Master4Caster Is Back

The author of this blog (me) delivers content to Hog Heaven on the Most Valuable Network of sports blogs as the primary outlet.

Yet Running Redskins continues to get hits, about 40 per day, from interested readers. Thank you. That humbles me. It also inspires me.

So, Running Redskins will be revived with thoughts and comments about our favorite team, the Washington Redskins, football, sports, blogging and thoughts worth exploring.

Often, you'll find summaries of Hog Heaven posts here and scratch pads of ideas for future posts here or other sites.

First off the bat (baseball reference, sorry) will be whether Joe Gibbs' influence on the Redskins. I think it's waning.

Joe Goes

I live in mortal fear of what Daniel Snyder will do now that Joe Gibbs has decided to hang it up.

Snyder has a penchant for picking coaches and players by name recognition. It's almost always the wrong move when Snyder does this without adult supervision.

So, who do the smart guys on ESPN and NFLN say Mr. Snyder will call next? Bill Cower and Jason Garrett [Ohmygawdno, not another genius Cowboy offensive coordinator].

The meek, mild-mannered guy who occupies this space has the Gibbs resignation story up on Hog Heaven. Also check out my favorite Redskins bloggers who are certain to put up most excellent pieces today. Look here, here and here.

I thought maybe, possibly coach Joe would give up coaching duties to work the front office. It seemed the easiest, best transition strategy to me. That scenario offered the least disruption, especially important to Jason Campbell's development. He needs another year with Al Saunders.

If Snyder does what Snyder always does, he will rush to buy a high profile big name coach. Wrong first move. Wrong. Wrong. Wrong.

Snyder's next move should be to find an excellent general manager to be his partner in running the team. Then, pick a coach. A coaching career does not prepare one to be a general manager.

Joe Gibbs legacy postponed

You know that series about Joe Gibbs legacy I was going to write? Well, it's postponed. Joe Gibbs done gone and upset my timetable by leading the Redskins to the playoffs.

That confounds both my schedule and my thesis. It's gone from something like "Joe Gibbs has only won one playoff game in four years," to "Joe Gibbs makes the playoffs in two of the last three seasons."

I can't write a legacy piece because Joe Gibbs is still creating it.

And that roster depth! Where once it was lost, now it's found; was blind, but now you can clearly see it.

The playoff run is achievement is because of players who've been here less than two seasons: Montgomery and Golston; "Scarface," Chris Wilson. Running back depth -- not just Ladell, but Rock Cartwright; and we haven't even used Marcus Mason yet.

Reed Doughty and above all, that Todd Collins guy.

Glad I didn't write about Gibbs legacy four weeks ago. I would have looked foolish now. I would have deleted it and pretended it never existed..

Happy New Year and Hail To The Redskins!

Detroit is Coming

They ain't playin' and I ain't lion.

The Washington Redskins next opponent were down 7-3 at half time to the Bears, then put up 34 points in the second half to beat Chicago.

The Redskins couldn't put up seven points in the second half of the Giants game.

There's no reason to panic, but the team formerly known as patsies cannot be dismissed. When Gregg Williams looks at game film, he should pull out tapes of that Mike Martz St. Louis Rams offense since that's what the defense will face. The 3-1 Lions are less talented than the Greatest Show on Turf, but they will challenge our cornerbacks. Those guys better be healthy and ready.

Adding to the intrigue is the Arizona Cardinals who held off the mighty Pittsburgh Steelers 21-14 today. That's a small measure of vindication for Russ Grimm and Ken Whisenhunt, both passed over for the Steeler head coaching job.

Detroit and Arizona were the comfortable home games on the Redskins' October calendar. Away games in Green Bay and New England are sandwiched between them. Suddenly, that cushy early schedule doesn't look so soft.

Good thing the Skins got their break now.
_________________________

LaVar Arrington had some interesting things to say about the Redskins in a New York Daily News interview last week. He is still bitter at his treatment by the Redskins during the Gibbs II era. Those big contracts you hear about are a mirage, because they are back-end loaded. The Redskins will get rid (his words) of Clinton Portis and Chris Samuels before the Skins pay them the big bucks. That, or the players will agree to restructure their deals.

Most of what Arrington learned about business, he learned at the feet of former friend Daniel Snyder, he says, as he works on the December opening of Sidelines, his restaurant and sports bar at the Boulevard at Capital Centre in Landover, Maryland.

Yeah, I'm going when it opens. I still like LaVar.

That meek, mild-mannered guy who lives here has the story over at Hog Heaven.
__________________________

Redskins owner Daniel Snyder ranks as the 40th most powerful person in American sports, according to a panel assembled by BusinessWeek. Joe Gibbs, Redskins president and coach-in-chief, and owner of Joe Gibbs Racing, is ranked No. 93.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, Tiger Wood and NBA Commissioner David Stern are ranked No. 1, 2 and 3 on the list.

Master4caster, Skin Patrol, Ben Folsom and Lee Gibbons are not on the list, so how credible is this information? I mean really?
__________________________

Wide receiver Keenan McCardell will be in Redskin Park Monday and, assuming he passes a physical and workout, will sign a contract to join the team.

