryan Lija, Jeff Saturday, Kyle DeVan, and Ryan Diem, great job. This award is let you know that you are very much appreciated for what you bring to the game of football. Your job is thankless and dirty at times, but you show what it means to be true professionals.

Award For the Best Defensive Line
Some may not like it. But the truth of the matter is, the New York Giants had the best Defensive Line in football in 2007. And then the injury to Osi Umenyiora changed everything. Umenyiora has since returned, and then was seeing his playing time disappear. But along the way came four guys who don't play in a big market. They only have one guy who is a media magnet, but they are flat out good and deserve more attention than they are getting. The Best Defensive Line award goes to the Minnesota Vikings. Ray Edwards, Kevin Williams, Pat Williams and Jared Allen are the best in the business. Just ask any team that had the luxury of playing against them. Jared Allen alone can cause headaches but Kevin and Pat Williams are the icing on the cake. It is almost like two Albert Haynesworth-type players on one line. Ray Edwards benefits from being around these other three guys. He may not be a top tier Defensive End, but with the other three guys to his right, does he need to be?

Award For the Best Linebackers
I am a bit biased, because everyone knows that I am a Washington Redskins-Pittsburgh Steelers fan. But one thing I am is fair. And in truth, there is only one team that replaces Linebackers like undergarments. And that is the Pittsburgh Steelers. That group of Linebackers is the absolute best I have ever seen. The Baltimore Ravens are very, very close. But when Bart Scott got away, they lost a little bit. Pittsburgh, is what I consider "Linebacker U." Going back to the days with Greg Lloyd, Kevin Greene, and for one year, Greg Little, and even as recent as Larry Foote and Joey Porter, the Steelers ALWAYS has a group of Linebackers who are considered the best on some level. So the award for Best Linebackers goes to Pittsburgh. Congrats to LaMarr Woodley, James Harrison, James Farrior and Lawrence Timmons. I have not seen a group of Linebackers that dominant in a very long time (New York Giants, 1985-1992 and Chicago Bears 1985).

Award For Best CB
I love this section. I love watching Defensive Backs. This is the area in which I am most interested. I've watched a lot of football. No secret that I love the younger players like Chris Houston, Cortland Finnegan, Antonio Cromartie, Domonique Rodgers-Cromartie, Darrelle Revis, Michael Jenkins and Malcolm Jenkins, along with others. But the Best Cornerback award goes to one of the older guys. Charles Woodson, in my opinion, had the best season of his 12 year career. Recording 74 tackles, 2 sacks, 4 forced fumbles 9 interceptions, and 3 Defensive Touchdowns, he seemed to always be on the Green Bay Packers' highlight films. I watched the guy at Michigan. We knew he was a talent. And usually Cornerbacks start to slow down near 30. But here Woodson is 33 years old and playing better than some of the younger guys. He certainly makes me feel good. Seeing as though 33 is around the corner for me. Congrats Woody.

Award For Best Safety
Again, everyone knows that I love Defensive Backs. If I could play any position in football, it would be the Safety position. I love rangy, ballhawks who, on occasion does not mind coming up and blasting a ball carrier. My pick for Best Safety may surprise you. It again is one of the older guys. Darren Sharper wins this award in a very close race. The young fella, Jarius Byrd for Buffalo was my favorite to win, until I watched Darren Sharper play. Sharper is one of the best Safety's in the NFL. Again, most Safety's start to slow a bit in their 30's. Sharper looks like he has actually gotten better at age 34. Greg Williams does a good job of getting the best out of his players, but, I watched Sharper do well for the Packers, Vikings and now the Saints. I think the player has a lot to do with that. Recording 75 tackles, 0.5 sack and 9 interceptions, Sharper had a season that would rival any Cornerback. Congrats "Pops."

Award For Most Improved Player
I am happy to give this one away. I love watching players improve. I also enjoy watching players work their tails off to get an opportunity. It is players like these that immediately earn my respect. I would have easily said Devin Thomas for the Washington Redskins, or Santonio Holmes for Pittsburgh, or Calvin Johnson for Detroit, or Ray Rice for the Ravens. But the award for Most Improved Player goes to Miles Austin. No shock there huh? Miles was only signed by the Cowboys to play Special Teams. And even on Special Teams, Austin made an impact returning a kickoff for a touchdown his rookie season. He got his opportunity when Terrell Owens got hurt, and then again when Roy Williams got hurt. This past season I watched Miles grow up in front of my eyes, recording 81 catches, 1320 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns. From tiny Monmouth in New Jersey, to Joe DeFranco's garage gym in Wyckoff, NJ, to the NFL Scouting Combine and then to the Dallas Cowboys training camp via Free Agency, Miles worked his way into the spotlight. If you want to talk about production, take a Free Agent Wide Receiver, give him an opportunity to make your team, and watch him earn your #1 Wide Receiver spot. Do you think that you made a good investment? Congrats to you Miles. You have made a lot of people proud.

