[sportscurmudgeon]

Daseal:

To address your questions in order:

No, I don't think that the Skins are edging toward a West Coast offense. I do believe that the "Joe Gibbs offense" can look a lot like a West Coast offense when it focuses on the short passing game to the exclusion of the deep game, but I don't think the Skins are moving in that direction in any intentional way.


I know you like Clarett. You know that I do not. Here's where I am on Clarett as of today. He got drafted by Denver. If there is ANY team in the NFL that has a history of knowing who is potentially a productive RB in the NFL, it has to be the Broncos. So I defer to their judgment here. If Clarett becomes the man in Denver and gains 1200 yards this year, he will have some folks who say he is a product of the system. After all, he would certainly not be the first back to do that! So he may indeed be shortchanged for some potential accomplishments. But the reverse is not true. If injuries force him to be the starter and all he does is gain 800 yards in that running system, he will be pilloried as a draft day bust. Is that fair? Maybe not. But I think that is where it stands as of today.



Will Betts be traded/cut? Probably not, but it might happen if some other back shows REALLY well in training camp and in the exhibition games.

Will Ramsey be traded/cut? Not this year. Not even if he plays as poorly as Brunell did for the first 8 games of last year - or even a bit worse. If he plays that badly, he'll be gonzo next February/March, but not during the season. The issue you may need to worry about is this one:

Suppose Ramsey has a good - but not spectacular - year. What will the Skins offer him under those circumstances in the next offseason? That could provide for some REAL soap opera melodrama and fireworks for next March and April!