Re: Casserly Keeping his options open
 

[quote=Bill B;262046]Wouldn't building a team with the focus on free agents instead of the draft impede the teams ability to build continuity due to the salary cap when high priced free agents salaries escalate out of control whereas a drated player (outside of high first round picks) come relatively cheap.

Also aren't draft picks taken in the lower rounds more hungry to prove themselves versus someone who gets a $10 millin bonus (AA ring a bell?)[/quote]

I guess, but I think that generally speaking a FA is a proven player that has shown to be able to play at the NFL level. A draft pick may or may not be able to take it to the next level as we have painfully recognized. I think AA is a rare exception regarding expensive FA busts.

Also, I do agree that you have a better chance of building depth through the draft but that's sort of countered by having a higher quality starting roster, in my opion that was built through FA.

Personally, I like a nice even mix of draft picks and FA. I have a"win now" mindset though which favors getting immediate starters (FA) to fill gaps in the roster.

Re: Casserly Keeping his options open
 

The 2005 draft is typical. Look at our mid round picks:

4 19 120 Manuel White Jr. FB UCLA
5 18 154 Robert McCune LB Louisville
6 9 183 Jared Newberry LB Stanford
7 8 222 Nehemiah Broughton FB The Citadel

The Scouting Dept. for the Skins SUCKS! Heck, even the "cant miss" picks haven't panned out. Carlos Rogers is not a No. 1 corner in this league, No. 2 corner maybe, but he ain't a legit No. 1. And don't give me the "well, everyone says he was can't miss so you can't blame somebody" If that's the case, then just buy Mel Kiper's list on draft day and take the best player on the board. Scouting depts are supposed to find the good players and shy away from the overrated players.

Re: Casserly Keeping his options open
 

[quote=724Skinsfan;262064]I guess, but I think that generally speaking a FA is a proven player that has shown to be able to play at the NFL level. A draft pick may or may not be able to take it to the next level as we have painfully recognized. I think AA is a rare exception regarding expensive FA busts.

Also, I do agree that you have a better chance of building depth through the draft but that's sort of countered by having a higher quality starting roster, in my opion that was built through FA.

Personally, I like a nice even mix of draft picks and FA. I have a"win now" mindset though which favors getting immediate starters (FA) to fill gaps in the roster.[/quote]

Would you consider Lloyd to be one of these players? What about the kick returner we got from the Jets that we paid a draft pick for and gave an above average salary for?

I agree that getting some free agents is a must but to go at it the way the Redskins do with as much disregard for the draft does not make sense to me as far as long range planning goes.

I will say the one area I wished the Redskins would spend above average money on and do it early is a kicker if Suisham does not work out.

Re: Casserly Keeping his options open
 

[quote=724Skinsfan;262064]I guess, but I think that generally speaking a FA is a proven player that has shown to be able to play at the NFL level. A draft pick may or may not be able to take it to the next level as we have painfully recognized. I think AA is a rare exception regarding expensive FA busts.

Also, I do agree that you have a better chance of building depth through the draft but that's sort of countered by having a higher quality starting roster, in my opion that was built through FA.

Personally, I like a nice even mix of draft picks and FA. I have a"win now" mindset though which favors getting immediate starters (FA) to fill gaps in the roster.[/quote]


The problem IMO is that draft picks let you get a player locked in for 4-6 years at a relatively cheap price. An overpriced FA hits the cap alot harder with bigger signing bonus and salary. Look at Cooley's contract, he was really cheap the past few years so we could use money to acquire FAs. If you give away picks, or if they don't make the team, then you've missed out on cheap talent.

Re: Casserly Keeping his options open
 

[QUOTE=jsarno;261968]Didn't Casserly draft Heath Shuler?[/QUOTE]

He also drafted Champ Bailey.

Re: Casserly Keeping his options open
 

[quote=Bill B;261980]Quite true. I am a huge SEC fan and I think if you asked anyone who followed the SEC if Heath Shuler was going to be a good pro they would have said yes.

What the current front office does not do is somehing I wish someone at Redskin Park would be able to pull off was the trade Casserly made with Mike Ditka when we got all the draft picks from the Saints - absolute steal.

