Quote:
Originally Posted by NLC1054
The thing is, I really feel like there's teams out there with FAR worse quarterback situations than ours.
The Panthers anyone? The Panthers are looking to have to choose between starting Cam Newton, Jimmy Clausen, and friggin' Derek Anderson. Are people looking forward to the Dalton/Gradkowski/Jordan Palmer battle in Cinci? How is T-Jack vs. Whitehurst any better than Grossman vs. Beck? Career underacheiver vs. career back-up?
But you don't hear the same kind of reservations about those situations, and those situations are approached with class and from an analytical perspective. They're not any better off than we are, but still, people come at it from a football analysis.
When we get to the Redskins though? It's a completely different dynamic. Like I said, there's an almost gleeful dismantling of our status as a football team, despite the moves we've made to get better. There are a lot of teams in rebuild mode, but it's the complete inverse of what we typically get.
Right now we're getting raked over the coals for NOT spending, for deciding to go with our own (and Beck and Grossman are our own, for the most part) and spend wisely. Meanwhile, a division rival is doing the exact thing that doomed so many of our seasons and they're being treated like the friggin' champions of the world.
And my point of contention is that, even if this football team was in a much better place, and we were truly a few pieces away from being a contender...we'd be getting MURDERED right now if we signed that many free agents, and put our cap situation in danger when we have to pay so many guys, spending money on big names while one of our homegrown talents that's been a playmaker for us holds out for money that he deserves. We wouldn't hear the end of it.
I understand and know that going into a season where Rex Grossman and John Beck is less than ideal. Way less. But the level of disrespect towards the team just seems to go beyond "what are they thinking" into thinking we're some sort of comedy side show, when in reality we made real strides towards making the football team better.
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I agree with what Matty is saying about national attention. Seattle's QB situation is tenuous at best, but they're in the corner of the pacifc northwest and play in the NFC West. We're in the nation's capital playing in the NFC East. Bigger stage, more attention paid.
Also, you reference our offseason as compared to the Eagles high profile spending spree. Yes, if we had made those moves we'd be getting raked over the coals. You know why? Because we've gone that route in the past and it's blown up in our face in grand fashion. The Eagles front office consistently does a solid job, so they're drawing praise. Hell, they turned an ex-con into an MVP candidate in one year.
As far as our offseason, yes it's been solid. On paper. We've been practicing for a week. I've seen a few people give us solid marks for our moves, but why would anyone fall over themselves to give us props when every other offseason we've had for a decade+ has been a joke?
As far as the disrespect/comedy sideshow thing... What do you call the whole Sherm Smith bingo caller/Jim Zorn emasculation? The swinging gate play? Gibbs calling two timeouts in a row to cost us a game? Trading for TJ Duckett? The way Shanahan handled the Haynesworth and McNabb situations last year? Vinny Cerrato? WE ARE a comedic sideshow unitl... well, until we're not.
Again, respect is earned.