• Most of the legion of critics (including some who draw a paycheck from the same company I do) who spent much of the week taking shots at our story on the Washington Redskins' interest in Auburn quarterback Jason Campbell articulated two similar, salient points: First, teams don't typically make such trade-up deals, like the one in which the Redskins acquired the 25th spot in the first round from Denver, until later in the week. Second, teams certainly don't complete that kind of deal to target one player, because there is uncertainty about whether that prospect will be available.
Having done this job now for 27 years, I'm pretty aware of that. But here's the point that the critics are missing: We're talking about the Washington Redskins here. With such a dysfunctional franchise, convention does not apply. Everyone seems willing, probably because of the presence of the sainted Joe Gibbs, to believe that Washington has straightened out its act. Yet with the exception of the brilliant hiring of defensive coordinator Gregg Williams, who cobbled together the NFL's third-ranked unit in 2004 despite playing with a lot of spare parts, what has the current regime done that has been all that successful? Hey, that trade for quarterback Mark Brunell -- a guy we panned dozens of times in this space before the Redskins acquired him -- worked out well, didn't it?
Maybe we'll be wrong and maybe Washington will, indeed use that No. 25 spot as part of a package to move up in the round for someone like Michigan wide receiver Braylon Edwards. After all, one of their coaches told a friend this week they are poised to do "something big." Heck, maybe they'll keep the choice and still pass on Campbell.
But a couple points here of our own: If the Redskins weren't so keen on Campbell, why were they so upset when we made public their interest in him? Why did vice president of football operations Vinny Cerrato (a guy to whom I haven't spoken in 15 months by the way) essentially conduct an internal witch hunt trying to ferret out the source of what he assumed was an organizational leak? And has anyone yet heard Gibbs, the man who fueled the Campbell fixation, deny interest in the quarterback? The Redskins love the perception that they know how to wheel and deal. But mostly they like to squeal when someone uncovers their strategy. The fact is, whether the critics want to buy the truth or not, we stumbled onto a story that, for once, the Redskins didn't want out. They were way too ham-handed in their execution, and far too chatty with some of their fraternity brothers who reside outside the walls of Redskins Park. Going on the offensive to try to cover their tracks once the story was out of the bag -- having some of their buddies try to discredit it -- was handled in typically clumsy fashion by a franchise that's suffered through a pretty miserable offseason.
• Per usual, Redskins quarterback Patrick Ramsey, one of the league's classiest players, said and did all the right things after the story about Jason Campbell was reported. But you've got to wonder if, privately, Ramsey isn't banging his head off a wall somewhere.
Ramsey probably could have escaped Washington last spring, after the Redskins traded for Mark Brunell, had he fought a little harder to get out. Owner Dan Snyder probably would have dealt him away -- perhaps to Miami before the Dolphins completed the deal for A.J. Feeley -- had Ramsey gone out of character and become the squeaky wheel. If you don't believe it, consider for a second how Snyder reacted to Laveranues Coles this offseason, when the disgruntled wide receiver wanted to get traded. But Ramsey permitted himself to buy into coach Joe Gibbs' sales pitch about how he would have an opportunity to compete with Brunell for the starting job.
Unfortunately for Ramsey, he is repeating the mistake, investing in Gibbs' rhetoric. The truth is, there still are people inside Redskins Park who feel Ramsey isn't the team's best quarterback.
Excuse me if my langauge belongs in talking smack but who the hell cares if there are people who don't believe in Ramsey. We only need one person to believe in him, and that himself!
Whenever I start to get blue, I just breathe!
My favortie line from the Simpsons:
Flanders: "Looks like someone is having a pre-rapture party!"
Homer: "No Flanders, it's a meeting of gay witches for abortion , you wouldn't be interested!"
I take back everything I said in an earlier post about Fat Lenny being a good reporter. He's a frickin' idiot. He's got an ax to grind with the 'Skins...probably because Vinny Cerrato won't give him any information anymore.
"I've got a fever. And the only prescription is more cowbell."
Vinny C is a guy to whom Lenny hasn't spoken to in 15 months.... Maybe Fatboys beef(pun intended) is with Vinny and NOT the Skins, and Lenny P. can't separate the two
It's the same problem he has with the breathing and eating... if he is breathing he's eating
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{o,o}
|)__)
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When you reach the end of your rope, tie a knot in it and hold on....
DieselFan wrote:I take back everything I said in an earlier post about Fat Lenny being a good reporter. He's a frickin' idiot. He's got an ax to grind with the 'Skins...probably because Vinny Cerrato won't give him any information anymore.
Please tell me your joking that you said Fat Lenny is a good reporter, albeit in a previous post. I do commend you on righting your original wrong.