But I don't see Gibbs working with any GM as he wants to prove to everyone that holding down both the coach and GM positions can work.[/quote]

I remember watching Shuler back when he was at Tenn. He wore that silly #21 for a QB. I honestly never saw any NFL talent in him. At the time he was more of a running QB and was not playing in a pro style offense. Perhaps you can fill me in on this but I remember him running a lot of option plays. I believe at the time Tenn. was not even running the type of offense they do now. And when he got here you could see that the 7th rounder, Gus F. was much more ready for the NFL game than Shuler was. The pick just made no sense what so ever.

Re: Casserly Keeping his options open
 

Casserly has screwed up the texans so bad it will take years for them to recover,how he has a job is beyond me,he wouldnt even look at Vince Young because he didnt want to admit he made a mistake with Carr,the dude sucks,I dont want him no way no how

Re: Casserly Keeping his options open
 

i can't see him ever coing back to the skins,except as am attendee at a game.he left the skins decent before he left though!he really screwed the texans up though!

Re: Casserly Keeping his options open
 

[quote=htownskinfan;262176]Casserly has screwed up the texans so bad it will take years for them to recover,how he has a job is beyond me,he wouldnt even look at Vince Young because he didnt want to admit he made a mistake with Carr,the dude sucks,I dont want him no way no how[/quote]

So you are happy with the moves the front office has made in the past 3 years?
I am not saying get Charley tommorow, but the "collective mindset" at Redskin Park has produced 2 years of misery and if not for a 5 game winning streak another year of missed playoffs.

Here a question I pose - if the current person in charge was not named Joe Gibbs would they still have a job after the season was over or would pretty much everyone in town say the current managment in place needs to go?

Re: Casserly Keeping his options open
 

Would the person in charge have three Super Bowl Championship rings, and a long proven history of success at the highest levels in the sporting world?

Re: Casserly Keeping his options open
 

[quote=Mattyk72;262034]I didn't understand that take either.[/quote]

Ok, that post wasn't too clear. What I meant is that IMO (based on what I've read like most of us) the FO hasn't done a good job of networking with and making good contacts with other team's FOs. People in any business will often share info w/competitors as long as its not directly linked to them.
Case in point, a recent Washpost article (again, all I have to go on is my reading, I have no inside source) said that several SF players called Skins in the offseason to warn them about dealing w/Loyd.
Rexi seemed to have more info on Loyd than Gibbs did. Gibbs made a statement saying that they'd dond their homework on Loyd & didn't see any problems, yet the SF media had reported several times that vet 49er players didn't get along w/him.
I could go on, but my point is that it appears to ME that our FO doesn't do a good job of networking w/other teams & it shows in our trades & some fa pickups.

Re: Casserly Keeping his options open
 

[quote=freddyg12;262211]Ok, that post wasn't too clear. What I meant is that IMO (based on what I've read like most of us) the FO hasn't done a good job of networking with and making good contacts with other team's FOs. People in any business will often share info w/competitors as long as its not directly linked to them.
Case in point, a recent Washpost article (again, all I have to go on is my reading, I have no inside source) said that several SF players called Skins in the offseason to warn them about dealing w/Loyd.
Rexi seemed to have more info on Loyd than Gibbs did. Gibbs made a statement saying that they'd dond their homework on Loyd & didn't see any problems, yet the SF media had reported several times that vet 49er players didn't get along w/him.
I could go on, but my point is that it appears to ME that our FO doesn't do a good job of networking w/other teams & it shows in our trades & some fa pickups.[/quote]

Do you really think Gibbs wasn't aware of Lloyd's issues?? C'mon man that's just silly.

Did you expect him to say to the media, "Yeah we know he's a pain in the ass but we're going to take our chances".

Of course not, as usual he tells the media nothing.

Re: Casserly Keeping his options open
 

[quote=Bill B;262204][B][I]So you are happy with the moves the front office has made in the past 3 years?[/I][/B]
I am not saying get Charley tommorow, but the "collective mindset" at Redskin Park has produced 2 years of misery and if not for a 5 game winning streak another year of missed playoffs.

