Redskins Trading Haynesworth?

posted by cochise April 8, 2010

Last summer, the Washington Redskins made a splashy move by signing Albert Haynesworth, widely considered the prize of the free agent pool, to a ridiculous $100 million deal, with $41 million guarenteed.

Now, just a year later, Washington is apparently unhappy with their purchase. So unhappy that they tried to trade Haynesworth for Donovan McNabb, a proposal that the Eagles wanted no part of. And the Redskins are still trying to trade the big defensive-linesmen to several teams.

The problem stems from Haynesworth’s refusal to play nose tackle. But because of Albert’s enormous contract, few teams are interested despite his immense talent.

The simple fact of the matter is that the Redskins, as they often have before, made a mistake by thinking they could win simply through spending more money than others. Nothing good can come from overpaying a player as egregiously as Washington did in this situation.

At this point, Haynesworth is worth an early second-rounder at best. For the Detroit Lions or Tampa Bay Buccaneers, teams who have interest in drafting a defensive tackle, the move could make sense even with the dollars involved. But if they can’t succeed in dealing him, the Redskins will have to just learn from their mistakes and be smarter in the future.

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Top Five Turnaround Candidates of 2010

posted by cochise April 7, 2010

Every season in the NFL, a few teams seem to completely turnaround from a disastrous previous season. In the past four years alone, there has been an average of three teams a season that have gone from a losing record in one year to the playoffs in the next.

The exact nature of the turnaround can vary. For instance, the 2008 Panthers, who finished 12-4 with a division crown, ended the 2007 year at 7-9, just a game under .500. On the other hand, the 2008 Dolphins, who finished 11-5 with a division crown, ended the 2007 season worst in the NFL, at 1-15.

With that in mind, here are the five most likely teams, in my opinion, to go from a losing record in 2009 to the playoffs in 2010, ranked from least likely to most. (Note: the record in the parentheses after each team is their 2009 record.)

Kansas City Chiefs (4-12) – The Chiefs are more talented than most people give them credit for. They have a good, young quarterback in Matt Cassel who should only get better. They have a good duo of receivers in Dwayne Bowe and Chris Chambers, and they have a playmaking running back in Jamaal Charles.

If this team drafts smartly, which most expect as they are managed by Scott Pioli, they could be very dangerous in 2010. Their defense might still be a work-in-progress, but as many teams have shown in the past, a great offense can lead a team into the postseason.

Seattle Seahawks (5-11) – The Seahawks are far from the team that once was a perennial playoff team in the mid-2000s, but they play in one of the weakest divisions in the NFL, where any team can have a quick turnaround.

With two draft choices in the top-fifteen of the upcoming NFL draft, the Seahawks can significantly improve if the right choices are made. In my opinion, they either need to focus solely on defense with Berry, if available, and a defensive-end, or on offense with an offensive-linesmen and either C.J. Spiller or Ryan Matthews. Being very good on one side of the ball is more likely to win games than being average on both.

Jacksonville Jaguars (7-9) – I hate putting this team on the list, because in truth there is a lot to dislike about them. Their 7-9 record from 2009 is deceivingly good because the team had so few quality wins. But by finishing last in their division, the Jaguars are guaranteed another comparatively easy schedule to the rest of their division. It isn’t hard to see them winning three more games and going 10-6 next year.

But it also isn’t hard seeing them lose three more games and going 4-12 next year either.

Washington Redskins (4-12) – The Redskins already added Donovan McNabb to their roster, and still have a top-five pick to use in the draft as well. The team also added a new coach, Mike Shanahan, who knows how to create effective offenses. Washington had a good defense last year, and significantly improving their offense could be a great recipe for success in 2010.

Chicago Bears (7-9) – Year one with Jay Cutler was mostly a failure. But now it’s over and the Bears need to forget about it. The truth is that Cutler needs more help on offense, his receivers were mediocre and his running back, Matt Forte, had a very disappointing sophomore slump. But even with so=so performances out of their offensive stars and a season-ending injury to their best defensive player, Brian Urlacher, the Bears still finished 7-9.

