Arch Deluxe

[Chris Luva Luva]

http://blog.washingtonpost.com/redskinsinsider/2007/03/arch_redux_i_got_on_a_bit_of_a.html#more

Arch Redux (I got on a bit of a roll, sorry for the length of this thing)

By Jason La Canfora



Hey there. Thanks for the all the feedback on the Arch Deluxe trade. I have read over all the comments and you guys make some great points, but the overall view of those who like the trade seems to be that it saves some cap room down the line, right? So I guess I go back to, tell me again how this helps the actual product on the field, or in any way makes sense from a purely football standpoint? Cause last time I checked, that is what the NFL is about in 31 other cities.

I'm sorry, but when finagling some cap gymnastics becomes grounds for front office kudos, then I give up. I mean at a certain point 8 years into an ownership tenure the team should be making moves to actually get better and not just try to find the least painful ways to flick off the scabs of repeated self-inflicted wounds. You guys should still feel the right to hold them to a competitive standard, you know, and not accept baloney like this as progress. That's a cop out.

Let's go back over this whole debacle, shall we?

Ryan Clark wants an average of $1.5 million a season to re-sign here and Danny tells his agent he'll never get that kind of money. Then when Pittsburgh gives him a 4 year deal worth $1.75 per season, Danny wishes him good luck and doesn't match it.

He then procedures to pay Arch Deluxe double what anyone else in the league would have. (Spoke to a non-Redskins player today who has chatted with AD recently, who says that AD told him, "It's not that I really wanted to come to Washington, but I had to after they made that offer." AD also told this guy flat out he got double what he expected to get from Snyder.).

So AD gets $5.6 million to pay one season, things get rocky and he stinks (again, like everyone else on the D). So, while the staff tries to find ways to reach out to him in the offseason and make him more productive in the system and tailor his role to the revamped defense and in the end might have even used him the way Lovie Smith plans to use him, Snyder gets the itchy finger, doesn't want to give him the other $5 million bonus and tries to unload him.

And he does so, getting just a sixth round pick back. So the owner and team president in essence trade Ryan Clark and Adam Archuleta - two players with proven NFL starting ability - for the second-to-last pick in the sixth round of the 2007 draft. Yeah, that's pure genius.

And, looking at the past history of sixth-round picks in these parts, we'll see if this young man ends up making a mark of any sort in the NFL. (PS- that Duckett deal was awesome. B-Lloyd was a steal. Trading for Brunell instead of waiting for him to be cut was shrewd and throwing in an extra pick in the Portis-Bailey trade, that too).

So, in 2007, Ryan Clark counts $1.95 million on Pittsburgh's cap.

Arch Deluxe counts $4 million on Washington's cap.

Arch Deluxe counts probably $1.6 million on Chicago's cap.

Yeah, that makes total sense. Now I get it. Round of milkshakes at Johnny Rocket's for everyone and a ticket to a free Scientology lecture from Tom Cruise this afternoon at Redskins Park!

Okay, but the Skins did a great thing by not playing AD that $5 million and getting Chicago to, right? They get so much cap savings, right?

Well, not so fast. They could have kept AD at a cap hit of $2.4 this year and $3.4 next year - hardly prohibitive figures even for a No, 3 safety given the makeup of this team and the ballooning cap. Now, 2009, with his $4 million base salary was always going to be cut-bait time anyway. So, you have a chance to rebuild his trade value this season (not a great option given the cap hit it would trigger), or at least get something out of him for two more seasons without hurting your cap hurt at all. Then you could cut him un June 2009, spread the $7 million hit over two years and face like a $1 million hit in 2009 and like a $6 million hit in 2010.

Now, I'm no Einstein, but you try to convince me that taking a $4 dead cap hit in 2007 against a $109 million cap makes more sense than possibly getting a few sacks and big plays from AD over two years with this guy as a key reserve, then taking a $6 million hit in 2010 against what will probably be a $130 million cap? And if, lest I dare to dream the impossible dream, the team actually strings together two half-decent seasons in between, who amongst you will be crying about Archuleta's 2010 dead-cap hit against a massive salary cap?

And you mean to tell me there is no way they could have squeezed anything productive out of this guy - who if nothing else has obvious athletic talent and a willingness to be a human missile - over that span? He can't even do what Matt Bowen did here a few years back if paired with better cover corners? People in that building who know more about football certainly think so.

