Redskins’ Skid Continues, Zorn’s Seat Gets Warmer

Players are outraged, coming to blows in the locker room. Coaches are on the hot seat, as close to being terminated as you can get. And the fans are fed up, wearing paper bags to cover their faces at games. The only solution for a team in this kind of state is to win. So what do the Redskins do? They lose to the winless Kansas City Chiefs while scoring just six points. And in fact, the team is doing even worse than the embarassing loss indicates…

The Washington Redskins played like normal in the first half, like a flat soda sitting uncapped for days. The offense had no “go” and the defense looked, at the very least, decent. Rather than giving the kicker a shot for a 53-yard field goal before the half, Zorn elects for Campbell to give it a heave to the endzone. The ball is intercepted and the half ends, Redskins lead 3-0. When the teams take the field to begin the second half, 105-year-old backup quarterback Todd Collins is suddenly the starter as Campbell sits on the sidelines with a beanie and coat on. What gives?

Perhaps it was the blocking by the offensive line, or lack thereof, that caused Campbell to be benched? We all know that Collins is much more mobile when the pocket begins to collapse, which it so often does. Or maybe Campbell was benched because of the lack of depth on the offensive line as a result of piss poor drafting by the front office? Because we all know that the quarterback makes the selections in April and he always want non-catching receivers. Or maybe Campbell warmed the bench in the second half because he had just 89 yards in the first half? Then again, he does call all of the offensive plays from the no-huddle. Whatever the reason may be, Jim Zorn and the coaching staff has made it that much harder on themselves. Not only did Todd Collins produce the same amount of points as Campbell in the same amount of time but with more urgency, but Campbell has to feel like the lowest man on the team right now. How does Jason Campbell tie his cleats next Sunday with confidence? Or does Campbell even start next week? See what I mean? Creating a quarterback controversy at this juncture makes no sense and it takes away from the little amount of identity that your team once had.

Peter King has reported that a meeting was held between Jim Zorn, Dan Snyder, and Vinny Cerratto following the miserable home loss on Sunday. The result? Cerratto relieved Zorn of all play-calling duties. It actually makes sense, finally Cerratto does something intelligent. But why did it take this long? After you performed a rush-hire to make Zorn the head coach and offensive coordinator after a botched head coach hiring job; now you make the change?

Please remember that the current situation in the nation’s capital is NOT Jason Campbell’s fault, nor is it Jim Zorn’s fault. Whether you like Campbell or not, he can’t make his line stay healthy and at least block a little bit. And whether or not you like Zorn, he is working with what he was given because he has absolutely no say in what takes the field on Sundays. Jim Zorn was a lonely quarterback coach in Seattle and was making the modest and humbling jump to become an offensive coordinator. That same lonely quarterback coach was in no way prepared for the OC duties as well as the head coaching duties for one of the league’s most poopular teams. Zorn has a lot of sh*t on his plate and he’s taking the heat for it. Fair? Hardly. But until the Snyder/Cerratto regime gets the hell out of D.C., that same plate will remain full no matter who sits down to it.

Welcome aboard the “FIRE DAN SNYDER” bandwagon.

Pro Bowl Tight End Tony Gonzalez Headed To Atlanta

Tony Gonzalez finally got what he wished for, a trade from the Kansas City Chiefs.

The Chiefs had not been able to trade Gonzalez for quite some time because it was reported by Chiefs’ officials that trade partners were not willing to offer a fair amount for the 10-time Pro Bowler. But now with the new regime in KC, the rebuilding stage continues and Gonzalez is sent on his way.

From what I’ve heard, Gonzalez wanted out of Kansas City, not because of his experience, but because he isn’t getting any younger and he wanted the chance to compete in the playoffs. Hopefully the Falcons can do that for him. The Atlanta Falcons traded a 2010 second-round draft pick to the Kansas City Chiefs in return for Gonzalez.

The Falcons were in need of a tight end in order to compliment Matt Ryan, Roddy White, and Michael Turner. I believe the trade works out wonderfully for the Falcons because Tony can certainly produce on Sundays and the Falcons are not far away from being a force in the NFC.

I listed the Falcons selecting tight end Brandon Pettigrew with their first-round selection and the acquiring of Tony Gonzalez may force me to change that. I would say that the Falcons have made themselves one of the most explosive offenses in the league and they should spend a majority of their 2009 draft choices on defense. Stay tuned to my 2009 Mock Draft to see the changes before Saturday!