Pay attention to what the Redskins say, or don't say, about the signing and who gets released to make room. The very fact that the Skins continue to look at wide receivers this late says something. The fact that they are looking at experienced receivers [Corey Bradford, Todd Pinkston] says something, more, although it's pure guesswork what it all means.

People will jump to the obvious conclusion that Brandon Lloyd isn't working out. Or, the real fear that Santana Moss is more hurt than they are letting on. It may be more than that.

Without checking the facts, it seems to me that the Skins are playing a lot more from the shotgun spread formation with three and four wide outs. That's the Al Saunders influence. Assuming that one of those wide outs will be TE Chris Cooley, the other three have to be wide receivers.

I think the coaches don't think they have three reliable wide receivers to run Saunders' passing game, especially in the middle distances [10 to 20 yards].

While we are focused on the return to hardnosed Gibbs ball, I think we will look back and see that Al Saunders was more influential in the passing game than now obvious.

"Buckle your seatbelts. It's going to be a bumpy night." ~~ Bette Davis in ALL ABOUT EVE.

No conversation with coach Chin

The Washington Redskins were lightning quick to deny any conversation with Bill Cowher about a coaching position should/when Joe Gibbs step down as coach and team president. Profootballtalk.com carried a story on Monday saying that Cowher was putting out feelers about a return to coaching and the the Redskins were one of three teams he talked to.

I don't think the Redskins were too worried about a post on PFT. However, tampering is different. Cowher is still under contract to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Conversations now, without clearance from the Steelers, is technically tampering.

John Thompson did a call-in on his WTEM radio show about Cowher and the Redskins. In the ten minutes I listened, fans were unanimous that it would be a tremendously good move. It figures that Gibbs-haters would rush the phones to push that thought. It was amazing.

I suspect that either of these two developments drove the Redskins to kill the idea quick.

While contingency planning is good, even prudent, bringing in Cowher would be a disruptive repudiation of what Joe Gibbs is trying to accomplish. It could be a good move long run, but short term will cost the Redskins wins as the franchise adjusts to Cowher players and schemes.

I hope Daniel Snyder has learned by now that building a winning organization is more than bringing the latest "big name" to fix everything. If he is thinking organizationally, the next team president should already be on board, much as Roger Goodell was ready to step in when commissioner Paul Tagliabue retired. Snyder's most important move after team president is to select a general manager with the right background. That person also should already be on board, or already known to Snyder. Only then, and in consultation with the president and GM, after deciding what schemes he wants the Redskins to play, will Snyder be ready to name someone to coach to the scheme.

Know what? The best coaching move is more likely to be a talented coordinator ready to move up than a recycled "big name." Evidence? Ol' Jack Kent Cooke made a brilliant move when he tapped the talented offensive coordinator of the San Diego Chargers in 1981 to coach the Redskins**. Who ever heard of Joe Gibbs before that? Daniel Snyder would not have had the moxie to make that move. He works from the bottom up -- players, coaches, front office -- rather than the top down, as he should. The Redskins will be upside-down until he figures that out.

** Ol' Jack tried to duplicate the magic a decade later by tapping the talended OC of the Dallas Cowboys to coach the Redskins, and gave us Norv Turner. Nothing works every time time!

Photo: Dave Bergman/SI

Musing about Jerametrius Butler

The Redskins signed CB Jerametrius Butler yesterday.

Joe Gibbs tried to sign Butler in 2004. That was the first year of his return to Washington, when the Skins traded Champ Bailey to Denver for Clinton Portis. Bailey made clear that he wanted out, and the Skins brought in Shawn Springs as the shutdown corner.

Why bring in Butler when Fred Smoot was still on the roster? Was Butler seen as a potential replacement of Smoot? Smootie, as coach Joe calls him, was the core Redskin allowed to leave when his contract expired at the end of 2004. The Skins drafted Carlos Rogers in 2005. Now Rogers, Smoot and Butler are on the same team.

The Redskins front office played this smart by waiting for Butler's release by the Rams, rather than trying to work a trade. Maybe they (D. Snyder) learned a thing or two since the Mark Brunell trade and the excesses of 2006. Take note that nothing ever came of those rumors that the Redskins would nuke the front office. Perhaps instead they just dumped the foolish aggression in roster building that characterized the Snyder era. Hey, a man can change. And another man can hope.

Reasonable free-agent signings, hopefully smart draft picks and rational salary cap management are sound front office practices I hope continues. Skill at managing the cap should be secondary to skill at building a roster.

Jerametrius Butler Q&A

Photo: found on deadskin.com

Does anyone believe in the Redskins front office?

No.

In two years of blogging, reading a lot of football analysts and reporters, and scanning the views of a many, MANY excellent blogging Redskinologists, I have yet to see anyone knowledgeable, anywhere who endorsed the Redskins' "win now" approach to team development. Cindy Boren's guest blog on today's Redskins Insiders is only the latest salvo. Ben Folson's three part blast on The Curly R is another. Here at Running Redskins, six posts in April alone attacked various aspects of the Redskins' philosophy.

