'CORE REDSKINS' : The Current & Next Generations

[Est.1974]

‘Core Redskins’,

We have plenty of those, don’t we? Aside from being the central part of a fleshy fruit , a core is considered the central, innermost, or most essential part of something. When labelling someone a ‘Core Redskins’, what attributes are you taking into consideration?

On field leader - intense, inspirational, focused, actual playing ability

Off field / locker room leader, maturity, vocal in a positive manner, strong in adversity, positive role model

What about considering the void that would be created if & when these players are no longer on this team?

I’m sure we all have our own criteria and consider different attributes. However, do you stick to that criteria or do you decide to be selective so that you can ensure your personal favourites get into the ‘Core Redskins’ club? Or is it that you feel individuals bring different qualities that help form that ‘Core’ group?

I’ll use London Flecther as the prime example. In my opinion, he is at the core of this team. A Redskin of only 2 years, yet the void his departure would create could not be filled in a hurry. He certainly fits the full criteria. I’ll add Chris Samuels as another. Khary Cambell was a ‘Core Redskins’ wasn’t he? Has his departure caused that manner of void?

I’ll consider some other acclaimed ‘Core Redskins’ - Portis, Cooley, Griffin, Thrash, Jansen, Moss, Randy Thomas, Rock Cartwright.

How many reach that standard. Perhaps they all do. Or perhaps I’ll need to be selective; I’ll forget about one or two of the key attributes so that I can get them all in.

There was a recent thread on team captains that got me thinking on this. Fletcher & Samuels are locks for the role, but it gets a bit more difficult after that. I know captains don’t have to be the best players, but I would expect them to be leaders. Would you be happy with Cooley & Portis as captains? Surely they are perfect for the job given their ‘Core Redskin’ status. Remember, captains are more than just the guys who shakes hands at centre-field. It is noted they have weekly meetings with Zorn and are the voice of the team. They will also lead ‘player only’ meetings to resolve matters effecting team morale ie, ‘the Portis incident last year’.

Most would agree that Thrash & Rock have ‘Core Redskin’ status. Lets be honest, it is always the last line of defence when protecting their position on the team. Well, if we have that many ‘Core’ guys, why would we have to protect the status of fringe players in this manner. Perhaps it is because we have fewer ‘Core’ players than we think.

I would also suggest that we need to develop the next generation of ‘Core’ players, those who have to be influential in the future of this team. In your opinion, do we have these players emerging as leaders or is it time for some individuals to stand up and be counted. London Fletcher won’t be playing for ever, will he?

Who can you see as being ‘Core Redskins’ in say 2010 or 2011 ? Please explain what you have seen in these players that makes you think they can be of that stature for this team.

I’ll prepare myself for the ‘public backlash’ for appearing to take the name of the ‘great and good’ in vain. I can assure you I am not doing that. I think we have many, many fine players. Many are noted in this thread. This is not about discrediting what any of these players bring to the team, it is about establishing where the real backbone of this team is, both now & in the next handful of years to come.

Remember, ‘Core’ is considered the central, innermost, or most essential part of something.

[Spade]

I don't have a particular reason but I can see Orakpo being a core guy.

[Pedro]

Core guys really are the guys who perform the best that you build your team around. The rest of the locker room stuff etc I expect most 53 man squads filled with over acheiving guys has the character to fill most roles.

My example for that is the Hall interviews of the last month or so. Springs leaves, Hall steps up and is even better in the role spending so much time around Redskins park. There's a potential captain. Would make his contract look good if he ended up that type of guy for us wouldn't it :laugh:

Core players to me are the Hall, Landry, Horton, Moss, Cooley, Portis, Samuels and of course numero uno JC :evilg:

Haynesworth/Orakpo/walk ons can become a part of that core very quickly, example Horton last year. Setting the rookie example working hard and producing. This off season says he will always train as if he is not the starter, always hungry. Core Redskin.

I do think starter production on the field is a must. STs star is enough to qualify.

[darrelgreenie]

[Laxpunk2006]

My example for that is the Hall interviews of the last month or so. Springs leaves, Hall steps up and is even better in the role spending so much time around Redskins park. There's a potential captain. Would make his contract look good if he ended up that type of guy for us wouldn't it :laugh:

Core players to me are the Hall, Landry, Horton, Moss, Cooley, Portis, Samuels and of course numero uno JC :evilg:

Haynesworth/Orakpo/walk ons can become a part of that core very quickly, example Horton last year. Setting the rookie example working hard and producing. This off season says he will always train as if he is not the starter, always hungry. Core Redskin.

I do think starter production on the field is a must. STs star is enough to qualify.

I like Hall. I think he can and will be a great player for us. That being said his situation is completely different from Springs'. Hall has clauses in his contract requiring him to attend x amount of offseason workouts, Springs did not. He also happens to live in Va. so he wouldn't have much of an excuse to be away, whereas Springs' father was has been in a hospital the past few years.

[mnb123]

Hopefully Haynesworth doesnt let the money get to him and takes a leadership position on the line for the next few years.

