I was checking out the CBS Sports website, and noticed that they have their Power Rankings already in place. I think it is a bit too early for this, since offseason additions do not always make the team better. We should know this more than anyone, since the Redskins almost always have a huge offseason, bringing big names, and looking great on paper, but then they faulter during the season and crap out. So I read the list with a grain of salt, knowing it probably won't be the same a couple of weeks into the season. What I did find rather annoying, however, was where Pete Prisco had placed the Redskins on the list, compared to the other NFC East teams. The Skins are at number 23, the Cowboys at 15, Giats at 6, and Eagles at 5. Even though I do agree that the Skins are probably not as good as the Eagles and Giants, I would have to say, based on the draft and signings, they should be a lot better off than the Cowboys. This is the line he has for the Skins : "They're the fourth team in a four-team division. That will make it tough to win eight games." Are you serious?? Tough to win 8 games? The Skins went 6-2, and would have finished a LOT better than 8-8 last year if the O-Line stayed healthy, and if the D-Line put some pressure on the QB's. So are you telling me that with signing the Million-Dollar man, and drafting Orakpo, and bringing back Dockery, along with some new O-Linemen, they will have trouble matching last year's record? Every draft review I've seen, the Redskins have been given a pretty good score on the draft, picking up players for key positions that they needed. They have been able to, at the very least on paper, shore up the holes they had last year. They have added some depth to the O-Line, D-Line, and LB positions. Not only have they added warm bodies to those positions, they have been able to get rather good players to fill the gaps they had. They are also going to be in their second year in the same offense, with the same QB (at least for now), and the same receivers. Not to mention that the WR's they drafted last year, which produced absolutely nothing, have had a whole year to develope in this system. From all aspects, this year's team is better than last years. Which means, if we don't consider injuries, they should do better than last year, thus at the very least winning 9 games. Based on their schedule, I think they should be able to win at the very least 10 or 11 games this year, but then again I'm biased.
Then again, Mr. Prisco is more knowledgable in these things than I am, so maybe he sees something in the Redskins to make him predict they won't win 8 games. But to say the Cowboys will be better than the Redskins? Again, going to all the reports on the draft, most people have said that the Cowboys did not do a good job filling in the holes they had. Granted, not having too many picks in the first day will do that, but since they had so many picks in the later rounds, they could have traded them to get a few first and second round picks to be able to fill up the gaps. I really don't care what they did or why they did it, but the fact remains that they did not do a good job, according to the experts. They also lost Owens and their big hitting safety, Roy Williams, along with several other players. Granted, I personaly think Owens is bad for the team, but he is still talented, and can be a threat. So with those loses, and not a great draft, they appear to be a bit worse than last year, or perhaps the same. Regardless, they are not better, at least on paper.
So I seriously fail to see why they Cowboys are ranked higher than the Redskins, considering everything I've just mentioned. The only thing I can think of is that most media and experts do not like Dan Snyder, so they are not going to look at the Redskins the same as they would other teams. Not saying that is true, just what I think. Because I seriously can't come up with a reason for thinking the Redskins are not even going to be able to match last year's record, even though they have improved. But I guess we will have to wait for the season to start to see if the analyst and experts are correct, or if the Redskins can be as good as us fans know they can be.
Z
My thoughts and rants and raves about the Redskins, and the NFL in general. Most of my posts will be about the Skins though.
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Monday, April 27, 2009
Post draft
Well, I have to say that I am very much relieved as to the Redskins' draft choices. I was very worried that they were going to move up and grab Sanchez. They did not, and actuall were able to hit 4 out of 5 need positions in the draft. I could have done without the WR they drafted at the end, but I guess they can't go without drafting a "sexy" position. Regardless, it appears that the players they selected are rather good, and should contribute to the team. Now all they need is to grab a couple of OL from the undrafted lot, and they should be good.
Needless to say, I, along with many other Redskins fans, are looking forward to the season. Not only did the Redskins draft needed positions, but they kept the main core of the Offense intact. A second season in the same offense, with the same players, is going to do wonders for the team. Just adding a few OL should make for a very solid Offense. The D got a boost as well, at the line, which they also needed, as they were the worst team in sacks and getting to the QB. Hopefully they will do a lot better, with the two new players added to the roster.
I'm praying that the rest of the offseason will go without any major news coming from Redskins Park, other than free agent/undrafted rookie signings for the OL. I think they have made a big enough splash this offseason to keep in par with what they do around this time, so Snyder should be happy with making headlines and hopefully won't be looking to make any more. With that being said, I for one will not be shocked to see something outrageous happening in the next couple of months.
