What would Bruce Boudreau do?

[bpoch]

loved that episode, lol

Don't you mean movie?

[ACW]

I hope Snyderrato was watching tonight

4-1

[Stadium-Armory]

Gabby would point to the owners box and mouth the words: "Thank you George McPhee"

[TD_washingtonredskins]

I agree. There's no way you can compare a first-rate organization like the Capitals to a constantly floundering debacle that is the current Redskins' organization.

And for those saying "he has the best player in the league"......Funny. The Caps stunk for 2 seasons, and end up with the best player in the league via a high draft pick. The skins have stunk on ice (pun intended) for how long now? Do we have the best player at any position even though we SHOULD have had high draft picks?

No, we don't have the best player at any position, let alone one of the best all-around players in the sport, because we've never bottomed out like the Caps did. The last time we picked that high, we drafted a very talented safety who was on his way to becoming a perennial Pro-Bowler.

I don't think you should paint it as though the Skins have been picking in the top-3 for 10 years or anything. In fact, they've only had 3 seasons under Snyder when they finished with double-digit losses, so they haven't had the opportunity to go out and grab great players each and every draft.

Now, I'm not giving this as a defense of the state of the Redskins, just making sure we're all being fair when painting a picture.

[TD_washingtonredskins]

On a side note...why again are we pitting two local teams against one another as though they can't both be successful or co-exist??

Again, I think it's a laughable comparison given that the Caps have been relatively successful a handful of times since their inception and the Redskins have dominated DC sports for generations. It's impressive what the Caps have done over the past couple years and it seems their immediate future is very bright. But I don't see why gloating about a hockey team is needed when your football team is struggling. I don't recall fans doing the opposite in the 1980s/1990s...

[The Enforcer]

He's got a GM.

A GM/Owner that made a mistake with Jagr and learned from it....cleaned up their cap...and started building their own talent.

Helps when you draft the best player on the planet.

:applause:

[SkinsHokieFan]

On a side note...why again are we pitting two local teams against one another as though they can't both be successful or co-exist??

Again, I think it's a laughable comparison given that the Caps have been relatively successful a handful of times since their inception and the Redskins have dominated DC sports for generations. It's impressive what the Caps have done over the past couple years and it seems their immediate future is very bright. But I don't see why gloating about a hockey team is needed when your football team is struggling. I don't recall fans doing the opposite in the 1980s/1990s...

I agree. And I don't think people are "gloating"

If anything, we want the Redskins organization of 2009 to run as the Capitals organization of 2009 does, fan friendly, with a great team.

I am waiting for the day all of our teams are dominating in the playoffs

[bih]

Snyder should sell the team to Ted Leonsis! Didnt he prevent visiting team fans to buy tickets to the game? Now thats a real fan friendly owner!!!

Ted Leonsis :notworthy

Dan Snyder :moon:

[TD_washingtonredskins]

I agree. And I don't think people are "gloating"

If anything, we want the Redskins organization of 2009 to run as the Capitals organization of 2009 does, fan friendly, with a great team.

I am waiting for the day all of our teams are dominating in the playoffs

I think we'd all like to see that. I would just pick more relevant organizations to model the Redskins after than a hockey team. I believe it's night and day. Admittedly, I know very little about hockey, but it seems to mimic basketball in that being able to sink your claws into a star player can almost guarantee perennial playoff trips. That is very different than football and affords teams the opportunity to cover up other flaws.

Now, I am not saying that the Capitals have any flaws...but one of the biggest reasons they've had the success they have over the past couple years is AO. Just as Cleveland became a force in the NBA the second they got LeBron. It's not coincidence.

Either way, with Leonsis running things, the Caps were an overpaid, underachieving team for a while. He's corrected his ways in less time than Snyder, but it's not like he figured it out right away either.

[G.A.C.O.L.B.]

Can't wait until the Wiz win a 'chip this year and make both the Caps and Skins sit on it. Yeah ****es, it's happening.

Sike. I am psyched for the season though. Wiz are in a much better spot than the Skins are. After DECADES of futility. Why? They hired Ernie Grunfeld. You need someone who knows what the **** they're doing to build the team.

That's it right there. If you replace the players who is going to pick the new ones? The same guy who helped pick the ****ty ones? How does that work?

[SkinsHokieFan]

I think we'd all like to see that. I would just pick more relevant organizations to model the Redskins after than a hockey team. I believe it's night and day. Admittedly, I know very little about hockey, but it seems to mimic basketball in that being able to sink your claws into a star player can almost guarantee perennial playoff trips. That is very different than football and affords teams the opportunity to cover up other flaws.

Now, I am not saying that the Capitals have any flaws...but one of the biggest reasons they've had the success they have over the past couple years is AO. Just as Cleveland became a force in the NBA the second they got LeBron. It's not coincidence.

