Why the 'Skins should not draft Mark Sanchez

Dan Snyder's intrigue with Mark Sanchez is understandable. He's went to USC, he's already got the talent to make the NFL throws, he already looks good in burgundy and gold, and he got the star power that Snyder craves. So essentially there is nothing wrong with Sanchez but the Redskins still should NOT draft him. Wanna know why?
For one the Redskins do not need a QB at this moment. They have Jason Campbell who has yet to been a starter for two full years in any system dating back to high school. He may not be the answer but he still needs a chance to develop in a system that Jim Zorn has said takes at least two years to start to master.

The only reason Sanchez came out after his only year of starting at USC is because the top three QBs decided to stay in school. Tim Tebow doesn't have NFL capabilities yet but he's on his way with the way he played in the BCS Championship game throwing all over Oklahoma. Colt McCoy is a tremendous talent at Texas and plays against some of the best teams in the nation week in and week out. Then there is Sam Bradford who is by far the best in the 2010 class of QBs and sure as shit is ready to play at a high level in the NFL.

So the best thing for Snyder to do is let the Campbell experiment run another year. Campbell only has one year left on his contract and letting him play out his contract will give the Redskins an opportunity to see if he has what it takes to lead this team to the playoffs. Should Campbell not work out after the first half of the season, Snyder could force Zorn to play Colt Brennan and see if his preseason magic translates into the regular season. Should that work the 'Skins don't need to pick a QB as they have one waiting in the wings already. If Campbell does work out you can give him his deserving extension and all this talk of another QB is history.

But should Campbell not work out, the 'Skins would have more leverage with picks next year to move up in the draft to pick one of the three studs that will be coming out next year. This could also give Snyder the opportunity to toss Zorn aside and bring in a guy like Mike Shannahan or any other of the high quality coaches that are sitting out this year.

My opinion is to give Campbell a chance this year and wait to see if the 'Skins need to make a move in next year's draft to pick a better QB than Sanchez. It is nothing against Sanchez but he only came out this year because he knew that with only Matthew Stafford as the only other 1st rd QB he had the best chance to make his money this year as opposed to next year where he might be a late first rounder or early second round pick.

Dan Snyder needs to focus elsewhere on this team like the O-line, D-line, or Linebacker where the holes are glaring, rather than QB where the hole is only questionable.

Please Dan, don't pick Sanchez this year just because you like him in this year's draft. Next year there will be a better crop of players to trade up for and more leverage with the picks you haven't traded away yet. It'd be better for the team to focus on the non-glamorous players rather than the sexy pick. Do something smart for a change.

A New Hope is all but lost

A drought dating back to 1992 when the Redskins won the Super Bowl, the Washington, D.C. area has got to be the last remaining big city to win a championship. With the Phillies World Series win last fall D.C. has jumped to the front of the pack as the loneliest sports town in America. With all the big sports in town, and a frenzy of fans who will ride bus when hot and and cliff jump when cold, this area is desperate for a championship.

This year the Washington Capitals were that "New Hope." The team with the games most iconic player and an offense that is sure to dazzle, the Caps were the love of the town. Recording a franchise-record 108 pts in the standings, winning the Southeast Division for a second year in a row, and securing the #2 in the Eastern Conference it was destined that this team make a run at the Stanley Cup.

While the Wizards fizzled to a franchise low and the Nationals off to an MLB worst start, it was up to the Caps to provide the fury for the sports-loving area. Though the Redskins are this town's darling, hockey has provided a mistress for people as we wait for the Dark Lord in Dan Snyder to find his way in operating a sports franchise.

Games are the talk of the town and red can be blinding within "The Phonebooth." The deafening cheers along with the boat horn that accompanies every Caps goal were raving downtown and you couldn't turn on a TV without seeing Alex Ovechkin acting goofy in an Easterns Automotive commercial.

5 months after the start of the season, the real season began. Caps fans have waited all year for the playoffs, a time when last year they lost in a Game 7 overtime to Philly, the most hated city in this area. In walks New York, the second most hated city in this area, a team that the Caps went 3-1 against in the regular season and hands the Caps two straight losses at home. Game 3 provides an uplifting story with a rookie goalie recording a shutout for the Caps and a hope that this team can pull this out. Then comes Game 4. An effort lacking any emotion or flare and the Caps skate away 2-1 losers. The loss, probably the most disheartening loss since the Redskins playoff loss to the Seahawks after Sean Taylor died, will undoubtedly put this city into an early hibernation and a sleep that is has become accustomed to over the last 17 years.

With the Redskins looking to trade up in the draft to pick another QB, a certain FAIL in the fans eyes after watching the offensive line deteriorate last season, it almost a lock to see that team struggle once again with an ownership running around with its head cutoff. The summer will be all but dead with the Nationals providing loss after loss with a bullpen who cannot sustain a lead or get a side out in the 9th. The only possibility in terms of excitement is if the Wizards can somehow land the #1 pick and grab Blake Griffin. Should this not happen, this area will be the most depressing city in the country as another year of losing sports fills the docket until the Caps come around again.

Only a miracle can save this city now. A win in the first round would do wonders for this Capitals team and show them that they CAN win and could spark something special. Until that happens, this team too will provide disappointment and heartbreak to an area that needs a champion more than any other city in the country.

