Real Email: The Campbell trade

I get a good amount of email and I do answer every one of them. However, sometimes I have an answer to a question that a lot of people might like to know. Or I have a take that some of you out there would appreciate. Or readers have interesting things to say. In response to this, I am going to do a regular mailbag article. Today is the first. I'd like to do it weekly but if the inbox isn't filling up I won't be able to. So please feel free to send me your questions and comments at RTandlerCSN@comcast.net. I'll still respond to the your email as soon as I can but I'll also take the best of them to post here. In response to my article about the 2006 draft, Mike asked:

I am not clear what did they actually trade to get Campbell - in one part of the article you say a 1st and 3rd - then later a 4th with teh 3rd going for Lloyd?  Not sure what the actual cost was for Campbell - of course one 2nd rounder would have been too much!

Just before the 2005 draft, the Redskins sent their third round pick in that draft and their first- and fourth-round picks in the 2006 draft to Denver. Washington got the Broncos' first round pick in 2005. That selection was the 25th overall and the Redskins took Jason Campbell. Also responding to that same article about the '06 draft, B said:

i dont think you need to wait four years to do 2008 - just give it the F now for going 1 for 10 (fred davis) in a draft that is so loaded with talent.  Remember, skins had the 21st pick and traded down - they passed up chris johnson and mendenhall there, not to mention desean jackson, ray rice, jamaal charles, mario manningham, mike jenkins, jermichael finley, peyton hillis, justin forsett...devastating

I crunched some numbers on the performance on the Redskins' special teams under Danny Smith. That prompted a passionate response from David, who said in part:

Finally someone has backed up what I have been saying (and feeling) for quite a while now.  DANNY SMITH MUST GO>>>  Al of his phony rah rah on the side line can only be taken for so long.  What is the fascination with this guy.  Every season you can find there are holes in the skins special teams that can be directly traced back to a hard headed coach.

Tyler is big supporter of Ryan Torain and he put his artistic talents to work: Ryan Torain will have a full offseason to work out and review game tape to see what he needs to improve on at game time. Should he stay healthy throughout training camp, there’s really no reason he won’t be our starting RB this year. If he can stay healthy/be healthier than 2010, as a starter (knocking on a bowling pin, the only wood here in my office), I believe he won’t have a problem rushing for over 1000 yards (400 receiving) AND reach the Pro-Bowl (it’s a stretch but I like what I see). With that said… (and should the season start out well) Torain needs a nickname. I submit… Finally, Eric sent in an excellent essay about Mike Shanahan. It's too long to post in its entirety, but here is a link: In Defense of Shanahan

Even the best card player can’t win every hand. Shanny picked up a hand that was growing progressively worse for years before he got here. There was and is a ton of impatience, frustration, judging, and condemnation going around Redskins’ nation. A winning team will change that. But which comes first, the winning attitude or the winning? And who has to pick up the winning attitude first? The fans? The local sports writers? The players? The coaches? Who knows? But once they start, they self perpetuate each other. The fans would do themselves a great favor, and the media would do everyone a great favor, by treating this coach supportively, and with dignity and respect. What are we trying to prove? That we can destroy any coach’s resume? If Gibbs can’t succeed again then Shanahan can’t either? We told you so!? Exactly what does that kind of thinking serve? I’ll tell you. It creates a negative air around the Redskins, and it is hard to create a winning environment in psychically tainted air.