Chicago, with a group of super astute scouts and front office types thinks Arch Deluxe can definitely contribute and be a player and is willing to pick up the same $5 million option that Danny won't pick up. And I'm supposed to believe the Skins are smarter than they are? And this had nothing to with the fact that The Danny just didn't want to cut a check to a player he had soured on (LaVar who?)?

I'm not as young and stupid as my goofy mugshot in the corner would lead you to believe. That ain't flying with me.

This is typical knee-jerk stuff by Snyder/Gibbs. Little bit of turbulence with a player? Ship 'em out, take the cap hit.

The other argument in the blog comments that seemed to crop up, was, "Well, the Skins couldn't whack AD and Lloyd in the same season and take the cap hits, so they had to do something?" And to that I ask you yet again, what the hell does that have to do with football? That's just more bad contracts and more salary cap BS. You guys are all along for this sick joyride the owner takes you on, as he feeds his need for action. It's gotten so bad that you've forgotten what the offseason should really be about.

And if all of their number crunching amounts to them being "great cap managers" as some would have you believe, again, I'm not buying it. They make mistakes then try to buy their way back out of them with the same old stuff. Sorry, I'm not tipping my cap - excuse the pun - to them for that. It's closer to insane than astute.

Had your owner, who is so willing to outspend anyone else to field a winner, as I always hear, simply matched Antonio Pierce's deal back in 2004, and just matched Ryan Clark's deal in 2005, just think, your front office would have had plenty of cap space and actually been positioned to address other real needs the past few years, most notably an aging and unproductive defensive line.

The Fletcher and Arch Deluxe deals would have never happened. Keep Fred Smoot the first time, and all of a sudden you don't need to draft a corner 9th overall in 2005, when this Merriman kid from Maryland was on the board (I heard he actually gets to the quarterback sometimes).

Nah, they're so busy trying to un-do all the screw ups that unloading Archuleta for a sixth round pick elicits screams of joy from the fanbase.

But wait a minute, why couldn't they just keep AP in the first place? Hmm, that $9 million cap hit in the Coles trade surely had nothing to do with it, right? And why did Coles have to go ASAP? Oh yeah, because he dared to speak the truth when asked about the state of the offense in an exit interview. Shame on him. He should have learned long ago that the way to keep getting paid around here is to keep telling the powers that be what they want to hear (Dale Lindsey and LaVar never learned that lesson, either).

And please, don't try to pin this stuff on the coaches. Go back and read the stories Howard and I did at the end of the season. Ain't no way Gregg Williams, Al Saunders or anyone not named Joe, Dan, or, gasp, Vinny, is saying a word. They take part in personnel meetings along with the scouts, make their case for players when asked to and then sit on the other side of the building while Dan and Joe wheel and deal in from the owner's office.

And, no, just like you or I could not just burst into our boss's office and demand that a certain co-worker be kept and try to dictate to the owner how much to spend on valuable job resources, neither can any coach do that at Redskins Park. That's not how it works. It's Dan and Joe and cap guy Eric Schaffer doing all of the negotiating and budgeting, and no one else has a clue what's going on.

They're sitting back and waiting to see what happens ... No different than you do; no different than I do. (Like I wrote at the time, i thought it was short-sighted and over-the-top for the defensive staff to bury AD on the bench liek they did rather than try to rebuild his confidence sooner. Not absolving them of guilt in the entire thing, or the player himself, it's just that to give up on him entirely after 7 starts, as Gibbs/Snyder have is even more myopic, in my opinion).


Then, when the team flunks another season I hear all this stuff about how they should fire the coaches and scouts. No, silly, fire the owner. The buck starts and stops there. Ain't nothing really going to change until he changes it. Ninety-nine percent of the people in the building are held prisoner to the mistakes of two people (maybe 2 ½ depending for your feelings on Uncle Junior).

So I'll leave you with this: The Snyder is the king of all businessmen, and I would be the first to admit that I have made maybe one savvy stock trade in my entire life (did okay with ebay a few years back but have gotten hammered on everything else). But even I know that it makes no sense to buy high and sell low, and this Archuleta deal is the textbook example of that axiom.

I just can't see it any other way.

By Jason La Canfora | March 21, 2007; 2:32 PM ET

Who is "Uncle Jr."?

