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

Here's my list of the Top Twelve (in no particular 12-1 order) famous and infamous Redskins. My Top Twelve is a list of our most famous Redskins acquired through free agency. It regards their popularity (loved or hated) through their personality, performance (great or horrible), and unfortunate incidents (run-ins with the law, etc.) or even what team they played for from BEFORE they were Skins. That’s why Trent Green and Rich Gannon, etc. aren’t on the list.

This was originally my Top Ten but I had to make this twelve because there have been so many acuisitions that stand out.

12. John Riggins: One of the very few white guys ever to wear a Mohawk (and a horrible afro) in the NFL rolled into D.C. Dubbed The Diesel, Riggins quickly became the Redskins all-time leading rusher and made everyone forget he ever played for the New York Jets.



11. Jeff George: He never lived up to the billing of a #1 pick and never made a good starter here, either.



10. Ki-Jana Carter: Like George, never lived up to #1 overall due to injuries, etc. but unlike George, was solid in his role here in D.C.



9. Andre Reed: Just for the record, I called this signing! In 2000, my mom was driving me home from football practice and we were talking about the Skins (as usual). The Skins werre looking for a receiver due to injuries or something. And I said "We should sign Andre Reed." And in just a couple of days, we did! Reed made himself known as the best receiver in Buffalo Bills history and should be in the Hall of Fame (after Art Monk gets in, of course). So that's why he's on this list.



8. Rob Johnson: What can I say? He sucked before he came here. And he sucked when he was here. I didn't want to sign him at all but Spurrier made this brilliant move thinking he would never have to start but when he did... you guessed it... he sucked.



7. Mark Brunell: Brunell, who backed up Brett Favre for two seasons in Green Bay, became the best QB in Jaguars history (yes, I know the Jags have only been around for ten years and his main competition early on was Rob Johnson) by taking Jacksonville to two AFC Championships if I'm not mistaken.



6. Darrell Russell: Everyone knows why he's on this list. No need to say anymore.



5. Clinton Portis: Rushed for 1,500 yards in his first two seasons and rushed for 5 TD's against KC last year. He became one of the most popular players in the league and should thrive with Bugel's o-line.



4. Danny Wuerffel: See Rob Johnson. But at least Danny made a tackle!



3. Tony Banks: Dallas knew that we were desperate for a QB in 2001, so they cut Banks, knowing that Marty was desperate enough to stoop this low. Banks was infamous with his horrible play with the St. Louis Rams of the mid-late 90's and became a journeyman. He was surprisingly solid in D.C. compared to his play in previous years.



2. Bruce Smith: Bruce was Buffalo's sack master for 15 years and is now the NFL's all time sack leader. Bruce was solid his first couple of seasons in D.C. but age and ego caught up to him as he returned for his 19th season in 2003 JUST to break the sack record. We all know he wouldn't have been in an NFL uni if he already had the sack record before last year.



1. Deion Sanders: To this day, I'm still shocked that we even signed this guy. He was awesome with every team he played for besides Washington. That is because of the thick contract handed to him by Dan Snyder and Snyder's favoritism towards him. He was second on the team in INT's behind Champ. When the Skins hired Marty, Sanders retired because he didn't want to have to actually work in training camp. But Sanders did bring his kids to training camp and I really enjoyed talking to them.



My Wild Cards: Billy “White Shoes” Johnson, Alvin Harper, Wilbur Marshall, Brad Johnson, Irving Fryar, Larry Centers, Mark Carrier, Earnest Byner, Daryl Gardener, Shawn Springs, Adrian Murrell, Eric Metcalf, Dan Wilkinson, Dana Stubblefield, Jessie Armstead, Steve Emtman, Jeff Cross, and Chris Zorich.

Nice list, Jake--especially liked the photos. I couldn't help but notice that the list was ever so slightly biased towards the last 5 (or so) years of Redskins free agency. But a nice list nonetheless

Reggie Roby, Jim Lachey, Joe Washington, Pat Fischer, Sonny, Riggs, Rickey and Gary, Wilbur Marshall, Carl Banks, Copeland, Byner, Al Noga...
Man, you can't make a list like that. C'mon, Jake. Be specific.

