Rich Tandler's Real Redskins

Davis —give it a rest!

After running a few errands on Thursday afternoon, I came home and, as I usually do when I'm puttering around the house, I turned on the John Riggins show. Among the topics of discussion—still—was Fred Davis.

It's been a while since the incident involving Davis took place, so allow me to refresh your memory. Last Sunday, he overslept and missed a 9:30 AM practice. That's it.

He wasn't out driving (or boating) drunk. He didn't get into a fight with another man or hit a woman. He wasn't making it rain, he wasn't failing a drug test. No ballistics tests were being done to determine if a weapon he owned had been involved in a shooting.

I found it to be somewhat surprising that they were still talking about it on Tuesday. I don't know if they were still beating the dead horse on Wednesday, but they were on Thursday. And I'm not talking about a few gags sprinkled throughout the show. It was an entire segment, teased beforehand.

The segment itself was amusingly annoying. Riggins, who played in the days before there was saturation media coverage, didn't understand why the Redskins let word of Davis' absence "get out".

Evidently it's been a while since Riggo has been to an NFL practice. Beat reporters go out to the field armed with a numerical roster. As they see each player, they check him off of the list. Absentees are noted and, if someone on the PR staff is available, that person is questioned about the missing player or players. After practice, the coaches are questioned about them.

In Davis' case, Jim Zorn could have made something up or he could have told the truth. At the end of Sunday's practice, they didn't know where Davis was. Since the truth has a way of coming out at some point regardless, the best thing for Zorn to do was say that Davis' whereabouts were unknown.

Of course, I'm perpetuating the topic by complaining about the perpetuation of the topic, so I'll end it here. Hopefully, Riggo and his crew and the rest of the media do the same.

Little news is good news

There was very little news coming out of the Washington Redskins minicamp this past weekend and that is exactly what the team wanted.

You don't want your team to make news during minicamp.

Any headline that comes out of the spring get-together is almost invariably bad news. It's about someone who's not there because of a contract dispute. Or someone who had to be carted off the field and his participation in training camp, if not the season, is in doubt.

There was the Fred Davis episode. The rookie tight end overslept and missed Sunday's practice. If his screwup proves to be an isolated incident then it will soon be forgotten. If he ends up leaving a trail of irresponsible actions, it will be recounted over and over again.

Most are willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. I agree, but we shall see.

Davis' mishap still is being discussed on Tuesday, with the Riggins show devoting a segment to it and a buzz still lingering on the message boards. That's a sign that it was a slow new weekend.

The most humorous analysis of the story comes from Giants and Cowboys fans trying to get in a few digs about it. The Giants would be happy if their tight end slept in. That would mean that Jeremy Shockey wasn't whining about the offense or demanding a trade. And society at large is much safer if the newest veteran member of the Dallas Cowboys, Pac Man Jones, is in his hotel room.

And after the events of this past weekend, Colts and Bears fans had better not be saying anything, either.

Other than that, it was all football coming out of Ashburn. Specifically, it was about the team learning two new systems, those of Jim Zorn and Greg Blache.

Indications are that Blache's defense will be easy to pick up. Gregg Williams employed a couple of dozen packages of personnel and alignments each game. Blache thinks that simpler is better

"We will have fewer packages because this is about the players," Blache said after a practice at this weekend's minicamp. "This is not about building the perfect castle or whatever. It's about giving the players something they can execute in the heat of battle under stressful situations. We are trying to be a hard, physical defense that's intimidating with our speed and hitting ability, and you can't do that when you're thinking about 20,000 different things."

It wasn't exactly as though Williams' defense seemed to be suffering from paralysis by analysis. The unit was among the top ten in the NFL in three of his four seasons in DC.

Still, letting players play isn't a bad thing. It will be interesting to see how all looks.

Blache did coach under Williams for four years, but it would be inaccurate to call him a GW disciple. He's been a coordinator before. His 2001 Bears unit was one of the best in recent memory as they allowed an average of just 12.7 points per game, in part because the unit collected 34 takeaways.

No doubt, he'll be bringing in a number of his own ideas to the defense as he crafts a scheme that isn't overly disruptive while sticking to his core philosophies and methods.

Stupid

Dos uno's wasn't enough to get Ocho Cinco to Washington.

I would have posted this sooner, but I was out looking for thank-you cards for Mike Brown and Marvin Lewis. However, the local Hallmark store had nothing in their "thanks for saving an organization from self-destructing" line.

