The-Hogs.net - Washington Football Discussion, Redskins to Commanders Era

On the NFLDraftBlitz.com site, "columnist" Sean Tracy bashes Snyder, Gibbs, and the Redskins fiscal responsibility this offseason. Worth a read
Washington Redskins

Columnist - Sean Tracy

3/26/05

"Dammit, I’m Going Down With The Ship!"

Coles: Traded.
Smoot: Gone.
Pierce: Gone.

Redskins Fans: Panicked.

I’d like to tell you to take a deep breath, to stay calm. In through the nose, out through the mouth (or vice versa… whatever meets your fancy). I can’t. We’re doomed.

Washington isn’t turning themselves into a bad team here. To “turn” themselves bad, they would have had to be “good”? Hell, I’d have taken “decent”.

Coles was shipped out in what will be remembered as the dumbest trade of all-time. Every Redskins fan knows Danny Snyder had a man-crush on Mr. Santana Moss during UM’s dominance. But Coles for Moss straight up? Surely, you jest.

The deal made a bit of sense before March 2nd, when the cap hit wouldn’t have been horrible. But taking on an additional six-million in accelerated cap dollars? Oh, and did I mention the organization’s insistence that Moss be paid more than Coles? MORE?!?

As I’ve explained numerous times, and will do so again right now, the Redskins front office has no peoples skills. Just because someone’s rich, doesn’t mean they know business. Neither does it mean they have knowledge of negotiating tactics. Snyder proves this once or twice a year.

After Washington and New York originally agreed to terms, the Jets called Coles to gage his interest. Coles told the Jets he wanted an extension. Of course he did. Everyone wants a lucrative extension. The Jets, obviously posturing, called Washington and backed out of the deal. They hoped Washington would release Coles, or settle for less.

Before bashing Richy Rich and his rag-tag group of zany and dysfunctional NFL front office officials, I’ll tell you how I would have handled the entire process.

Instance 1: During the season, Coles Is Unhappy

My reply (as coach Gibbs)

Laveraneous, I know you’re frustrated. I am, too. We all are. Look, getting this offense to click proved more difficult than I first thought. It’s not that I’m refusing to call deep routes, it’s that you’re blanketed every time. Opponents don’t respect our running game. Once we get that squared away, we’ll hit you deep three or four times a game. Look at our 1991 and 1983 team. We just need a bit of patience and a lot of hard work.

Instance 2: After the season, Coles Walks Out (as coach Gibbs)

Okay, Laveraneous. You walked out before I had a chance to meet with you. I know you’re upset, but that’s no way for a leader to act. If you don’t want to stick it out with us, fine. But we won’t waive you. You signed a large contract that cost the organization a 1st rounder. I won’t give you away. Feel free to quietly shop your way around.

(if he threatens to hold out of camp)

Hold out? Well, let me explain our situation a bit more clearly. If we waive you, not only will we not have your services, but we’ll get nailed on accelerated signing bonus. If we keep you and you hold out, we still don’t have you on the field … but we’ll still have cap flexibility.

Instance 3: Jets seek Coles in Trade

Okay, we want Santana Moss and a high draft pick.

(keep in mind that Washington wasn’t trading Coles, they were trading Coles AND cap space … which is just as important as draft picks. )

Instance 4: Jets inform us they’re backing out because Coles wants an extension.

He wants an extension? Say no.

(but we don’t want to trade for an unhappy player)

He’s unhappy now. That’s why we’re trading him.

(you know what I mean)

Okay, but if you’re doing this in hopes that we’ll waive him before March 2nd, you’re dead wrong. He’s available now so we can rid ourselves of the headache. Should you want to re-address these talks after March 2nd (after the $6 million dollar roll-over), we’ll need extra compensation. We’ll have to get at least a first round pick back.

(that’s too rich for us)

Via con dios. Tell Herm and Pennington we said hello. Good luck with McCareins.

(Jets agree to trade Moss and a 2nd round pick to Washington for Coles)

Obviously, I took some liberties with those conversations. My point is that Washington folds when another team plays hardball. I don’t know how Snyder managed to grow his companies. We all know he used sleazeball tactics, but he must have had some brains on his board of trustees. I’m talking Pepper Rodgers smart!

