Fans are understandably nervous about the possibility of a lockout in 2011, but in the mean-time, it’s looking like 2010 will go uncapped. The rumors of what the Redskins would do in an uncapped year began the moment someone realized this was an actual possibility.

“Look out for Dan Snyder,” they laughed, “an uncapped year and an owner that sees money as no object? It’ll be like Y2K all over again!” I’m paraphrasing of course, but with every release of a high-priced free agent, the Redskins’ name gets mentioned as a possible landing point complete with golden parachute.

Time to face facts fellas; the Dan Snyder of ’99, ’00, and ’01 is long since gone. He’s not the “wide-eyed know it all” he once was. A decade of losing and marginal seasons will do that to ya. I put forth that Snyder has let his coaches make the player recommendations dating all the way back to the Spurrier era. Certainly were a lot of former Gators on the team back then.

We have not seen a coach since Turner that has seemed unhappy with the personnel moves, and in most cases, we’ve seen it reported that Snyder, while party to the discussions, has let his coaching staff have their say. Jason Taylor was a move that involved Zorn, Blache, Cerrato and Snyder. They each agreed it was the move that needed to be made; even the Washington Post reported it that way (and they have never gone out of their way to make Snyder look like anything but an idiot).

Just prior to Michael Vick’s release from prison, the Washington Post reported that Snyder asked if the team should go after him, and it was reported that Cerrato and Zorn both agreed that Vick was not a good fit for the team. Vick was eventually picked up by Philadelphia.

Many credited Cerrato as nothing more than a puppet for Dan Snyder; a straw-man to take all the blame. Even with Cerrato’s “resignation” many felt it was nothing more than a scapegoating orchestrated by Snyder to take the heat off of himself. That could be true, but then it doesn’t seem to fit very well with Snyder’s next two moves. Snyder could have promoted someone from in house to Cerrato’s position, and kept up the “straw-man” game as many speculated, but he didn’t. He picked up two of the most respected professionals in the league in Bruce Allen and Mike Shanahan, and gave them control over all football decisions.

Snyder has done everything he can to show the fans that he has taken a back-seat approach. He can’t leave the picture all-together, it is his money after all, and no owner is completely out of the picture. The one thing Snyder has always done well is get the coaches what they want. If a coach says “we need this guy” Snyder will get him. Even Joe Gibbs, now two years removed from the team can’t say enough good things about Snyder. Gibbs was credited by Shanahan for convincing him to take the job.

So, the big question is, what are the Redskins going to do in the draft? It’s not every year you get a first round pick as high as fourth overall. Sure you can trade down and get more picks, but when you need to be that high, how many picks are you going to need to give up to get it?

Many of the same people, who think Campbell isn’t worth his role as the starting QB, think that drafting a QB is a waste of time. I say take a QB. You’ve got at least one more year with Campbell, get one and get him ready to go by next year. Then you can decide whether you want to stay with Campbell, or start your rookie. Dump Collins, and bring up Colt Brennan as the number two. Let’s face facts; this is not a Super Bowl year. Even if Campbell goes down, we aren’t riding the arm of Collins into the playoffs.

If you’re not going to go QB, than go HB. Portis has clearly lost a step, and it might be time for us to cultivate a new running back. As far as running backs go, Shanahan has always had a good eye for them.

For those of you howling about the offensive line at this point, we don’t need ten picks to get quality O-linemen. You can pick up perfectly good offensive linemen in the second and third, and even fourth rounds. They can also be found in free-agency. I may be wrong, but I’ve never seen a single offensive linemen credited with being the Super Bowl MVP. It’s usually a QB or a running back, and they were usually taken in the first round.

You just don’t see a team saying “we really won this game because of the outstanding play of our left guard.” I’m not saying that we don’t draft linemen, but they don’t all have to be this year, and they certainly don’t have to be as high as #4. I know the argument is to trade down and get two first-rounders, but again, what happens next year when you want a QB or a Running Back? How many picks are we going to need to trade to get as high as fourth?  Solid, MVP-type Running backs and Quarterbacks are much less likely to be found in free-agency. Drew Brees being the exception; not the rule.

Granted, a solid offensive line could do wonders for this team, but if we learned anything from last year, play-calling was as much to blame for the losses as the talent on the field. The team’s offensive production picked up markedly when the play-calling duties were handed over to Sherm Lewis. A team that couldn’t beat the 0-fer Lions carried the Super Bowl Champion Saints into overtime.

I’m not saying we are one or two players away. How many offensive changes have we seen now over the past ten years? The first year is always the hardest while the players all learn new lingo and plays. We are getting a new offense AND a new defense. This year is going to be tough for us fans as well as the team.  Personally, I think we’ll be lucky to get to 8-8.