Ms. Boren fills in for Jason LaCanfora who is on vacation. Her story, titled The Danger of Kool-Aid.....without a GM, takes diehard fans to task. She starts with "I have seen a lot of people who seem to be blogging under the influence and I want to bring us all back to reality a little bit."

She goes on

only 6 of our 22 starters are above-average players. I'm a realist, I understand it's simply not possible to have the best players at every position. However, our biggest deficits are at the most important positions.

And more

"Our best young lineman left via FA and I understand he would have cost a mint this year, but how often do you see teams like the Patriots, Eagles, and Ravens let good young talent ever reach unrestricted free agency? [Emphasis mine] Any good GM would have seen that Dockery had started for us from day 1 of his career and that agile, young, durable, 335- pound linemen don't grow on trees and would have re-signed him before last season to a good extension for a reasonable figure. And let's not forget the utter lack of depth behind our starters for the last 3 years and the still lack of good young lineman being groomed to start one day."

Boren could have added that even if Dockery can be replaced by the likes of Todd Wade, we are(I am) invested in Dockery. He grew up on the team. We saw him grow. Doc's our guard. He belongs here. Why couldn't some of Brandon Lloyd's money have been thrown his way two years ago?

Boren concludes with

I cannot say it any simpler, we are a below average team and it is time we set our expectations accordingly. I am hoping for an 8-8 or 9-7 season.

Blah, blah, blah and yada yada yada. Excellent points, if a tad pessimistic, made many times before and falling on deaf ears where it counts.

The fan base hoped that Joe Gibbs would turn that wrong-headed approach around. He brought in some stalwarts in 2004 via the draft (Sean Taylor), free agents (Marcus Washington) and trade (Clinton Portis). In 2005, he traded for Santana Moss - a big hit that was - and drafted Jason Campbell and Carlos Rogers. But, 2006 brought excesses too painful to recall; evidence that Gibbs bit the fruit of the poisoned tree.

This year, in explaining why the Redskins did not draft a defensive lineman, the presidential coach said something about how better coverage would improve the pass rush by forcing the quarterback to hold the ball longer. That shows how much I know. I thought the idea was to pressure the QB to throw the ball sooner, before he was ready, to force mistakes. Give a QB more time, and they will make a big play. With today's timed offenses, maybe holding the ball longer is what you want. We'll see.

I'll tell you this. Gibb's "hold the ball longer" statement is Nixonian and Clintonesque in its breadth. You know the drill, "I am not a crook" and "I did not sleep with that woman." If Landry and Smoot and Fletcher-Baker don't lead to an improved pass rush this season, Gibbs could be another president hounded from office by a phrase.

Gibbs stands in good with The Lord. God, I hope that doesn't happen to him.

Photo: The Washington Post

Redskins draft party is a "must do"

I've got to hand it to Daniel Snyder. He knows how to throw a party.

I went to Saturday's Redskins Draft Party thinking only two types of people go to the stadium to watch the draft process: diehards, and bloggers snooping for an angle. I qualify on both counts. Although admission was free, this was a Daniel Snyder event. I just knew it was going to cost me.

Surprise number one, there were a lot of cars in the FedEx parking lot. While not at game day volume, there were traffic monitors to manage the flow. The only admittance was through Gate A. It plainly said that on my invitation, but I overlooked it. My car is used to going to my favorite game day parking spot near gate D, so that's where it led me. Rather than walk, I drove to the lots near Gate A. That's when I saw it. A tailgate party tent.

Why didn't I think of tailgating for this thing? It's Spring in Washington. It was a perfect day to arrive at 9:00 am and bar-b-que until noon. Note to me. Next year, if the Skins make the playoffs and draft late, organize a party and tailgate this succa.

Gate A wasn't open. The 17,000 partiers were directed throught the Redskins Hall Of Fame Store (clever move Mr. Snyder) for admittance to the stadium. We could linger past the clearance tables for the best deals you are going to see on Redskins-logoed merchandise. "2005 Redskins Playoff Bound" tee shirts for $5.00. What a bargain.

You had two choices for your in-stadium destination: admittance to THE FIELD, or escalator up to the privileged Club Level. Most people with kids, and anyone who wanted player autographs, headed down to the field where the team organized sports games for the kiddies. There was a line of people that extended about 100 yards to enter a field level tunnel that, I presume, led to the players. The Lombardi Trophies were on display in the Club Level, so I headed up there after being handed a ticket for the door prizes. Oh yes, the team gave away a couple of game worn paraphernalia.

The Club Level is one of those money-makers that boost the value of FedEx Field to the Redskins. The team charges an ungodly amount of money just to "license" the right to buy game tickets on that level. That is, you buy the multi-year license and then you buy the tickets. But, the level is plush by stadium standards with wood decor and comfortable lounge chairs and sofas. The sight line from that level is outstanding from any seat. I checked out several. It's not as intimately close to the field as were my family's upper deck seats at RFK, but it did remind me of the view.