Award For Comeback Player Of The Year
I really wish that I could handed a real award to this next player. We watched him fall. He wasn't used to losing on any level. He was used to being love by all. But in the NFL, none of that matters. You have to produce now. I wasn't happy about him being criticized, but he recovered well this season winning 6 straight games this season and leading an 0-6 team back into playoff contention. Although his team missed the playoffs by one game, he finished with an 8-2 record and won back not only his starting job, but the respect of a lot of people. My Comeback Player of The Year Award goes to Vince Young. No need in going overboard explaining what he did. Go look at the Tennessee Titans' first 6 games, and then the last 10 games. You do the math. Good job VY.

The Diamonds In The Rough Award
I love watching these guys play. One has already established himself as a Prime Time player. The others are getting started. My Diamonds in the Rough Awards go to Patrick Willis of the San Francisco 49ers, Brian Cushing of the Houston Texans, Mike Jenkins of the Dallas Cowboys, Brian Orakpo of the Washington Redskins, Calvin Johnson Jr. of the Detroit Lions, and Jarius Byrd of the Buffalo Bills. The only guy on this list that is established is Patrick Willis, ranking the in the top 3 for the past 3 years in tackles. The others haven't even scratched the surface as to how good they can be, and they are pretty good already.

Award For NFL MVP
Well this is the award for which we have all been waiting. The NFL MVP award is usually given to the player who has performed head and shoulders above the rest of the league. This player has influenced their team to the point that some may consider him irreplaceable. But in a surprise twist. I have chosen two players, and they both are well deserving. My NFL MVP Award goes to Brett Favre and Peyton Manning. It should be stated, that I am not a fan of either of these guys. I think the media tries to shove them down our throats and builds them up as the Great White Hope. Not to say that they are not good, I just think that the media makes them out to be Gods. The love affair with these two are sickening. But I call it like I see it, and these two had outstanding seasons.

Brett Favre worked the West Coast Offense, with the Minnesota Vikings, to perfection. Sidney Rice was the beneficiary of some good ol' Southern love. And when Brett likes a Receiver, you will know it. When Brett is in a bind, that guy gets the ball a lot. Rice had a career year and it was because Brett made up in his mind, Sidney Rice is his guy. Favre posted a 107.2 Passer Rating (Career High), 68.4% completion percentage (Career High) (363 completions - 531 attempts), 4,202 yards, 7 Interceptions (Career Low) and 33 Touchdowns. And the Vikings finished 12-4 and the #2 seed in the NFC Playoffs. Good job Brett.

Peyton Manning also had a great year. Starting 14-0 (finished 14-2), and finding ways to win games, Manning had a year that I actually had to give him credit for. One of his star players, Anthony Gonzalez, went down with a knee injury, and was replaced by a standout Division 3 college player in Pierre Garcon. And all Peyton did was post a 99.9 Passer Rating, 68.8% completion percentage (393-571), 4,500 passing yards, and 33 touchdowns. I know this sounds like a typical year for Manning, but his team was staring down a perfect season all the way up until Week 16. And that counts for a lot. Good job Peyton.

Hopefully next year we will have a new crop of players winning awards. But for now, I can't wait until the NFL Playoffs start. Enjoy the Postseason folks.

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.

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.

Even When It's Right, You Still Say It's Wrong

So I am at the Redskins-Buccaneers game earlier this year and I am amazed at what I hear from the fans. It was almost comical. When people get rolling, they really get rolling. With all of the things that are going wrong with the Redskins this year, the Defense is not one of them. As a matter of fact the Defense was ranked somewhere in the top 5 at this point, and guess what??!! Even they had to endure criticism, but for what? We finished with the #4 Defense last year and people were not happy. Are you kidding me?

First of all, I heard that the Defensive Line needs to create more pressure. Even though that may have been true, how many teams found it easy to move the ball on our Defense? So what did we do this past April? Well we signed Renaldo Wynn for depth and experience at the Defensive End (DE) position. Our other DE Phillip Daniels returned from injury (ACL) and Cornelius Griffin also comes back. We also signed Jeremy Jarmon, who would have been in the 2010 NFL Draft, but he got suspended from his school so he decided enter the Supplemental Draft. With our 1st Round Pick in the 2009 NFL Draft, we selected Brian Orakpo who is a legit Right DE, but we wanted to see if we can make him the next Terrell Suggs and play him as an Outside Linebacker. The problem is Orakpo has to learn the position, so please give that man a break. We also signed Albert Haynesworth as a Free Agent, but people are expecting him to come in get 20 sacks. I have got news for you folks, Haynesworth is not going to get 20 sacks, but he may attract enough attention for some other people to get close. And we also brought back one of my personal favorites Andre Carter. Why do I like Carter? Because, I have heard him endure a lot of criticism, especially when he was in San Francisco and has done nothing but continue to work to get better. And just in case you have not been paying attention, he has. So I ask you, did we address the Defensive Line?

