NFL DRAFT SCOUT 1/30 mock (Alan Branch, DT)

You have good points, but you can say that about ANY other team in the league.

1. We traded Champ Bailey, the best cornerback in the league, and a draft pick for Clinton Portis. In my opinion, this was not a good idea because talent like Bailey's is extremely rare, and while Portis is a stud, I can think of a handful of NFL running backs that are close to or of his ability or even better such as LT, LJ, Stephen Jackson, Sean Alexander, Edgerrin James, Frank Gore, Thomas Jones, you could make a case for all those guys. They should have looked at what we already had in Betts, Duckett, and Sellars. Or gone through the draft! What did the colts do when they lost Edge, they got a new RB through the draft!

Champ had to go. He just didn't want to be here anymore. And we didn't have Duckett then, Betts was (is) injury-prone, and we had just re-signed Sellers a month before we traded for CP. Plus, you can't go into a season with Sellers as the every down back

2. I'm going to kinda lump the rest of these guys together. Over the last 4 years, we've continually gotten rid of solid NFL players such as Fred Smoot, AP, 56, and I know the these last two may be debatable...Walt Harris and Ryan Clark. Not only have we gotten rid of talent, but it shows that rest of the team that they're not really willing to take care of their own, and it destroys team chemistry and comradery.

I'll give you Pierce but Arrington did nothing all year (injured....again) and Smoot has been average at best; not to mention his off the field indiscretions

3. I know this is also debateable, but bringing in Mark Brunell. We had a young, promising quarter back in Ramsey, and we decided to bring in an old man. Yes, he went went to the playoffs with him, but I don't think he was really key in doing so. Other than that, we've had two losing season with him, and Gibbs's allegiance to him has hurt the team because he kept him Brunell in longer than he should have.

Don't feel like beating this Barbaro any longer...(too soon?)

4. Carlos Rodgers. We had a chance at Ware and Merriman, and we passed up on both of them. Maybe we needed a cornerback, but guess what, maybe we shouldn't have gotten rid of Smoot and Bailey! If we woulda kept them, maybe we would not have drafted Carlos, and we'd a have a pro bowler in either Ware or Merriman, instead of a guy who drops interceptions, and says there's nothing he can do about it when he gets burned for TDs.

I'll give Carlos another year before I pass judgement.

5. I don't think I need to go into detail about the cap situaton, AA, Lloyd, and trading a 3rd rounder for Duckett.

Are we hurting cap wise?

You have good points, but you can say that about ANY other team in the league.

I partially agree with you on that statement, but I think there's something that should be added at the end. I'm assuming that what you're referring to with the statement "you can say that about ANY other team in the league," is that all other teams go through a period where they make bad personnel decisions? Yes, you can say that, I agree. But I don't think you can say there's another team who has made bad personnel decisions with the longevity that the Redskins have.

Take for example, the Ravens and the Patriots. The Ravens have had a horrible time finding a QB since they've been in Baltimore, that is one area where historically they're made bad personnel decisions. But they've been so good in most other areas that they been a solid football team and have won a superbowl in a very short time, their team is not plagued with bad decisions.

And the Patriots, yes, they let some great players go, like McGuinnest, Branch, Givens, and Ty Law. BUT, they were able to keep them there long enough to win three Superbowls.

The Redskins have nothing show.

Sure they don't, but aside from anomalies like the Pats, who else can boast that?

TAFKAS. Arrington, was a leader on our team and we got rid of him. He brought a fierce presence, a swagger, and was loved by everyone in DC. We should have kept him, IMO.

As far as Champ goes, if he wanted to go that bad, then fine, let him go, but we should have got more for him. We gave him and a draft pick for Portis, if anything they shoulda given us the draft pick, that's just bad negotiating.

Ok, I'll wait another season to pass judement on roders too , but I guess my point is that if we woulda kept smoot, who up to this point has played much better than Carlos, then maybe we coulda got Merriman or Ware in the draft. I don't see Carlos ever being as good as either of them.

Sure they don't, but aside from anomalies like the Pats, who else can boast that?

I'm kinda confused on what you're getting at. I can think of a fair amount of teams in the league that don't have players come an go as much as the Skins do. They stick with their guys, mainly build through the draft, and eventually they click and become contenders. Seattle, Philly, Baltimore, Indiannapolis, Chicago, Carolina, I dunno I think this is a really objective conversation.

I don't know. I don't see how, after yet another year of Arrington being injured, we can continue to miss him. All the talent in the world, but if he doesn't play who cares?

He's Jeff George in a linebacker suit

I don't know. I don't see how, after yet another year of Arrington being injured, we can continue to miss him. All the talent in the world, but if he doesn't play who cares?

Yeah, I'll agree with you on that it doesn't matter if he's not playing. But if we're trying to stay away from guys who are easily injured, why sign a bunch of older defensive lineman and a CB in springs who is injury prone. I just don't get it, and I think I'm not going to try to, lol.

I think they thought they were just a few pieces away from winning it all.