The Lombardi Trophies were in the open but secured by very large men. There was a snake line to channel fans to the trophies. The line took you past the Redskins 1937 Championship Trophy, and champion team portraits. The NFC Championship Halas Trophies were also on display.

The line moved fairly quickly to bring you to the Lombardies. Here, let me give you some advice. If you are going to a big event where you want to capture treasured photos, make sure the batteries in your camera work, or carry spares. I didn't, so several deleted expletives later, I resorted to my cell phone to get the money shot of me with the trophies.

You weren't allowed within two feet of the trophies, much less to touch them, but an attendant would gladly take a photo of you and the Lombardies with your camera, or cell phone. Violation of the security zone around the trophies would invite violation by the giant standing nearby, or by the three very muscular PG County police who stood nearby. I almost told them I was a blogger doing a story, then thought better of it. I didn't think they would see the humor of it.

In need of sustenance to feed my disappointment, I visited the concessions to get my next shock. HALF-PRICE ON FOOD AND BEER! Thank you again, Mr. Snyder. I never had a $2.00 hot dog at FedEx. I was so excited that I double downed on the buy.

Replenished, I toured the table offering Redskins framed, autographed player pictures, and assorted other trinkets. The most impressive item on the table was an authentic, but unautographed, Marcus Washington game-worn helmet that could have been mine for just under $300. Big men wear big helmets.

The Redskins were on the clock and the crowd gathered around around the indoor monitors, or went outside to watch the pick on the Jumbotron. It was Landry. The crowd was festive. No anguish at the pick, just cheers and the eternal optimism that has characterized Redskins fans since the 1990s.

At 2:45 PM THE COACH and his two deputies choppered in to greet the fans. Even with all the skepticism, criticism and disappointment of a losing season, an appearance by THE COACH melts a Washington crowd. That would include me. Gibbs opened with a few words about how they made the pick. His comments sounded to me as an attempt to deflect criticism from Daniel Snyder. Then he took questions from the crowd and signed autographs. A transcript of Gibbs Q&A is up at Hog Heaven.

I left at around 3:30 pm, but the party was running through 5:00 pm and was still going strong when I left. I'm going to do this again, with fresh batteries next time.

Redskins Host Draft Party: 17,000 Attend

For another viewpoint, see Man Of Faith at washingtoncitypaper. Not sure what draft party they attended, but I didn't see what they described. They described an apathetic crowd. I saw a festive one (why would apathetic fans show up at a draft party anyway?). The photo accompanying the article showed empty seats below coach Joe's image below the big screen, meant to imply fan disinterest. Only, that portion of the stadium was closed off. Fans couldn't get there if they wanted, as you can see in the photo below.

Photo: Master4Caster with the Lombardi Trophies, by Anthony Brown
Photo: Joe Gibbs at Redskins Draft Party, Don Wright Photo, redskins.com

Redskins to nuke front office after the draft?

My blogging colleague at Hogs Haven has picked up rumblings that the Washington Redskins will bust a personnel move after the draft. He even names names: Bears assistant GM Bobby DePaul, and Bills assistant GM Tom Modrak. That's good sleuthing. Combined with an earlier rumor, reported here, that the Redskins are going to nuke the scouting department after the draft, I'm going to officially declare this as smoke. Where there's smoke, there's a flicker, maybe. "The game's afoot, Watson." Something's up.

How to reconcile all this with Boss Hog's firm statement that the Redskins never considered naming a GM after last season's fiasco? You can't name a GM right after the owner said "we did not consider a GM." No one who works for a living would be that dumb. Simple solution, you call him something else. Vice president of player personnel is available. Vinnie Cerrato is vp of football operations. Or, take a tip from the White House and call him an Implementation Czar.

Whatever the title, it's the background and role that's important. If - that's IF - this happens, I would hope the Redskins select someone who developed as a talent evaluator; that means hands on scout and player personnel experience. The man (it's always a man) should be connected in the NCAA world, for that whisper network that turns up undrafted prospects who can play. I hope he's been affiliated with at least two teams to bring best practices and another point of view. It would be ideal if his experience is with AFC and NFC clubs. They play different styles of football, and the AFC is the superior conference at the moment. I also hope that this background equips the guy to evaluate current NFL players and their contracts as thoroughly as are college players. (Why doesn't Mel Kiper evaluate NFL players as well as college draftees? The only organization I know of who independently ranks NFL players is EA Sports.)

It's the role that will make or break the move. Whatever you call him, if the personnel guy is unwanted by team president Joe Gibbs, he will fail. If the reporting structure isn't changed to give the personnel guy a real voice - real clout, then this will fail. We don't need another Vinnie. We need someone who can translate team needs into three alternative players, not just the best known star, and land him on a affordable contract. We need someone Gibbs respects and will listen to.