Here a question I pose - if the current person in charge was not named Joe Gibbs would they still have a job after the season was over or would pretty much everyone in town say the current managment in place needs to go?[/quote]

I know I am. If anything, I would think the biggest change was bringing in Al Saunders. Imagine if we have all our starting players from the beginning to the end of this season. I bet things would end a bit differently. Pierson doesn't get hurt, he starts over AA. Springs doesn't get hurt, we see Springs defending than Wright getting burned for touchdowns every other play. Portis doesn't get hurt and we have a great 1-2 punch like we'll have next year. Saunders calls the plays RIGHT for this offense and we win at least 2-3 more games and are right in the thick of the playoff race. None of this is stuff a GM can plan for and fix. I'll have to say I'm extremely happy with the moves made in the past three years save for AA.

Re: Casserly Keeping his options open
 

[quote=Mattyk72;262214]Do you really think Gibbs wasn't aware of Lloyd's issues?? C'mon man that's just silly.

Did you expect him to say to the media, "Yeah we know he's a pain in the ass but we're going to take our chances".

Of course not, as usual he tells the media nothing.[/quote]

I thought everyone knew that Gibbs was a blind fool that only follows his heart and/or scripture to make the right choices. As far as researching and investigation goes he ranks dead last.

Re: Casserly Keeping his options open
 

[quote=724Skinsfan;262216]I thought everyone knew that Gibbs was a blind fool that only follows his heart and/or scripture to make the right choices. As far as researching and investigation goes he ranks dead last.[/quote]

You're right, his research on Lloyd probably involved reading the bible and praying with Brunell. Then they both lit a candle and called SF to make the deal.

Re: Casserly Keeping his options open
 

[quote=Mattyk72;262214]Do you really think Gibbs wasn't aware of Lloyd's issues?? C'mon man that's just silly.

Did you expect him to say to the media, "Yeah we know he's a pain in the ass but we're going to take our chances".

Of course not, as usual he tells the media nothing.[/quote]

Good point about Gibbs only giving the right answers to the media. Maybe Loyd is a bad example, but I'm still not so sure that Gibbs would've taken this guy if he had a solid amount of info on him. Loyd has lost the ball a few times in the air this season & doesn't look like a reciever Gibbs would hand pick.
Maybe AA is a better example, he's had a neck surgery & obviously isn't the same player he was a few years back. Could Gibbs, GW et al have figured this out? Maybe, it certainly appears that they could've.
As for our trades, under Beathard & Casserly we always got the better end, remember Lachey for Schroeder? That doesn't ever happen now.

Re: Casserly Keeping his options open
 

[quote=freddyg12;262221]Good point about Gibbs only giving the right answers to the media. Maybe Loyd is a bad example, but I'm still not so sure that Gibbs would've taken this guy if he had a solid amount of info on him. Loyd has lost the ball a few times in the air this season & doesn't look like a reciever Gibbs would hand pick.
Maybe AA is a better example, he's had a neck surgery & obviously isn't the same player he was a few years back. Could Gibbs, GW et al have figured this out? Maybe, it certainly appears that they could've.
As for our trades, under Beathard & Casserly we always got the better end, remember Lachey for Schroeder? That doesn't ever happen now.[/quote]

Archuleta is probably all on Williams. Reports say that he was jocking him for years and really jumped at the chance to bring him in. On the defensive side Gibbs trusts Williams to make the majority of the personnel decisions.

As for Lloyd I have an awfully hard time believing Gibbs would bring someone in for the offense without knowing everything that he possibly could about him. That's just not his style.

In the end it doesn't really matter how much "homework" you do on a guy. Human nature isn't something that's set in stone.

Re: Casserly Keeping his options open
 

[quote=TheMalcolmConnection;262215]I know I am. If anything, I would think the biggest change was bringing in Al Saunders. Imagine if we have all our starting players from the beginning to the end of this season. I bet things would end a bit differently. Pierson doesn't get hurt, he starts over AA. Springs doesn't get hurt, we see Springs defending than Wright getting burned for touchdowns every other play. Portis doesn't get hurt and we have a great 1-2 punch like we'll have next year. Saunders calls the plays RIGHT for this offense and we win at least 2-3 more games and are right in the thick of the playoff race. None of this is stuff a GM can plan for and fix. I'll have to say I'm extremely happy with the moves made in the past three years save for AA.[/quote]

I disagree - aren't most good GM's aware that every team is going to sustain injuries and in knowing this can't a GM prepare the team better by providing better quality depth? Insterad of throwing $10 million at Adam Archie, couldn't the Skins FO said why don't we resign Clark at 1/5 the cost and get a bunch of backups at key positions in case we get an injury or two?