[Est.1974]

Nic pics darrelgreenie,

Landry with Fletcher, Cooley with Thrash.

Pretty apt for the thread. Hopefully the current & next generations.

[Pedro]

I like Hall. I think he can and will be a great player for us. That being said his situation is completely different from Springs'. Hall has clauses in his contract requiring him to attend x amount of offseason workouts, Springs did not. He also happens to live in Va. so he wouldn't have much of an excuse to be away, whereas Springs' father was has been in a hospital the past few years.

There might be valid reasons but the result is better now IMO. I'm kind of glad we have a mix of good guys, some of which weren't always perfect. Good role models in what it requires to make it in this league, and young.

[Laxpunk2006]

There might be valid reasons but the result is better now IMO. I'm kind of glad we have a mix of good guys, some of which weren't always perfect. Good role models in what it requires to make it in this league, and young.

Agreed, whatever the reason I would prefer our guys to be here 365, I just understand why they aren't.

As far as the "next generation" aspect of this thread I think Rocky McIntosh has that oppurtunity. It's been said he's getting more vocal when Fletcher has been absent and combining a contract year with being a year removed from his injury I'm expecting a big year on the field as well. He's a homegrown guy being a draftpick and it sounds like he's a priority to get a longterm deal. Doesn't appear in the media much but he appears to be a good character guy.

[CG]

Present

Samuels

Cooley

Fletcher

Griff

Moss

Portis

Landry

Carter

Future

Rogers (hopefully)

Hall

Fat Al

Rak

Rocky

[McSkin30]

‘Core Redskins’' date='[/size']

Would you be happy with Cooley & Portis as captains? Surely they are perfect for the job given their ‘Core Redskin’ status. Remember, captains are more than just the guys who shakes hands at centre-field. It is noted they have weekly meetings with Zorn and are the voice of the team. They will also lead ‘player only’ meetings to resolve matters effecting team morale ie, ‘the Portis incident last year’.

I think the last sentence of that paragraph answers the first one for me.

As far as the future cores of the team, I think there are a few great possibilities. Rocky is one example, as was noted, but from everything I hear about Blades, he could become one as well. Despite his performance last year, DThomas could also prove to be a future core player if he continues his improved attitude and work ethic. Those being said, if all the hype about JC taking control of the huddle is true, I'm reserving a spot for him in that group too.

[bushwack]

Present

Samuels

Cooley

Fletcher

Griff

Moss

Portis

Landry

Carter

Future

Rogers (hopefully)

Hall

Fat Al

Rak

Rocky

I understand why you have Cooley and Landry as core Redskins now, but I don't know why you don't have them listed as core Redskins for the future. Both of them will be here for hopefully at least the next decade, and will be core Skins in the future.

[illone]

Cooley and Portis on offense.

Fletcher and Carter on defense.

[RabidFan]

Present

Samuels

Cooley

Fletcher

Griff

Moss

Portis

Landry

Carter

Future

Rogers (hopefully)

Hall

Fat Al

Rak

Rocky

Have you been watching Redskins nation lately? Al doesn't look fat or the biggest in his shirt, Daniels does but of course he's all muscle. And then there is Mike Williams who makes Al look like Alf.

[SkinsTribeVA]

For the future...

Landry not only plays classically physical Redskins football but he seems to be underrated for his character and I think he'll take on more and more of a leadership role as he becomes more tenured and continues to improve.

Orakpo. I don't have any convincing reasons to believe he will become a core Redskin, but he's talented, seems likable enough, and it would just be B.A. if he was one of our core guys.

JC. Best for last. Jason is possibly the single best character guy on this team, in the Art Monk mold. If JC can prove all the haters wrong this season and ink a long term deal, he will become THE core guy on this team. I'm optimistic.

[Gigantor]

The "core" guys are NOT those who are yet to prove themselves. Namely, Orakpo, Hall, Haynewroth, etc.

By definition, the core guys are those who have been here and have performed, endured painful losses and celebrated hard earned wins for many years.

IMO, there will be no more core Redskins after the Gibbs picks are gone because Snyder doesn't believe in that philosophy. Snyder will trade, draft and sign players on a whim. He does not care about a core and believes he can just plug in the best available player into a slot and have it all work.

So, who are the remnants of the Gibbs era, the last core Redskins?

(in order of importance)

On Defense:

Sean Taylor (damnit!!!)

Griffin

Carter

Fletcher

Laundry

On Offense:

Sellers

Portis

Moss

Samuels

Cooley

Special Teams:

Rock

Thrash

[illone]

His nickname is Big Al, not fat al.

Get it right.

[NoVaSkins21]

I understand why you have Cooley and Landry as core Redskins now, but I don't know why you don't have them listed as core Redskins for the future. Both of them will be here for hopefully at least the next decade, and will be core Skins in the future.

Agreed. I believe Cooley and Landry will hopefully finish their careers here as the cornerstones for the offense and defense.

[SkinsTribeVA]

The "core" guys are NOT those who are yet to prove themselves. Namely, Orakpo, Hall, Haynewroth, etc.