NFL Free Agency: Catching Up On A Busy Weekend Of Signings and Trades

Well it didn’t take long for the free agent signings to take off. After just three days on the open market players have me questioning about loyalty, intelligence, and character. Here’s a quick rundown on the recent signings…

1. Patriots Trade Cassel and Vrabel to Chiefs for 2nd Rounder – The Cassel trade is receiving a ton of buzz, as it should. Cassel comes in from a high school football field, fills in for All-Pro Tom Brady, and leads a team to an 11-5 record…not too bad. I would have preferred the Chiefs to stick with Tyler Thigpen under new head coach Todd Haley but Cassel should work out fine. Vrabel is an aging linebacker that was on a team trying to get younger at the position. He’ll be a solid contributor to the Chiefs. I think the Chiefs really make out well here and I wouldn’t be surprised to see them have a good season next year. Grade for the Chiefs : A-
2. Eagles Trade Lito Sheppard to Jets for 5th Rounder – Lito Sheppard can play. He wanted out of Philly and the front office knew that. He’s going to come into New York and start immediately. With a new defensive-minded coach in New York (Rex Ryan), Sheppard should do very well in the new system. Not to mention, the Jets gave up nothing! Grade for the Jets : A+
3. Brian Dawkins Signs with the Denver Broncos – This was a ‘shocker’ to me. I love Brian Dawkins but, after 13 seasons with Philly, I’m head-scratching about his move to the Rockies. The Broncos are a good team, Denver is beautiful, but are they closer to a Super Bowl than Philly? It seems like he can play forever, but what is Brain Dawkins really bringing to the table for the Broncos? I’m not completely sold on the move that brings in a guy who is older than the head coach for multiple years. Grade for the Broncos : C+
4. Keith Brooking Signs with Dallas – The Cowgirls needed a linebacker and they got a good one in Keith Brooking. I think this takes Dallas off the list as a potential home for Ray Lewis, but you never really know with Jerry Jones. The only thing I worry about with Dallas is the direction in terms of front office. Wade Phillips is useless, Jerry is a nut, Jason Garrett seems to have lost his touch, and the defensive coordinator is up in the air. All the while, it’s a solid pickup for Dallas. Grade for Dallas : B
5. Fred Taylor Signs with New England – This is probably my favorite signing thus far. It’s almost as if everyone is a “Fred Taylor Hater” and that’s why he is continuously snubbed for being…great. Now he gets to go to a solid team with great coaches and a good shot at a Super Bowl next season. The Pats have shown what they can do with aging running backs, Fred will be no different. This move may actually get me rooting for New England…shhh. Grade for New England : A
6. Redskins Sign Derrick Dockery – The Redskins needed help on the offensive line…a lot of it. Dockery returns to D.C. and adds some decent experience but it’s not going to completely fix the problem. But however you look at it, the Redskins needed this. Unlike the Albert Haynesworth signing, the Skins will get what they pay for with Dockery. Grade for the Skins : B-
7. Denver Signs Correll Buckhalter and J.J. Arrington – Let’s all remember that Shanahan is no longer the coach in Denver (it still doesn’t sound right) and that may effect a WHOLE LOT. Denver is known for getting the absolute most out of their running backs, but that may all change with McDaniels at the reigns. If the running style stays the same, Buckhalter will shine. He can do it all, somewhat like Brian Westbrook, and he’ll be the main guy for the first time in his career. Arrington never broke through in Arizona but, again, Denver can pull 1,000 yards out of anybody. Grade for Denver : A-
8. Cleveland Trades Kellen Winslow to Tampa Bay for picks – Other than character issues, Winslow is a great player. He wasn’t happy and he had some injury issues, all of which hampered him throughout the years. An attitude adjustment, a change of scenery, and a new coach could be exactly what Winslow needs. Grade for Tampa Bay : B-
9. Detroit Trades Jon Kitna to Dallas for Anthony Henry – Once again, the Detroit Lions get the better end of Dallas. After taking a ton of draft picks from the Cowboys last season, Detroit goes and dumps an aging and overpaid quarterback on them. The move will save the Lions somewhere around $4 million in cap space and they get a decent player in return. I think that the departure of both Kitna and Dan Orlovsky frees up some space for Matt Stafford in April, unless they’re really comfortable with Culpepper. Grade for Detroit :  B+
10. Houston Signs Antonio Smith – He played on a Super Bowl team last year and he can obviously draw some attention on the line. He’ll line up opposite Mario Williams and he should be able to DO WORK in that position. This is a smart move by the Houston front office. Smith is a versatile guy that can play in any defensive scheme. Grade for Houston : B+

And that’s just the first few days of free agency. Big names are still up in the air as to where they’ll end up. Does Derrick Brooks retire or go contribute somewhere else? Does Ray Lewis stay put in Baltimore? Can the Cardinals come to terms with Kurt Warner and his “fair market value”? Why is Kurt Warner visiting the 49er’s? Is anyone in the market for Jeff Garcia? Where does Houshmandzadeh end up? Will Marvin Harrison hang it up? And this, folks, is why I enjoy watching athletes sign contracts for millions of dollars while I scrape up my change to try and buy a game ticket.