Lenny Lenny Lenny, Oh, Fat Lenny. When we have a winning record, what will you do? Someone at Redskins park SERIOUSLY must have ruffled his fat rolls the wrong way. Is it me or is every other article he writes about our team?
Fat Lenny, please choke on a hoagie... PLEASE! (I normally don't wish ill will on any person, Peter Angelos aside, but - HEY, HO, THE FAT BOY HAS GOT TO GO!
The opinion of 10,000 men is of no value if none of them know anything about the subject.
I'm willing to bet Pastabelly pours over thehogs.net as much as the rest of us. As soon as he finds the Pasquarelli-bashing to be too much, he throws some stupid rhetoric out as fast as he can.
I wonder why Vinny hasn't talked to Pasta in over 15 months?
I would love to believe that this website has some effect on Pasta's incessantly biased reports.
ps. Why are we dysfunctional? That statement makes no sense to me.
ps. You can tell he is insecure...why does he always have to mention, "seeing as how I've been doing this for 27 years..." - get a life
Obviously Fat Lenny has an axe to grind with the Skins. But he's not exactly off in his assesment of the organization. We don't like to hear it but he does make some valid points. With 2 playoff games in 12 years it's hard to say that he's wrong.
SkinzCanes wrote:Obviously Fat Lenny has an axe to grind with the Skins. But he's not exactly off in his assesment of the organization. We don't like to hear it but he does make some valid points. With 2 playoff games in 12 years it's hard to say that he's wrong.
Most people have a right to point out the skins' troubles. The problem with Fatso is that his articles always seem to be hate-ridden; he could describe our problems and suggest solutions - but he doesn't. Objectivity is never present in his articles, and I have a feeling that he will continue the Skins-bashing all the way through our next Super Bowl.
As long as every article gets this much attention, he will continue to bash us. If all of the Redskin faithful would agree to ignore him, you'd be surprised how short of a period of time it would take from him to start bashing some other unsuspecting team.
RIP 21
"Nah, I trust the laws of nature to stay constant. I don't pray that the sun will rise tomorrow, and I don't need to pray that someone will beat the Cowboys in the playoffs." - Irn-Bru
As pissed off as I am over this blowhard's comments, I'm almost happy he wrote it.
Assuming Dan Snyder reads this -- and he will -- the one player on this earth we won't draft tomorrow is Campbell, if only to keep from making Fat Boy look good.
Jimmy Sexton (Ramsey's agent) should have Lenny on his payroll as his publicist. Every time Sexton has a discussion with the Skins, Pasquarelli all the sudden has all this "inside" information, including quotes from the conversation. Meatball never asks the Skins for their side of the story he just flames away. I think Lenny purposely tries to imagine who the Skins might draft and then goes about writing anything he can think of to damage our chances.
Yesterday, Hank Goldberg said "I'd like to try a new method of reporting on the draft here at ESPN. I actually have a named source and quote from this source." and he proceeded to report it. I think this was a direct shot at Lenny who wouldn't know a bona fide source if it bit him.
The only reason I took the time to write this was to hopefully persuade the moderators for this forum to consider making ALL Lenny refernces profanity to be either stricken or immediately moved to the smack forum. He's a waste of our time.
JansenFan wrote:As long as every article gets this much attention, he will continue to bash us. If all of the Redskin faithful would agree to ignore him, you'd be surprised how short of a period of time it would take from him to start bashing some other unsuspecting team.
Done... (in Mayor Quimby on the Simpson's voice) I hearby remove myself from all things Fat Lenny. I declare today Fat Lenny Emancipation Day... Be free of his rhetoric from here 'til the end of time.
The opinion of 10,000 men is of no value if none of them know anything about the subject.
I just gained some respect for Cerrento for ignoring Lenny. He hasn't talked to him in 15 months... no wonder the guy hates us, we wont give him any scoops so he has to make them up.
Romans 1:11 "For I wish that I myself were cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers..." Paul
If all of the Redskin faithful would agree to ignore him, you'd be surprised how short of a period of time it would take from him to start bashing some other unsuspecting team.
Redskins1974 wrote:Please tell me your joking that you said Fat Lenny is a good reporter, albeit in a previous post.
Regrettably, it's all too true. I'll tender my resignation immediately.
I did say it..the genesis of that statement was that every time I hear him on the radio talking about other teams, he sound intelligent and reasonable. But then when he opens his mouth about the 'skins, he's always got some agenda. Probably pissed he doesn't get to free rides on Redskin One anymore....and The Danny probably cut off his free buffet privileges, too.
"I've got a fever. And the only prescription is more cowbell."