I can't see anyone coming who isn't fully supported by both Snyder and Gibbs. I can't see a top notch candidate accepting the position without some firm commitments about his role and understanding about his influence. An upgrade to front office personnel would be smart on Snyder's and Gibbs' part, on a par with the upgrade to the coaching staff with Al Saunders. Yes, I know Saunders and Gregg Williams didn't show well last season, but they remain the best minds in pro football. That's who you need to turn things around You need someone like that in the front office. You need a GM who gets talent and negotiates, really negotiates, the tough deals. (The Redskins negotiate by throwing draft picks into a deal until the other side surrenders.) You need a guy who can eventually step up to team president. More than players or coaches, a GM is the most important decision and owner makes. It should be the first decision an owner makes.

A GM by any other name would be a good start.

Photo: http://www.weaponsblog.org/

Daniel Snyder: GM is not the solution for the Washington Redskins

At the end of the fiasco that was the 2006 season, Joe Gibbs said the Washington Redskins would look at everything in an effort to turn things around. Owner Daniel Snyder was quick to say at yesterday's press conference that a general manager was not part of "everything." He felt badly for the fans following the team's 5-11 season, but did not see team structure as the cause for the on-field results.

Both Snyder and Gibbs recounted that aggressive player acquisition has been a Redskins trademark since the 1980s. They might have pointed out that Bobby Beathard and Charlie Casserly, GMs both, were orchestrating those moves.

Beathard spent 15 years as a scout and player personnel guy before being named Redskins GM in 1978. His teams went to three Super Bowls before he joined the Redskins. Snyder, in fact, almost lured Beathard out of retirement in 2002, until talks mysteriously broke down.

Casserly is remembered for starting his sports management career as an unpaid intern with the Redskins in 1977. He worked his way up as scout and assistant general manager until replacing Bobby Beathard as GM in 1989. That's a career span from the Over The Hill Gang through the Beathard-Gibbs I era. Snyder fired Casserly, only to admit later that "he fired the wrong guy."

Washington Post columnist Len Shapiro pointed out in a 2006 story that Gibbs was lured out of retirement with the promise of total control of the team. That's the same promise Snyder made to Marty Schottenheimer. It's a promise he'll keep to football icon Gibbs.

So the decision to bring in a GM really rests with Gibbs. I'm torn by that. I hold Gibbs in high regard. If mistakes are made, I want Gibbs, not Snyder, to make them. Let me make this point. A coaching career track doesn't prepare one to be a GM any better than a GM career track perpares one to be head coach. So, why the resistence to a GM?

Because, it just won't work.

Photo: Bobby Beathard, GM, www.profootballweekly.com

Redskins pre-draft press conference recaps

Several summaries are available for today's pre-draft press conference.

Hog Heaven: Crib Notes: Washington Redskins pre-draft press conference

ExtremeSkins.com: Pre-Draft Press Conference Quotes

Ewosssports.com: Gibbs doubts any draftee could start immediately for his 5-11 team

Hogs Haven: Redskins Draft Briefing Notes

Washington Post: Snyder: Redskins are on the right track

Washington Times: Redskins seeking impact at No. 6

War Cry: Snyder speaketh . . .

Washington Redskins pre-draft media briefing today

The Redskins will host their pre-draft media briefing TODAY (Tuesday, April 24) at 4 p.m. ET--and it will be broadcast LIVE on Redskins.com. Redskins owner Daniel M. Snyder, head coach Joe Gibbs and vice president of football operations Vinny Cerrato are expected to discuss the team's approach to the draft.

(promised . . . no . . . snyder . . . bashing, . . . must . . . resist, . . . must . . . resist)

Photo: The Washington Post

Joe Gibbs to agitated fans: cool it!

The coach-in-chief sought to calm fans by assuring that the Redskins are just doing their homework by inviting top draft prospects to interviews at Redskin Park in Ashburn, VA. Visits by Calvin Johnson, JaMarcus Russell, Brady Quinn and other first day draft prospects led fans and bloggers to wonder what that could mean for players on the roster.

Gibbs called the activity "due diligence." "We have brought in every player that we felt like would be a first-round player," Gibbs said. "We brought in a top running back. Does anyone here think that we are going to entertain drafting a running back? I don't think so."

The Redskins have floated so may scenarios for the draft that no one outside of Redskins Park really knows what to expect. All the vibes suggest that the Skins would like to move their sixth pick of the first round in exchange for a player. Asante Samuel is a rumored target -- if the Redskins can sign him for a number closer to Dre' Bly's than Nate Clements'. Completing a trade with Chicago for Lance Briggs is not out of the question, although I hope that one fades away.

I bet "due diligence" calls are burning up phone lines between lots of teams. You shouldn't expect announcements of big deals until draft day (April 28) when we see how Messrs. Russell, Quinn, Johnson and Adams go in the first four picks.

Photo: www.flickr.com from here.

Bears lance the Briggs deal

Espn.com and Foxsports.com are reporting that the Chicago Bears are rejecting the Redskins trade offer for LB Lance Briggs. The Redskins offered its first round draft pick for Briggs and Chicago's number one pick during the owner's meetings last week. Reportedly, Da Bears wanted the Skins to throw Rocky McIntosh into the offer for Briggs. The Redskins said earlier that they had already made their best and final offer and made it a "take it or leave it" proposition for Chicago.