Z
Needless to say, I, along with many other Redskins fans, are looking forward to the season. Not only did the Redskins draft needed positions, but they kept the main core of the Offense intact. A second season in the same offense, with the same players, is going to do wonders for the team. Just adding a few OL should make for a very solid Offense. The D got a boost as well, at the line, which they also needed, as they were the worst team in sacks and getting to the QB. Hopefully they will do a lot better, with the two new players added to the roster.
I'm praying that the rest of the offseason will go without any major news coming from Redskins Park, other than free agent/undrafted rookie signings for the OL. I think they have made a big enough splash this offseason to keep in par with what they do around this time, so Snyder should be happy with making headlines and hopefully won't be looking to make any more. With that being said, I for one will not be shocked to see something outrageous happening in the next couple of months.
Z
Friday, April 24, 2009
Redskins Draft situation
My favorite football team is the Washington Redskins. I have been following them since 1990, and have been a full fledged fan over the rough years since their Super Bowl run. Although I have been getting a lot of flack from friends for supporting the team, as they had been pretty bad lately, I'm still rooting for them and hoping for the best year in and year out. I have not agreed with many of their choices since Dan Snyder took over, and most of his decisions have turned out to hurt the team rather than help it. Which brings me to today, and this weekend's draft.
The Redskins have the number 13 pick in the draft, and are in real need of Offensive/Defensive linemen, and LB's. There are a few good choices for those positions, even at the 13th pick, and they would probably be good additions to the team. The good thing about picking a lineman or LB is that they don't have to be impact players in their first few seasons, they can take the time to learn the system and develope their talents. Other key positions, like WR, RB, and specially QB's are expected to make an impact in their second year, if not their first, specially if they were picked in the first round. Also, the price for linemen and linebackers is far less than QB's and WR's, so it won't be a huge cost if the player turns out to be a bust. So by those standards, the Reskins picking a lineman or linebacker would be a good decision, and even if it doesn't help the team, it won't hurt it that much.
However, if the rumors are true, and in these situations they tend to be, Dan Snyder has his eyes set on the QB out of USC, Mark Sanchez, and often enough, when Dan has his eyes set on someone, he gets them, i.e. Albert Haynesworth. The main problem here is that Sanchez will not be around until the 13th pick, so in order for the Redskins to get him, they will have to make a trade to move up the draft, most likely to the 4th spot, where Seattle is at, or the 8th, and trade of Jacksonville. Neither of those two will do an outright trade, and will want something else from the Redksins. The trouble is that they don't have much to offer, as they only have a few picks. But then again, they got into this position by trading their picks this year for players, so it won't be too much of a shock for them to trade some of their picks in later years to move up.
Another issue is that, well simply put, they already have QB's, and don't need another added to the mix. They currently have Jason Cambell, Todd Collins, and Colt Brennan, with Jason being the started, and Colt being drafted last year. It does not make sense to draft another QB, when you did so last year, and thought the guy was good enough to keep. And you really don't want to replace a veteran for a rookie, because that would make Jason your veteran, and he only has a couple of years under his belt. So the only situation that makes sense is if Sanchez would be Jason's replacement. Nothing against Sanchez, and many think that he is going to be a great QB, but I for one don't want him, and I know many of the other Redskins fans don't want him either. Yes, there is a chance that he can become the next Peyton Manning or John Elway, but then there is also the chance that he can be the next Heath Shuller or Tim Couch. If you already have a good QB, there is no reason why you should pay a lot to draft another one, as the chances for him being a bust are a lot higher than him being great. Jason himself was a first rounder, and although he is good, he isn't an elite QB, at least not yet.
Let us look at their situation as it stands. This will be the second year Jason is in the same offense, which he has not been in since he came out of Colledge. He showed last year that he can be a pretty good QB, and he does have an arm. Given another year with the same system and players only will improve his talents. The problem last year was the Offensive line, due to injuries Jason was not getting good enough protection to be an effective QB. The first part of the season, when they went 6-2, he was not sacked that much, and had a lot of time to make decisions on where to place the ball. Granted, their problems in the second half of the season cannot be placed only on the lack of protection Jason was getting, but that did play a big part in it. If he had the same protection in the second half that he receive in the first, the Redskins would not have finished the year 8-8, they would have been 10-6 at the very least. Give the guy some time, and he can make some spectacular throws, both mid range and long bombs. He is not that much of a mobile QB, so he does depend on the protection more than some of the others. But that is not unusual, specially for the Redskins. In their last Suber Bowl victory, their QB, Mark Rypen, was one of the least mobile QB's ever, and they were able to protect him enough for him to make deep bomb throws to the likes of Art Monk and Gary Clarck. So the notion of having a QB that needs protection is not new to the Redskins, and yet they seem to have some trouble with it.
