Utah Posted January 4, 2002 Share Posted January 4, 2002 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A59099-2002Jan3.html In the end when all is said and done. I think this is a horrible decision at this time for this team. This puts Marty back making the same BS decision he did about Larry Centers. That was a terrible move and this one will be also. IMHO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest fuji869 Posted January 4, 2002 Share Posted January 4, 2002 You beat me to the punch UtahRedskins, I was about to post this article. I admit I did not like Michael Westbrook early in his career. I thought he was a waste of a great talent because he let his emotions get in the bet of him, clocking Stephen Davis during training camp and slamming his helmet on the Sunday Night Game against the Giants really made me dislike him. But then he started to impress me in 1999, he matured and he had a great season in the Brad Johnson lead Offense! 2000 could have been a great season but he was hurt in Detroit in Week 2. It is not Michael’s fault he does not have a QB that does not go through all his reads and just fixes in on one receiver (the Tony Banks to Rod Garner Show). If we had a good QB Michael could of had a good year, heck Kent Graham knew how to get him the ball in Denver! I will hate to see Westbrooke go, he will probably come back to haunt us in a game next season! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VoR Posted January 4, 2002 Share Posted January 4, 2002 Get used to seeing him in green next year. [ by VoR on January 04, 2002.] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest fuji869 Posted January 4, 2002 Share Posted January 4, 2002 Jet, Packer, or Eagle Green? [ by fuji869 on January 04, 2002.] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VoR Posted January 4, 2002 Share Posted January 4, 2002 Eagles--He wouldn't pass up the chance to be a #1 receiver & play us twice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest fuji869 Posted January 4, 2002 Share Posted January 4, 2002 Great, he can join Brian Mitchell, James Thrash, Ndukwe Kalu and David Akers (who kicked for the Skins for one Game) in the City of Brotherly Love. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
indyskinsfan Posted January 4, 2002 Share Posted January 4, 2002 No I think they want somebody younger. Westbrook could easily wind up in San Diego with Norv Turner (who drafted him), San Francisco to give a good short field compliment to Owens, or even Arizona, since Sanders has been slowed. If the Eagles take him, then it would make sense, so they could focus on getting another lineman on offense or maybe a decent backup to Staley at RB. I'm just not sure Westbrook wants to contend with their turf and their fans. Facing them as an opponent every so often would suit him just fine. He may not like the prospects of their line as well, which could make him shy away from Arizona too. Chicago, Tampa Bay, and Baltimore are also possibilities. Not sure about NE, Miami or even NO, but you never know. [ by indyskinsfan on January 04, 2002.] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fish Posted January 4, 2002 Share Posted January 4, 2002 This is an example of what scares me about Marty. If we loose Westy, we now have to go out and get another WR. I listed our offenseive potential on another post: Westy Gardner @ WR Alexander @ TE Davis @ RB Strong O-line Where is the problem? Coordinator, scheme and QB. Art's post about scheme and inovative coaching obviously applies here. Westbrook was so obviously black balled, I thought I was watching All the Right Moves w/ Tom Cruise. It's all about Marty's ego. If in the end, he winds up being right and winning a couple of Super Bowls, well, I'll forgive him but right now........you can't deny he is letting a talented WR go away. Anyway, it'll be interesting to see what we end up with and where Westy will go. I most DEF think that we will be watching him on highlight shows Sunday nights. ------------------ HAIL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TennesseeCarl Posted January 4, 2002 Share Posted January 4, 2002 First, I'm not sure Westbrook's going anywhere. The off-season is long and strange things happen, particularly during Redskin off-seasons. Second, you'll recall that after Norv was fired, the first guy to step up and jam a shiv in the corpse was Westbrook. He's not going with Turner. Third, let him take his attitude, nagging injuries and excuses to Philly. Champ and Smoot can handle punks like him. Fourth, as it turns out, this draft (like the last) is loaded with quality WRs. If we take another, that's o.k. And we won't have to spend a first rounder to get one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GURU Posted January 4, 2002 Share Posted January 4, 2002 C'mon folks. Just more of the same. Westbrook has ALWAYS blamed someone else for his lack of production. And he still expects someone to come running to him and say "You're the man." Just read what he's saying. After 7 years in the NFL, the guy still doesn't believe he has to earn anything. If you think that he's going to change and go someplace else and become a star, you're just as delusional as he is. Good riddance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fansince62 Posted January 4, 2002 Share Posted January 4, 2002 we shouldn't have to WASTE any draft picks on another WR. 2 last year, another this year? this is all about marty's ego. the article suggests that the staff never intended for westbrook to be part of the future here - a great coach draws the best out of all his personnel. a lame *ss, egotisitical, self-centered, power mad boob attempting to fight ancient battles (vis Chiefs GM) is someone we should stay away from. again......we will never, ever get to a SB with marty unless you accept that talent is so diluted around the league that any one team can get lucky/hot and steal the kitty. - on a deeper level, i just don't get the sense that marty is in it for the Skins. he just seems to be in it for marty, for him to win an SB....not for the franchise or its fans Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Art Posted January 