I like the move to get Allen and Shanahan, and I’m excited for the future in the long term. I will hate seeing us go through yet another losing season, but I can at least temper it with the knowledge that we have people who know what they are doing, who have a combined three Super Bowl rings in the free-agency era, running things for this team.

Go ‘Skins!

At offensive tackle, those two players are Russell Okung of Oklahoma State and Anthony Davis of Rutgers. Okung might be the best pass blocker in the nation, using tremendous balance and footwork in conjunction with long arms and his 6′8″ frame. He also plays nasty as a run blocker, and is sound technically in that area as well. Davis came out early as a junior for this draft, and has the potential to be an extremely physical tackle at the next level. He’s 6′5″, 330 lbs, and moves well for his size. While his size and strength will be an asset, he will need to show more consistency and better technique to be an elite player in the NFL.

The quarterbacks who could draw the Redskins’ interest in the first round are Oklahoma’s Sam Bradford and Jimmy Clausen out of Notre Dame. Bradford is a Heisman winner, who has superior accuracy and touch.  It is believed that he very well could have been the number one pick last draft had he come out early. By staying  at Oklahoma for his senior year he may have shot himself in the foot. He injured his throwing shoulder not once, but twice last season, and his arm strength was already average. Bradford is also somewhat difficult to evaluate because Oklahoma was such a talented offense, with open receivers everywhere and great pass protection.

Clausen’s stock is rising and he could very well be the number one quarterback on most teams’ draft board when it’s all said and done. He shows great accuracy and intelligence, with sufficient mobility and arm strength. His touch on deep passes is also very impressive. Playing in Charlie Weis’ pro-style system at Notre Dame will give him a distinct advantage over Bradford, who played in a spread offense. That knowledge, along with his competitiveness, could make a good impression in interview sessions at the combine. He will not throw at the combine however, due to a foot injury. He and Bradford will hold private workouts that could determine which of them is selected first, being that they are very closely rated at the moment.

Whichever of these positions isn’t addressed in the first round will very likely be addressed in the second, because offensive tackle is the biggest need position and Shanahan has reportedly stated that he will select a quarterback at some point in the first two rounds. However, they could always select a guard, a runningback, or a defensive back in the second round. Also, if the Skins fall in love with some of the elite players in this draft, such as defensive tackles Ndamukong Suh and Gerald McCoy, or Tennessee safety Eric Berry, they make take such a player if they somehow fall to pick number four.

The NFL draft is a fluid situation, and the NFL combine will shake up a lot of things. Keep an eye out for the Combine Recap in the blogs, as well as mock drafts and opinion pieces. Who knows how much will change between now and April.

I’ve spent too much time trying to defend the guy, and trying to tell other Redskin fans how right he often is, to do so again here. Some like him, some don’t. That’s up to the individual.

But the clip of him going off about Clinton Portis is quite simply the best rant I’ve ever heard on a radio show. Ever.

Download the clip from here.

Lavar just takes ‘rant’ to a whole… ‘nother… level…

Dan Steinberg provided a transcript of what was said at D.C. Sports Bog, but as he says in the intro, reading the transcript doesn’t even come close to doing it justice.

You have to check it out, it’s just under twenty minutes long.

Wow.

Lavar, buddy… that was simply off the hook.

Okay, maybe not exactly earth shattering news, but it’s January!

Every Redskin fan knows that the Redskins have venerable long snapper Ethan Albright, and have since 2001, but he is again a free agent come March. Will he re-sign? If he does, then Sundburg could just be camp fodder; Albright is as good as it gets at the position, and has been for pretty much his entire 16-year career.

Nick was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Carolina Panthers in 2009, but was cut before the season started. He was picked up by the Ravens and placed on their practice squad for the last two games of the season.

He played 52 consecutive games at long snapper for the California Bears, where he started as a true freshman.

He went to high school at North Canyon High in Phoenix, Arizona and was the football team’s captain, as well as participating in both track and wrestling. Sundburg credits the offensive line coach his senior year – Ben Bernard – as the guy who helped him learn his trade, “He basically told me that if I wanted to go on, I could, I just needed to take it more seriously and work with him, snap five days a week, 150 to 200 balls a day, all year long. There was no such thing as a Spring Break to him.”

Sundburg had to hone his craft in a school gym because of the oppressing heat of the Arizona desert – he would sink baskets snapping the ball from half-court. When at Cal, he would line up 10 balls across the 10-yard line at Memorial Stadium – he could hit the goal post with every one. In fact, he can snap a ball FORTY yards and can even hit receivers in stride as they’re running their routes.

Could Sundburg be the next Ethan Albright in Washington?

Enter Dan Snyder.

