ESPN: Mosley - Tap The Breaks On Redskins Playoff Talks

[Thirtyfive2seven]

If the Redskins do NOT address the offensive line and the offense starts to work what will the JC supporters say? It must be the system? LOL.

As for the article, the man is right but I think McNabb will have much more success behind the same oline. I just hope he doesn't get injured. If he does you can kiss that contract goodbye as he will retire an Eagle

[Henry]

If the Redskins do NOT address the offensive line and the offense starts to work what will the JC supporters say? It must be the system? LOL.

That McNabb is a better QB than Campbell? Is that even up for debate?

As for the article, the man is right but I think McNabb will have much more success behind the same oline.

I do to. 8-8 would be much more successful than last year. And pretty much par for the course with the Redskins of the past decade.

[TD_washingtonredskins]

We have to think that, because that's the only strategy that makes sense now that we've spent ANOTHER high draft pick on an old formerly-great player.

That doesn't mean that's what we're doing. I haven't seen any evidence this team is rebuilding. I've seen us sign a couple very old RBs and trade away picks. Teams in rebuild-mode generally trade FOR them.

Sure...but again, we don't know a whole lot about some of the younger players on this team. For all we know, the current regime is pleasantly surprised with our young WRs and TE. For all we know, they think we have a little more in our OL than we saw on the field last year. Maybe they think with a new coaching outlook (from a MUCH-improved coaching staff) and some grooming, we have a good nucleus of young players that can compete.

When you think about the NFL, coaching and QB are the two biggest keys. It's very possible that we've been held back significantly by those two positions for the past couple years. I'm not saying we're SB-ready, but we might not have seen our players' potential reached just yet.

Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but I'm going to give Allen and Shanahan more than 3 months to determine what their long-term strategy is. And, even if they are going to adopt a "win now" mentality, I'm much more confident in their abilities to piece together a winning team than the previous regime's.

[jfr3ek]

we'll be ok. Im sure we're going to pick up more Linemen soon enough. This isn't a sprint, but a marathon for free agent signing you know.

[Henry]

Sure...but again, we don't know a whole lot about some of the younger players on this team. For all we know, the current regime is pleasantly surprised with our young WRs and TE. For all we know, they think we have a little more in our OL than we saw on the field last year. Maybe they think with a new coaching outlook (from a MUCH-improved coaching staff) and some grooming, we have a good nucleus of young players that can compete.

That's the Redskin battle-cry from 2000 until today. This team is secretly really good and it's just that nobody else knows it.

When you think about the NFL, coaching and QB are the two biggest keys. It's very possible that we've been held back significantly by those two positions for the past couple years. I'm not saying we're SB-ready, but we might not have seen our players' potential reached just yet.

I don't think we were held back significantly by Joe Gibbs the Coach. Looking back it's clear he was squeezing blood from a stone during his second tenure. That's because as Joe Gibbs the GM he traded draft picks for veterans, including an established 34-year-old franchise QB, and thought he could rebuild around him on the fly.

Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but I'm going to give Allen and Shanahan more than 3 months to determine what their long-term strategy is. And, even if they are going to adopt a "win now" mentality, I'm much more confident in their abilities to piece together a winning team than the previous regime's.

Sure. You never know. I can say though that so far we're seeing more of the same from the Redskins. If we win a ton of games I'll happily shut up, but until then this team has not earned the benefit of the doubt. Not anymore.

[MattFancy]

I would fall somewhere between Clayton and Moseley actually.

Clayton is getting ahead of himself by declaring we're co-favorites to win the division, something we haven't done (and only once challenged for) in 10 years. However, I think Moseley might be underestimating our talent a bit. Sure, we're not loaded. But I think competent coaching will get more out of our current players.

What I believe this regime is attempting to do is cobble together a good team WHILE we rebuild in the background. Our current defense plus some talented veterans on offense (McNabb, Johnson, Parker, Hicks) might get us used to winning. In the background, we will be adding youth, grooming younger players, and implementing a program.

I don't think Moseley is properly accounting for the upgrade at the two most influential spots on a football team: coaching and QB. For years, that's what's separated us from the Eagles. Now, coaching and QB have to be considered a strength. We're not a 12-win team or anything...but we could have a winning record in year 1 now...and be poised to make some noise.

Finally, I believe Mike Shanahan is hitching his wagon to McNabb. He's his Elway. In a few years when Mike wants to stay in the front office and let Kyle run the show, we'll probably have the heir apparent on the roster, fully groomed, and ready to take over...