I think most teams in the NFL have to at least entertain the thought as you pointed out that some of thier starters will not play the entire 16 game season due to an injury.

Heck Philly saw this and what does their FO do - they sign a great backup in Jeff Garcia at a resonable price and the may make the playoffs because of it.

Outside of Todd Wade and Troy Vincent how many good backups do the Redskins have?

Re: Casserly Keeping his options open
 

[quote=Mattyk72;262224]Archuleta is probably all on Williams. Reports say that he was jocking him for years and really jumped at the chance to bring him in. On the defensive side Gibbs trusts Williams to make the majority of the personnel decisions.

As for Lloyd I have an awfully hard time believing Gibbs would bring someone in for the offense without knowing everything that he possibly could about him. That's just not his style.

In the end it doesn't really matter how much "homework" you do on a guy. Human nature isn't something that's set in stone.[/quote]

[COLOR=black][FONT=Verdana][B][SIZE=1]You’re right that wasn’t his style in Gibbs I, but we’re still learning about Gibbs II. Don’t get me wrong, I would still rather have Gibbs at the helm. My overall feeling is that he is learning the job of team prez (GM essentially) & how to balance those duties w/the job of head coach. I think he’s made a few mistakes (some of which he’s admitted, e.g. Pierce), but I have faith that he will also learn from them & make some minor changes this offseason. I also think that he’s the victim of the Danny’s past financial success/football failure, which means that he came into a job w/an organization that is not on good terms w/most of the nfl. No concrete evidence to offer, but I seriously doubt the Skins’ FO has many friends elsewhere in the league. Notice that there are a couple teams we consistently trade with, and each time they get something extra.[/SIZE][/B][/FONT][/COLOR]
[SIZE=1][/SIZE]

Re: Casserly Keeping his options open
 

[quote=htownskinfan;262176]Casserly has screwed up the texans so bad it will take years for them to recover,how he has a job is beyond me,he wouldnt even look at Vince Young because he didnt want to admit he made a mistake with Carr,the dude sucks,I dont want him no way no how[/quote]

You are second guessing. Alot of scouts were high on Carr at the end of last year, saying that he needs alot of help on O. The texans also drafted a potential ROY in the later rounds (lb , i don't know his name). Now, i thought the 1st pick of Williams was a joke, and it should have been Bush, but are you going to tell me that it was all Casserly when he had one foot out of the door and a new coach giving input. But anyway, lots of people were pretty high on Carr after last year.

Re: Casserly Keeping his options open
 

[quote=TheMalcolmConnection;262215]I know I am. If anything, I would think the biggest change was bringing in Al Saunders. Imagine if we have all our starting players from the beginning to the end of this season. I bet things would end a bit differently. Pierson doesn't get hurt, he starts over AA. Springs doesn't get hurt, we see Springs defending than Wright getting burned for touchdowns every other play. Portis doesn't get hurt and we have a great 1-2 punch like we'll have next year. Saunders calls the plays RIGHT for this offense and we win at least 2-3 more games and are right in the thick of the playoff race. None of this is stuff a GM can plan for and fix. I'll have to say I'm extremely happy with the moves made in the past three years save for AA.[/quote]

That's alot of what ifs. Injuries happen and quality teams have depth via drafting players that fit your "system." The FO has made a number of mistakes by overpaying and giving away draft picks when we didn't need to.

Re: Casserly Keeping his options open
 

Yes, but a season is made and broken on what-ifs. I'll ask again: [I][B]Does a GM fix what was broken this offseason?[/B][/I] Does a GM tell Gibbs to run his OWN plays and say screw getting Al Saunders? Does a GM have intimate knowledge of Springs groin? I'd like to hope not. If we don't make a SINGLE CHANGE this offseason and everyone comes back totally healthy, the team is the playoff contender that it was in 2005...[I][B]GM or not.[/B][/I]

Re: Casserly Keeping his options open
 

[quote=redsk1;262252]That's alot of what ifs. Injuries happen and quality teams have depth via drafting players that fit your "system." The FO has made a number of mistakes [B][I]by overpaying[/I][/B] and giving away draft picks when we didn't need to.[/quote]

And we've talked about that term ad nauseum. Overpaying is a very relative term. If we paid Mark Brunell a million, billion, zillion dollars and we won the Super Bowl one year, I bet no one would be bitching about overpaying for free agents. Until we enter the ALWAYS upcoming cap-hell, no one has shown me that we've overpaid for anything. Sure, there are busts and gems along the way, but overpaying is way too relative to even factor it into the equation.