The guy’s a doof. And I’m tired of the PR department’s efforts to deflect criticism. I’ve seen two quotes that roughly state “well, we’d love to keep everyone. If there wasn’t a cap, we’d be sitting pretty. Especially with our owner.”

Especially with what owner? So the guy can sign his name on the bottom of a check. Big deal, I learned to write when I was five.

I’ll believe in this franchise the day Snyder shows the fans a commitment to winning and a shred of humility. Instead we have Richy Rich and Vinny “Bug Eyes” Cerrato running the show (congrats on the baby, Vin, but I pray that it looks like your wife).

Snyder’s reaction when Coles told the Jets he wanted more cash was unprofessional and makes me want to yak. He called to threaten Coles’ career. As the story goes (and I believe it), Snyder told Coles that they’d sit him on the bench for two years and then waive him. Is that someone you’d want running your organization?

Unfortunately, it looks as thought the ignorance of Washington’s front office will cost Joe Gibbs his legacy. I doubt he’ll sniff the Super Bowl in his four remaining years. …Then again, if he does … he’ll prove himself the greatest of all time. So, I guess I have no point.

As for the free agents, Fred Smoot wanted the moon; plain and simple. As I said in a previous column, when he slipped to the 2nd round in the 2001 draft on bogus character concerns, he lost his first huge pay-day. Of course he was going to take the most money this time around. Washington new this before the season started. It shouldn’t have been such a surprise. And hey, he went to Minnesota. It’s not like they’re going to win a Super Bowl.

Losing Antonio Pierce is a bummer. He was the quintessential underdog. Schottenheimer brought him in as an undrafted free agent (oh, and do you still think Marty was such a bad GM? In the last decade, who managed the team any better?). Pierce studied and worked hard. When given an opportunity, he capitalized. Of course we loved him. Who roots for the Goliath’s of the world … other than Yankee fans?

Alas, paying Pierce would have been insane. It’s not like he’s a five-year starter, you know? He did great in Williams’ system, much like Trotter does great in Philly. Neither are premier players. They certainly shouldn’t be paid as such.

Washington’s new fiscal strategy is frightening. They don’t want to pay players based on play anymore. They want to pay based on peers’ salaries. Their reasoning is that teams like New England embody that same kind of strategy.

Wait… What?

New England pays good players marginal salaries. They bring in hard workers that fit perfectly within their respective schemes. If the Pats feel a player is worthy of a large extension (Brady’s new contract is going to be huge), they’ll pay him. If they can get similar talent at less money, they’ll cut ties and get younger. Teams like the Patriots can get away with this because A) they’re good. And B) good teams can get good players at
less money. Well, excluding the Yankees.

So Washington wants to be like New England? Hey, that’s a great. Though, if that was their real goal, they could hire a general manager from the Patriots organization. Sadly, Snyder and Company don’t want to be like New England at all. They want to spearhead a championship team. They want to do it on their terms. They have too much pride to admit any inadequacies or wrongdoing.

Our beloved Redskins are run by idiots. At this point, I’d kiss Steinbrenner’s feet. Maybe he hasn’t won any World Series this millennia, but at least he makes the playoffs. He also lets a GM run the team. Who do we have? Cerrato? The dude looks like a cricket, for crying out loud. A CRICKET!!!!

We’re in the midst of a thirty-year tailspin here. I’ve been nervous about this for a while. I put off my diagnosis. But after the Coles situation, I have no choice. Dark times are among us. Dark times, indeed. Not even Gibbs, our own Obi-Wan Kanobe can right this ship.

I'll be back before the draft to tell you what's goin' down. Drop me a line if you have any questions.
-

I'm not 100% ecstatic over what has happened but at least to me the Redskins have matured this offseason[/i]

This guy is a major TOOL. I have one question...how can you say that the Moss for Coles trade was a bad move before Moss even plays a down in the Gibbs offense?

Instead of crying over the cap hit...lets see if Moss actually proves that he can be a superstar in this scheme. If he does, then it is not a waste. The salary dollars that would have been going to a disgruntled, bad toe, diminishing threat, locker room cancer, will be going to a younger, more explosive player who can thrive in the system.

Was this the ideal way to get rid of him? No, but Gibbs is no fool, and Snynder is not either, regardless of what we think.

