[FRPLG]

Originally Posted by GMScud

Oh he was effusive in his praise of Todd. He said "I love this guy" more than once last night.

As far as what Coach and Todd said about the Redskins, sorry guys. It would pretty unprofessional of me to take what they said to me in a private room, off the record, and spill it on a message board that anyone on earth could read. Keep in mind this was a work function for me.

I can tell you that both Todd and Coach Vermeil talked a lot about quarterback play, and how the system and situation are just as crucial as the individual skills. Coach obviously loves Kurt Warner, and both guys talked a lot about how impressed they are with Drew Brees.

I tried to keep the conversation loose and cool, and I definitely didn't let on how enamored I was with their presence. In my experience guys like them would rather just be treated like regular dudes. We talked about wine and life just as much as we did football. They both love to fish, and Todd has a boat and mentioned something about Coast Guard certification. Coach said he liked Greg Kinnear's portrayal of him in "Invincible."

Probably the coolest part for me was when he talked about the phone call he got from Coach Gibbs prior to Al Saunders being hired. Obviously Vermeil gave Saunders high praise. He said Coach Gibbs is one of the "best men he's ever known." No surprise there. I had chills listening to him talk about Gibbs. It was amazing. One interesting thing Vermeil told me- he said he told Gibbs that Saunders would be great, but only if Gibbs "let him have the entire offense." Interesting that Gibbs didn't follow that advice.

Anyway, great night overall. Oh, I forgot to mention, John Burrell and Harrison Bernstein were there. John Burrell is head athletic trainer for the team. He took over for Bubba Tyer. Harrison is one of the strength and conditioning coaches. Both guys are really cool. I'd met Harrison before- his sister is good friends with my boss.

Since taking this job, I've had a beer with Kevin Blackistone, talked with Phil Chenier for a few hours (literally, no exaggeration), and then of course last night. Pretty cool.

Big fan of Chenier. He's a great local color guy. I don't think he could pull off a national job but at the local level he gives you everything that is good. Conversational and informed. Good all around.