WP (Wilbon): The Front Office and the Redskins in 2009

[Thiebear]

So Wilbon says we had a good offseason and made all the right picks. (with the Owner spending too much on an impact player)

but said same owner is ruining the team and drops his picks by 2-3 because of it.

got it.

[DieselPwr44]

Anything more suggests a level of confidence the franchise surely hasn't yet earned.

IMO, this statement is spot on.

How many times over the past few years have members on this board expressed that there's talent here and we should be x-x record wise only to fall short??

The team does alot...ALOT of talking about how they're gonna do this..gonna do that, only to come out on Sunday afternoon and **** the bed.

They need to either shut up or back up their talk with their play on the field.

That would be a nice change.

Wilbon's right on this aspect. The team has earned nothing.

[Oldfan]

IMO, this statement is spot on.

How many times over the past few years have members on this board expressed that there's talent here and we should be x-x record wise only to fall short??

If you and Wilbon don't think we have the talent, then say so and base your prediction on that. But don't tell us that predictions have to be earned. That's just dumb.

[DieselPwr44]

If you and Wilbon don't think we have the talent, then say so and base your prediction on that. But don't tell us that predictions have to be earned. That's just dumb.

There's talent here.

But how many times have we said the Redskins...or for that matter, any team looks good on paper on to do jack squat on Sundays??

Red Auerbach used to say you can have talent, your job as a coach is to not screw it up.

We'll see if Zorn can get the talent here to perform.

Again, the team has earned nothing.........yet.

[Oldfan]

Again, the team has earned nothing.........yet.

"Earned" and "prediction" don't belong in the same thought or the same sentence. One has nothing to do with the other.

[cjrugger]

So basically he just hedged his bet on the season, so he can say he had it right either way. I used to love Wilbon, but I feel like he's getting really lazy and thinks he can pump out whatever he wants and people will accept it

[mbws]

The writing is pathetic... Is this a blog?

How does a professional writer get away with having a one sentence paragraph that starts with "And?"

Fixed

[Skinsinparadise]

There's talent here.

But how many times have we said the Redskins...or for that matter, any team looks good on paper on to do jack squat on Sundays??

Red Auerbach used to say you can have talent, your job as a coach is to not screw it up.

We'll see if Zorn can get the talent here to perform.

Again, the team has earned nothing.........yet.

Yeah but keeping this to Wilbon he basically was saying that he thought the team would go 11-5 based on the talent, now he's switched gears to 8-8 not because of "coaching" -- he didn't mention Zorn as the issue -- he said it was becuase of Snyder/management.

More specifically, he cites the ticket issue/lawsuits filtering to their play on the field. To each their own, but to me that sounds ridiculous. Be one thing if Wilbon said well he's worried about Samuels and Thomas missing some games and the O line depth -- but the ticket stuff, come on.

To me it's almost a hokey way of him trying to add gravatis to the Washington Post articles about the tickets, like they uncovered the football version of Watergate.

[IbleedBnG83]

That whole ticket story is stupid and a non-story IMO. Does anyone think the Redskins are the only one conducting business that way? Did they do anything illegal? Its busienss. They are going to look out for the best of the business. People's retirment funds and investments go into corporations everday. Do you want those companies looking out for you as a shareholder or acting as a charity case?

Anyways, the concept that management trickels down is upsurd. Sure the FO hasn't made great decisions, but it seperate from the marketing and sales section of the organization.

[Vicious]

Eh, I agree. Front office does not have their **** together. Why should we expect the team to have their **** together? They keep on switching offenses, switching head coaches. Zorn was on the hot seat after his first year??? He's on the hot seat now??? What is this bull. The Redskins have not played like a "TEAM" for a season in a decade. There is only one time I actually saw them play as a team and that was the run after ST died. If that's what it takes, I'd rather not see it.

[gaskinsfan]

I really hope Dan Snyder has learned from this latest fiasco. I think Wilbon's overall point is a good one, that knuckle-headed front office decisions end up negatively affecting a teams play on the field.