Dan Snyder and Vinny Cerrato have been drawing praise since the departure of Joe Gibbs because, for the most part, they have done nothing.

After seeing what they offered the Cincinnati Bengals in an effort to obtain Chad Johnson there is fervent hope on the part of many that they will crawl back into their hole.

If you read this space with any regularity, you know that I tend to give the Redskins' organization the benefit of the doubt. However, none of that is forthcoming here.

Snyder and Cerrato's decision (and I have to join them at the hip in looking at this as it has the fingerprints of both of them all over it) to offer the Bengals their first-round pick this year and a conditional pick that would be at least a third and perhaps a first in exchange for disgruntled wide receiver Chad Johnson was stupid.

Incredibly stupid.

Crazy stupid.

Stupid and stupider.

I don't have a problem with Johnson, the persona. While I'm decidedly the old-school type, the celebrations, the list of cornerback "victims" and the brash talk that make up the Ocho Cinco character are no big deal. I've been a reporter in a locker room looking for a good quote and it would have been refreshing and fun to have such entertainment at hand.

And Johnson does produce on the field. He cranks out 90-catch, 1,400 yard seasons with regularity. Certainly, the Redskins' offense would have been better had the Bengals taken the bait.

It would have been better in 2008, anyway. And probably in 2009. Beyond that the returns from the deal would start to diminish. And that is the rub.

Johnson celebrated his 30^th birthday last January. The production of most football players who are not quarterbacks generally starts to drop off at that age. CJ does keep himself in excellent shape so he may be able to cheat Father Time out of a season or two. But anything beyond that would be a lot to ask for.

It would be a questionable deal if the team was one playmaking wide receiver away from a Super Bowl run. But they're not.

They are a couple of good drafts away from being a perennial contender. The odds of executing a good draft are much better when you, you know, have all of your picks.

Now, there is no guarantee that the Redskins' will be able to land a wide receiver of the quality of Johnson with the #21 pick. In fact, it's unlikely that they will. But they are likely to be able to get one who will be productive for the next half dozen years at a fraction of the salary cap cost of CJ.

Even if Snyder and Cerrato decided that they had to have Johnson, why not wait it out to see if the price drops? It certainly isn't going to get any higher. A Chad Johnson sitting out and making noise in late August might be able to be acquired for a relative song.

Evidently, Snyder took Lewis' pronouncement last February that Johnson would not be traded as the Bengals' coach saying that it would take a hell of an offer to get him out of Cincy. As it turns out, what Lewis said was not a negotiating ploy; it was a statement of fact.

It's also a statement of fact to say that the Redskins' personnel decision-making is in highly questionable hands.

Skins think big at receiver

The Washington Redskins are in need of a big wide receiver.

The West Coast offense, the scheme that Jim Zorn will be introducing to the team this year, works better when a big WR can go to the middle of the field, turn, and shield off a cornerback with his sheer physical size.

Their starters are listed at 5" 10". I'm not sure about Antwaan Randle El, but I know for a fact that Santana Moss is not 5-10. I'm 5-10 and I've talked to him standing in front of him on many occasions and I'm always looking down. He's at least an inch, maybe two, shorter than his listed height.

The other top returning receiver, James Thrash, appears to be every bit of the height next to his name on the roster but that's only six feet even.

There are a couple of wideouts on the roster who are relative skyscrapers—Anthony Mix, 6' 5" and Billy McMullen, 6' 4". If either of those two contributes much of anything in 2008, the productivity would be considered a bonus.

They threw out a hook with an old worm on it to try to reel in D. J. Hackett, but the 6' 2" receiver from Seattle didn't bite on the Skins' minimum-salary offer.

That leaves the draft and it would surprise nobody if the Skins tabbed a large pass catcher early in the proceedings.

There are two receivers who should be available around selection #21 who may be worthy of the pick. One is Limas Sweed, 6' 5" out of Texas; the other is Malcolm Kelly, 6' 4" out of Oklahoma. Neither is a burner, but they're both fast enough (around 4.5 in the 40 at the combine) to get deep.

Not only are their measurables good, both Sweed and Kelly pass the eyeball test. You look at video of each of them on the field and you think, "there's a future NFL receiver". These guys are not combine superstars.