Gibbs knows how to right the ship, and his players are willing to do what it takes (90 percent attendance at voluntary workouts) Just listen to the players talk about Coles and Gardner as being "unhappy". You don't want to go to battle with guys who are just 'going through the motions'. These people need copy material in the slow offseason period, so everyone resorts to bashing the moves.

If we spent 30 million bringin in Derrick Mason, they would say we overpaid for an old receiver. So when we spend 2 million on David Patten they say...we are not spending enough.

All these crybabies will strap on a pig snout come midseason, and try to hop back on the bandwagon...but I've got "news" for them...THIS SEAT IS TAKEN.

The Hogster wrote:This guy is a major TOOL. I have one question...how can you say that the Moss for Coles trade was a bad move before Moss even plays a down in the Gibbs offense?

Instead of crying over the cap hit...lets see if Moss actually proves that he can be a superstar in this scheme. If he does, then it is not a waste. The salary dollars that would have been going to a disgruntled, bad toe, diminishing threat, locker room cancer, will be going to a younger, more explosive player who can thrive in the system.

Was this the ideal way to get rid of him? No, but Gibbs is no fool, and Snynder is not either, regardless of what we think.

Gibbs knows how to right the ship, and his players are willing to do what it takes (90 percent attendance at voluntary workouts) Just listen to the players talk about Coles and Gardner as being "unhappy". You don't want to go to battle with guys who are just 'going through the motions'. These people need copy material in the slow offseason period, so everyone resorts to bashing the moves.

If we spent 30 million bringin in Derrick Mason, they would say we overpaid for an old receiver. So when we spend 2 million on David Patten they say...we are not spending enough.

All these crybabies will strap on a pig snout come midseason, and try to hop back on the bandwagon...but I've got "news" for them...THIS SEAT IS TAKEN.

Tool is an understatement. This guy contradicts himself so many times it is actually kind of funny.

If this moron really believs that Snyder and Cerrato are running the team and NOT Gibbs, then he must have a few screws loose. Gibbs won't stand for that, and has told Snyder that the team needs to gain something: fiscal responsibility! Who would have guessed it? In order for a team to be successful every year they need fiscal responsibility? This idiot doesn't have the coping ability to withstand the changes being made. And yes, he will jump right back on the bandwagon when we begin winning. He seems like a true fair-weather fan.

Unfortunately, it looks as thought the ignorance of Washington’s front office will cost Joe Gibbs his legacy. I doubt he’ll sniff the Super Bowl in his four remaining years. …Then again, if he does … he’ll prove himself the greatest of all time. So, I guess I have no point.

Someone take note of who he is, so that after this season we can write him and remind him of how stupid he is.

I just e mailed this guy...if he responds, I will post the exchange.

Losing Antonio Pierce is a bummer. He was the quintessential underdog. Schottenheimer brought him in as an undrafted free agent (oh, and do you still think Marty was such a bad GM?

Um, wasn't Marty the one who drafted Rod Gardner in the 1st round? What an idiot!

To all the "EXPERTS" bad mouthing Gibbs, I have one question. How many Super Bowls have you won? Enough said

Well, now...
He had to write something. the thing to do is read him regularly, and see which sucky team he defends. He's probably a Cardinals fan or something.
Have fun with his team in your emails. That oughta do it.
His podium is no bigger than ours is.

LAfan wrote:

Losing Antonio Pierce is a bummer. He was the quintessential underdog. Schottenheimer brought him in as an undrafted free agent (oh, and do you still think Marty was such a bad GM?

Um, wasn't Marty the one who drafted Rod Gardner in the 1st round? What an idiot!

Yeah, and Marty was also the "GM" that was convinced that Tony Banks was a great QB, and the Skins didn't need to try to upgrade at QB because Banks was so awesome.

THIS GUY E MAILED ME BACK...I'LL Post my E-mail to him first, and then post his response.

Here's My E mail:
Sean,
>
>Before you go jumping off the bandwagon, let me just point out a few deficiencies in your reasoning. First, you can't automatically call the Moss for Coles trade a complete failure. Moss has yet to even put on the uniform. No yard is gained, nor touchdown scored in the offseason,
and if you have been paying attention to the Redskins for say...the last 10 years, you would know that offseason 'wins' or 'losses' have virtually no bearing on the season. If it did we would be in the midst of a 'dynasty' with
the signing of big names every year.

