Well, Cartwright was voted special teams captain wasn't he? So that must count for something.
Plus...this is what team leaders do
'You'll see him talking to young guys over the course of practice because he knows how we do it,' Smith said. 'It's one thing for me to teach it and coach it, but when you have guys like Rock that help you help the young guys understand, then you become a better team'
Redskins' Cartwright Carries On
And there's this
"We're real happy we were able to get this done," said Vinny Cerrato, the Redskins' executive vice president of football operations. "It made total sense because Rock is an outstanding special teams player, and he's also one of our leaders in the locker room. Rock does a lot of things for our team on and off the field, so he was definitely someone we wanted back."
Redskins, Cartwright Agree To a Three-Year Contract - washingtonpost.com
It seems like some people who are pushing for Mason (and I am pushing for Mason), are doing it as much because they just want to get rid of Rock. Not sure why we have to hate on Rock. He's made quite a nice career for himself being a 7th round pick. Maybe he's not the next Barry Sanders, but he's contributed quite well to the team in his role. His days are probably numbered, but he still has some left in the tank and has offered a lot.