Let’s move to the Linebackers. Now I was really sad to see Marcus Washington go, but we did try to replace him. Unfortunately, we are trying to use Brian Orakpo to fill that spot. We have H.B. Blades, who can play all 3 Linebacker positions, but has only mastered the Middle Linebacker position, and I have feeling that Blades will not see much time there. Our other Linebacker is Rocky McIntosh, who has steadily improved. But you’d really have to understand the position to really evaluate his play. Not to mention we also drafted Robert Henson from TCU this past draft (2009 NFL Draft). But the man in the middle is on a record setting pace when it comes to tackles. London Fletcher currently is leading the NFL in tackles, partly because of Albert Haynesworth and Cornelius Griffin (the forgotten man at DT, who is also a beast). London Fletcher is a perfect example of why it is important to know how to evaluate talent. Fletcher came from a Division 3 school, and has played in every game since entering the NFL. He has always been tops in tackles, but even with him perfecting what I think is a lost art in football, his play is not appreciated. If it has, he would have gone to at least 1 Pro Bowl. Is that too much to ask? But again I ask did we address the Linebacker position?

Here is where the fun really starts. The Defensive Backfield of the Redskins have endured so much criticism, I started to skip over bringing it up. But I know some of you are chomping at the bit. So I will through you bone. Fred Smoot, Carlos Rogers, DeAngelo Hall, Justin Tryon, Kevin Barnes, Reed Doughty, Chris Horton, LaRon Landry and Kareem Moore make up our Defensive Backfield. I want to start with Carlos Rogers, the 2004 Jim Thorpe Award Winner. For those of you who don’t know what that is, it is the award given to the best Defensive Back in college football. So it should not be a surprise that we took Rodgers with the 9th Overall pick in the 2005 NFL Draft. Now fans are saying that he is not good, or that he has not lived up to the “hype.” But I ask, do you know how to evaluate the Cornerback position? See I am not an expert, nor do I claim to be, but I do know one thing. A taller player will win most match-ups in football when it comes to the passing game. Have you all not noticed that the WR position is starting to produce more 6’2”+ players? I ask you, do you know how many CB (Cornerbacks) in the NFL are over 6’2,” and are actually on the field? See this is where Pass Defense relies upon disrupting the other teams Offensive timing by (drumroll please), creating pressure up front.

There are very few CB’s in football who can cover any player for more than 4 seconds. I don’t care who the WR is, they have the advantage when their QB gets time. So if I know that, I have to start looking for Safeties that have range and are good at closing out with a solid hits and good tackling ability. If you get a ballhawk at Safety, that is even better, but very few Safeties are ballhawks. This is where Sean Taylor changed our entire Defense, because we could do more to create pressure. When you all need to start worrying is when Carlos Rogers is just flat out getting burned by backup WR’s. See Calvin Johnson (6’6”) is a headache for every CB in the league. See Bryant Johnson (6’3”), whom I had to pleasure of meeting this past Summer, is a good young talent that has played for two small market teams (Arizona and San Francisco), so you may not have heard of him…. I have. He is going to be a great WR. See Dwayne Bowe, (6’3”), is another young talent that doesn’t get enough attention because he is in a small market (Kansas City), but trust me, he will be another good WR in the NFL. See what most people do not understand is, you are not going to completely shut down any WR. As a matter of fact, you cannot expect any CB in the league to not get beat from time to time. The question you have to ask yourself is, do they give up the big play? Carlos Rogers is fine. What people get in their feelings about is him dropping Interceptions. If he catches half of what he drops, people would be saying he is one of the best CB’s in the NFL. His job is to disrupt the other teams passing games. My theory is, if he is dropping picks that is telling me that he is in position to make plays and the other teams WR’s are not catching the ball.

Now this brings me to DeAngelo Hall. Here you have a guy that is doing what Rodgers does, and gives use those timely interceptions, and I still hear people say that he is not worth the money. People are judging him based off of his time in Oakland. Can you name me 5 players in the last 10 years that went to Oakland and performed well? Remember “they” said that Randy Moss lost a step when he went to Oakland? Well Randy did lose a step… off of his 40 Yard Dash time. He goes to New England for a 4th Round Draft pick, comes into camp, runs a 4.29 40-Yard Dash Time, and then turns around and breaks the record for most Receiving Touchdowns in a Single Season. I guess “they” knew what they were talking about. By the way, I hate when I hear “They say” because more often then not, it is usually followed by a lie. But I digress. DeAngelo can match-up against the other teams #1 WR and do a fairly decent job on him. People are looking for shut down CB’s. I have news for you people. The do not exist. There is at least one WR who has that top CB’s number. Don’t let the highlights fool you. Watch an entire game of two other teams aside from your favorite team. Pick any top CB in the NFL and watch him work. There are no gimmies in the NFL. We have some very crafty, fundamentally sound CB’s in football, but we do not have a shut down CB. The media fooled you people. Heck, I play Flag Football and I am pretty sure I can put together a great highlight film of all of my Interceptions from the Safety position to make any QB think twice about throwing in my direction.

The Redskins may not have the best player in the league at any one position, but together they made up one of the best Defenses in football last year. And with the new additions and a few new wrinkles, our Defense is actually better. But because the Offense is not playing well, the Defense is getting criticized too. What do you want from our Defense people? Even though it is not broken, I still hear some fans talking about how they would “fix it.” Well, I will tell you what, go apply for the position and do a better job than Greg Blache. If you can, I will tip my hat to you.