But let us just assume that it is all Jason's fault, and he just isn't a good QB. So they go ahead and trade up, possibly trading Jason to either Seattle or Jacksonville, and draft Sanchez. So now you have a rookie QB, who only started 16 games in Colledge, and you putting him against defenses like that of Dallas and the Eagles, who are known for going after the QB and making it very difficult for him to read their D, and you are doing so with an O-line that is getting old, and gets injured a lot. What possibly do you think will happen? Sanchez is going to get hit, and get hit hard and often, which will most likely put a huge dent in his confidence, as has happened before, even here in Washington with Patrick Ramsey. So it would not be a good idea to put him in as a rookie, unless you bolster the O-line, which does not look to be happening, if the Redskins are going to use their picks for getting Sanchez. That means then you will have to start Collins, and let Sanchez get up to speed before putting him in. Although I do like Collins, I don't think he is a starting QB, so most likely the Redskins are not going to start the year strong, which only makes it worse once you put Sanchez in and he stumbles a bit. So to prevent that situation, they can keep Jason and trade either of the other two QB's or something else, and that might work. Well, it would have, except today I read that Jason has basically told the Redskins that if they draft a QB, he is going to demand a trade. So if they do draft Sanchez, they won't be keeping Jason, even for next year, and there goes the season.
Also, along the same line, this is really the first time that you are going into a 2nd season of an offensive scheme, with the majority of the players from the previous year. You would want to keep things as close to the same as possible, and drafted and placing a new QB into the mix completely shatters the notion of continuity, which an offense needs to be productive.
So it really does not make sense for the Redskins to draft Sanchez, or any other QB, but then again, when it comes to Dan Snyder, it does not have to make sense for it to happen, even if everyone knows it is a bad move.
Simply put, if Dan wants it, it will happen, regardless of anything else.
Z
The Redskins have the number 13 pick in the draft, and are in real need of Offensive/Defensive linemen, and LB's. There are a few good choices for those positions, even at the 13th pick, and they would probably be good additions to the team. The good thing about picking a lineman or LB is that they don't have to be impact players in their first few seasons, they can take the time to learn the system and develope their talents. Other key positions, like WR, RB, and specially QB's are expected to make an impact in their second year, if not their first, specially if they were picked in the first round. Also, the price for linemen and linebackers is far less than QB's and WR's, so it won't be a huge cost if the player turns out to be a bust. So by those standards, the Reskins picking a lineman or linebacker would be a good decision, and even if it doesn't help the team, it won't hurt it that much.
However, if the rumors are true, and in these situations they tend to be, Dan Snyder has his eyes set on the QB out of USC, Mark Sanchez, and often enough, when Dan has his eyes set on someone, he gets them, i.e. Albert Haynesworth. The main problem here is that Sanchez will not be around until the 13th pick, so in order for the Redskins to get him, they will have to make a trade to move up the draft, most likely to the 4th spot, where Seattle is at, or the 8th, and trade of Jacksonville. Neither of those two will do an outright trade, and will want something else from the Redksins. The trouble is that they don't have much to offer, as they only have a few picks. But then again, they got into this position by trading their picks this year for players, so it won't be too much of a shock for them to trade some of their picks in later years to move up.
Another issue is that, well simply put, they already have QB's, and don't need another added to the mix. They currently have Jason Cambell, Todd Collins, and Colt Brennan, with Jason being the started, and Colt being drafted last year. It does not make sense to draft another QB, when you did so last year, and thought the guy was good enough to keep. And you really don't want to replace a veteran for a rookie, because that would make Jason your veteran, and he only has a couple of years under his belt. So the only situation that makes sense is if Sanchez would be Jason's replacement. Nothing against Sanchez, and many think that he is going to be a great QB, but I for one don't want him, and I know many of the other Redskins fans don't want him either. Yes, there is a chance that he can become the next Peyton Manning or John Elway, but then there is also the chance that he can be the next Heath Shuller or Tim Couch. If you already have a good QB, there is no reason why you should pay a lot to draft another one, as the chances for him being a bust are a lot higher than him being great. Jason himself was a first rounder, and although he is good, he isn't an elite QB, at least not yet.
Let us look at their situation as it stands. This will be the second year Jason is in the same offense, which he has not been in since he came out of Colledge. He showed last year that he can be a pretty good QB, and he does have an arm. Given another year with the same system and players only will improve his talents. The problem last year was the Offensive line, due to injuries Jason was not getting good enough protection to be an effective QB. The first part of the season, when they went 6-2, he was not sacked that much, and had a lot of time to make decisions on where to place the ball. Granted, their problems in the second half of the season cannot be placed only on the lack of protection Jason was getting, but that did play a big part in it. If he had the same protection in the second half that he receive in the first, the Redskins would not have finished the year 8-8, they would have been 10-6 at the very least. Give the guy some time, and he can make some spectacular throws, both mid range and long bombs. He is not that much of a mobile QB, so he does depend on the protection more than some of the others. But that is not unusual, specially for the Redskins. In their last Suber Bowl victory, their QB, Mark Rypen, was one of the least mobile QB's ever, and they were able to protect him enough for him to make deep bomb throws to the likes of Art Monk and Gary Clarck. So the notion of having a QB that needs protection is not new to the Redskins, and yet they seem to have some trouble with it.
But let us just assume that it is all Jason's fault, and he just isn't a good QB. So they go ahead and trade up, possibly trading Jason to either Seattle or Jacksonville, and draft Sanchez. So now you have a rookie QB, who only started 16 games in Colledge, and you putting him against defenses like that of Dallas and the Eagles, who are known for going after the QB and making it very difficult for him to read their D, and you are doing so with an O-line that is getting old, and gets injured a lot. What possibly do you think will happen? Sanchez is going to get hit, and get hit hard and often, which will most likely put a huge dent in his confidence, as has happened before, even here in Washington with Patrick Ramsey. So it would not be a good idea to put him in as a rookie, unless you bolster the O-line, which does not look to be happening, if the Redskins are going to use their picks for getting Sanchez. That means then you will have to start Collins, and let Sanchez get up to speed before putting him in. Although I do like Collins, I don't think he is a starting QB, so most likely the Redskins are not going to start the year strong, which only makes it worse once you put Sanchez in and he stumbles a bit. So to prevent that situation, they can keep Jason and trade either of the other two QB's or something else, and that might work. Well, it would have, except today I read that Jason has basically told the Redskins that if they draft a QB, he is going to demand a trade. So if they do draft Sanchez, they won't be keeping Jason, even for next year, and there goes the season.
Also, along the same line, this is really the first time that you are going into a 2nd season of an offensive scheme, with the majority of the players from the previous year. You would want to keep things as close to the same as possible, and drafted and placing a new QB into the mix completely shatters the notion of continuity, which an offense needs to be productive.
So it really does not make sense for the Redskins to draft Sanchez, or any other QB, but then again, when it comes to Dan Snyder, it does not have to make sense for it to happen, even if everyone knows it is a bad move.
Simply put, if Dan wants it, it will happen, regardless of anything else.
Z
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Welcome
This is my first attempt at Blogging. Yes, I am a Blog-virgin, and have held back from jumping into the world of Blogging until now. But I find myself with a lot on my mind, in regards to life, sports, games, world, and so on, and figured I'd give this a shot and see how it goes. Most of my entries will be about sports and games, but I will have others as well, as they come to me.
I think I'll start with a little bit about myself.
I'm currently 31, married happily to a wonderful wife for 6 years, with a beautiful 2 and a half year old daughter. I'm in the IT/Computer tech field, working for a small company, and handling small business clients. I have 3 main clients that are under me, and I go to their offices once a week, taking care of day-to-day problems, and making sure they are working without any issues. I enjoy working with computers, and solving problems related to them and networks. My main passion is computer programming and program debugging, but having a wife and daughter, I have not had the time to pursue that aspect of my dream, so my programming skills are a bit dusty.
Although I am what is categorized as a geek or nerd, and yes I do wear glasses, I am somewhat of a jock as well. I love playing basketball and football, and I love to swim. I was on the football and swimming team back in High School, and I used to play basketball with my friends every day, some of whom were on the school's basketball team. Currently I play basketball once a week, and swim during the summer time only. I have not played football in a couple of years, and I do miss it a lot. Hopefully this summer/fall I can get a couple of football games in with friends.
Anyway, thats a little bit about me. I'll add new posts whenever I can, which will most likely be on days that I'm at a client's site with nothing to do, like today.
Until next time.....
Z
I think I'll start with a little bit about myself.
I'm currently 31, married happily to a wonderful wife for 6 years, with a beautiful 2 and a half year old daughter. I'm in the IT/Computer tech field, working for a small company, and handling small business clients. I have 3 main clients that are under me, and I go to their offices once a week, taking care of day-to-day problems, and making sure they are working without any issues. I enjoy working with computers, and solving problems related to them and networks. My main passion is computer programming and program debugging, but having a wife and daughter, I have not had the time to pursue that aspect of my dream, so my programming skills are a bit dusty.
Although I am what is categorized as a geek or nerd, and yes I do wear glasses, I am somewhat of a jock as well. I love playing basketball and football, and I love to swim. I was on the football and swimming team back in High School, and I used to play basketball with my friends every day, some of whom were on the school's basketball team. Currently I play basketball once a week, and swim during the summer time only. I have not played football in a couple of years, and I do miss it a lot. Hopefully this summer/fall I can get a couple of football games in with friends.
Anyway, thats a little bit about me. I'll add new posts whenever I can, which will most likely be on days that I'm at a client's site with nothing to do, like today.
Until next time.....
Z
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