Dan Snyder Never Ceases to Hurt Me

“I learned – and I think this has to do with Joe Gibbs – the most important thing for me personally is to have a head coach who is extremely competent, that’s what I’ve got with Mike. It creates an opportunity for me to be extremely hands off and not have to worry. I’m just enjoying myself. It’s been a lot of fun for me. It’s been effortless on my part."

-Dan Snyder to Alex Marvez of foxsports.com

Unbelievable, he is just full of surprises.............I don't even know where to begin..................I mean, is he serious?!? This idiot only realizes now that after seeking out the best professionals to improve your extremely valuable entity, you should just let them do their jobs and not meddle?!? Jim Zorn was maybe in a little over his head, but Joe Gibbs and Marty Schottenheimer!!! Clearly those guys needed your complete and utter lack of football experience. I can just see how the creator of 'Marty-ball' and 'Camp Schottenheimer' would step back and say, 'You know what, I think maybe I need to change my ways; we need some outside perspective from someone who has never played, coached, analyzed, or even written about the game, and this Snyder guy really has a fresh take.' 11 years! I want the last 11 years of my football life back!

Lavar Arrington and Chad Dukes were on this today, and I think they put it best by saying this is akin to having a broken air conditioner, then hiring a repair man to fix the issue, but instead of relaxing and letting the repair guy work, you completely stress over the repair because you decide to step in and do it yourself.

In a bit of fairness, Lavar made a great point that Snyder is an entrepreneur, and as anyone who has worked for or been an entrepreneur knows, there are a lot of control issues in running a business. More specifically, many entrepreneurs are complete control freaks, and Snyder is no different. As Lavar also noted, that does not mean being controlling in every situation is right, but you can at least understand Snyder's perspective a little bit. That said, it's been 11 years of constant public derision and a clear lack of success on the field; he clearly should have gotten the message and changed his ways awhile ago.

The good news is that Dan Snyder finally appears to be hands-off with the Skins front office. He may still be more involved than most people would like, but he appears to have learned something from these loooooong 11 years. Rehashing the incompetence makes me absurdly angry and frustrated, but maybe, just maybe, we really have reached a turning point. Now it's just up to Shanahan.......

(Image courtesy of misterirrelevant.com)

Redskins Trade Jason Campbell for...Nothing at All?

Since we all saw it coming, it wasn't so hard to deal with the news that the Jason Campbell era officially closed today. Sports are funny like that. You pour your heart and soul into fiery debates about the merits of a player, to the point where you become emotionally attached. Or so you think. Because then the day comes that he is traded, and all you care about is: "what did we get in return?"

Apparently, a 4th-round pick in 2012. That is, according to the Washington Post, CSN, Fanhouse, Yahoo!, and the rest of the modest handful of news sources covering the NFL draft.

Except for ESPN's John Clayton who slipped this interesting tidbit into his "Winners and Losers" post-NFL draft column:

Al Davis got it right this year. He added to a solid draft by picking up Campbell for a conditional fourth-round pick, whose conditions appear to be unachievable. For the Redskins to get that fourth-round pick, the Raiders would either have to make the playoffs or Campbell would have to go to the Pro Bowl.

That last sentence really jumps out of the page, doesn't it? I hope Campbell succeeds, but that's just not happening in Washington West. If this is true, the Redskins have forfeited a 2nd and 3rd/4th round pick and an average at worst starting QB for 28 more passing yards per game if we're lucky. Was the market for veteran starting quarterbacks so bad that this was the best the Redskins could do? And isn't a guaranteed 5th/6th/7th-rounder better than a never-gonna-happen 4th?

If this turns out to be true I think Shanahan and Allen were asleep at the wheel on this one. A nonchalant attitude towards draft picks got us into this mess in the first place. Between this and the questionable merits of their other big decisions (alienating the team's best defensive player, signing running backs without legs, overpaying for McNabb) it's not unreasonable to feel nervous. I hope I'm wrong.

Say It With Me: Donovan McNabb is the Washington Redskins' Newest Starting Quarterback

I can only assume he is starting, because why else would you give up a 2nd round pick AND a third or fourth round pick next year during a "rebuild" unless you thought you were getting a starter? Right?

Regardless, we're all gonna have to get used to loving supporting a guy we've been programmed to hate for the last 11 years. Although, I've hated him less and less over the last few as my fear of him has decreased. Early in his career, he tore the 'Skins to shreds on the ground. In his prime a few years ago, he just tore everyone to shreds. The last few years, he's only been able to tear the grass to shreds, specifically those patches 10 yards behind Kevin Curtis.

Exact scientific rendering of what McNabb will look like in a 'Skins uni. Get used to it.