Re: Casserly Keeping his options open
 

[QUOTE=TheMalcolmConnection;262215]I'll have to say I'm extremely happy with the moves made in the past three years save for AA.[/QUOTE]

I've posted this before, but here are a few points that need to be addressed when anyone defends the personnel decision making of Joe Gibbs the Personnel Decision Maker:

--Giving former wideout Darnerian McCants a $2 million bonus a week before he was declared inactive and subsequently released...

--Giving up a 3rd round draft choice for Mark Brunell who was going to be cut by Jacksonville anyway...

--Giving up Champ Bailey [B][I]AND[/I][/B] a 2nd round choice for Clinton Portis...

--Letting go of Antonio Pierce, who's made it his career long vendetta to bring his game of the year performance every time he plays the Redskins...

--Giving up a 3rd and 4th round draft choice, plus a $10 million bonus for Brandon Lloyd who won't come anywhere near his career averages for catches...

--Giving Randle El a $10 million signing bonus when we already had 3 capable kick returners in Thrash, Betts, and Cartwright...

--Giving up a 3rd round choice for T.J. Duckett who won't get more than 50 carries for the season...

--Trading up in the '06 draft for Rocky McIntosh, losing next year's 2nd round choice when he can't even unseat Warrick Holdman or any other of the incompetent buffoons we have playing on defense...

--Adam Archuleta -- do we need an explanation about him?

--The defense is old, needs to be completely overhauled and gutted, and we haven't nearly enough draft picks next year to address a third of the needs on that side of the field.

These are not the moves of a smart front office.

Re: Casserly Keeping his options open
 

Man, ya'll are going to make TMC mad and then sumpin bad gonna happen'.

Re: Casserly Keeping his options open
 

[quote=TheMalcolmConnection;262254]Yes, but a season is made and broken on what-ifs. I'll ask again: [I][B]Does a GM fix what was broken this offseason?[/B][/I] Does a GM tell Gibbs to run his OWN plays and say screw getting Al Saunders? Does a GM have intimate knowledge of Springs groin? I'd like to hope not. If we don't make a SINGLE CHANGE this offseason and everyone comes back totally healthy, the team is the playoff contender that it was in 2005...[I][B]GM or not.[/B][/I][/quote]

Thank you.

I've heard Gibbs and Williams remark lately that this has just been "one of those years", and I tend to agree. Get these guys healthy, bring in some fresh blood on the defense, continue to groom Campbell in this offense, and we are a playoff team in 2007 without a doubt in my mind.

Re: Casserly Keeping his options open
 

[quote=Hog1;262208]Would the person in charge have three Super Bowl Championship rings, and a long proven history of success at the highest levels in the sporting world?[/quote]

No - I am just asking that the person be graded not on past performance as the coach of the team but of his current performance of being a first time GM on the current 3 year history of the team - so basically I am saying grade him on his GM performance - remember that Bethard was the GM for his first stint that contained all thos rings you are referring to. Bethard was the one who got the ingredients for the team - and Gibbs was the one who cooked. Gibbs history of shopping the past 3 years in my book have been quite questionable.

If you don't believe me check out the article in the Washington Times today:

[url=http://www.washtimes.com/sports/20061220-124412-8470r.htm]Oh, the choices he's made - Sports - The Washington Times, America's Newspaper[/url]

Re: Casserly Keeping his options open
 

[QUOTE=Mattyk72;262261]Thank you.

I've heard Gibbs and Williams remark lately that this has just been "one of those years", and I tend to agree. Get these guys healthy, bring in some fresh blood on the defense, continue to groom Campbell in this offense, and we are a playoff team in 2007 without a doubt in my mind.[/QUOTE]

I think the offense will get on track, maybe even be in the top five by the end of '07. But this defense has a long way to go. We need 2-3 players in the secondary, the defensive line, save for Griff, Carter, and MAYBE Salave'a needs an overhaul. And though everyone says Lemar Marshall was banged up all year, middle linebacker could still be a need.

