themurf Posted July 27, 2011 Share Posted July 27, 2011 (photo by Brian Murphy) We all know by now that no team makes more headlines in a given offseason than the Washington Redskins – so feel free to take this with a grain of salt – but there’s a lot to like in our nation’s capital after the first 24 hours of the return of the NFL. For starters, the Redskins re-signed their top in-house free agent – inking receiver Santana Moss to a three-year, $15-million deal. Now, as I’ve said throughout the offseason, Moss told me personally that Washington was his first and only choice. He said his family loves the D.C. area and although the Redskins have been known for off-the-field drama more often than on-the-field success during his time in Washington, “the grass isn’t always greener.” In other cities, a move like this would be automatic. Sadly, the same cannot be said in Washington. While bringing back one of the most consistent performers should be a “no brainer,” we’re talking about a team that routinely undervalues their players while favoring overpaying for other teams’ talent. Why reward one of your own top players when you can overspend on someone else’s shiny toy? That’s been the mantra of the Redskins since The Danny came into our lives. While rumors of Washington still chasing after top free agents such as receiver Santonio Holmes still persist, the front office did the noble thing and brought back Moss, who has managed to remain productive – even though his head coach, offensive coordinator and quarterback seemingly change on an annual basis. All the while, Moss has remained a model citizen. He never gets in any trouble. He never rocks the boat. He never finds himself in trouble away from the game. The guy just goes out, does his job and then spends his down time with his loved ones. Now that the 32-year-old Moss, who finished last season with 93 catches for 1,115 yards and six touchdowns, will likely finish his career in the burgundy and gold, the team can focus on other pressing needs – like filling some of the half dozen or so gaping holes in the line-up and finding new homes for Donovan McNabb and Albert Haynesworth. And if reports are accurate, one of those players could have a new mailing address sooner rather than later. McNabb seems to be on the verge of relocating to Minnesota, which is an odd destination for over-the-hill quarterbacks, what with the cold weather and all. But who knows? Maybe McNabb can replicate Brett Favre’s success with the Vikings, and more importantly, he would no longer be part of a season-long distraction in D.C. And for anyone scoffing at the alleged compensation for McNabb (rumored to be a pair of sixth rounders) just remember this: the Redskins would be lucky to get anything for a guy their coach went out of his way to publicly humiliate last season. Mike Shanahan seems to enjoy making a public example of players who fall out of favor with him. Questioning McNabb’s intelligence and conditioning after benching him against the lowly Detroit Lions last year definitely falls into that category. Click here for the full article. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dblock804 Posted July 27, 2011 Share Posted July 27, 2011 Moss is worth it for his work against Dallas alone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
icbmayday Posted July 27, 2011 Share Posted July 27, 2011 Moss is worth it for his work against Dallas alone. I can agree with this.... interested to see how Berry will perform at NT though Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
themurf Posted July 27, 2011 Author Share Posted July 27, 2011 Moss is worth it for his work against Dallas alone. Also doesn't hurt that he ranks fourth in receptions, fifth in yards and eighth in touchdowns in the Redskins' history books. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rdskn4Lyf21 Posted July 27, 2011 Share Posted July 27, 2011 Without sounding like too much of an ass kisser, your articles are my favorite thing outside of the games actually being played. Great piece. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
S.T.real,lights,out Posted July 27, 2011 Share Posted July 27, 2011 Nice post, love reading your stuff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
themurf Posted July 27, 2011 Author Share Posted July 27, 2011 Without sounding like too much of an ass kisser, your articles are my favorite thing outside of the games actually being played. Great piece. That's very kind of you to say. After taking some time off to learn how to be a dad, it felt nice to get back into the swing of things. Looking forward to getting out to Redskins Park as soon as possible too. Cheers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LD0506 Posted July 27, 2011 Share Posted July 27, 2011 That's very kind of you to say. After taking some time off to learn how to be a dad, it felt nice to get back into the swing of things. Looking forward to getting out to Redskins Park as soon as possible too. Cheers. It's a wonder you find time to write anything at all. Another fine piece, just kinda echoes the sentiment out here that we have, keeping our fingers crossed while waiting for the other shoe to drop. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeadExField Posted July 27, 2011 Share Posted July 27, 2011 Love it, good signings so far Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattFancy Posted July 27, 2011 Share Posted July 27, 2011 Nice job murf! Its nice to see us re-sign one of our own, that hasn't happened much in the last few years. I'm ok with getting anything in return for McNabb, we're lucky that someone even wanted to trade for him. Sucks that its only 2 6th, but its better than nothing. Cofield seems like a good guy and should fit well into the locker room. Hopefully the transition isn't too tough going from a 4-3 to a 3-4, but I liked the signing. So far so good for the FO this year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hitman21ST Posted July 27, 2011 Share Posted July 27, 2011 Great piece murf, as always. Your blog is definitely a high priority when you update. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Califan007 The Constipated Posted July 27, 2011 Share Posted July 27, 2011 Good write up, although I do kinda disagree with this part: And for anyone scoffing at the alleged compensation for McNabb (rumored to be a pair of sixth rounders) just remember this: the Redskins would be lucky to get anything for a guy their coach went out of his way to publicly humiliate last season.Mike Shanahan seems to enjoy making a public example of players who fall out of favor with him. Questioning McNabb’s intelligence and conditioning after benching him against the lowly Detroit Lions last year definitely falls into that category. So if the guy seemingly means that little to you, why should anyone else give you anything of substance for him? I don't think any GM is gonna base his evaluation of a player off of how his current head coach treats him or even speaks of him, especially a player who has a sizable successful career on his resume. Not to mention that just the fact that the coach is looking for trade partners pretty much negates any positives that coach might be saying, anyway lol... "McNabb is a FANTASTIC quarterback, he will easily lead us to the playoffs and beyond. None of the failures from last season are due to him....I can't imagine the Redskins without McNabb behind center. Do you want him?" And the reason anyone would offer something for a player that a team seems on track to part ways with, is to get a jump on other teams who may want that same player. Letting the guy go to free agency means taking a real chance on not landing him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DJD2 Posted July 27, 2011 Share Posted July 27, 2011 a little harsh Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Capt. Kaos Posted July 27, 2011 Share Posted July 27, 2011 and now it feels like football is back! Great piece, as usual. I'm still hoping, maybe in desperation, but hoping none the less, that we can shake the "offseason champs" mentality and just make solid moves that actually count towards winning on the field. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
themurf Posted July 27, 2011 Author Share Posted July 27, 2011 Good write up, although I do kinda disagree with this part:I don't think any GM is gonna base his evaluation of a player off of how his current head coach treats him or even speaks of him, especially a player who has a sizable successful career on his resume. Not to mention that just the fact that the coach is looking for trade partners pretty much negates any positives that coach might be saying, anyway lol... "McNabb is a FANTASTIC quarterback, he will easily lead us to the playoffs and beyond. None of the failures from last season are due to him....I can't imagine the Redskins without McNabb behind center. Do you want him?" And the reason anyone would offer something for a player that a team seems on track to part ways with, is to get a jump on other teams who may want that same player. Letting the guy go to free agency means taking a real chance on not landing him. My point is, if every team in the league knows there's zero chance the Redskins are willing to bring back McNabb as their starter this year because of the way Shanahan handled the situation last season, then what could the Redskins reasonably expect as compensation in a trade for him? Most teams prefer to keep their cards close to the proverbial vest rather than publicly disparage a well-respected player who otherwise might have been able to land something more than a couple 6th rounders. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TD_washingtonredskins Posted July 27, 2011 Share Posted July 27, 2011 Nice write-up and I have to say that I was very happy we kept Moss once I saw the contract. I was outspoken about not overpaying for him (despite what he has done here). I think I even mentioned a deal that was 2/$10M in order to 1) not overpay and 2) not have him under contract and earning guaranteed money as a 36-year old WR. Giving him 3/$15M with only $6M in guaranteed money is incredible! As I've said, he's my favorite Skin over the past 5-6 years and I'm glad we could both keep him and not break the bank. I'm really hoping some guys step up (or are added) so that Moss is eventually our #2/3 WR. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chump Bailey Posted July 27, 2011 Share Posted July 27, 2011 interested to see how Berry will perform at NT though Me too. Good stuff Murf and agree with you about Mike. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Califan007 The Constipated Posted July 27, 2011 Share Posted July 27, 2011 My point is, if every team in the league knows there's zero chance the Redskins are willing to bring back McNabb as their starter this year because of the way Shanahan handled the situation last season, then what could the Redskins reasonably expect as compensation in a trade for him? Most teams prefer to keep their cards close to the proverbial vest rather than publicly disparage a well-respected player who otherwise might have been able to land something more than a couple 6th rounders. To me, though, I don't think McNabb would have received more than that anyway, no matter what Shanahan did. The mere fact that BOTH Reid and Shanahan were willing to part ways with McNabb within a 2-year span damages his trade value far more than Shanahan benching him or questioning his "cardiovascular endurance" (not to mention Reid benched McNabb the year before as well). And if a GM/head coach just does film study, he'll see all the things that made guys like Reid and Shanahan decide to end their relationships with McNabb, regardless of whether or not he was benched or started every game. Sporting News did just that, and their analysis was not flattering, to say the least. I think those are the things that play much larger roles in any front office's decision making, far more than if the coach benches the QB or whether or not he speaks highly of the player. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
authentic Posted July 27, 2011 Share Posted July 27, 2011 Come on Murf, don't be a stranger my friend....Long time no read from. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeaconTheVillain Posted July 27, 2011 Share Posted July 27, 2011 Very please Moss will remain a Redskin! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moondog Posted July 27, 2011 Share Posted July 27, 2011 Is that a lock that he's going to play NT for us? Or is he a 3-4 DE? I haven't heard anything about where we plan to play him so I'm just curious if anyone knows for sure or is it all speculation about where he will play on our line? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
authentic Posted July 27, 2011 Share Posted July 27, 2011 Is that a lock that he's going to play NT for us? Or is he a 3-4 DE? I haven't heard anything about where we plan to play him so I'm just curious if anyone knows for sure or is it all speculation about where he will play on our line? I think, he's versitile enough to play either or. IMO, was initially brought in to start @ NT, but depending on the package he could play alot of DE. I also think that currently having A. Bryant and Neild in the rotation will really help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moondog Posted July 27, 2011 Share Posted July 27, 2011 I think, he's versitile enough to play either or. IMO, was initially broght in to start @ NT, but depending on the package he could play alot of DE. I also think that currently having A. Bryant and Neild in the rotation will really help. He clearly has the ability to play both, much like our draft pick Jenkins. But I think this coaching staff has made it clear they typically like, at least defensive linemen, to play one position the majority of the time (aka they've reiterated that Jarvis Jenkins will play DE and that they wanted Haynesworth to play NT). Those are just two examples, and obviously in certain packages and situations they'll put guys at different positions. But I think they brought Cofield in with the intent to play him at one position - I'm thinking DE. I like Neild a lot and Bryant hopefully has some upside and can play well this year but I'm not sure we can rely on those two guys. I was just wondering if anyone knows if the coaching staff has mentioned where they envision Cofield playing? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Going Commando Posted July 27, 2011 Share Posted July 27, 2011 The only critique I have murf is the passing line about Minny being an odd destination for aging QBs because of the weather. Remember, they play in a pretty comfortable dome. In Farve's case, it was a much more forgiving venue than Lambeau and Giant's stadium. It would also be true for McNabb compared to Linc and Fedex. Plus Detroit plays in a dome, so you're guaranteed at least 9 games in a dome each year. And since they draw Arizona and the NFC South this year, they get to play a whopping 12 games indoors this season, including six out of their seven games in November and December. I'd expect McNabb to easily surpass his passing production here if he plays next season in Minnesota if for no other reason than he gets to play on turf almost the entire time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gortiz Posted July 27, 2011 Share Posted July 27, 2011 It's a wonder you find time to write anything at all.Another fine piece, just kinda echoes the sentiment out here that we have, keeping our fingers crossed while waiting for the other shoe to drop. nice sig brother ... LET'S ALL GET ON BOARD! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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