(By the way, you'll be able to give Kelly and Sweed the eyeball test yourself as I'll be rolling out RRTV with video draft features of the two of them later this week when I put them under the microscope here.)

More coming on Sweed, Kelly, and the wisdom of expending the first selection on a WR coming in the next few days.

Fabini back?

According to the Associated Press, Jason Fabini is has re-signed with the Washington Redskins.

Fabini, who will be 34 before opening day, started all but three games of the season at right guard due to Randy Thomas' torn triceps injury. He was adequate in his role, especially considering that he had been tackle for his entire career.

The leaves the Redskins still looking for help on the interior line. The team still would have just three guards on the roster, Pete Kendall the third in addition to Fabini and Thomas. Casey Rabach is the only center listed, so there is plenty of opportunity in the interior of the Redskins' offensive line. The position is certain to be one that the Redskins will attempt to beef up in the draft in addition to keeping an eye out for a bargain veteran like Fabini was last year.

Frost back in the fold

The Washington Redskins finally have a punter on their roster.

Derrick Frost agreed to terms with the club today meaning that he will return for his fourth season with in Washington.

Frost, who was an unrestricted free agent, signed on for one year. He took over the position two games into the 2005 season and he has managed to hang on to the job ever since. He has averaged 41.2 yards per punt for the Redskins.

His most serious challenge came in training camp in 2006 when the team brought in an Australian punter named David Lonie. The rookie impressed early but didn't look as good in the preseason games and Frost held on.

Speaking of holding, that's another important function for Frost on the team. He holds for kicker Shawn Suisham, who had a fairly successful 2007 campaign.

It is unlikely that Frost will receive any competition in training camp. Preseason rosters are limited to 80 players and, since NFL Europa no longer exists, there will be no exemptions for players who were in action in the spring and early summer. There is a greater need for additional defensive tackles to rotate through in the August heat and a fourth quarterback to help run multiple units install the offense than there is for an additional punter.

Skins ’ shunning of free agents goes against their nature

The Washington Redskins have slammed the "Closed" sign down in front of the bank teller window. They've shut down the ATM. The capologists and other bean counters in Ashburn can take the rest of the week off.

The Redskins are done looking for free agents.

From Redskins.com:

"If something comes up [in free agency], we'll run it down," head coach Jim Zorn said on Tuesday. "There isn't anyone that I'm hot after. There's nothing on the hot list."

No hot list? After zero signings of any other team's free agents? After having only one visit, that from wide receiver D. J. Hackett, and offering him a lowball deal?

That seems to go against nature. It's like a dog is standing by the side of the road as car after car drives by. The dog only chases one of them and even then it makes only a few, halfhearted steps in the direction of a slightly damaged sedan. The gleaming sports cars and loaded Hummers that used to set off furious chases pass by without so much as a bark.

The Redskins' active stance in free agency didn't start when Joe Gibbs came to town. In fact, it didn't start when Daniel Snyder bought the team. In the beginning of modern free agency in 1993, the class included wide receiver Tim McGee, linebacker Rick Graf, and defensive tackle Al Noga.

In fact, it goes back even further than that. The Redskins were one of the few teams that signed free agents before '93.

In Plan B free agency, a system that allowed teams to protect most of their rosters but let a few free when their contracts expired, Washington acquired Super Bowl XXVI starting safeties Danny Copeland and Brad Edwards, among others.

Before that system started they gave up two first-round picks to sign linebacker Wilbur Marshall away from the Bears in 1988.

Going back further, they gave up multiple high draft picks as compensation for signing Dave Butz away from the St. Louis Cardinals in 1975.

And, in 1976, there was a loophole in the rules that made it legal from free agents to sign with other teams with no compensation. There was a gentleman's agreement among the owners and general manager—something that would be called collusion today—to stay away from each other's free agents.

George Allen would have none of this gentleman's agreement stuff. He went out and signed Dallas tight end Jean Fugett, Cowboys running back Calvin Hill, and a running back from the Jets named John Riggins.

Although it took six years for the Redskins to figure out that Riggins was best utilized as a battering ram and not a blocking back or outside runner, he eventually was the difference in a Super Bowl winning team.

The Redskins have been trying to buy championships ever since, with results that never have been as successful.

Clearing out the WR logjam

Two wide receivers who have shown some promise during various preseason stints with the Washington Redskins have been released.