[PulpExposure]

It's a little more venemous than we usually get from JLC. And I'm not sure people are screaming with joy about trading AA, but more relieved that a guy who was in the coach's doghouse (and JLC, imho mistakenly put the problems with AA more at Gibbs/Snyder's feet than at the defensive coaches, who weren't talking to him last year). I think the Skins had to get rid of him, because he was a non-entity. And they did...and got some value for him (minimal, yes, but still something).

What gets me is that this is all hindsight ranting. The Skins have made some horrible errors in the past, but they're obviously trying to fix them. But to rant NOW about the errors in the past is kind of useless imho. It's not constructive.

Uncle Jr. is Vinny Cerrato.

[LOSTHOG]

I agree with you that we can't concern ourselves about what ifs from the past. He didn't understand that had we been smart enough to keep Smoot and Pierce then, that not only would we have not drafted at DB at no. 9 but we would not have needed a LB either so his whole Merriman pipe dream doesn't make sense.

[Fios]

JLC is peeved that his source is gone, where was this rant when Clark was let go or when Archuleta was signed? The timing of this piece tells me everything I need to know, JLC's gravy train was shipped out of town and he is taking it personally. I'm on record as saying I would have liked to see the Redskins try to get one more season out of Arch. But this piece is riddled with invective and driven by a personal agenda.

[Chris Luva Luva]

JLC is peeved that his source is gone, where was this rant when Clark was let go or when Archuleta was signed? The timing of this piece tells me everything I need to know, JLC's gravy train was shipped out of town and he is taking it personally. I'm on record as saying I would have liked to see the Redskins try to get one more season out of Arch. But this piece is riddled with invective and driven by a personal agenda.

I was also on the Arch deluxe train for one more year. I thought he would have been good to have with a strengthened safety corps.

[SkinsJock]

JLC is peeved that his source is gone, where was this rant when Clark was let go or when Archuleta was signed? The timing of this piece tells me everything I need to know, JLC's gravy train was shipped out of town and he is taking it personally. I'm on record as saying I would have liked to see the Redskins try to get one more season out of Arch. But this piece is riddled with invective and driven by a personal agenda.

That about sums it up for me too - Just too much all the bad stuff that has happened and to think that we would be better off without Snyder is both stupid and not based on any sort of reality - that is just not going to happen. That would be like saying the pukes would be better off without Jones! OK, but what does that achieve?

[KazooSkinsFan]

JLC is peeved that his source is gone, where was this rant when Clark was let go or when Archuleta was signed? The timing of this piece tells me everything I need to know, JLC's gravy train was shipped out of town and he is taking it personally. I'm on record as saying I would have liked to see the Redskins try to get one more season out of Arch. But this piece is riddled with invective and driven by a personal agenda.

I was also on the Arch deluxe train for one more year. I thought he would have been good to have with a strengthened safety corps.

What do you think of the report in the Post Skins management thought he was the one behind the D bashing story though?

If true, that was contemptible, classless and without dignity to trash your own organization and take your petty gripes to the press instead of your coaches. If it's true I'm glad he's gone. I'm not saying I know their opinion it was him to be true, but if it is, should we have kept him? I say no way unless it's to let him sit at the end of our bench doing nothing the rest of his contract.

[gibbs4president]

JLC is peeved that his source is gone, where was this rant when Clark was let go or when Archuleta was signed? The timing of this piece tells me everything I need to know, JLC's gravy train was shipped out of town and he is taking it personally. I'm on record as saying I would have liked to see the Redskins try to get one more season out of Arch. But this piece is riddled with invective and driven by a personal agenda.

I was also on the Arch deluxe train for one more year. I thought he would have been good to have with a strengthened safety corps.

What do you think of the report in the Post Skins management thought he was the one behind the D bashing story though?

If true, that was contemptible, classless and without dignity to trash your own organization and take your petty gripes to the press instead of your coaches. If it's true I'm glad he's gone. I'm not saying I know their opinion it was him to be true, but if it is, should we have kept him? I say no way unless it's to let him sit at the end of our bench doing nothing the rest of his contract.

Was that the article on ESPN.com written by Tom Friend? I'm sure there were different stories, but that's the one I remember the most and being one of the better articles I read about the Redskins last year.

If it was Archuleta and they knew it was him, I'm sure it had at least a little to do with why he was shipped out so quickly. But it's never one thing. Besides, they never used him the right way. He's not a great cover safety at all, but he is a great hitter and tackler.

I've never seen a writer, even in something as informal as a blog, get so upset about losing a player who was never a good fit to begin with. I agree with everything Fios said.