To quote Ken Harvey during a conversation we had about his trip to Haiti:

“With Diageo, one of the things they try to do is be a first responder to critical situations, and so from what I know they immediately wanted to get out there and one of the things they thought about was how to get down there. Mr. Snyder graciously lent them his plane for the time needed to do that. You know, I’m like everyone else that has to talk about the team and report different things, and you have certain views that, I guess you see certain things like this, him giving his plane for that reason, it puts more of a human face on it and you realize that at the end of the day, the game is a football game, it’s a business, but that’s real life, and that somebody cared enough to make a difference because anything done is something that can make a difference.”

As usual, there is a lot of buzz around the Redskins in the offseason. Not all fans are excited about the recent changes. Many don’t see how this is any different than any of the other “sure-fire” fixes the Redskins have done in previous years. Can you blame the fans for being more than a little skeptical?

I recently had someone (who shall remain anonymous) send me this which shows clearly the pulse of skepticism among the fans. What follows is a breakdown of what he sent, and my replies to his points.

Anonymous Fan:

—”And could we please not pretend that the Redskins have even a bare hint at having a good year next year? It’s going to be one of the worst, Shanahan has a worse record than the Redskins over the last 9 years”

My Reply:

Shanahan’s worst season came in 1999 when the Broncos went 6-10. This was the year that Elway retired. Snyder purchased the team in ‘99, and that year Norv Turner somehow managed a 10-6 record. Shanahan from ‘99-’08 went 91-69. The Redskins during the same time period went 76-84.

Shanahan went to the playoffs in four of those years, while the Redskins went three. Both won only one postseason game, but the Broncos went as far as the conference championship, (the game before the Super Bowl) while the Redskins were eliminated in the Divisional round.

In 14 years Shanahan only had 2 seasons where his team finished with a below .500 record (‘99 and ‘07)

In that same time frame the Redskins finished below .500 a total of 6 times.

During Shanahan’s tenure with the Broncos, his team finished with 10 wins or more 7 times. During that time frame, the Redskins have never had more than 10 wins, and have only had that amount twice (‘99 and ‘05)

I wouldn’t exactly say he’s done worse than the Redskins.

Anonymous Fan:

—”and if it weren’t for Elways’ help that 10th year would have been bad too.”

My Reply:

There is no doubt that John Elway made all the difference in ‘97 and ‘98. The man had been playing since 1983, and had been to several Super Bowls (‘86, ‘87 and ‘89) but it wasn’t until ‘97 and ‘98 that he finally won them…under Mike Shanahan.

Sure the Broncos dived the year following Elway’s retirement, finishing 6-10, but they rebounded a year later to finish 11-5. The team cooled in ‘01 and ‘02 finishing 8-8 and 9-7 respectively (the Redskins went 8-8 under Schottenhiemer and 7-9 under Spurrier those years) but got hot again from ‘03 to ‘05 finishing 10-6, 10-6, and 13-3.

Anonymous Fan:

—”It feels like we got Gibbs back, sure he was fantastic at one time but that time has passed,”

My Reply:

Gibbs had been out of the game for 11 years when he came back. The year after Gibbs retired, the League instituted Free-Agency (something Gibbs had never had to deal with during his tenure previously). Many of the rules had changed, most notably, the play-clock had been reduced from 45 seconds to 40 seconds. This interfered with Gibbs’ love for pre-snap motion.

Shanahan has been unemployed 1 season. He’s won two Super Bowls and has made the playoffs 7 times in the Free Agency era. He was fired by the Broncos after going 9-7, 7-9 and 8-8 in his last three seasons. During that same period, the Redskins went 5-11, 9-7 and 8-8.

Anonymous Fan:

—”of course I could be wrong, I hope I am, since he does have GM powers along with the head coaching spot maybe he gets all the tools he needs, who knows. But I doubt it”

My Reply:

It’s too early to tell, but maybe now you see why there is so much excitement. Bruce Allen and Mike Shanahan have been given a blank check for whatever they want or need.

If 2010 goes uncapped as it looks like it’s going to, this could be a good thing for the Redskins. Not because they can go nuts and sign everyone to ridiculous contracts, but because some of the players who would have been too expensive to “get rid of” now will have no impact on a salary cap.

The Redskins can unload anyone they see as “dead weight” and they still have a majority of their draft picks.

We’ll have to wait and see.

End of Message

Now my interpretation of the impact of an “uncapped year” may be wrong, I haven’t seen or heard anything to that effect, but it stands to logic that if there is no cap, then there are no “negative salary cap implications” to releasing a player for 2010.

As I said in my message, we’ll have to wait and see. I don’t think anyone is realistically expecting this year to be much; typical of a new coach on a rebuild. It’s the future that people are most excited about and currently, the future looks a lot brighter now than it did in November.