If there are only two positive outcomes from this escapade, it would have to be these: the Redskins must see Rocky McIntosh in a new light; and, the Bears let the Redskins off the hook.

The Bears don't have a ready replacement for Briggs. That they see McIntosh in that role, adds lustre to a young player whose team often overlooks the gems on its roster. Talk of bringing Briggs here to displace McIntosh led to a lot of fan grumbling. A trade of Briggs for McIntosh would have led to revolt.

The two teams may still be maneuvering to save the deal, but it appears to be dying a merciful death.

The Redskins have re-signed punter Derrick Frost to a one year contract. Frost struggled with shanked and shallow punts early in his Redskin career. He turned it around by mid-season to be a consistent punter, blasting some of his boots fifty yards or more. He had a 42.9 yard average on the season.

Frost is the feel good story of the team. We watched him work through his struggles and grow into his role. Fans invest in role players like Frost and welcome his place on the roster - as long as he performs. It is not necessary to bring in big name talent to attract fan interest in the Redskins. I think that escapes the front office.

The Redskins will play the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Baltimore Ravens at home in August preseason games. The exact time and date is to be announced.

Photo: Rocky McIntosh, www.redskins.com

Rosenhaus

Cooler heads are prevailing in the Lance Briggs trade story, or hype. Today's Post quotes Joe Gibbs calling the news "Just a bunch of rumors." Vinnie Cerrato, Daniel Snyder's mini-me, is quoted "we don't comment on rumors." Everybody take a chill pill and calm down.

Hogs Haven goes in depth on how the story came about, citing several sources, the most intriguing of which is Tandler's Redskins Blog. Rich Tandler is the dean of Redskins bloggers. He writes infrequently, but incisively, on his blog. He repeated Jay Glazer's tale of how Daniel Snyder and Briggs and his agent Drew Rosenhaus got to talking in a Phoenix bar about Briggs. That seems to have triggered Snyder's acquisitive instincts. Somewhere in the conversation, Snyder threw up, figuratively, the "proposal" of trading the Skins #1 pick for Briggs and Chicago's #1 pick to Rosenhaus who called the Bears and the "confirmed story" was off and running. Confused? go to Hogs Haven (several stories) or Tandler's for the full account.

Rosenhaus is said to be one of Snyder's favorite agents. I don't see how that serves the Redskins. The team, Snyder in particular, get mentioned in every story about every disgruntled player. I suspect agents, especially Rosenhaus, of surfacing those rumors to bid up offers for their clients.

The Lance Briggs case is instructive on several levels. Briggs is operating on his rookie contract. He was (under)paid the league minimum $750,000 in each of his past two Pro-Bowl seasons. In his place I would not only want to be paid top dollar, but would want to recover the income my past performance warranted. What's more, he wants to participate in this year's super heated free agent market.

Enter super agent Drew "the Shark" Rosenhaus with combative tactics to force new terms: the claim of unfairness; the threat to hold out; the stated refusal to play for the team; participating at the bare minimum to meet contract requirements. We've seen these tactics before. Turn on your wayback machine to Terrell Owens and his gay adventures in Philadelphia in 2005. (I haven't had so much fun blogging since.) T.O. is repped by Rosenhaus.

The Bears have a legit general manager in Jerry Angelo who can play brinkmanship as well as the next guy. He won't be bullied by the tactics, or panicked into a trade. I think he will call Briggs' and Rosenhaus' bluff to sit out ten games. Maybe $7.2 Million isn't the most Briggs could get, but it's still ten times more than he made last season. The Bears may be pushed to move if and after Briggs no-shows. Until then, I'm not so sure. No one on the Redskins plays that role, except Joe Gibbs. He's suspect, but may have done good service slowing up a Briggs trade.

The Redskins should pay close attention to the Lance Briggs case. It may fore tell their future. Chris Cooley is a premier, pass catching tight end playing on his 2004 rookie contract. He is scheduled to make $850,000 this year and will be a free agent in 2008. Alge Crumpler signed a six year, $14.325 Million contract in 2004. Jeremy Shockey is working under a contract that will pay him $850,000 this season, $2.2 Million in '08, and $3.0 Million in '09.

Cooley is performing better than his pay. Fans would like the Skins front office to find more like him: competent role players who can grow with the team and signed to affordable contracts that parallel their playing life. Briggs would like the freedom to negotiate a deal in this unusually rich free agent market. If Rosenhaus were Cooley's agent, Chris might want the same. If Rosenhaus is Cooley's agent next season, he might use the same tactics, if the Redskins name him a franchise player. Hmmm.

If that happens, at least Resenhaus won't drop Snyder's name as a potential suitor.

Trivia: Drew Rosenhaus represents: London Fletcher-Baker, Santana Moss, Clinton Portis and Sean Taylor.

Photo: Drew Rosenhaus and Terrell Owens, sportsillustrated.com from here.