[KazooSkinsFan]

Was that the article on ESPN.com written by Tom Friend?

Yes, that's the article. The Washington Post only said Redskins management believes he was the primary source for that article. Whether he actually was or not that certainly makes his actually playing on the team impossible if they believe it was.

[crazyhorse1]

JLC is peeved that his source is gone, where was this rant when Clark was let go or when Archuleta was signed? The timing of this piece tells me everything I need to know, JLC's gravy train was shipped out of town and he is taking it personally. I'm on record as saying I would have liked to see the Redskins try to get one more season out of Arch. But this piece is riddled with invective and driven by a personal agenda.

I was also on the Arch deluxe train for one more year. I thought he would have been good to have with a strengthened safety corps.

JLC'S rant may be motivated by nefarious agendas and even destructive in both the long and short runs, but none of that makes it wrong. In fact, JLC is correct on virtually every count, and it's a simple failure to acknowledge reality that the Skins' brain, whomever he or they might be (Danny or a collective), has performed badly enough to make us the least in the East.
The personnel mistakes have been the stuff of nightmares-- beginning with the most destructive, Brunell, and continuing through Pierce, Smoot,
Coles (money), Holman, Clark, Arch (twice), etc.
It's also true that we're too worried about Danny's pocketbook. It's not true that he's a lavish spender-- in relation to the league's big spenders and his profits. Danny's making millions every year on the Skins-- millions-- and is still able to convince many of us that his real goal is to win, regardless of his losses
Total nonsense. He has no losses. His reasons for acquiring big name FA's has more to do with profits and promotions than winning games. Not that he's opposed to winning--he wants to do both for the same reasons. Wake up and smell both the greenbacks and the glory.

[patjam77]

Anyone else sick of JLC... he never has anything positive to say about the Skins'. Plain and simple it was a mistake to sign Arch. But hey, they at least righted the wrong, and he'll be off the books next year and they got a 6th round pick. Good riddance to the guy. anyone else still see Witten going right past him on that 3rd and long I believe? More cap room next year and most of their draft picks. Too little, too late? NO! They have to start somewhere.
The Skins' have done a lot right this offseason and even Brian Mitchell (the guy who will not pull punches when it comes to the Skins) said they have done everything right this year.
I don't read JLC's posts anymore because they guy stinks!

[sonofyens]

JLC is peeved that his source is gone, where was this rant when Clark was let go or when Archuleta was signed? The timing of this piece tells me everything I need to know, JLC's gravy train was shipped out of town and he is taking it personally. I'm on record as saying I would have liked to see the Redskins try to get one more season out of Arch. But this piece is riddled with invective and driven by a personal agenda.

I was also on the Arch deluxe train for one more year. I thought he would have been good to have with a strengthened safety corps.

JLC'S rant may be motivated by nefarious agendas and even destructive in both the long and short runs, but none of that makes it wrong. In fact, JLC is correct on virtually every count, and it's a simple failure to acknowledge reality that the Skins' brain, whomever he or they might be (Danny or a collective), has performed badly enough to make us the least in the East.
The personnel mistakes have been the stuff of nightmares-- beginning with the most destructive, Brunell, and continuing through Pierce, Smoot,
Coles (money), Holman, Clark, Arch (twice), etc.
It's also true that we're too worried about Danny's pocketbook. It's not true that he's a lavish spender-- in relation to the league's big spenders and his profits. Danny's making millions every year on the Skins-- millions-- and is still able to convince many of us that his real goal is to win, regardless of his losses
Total nonsense. He has no losses. His reasons for acquiring big name FA's has more to do with profits and promotions than winning games. Not that he's opposed to winning--he wants to do both for the same reasons. Wake up and smell both the greenbacks and the glory.

Count me in as agreeing with pretty much every word that was posted by the original author on this subject.

AA was the team's leading tackler during the first 6-7 games he was playing defense. Thats a statistical fact. He was excellent in run support and was probably the defense's best tackler (ST had an obvious down year, even in the tackling department).

Yes, AA got burned, but so did every db we have and ST on numerous occasions. I dont think AA got burned any more than any other db got burned. So why was he benched?

Someone tell me. Did the defense get better? Did we start to win? Hell no is the answer to both questoons.

If GW didnt like AA, all he ahd to do was tell Gibbs that, but keep playing him. By NOT playing him, by making such a big issue out of it, they PUBLICIZED his lack of value and caused his trade value to plummet.

