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

Sanjaya missing

I'm sure he knows where he is, but no one else does. Sanjaya Malakar seems to have dropped out of sight after a round of TV appearances last week.

Federal Way, Washington, his home town, is considering whether to honor him, but can't locate his peeps to make arrangements.

Bet he's already moved to LA.

Vote for Sanjaya on Time Magazine's 100 Most Influential People of the Year.

For an expose' on how American Idol really works, visit Vote For The Worst.

Sanjaya denies that he's gay in a People Magazine interview. He just understands women, and real men don't understand that. That's a relief to Tim Hardaway.

Meanwhile, a post on girlstalkinsmack.com claims the vote that eliminated Sanjaya from American Idol was rigged. They say that AI itself is rigged for entertainment value, and not for finding the best singer.

Finally, and sadly, Britney Spears hopes to restart her career with an act featuring a duet with Sanjaya. When is she out of rehab?

UPDATE: The Commons shopping mall in Federal Way says it will welcome hometown "Idol" Sanjaya Malakar at a public event Wednesday, May 10. Details are still under negotiation, but the event is scheduled for 4:00 PM PT at Macy's courtyard.

Meanwhile, Reality TV Magazine reports that TIME Magazine has removed Sanjaya's name from the list of candidates for the 100 Most Influential People in the World. Sanjaya climbed as high as third place in voting by the public. Just another rigged vote for the kid.

Photo: www.eastvalleytribune.com

Should Landry or Dallas be here?

Did I get this right? The Washington Redskins drafted a guy named Landry, then some other guy named Dallas. How can that turn out well?

It seems you can't get a job as a pro-football player unless you have relatives in the game. The Redskins drafted two guys with brothers who are already NFL players, one guy who is the son of a NFL All-Pro, and another guy who is the son of a college All-American. Is that connections, nepotism, or genetics?

Manning, Hasselbeck, Winslow, Simms, Greise, Springs, Jones, now Landry, Carson and Blades. What chance does a guy like me have?

You're right; I'm dreaming!

Just for the record, I posted this idea before a similar lead appeared at The Times. So, there.

Photo: Found at www.webslingerz.com

The drum roll, please.

It's NFL draft day. This has been the most thoroughly analyzed draft in league history. Not all that long ago, newspapers told you who was drafted for your team. Details about players were skimpy unless there was local interest about the player. There was very little about other team's draft picks.

Now, NFL Network makes an event of the scouting combine - live, no less. And people watch! A dozen web sites post the combine stats as part of scouting details that used to occupy, er, scouts. Hundreds of football sites run mock drafts. Taken together, you get a group consensus on how college players rank. Maybe group consensus equals group intelligence. Time will tell on that one. Then, there's the blogging phenomena where thousands of posts weigh in on team moves, past draft hits and misses, and team needs versus best available debates.

I think fan knowledge going into this draft is unparalleled. Three years ago, Joe Fan pretty much accepted their team's spin on a draftee. Today, teams may spend as much time defending the move they didn't make as much as the one they did. It's not like it used to be. Heck, it's not like last year.

The Redskin Report points to today's Washington Post report that the Redskins will hold on to their first round draft pick and select LaRon Landry. That is, hold on to it unless there is a last minute trade. (wha?) The Redskin Report also posts a stat analysis of mock drafts showing the frequency of where the first round players, along with the range. The mock draftkateers suggest that Amobi Okoye won't last past the ninth pick. If the mock drafts mimic what will really happen, then the Washington Redskins would be advised to trade down no lower than Miami's ninth pick if they have interest in Okoye.

It's a cool take on the mock drafts -- consensus views are the only way to look at mock drafts. However, if college statistics made your head hurt, TRR's table might not be for you.

Jim Ducibella at The Virginia Pilot published a thorough report on the year long process the Redskins follow to scout players for the draft. Interesting in its own right, it also explains why the Redskins won't make the rumored front office changes until after the draft. A new player personnel director needs to start at the beginning of the process, not the beginning of the draft.

I'm headed off to the Redskins Draft Party at FedEx today, more to snap a few pictures for later use, than to watch the draft on the big screen. So, no Running Redskins draft reaction until tomorrow. The folks at The Warpath and ExtremeSkins message boards, and MVN Draft University plan live blogs of the draft. Get your fix there. Tonight and tomorrow, run through the blogroll to your right for fan reaction and analysis of the Redskins draft moves.

"With the sixth pick of the draft, the Washington Redskins select . . . ."

Photo: 2006 NFL Draft, The Orlando Sentinal

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/