[LetThePointsSoar]

I hate to play devil's advocate, but as much as I hope he's completely wrong, how can anybody say the trickle-down theory is dead wrong?? You're nuts, in any organization attitude reflects leadership...it's not about the fact that on 3rd and 1 will CP be thinking about a decision Dan Snyder made? No...however when you run an organization poorly, with ineffective leadership as Snyder has consistently done and shown, it gravitates downwards and affects how everyone approaches their JOBS...in their preparation, their attitudes, etc...I really hope Wilbon is dead wrong and we pull it together because we do have the weapons this year and nothing between 7-9 and 12-4 would surprise me too much...I'm voting for the high end..

HTTR!!!

[DieselPwr44]

"Earned" and "prediction" don't belong in the same thought or the same sentence. One has nothing to do with the other.

IMO they do.

Alot of posters here run around every year with lofty predictions for this team and seem mystified when we fall short.

Most of the times, it's along the lines of "How did we go 7-9 or 8-8 with the talent that's on this team??"

Wilbon is doing what a growing number here have already done...not buying into the hype.

On paper, we "look" like a playoff team. We have not translated that to the field.

How, as a team, have the Washington Redskins earned enough respect to have fans predict a double digit win season??

Enlighten me Oldfan??

[mtyquinn]

It's like he's trying to come up with a reason to go back on his predicition.

I really dont see how the two equate? Non football front office business decisions have nothing to do with player's performance or coaching ability on the field.. PERIOD!

I disagree.

If the front office can treat the long standing, hard core, raised from birth redskins fans like dirt, how does a player (essentially a commodity to the FO) feel valued? If they don't feel valued and can be replaced at a moments notice what is their motiviation to excel? other than money?

[SprintBomb]

I understand what he is saying in this article. Basicaly what he is getting at is that poor management and ownership could cost this team 2-3 wins.

Who knows what is going on behind closed doors between players/coaches and the FO. After the season ticket issue was exposed it makes me think that there are many more issues out there that we dont know about. And probably never will.

[21forlyfe]

IMO they do.

Alot of posters here run around every year with lofty predictions for this team and seem mystified when we fall short.

Most of the times, it's along the lines of "How did we go 7-9 or 8-8 with the talent that's on this team??"

Wilbon is doing what a growing number here have already done...not buying into the hype.

On paper, we "look" like a playoff team. We have not translated that to the field.

How, as a team, have the Washington Redskins earned enough respect to have fans predict a double digit win season??

Enlighten me Oldfan??

:applause::applause: Thankyou,someone with some sense..the Homer shades are selling like hotcakes on here:cool2::cool:...they have too many things to prove to me before i will start to call them the division champs:doh:

[TheTotalPackage]

Lets get our heads out of the sand

Wilbon is saying "on PAPER"...it looks like we have the capability to go 10-6 or 11-5.

But the ticket fiasco reminded him about management. As long as long as the franchise continues to be managed the way it has been up to this point, (overall lack of patience, QB controversy, disregard for draft picks, refusal to draft to build the OLine, public disputes with popular players and/or management & subsequent nasty divorces, changing coaching/system every few years, hiring an inexperienced coach to run the team, certain players knowing they're more important than said coach(es) and acting too big for their britches, signing aging players through free agency or trade at exorbitant salaries and/or the expense of a draft pick,selling tickets to brokers who sell to opposing fans, rather than hometown fans just to make money faster, suing fans who have hit hard times...are just a few) we're likely to remain mediocre.

Now that I listed all those examples, I have to admit that sounds like a hell of a whole lot of bad karma. how can we win in this kind of environment? I don't see the teams that win consistently (NE, Pittsburgh, etc) having quite as much drama.

I'm a skins fan and have been one forever. I want us to win just as badly as the next person but I can't fault him for making the point he did. Every year, media personalities predict that we will be mediocre, and every year fans from here read the predictions and scoff, saying how flawed their reasoning is, how foolish they sound, how dumb they must be when we historically and realistically have shown nothing for them to say otherwise. Also,every year they end up being correct. if we have a successful season and they still hate on us next year, then we can talk. until then all we can do is hope we prove them wrong.

[Oldfan]

IMO they do.

Alot of posters here run around every year with lofty predictions for this team and seem mystified when we fall short.