I dont blame AA for yapping to the press one bit, IF it was even him. As I recall, those articles made it clear that the entire defensive coaching staff was in disarray, that groups met separately and how no other organization odes that, and how not one coach ever spoke to AA about why he was demoted.

Gotta tell you, that sucks, and thats no way to run an organization. The fact that our lb coach was fired was part one; i am sure other db coaches will be reassigned or even let go in the future as well.

Joe Gibbs WAS one helluva coach. But he was never any good as a GM (Desmond Howard anyone?) Giving up a 3rd roudner for Brunell was sub moronic, and giving away a high 2d roudner in the Portis deal was sheer insanity. Most every move since then has got to be questioned as well.

Time to face the music. Until this team gets a proper GM, one who cannot be fired by the Snyder, one who has total personnel control, this team aint going nowhere.

[Fios]

If by "statistical fact" you mean "he lead the team in tackles 3 of the first 6 games and was tied for the lead once and the team lost each of those games and surrendered over 800 yards passing in the games when Arch was at or near the lead in tackles" then, yes, that is correct. Funny thing about stats, you can go and look them up. If you want to follow a player who airs his laundry in the newspaper, anonymously, like a coward, go follow the Bears.

[BnGhog]

Well if he wasn't there to deflect the ball at least he tackled them.



too much to coment on here for me.

I will say Im glad we got Portis now, and if we hadn't got Brunell, what we was going to let Ramsey run the offence.

I dunno.

I cant comment on how AA was treated, I wasn't there in the locker room, nobody knows what really happened.

I will give AA his props for being a good run stopper. But thats not a need that we have. ST and others can handle that role. Anyone wonder in the chemistry between ST and AA was a problem. ST could have gotten mad at AA for stealing his Tackles and GW wanted to ST back in the swing and benched him. Not likely, I'm just trying to say we don't know what happened.

Im glad he's gone if we couldnt' use him right. But, I have to admit I did think it was going to be interesting to see what he did this year( when they were saying he was staying). Kind of pulling for the guy to have a good year( when they were saying he was staying).

[KazooSkinsFan]

I dont blame AA for yapping to the press one bit

So you really think that a successful organization can operate with one of it's members going to the press and slamming it in the way he did (assuming the brass is right and it was him)?

The coaches are on notice that if one of their players disagrees with them again they will read about in the paper how a guy they are paying millions to play safety viciously attacks their coaching in the press instead of talking to them directly?

His teammates will read in the paper instead of hearing in the locker room his sour attitude towards his team and what they are doing?

What in your experience tells you a successful organization can operate that way? Have you ever been part of one where the members publicly slam each other instead of working together and the organization was successful? Can you even NAME one? I consider that opinion stunning, can you explain it?

[HailSkins94]

I would of liked to seen him for one more year with prioleau back since we spent all that money on him. On the other hand, i'm not going to lose any sleep over it.

[PulpExposure]

If you want to follow a player who airs his laundry in the newspaper, anonymously, like a coward, go follow the Bears.

[1niksder]

I disagree with a lot of what was written..

Well, not so fast. They could have kept AD at a cap hit of $2.4 this year and $3.4 next year - hardly prohibitive figures even for a No, 3 safety given the makeup of this team and the ballooning cap. Now, 2009, with his $4 million base salary was always going to be cut-bait time anyway. So, you have a chance to rebuild his trade value this season (not a great option given the cap hit it would trigger), or at least get something out of him for two more seasons without hurting your cap hurt at all. Then you could cut him un June 2009, spread the $7 million hit over two years and face like a $1 million hit in 2009 and like a $6 million hit in 2010.

Now, I'm no Einstein, but you try to convince me that taking a $4 dead cap hit in 2007 against a $109 million cap makes more sense than possibly getting a few sacks and big plays from AD over two years with this guy as a key reserve, then taking a $6 million hit in 2010 against what will probably be a $130 million cap? And if, lest I dare to dream the impossible dream, the team actually strings together two half-decent seasons in between, who amongst you will be crying about Archuleta's 2010 dead-cap hit against a massive salary cap?