Go ‘Skins!

Originally the Broncos denied Washington permission to speak to Turner, but they rescinded their denial earlier this week. Likely because it wouldn’t really have mattered anyway, since Turner was given the additional title of assistant head coach, and a sizable raise to back up that promotion.

Turner establish one of the top ground games in the NFL in Denver, and coached six different players to 1,000-plus yard seasons – including Clinton Portis. The other running backs were Mike Anderson, Tatum Bell, Terrell Davis, Reuben Droughns, and Olandis Gary. The Broncos had 11 individual 1,000-yard rushing seasons during Turner’s tenure, including (an NFL-record) four-year streak from 2003-2006 of having different running backs achieve the feat.

A statement issued by Shanahan said that, “Not many coaches can match the success that Bobby has had over the years. He is one of the top coaches in the NFL and, more importantly, a great person. We are excited to have him on the staff here in Washington. He will play a major role in the development of our offense.”

Lichtensteiger was drafted by Shanahan and the Broncos in the fourth round of the 2008 draft. The 6-foot-3, 295-pound product of Bowling Green State was cut by the Broncos this year, and then by the Vikings, but both teams had considerably better offensive lines than the Redskins did in 2009. Let’s face it, there were arguably 31 teams that had better offensive lines than Washington did this year.

On the surface, Lichtensteiger isn’t a significant signing because there’s certainly no guarantees that he’ll even crack the 53-man roster; but it does show that Shanahan is addressing the Redskins’ biggest need early. Lichtensteiger can play both guard and center, knows Shanahan’s system, and is familiar with zone blocking schemes – something that may be important to the 2010 Redskins.

He was active for all 16 games during his rookie season.

I have a theory… lack of practice speed and intensity.

I was chatting with my good friend Grant Paulsen during the season about several of the Redskins woes – not the least of which is how often we saw things about players, that the coaching staff seemed oblivious to. Case in point – and I’m not picking on the guy – Stephon Heyer.

GP and I wondered how on earth a guy as astute about line play as Joe Bugel couldn’t see that Heyer wasn’t cutting it. I mean, Buges has seen hundreds of offensive linemen over the years – how is it even possible that he couldn’t see that Heyer was so easily beat one-on-one? There are obviously several possibilities here – not the least of which is that Buges did, but had no means to rectify the situation. It’s not like the Redskins had a ton of good depth behind Heyer to put in, so it’s entirely possible that it wasn’t a case of not noticing, so much as not being able to fix it with the tools at hand.

But here’s another possibility – the Redskins practice soft.

That sounds simplistic, but bear with me.

An NFL game is an incredibly fast-paced adventure; so fast, that it’s hard to emulate on a practice field. It is said that even when teams practice at so-called full speed, it isn’t close to the pace at which an actual game is played. You often hear that the reason it takes college kids a little while to settle into the NFL, is because they have to learn to adjust to the amazing speed that a real NFL game is played.

So take that thought a step further and think about a team not even practicing at full speed; say that team practices at say 75% speed. In this scenario, would you notice that a left tackle wasn’t able to back pedal quick enough to fend off a Pro Bowl calibre Defensive End? Would you notice that a tackle’s base wasn’t solid enough when only working at 3/4 of the game pace?

I’m not trying to pick on Heyer at all, so let’s look at a couple of other positions…

Would you notice that a safety is so easily beat on a double move if the receiver wasn’t giving it his everything?

Would you notice that a running back is not hitting a small hole, when there IS a hole at practice because the defense is taking it easy?

Would you notice that a punt returner can’t see the field because at practice, he always has space?

Would you notice that a defensive tackle is easily winded, when he has the stamina to compete fully at a 3/4 speed practice?

Take the premise a step further and ask yourself what the effect could have on injuries. Isn’t it more likely that injuries will occur, when the only time that a player sees that full speed is at game time?

This isn’t a slight on Jim Zorn either, because the Joe Gibbs II teams had very similar problems. I remember going to training camp and thinking, ‘Wow, what a crappy vanilla practice. These guys aren’t going full tilt at all.’ Sure there are other factors at play too in a training camp situation… i was attending open practices… which are known to be a lot less intense than the closed practices are. But are they intense enough? Is this an on-going problem in D.C.? Is the ’spoiled’ attitude that making huge money brings, affecting the way the Washington Redskins play on the practice field? And then that is affecting their ability to compete at full speed on game day?

It’s just a theory… but often where there’s smoke – there’s fire.

Hopefully with Mike Shanahan taking over – the practice intensity at Redskin Park is going to pick up. It might be the source of a lot of the Redskins game day problems.