Urlacher will be back in 2010, and he’ll be playing next to the Bears’ big free agent addition Julius Peppers. Chicago does play in a division with two other serious playoff threats, but there are no excuses for not making the postseason this year.

So there you have it, five teams that finished with disappointing records in 2009 that may be able to turn it around in 2010. What do you think?

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Redskins Land McNabb

posted by cochise April 5, 2010

Never in a million years did I, or really anyone, think that the Eagles would trade quarterback Donovan McNabb to their division rivals, the Washington Redskins. After all, the move guarantees that McNabb will play against the Eagles twice a season, and have his fair shot at revenge on the team he excelled on for the past eleven years.

But for a variety of reasons, the most prevalent one being Donovan’s lack of interest in any other teams outside the Redskins, the deal did get done. The Eagles will receive a second-round pick this year and a third or fourth-round pick in next year’s draft.

The immediate impact for the Redskins is clear; they finally have a proven quarterback to helm their team, one who should be able to score more touchdowns than the team managed in 2009. Should Washington also revitalize their running game, which is to be expected from a Mike Shanahan offense, they could be very dangerous in 2010. For the Eagles, they opened up playing time for a promising young passer, Kevin Kolb, while acquiring additional picks for the future.

In my opinion, this was a win-win trade. The Eagles have been stuck in a rut for a while, as they have been good enough to get to the playoffs but not good enough to win a title. The worst thing a team in that position can do is wait and watch their roster age and lose trade value. They need to rebuild for the future and this move, along with the release of Brian Westbrook, is a clear indicator that they know it. And I’ve always believed that professional teams shouldn’t be so short-sighted as to rob themselves of better trade value just to not improve a division rival. If you are trading to rebuild, chances are you won’t be contending immediately anyways so why not take the best value?

And the Redskins were going nowhere with Jason Campbell or a rookie quarterback. They have a good defense and could be a playoff team again this upcoming year, McNabb should definitely help their improvement efforts. But it sure will be weird to see Donovan in burgundy next year.

I’ll be posting a new mock draft tomorrow, that reflects this trade (which takes away the need for the Redskins to draft a QB completely) and other news from the past week.

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Bradford Seems To Have Locked Down Top Spot

posted by cochise March 31, 2010

In past posts, I have expressed my distaste for the popular belief that any team looking for a quick fix should draft a quarterback. I still believe that a team with as many holes as the St. Louis Rams have shouldn’t be thinking about throwing an inexperienced quarterback onto the field. But apparently, the Rams think differently as they seem to be all but settled on taking Sam Bradford first overall in the upcoming NFL draft.

And that is certainly their decision to make. I won’t harp on an issue I have already spent so much time talking about, I’ll just wish both the Rams and Bradford luck if the pick is indeed him. I will also reflect Bradford’s selection to the Rams in my next mock draft, as there is no real point in projecting a mock that has little chance of happening.

If St. Louis does pick the Oklahoma product, the biggest beneficiary might be Notre Dame quarterback Jimmy Clausen. As of now, I have Clausen sliding to the bottom end of the first-round, and that might still be true. But if Bradford goes first, Clausen has a much better chance of going in the top-ten, and if not, going to a better team than the St. Louis Rams. The Redskins are one example of a team that may trade back into the first-round to snatch up Clausen if he is available.

Another beneficiary might be Eric Berry, as his stock seems to be soaring lately. Originally projected to go sixth overall to the Seahawks, Berry could now go as high as fourth, to the aforementioned Redskins. His playmaking and turnover skills are very appealing to a team which finished in the bottom of the latter category.

As always, the weeks leading up the NFL draft are interesting to watch, and more updates, as well as a new mock, are forthcoming in the next few days.

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NFL Mock Draft: Picks 1-5

posted by cochise March 18, 2010

By now, my philosophies regarding the draft should be clear. So now there is not much left to write outside of who I think each team should do and why. Unlike most mock drafts, I will project trades as well. We’ll start with the first five picks of the first round.