I agree with this. I do think though that we have a legit chance to win the division. I mean why not? McNabb took those Eagle teams to the NFCCG with no one special. I mean Pinkston and Mitchell were the WRs, I don't think either of them are even in the league anymore. Look what he did with Maclin and Jackson. Neither of them were proven guys and now they are household names.

Yes our OL still needs some work, but we have some good guys in place here. We have a consistent top 10 defense which has a bunch of talent on it. We have some solid RBs that will all split the load to keep them fresh throughout the season. Our WRs our unproven, but have shown flashes of getting better.

We also didn't have to trade the farm to get him. We were more than likely going to take a QB in the draft, I'd say McNabb is better than any of the QBs that would've been available to us. I think it was a great trade and we'll be a legit contender for the coming years because of it.

[asnpcwiz]

McNabb is a turd. Even Shanny won't be able to polish it. The odds Shanny stays 5 years just got smaller when McNabb busts out, gets injured and flames like an old sucky QB.

You must have been watching another sport called "football" for the past 11 years...

[youngestson]

Mosley being negative about the Redskins. Nothing new here...

Actually he is just being realistic.......again. I don't like the message any more than you do, but it's the truth, and we'll have to deal with it until the Skins prove themselves to be a real team on the field and not in the off-season.

[TD_washingtonredskins]

That's the Redskin battle-cry from 2000 until today. This team is secretly really good and it's just that nobody else knows it.

Well, the only times we've seen success is when we've had an established coach and given him more than a year...so that battle cry really hasn't been proven wrong yet.

I don't think we were held back significantly by Joe Gibbs the Coach. Looking back it's clear he was squeezing blood from a stone during his second tenure. That's because as Joe Gibbs the GM he traded draft picks for veterans, including an established 34-year-old franchise QB, and thought he could rebuild around him on the fly.

See my point above.

Sure. You never know. I can say though that so far we're seeing more of the same from the Redskins. If we win a ton of games I'll happily shut up, but until then this team has not earned the benefit of the doubt. Not anymore.

The team is not the same. If you don't want to give the 2010 Redskins the benefit of the doubt due to mistakes that were made by previous regimes over the past 10 years, that's your choice. I, however, believe that Allen and Shanahan deserve the benefit of the doubt. They had nothing to do with the 2000 nightmare, the hiring of Spurrier and stocking his teams with college players and nobodies, the Gibbs FA moves and trades, or the hiring of Zorn and the personnel decisions made during his tenure.

Just like you said, if 2 years from now we're still winning 6-8 games per year and have "started over" again, I'll say I was wrong. For now though, we have gone from Zorn/Campbell to Shanahan/McNabb. That's a good thing.

[GibbsFactor]

There's a lot of "fans" in this thread that no very little about this game. Toss last year out. You can't say the skins are awful and not close because of last year. Fact is, all we need is 3 players to step up and be legitimate contenders. One of them will be the #4 pick. That leaves RT, RG and possibly a safety. We still will most likely trade Campbell, perhaps Carlos and Carter. Who knows, maybe Clinton and Albert. Let's say we get a third back from one of them. There's your RG. Hicks and Heyer at RT. Boom.

No more predictable offense, no more controversy, no more dysfunction.

Redskins fans lift your head up. Today is a good day.

It's laughable. This is a huge deal and everyone knows Mosley's a hater anyway. The only reason he has this gig is he was lucky to break the Baylor bball murder story. He's a fool.

[Henry]

Well, the only times we've seen success is when we've had an established coach and given him more than a year...so that battle cry really hasn't been proven wrong yet.

We had a small, small taste of success. Followed by more horribleness.

I am hoping for a little more than that this time around.

The team is not the same. If you don't want to give the 2010 Redskins the benefit of the doubt due to mistakes that were made by previous regimes over the past 10 years, that's your choice. I, however, believe that Allen and Shanahan deserve the benefit of the doubt. They had nothing to do with the 2000 nightmare, the hiring of Spurrier and stocking his teams with college players and nobodies, the Gibbs FA moves and trades, or the hiring of Zorn and the personnel decisions made during his tenure.

Until proven otherwise 'the regime' is Dan Snyder. Under Dan Snyder there has been one constant: Trading the future for the present. We're still seeing that now. Maybe it really is different behind the scenes. But we're still making the same type of moves we did before, so until I see something different on the field ... like a consistant long-term winner, I won't believe things have changed. I don't know why I would.