Joe Gibbs' Coaching Pedigree

God made Joe Gibbs' career according to Gibbs. I won’t argue the point, but his coaching career is a prefect example of the value of connections. He outlined his progression in coaching in his book Racing To Win: Establish Your Game Plan For Success (Joe Gibbs with Ken Abraham, Multaomah Publishers, Sisters Oregon, 2002.)

Joe Gibbs Coaching Lineage
Gibbs football pedigree includes the games best minds. Don Coryell’s recurring role was the most influential. Coryell recruited Gibbs out of Cerritos Junior College to San Diego State with an offer of a half-scholarship. “He didn’t have to offer it twice” said Gibbs who jumped at the chance. Gibbs played guard, tight end and linebacker for the Aztecs. When he graduated, Gibbs remained with San Diego State as an unpaid coach, with his major duty being to make the fast food run for the other assistant coaches. John Madden was on Coryell’s staff during that period and Gibbs said “I was privileged to learn from the best.” Coryell eventually found a paid slot for Gibbs as offensive line coach. In 1966, SDSU went 11-0 and won the small college national championship.

Don Breaux, an assistant at Florida State University, noticed Gibbs and persuaded him to sign on as offensive line coach for the Seminoles. There he joined hard-working head coach Bill Peterson. The Seminoles went 15-4-1 during Gibbs’ first two seasons there. From there, Gibbs describes his career as “chasing dreams,” which by this time meant his dream of being a college head coach. Gibbs knew that head coaches were picked from the ranks of offensive or defensive coordinators and he became increasingly frantic to become one.

John McKay invited Gibbs to join his staff at the University of Southern California. The Trojans won fifteen of nineteen games during Gibbs first two years there. Gibbs found McKay to be a brilliant tactician and Gibbs absorbed much from McKay’s management style.

Don Breaux entered the picture again to persuade Gibbs to join him on Frank Broyles’ staff at the University of Arkansas as offensive line coach. Breaux overcame Gibbs’ initial reluctance to the move with the alluring statement that “a lot of head coaches have come out of Arkansas.” “Head coach? That was all I needed to hear,” said Gibbs.

Frank Broyles was a departure from the other coaches Gibbs worked with. As Gibbs described them, “Don Coryell was passionately intense. He was totally consumed with coaching.” Gibbs considered Coryell football brilliant, “an incredible strategist, constantly devising new plays, trying new alignments – anything that might help us win a game.” Coryell was Gibbs' first coaching role model. From Bill Peterson, Gibbs extracted hard work and the will to win. John McKay had a razor-sharp tongue and used it to motivate through fear.

In contrast, Broyles was a courtly, polished salesman. Gibbs learned from him that coaching was more than Xs and Os. Broyles sold his program to his staff, his players and their parents and they bought it whole. That was just as well. Broyles tapped Gibbs to recruit in Texas, to lure prospects away from the hated Texas Longhorns, Texas A&M Aggies and Baylor Bears. As hard a sell as you can get!

A Change of Direction
By his early thirties, Gibbs came to see himself as stuck as offensive line coach, denied the chance to rise to head coach. Coryell reentered the picture with an offer to join the NFL St. Louis Cardinals’ coaching staff – as offensive line coach. Gibbs turned him down. Coryell tinkered with his staff alignment, moving Jim Hanifan from offensive backfield to offensive line coach, then offering Gibbs, an offensive line coach, the chance to coach the Cardinal’s backfield. It was enough of a change for Gibbs to bite. Gibbs later wrote “by rights (Coryell) shouldn’t have put Jim Hanifan on the line. Jim was a backfield coach. But the wisdom of this move was proven again and again over the years as Hanifan went on to become one of the premier line coaches in the NFL. In fact, when the Washington Redskins won the 1992 Super Bowl, Jim Hanifan was coaching our offensive line.”

Gibbs remained with Coryell in St. Louis from 1973 through 1977 where, with Jim Hart and Terry Metcalf, they gave the NFC East fits. This was during George Allen’s heyday with the Redskins’ Over The Hill gang. The Cardinals won the division title in 1974 and 1975 and Gibbs regards this period with Coryell one of the highlights of his career. The thrill was gone when, in ’77, the Cardinals lost a key game to the Redskins, knocking them out of the playoffs. The next weekend, Gibbs and the Cardinals coaches went to work to find that the locks had been changed. By this time, Gibbs’ network was firmly established. John McKay offered Gibbs the offensive coordinator’s role with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Gibbs didn’t know it at the time, but he had signed for one of the most difficult seasons of his career.

Wandering in the Wilderness
The expansion Buccaneers were inept, not surprising for a new NFL franchise, but they achieved new lows. The team went 0-26 in their first twenty-six games. When Gibbs arrived, McKay instructed him to work the quarterbacks. They both concluded that there was no “there” there. McKay then assigned Gibbs to work out a high potential college quarterback from Grambling State, Doug Williams. Gibbs assessed Williams as having an incredible arm and “football smart.” But colored boys did not quarterback NFL teams in the '70s. Colored boys didn’t quarterback anywhere but at black colleges. Tampa Bay broke new ground by selecting Williams with Tampa Bay’s first round pick in the 1978 draft. Amazing that a Deep South team would be the first to break that taboo!