Note: I did not include signings or trades that I wrote about prior to this post (i.e. Culpepper, Haynesworth, Asomugha, Rosenfels) but you can find those articles by typing ‘NFL’ in the search bar near the top of the site.

Todd Haley takes the Kansas City job, hopefully he sticks with Thigpen

Former Arizona Cardinals’ offensive coordinator Todd Haley has been introduced as the Kansas City Chiefs’ new head coach.

This coaching hire serves as no surprise to anyone, it was just a matter of waiting for Haley to finish his stint in the Super Bowl before Chiefs’ GM Scott Pioli and Haley could have serious talks.

Haley seems to be somewhat of a hothead, but if I were a quarterback or receiver in KC then I would be more than excited. Although Haley may want to rule his team with an iron fist, there’s no doubt about his favorability for the pass instead of the run. Matt Cassel has been tagged by the Patriots, so his potential signing with the Chiefs is no more. However, young quarterback Tyler Thigpen wasn’t necessarily horrible last year for Kansas City. Dwayne Bowe is a young and VERY talented receiver. Tony Gonzalez is still able to produce good numbers. And Devard Darling is a quick receiver that can beat some people down field. Therefore, all of these guys should prosper in Haley’s offense. And for Larry Johnson? He should probably start looking for a possible trade scenario…

But, I do think (because of Cassel’s tag) that the Chiefs will go after a quarterback in the first round. The quarterback class of 2009 is pretty weak but the Chiefs may need that solid franchise quarterback to anchor Haley’s reign. If I were Pioli, and I am no where close, I would give Tyler Thigpen another season (a whole season) to see what he can do as a gun-slinger under Todd Haley. This way, assuming you start Thigpen, you can use your draft picks on another needed position and wait for a better quarterback class in 2010. And who knows, maybe Thigpen could turn out to be pretty good…and then Pioli looks even better for sticking with him.

I am all for Tyler Thigpen starting for the Chiefs in 2009.

Cassel will get paid “Tom Brady” money

The New England Patriots have finally decided to place the franchise tag on quarterback Matt Cassel.

Although Cassel had a great year in 2008, it wasn’t good enough to take the starting role from All-Pro Tom Brady.

When Brady went down last year, Cassel stepped in and stepped up immediately. He impressed a lot of people and drew a lot of interest from GM’s across the league. In fact, I was about to upload my 2009 NFL Mock Draft with the Chiefs taking someone other than Sanchez or Stafford because I thought Cassel would pack his bags and follow Scott Pioli to Kansas City. Not so much anymore…I suppose.

The Patriots will have to pay Cassel $14.65 million, the same salary as Tom Brady. Is that too much for a back-up?

New England will still have the option of trading Cassel before paying him the big bucks, but the team has to have full confidence in Tom Brady and his knee.

Instead of waiting to upload my Mock Draft because I want to wait and see where Cassel goes, I’ll post it with a possible trade in effect. Either way, Matt Cassel should get a pretty hefty paycheck from someone, whether it be Kansas City or New England.

Waves begin to crash in KC, Herm Edwards sails

When Scott Pioli first took over the general manager position with the Kansas City Chiefs, it was rumored that he would give head coach Herm Edwards another shot at turning the team around. Friday proved that rumor wrong.

Herm Edwards was let go by the Kansas City Chiefs after coaching three seasons and posting a 15-33 record. I do believe that Edwards is a good coach but you have to suspect that your fish food once a new GM comes into the organization. Now that Edwards is out, rumors have began to circle that Mike Shanahan is in. Does he fit in KC?

Shanahan was the man in Denver, serving as GM and head coach while leading strong teams to the playoffs and even a Super Bowl win. But if he came to KC with guru Scott Pioli already atop the GM totem pole; how does that sit with Shanahan? Mike Shanahan likes to be in control, build his own teams, the “my way or the highway” deal. On the brighter side, I don’t think the Chiefs are as bad as their record showed last season. They have stud players at the tight end, running back, and wide receiver positions. Their last draft focused on strengthening the trenches on both sides of the ball (Dorsey, Albert) and a young squad such as themselves could learn a lot from an old guy such as Shanny.

With the third overall pick in this year’s upcoming draft, Pioli and Shanahan could make a great pick in the first round and finish it off with Pioli’s signature picks in the latter rounds. I like the potential Shanahan move of going to KC, but of course it’s not up to me. He’ll look long and hard at the situation and will probably bite the line. I still have a question about whether or not Shanny would like a guy above him making all the personnel moves. And I still would have a question of whether Shanny wants to go to a team that needs work or a team that is a little closer to contending than the Chiefs.