What will Wednesday be like?
 

March 3 is almost here, I'm a little anxious to see how things will play out. I'm betting on a day similar to last year. 2 or 3 major signings by the end of the day and a few more by weeks' end.

To tell you the truth all this offseason activity is getting to be a little old. While I'm excited for Wed. I also can't help but think here we go again, spending like crazy and overhauling the roster yet again.

To be fair though we gave Spurrier the chance to get "his players", so of course the same luxury will be afforded to Gibbs.

I'm just tired of being the champions of the offseason, hopefully this is the year we start to see some results when the games count.

It's like Christmas day. I wakeup and scurry to my computer to see which players Snyder picked up at 12:01

Cornelius Griffin, Rod Coleman, Jim Kleinsasser, and Shawn Springs will all be ours by next Monday.

I gotta say... just to throw this out there... little-known Rod Coleman impressed the hell out of me in the one Oakland game I saw last year. He was in the backfield every play it seemed! I think putting him beside Kearse where one of them at least will not be double-teamed.... could be the best pass rush we've seen since dare I say ... Dexter Manley and Dave Butz!! (You GOTTA love some Dave Butz references!)

I was really hoping we'd have more of a draft to get exited about. I can understand going after Brunell, and we needed an upgrade at running back. Still, I can't help but to think that Gibbs, Bugel & Co. could've gotten more out of any average RB, and that would have been better than giving away the bulk of our draft choices for the second year in a row.

And I've been sick of the charge that we're trying to "buy championships" every season for the last 4 years. I'm over that, [B]big time[/B].

The only other issue I have is that we've been concentrating only on offense. Maybe that's to be expected since Gibbs is an offensive minded coach. But from here on out, somebody had better start addressing the defense.

I won't be surprised to see Jevon Kearse in Burgundy and Gold, though I'm generally against it. Ditto for Warren Sapp.

Ultimately, I'd like to see Antoine Winfield replace Champ. With him, Smoot, and possibly Sean Taylor at free safety, that's a hell of a secondary, with the only weak link being Matt 'Bozo' Bowen.

The enormous and intangible difference this year is Coach Gibbs. Last year and the year before it was the clueless Spurrier with his gaggle of inexperienced college coaches on his staff, none of which knew much about the NFL. The situation is entirely different this time. Not only with Gibbs, a proven champion in two major sports, but with the competent, experienced staff he surrounded himself with.

Heck last year we went 5-11, but many of those losses were very close. This team even before a single move was made this offseason was not far from being respectable, with good coaching alone. Combine that with some key moves and the Redskins will be very dangerous this year. I'm excited.

Matty:

The next 7-10 days will address what I think is the most important thing that the skins need to do in this offseason. Getting another QB is fine; Portis is such a huge upgrade at RB that it is difficult to describe and that is good. But the team needs a total and complete overhaul of the DL and without that happening, they are not going to the playoffs next year and probably won't reach 8-8.

The free agent market needs to get them three solid starters on the DL. they don't have to be All-Pros like Kearse or Sapp, but they have to be solid and reliable players who can play and want to play full-speed all the time.

How many of you remember Darryl Grant as a DT from the Dave Butz/Dexter Manley/Charles Mann defensive lines? Grant was the least gifted athlete of that bunch but he was a solid player who was an important cog in the defense. Why? Because Darryl Grant played every down at full-speed. He didn't "free-lance" or "show-boat"; he did his job with max effort on every down. The Redskins need at least one "Darryl Grant" on the DL next year; they did not have anyone even close to that description last year. Brandon Noble was that kind of player in Dallas, but it may take Divine intervention to get Noble healed sufficiently to let him play even a little this year let alone at anything near his previous level of performance.

I'd like to see Snyder sit back, wait to see how the market shapes out and, for once, not act like an overeager child collecting baseball cards. I'd like to see him NOT overpay for once. I'd like him to show some patience, just relax and watch the big name players like Kearse and Sapp and T.O. go to other teams at inflated prices, and then go after "good value" free agents, like the smart teams do (i.e., Patriots). And I'd like to see them pick up some draft picks somehow. If they rush out and lock up Kearse and Sapp for 8 years and $20 million each, I'll be pissed and demoralized, and the pundits will say, "There the Redskins go again ... when will they learn?"

Nice thoughts Ghost but I think Snyder will always be a very aggressive owner. He likes to set the market, he doesn't want to sit back and let the market dictate what he does.

Fire up Redskins One, I'm sure March 3 is going to be a replay of last year.

It is good to be agressive and get what you early but you also have to be patient and not overspend early. But heck it is not my football team. I am sure we will get some big names. I would also like to get for them to take a chance on one that are about to become big time players in a season or two.

Kearse, Springs and Coleman will all be tied up within a day (I think) and possibly Phil Daniels. They may even give Mo Lewis a look on a short term deal (but I hope not).

;)

Lenny's Article
 

Now, I really hate to give this guy the time of day again... but has anyone read the latest instalment of Lenny P's article over at ESPN.com. I mean this thing is just undefendable, in any way shape or form.

"In all likelihood sometime late Tuesday night, before free agency commences Wednesday at 12:01 a.m., Snyder's private jet will embark, on its way to ferry unfettered veterans to the Redskins complex for a quick strike. Snyder, you see, likes to pamper prospects with the private jet, Redskins One, to make them feel extra special. [B]He likes to do something with agents, too -- uh, it rhymes with pamper, and is supposed to be forbidden by the NFL -- to alert them in advance of his interest in their clients.[/B]

Make no mistake, when it comes to pushing the envelope on tampering, Snyder is like a safecracker with big, um, fortitude. All the meal tabs he picked up at Indianapolis during the recent combine, when he dined with a cadre of agents at some of that city's excellent downtown eateries, represented more than just altruism and a taste for big steaks"

Yea, if its forbidden by the NFL, then why hasent the NFL found out about it and done somthing?!?! You must have a secret bug down at redskins park that leaks you all this information. In addition, since when do you use the word " um " In the english language, it makes you look retarded, no one has to know that you dont know what the hell your talking about, so dont use um. I mean seriously, go read this article, him and Jenkins must be married or somthing, I cant wait to see the ugly, mindless journalist those two pop out. Maybe Len should stop worrying about the Redskins and find a few mintues to get on a stairmaster.

I read it, but you know what, aside for the tampering shot, everything else is pretty accurate. We do go overboard and make the big splash. Every off season we sign the names and say how this is the team that will bring us a title and it has failed on numerous occasions. Journalist like Lenny P will continue to criticize and deservingly so until we put a winning team on the field.

Just in case someone wants to spend the time and energy to do this, it is perfectly possible to find out just where Redskins One is headed tonight or tomorrow morning. You see, the pilot is required to file a flight plan with the FAA and that is public domain information.

Oh, if the pilot "accidentally" listed the wrong destination, he could face revocation of his license and the plane could be grounded pending an investigation, so that's not likely. Danny Boy needs Redskins One at this time of year.

You can - if you want - know where Danny Boy is going. Then you need to figure out who will be in the same vicinity...

No, I don't care enough to do the work here, but it isn't really such a great mystery. One of these years, one of the writers who purports to be an "NFL insider" will do the work and make the prediction just before "wheels up"...

Does anyone know how to find out the flight numbers for Snyder's jets? It would be cool to be able to track them.