Not so slow, the major signing in free agency are over saving cap space now isn't a issue. If the Skins move down in the draft and pick up more picks they'll still be looking at around 3-4 million to sign the rookies, throw in what little they saved cutting Patten and they still have more than $5 million in room for post June 1 if they want to bring some one in. So taking a $4m cap hit now is a lot better than pushing $3m into next year when you'll have even more space (this will allow the team to not have toscramble and get players to restructure). Dumping him now and saving big chunks of space in the next two years was a very good move. Getting Lovie and Da Bears to pick up $4.5-$5m of his "owed" money was a great one.

[1niksder]

So, in 2007, Ryan Clark counts $1.95 million on Pittsburgh's cap.

Arch Deluxe counts $4 million on Washington's cap.

Arch Deluxe counts probably $1.6 million on Chicago's cap.

Cap Hit and what the get paid are 2 different things Ryan and the Bears have nothing to do with the Skins but if we are going to throw around numbers I'll be fair.

A cap hit can be confusing so let's look at real cash paid in 2006. As reported AA got $5.6m for 1 year. for the record for those that think this is bad it could have been worst had they paid him is full bonus up front we'd be talking about $10.6m for one year. Had that happen everyone would point to how much he made, no one would have mentioned that the Olin Kreutz made $12.4m as a guard in BASE salary last year, it would have been all about the $10.6M AA got.

If Arch had stayed with the team it couldn't be quoted as $5.6 now but what's done is done, but is that a lot of money for one year?

Think about it...
Bret Favre had a base of $7m last year it was paid
Trent Green made $5.7m in base, I say made because it was paid
Carlson Palmer's game checks came to $6.7m... yea it was paid
OK first defense is thy are all QBs so they will make more, I understand but this is a group that contains a guy (Favre) that most say is past his prime... we heard the same about AA. Neither got the team to the post season. Who complains about what Brett is being paid to throw all those Ints.? Palmer was coming off a injury and Green only played half a season. There was relevants but OK no QBs.

Strahan made $5.7m in base Arch may have had more playing time.
McNabb mad $5.5m and played half a season (we don't see Donavan much I was thinking he played RB).
Simeon Rice pocketed $6m in 2006, Scott Wells got $6.8 to block for Brett.

Why'd he use cap numbers when he could use real #s
Wouldn't paint the picture he's trying to get out there I guess.

Everybody know Randy Moss is due $7.5m in base in 2007 no one mentioned that's what he got last year too
I could come up with at least ten more guys that made at least $5m in base last year (that means they cost the team they played for even more in cap space) or point out the fact that over two years Arch actually cost $6.4m in cap space.

I won't point out any more slants to this because I read Jason daily but this was way off base. The Skins on the other hand saw a flaw and corrected it.

The other argument in the blog comments that seemed to crop up, was, "Well, the Skins couldn't whack AD and Lloyd in the same season and take the cap hits, so they had to do something?" And to that I ask you yet again, what the hell does that have to do with football? That's just more bad contracts and more salary cap BS. You guys are all along for this sick joyride the owner takes you on, as he feeds his need for action. It's gotten so bad that you've forgotten what the offseason should really be about.

Why couldn't they have cut both if they wnted to? Same cap hit for both. Pay each the $5m due, cut them and designate them both post June 1st, this would push most of the hit into 2008 but someone had pointed out the cap would be bigger than What does the cap to do with football? About as much as what they Steelers are paying Clark has to do with the Redskins. If its BS when others point it out, what is it when it's the bases to you arguement?

[Chris Luva Luva]

I disagree with a lot of what was written..

Well, not so fast. They could have kept AD at a cap hit of $2.4 this year and $3.4 next year - hardly prohibitive figures even for a No, 3 safety given the makeup of this team and the ballooning cap. Now, 2009, with his $4 million base salary was always going to be cut-bait time anyway. So, you have a chance to rebuild his trade value this season (not a great option given the cap hit it would trigger), or at least get something out of him for two more seasons without hurting your cap hurt at all. Then you could cut him un June 2009, spread the $7 million hit over two years and face like a $1 million hit in 2009 and like a $6 million hit in 2010.

Now, I'm no Einstein, but you try to convince me that taking a $4 dead cap hit in 2007 against a $109 million cap makes more sense than possibly getting a few sacks and big plays from AD over two years with this guy as a key reserve, then taking a $6 million hit in 2010 against what will probably be a $130 million cap? And if, lest I dare to dream the impossible dream, the team actually strings together two half-decent seasons in between, who amongst you will be crying about Archuleta's 2010 dead-cap hit against a massive salary cap?