I can see the Skins becoming the NFL's next version of the Chiefs or Colts in that their offense will put up the yards and the points, but the D will be their downfall.

Re: Casserly Keeping his options open
 

[quote=724Skinsfan;262260]Man, ya'll are going to make TMC mad and then sumpin bad gonna happen'.[/quote]

Like what?

Re: Casserly Keeping his options open
 

[quote=Beemnseven;262259]I've posted this before, but here are a few points that need to be addressed when anyone defends the personnel decision making of Joe Gibbs the Personnel Decision Maker:

--Giving former wideout Darnerian McCants a $2 million bonus a week before he was declared inactive and subsequently released...

--Giving up a 3rd round draft choice for Mark Brunell who was going to be cut by Jacksonville anyway...

--Giving up Champ Bailey [B][I]AND[/I][/B] a 2nd round choice for Clinton Portis...

--Letting go of Antonio Pierce, who's made it his career long vendetta to bring his game of the year performance every time he plays the Redskins...

--Giving up a 3rd and 4th round draft choice, plus a $10 million bonus for Brandon Lloyd who won't come anywhere near his career averages for catches...

--Giving Randle El a $10 million signing bonus when we already had 3 capable kick returners in Thrash, Betts, and Cartwright...

--Giving up a 3rd round choice for T.J. Duckett who won't get more than 50 carries for the season...

--Trading up in the '06 draft for Rocky McIntosh, losing next year's 2nd round choice when he can't even unseat Warrick Holdman or any other of the incompetent buffoons we have playing on defense...

--Adam Archuleta -- do we need an explanation about him?

--The defense is old, needs to be completely overhauled and gutted, and we haven't nearly enough draft picks next year to address a third of the needs on that side of the field.

These are not the moves of a smart front office.[/quote]

Why can't a lot of the posters see this! Also add to the "smart move" giving up a 6th rounder for James Thrash - why when you can draft someone like Colston of the Saints who was taken in the 6th round - than you don't need to give out $10 million to both ARE and Llloyd.

Re: Casserly Keeping his options open
 

[quote=Bill B;262271]Like what?[/quote]

I don't know, he's a lot more imaginative than I am.

Re: Casserly Keeping his options open
 

I don't see the defense in need of a major overhaul. I'd call it a reloading if anything.

Re: Casserly Keeping his options open
 

[quote=724Skinsfan;262274]I don't know, he's a lot more imaginative than I am.[/quote]

Listen - I am not trying to fight amongst all you guys in that we are all presumably diehard fans of the Redskins and want the team to win today and 5 years from now. I hope that I am totally wrong next year and the Skins run the table and Gibbs wins the executive of the year award.

I just get frustrated when these free agents come to Washington to collect the huge bonus paychecks and laugh all the way to the bank. Even though it is Synder's money and I could care less about Synder, I want players to come to Washington because it should be an honor to wear the burgundy and gold and because they want a chance to play for the chmapionship.

Re: Casserly Keeping his options open
 

[quote=TheMalcolmConnection;262256]And we've talked about that term ad nauseum. Overpaying is a very relative term. If we paid Mark Brunell a million, billion, zillion dollars and we won the Super Bowl one year, I bet no one would be bitching about overpaying for free agents. Until we enter the ALWAYS upcoming cap-hell, no one has shown me that we've overpaid for anything. Sure, there are busts and gems along the way, but overpaying is way too relative to even factor it into the equation.[/quote]

I'm not saying that we need a complete overhaul, as we do have talent and have made some good choices. Yes, this team could be a playoff contender in 2007.

Yes, I know the same things keep getting brought up and we're all tired of hearing it, but overpaying imo is not the best thing for team morale.

So let's step into the shoes of say, Sean Taylor. A "core" guy. You have been busting it here for three years or so and you are one of the top safeties in the league. You play every play like its your last risking injury on every play. A guy comes in (AA) and is paid alot more than you are when you've been here busting it. On top of that the guy isn't even on your level. It's only natural to feel a little cheap. I would. That's what i call overpaying. Guess what, Taylor at the very least will require more than AA. I don't mind overpaying a little for our guys.