By definition, the core guys are those who have been here and have performed, endured painful losses and celebrated hard earned wins for many years.

IMO, there will be no more core Redskins after the Gibbs picks are gone because Snyder doesn't believe in that philosophy. Snyder will trade, draft and sign players on a whim. He does not care about a core and believes he can just plug in the best available player into a slot and have it all work.

So, who are the remnants of the Gibbs era, the last core Redskins?

(in order of importance)

On Defense:

Sean Taylor (damnit!!!)

Griffin

Carter

Fletcher

Laundry

On Offense:

Sellers

Portis

Moss

Samuels

Cooley

Special Teams:

Rock

Thrash

But the OP was also talking about guys who are yet to prove themselves:

"I would also suggest that we need to develop the next generation of ‘Core’ players, those who have to be influential in the future of this team. In your opinion, do we have these players emerging as leaders or is it time for some individuals to stand up and be counted. London Fletcher won’t be playing for ever, will he?"

P.S. It's Landry, not Laundry hahaha

[HighOnHendrix]

His nickname is Big Al, not fat al.

Get it right.

I like Fat Albert better. Hey, hey, hey!

The "core" guys are NOT those who are yet to prove themselves. Namely, Orakpo, Hall, Haynewroth, etc.

By definition, the core guys are those who have been here and have performed, endured painful losses and celebrated hard earned wins for many years.

IMO, there will be no more core Redskins after the Gibbs picks are gone because Snyder doesn't believe in that philosophy. Snyder will trade, draft and sign players on a whim. He does not care about a core and believes he can just plug in the best available player into a slot and have it all work.

So, who are the remnants of the Gibbs era, the last core Redskins?

(in order of importance)

On Defense:

Sean Taylor (damnit!!!)

Griffin

Carter

Fletcher

Landry

On Offense:

Sellers

Portis

Moss

Samuels

Cooley

Special Teams:

Rock

Thrash

I agree with your whole list except Griffin. He hasn't made a solid contribution since 2005. Not to say he absolutely will not reclaim his core role, but I think his decline and last year's injury changed things some. To one extent or another you could include any or all of our O-line starters.

[Est.1974]

As far as the "next generation" aspect of this thread I think Rocky McIntosh has that oppurtunity. It's been said he's getting more vocal when Fletcher has been absent.

I've never heard that about Rocky Mc - Thats exactly what is needed from some of the youngers guys.

I think the last sentence of that paragraph answers the first one for me.

That was kinda the intention.

Cooley and Portis on offense.

Agreed. However, when you consider Portis is prone to the occasional rant & Cooley appears outright crazy at times, there is a balance required within the locker room to counter-act that at times.

At the moment, you could name alot of players who have done that in the past. The problem is many of those are in vunerable positions on the roster and many may not be around for long (Jansen, R Thomas, Griff, Daniels, Thrash, Rock, maybe ARE & Fletcher in a couple of seasons).

Now is the time to see some new leaders step forward before its too late. I like the earlier call on Rocky Mc. However, he's yet to get his new contract. Looks at some others ;

JC - In a serious make-or-break year. If he survives 2009 he'll fit the bill.

Dockery - I think he''ll assume / re-assume the 'Core' status following this year

Landry - Fine player, bit of an unknown off the field. Hopefully he 'grow' this year into a leadership role.

Hall and Haynesworth may emerge but they'll need to prove it in 2009 first.

One of the things I'm looking out for this year is to see which players are stepping up into this type of role.

[SkinsFTW]

Portis and Fletcher are the only ones I notice playing like it.

[Est.1974]

Portis and Fletcher are the only ones I notice playing like it.

Thats part of my point. Are we just in love with the notion of calling people 'Core Redskins' ?

[SkinsFTW]

Thats part of my point. Are we just in love with the notion of calling people 'Core Redskins' ?

I don't know, but when the Steelers are handing your ass to you, at home, with their crowd louder than ours, which players looked really pissed about it?

Those are the Core Skins. No others.

I think that this is the only real reason that Bill Parcells teams win 8 or more games every year whether they have the talent or not. He cuts anybody who isn't busting his ass. Same with guys like Schottenheimer, Cowher, and to a lesser extent Herm Edwards who might be just a little too psycho.

Thats the real reason that this team is so pathetic. Because you could just randomly select 53 NFL players who bust their ass for 4 quarters and go 8-8 with them.

[pokerhog]

I don't know, but when the Steelers are handing your ass to you, at home, with their crowd louder than ours, which players looked really pissed about it?

Those are the Core Skins. No others.

I think that this is the only real reason that Bill Parcells teams win 8 or more games every year whether they have the talent or not. He cuts anybody who isn't busting his ass. Same with guys like Schottenheimer, Cowher, and to a lesser extent Herm Edwards who might be just a little too psycho.

Thats the real reason that this team is so pathetic. Because you could just randomly select 53 NFL players who bust their ass for 4 quarters and go 8-8 with them.

Tell that to the Detroit Lions fans! :saber: