Rich Tandler’s five thoughts possibly related to the Washington Redskins and other matters.
5. Let’s see, which of the several topics that came up in yesterday’s crazy day around the NFL should we hit on first? How about the bounty scandal? Roger Goodell did not smack the Saints hard because the guys threw a few bucks into a pot to reward big plays. That happened all around the league every week (although it won’t any more). They were punished because the Saints doled out cash awards for injuring opposing players and knocking them out of the game. And, most importantly, Gregg Williams, Sean Payton, and others are going to find themselves watching games on TV this year because they repeatedly lied to Goodell and the other investigators when they tried to look into the bounty affair. As we know well in Washington it’s not the crime that gets you into big trouble, it’s the coverup.
4. The second time was a charm for the Jets as they managed to trade for Tim Tebow after one failed attempt to do so earlier in the day. The draft picks were settled on the first try but, oops, there was a little matter of $5 million that the Jets brain trust did not realize they would have to pay if they wanted to bring Tebowmania to the Big Apple. Many hours of embarrassing delay followed and Tebow was nearly dealt to the Jaguars. Finally, the two parties agreed to do what could have been done within minutes of the financial snag being discovered--they split the difference. Tebow was introduced to the New York media by way of a conference call that took place near midnight. A fitting end to a bizarre day.
3. The London Fletcher standoff continues. The Lions’ five-year deal with middle linebacker Stephen Tulloch was agreed to on Tuesday afternoon but that has not triggered the signing of the other top inside linebackers like Fletcher, Curtis Lofton, and David Hawthorne. We don’t have the details on Tulloch’s deal yet but you can be sure that the Redskins and Fletcher’s agent do. At this point, the lack of movement is not doing any harm. But it will come to a point where alternatives for both sides will start to disappear.
2. The Redskins don’t appear to be in any hurry to get running back Tim Hightower back into the fold, either. This one could take a while as they assess how his knee is recovering from the torn ACL he suffered in October. They could wait until after the draft to see if they land a younger, cheaper, and healthier prospect there. Hightower does bring a lot more to the table than a possible fifth-round pick in terms of leadership and pass blocking ability. They will have to decide if younger and cheaper is the way to go here.
1. Back to the bounty punishments, there has long been a strong contingent of Redskins Nation that would occasionally express frustration that Gregg Williams was not promoted to head coach when Joe Gibbs resigned after the 2007 season. We haven’t heard much from that group since the ugly affair in New Orleans has started to come to light. While we don’t know how things would have unfolded if he had stayed in Washington, the bounty system and, especially, the coverup reveal some character issues with Williams. Perhaps he did not do it for the right reasons, but Dan Snyder made the right call in January of 2008 when he decided that the organization should move on from Williams.
Days until: Start of offseason workouts, 25; NFL draft, 35; first Sunday of NFL season 171
You can reach Rich by email at RTandlerCSN@comcast.net and follow him on Twitter @Rich_Tandler.
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