4, 2002 Share Posted January 4, 2002 Westbrook is no different, really, than George. When George left, and EVEN BEFORE he left, he said he was doing everything he was asked to do within the offense that was being called. He was. He wasn't checking down incorrectly, or making bad reads. He was running the offense as he was told to run it. He got cut for saying he didn't feel leadership was important from his position and the experiment with him in that directed offense failed. No one has said, within the organization, that George wasn't doing what he was told to do. He just couldn't do what we were telling him and that's a failure on the part of the coaches to get out of a player what he can provide. Westbrook IS doing exactly what he's asked to do. He can't make himself the primary or even secondary receiver on a play. Only the coaches can do that. We knew very quickly this year that Marty wanted to groom Gardner as the elite receiver. I believe this will pay dividends, but, it has hurt the on field performance of this team as it has a receiver who is presently better than Gardner in every respect, from size, to speed, to hands, to experience, on the roster who is being phased out. Westbrook is NOT the receiver they have running these complimentary routes. He's not that guy. Germaine Crowell may be though . Even so, Westbrook is a guy that has showed up in shape and worked through injury. He has said he wanted to be dragged off the field when his career is over. I think he's shown himself to be a professional in the way he keeps his body ready to perform, despite injury, and the way he's gone about performing in THIS offense when he is not being utilized, and signed a contract heavy with incentives only to discover he was never going to be given a chance to reach those. I won't miss Westbrook because the production he has brought can be replaced. It's not like he's so valuable to this team that his loss is bothersome. We can get his production back without working too hard at it. I'd just have liked to have seen him used as Gardner is presently used. ------------------ Doom is in the box. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NavyDave Posted January 4, 2002 Share Posted January 4, 2002 Westy is being covered by the number one corner on the opposing team and still is getting open. We are supposed to get better by bringing in a receiver that was injured and looks good on artificial turf? If marty is smart and is determined to let westy go he should play D Mac and or Skaggs. ------------------ Take A Sip of the Marty KoolAid and Believe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkPSkins Posted January 4, 2002 Share Posted January 4, 2002 I've said it b4 and I will say it again. When Westbrook is gone we are going to miss him. Screw all the attitude and mouth stuff because none of that matters on the field. I saw someone point out that Westbrook dropped a pass in the Eagles game...oh well...stuff like that happens to all WRs in the league. Gardner dropped more passes than he caught this year. Westbrook was never used right here in DC, never under any regime. Only two years ago we caught a glimpse of how he should be used and at that time he was sharing catches with Connell because of Westbrook's demand for defenses to pay attention to him. We wont miss Westbrook until he is gone because the respect other teams gave him regardless of his stats. Other teams accounted for Westbrook more than Gardner this year and when/if Westbrook is gone those same defenses will put all of that attention on Gardner, who, you will see will suddenly look like Westbrook because of double coverages, rolls to his side and the general game planning to account for him. We will miss Westbrooks size when it comes to blocking. And will will miss the "decoy" aspect that he was forced to play this year. Whether you will admit it or not, other teams made sure that Westbrook was covered, why do you think Thrash started to look so good last year, and Connell the year before that. Regardless of what Thrash is doing in Philly right now, which is borderline average, you can't tell me with a straight face that Thrash is better than Westbrook, that Connell was better than Westbrook, that Garder IS better than Westbrook. Without him on the field, you think teams were gearing up to stop Davis before, Wait til next year when they don't have to account for a player the caliber of Westbrook. Yes, Westbrook will not be missed until he is gone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bulldog Posted January 4, 2002 Share Posted January 4, 2002 well, you can't miss what you never really had. Westbrook on the Redskins is like that pretty girlfriend you used to have that keeps breaking up with you and coming back a few weeks later to reconcile. the performance with Michael never matched the hype and the years of immaturity that showed Westbrook to be a self-centered player without a clue as to how to go about crafting an all-pro career. His work habits were awful, he refused to lift weights for a long stretch and all this was alibied by Norv Turner. It is true that Westbrook can go elsewhere next season and be productive. In fact that is what I EXPECT him to do. But at a soon to be 30, Michael will never have the kind of career that would legitimize the #4 pick in the draft. In a way he is like Desmond Howard. Howard reached acclaim after his Redskins days by coming up big in the Super Bowl for Green Bay. But it was in a capacity other than wide receiver, the one he was drafted high in round 1 to play. The fact he made a subsequent career for himself as a kick returner is nice for him, but that skill even if we had kept him, does not legitimize the original investment. And one 1,000 yard season in 7 years is not a lot of investment return to be missed in Westbrook. This does not mean I am endorsing Marty's 'decoy' strategy in 2001. If you have a player under contract you use him to the maximum of his ability. But in the end, it is best wishes in your next 'life', Michael. You woke up too late to realize what is expected of an NFL player in terms of preparation and commitment. That's just the way it is. You wore out your welcome. [ by bulldog on January 04, 2002.] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkPSkins Posted January 4, 2002 Share Posted January 4, 2002 Why does everyone dwell on the fact that Westbrook was a number 4 overall draft pick? That means squat. Wilkinson was a number one Coleman was a number one, Lang was a number one and none of these guys are putting up "All-pro" star numbers, or even resembling the elite studs they are supposed to be. Regardless of where Westbrook was drafted and the "return" on the investment. He is still the BEST WR this team has. You can let him go and hope to get something equal for "less money" but it as much as a crapshoot as picking a WR in the first round and hoping he becomes a super-star. It just doesn't happen that often. And it is not always about the money. NFL teams always find away around the money. You guys all have said, we KNOW what we have in Westbrook. We have a 50-70 catch big fast WR that is experienced and demands attention from opposing defense. Any 2nd rate WR we bring in to replace that is not going to be cheap if at all possible. Is Westbrook going to be the hyped-up super-star you guys still have false dillusions about? Probably not, but then again, maybe, and that, my friends, is the intangiable that sets him apart from any "2nd" WR we bring in for "cheap". Teams that play the Redskins still wonder when this "stud" will "blossom" and have to account for him. If they do not, and Westbrook has shown flashes, he will kill them. I'm not saying that Westbrook is going to go eslewhere and become a star. He doesn't have to. When he comes to DC, we will account for him. Probably put Champ on him. That my friend is worth all of the "expectations" Westbrook has failed to live up to...or has he? Westbrook doesn't have to be a number draft pick superstar to be considered necessary to the Redskins. He needs to continue to do what he does and hopefully someone will start to call his number in the huddle to help him live up to those expectations. [ by MarkPSkins on January 04, 2002.] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bulldog Posted January 4, 2002 Share Posted January 4, 2002 it is time for Westbrook to move on, for him and the organization. sometimes it just has to be that way. I agree that if Westbrook was still under contract and was coming back at $1 million a year it would probably be a good investment in a #2 receiver on the surface with his physical ability. But Westbrook will NEVER accustom himself to being a #2 HERE. He may go to Denver and ride as the #2 to Smith under Shanahan, but he has been top dog here for 6 years and won't accept less than that with any grace. So, that is one reason NOT to bring him back. The other is the money. He is going to get offers that represent a substantial raise over what he was making this season. Do we want to pay #1 money for a #2 receiver? Some of the teams that will be bidding on Michael may have different offensive schemes that cater to his deep game. Other teams may just choose to ignore his shortcomings and gamble on his physicals skills. Who knows? But Westbrook here or gone does not in my mind decide the great question of how far this team can go next season. That question will be answered by what happens at quarterback and on the defensive line. As well as in our ability to resign some other key performers who came through in 2001. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Utah Posted January 4, 2002 Author Share Posted January 4, 2002 In the end, again, we will miss him. Last year above all else showed what importance he had for this team. What defenses brought to us and somehow we still won 8 games with no WR. Here is the thing, we let Westbrook go and now we have to replace him. Now, do you go and get Crowell and tell him he is the #2 guy or do you look at Gardner and stunt his growth and tell him he is demoted. What amount of money is good to pay this new receiver and what are we expecting him for. Get over what he hasn't done for us over the past 7 years. In football, it has always been and will always be, what have you done for me lately attitude. In his last 3 seasons, Westbrook has had a 1000 yd season, injured the second and showed that defenses respected him by constantly stacking the box because he wasn't out there. I remeber clearly last year, the Ravens saying that without Westbrook, the Skins were not going to have a passing game. They doubled Alexander most of that game. Go figure. And this season, which nothing worked properly, Westbrook gets told he is the 2nd guy and he watches along with all the fans, an inept QB and a young WR constantly making our passing game look worse than Nebraska's. Tell me how your going to replace him and with what level you expect that replacement to play at. Gardner isn't going to improve by 2 tenths of a second on his 40 time and require double coverage. Our replacement won't come cheap, at least not at the level that everyone is wanting us to get. People want us to get a Pro Bowl WR on this team. Well, name the Pro Bowlers this year and look at their system, if you think Westbrook would be a Pro Bowl player in those systems, then, GUYS, get a damn clue as to what your talking about. Make the system use the guys you got instead of getting rid of them because their perceived attitude or some other crap that only people who know are inside Redskins Park can complain about. Give your team a chance and don't let your ego be its downfall. Larry Centers was a huge mistake last year because of what he gave this team. Can you imagine what Centers would of done for Banks or even too him for some of the bonehead things that happened. Westbrook will be the same way. The fact that people on the board are even hinting at or are acknowledging that Westbrook will be successful elsewhere, are showing a true lack of knowledge on how to structure a football team. This isn't a popularity contest, its a how to win games contest. Maybe we'll get lucky and Spurrier will take over. ------------------ "He has a confidence born of demonstrated ability." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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