Just like you said, if 2 years from now we're still winning 6-8 games per year and have "started over" again, I'll say I was wrong. For now though, we have gone from Zorn/Campbell to Shanahan/McNabb. That's a good thing.

The Redskins have earned my blind faith with one or two offseason moves in the past. Not anymore. Sorry.

[Big Blue Joe]

Mosley being negative about the Redskins. Nothing new here...

What have you guys given him to be positive about? It's not as if the Redskins have been lighting up the league for the past few years.

[TD_washingtonredskins]

We had a small, small taste of success. Followed by more horribleness.

I am hoping for a little more than that this time around.

I probably butchered the point I was trying to make there...sorry about that. The point I was hoping to make was that our "talent" has gotten a bad reputation in my opinion. We had turnover every 2 years and lousy coaching with the exception of a 4-year stint with Joe Gibbs. That means that I don't believe you can judge our roster based on what we saw on the field over the past 2 seasons.

Until proven otherwise 'the regime' is Dan Snyder. Under Dan Snyder there has been one constant: Trading the future for the present. We're still seeing that now. Maybe it really is different behind the scenes. But we're still making the same type of moves we did before, so until I see something different on the field ... like a consistant long-term winner, I won't believe things have changed. I don't know why I would.

Well, I don't agree that Snyder has anything to do with these transactions. Since I can't prove anything, we'll just have to agree to disagree.

The Redskins have earned my blind faith with one or two offseason moves in the past. Not anymore. Sorry.

Again, that's your choice...and if you truly believe Snyder is pulling the strings, I don't blame you. I think Allen and Shanahan are in charge, so it would be silly of me to assume they are going to make the same mistakes that previous regimes did just because they work in the same building that Cerrato, Zorn, and Spurrier did.

[brianm23]

I think the article is 100% dead on. We have too many positions that need upgrading to even think about contending. The only thing we've are contending with is the "Off-season CHAMPS" title again. :mad:

[TD_washingtonredskins]

I think the article is 100% dead on. We have too many positions that need upgrading to even think about contending. The only thing we've are contending with is the "Off-season CHAMPS" title again. :mad:

I would like someone to flesh this out a little more for me. I'll say right off the bat, that I'm NOT an expert.

What positions need upgrading?

What classifies as "too many" positions needing upgrading before we can hope to contend?

I see our team as it stands on 4/5/2010 and can't see any holes other than OL. Even that could look drastically different by September if we use the #4 pick and a later-round pick to address it.

We have Rabach back at C (average). We have Dockery at G (good). We have Hicks signed (average). We have Williams in the mix (average with upside).

I guess I don't believe that we're a team that is going to be giving up a record number of sacks. I just don't see it happening.

[Henry]

Again, that's your choice...and if you truly believe Snyder is pulling the strings, I don't blame you. I think Allen and Shanahan are in charge, so it would be silly of me to assume they are going to make the same mistakes that previous regimes did just because they work in the same building that Cerrato, Zorn, and Spurrier did.

Well for what it's worth I hope you're right and I'm wrong.

I hope this turns into another Shanahan/Elway dynamic. I'm hoping that's what Shanahan is thinking. I do think McNabb is the best QB Shanahan has had since Elway, so there is that.

But we've seen this team with the offseason before. A few posts up someone is saying we're just three players away from greatness now.

I'm not going there anymore. That's all.

[Spooky]

If Clayton was refuting Mosly I would be worried but Clayton is more optimistic and usually right about everything that is football. Mosley said it himself that this trade makes the Redskins better. It is not as if we traded 2 firsts for Cutler.

[TD_washingtonredskins]

Well for what it's worth I hope you're right and I'm wrong.

I hope this turns into another Shanahan/Elway dynamic. I'm hoping that's what Shanahan is thinking. I do think McNabb is the best QB Shanahan has had since Elway, so there is that.

But we've seen this team with the offseason before. A few posts up someone is saying we're just three players away from greatness now.

I'm not going there anymore. That's all.

And I hope I'm right too!

Believe me, there's a small part of me that can see this turning out just like Deion, Bruce Smith, Jason Taylor, etc. However, I have to remember (or have faith, at least) that this isn't Vinny getting fleeced by smarter people...this is a competent FO now.

[TheLongshot]

I would like someone to flesh this out a little more for me. I'll say right off the bat, that I'm NOT an expert.

What positions need upgrading?

What classifies as "too many" positions needing upgrading before we can hope to contend?

I see our team as it stands on 4/5/2010 and can't see any holes other than OL. Even that could look drastically different by September if we use the #4 pick and a later-round pick to address it.