Jay Cutler to 'Skins?

Alright, so it may be obvious that I'm a 'Skins fan and have a bias towards writing about them in this blog. Well now with the rumors floating around that Jay Culter could be coming to the 'Skins in a trade that would send the incumbent QB Jason Campbell elsewhere I feel the need to show some stats and provide a view of why Cutler may not be the answer.
For a long time now I've backed Jason Campbell saying that he's been hamstrung by a front office that has made both coaching and personnel moves that are questionable. Now I did a little research this morning on stats from each players' 2008 season, which was arguebly the best in their short careers. Lets take a look;

Jay Cutler:

average rank of defense faced: 19.875

qb rating: 87.15

tds: 25

ints: 18

Jason Campbell:

average rank of defense faced: 12.9375

qb rating: 85.97

tds: 13

ints: 6

When you look at these stats you see that Cutler faced inferior defenses and had a higher rating. Cutler also threw 12 more TDs than Campbell but a caviat to that would be that he also threw 12 more INTs than Campbell as well.

Next lets look at the top 5 and bottom 5 games each had and their average QB ranking and the average rank of the defense in those games.

Jay Cutler:

Top 5

Avg Defense: 20.8

Avg QB Rating: 112.82

Bottom 5

Avg Defense: 17.4

Avg QB Rating: 63.82

Jason Campbell:

Top 5

Avg Defense: 18.2

Avg QB Rating: 109.82

Bottom 5

Avg Defense: 3.4

Avg QB Rating: 63.12

Now these statistics may be the most interesting. For Jay Cutler, his best five games last year on average faced a defense that was ranked 1-2 spots lower than Jason Campbell's five best games. Cutler did have a QB rating 3 pts better in these five games but can that be attributed to worse pass rated defenses? Maybe, maybe not. Now when you look at the bottom five games for each player something to me really stands out. On average Campbell faced defenses ranked 3.4 in his bottom five games and had an average QB rating of 63.12. When you look at Cutler you see that he faced defenses that averaged a rank of 17.4 and his QB rating was only marginally better at 63.82.

Maybe I'm reading way too much into this but most people are arguing over stats when comparing the two. But when you argue that Cutler is way better than Campbell a breakdown in stats shows that "way" better is only "marginally" better. I'm fine with Campbell and think that Zorn can make Campbell even better so giving up 2 first-round picks and possibly Campbell just to get Cutler doesn't make much sense. There are more important needs to fill on the 'Skins roster than QB. I guess we'll see how it all plays out.

Media Score Card: Dan Snyder vs. Jerry Jones

It hasn't even been a week since the start of free agency and the battle for the offseason Media Super Bowl and Jerry Jones has countered Dan Snyder's signing by releasing Terrell Owens. For the past decade the offseason has been dominated by these two men who own the two most wealthy franchises in the sports world.

When the Cowboys announce a new bigger stadium than the current largest stadium owned by the Redskins, Snyder immediately starts consulting the District of Columbia with idea of building a new stadium even bigger than the new one in Dallas.

When the 'Skins make a big splash this year in free agency Jerry comes right back with the release of TO. This back and forth to gain the media attention between these two has been somewhat comical over the years and this year might prove to be the best yet. As Dallas continues to shed its big names the Redskins continue to add more. Will "The Danny" add TO to the 'Skins to one up Jerry? Will the Cowboys continue their cutting spree and release anyone else.? Will the two finally decide to drop trough and see who's junk is bigger than the others? These questions and many more remain and it should be an interesting offseason since it's only been a week and we've had so much drama already.

It's your move Danny.

Albert Haynesworth already a bust?

The contract Albert Haynesworth received early this morning from my beloved Redskins makes him the highest paid defensive player in the history of the NFL. A 7 year $100 million deal doesn't come with low expectations. Fans here will be foaming at the mouth with the hopes that the numbers Haynesworth puts up are worth the $14.5 million he's getting per year.

If this is the case then call Haynesworth a bust right now. Before he's even introduced at Redskins Park Haynesworth is a bust.

This perception only rings true if the expectations for Haynesworth are set unattainably too high. People in DC will expect Haynesworth to have 20 sacks, 10 forced fumbles, 30 tackles-for-loss, and atleast 1 touchdown return. For a defensive end this may warranted since defensive ends are defensive playmakers. Defensive tackles on the other hand are more or less the unsung heroes of the defense. By clogging the middle and drawing doubles teams nearly every play, DTs allow the linebackers time to read and react to the play and hold up the interior offensive line from getting downfield to block on the 2nd level. DTs also help out the ends by ruining the lane for which the QB can step into when speed rushers beat their men on the outside. So while the stats for DTs may not be as showy as DEs you'll find that when you do not have a presence in the middle your defense suffers in creating big play, i.e. 2008 Redskins.

Now I am not saying that Haynesworth is a bust already nor am I saying that he will live up to the expectations that he will get by coming here to D.C. I just want to make sure that everyone knows that an interior defensive lineman helps the team in ways that stats do not show. So for everyone from the D.C. area, or anyone for that matter, that reads this (probably zero overall); Haynesworth's production will be more of a summation of the overall improvement of the defense rather than individual statistics.