Mike Espy and Seven Harris were waived by the Redskins on Monday. The team's unfiltered announcement of the move on its website gave no reason for the cuts.

At least part of the reason could be that the injury but bit both of them last year. Both Espy and Harris spent 2007 on injured reserve. Harris suffered a knee injury during minicamp last year and Espy had surgery after blowing out a knee ligament during the preseason. Carlos Rogers and Rocky McIntosh are given all the time they need to recover from knee surgery. Players on the fringes of the fringe are not given that luxury.

In addition to being damaged goods, Espy and Harris were victims of the numbers game. Before the moves there were nine receivers on the roster (Espy, Harris, Santana Moss, Antwaan Randle El, James Thrash, Anthony Mix, Billy McMullen, Maurice Mann, and Burt Toler) and the Redskins have a standing offer for unrestricted free agent Reche Caldwell on the table.

In addition, the Redskins are likely to add a wide receiver in the upcoming NFL draft. Counting Caldwell, that would make 11. That makes it tough for everyone to get sufficient reps in the OTA's and in training camp.

They probably will keep only five, six at the most, so there is little sense in keeping around so many WR's.

Having an excess of players at one position keeps you from having enough at another. There were only five defensive tackles on the roster, for example, and there are two of those in the game at a time as well. To avoid wearing out their DT's in camp, more of those were needed.

In fact, the Skins did add a DT in ex-Bengal Matthias Askew, who had a cup of coffee at Redskins Park during last year's training camp. More on him coming later today (teaser: "tased but exonerated").

Brunell goes marching out

We won't have Mark Brunell to kick around anymore.

It seemed clear that this would be the case on the first day of free agency when Todd Collins signed on to return as the Washington Redskins' backup quarterback. It became official on Thursday when Brunell signed a contract with the New Orleans Saints.

Brunell was the first player that Joe Gibbs went after when the Hall of Famer returned to coaching the Redskins. Many will say that that first decision doomed Gibbs' second run as coach to mediocrity.

The view here is that Gibbs' unwillingness to take chances—crossing the line from coaching conservatively to coaching scared—was the main issue that led to the 30-34 record from 2004-2007.

There are those who will argue that Brunell's game, mainly his lack of arm strength, forced Gibbs to play things close to the vest. It's really a chicken-or-egg argument and I can see that side of it.

Brunell did have his moments. In the second game of the 2005 season the Redskins were down 13-0 midway through the fourth quarter and looking horrible offensively. Like a bolt out of the blue, Brunell cranked out two touchdown bombs to Santana Moss, both deadly accurate thrown made without much margin for error.

But in between the high points there were way too many dump offs to a back on third and eight, way too many passes thrown to a cheerleader when there seemed to be plenty of time to continue to scan for a receiver.

They don't do approval polls for quarterbacks, but if they did it's likely that we would have found that, for most of his career in Washington, Brunell's would have matched that of other Washington residents such as W or the members of Congress.

Through it all, though, Brunell remained a class act. He cheerfully answered questions through two benchings and a demotion to third string. No teammate ever had a bad thing to say about him either publicly or off the record.

I wish him well.

WR Hackett to pay a visit

Put out the nice towels in the bathroom.

Clean the dead twigs and leaves out of the shrubbery.

Vacuum and mop and get some fresh flowers for the vase.

Company's coming.

The Redskins will receive their first free agent visitor of the signing period. And maybe Jim Zorn doesn't have to get the place all that gussied up on Wednesday night. It's an old friend that coming to see him.

Wide receiver D. J. Hackett will come calling this week. His three previous NFL seasons were spent with Zorn's former employer, the Seattle Seahawks. It's been thought for a while that Washington was a logical landing spot for Hackett. At 6-2, he fills the bill for the Redskins' need for a WR with some height.

That height can only come into play if Hackett's on the field. He missed all but six regular season games last year after he sprained his ankle in Week 1.

Because of that, he's being called fragile or injury prone. There may be some truth to that as he missed three and two games in his first and second seasons, respectively in addition to the 10 missed in 2007.

But it's not as though he has a bum knee or a shoulder that might pop out or any other sort of chronic injury. The Redskins need to keep the injury issues in mind should they get down to contract negotiations, but they should not exclude him from consideration.

Hackett, 26, was a major factor in the Seahawks' win over the Redskins in the Wild Card game last January. He caught six passes for 101 yards and a touchdown in that game.