Either way, with Leonsis running things, the Caps were an overpaid, underachieving team for a while. He's corrected his ways in less time than Snyder, but it's not like he figured it out right away either.

Agree. The team bottomed out in 2003-2004 with an overpaid old bunch, and got VERY lucky in the draft lottery

I do disagree a bit about building a team, because you still need a cast around AO, just Peyton Manning needs a solid cast of players

What the Caps have managed to do, what the Skins used to have, is build a team identity and put the right players into a system which maximizes what they do well. An injury occurs, and there is someone who is able to fill in very quickly without losing a beat.

Thats where the Redskins need to get. A deep organization with a team identity, and a much better game day experience

Thats how it once was

[TD_washingtonredskins]

Can't wait until the Wiz win a 'chip this year and make both the Caps and Skins sit on it. Yeah ****es, it's happening.

Sike. I am psyched for the season though. Wiz are in a much better spot than the Skins are. After DECADES of futility. Why? They hired Ernie Grunfeld. You need someone who knows what the **** they're doing to build the team.

That's it right there. If you replace the players who is going to pick the new ones? The same guy who helped pick the ****ty ones? How does that work?

Again, apples to oranges. But the point you make is 100% correct. A true GM in charge of EVERYTHING FOOTBALL-RELATED would go a long way toward righting the ship for the Redskins.

[TD_washingtonredskins]

Agree. The team bottomed out in 2003-2004 with an overpaid old bunch, and got VERY lucky in the draft lottery

I do disagree a bit about building a team, because you still need a cast around AO, just Peyton Manning needs a solid cast of players

What the Caps have managed to do, what the Skins used to have, is build a team identity and put the right players into a system which maximizes what they do well. An injury occurs, and there is someone who is able to fill in very quickly without losing a beat.

Thats where the Redskins need to get. A deep organization with a team identity, and a much better game day experience

Thats how it once was

It doesn't seem like it was that long ago...but it was truly a lifetime ago when we had that.

I'm 32...I was a 15-year old freshman in high school when we last won the Super Bowl. So many things have changed in my life since that time. It's ridiculous to think about!

[Springfield]

Either way, with Leonsis running things, the Caps were an overpaid, underachieving team for a while. He's corrected his ways in less time than Snyder, but it's not like he figured it out right away either.

The point here is that Leonsis learned from his mistakes. So far, in over 10 years of ownership, Snyder hasn't shown one bit that he can learn from his own mistakes. Where one organization has an owner who can admit when he's wrong, the other has an owner who thinks he can do no wrong.

Leonsis hired a competent GM that knows how to get good talent and how to evaluate when that talent is no longer useful. Take a look at the Capitals goaltender situation. They are putting the old veteran in ahead of the hot young star. Why are they doing this? Because they know that that old veteran goaltender will perform well in his contract season and they will be able to get the most out of him in a trade further down the line. If he outperforms his expectations, they can keep him. It's a win/win situation.

Now, contrary to the above situation, the Redskins are on the opposite end of the deal. The are trading future talent for over the hill stars and overpaying for them at the same time. Add to that, the fact that they keep talent around way after they are past their prime. With those players, they are paying too much for them when they don't produce for the team.

I will concede that Ovechkin was a great pick in the draft and it takes many more players to build a football team but it goes back to the poor talent evaluation. The Caps could have chosen Crosby, Malkin or dozens of other under performing draft entries, but they didn't. They picked who they wanted and they got out of him exactly what they expected. The Redskins are terrible talent evaluators, as noted by our lack of depth from draft picks.

All of this, of course, goes back to our beloved owner... Dan Snyder.

[G.A.C.O.L.B.]

Again, apples to oranges. But the point you make is 100% correct. A true GM in charge of EVERYTHING FOOTBALL-RELATED would go a long way toward righting the ship for the Redskins.

That was the entire point of my post. I'm not trying to do a Skins vs Wiz thing.

[TD_washingtonredskins]

That was the entire point of my post. I'm not trying to do a Skins vs Wiz thing.

Yeah, I re-read...very good point.

[TheMarionBarberHitman]

WWBBD

He would have won his opening game on the road...

[seed420]

Snyder should sell the team to Ted Leonsis! Didnt he prevent visiting team fans to buy tickets to the game? Now thats a real fan friendly owner!!!

Ted Leonsis :notworthy

Dan Snyder :moon:

Exactly :applause:

[ACW]

I long for the day:

Caps :1stplace:

Wiz :1stplace:

Skins :1stplace:

Hell, why not

Nats :1stplace:

[scruffylookin]

On a side note...why again are we pitting two local teams against one another as though they can't both be successful or co-exist??

Again, I think it's a laughable comparison given that the Caps have been relatively successful a handful of times since their inception and the Redskins have dominated DC sports for generations. It's impressive what the Caps have done over the past couple years and it seems their immediate future is very bright. But I don't see why gloating about a hockey team is needed when your football team is struggling. I don't recall fans doing the opposite in the 1980s/1990s...