We have Rabach back at C (average). We have Dockery at G (good). We have Hicks signed (average). We have Williams in the mix (average with upside).

I guess I don't believe that we're a team that is going to be giving up a record number of sacks. I just don't see it happening.

There are still a lot of questions on this team. While I think we probably will be fine at RB for the time being, the future is still up in the air considering that the best years might be behind these guys. The OL talent so far hasn't changed much at all. We are also in the process of converting to a 3-4, in which some of the talent we have on this team might not fit into that.

I guess some fans have gotten used to a depleted draft, never mind that it is because of those depleted drafts that we have the situation that we have on the OL.

There is still a lot of work ahead for this team to become a contender. Whether McNabb survives long enough to reap the benefits of it is a big question.

[December90]

McNabb is a turd. Even Shanny won't be able to polish it......

Maybe we need to bring in Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman ro be assistant coaches then:evilg:

[brianm23]

I would like someone to flesh this out a little more for me. I'll say right off the bat, that I'm NOT an expert.

What positions need upgrading?

What classifies as "too many" positions needing upgrading before we can hope to contend?

I see our team as it stands on 4/5/2010 and can't see any holes other than OL. Even that could look drastically different by September if we use the #4 pick and a later-round pick to address it.

We have Rabach back at C (average). We have Dockery at G (good). We have Hicks signed (average). We have Williams in the mix (average with upside).

I guess I don't believe that we're a team that is going to be giving up a record number of sacks. I just don't see it happening.

Did you watch any Redskins game last year? If so, you'd notice our secondary sucks. Big time. You'd also notice our OL was horrible, and the 3 guys you named up there are part of that badness.

RB

OL

S

CB

QB - which we did upgrade

Blame the coaches or whoever you want to, but the fact is those positions didn't get the job done last year.

[SB17]

I wonder how people react if Allen and Shanny weren't here and Vinny was pulling off these signings and this trade.

The difference, I believe, is that if Vinny were pulling off these signings and this trade is that we would have given up tens of millions of dollars more for the signings and possibly next year's 1st rounder (in addition to this year's 2nd and next year's 3rd/4th) for the trade. As things stand, if the signings don't work out in the Redskins' favor, the player gets released with little financial penalty (in terms of salary cap) to the Redskins, something which couldn't be done in the past. Look at the Jason Taylor trade (and others made by Vinny) and then try to tell me that this wasn't a more balanced trade (what we gave up vs. what we got).

[TD_washingtonredskins]

Did you watch any Redskins game last year? If so, you'd notice our secondary sucks. Big time. You'd also notice our OL was horrible, and the 3 guys you named up there are part of that badness.

OL

S

CB

QB - which we did upgrade

Blame the coaches or whoever you want to, but the fact is those positions didn't get the job done last year.

So, we have "a lot of holes" because we need to fill a couple positions in the secondary and fortify our OL? You do realize that means you think we're pretty well off at the following positions:

DL

LB

WR

RB

TE

QB

So, let's say we need 3 more OL, 1 safety, and 1 CB (we have Hall, Buchanon, Rogers if we don't trade him, Tryon, and Barnes). You believe that 5 or 6 players is way too many holes to overcome in order for this team to contend in the next couple years?

[isle-hawg]

Playoffs? Who the heck thinks this team is ever going to the Playoffs with McNabb and now 2 less draft picks??

[brianm23]

So, we have "a lot of holes" because we need to fill a couple positions in the secondary and fortify our OL? You do realize that means you think we're pretty well off at the following positions:

DL

LB

WR

RB

TE

QB

So, let's say we need 3 more OL, 1 safety, and 1 CB (we have Hall, Buchanon, Rogers if we don't trade him, Tryon, and Barnes). You believe that 5 or 6 players is way too many holes to overcome in order for this team to contend in the next couple years?

I just posted the immediate stuff I thought about, and I added RB to the position too. Bringing in old vets does not constitute as "upgrading" as we've seen first hand the past decade.

Rogers? Garbage. Buchanon? Garbage. Hall? The only one with talent, but he's often burned too often due to his gambling style of play.

Switching to a 3-4, we'll now need OLB for the new defense. Carter? He even knows himself that he's not a good OLB for the 3-4 defense. Who's going to be your other MLB beside Fletcher? McIntosh? NT? You got one in FA that's injury prone so what's the backup plan?

So yeah, there are other needs, but I just pointed out the obvious ones to start.

Fact is, if Vinny were still here and made this move, you guys would be ALL in a uproar about it.