1st Pick – St. Louis Rams – Gerald McCoy, DT, Oklahoma – I have already written enough on why the Rams should avoid the pitfalls of drafting a quarterback here. But one additional note should rest my case; the Rams were second-worst in the league in points allowed, giving up over twenty-seven points a game. The team isn’t going to win any games until they rectify that problem, and McCoy would go a long way in starting the healing process.

2nd Pick – Washington Redskins (traded from Detroit Lions) - Sam Bradford, QB, Oklahoma – If the Lions get to their pick with Bradford still on the board, they should be able to start a bidding war for him. Both the Cleveland Browns and Washington Redskins have expressed great interest in Bradford. The Seattle Seahawks are another team that could be interested in grooming a rookie quarterback.

Using ESPN’s draft pick value chart, the Lions could trade their 2nd overall pick for Washington’s 4th overall pick and their 2nd round pick, 37th overall. If they can make a deal to move back a few spots for an additional second-rounder, it should be a no-brainer.

As for the Redskins, they desperately need to upgrade their offense. They have given Jason Campbell chance after chance to show he can be a NFL starter and he has been mediocre at best. The Redskins have too good of a defense to continue giving away games because of no firepower. This is a team that could have a quick revival with good quarterback play, much like the Atlanta Falcons had with Matt Ryan, and so Bradford should be their primary focus.

3rd Pick – Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Ndamukong Suh, DT, Nebraska – The Buccaneers would jump in joy if Suh was available at the third pick. He is a top-tier talent who could anchor their defense much in the same way Warren Sapp once did. And after giving up 25 points a game in 2009, they sure could use a player like Suh.

4th Pick – Detroit Lions (traded from Washington Redskins) – Russell Okung, OT, Oklahoma State – When you make an investment as big as the Lions did in 2009 in a quarterback, you should do everything you can to protect it. Matthew Stafford spent way too much time last season on his back, and twice suffered injuries that kept him out of games. And Detroit has almost no semblance of a running game to rely on either. With the offseason additions of Kyle Vanden Bosch and Corey Simon, Detroit can afford to focus on bolstering their offensive line. And Okung is the best player available to do that.

5th Pick – Kansas City Chiefs - Bryan Bulaga, OT, Iowa – Matt Cassel was sacked a whopping 42 times in 2009. The Chiefs have talent on offense with Cassel, Jamaal Charles, and Dwayne Bowe, but until they shore up their line they won’t see any consistent production. The Chiefs would probably be OK with trading down a few spots before making this selection, but don’t see any incentive for a team to trade up with Bradford already gone.

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Bears Sign Peppers, Perhaps Tampered

posted by cochise March 5, 2010

In just about every sports league there are rules that govern the contact a player can have with management for other teams. In short, teams are not allowed to talk to players on other rosters to try and entice them to force a trade or sign with them. The problem with this rule, however, is that it is very difficult to enforce. There is no telling what sort of contact a general manager has with a player or his agent. In this day, almost no one is dumb enough to put an under-the-table deal in writing.

Just last year, the Redskins completed a free agent deal with Albert Haynesworth so quickly that tampering was thought to have occured. Haynesworth’s contract had such complicated stipulations, it was next to impossible for Washington to have negotiated and drafted the agreement between the start of free agency and the time he was signed. But, unable to prove anything beyond a doubt, the Tennessee Titans had to eventually let the matter drop.

The truth is that Haynesworth’s and, now, Julius Peppers’ deals are commonplace. Tampering is an offense that I would believe every team in the league is guilty of, that’s just what happens when the rules can’t be enforced. In Peppers’ case, the Chicago Bears were said to have met with his agent, Carl Carey. This wouldn’t be suspicious if Carey had more NFL clients other than Peppers, but he doesn’t. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out what, or who, the Bears and Carey were discussing. And the fact that Peppers signed a six-year deal with Chicago on the first day of free agency, despite being a marquee player that many teams were interested in, should be particularly damning.

But, like other cases before it, there is little doubt in mind that this matter will be forgotten and filed away by the NFL soon enough. Because when it comes to enforcing tampering rules, the league just does not care enough to make an example of an organization. And until they do, the trend of the last few years will continue.

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