>If Moss steps in and proves to be a star in this offensive scheme, then the cap hit is not a total loss. Instead of crying over the cap hit, lets evaluate this deal after Moss has had an opportunity to play in the system. If he goes out and caches 80 passes, for 1000 yds and 10 scores, dwarfing Cole's production, then the salary dollars were better spent than on a
disgruntled, bad toe, diminishing threat, locker room cancer.

Also, what the hell do you mean 30 year tailspin. You weren't
watching the Skins for 30 years. In 30 years the Skins have been to 4 Superbowls and have won 3. Tailspin, more like 10 years..

But anyway...just like other pundits in the offseason, you have not learned any thing from previous offseasons. The team who blows the most money (previously the Skins) on high profile signings, does not always become the team who goes deep in the playoffs. The Skins were going to have to face
the music on the cap situation, but with these moves, the Skins have not only stepped closer to building team solidarity, but come next year, when we get rid of over 6 million dollars in 'dead cap' space. We have a solid foundation upon which to build.
>
>Take a look at the future...Sean Taylor, Chris ey, Pat Ramsey, Clinton Portis, John Jansen, Chris Samuels, Lavar Arrington, Marcus Washington, Cornelius Griffin, Shawn Springs, Santana Moss, David Patten, This years draft pickups) and Healthy Cap, I don't see how you draw this conclusion of "dark days" in March.
>
>Go right ahead, and jump off the Bandwagon....but come this
season...the real fans will say "This seat is taken" when you try to hop back on. Many people read your 'columns' online, and you are doing a disservice to the Skins by resorting to the typical "Washington Post" Sports Illustrated Skins bashing. Be a real columnist and investigate the situatioin with some depth.

Understand that nothing is ever as good as it seems, nothing is ever as bad as it seems, somewhere in the middle, Reality falls.
>
>Your column is waayy off on the bad end...and far from reality.

Thanks for reading and writing. I appreciate every e-mail, especially
the
ones that call me out. To clear up any confusion and/or rebuttal your
arguments, I’ll include your comments before mine.

“Also, what the hell do you mean 30 year tailspin. You weren't
watching the
Skins for 30 years. In 30 years the Skins have been to 4 Superbowls
and
have won 3. Tailspin, more like 10 years..”

We’re in the midst of a 30-year tailspin. That basically means that
right
now, we’re in year 10 and 20 more dismal seasons are on their way.

“If Moss steps in and proves to be a star in this offensive scheme,
then the
cap hit is not a total loss. Instead of crying over the cap hit, lets
evaluate this deal after Moss has had an opportunity to play in the
system.”

Let’s say you’re the GM of the Redskins before the season. The Jets
ask you
if you’d trade Coles for Moss straight up. You would have told them to
go
to hell. I never said that Moss sucks, I only made the point that
trading
Coles (a proven commodity) for Moss (unproven and widely considered a
disappointment) isn’t equal value. Of course I’m glad they at least
got
something back. But come on, Washington could have received a draft
pick
back if they had any negotiating savvy. That was my point. Washington
doesn’t understand these things. You have to agree.

“The Skins were going to have to face the music on the cap situation,
but
with these moves, the Skins have not only stepped closer to building
team
solidarity, but come next year, when we get rid of over 6 million
dollars in
'dead cap' space. We have a solid foundation upon which to build.”

Dude, come on. This must be the first or second column of mine you’ve
read
(which again, I appreciate). I know more about the cap than a lot of
people. I know that cutting Coles’ salary now would help future years.
But
don’t kid yourself, this wasn’t a move for the future. This was a
panicked
trade. Had Coles never complained, Washington would have renegotiated
a few
contracts and screwed themselves further in ’06.

And did you see that Santana is going to get a 35 million dollar
contract?
How do you feel about paying the guy who, in theory, COULD come out and
catch 100 balls for 1,000 yards. COULD do that. Hasn’t yet, but
could.
They’ve already burnt half of this cap flexibility.

”Take a look at the future...Sean Taylor, Chris ey, Pat Ramsey,
Clinton
Portis, John Jansen, Chris Samuels, Lavar Arrington, Marcus Washington,
Cornelius Griffin, Shawn Springs, Santana Moss, David Patten, (This
years
draft pickups) and Healthy Cap, I don't see how you draw this
conclusion of
"dark days" in March.”