Gibbs mentioned this when Smoot left saying that we couldn't pay him more than springs. I guess they changed their philosophy a little.

Maybe it doesn't matter to players on the field but it pays to keep your employees happy.

Re: Casserly Keeping his options open
 

Since I had to leave the office for a while, I'll just respond in general to the others. Since hindsight is 20-20, can anyone say for sure that we'd be any worse for wear if we'd have RETAINED all those draft picks and/or money? It's not like there's been a year where we're like, "DAMMIT! If only we had the cap space to make that happen!!!" nor a year where we say, "Wow, if only we had that pick, we could have picked X player."

If we had a GM these previous years, we MIGHT not have Campbell, we'd either be dealing with Ramsey or some washed-up vet. There's a lot of choices and changes that would have been made. Would we even have selected Taylor in the draft?

Re: Casserly Keeping his options open
 

[quote=Bill B;262276]Listen - I am not trying to fight amongst all you guys in that we are all presumably diehard fans of the Redskins and want the team to win today and 5 years from now. I hope that I am totally wrong next year and the Skins run the table and Gibbs wins the executive of the year award.

I just get frustrated when these free agents come to Washington to collect the huge bonus paychecks and laugh all the way to the bank. Even though it is Synder's money and I could care less about Synder, I want players to come to Washington because it should be an honor to wear the burgundy and gold and because they want a chance to play for the chmapionship.[/quote]

Whoa, Bill! Keep it light. My intentions were for meant for humorous purposes only. Sorry for any misunderstandings.

Re: Casserly Keeping his options open
 

If you're saying players are laughing all the way to the bank, the only one is AA. When Lloyd gets the ball thrown to him, he catches it 99% of the time.

Re: Casserly Keeping his options open
 

[quote=TheMalcolmConnection;262289]If you're saying players are laughing all the way to the bank, the only one is AA. When Lloyd gets the ball thrown to him, he catches it 99% of the time.[/quote]

I agree, i think LLoyd could be a monster in this offense (when given the chance).

Re: Casserly Keeping his options open
 

[quote=TheMalcolmConnection;262283]Since I had to leave the office for a while, I'll just respond in general to the others. Since hindsight is 20-20, can anyone say for sure that we'd be any worse for wear if we'd have RETAINED all those draft picks and/or money? It's not like there's been a year where we're like, "DAMMIT! If only we had the cap space to make that happen!!!" nor a year where we say, "Wow, if only we had that pick, we could have picked X player."

If we had a GM these previous years, we MIGHT not have Campbell, we'd either be dealing with Ramsey or some washed-up vet. There's a lot of choices and changes that would have been made. Would we even have selected Taylor in the draft?[/quote]


True points - all I am saying is if we kept those draft picks maybe at least some of them work out and what is nice is they come at a relatively cheap price compared to the major free agent.

You nailed it with the Sean Taylor comparison to AA - Sean is worth way more than AA, but the Redskins have Taylor locked up for a long time at a reasonable contract compared to AA because they were able to draft him as opposed to having to lure him with big money. This really is the case with lower round picks as they don't command huge signing bonuses. Plus if the Redskins are going to shell out major bucks for free agents doesn't it make more sense to keep your home grown talent who already are familar with your system than to bring in an outsider who will have to get adjusted (like Andre Carter or Brandon Llyod) and have to give up draft picks in the process?

With more draft picks you have a higher chance of getting some of them right because of you have more chips to play with.

Also signing cheaper rookie contracts compred to bring in expensive outside free agents allows your team to have the cap space to resign upcoming free agent players on your own team who are considered really good (i.e. Chris Cooley) plus you have space to sign valuable backups like a Todd Wade in case you get an injuries which almost every team in the NFL sustains.

Re: Casserly Keeping his options open
 

I don't think you can chalk up the moves that were made to the "hindsight is 20/20" excuse. Many people around the league and fans at this website openly questioned the need for those moves. The skeptics were all right, and the kool-aid drinkers were all wrong -- just as they were about the preseason.

Look, the bottom line is that we are 21-25 since Gibbs came back with all the personnel decisions he's made. The same philosophy before Gibbs got here garnered the same results.

We know which strategy doesn't work. Why do we keep doing it?