Redskins Mailbag: AskJohn

John: I was curious to know has a beat writer or any other media member asked Mike Shanahan if he intends to build through the draft from here on out without trading away more valuable picks? I have no problem with them signing free agents if they are young & drama free, but trading draft picks away should be a no-no considering how many different regimes have failed at it in the last 15+ years for the REDSKINS. Everyone makes Cerrato the poster child for the SKINS failures, but Joe Gibbs made some of the worst trades in the history of this organization. Now Shanahan comes in and seemingly flushes 2,3, & 4 round picks down the drain for two mediocre players in McNabb & J. Brown. I am so disgusted that we keep trading away draft picks & I want the organization called out for it face to face by you & then have that Q&A printed out with the questions that were asked by you & the answers of Shanahan & or Allen printed out as well.

Thank you

Mike Souza

Mike: They’ve been asked about how they plan on building, and they do realize they need more draft picks. In his history, Mike Shanahan usually has had a full draft. But they flopped with their trades last year in seeking a quick fix. Turns out there is no such thing. They’re paying the price for poor drafts, especially from 2007-09. You will hear more about this later, but one thing you can’t do is hold what previous regimes did, or didn’t, do against this one. But they also have to understand this is a burned fan base.
JK

One more from Mike:

John: I am truly disgusted & upset right now! How can REDSKINS fan believe in Shanahan or this regime? It didn’t even take 1 year for him to make many lose faith. Even Zorn still had my faith after season 1. I had such high hopes when Shanahan came in, but he is now looking like an ego maniac, power hungry draft pick wasting moron! He is the Head Coach version of Vinny Cerrato if you ask me. I have never been one to call for a Coaches head after 1 season & I am in no way a fair weather fan but I pray Snyder fires Mike Shanahan. He has no respect for his players & he is gonna run this team even further into the ground…if that is even possible. I hope I am just upset & can again see the light at the end of the tunnel but right now all I see is a train coming at all of us fans. More disfunction, more drama & more losing looks to be in store & I am so sick of it all! Does anyone have Dr. Phil’s number? HaHa.
 
Mike Souza

Mike: Stay away from sharp objects!
JK

John: Looking at the roster I see 5 players (T. Williams, Landry, Rak, Hall and Banks) that are must haves for 2011 and beyond. Everyone else is a good player on an average team or a role player on a good team. Is it realistic to see a 40-50% roster turnover again this offseason? I feel it will take at least 2 more full (draft+free agency) offseason cycles for this team to reach the talent level of their conference leaders. What value do you place on some of the moveable players (Carter, Dock, Sellers, McNabb, Cooley or Davis, even Moss) this offseason?

John A. Little

John: I agree that the turnover will be a lot. This will be yet another busy offseason for Washington, first with cuts and then with free agent signings. I put very little value on Dock; my guess is he’ll be cut. Sellers is old; he can still help the Redskins in a couple ways, though my theory is the more he touches the ball it means the Redskins are struggling offensively. But I don’t see much trade value. Davis? Sure, maybe a fifth or some sort of conditional pick. Cooley? Sure, maybe a third. But I’d keep him. Moss? Free agent. I’d resign him. In other words, there’s not a lot of value. They will try to trade Albert Haynesworth; they could try to trade McNabb and perhaps add a couple mid- to late-round picks. Don’t forget, many of these players people may want to trade haven’t produced well here. That’s why this team has struggled.
JK

John: I’ve heard lots of doom of gloom about where we are as a franchise and lots of complaints about the Shannys. Personally, it would have been nice if this year had gone better but 8-8 was the best I was expecting anyway. You can’t expect success after years of mismanagement and bad drafts. In my opinion the 2008 draft is what put us here, you basically got Kareem Moore out of a 10 pick draft and he’s a backup for almost every other team…..enough said. They have cleared the books of all the bad money and guaranteed contracts to bad players. They glued together a roster out of low cost low risk options, they found a few young bright spots and they are in great position to take advantage of a strong free agent class if the CBA is agreed to. The only questionable decision was McNabb and his leadership, stability, and experience have meant more than is quantifiable I think. All the bad signings and drafts before are not Allen and Shanahan’s fault. Supposedly it takes three years to evaluate a draft class, any chance the owner and the fan base can be patient enough to give a Hall of Fame coach with two rings and an experienced GM more than 1 offseason (a severely watered down one at that thanks to the expiring CBA) and 13 games to turn around a franchise mismanaged for a decade? I’m willing to do so, and think this will be an interesting, exciting, and deciding offseason…..as usual in Redskin land. Thoughts?

Thanks,
Jack Rash

Jack: Man, you want my job? Yes, poor drafting – the 10-member 2008 class has been a colossal bust. But it’s also the ’07 and ’09 drafts that haven’t produced enough, though at least they yielded LaRon Landry and Brian Orakpo. Beyond those two, however, zippy. But they will get more than a year to turn this around and they should. I predicted 7-9, but also thought this was a bonus year. Though it needs to be said that Bruce Allen has zero power; this is all on Shanahan. The inability to really rebuild last year set this franchise back a season.

JK

And one more from Jack:

John: Sooooooooooo Grossman in has to mean McNabb is out after the season right? Bring on Cam Newton!

Jack

Jack: Have a hard time seeing McNabb return; couple days ago I put it at 51-49 that he would be gone. Guess I have to bump that up a bit.
JK

John: Pending free agents…which do you expect the Redskins to re-sign (or
at least attempt to): Rocky McIntosh, Carlos Rogers, Jammal Brown?

Tim Murray

Tim: Of those three, I’d say they’ll take a run at Rogers and maybe Brown. I have a hard time seeing Rocky return. He hasn’t produced in this defense; they need to find a big inside linebacker who is comfortable with blockers coming right at him. Rocky has always been able to move laterally as a weakside ‘backer; that’s where he fits best. He can’t cover and that’s another must in a 3-4 for a linebacker. Brown has played better of late; if he can return at a low salary then fine. But I’d still want another option because I don’t trust his health and his mobility really isn’t that good. The more I think about it, the less likely it is that he’ll return unless they have another option ahead of him.
JK

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