Redskins Offseason

Winston-Salem, NC -- Now that the dust has settled from that whirlwind fourth quarter of the Super Bowl on Sunday, it's time to analyze the Steelers' secret formula to success and see what the Redskins can learn from them. I believe that the Steelers' year-by-year plan isn't a secret, nor do they execute it surreptitiously. Their teams are built through the draft. The Redskins approach free agency with several large paint brushes, eager to give the team a makeover or compose a new masterpiece each offseason. Conversely, the Steelers use pencils for it, merely to shade in small holes. The Steelers have two outstanding pass rushers on the defensive line, while the Skins have lavishly spent large amounts of dollars on free agent Andre Carter and traded two picks for the washed-up Jason Taylor. Simply put, if there is no pressure on the QB, the star CB's on your team are going to look foolish. The player personnel evaluation on the Redskins is atrocious. Ryan Clark is one of the many hard-hitting cogs on the Steelers #1 ranked defense. He was released by the Redskins after two superb season at strong safety to make room for free agent bust Adam Archuleta. When Dan Snyder and Vinny Cerratto, two people who have no business being in a war room on draft day, are the only ones calling the shots at your draft, here's what you get (Redskins 2008 draft): 3 WR busts, 1 punter, Colt Brennan, and a lucky 7th round pick (Horton). The appropriate front office step would be to hire a capable GM and let him pick the coach. The only front office moves that occur in DC are puzzling promotions for Vinny (Matt Millen Part II).

The Washington Post did an excellent appraisal of the team's offense in this article, specifically focusing on the offensive line. Buges' has coached this verteran line to its maximum potential. However, because the "front office" is composed of fantasy football managers, and not experienced, capable professionals, the line is overlooked with the paltry number of draft picks every year. In the article, the writers fixated on three moribund franchises in 2007 -- the Falcons, Dolphins, and Ravens (combined 8 wins) -- who made the playoffs in 2008 with very effective drafts. Rather than having a laconic front office full of maladroits, these teams took a step backwards in order to move forwards (except that they all achieved success earlier than expected).

Under Bill Belichick, the Patriots have built a "plug n' play" system which, by building depth at every position (including the coaching staff), allows them to plug in a capable player when a starter goes down to injury or ineffectiveness. Their team has never been built "fantasy football style" by loading up on star players at the skill positions. Instead, through shrewd scouting methods, brilliant trades, and solid annual drafts, the Patriots don't need to rely on free agency as a stopgap approach. In this "copycat" league, you would think the Redskins could look on someone else's paper.