With Williams, the Buccaneers won four of their first eight games and everything was looking up for the long suffering franchise. Then Williams was knocked out for the remainder of the season with a broken jaw. Everything fell apart. “We devised a whole new way of losing games” wrote Gibbs.

After the disastrous season, Coach McKay decided to call the offensive plays, a demotion for Gibbs. His network came through, once again in the form of Don Coryell's offer to join his San Diego Chargers staff – as offensive line coach. Coryell had offered the offensive coordinator job to Ray Perkins. By this time, born again Gibbs decided to “let God,” so he accepted the offer despite personal misgivings. The misgivings were misplaced. Within a few weeks, Perkins was offered the New York Giants head coaching job. Coryell elevated Gibbs to offensive coordinator.

At San Diego, Coryell’s long-ball philosophy reached its pinnacle. The high powered, pass-oriented offense is remembered as “air Coryell.” It made stars of Dan Fouts, Charlie Joiner, Kellen Winslow -- and Joe Jackson Gibbs, who went from there to great glory as head coach of the Washington Redskins. (Al Saunders succeededGibbs as the Chargers O-coordinator.) Gibbs brought the Coryell system to the Redskins, but his version featured a heavy dose of power running, delivered by the likes of John Riggins, George Rogers, Gerald Riggs and Ernest Byner.

Career Network At Work
Joe Gibbs was nurtured by football’s best coaches. (The won-loss record of Gibbs’ four college mentors is a phenomenal 445-170-28.) Again and again, his network of contacts came through to position not only his next move, but the best opportunity to absorb the essence of greatness. Networks are the fabric of a career. If there is a career rip or tear, your network can help mend it. In Gibbs’ career, his circle of associates proved to be the source of jobs, of staff, of examples of success and of reputation.

To see a Joe Gibbs offense is to see the strains from which it arose. Gibbs offense featured schemes that befuddled defenses with three or four receiving threats, multiple shifts, six man lines with a single tailback, H-backs (a tight end in the slot or backfield). An attack might come from anywhere. These schemes have at their source Don Coryell with a dash of Bill Peterson (and you have to give a nod to Sid Gillman, that patriarch of NFL offensive thinking). More than Xs and Os, Gibbs inspires uncommon devotion by his team. They are sold on his concepts and program -- the clear hand of Frank Broyles. John Riggins marvels at Gibbs' ability to manage people. More than once, he said that Gibbs "could have probably run General Motors," not to mention a winning N.A.S.C.A.R. team.

Gibbs’ hard work and long hours were extracted from Bill Peterson “who did not have raw talent on his teams, or a flamboyant personality …, but who succeeded nonetheless through sheer hard work.” From John McKay he learned that a certain part of being a good coach is the use of fear to motivate people.

Equally clear is, that to be a great coach, one must seek out and recruit outstanding assistants. Coryell, Breaux, Peterson and Broyles saw something in Gibbs and a number of other assistants who went on to successful NFL careers. Part of their greatness is due to their ability to build a stellar staff as Gibbs is now doing with Gregg Williams, Joe Bugel and recently Al Saunders, the highly regarded Kansas City offensive coordinator – and Don Coryell protégé. Outstanding assistants enabled the Redskins to be effective at half-time adjustments, as Gibbs became known for doing in his 1980s rampage.

Divine Intervention
This treatise covers Gibbs coaching pedigree from a career networking perspective. No discussion of Gibbs can escape without examining his view that his career was guided by the hand of God. In Racing To Win, Gibbs describes how he allowed The Lord to guide his career, especially during his Tampa Bay exile. With repeated assignments as offensive line coach and apparent failure at Tampa Bay, his head coach dream seemed far away. His faith was tested, but not shaken.

Gibbs eventually came to see his calamitous time with the Buccaneers as necessary training for overcoming adversity. He sees God as placing him there as part of His plan that Gibbs allowed to operate in life. He felt led to accept the O-line coach position with San Diego, then elevated to the coveted offensive coordinator slot that would have escaped him had he followed his own instincts. Far from being a hinderence, Gibbs heavy O-line experience lifted him up as he created the most famous offensive line in pro football, the Redskins’ legendary Hogs. His time with Tampa Bay exposed him to Doug Williams who would later lead the Skins to a Super Bowl win over Denver. Don Breaux and Jim Hanifan joined Gibbs coaching staff on the Redskins, where Breaux will probably remain for as long as Gibbs is there. Gibbs never saw these career turns as luck or coincidence, but as the influence of a Guiding Hand directing his coaching, his leadership and life.

Apart from Gibbs’ perception of Divine intervention, his extraordinary exposure to four of college football’s greatest coaches at the start of his career could well be seen as empirical evidence of a higher power at work. It's good to have God in your network.

Racing To Win: Establishing your Game Plan For Success may be found in your public library – in the Religion section.

Joe Gibbs
Don Coryell
Bill Peterson
John McKay
Frank Broyles
Racing To Win