Totally agree that we shouldn't pit the two teams against eachother. I think people do it because for a while there Leonsis and Mcphee adopted the Snyderratto formula. Instead of being content with mediocrity, they changed their philosophy and blew up the team early this decade and rebuilt it via strong drafts.

Yes they got lucky that Ovie was there when they got the number 1 pick but they've had great selections outside of Ovie too. They are not a one man team.

So the frustration is that we are now seeing the fruits of that decision whereas our Skins continue to fumble around with no coherent organizatinal philosophy on building and maintaining a team.

Also as a side note, the Caps have been a good franchise for nearly 30 years. They made the playoffs 15 or 16 years in a row from 1983 through 1997. They then had their magic run in 1998. They were only truely bad for the first decade of their inception and then during the rebuild in the middle of this decade. The Caps can't match The Joe Gibbs era of excellence but take away the era from 1982 through 1991 and the Caps have been the better franchise and more successful franchise. Skins sucked in the fifties and sixties. They were Capslike in the seventies (make playoffs but lose). They gave sucked again from 1993 to present day. Only Gibbs 1 gives the Skins a shine these last 50 years.

[D-Day]

Agree. The team bottomed out in 2003-2004 with an overpaid old bunch, and got VERY lucky in the draft lottery

I do disagree a bit about building a team, because you still need a cast around AO, just Peyton Manning needs a solid cast of players

What the Caps have managed to do, what the Skins used to have, is build a team identity and put the right players into a system which maximizes what they do well. An injury occurs, and there is someone who is able to fill in very quickly without losing a beat.

Thats where the Redskins need to get. A deep organization with a team identity, and a much better game day experience

Thats how it once was

Yeah, people don't realize how close we where to having OV and Crosby. :laugh:

Back to the OP..................

When Bruce was hired the caps stunk up the joint much the same as what our beloved skins are doing this year.

But around Thanksgiving during Bruces first year in 07 I think, he made a decision. He decided to throw his way out the window and basically let the players do what they where good at. Insta success as Mike Green emerged and others started to drastically improve.

The caps have been building up the role players and letting the stars get better, they have arguable one of the best teams in the NHL this year and are set for years to come as their defense is getting more experienced and they have two defensive 1st rounders and another young excellent goalie awaiting their opportunities in the minors.

The caps are stacked mostly through the draft...............

[TimmySmith]

But around Thanksgiving during Bruces first year in 07 I think, he made a decision. He decided to throw his way out the window and basically let the players do what they where good at. Insta success as Mike Green emerged and others started to drastically improve.

Exactly my point, Zorn is continuously trying put his square players in round holes, whereas Boudreau has a fantastic feel for putting players where they can make plays. Also, no player is above being replaced, nor is any player too inexperienced to be given an honest shot. The results are undeniable. Boudreau did this almost immediately, Zorn is still treading water after a year plus.

[WhoRUSupposed2Be]

He's got a GM.

A GM/Owner that made a mistake with Jagr and learned from it....cleaned up their cap...and started building their own talent.

Helps when you draft the best player on the planet.

Yep and one to build around. Until we find that next "great" player, we will just be stuck in neutral for quite a while.

[HEavyJumbo85]

When Bruce was hired the caps stunk up the joint much the same as what our beloved skins are doing this year.

But around Thanksgiving during Bruces first year in 07 I think, he made a decision. He decided to throw his way out the window and basically let the players do what they where good at. Insta success as Mike Green emerged and others started to drastically improve.

Actually Glen Hanlon was the coach going into 07. The Caps were in dead last and on Thanksgiving day George McPhee fired Hanlon and promoted Boudreau as the interim coach. Hanlon was a very conservative minded coach who's style didn't really mesh well with the talent. Then in comes Boudreau with his high flying, attack first, agressive forechecking system, which stresses pressure and turning the puck over, and that is perfect for the personnel we currently employ. We go on to make the playoffs and the rest is history I guess. Boudreau's system was better for the players we had, which I guess was lucky.

Where we should draw parallels when it comes to coach Zorn is, right now, Zorn's system, as is, is a bad fit for the current personnel we employ here. Good coaches are able to adapt and get the most out of their talent. The Boudreau situation was partly luck, but Zorn and Blache have got to adapt or they'll go the way of Hugs Hanlon.

[ntotoro]

When Bruce was hired the caps stunk up the joint much the same as what our beloved skins are doing this year.

Hanlon was the Coach early'07, not Gabby. Hanlon made the team smell like three-day-old fish, was canned, Gabby got promoted and won out the gate. The team has been built well and added good FA signings (****ing Nylander), which they learned because they tried to use the Snyder/Cerratto method early on and it bombed. The took their licks, learned, blew up the team and now have built it very well with a good future.