Not so slow, the major signing in free agency are over saving cap space now isn't a issue. If the Skins move down in the draft and pick up more picks they'll still be looking at around 3-4 million to sign the rookies, throw in what little they saved cutting Patten and they still have more than $5 million in room for post June 1 if they want to bring some one in. So taking a $4m cap hit now is a lot better than pushing $3m into next year when you'll have even more space (this will allow the team to not have toscramble and get players to restructure). Dumping him now and saving big chunks of space in the next two years was a very good move. Getting Lovie and Da Bears to pick up $4.5-$5m of his "owed" money was a great one.

I still haven't had time to read this article thoroughly but I do agree with one point that he made. I agree that we shouldn't be in these situations in the 1st place. It's impossible to avoid this crap sometimes but this F/O shouldn't be designated hero's for digging themselves out of self-made graves...

[SkinsJock]

I disagree with a lot of what was written..

me too! - thanks for making the point again Redskin1 - these guys just love to give us a hard time - not that in many cases we don't deserve it but it just gets old - also a little disapointing that the local guys aren't pointing out the good signs that have been going on around here this past month

I still haven't had time to read this article thoroughly but I do agree with one point that he made. I agree that we shouldn't be in these situations in the 1st place. It's impossible to avoid this crap sometimes but this F/O shouldn't be designated hero's for digging themselves out of self-made graves...

OK OK - but can we just move on - this guy has a bigger agenda than you about our owner and our FO decisions - he could be writing articles about the good things but I doubt that will happen and we will just re-hash how bad our owner is ..etc...etc...etc Can we move on please! - we all know what happened - these guys will not let it go because they assume that is what everyone locally wants to read. This is BS and 1niksder is just clearing it up for us.

[PulpExposure]

I still haven't had time to read this article thoroughly but I do agree with one point that he made. I agree that we shouldn't be in these situations in the 1st place. It's impossible to avoid this crap sometimes but this F/O shouldn't be designated hero's for digging themselves out of self-made graves...

Well yes and no. It bothers me that he's doing a lot of hindsight ranting, which is unproductive at best.

Yes, we shouldn't be celebrating because our FO has finally left the bush league and joined the real NFL. However, yes, we SHOULD be celebrating because our FO has finally left the bush league and joined the real NFL.

To me, it's like a child who used to wet his bed regularly. And then after he stopped wetting the bed, the parent beating the child because he used to wet his bed.

The timing sucks imho.

[Chris Luva Luva]

I don't think the F/O is out of the bush yet. They're definitely making an effort to right the ship but there are things that still need to be done.

[fleetus]

Any one of us could have written what JLC wrote. Nothing new or insightful about anything he wrote. And it's mostly all true. However, I agree with the Arch trade, personally. There was a rift between he and the coaches. He underperformed and possibly even alienated the organization by going to the press. Even if he stayed and played some tolerable football, I think he would have been somewhat of a cancer. There are times to sit down and try to work it out. This wasn't one of them.

The thing that bothers me, is this style of football management, signing big name free agents, (some of which don't fit our system), paying above market value, going out in a big flurry at the beginning of free agency when prices are highest, cutting role players to make cap room for the new free agents, squandering draft picks on every whim. I grew up in awe of Joe Gibbs because he stood for team unity, innovative offensive schemes, shrewd management, finding scrub players who had been cast off by other teams and giving them roles that maximized their talents. So is Joe really running this team?

I think the attitude and unity of a team are greatly improved when guys can look around the locker room and see alot of players who came here with low expectations who have assumed critical roles. This is inspiring. Instead, our current team looks around the locker room and sees a bunch of guys who are paid large sums before they've even defined what their role on the team is. So is the Danny totally driving this bus over a cliff while Joe sits shotgun? I truly hope that the slight imrpovement in restraint this off-season is a sign that Joe is taking control. That's what everyone wanted when Joe Gibbs returned to the Skins. We all wanted him to bring back that attitude of hard work and selflessness. Hard work and seleflessness don't mesh well with overpaid free agents and an owner who simply wants to make a big splash every year for marketing purposes.

[Chris Luva Luva]

Fleetus, I used to wonder if Joe is running the show. After consistent thrashings on this forum I'm beginning to believe that he is running the show. I think this years departure from our usual foolery proves that he has full control.

My new question is. Why Joe in full control during the glory years? I don't think he had the control he had now. Was it the GM with the final say so?

Joe the coach = A++++++=
Joe the GM = C