FanfromAnnapolis wrote:Nice list, Jake--especially liked the photos. I couldn't help but notice that the list was ever so slightly biased towards the last 5 (or so) years of Redskins free agency. But a nice list nonetheless

A few reasons... Most of the peculiar acquisitions happened recently and I'm a young'n and don't know too much about and peculiar signings back in the day. So, for me, obviously the recent past is much easier to remember.

TCWest10 wrote:Reggie Roby, Jim Lachey, Joe Washington, Pat Fischer, Sonny, Riggs, Rickey and Gary, Wilbur Marshall, Carl Banks, Copeland, Byner, Al Noga...
Man, you can't make a list like that. C'mon, Jake. Be specific.

TC, some of the guys you mentioned were either with the Skins at the beginning of their career or their careers before being in Washington weren't notorious enough to put on the list.

Except Sonny. I should have put him on the list. I put Marshall and Byner on the Wild Card. I do remember that fumble clear as day. Danny Copeland, Reggie Roby, and Al Noga? Come on, you're yankin my chain! I don't think Ricky's career in the USFL was unique enough to put on this list and Gary wasn't with another semi pro or pro team before the Skins to my knowledge. I did think about Lachey but did his short career in San Diego make him popular before he came here? Carl Banks had a good career in New York but that's like putting Armstead and Barrow up there.

Joe Washington and Pat Fischer... were they ever with another team besides the Skins?

Jake wrote:Joe Washington and Pat Fischer... were they ever with another team besides the Skins?

Joe played a few years with the Colts(Baltimore) and I think 1 in SD

Pat was drafted St Louis played 1 yaer

great list of players Jake

Any list of the most famous free agent signings would have to include Joe Jacoby. Probably the best ever.

(Many of the "free agent" signings listed here were not actually free agent signings, but trades. Eg. Sonny and Jim Lachey.)

GH, you misread, I said acquisitons, which means trades, signings, etc. And Jacoby was an undrafted FA... I was referring to NFL Free Agents. I would obviously include big Joe if undrafted FA were included.

Got it. Ok, my list would then definitely include Bobby Mitchell, Diron Talbert, Dave Butz, Riggins and Byner as great pickups. It would also include Sonny Jurgensen (for Norm Snead) and Jim Lachey (for Jay Schroeder) as being the best trade rip-offs we ever made. The absolute worst was Deion.

I'm with you hoglover and TCWeast.....

Where be the over-the-hill gang??????

How could you leave Butz off the list ...Coy Bacon ... No Sonny ...... We got Theisman from the CFL ..does that count??

Jake you are showing your age young man !!!!!

Dang it! I should have added Bobby Mitchell, too. I knew he was a Brown before he came here. I'm too young for this board!



Yes NJ, I am showing my age... I'm a little disappointed in myself. I should know better than to not include the ones I've left out.

My apologies to the real generation.

Trading for Sam Huff (for Dick James); acquiring Jack Pardee, Verlon Biggs, Pat Fischer (from the Cardinals), etc., signing Jean Fugett, Wilbur Marshall, getting Mike Nelms from Canada...the list is practically endless...

Jake wrote:Dang it! I should have added Bobby Mitchell, too. I knew he was a Brown before he came here. I'm too young for this board!



Yes NJ, I am showing my age... I'm a little disappointed in myself. I should know better than to not include the ones I've left out.

My apologies to the real generation.

Nah! Hang in there. You know a hell of a lot about the skins. You remind me of me. I was about your age in the late 60's early 70's. The skins were my life. (Did I mention I was Sonny's paperboy?) I only wish I had the internet to share all the skins fun. Just think. When you are pushing 50 you will be able to talk about all the old super Bowl's during St. Joe's second coming. You will also be able to talk about how you were able to chat on such a primitive medium like the internet!!! LOL!!!

Sean Gilbert at least ties Deion for worst former skin/skin player/ aquisition/whatnot. I think most skin fans would agree that the Portis for Baily trade, should Clinton produce as expected( which he will) certainly has the potential to go down as one of the best personell moves of this type in recent team history.

Least we forget George Rogers from the "aints" did not last too long but was a Gibbs acquistion on the free agent market and was the typr back gibbs coveted, Large and deceiveing speed. Had at least one good season with Redskins

AHHH but don't forget californiaskin we got two first rounders from the fools that took Gilbert off our hands. All we got for Dieon was three years of cap hell.