That’s a solid foundation, no doubt. But the cap space will be burnt.
That’s a given. Just remember that last year, you would have included
both
Smoot and Coles in that paragraph. Two players of that caliber leaving
is a
big deal. You know this, don’t fight it.

“Go right ahead, and jump off the Bandwagon....but come this
season...the
real fans will say "This seat is taken" when you try to hop back on.”

The real fans? The fans that booed the team excessively in the games I
went
to? The problem is that the so called “real fans” are so head over
heals
for this team, they subject themselves to a nasty reality check in week
8
every season. I’m realistic.

Please understand that I do think this team has some talent and a
future,
but by the time the team could really be hitting its stride, we’ll have
to
cut ties with a bunch of players.

Another thing to consider… Washington forecasts cap growth a few years
in
advance. Eventually, the NFL earnings will round off. It can’t keep
going
up, it’s cyclical. I liken it to the late-90’s stock market boom.
Eventually it will come back to earth and the crap will hit the fan.
Then
again, the cap’s supposed to clear 100 mill in the next couple of
years, so
this’ll be a problem at year 20 of the tailspin.

“Be a real columnist and investigate the situatioin with some depth.”

I have. What would you have me do? Blindly worship the organization?
I
have a responsibility to be objective as possible. I’d love to

“Your column is waayy off on the bad end...and far from reality.”

That’s cool, it’s just a difference of opinion. Though, keep in mind
that
I’ve received a lot of these e-mails over the years after heavily
criticizing the organization. I’ve always been proven right. I’m not
saying it’ll happen again, but one could not argue against my track
record.

Thanks, I hope you continue to read. Feel free to call me out whenever
you
like.

-s. tracy.

This guy said the Skins will be bad for 20 years..I don't know how he can predict with any precision, 20 years down the road. 20 years ago...the Patriots, were the worst team in the league, and the 49ers were a budding dynasty...what a difference 20 years can make.

Overall he makes some dumb conclusions, and some rationale ones. What is really funny, is that he thought his column was objective.

We need to keep him and others sharp and send them a line when they make crazy comments.

He did make some good points in his rebuttals, but I have a few problems with his logic. He said that Coles is "a proven commodity". I like to think of it as Coles was "a proven commodity". I liked Coles while he was here, but it became apparent last year that he couldn't get tremendous separation due to his toe; his ability to plant and cut was diminished. He also questioned the real fans comment, by saying

The real fans? The fans that booed the team excessively in the games I
went
to? The problem is that the so called “real fans” are so head over
heals
for this team, they subject themselves to a nasty reality check in week
8
every season. I’m realistic

. I never have booed the Redskins and never will, just as a matter of principle. Nevertheless, there are real fans of all teams that boo (see the New York Yankees fans booing Jeter). I don't have too many other problems with his rebuttals. Some of his assertions may be correct, but I have trouble believing that he is even remotely close to complete accuracy. Thanks for keeping him in check Hogster.

I think most of us realize what we are getting here - it's like Boss pointed out recently "even a clock that doesn't work is right twice a day"! Most of this is drivel.

But this is a site that brings in all viewpoints and this guy's is just as good (or bad) as a bunch of others lately. We have a really intense group and we are all hoping that our team will be all that it can be this season. There are always going to be a lot of writers that hope we do not succeed because we are the Redskins!

I am so looking forward to getting the draft done and starting to speculate on how much better our O might be this year.

SkinsJock wrote:I think most of us realize what we are getting here - it's like Boss pointed out recently "even a clock that doesn't work is right twice a day"! Most of this is drivel!

But this is a site that brings in all viewpoints and this guy's is just as good (or bad) as a bunch of others lately. We have a really intense group and we are all hoping that our team will be all that it can be this season. There are always going to be an lot of writers that hope we do not succeed because we are the Redskins!

I am so looking forward to getting the draft done and starting to speculate on how much better our O might be this year.

Agreed.

This guy is a idiot no one would give up Moss and a 2nd round pick for a washed up Coles.

Especially when Coles was demanding an extension.

Here is the Final E mail that Tracy Sent To ME:

I'll own up if I'm wrong. I hope I am.

-s

It's "Kenobi", not "Kanobe".