Most of the times, it's along the lines of "How did we go 7-9 or 8-8 with the talent that's on this team??"

Wilbon is doing what a growing number here have already done...not buying into the hype.

On paper, we "look" like a playoff team. We have not translated that to the field.

How, as a team, have the Washington Redskins earned enough respect to have fans predict a double digit win season??

Enlighten me Oldfan??

It's very simple. A prediction isn't based on respect. It isn't something that's "earned." Weigh the evidence and make your prediction. That's all there is to it. If you doubt the talent is there, or if you doubt that the coaching is good enough, then make your prediction based on that.

The mere fact that many fans are overly optimistic each year has ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to do with making a realistic prediction for 2009.

[TheTotalPackage]

It's very simple. A prediction isn't based on respect. It isn't something that's "earned." Weigh the evidence and make your prediction. That's all there is to it. If you doubt the talent is there, or if you doubt that the coaching is good enough, then make your prediction based on that.

predictions are also based on history, i.e. previous seasons.

[LetThePointsSoar]

Lets get our heads out of the sand

Wilbon is saying "on PAPER"...it looks like we have the capability to go 10-6 or 11-5.

But the ticket fiasco reminded him about management. As long as long as the franchise continues to be managed the way it has been up to this point, (overall lack of patience, QB controversy, disregard for draft picks, refusal to draft to build the OLine, public disputes with popular players and/or management & subsequent nasty divorces, changing coaching/system every few years, hiring an inexperienced coach to run the team, certain players knowing they're more important than said coach(es) and acting too big for their britches, signing aging players through free agency or trade at exorbitant salaries and/or the expense of a draft pick,selling tickets to brokers who sell to opposing fans, rather than hometown fans just to make money faster, suing fans who have hit hard times...are just a few) we're likely to remain mediocre.

Now that I listed all those examples, I have to admit that sounds like a hell of a whole lot of bad karma. how can we win in this kind of environment? I don't see the teams that win consistently (NE, Pittsburgh, etc) having quite as much drama.

I'm a skins fan and have been one forever. I want us to win just as badly as the next person but I can't fault him for making the point he did. Every year, media personalities predict that we will be mediocre, and every year fans from here read the predictions and scoff, saying how flawed their reasoning is, how foolish they sound, how dumb they must be when we historically and realistically have shown nothing for them to say otherwise. Also,every year they end up being correct. if we have a successful season and they still hate on us next year, then we can talk. until then all we can do is hope we prove them wrong.

All well said and dead on...end of story...now let's just hope we manage through the muck and prove them wrong...

[SkinsGuy]

If the Bucs had signed Haynesworth to the same contract it still would have been too much money, but the move would have worked because, hey, they used to have Warren Sapp on their team years ago. The Skins only had Dana Stubblefield on their team back then, so obviously Haynesworth won't work out here lol...Makes sense if you think about it.

Yeah, why didn't Wilbon look further back and say that Haynesworth will be great b/c, hey, the Redskins used to have Dave Butz and Daryl "World" Grant on the team.

So "Big Al" will have to be great.

[Oldfan]

predictions are also based on history, i.e. previous seasons.

Give me an example of evidence that you would consider that goes back further than Zorn's hiring.

[Passizle]

I dont see the big deal. Wilbon thinks that we have a great looking team that can win alot of games, but managment... or more appropriatley, MIS-managment has been the bane of this team for years.

I thought the article was well written and can find no "illogical" statments throughout.

[Oldfan]

I thought the article was well written and can find no "illogical" statments throughout.

Wilbon offered no evidence in support of his trickle down premise. Can you offer any?

[TD_washingtonredskins]

It's a pretty weak argument backed by no logic.

If he believes we have the personnel and coaching to win 10-11 games and actually thinks that ownership will prevent that, then he's an idiot. Now, if he predicted 8-9 wins based on Zorn and the players, fine. I can handle that...but the front office will really have very little impact once the season starts.

Plus, he even gives the front office (at least the football operations side of it) credit by commending them for enhancing a strength and making this defense potentially "suffocating" in 2009. So, his entire premise is that we will struggle because of our non-football operations in the front office. BRILLIANT!