The graphics were cool though Jake......at least you can take some good natured ribbing from some of us.

When did Billy "White Shoes" Johnson play for the Redskins?

1988

Here's why I wrote what I did...
(BTW, Clark was with Jacksonville in the USFL for a season or two before we got him, so...)
Roby was brought in to save the kicking game, and had a 45 yard average punt. Not too shabby.
Noga came in with great fanfare, and did squat.
Banks, again...all the hoopla, no big hits against anybody who wasn't a Giant.
So on and so forth.
Unless I'm misunderstanding the whole "infamous" thing...
Maybe my input would be put to better use on a "bust or not" list.

My list was based on NFL free agents we signed and what they were notorious for before we signed them. And granted, some of them were memorable with us, but what they did in D.C. is just a small part of their career storyline.

I didn't include Clark and Sanders because they were in the USFL before they came here.

P.S. I never realized Al Noga had any "fanfare". I do remember him wearing my hat while I wore his helmet for a picture. He was really cool when I met him.

Roby was good with us. I don't think punters, in general, really have big storylines before they come to other teams. Blanda would be a big storyline guy, Baugh was a punter, and Tupa played QB but I don't think they should make the list.

I really like the replys that are being made by everybody. Keep it up!

Hello, all,

In addition to all those previosuly mentioned, let's not forget a pair of infamous draft maneuvers:

- about 1969, the Skins (was it Otto Graham's last blunder?) traded two first round picks to the LA Rams (ie, George Allen) for the rights to Gary Beban, Heisman (sp?) Trophy QB. Lombardi looked at Beban, and made him a punt returner. When Allen took the Skins, Beban retired.

- After SB 26, Casserly and Gibbs traded up to get Desmond Howard -- two first round picks. A bad move for about four different reasons...(a) they needed a big fast WR to replace Art Monk eventually (b) they already had a pair of good, battle-hardened, small WR's in Clark and Sanders, (c) they could have had Pickens, who went to Cincinatti, and (d) they needed a CB. OK, maybe that's three reasons, since (a) and (c) are linked.

- For famous, add the acquisition of Billy Kilmer for a second round pick. The deal was done in '71, as part of the blizzard of moves that assembled the Over-the-Hill Gang. Kilmer had been the New Orleans starter, but they were about to draft Archie Manning. Yes, people compared Billy to Sonny, and crossed their fingers and hoped every time Billy dropped back. Sometimes Kilmer would get a grip on the ball and throw a bullet; sometimes he threw something the looked like a wounded duck (I stole the simile...everyone said that about Kilmer's passing). Yes, the RFK crowd once cheered when Billy went out with an ankle injury, because it forced Allen to put Sonny in the game, but after Sonny retired, people started to notice that Kilmer had his own way of lifting the team to play a little harder than anyone thought they could.

(consider that my 2 cents on the Billy/Sonny thread from a couple of weeks ago. Sonny was the best passer of his time -- Unitas, Starr, and Brodie were not even close -- which made it hard for anyone else to play QB for the Skins.)

I'm thinking Andre Johnson was our worst first round draft pick ever........At least Desmond scored a touch on that lateral kick return thing his rookie year.

welch wrote:- After SB 26, Casserly and Gibbs traded up to get Desmond Howard -- two first round picks. A bad move for about four different reasons...(a) they needed a big fast WR to replace Art Monk eventually (b) they already had a pair of good, battle-hardened, small WR's in Clark and Sanders, (c) they could have had Pickens, who went to Cincinatti, and (d) they needed a CB. OK, maybe that's three reasons, since (a) and (c) are linked.

Let me add a 5th reason: It may have caused us to overlook another unheralded wide receiver we drafted in the 12th round in 1991 named Keenan McCardell, who, 724 receptions later, is still playing in the league.

And Californiaskin we traded UP to get Andre Johnson aka feet of stone.

We remember who we traded up with to get him ..... yes the Cowgirls.

Deacon Jones also needs to be in consideration. That man was the Butkus of d-linemen along with Chuck Bednarik of the Eagles.

in the 'a picture is worth a thousand words' category, the photo of deion has him trying to tackle an opposing player....by the wrist. way to go, deion.

my wife ranted about that signing for weeks.