My brain is just about ready to explode with confusion. My gut reaction is that this is horrible, so I'll just go with that. I mean, haven't we seen this movie before? Overpaying (in the form of undervalued draft picks, which the Eagles are now assuredly going to turn into perennial All-Pros) for the washed-up vet? The former Pro Bowler who will never again be an All-Pro after donning the curse that is the B&G jersey? And what the hell, Shannahan and Allen!?!?!?!? I thought you were supposed to be DIFFERENT! It's like there's something in the water in Ashburn that turns every formerly successful NFL coach into some variation of a Snyder-esque doofus. This Campbell undermining and acquiring of declining stars is just Cerrato 2.0.

Judging by either conventional stats or the metrics, McNabb was barely better than Campbell last season - and McNabb actually had an offensive line and some explosive receivers to work with. Numbers aside, he's never been known to have the intangibles of a leader. For some reason, every Eagles fan seemed to hate him. Then again, Eagles fans are dumb.

He does have a winning record in his career, and he is automatically the best QB the 'Skins have had since '99 Brad Johnson, and he knows the WCO and....HEY STOP IT FALSE OPTIMISM! YOUR SORCERY WILL NOT WORK ON ME!

Anyways the best part of the trade is this signals the end of the flirtations with Notre Dame QB Jimmy Claussen and the increased likelihood we'll draft much needed OT stud Russel Okung with the #4 pick. I'd rather root for McNabb for a minute than Claussen ever. The worst part is that poor Rex Grossman just lost his best chance at a starting position for the rest of his life. That makes me sad.

Anyways, bye bye Campbell. I will be rooting for you wherever you land, so that you can stick it to the idiot haters.

UPDATE: Just posted on my facebook wall from the one Eagles fan I am "friends" with: "Enjoy Donovan." So, yeah.

UPDATE 2: Just got this e-mail from another Eagles fan friend: "Hope you enjoy our washed-up waste of money choke artist QB." Safe to say Philly consensus is they come out ahead on this one, no?

Kiper Tabs Bradford as Skins QB of the Future...

...for now, at least.

From Mel Kiper's Mock Draft 1.0 (must be an ESPN Insider to read the full article):

4. Washington Redskins 

Sam Bradford, QB, Oklahoma

Mike Shanahan and the Redskins can get a quarterback here who might have been the top player taken had he opted to come out last year. The Redskins need to find their franchise quarterback, and when healthy, Bradford is an exceptionally accurate passer with an underrated arm. Shanahan also hit on his last QB selection when he drafted Jay Cutler in Denver.

How do I feel about this? Not great. Not quite sure what Kiper is getting at with that last sentence, either. Since when was Jay Cutler considered anything but a mediocre quarterback? Oh, that's right, last summer when Snyderrato nearly traded for the little douche.

If Shanahan/Allen really want to draft a QB, then I guess I'm okay with that. But please not with the 4th pick, and please not if Russell Okung - or the Offensive Lineman du jour - is available.

A better idea - trade LaRon Landry for a 5th round pick, then trade our 4th overall pick back for LaRon Landry! I jest...

Don't Get Your Hopes Up

Finally, a Redskins offseason in the hands of a competent pair (Mike Shanahan and Bruce Allen) instead of a dimwitted duo. A pair that will have a plan, implement it, draft wisely, demonstrate patience, and develop players. Or will they?

We all know that Shanahan (138-90 career W-L, 8-5 Postseason record) and Allen have been successful on their own. But can they coexist together, with Snyder, and within the NFC East? I'm not so optimistic.

The new power structure atop the Redskins organization is bizarre and disaster already foreseeable. Bruce Allen was hired as GM, but all the football decisions are being left to Shanahan. Um, what? Per Adam Schefter, who appears once every 4 minutes on ESPN, Snyder is leaving all football decisions in the hands of his two new hires. Sure, Adam. So basically, Bruce Allen is in charge of the team, except when Shanahan says otherwise, and except when Snyder decides to sign Free Agent Y for $800 million over the next 17 seasons. This is going to be fun.

And I'm not so optimistic about Shanahan as a coach/personnel guy. Shanahan inherited the Broncos Super Bowl rosters, and then after Elway retired built his teams around smaller and quicker zone-blocking offensive linemen, and zero defense. Everyone in DC is clamoring with Hogs-nostalgia for a sturdy offensive line that will take us into the 2020s. Will Shanahan adapt to the bruising NFC East style or try to impose his zone blocking scheme on it? Or will it be an awkward mix that completely fails? One offseason, the last place Browns cut their entire defensive line, and Shanahan signed them all one by one. The Broncos remain one of the league's worst defenses year-to-year, and that's all thanks to Shanahan.

When newcomers arrive in DC, fans become impatient and Snyder's deep pockets tempt those in charge to make the quick fix. But we need something different. We need a team built soundly and developed patiently. This will require three giant egos to coexist, will require Allen and Shanahan to work together towards constructing a sound and deep roster on both sides of the ball, and will require unprecedented patience on Snyder's part. Making it work won't be automatic. It will take time, and it might fail. If recent history has taught us anything, it probably will.

Don't be tempted by the big-name hire. It doesn't mean anything until we see the results.