“Rick’s 5 Why’s”
July 10, 2018
By Richard Rogers
It’s the dog days of summer and the perfect time for a few random musings. In just a few short weeks, the Redskins will open yet another training camp filled with optimism, pessimism, hyped undrafted free agents, collective breath holding over injuries and many other things that come with the start of football.
I’ve be asking myself a number of questions this off-season, most of them beginning with “why”. Rather than the obvious, “why does Dan Snyder still own the team” or “why is Bruce Allen still here”, I thought I’d be creative with my “why’s”. So here it goes…
- Why do fans complain about wanting to build through the draft, then turn around and complain about “unproven talent” and “question marks” at positions? Look, the Redskins have drafted multiple defensive backs over the past few seasons and signed a few undrafted free agents in the secondary as well. The Redskins will rely heavily on Fabian Moreau, Josh Holsey, Montae Nicholson, and Quentin Dunbar to shore up its secondary. They had to let go of Kendall Fuller in the Alex Smith trade and Bashaud Breeland’s tenure with the Redskins ran its course. With this team, you don’t know what you have until you actually see it, and benefit of the doubt is scarce around here, but when you draft young guys like Moreau and Nicholson, you have to let them play and grow. They need to be coached. They need to succeed. They need to fail. They need to learn. Young “unproven” talent must play in order to PROVE themselves. Joe Gibbs, especially the second time around, loved veteran players and would give away draft picks to get them, but those old veterans were usually young and talented at some point. You’ve got to draft, coach, develop and play those young guys.
- Why doesn’t Jay Gruden get more ‘respeck’ (yeah, there’s a “k” on the end of this)? Let me first say, I get it. It’s all about wins and losses for coaches in the NFL. Jay Gruden is 28-36-1 (.438). That’s a losing record, so that’s not going to put him in the top 15 of NFL coaches, but I am curious as to why a coach like Kyle Shanahan is ranked ahead of him. If you follow the whole “wins and losses” mantra, then Shanahan has only won 6 games as a head coach. I’m just going to put this out there. Jay Gruden is the best coach the Redskins have had probably since Marty Schottenheimer. He took what seemingly was a back-up quarterback in Kirk Cousins and made him into the second highest paid QB in NFL history. And, oh yeah, while Sean McVay is the new “boy wonder” in L.A., and let’s not forget who put him in a position to succeed. Lord knows Gruden has his warts, but he’s smart, and seemingly gets his players to play for him, even when the season looks bleak. I heard Santana Moss once rave about Gruden, and how he endears himself to players by cursing out the starting player just as bad as the fourth string player. Yeah, he probably can’t withstand another losing season, but Gruden has navigated this team through some difficult waters and that should count for something.
- Why is Dan Snyder making front office moves that make sense? Brian Lafemina, Kyle Smith, and Eric Shaffer. These aren’t stooges, people. All three are well respected around the NFL and could probably get another job before this column is posted if they wanted it. Perhaps Snyder has had enough. Maybe his blind loyalty and George Allen nostalgia is wearing thin. Maybe he’s tired of being laughed at. Even the most stubborn have their breaking points. They say it all starts at the top, and right now the top is a far cry from Pepper Rodgers and Vinny Cerrato.
- Why haven’t the Redskins replaced the turf at Fed Ex Field? At Fed Ex Field, they now have large flat screen TVs in the concourse, cup holders at every seat and cheap standing room only areas, but as many from around the league have pointed to, a horrible playing surface. Pete Carroll, called it a “horrible field”, and it was once the subject of scrutiny by the league office. I don’t know how much new grass or artificial turf costs, but it would seem to me that Snyder would want to eliminate the things that put his players in danger or cause him national embarrassment, but I guess that would be too much to ask after what I highlighted in my third “why”. All I know is Beyonce and Jay Z will host a major concert there next week. I just hope “Bey” doesn’t blow a knee.
- Why do people brag about being a “grillmaster”, yet use a gas grill? Yeah, I threw this one in there. It’s been stuck in my craw for a while now. It takes ZERO skill to cook on a gas grill. You turn the knob, get your meat or vegetables, put ‘em on the grill, flip ‘em a few times, serve it and collect all the accolades of being a BBQ connoisseur. Using charcoal or hardwood takes skill. It’s primitive, yet challenging, and when you get it right, you rightfully deserve all the praise and accolades you get. Sure, gas is convenient and clean, but so is the kitchen. I’m about .500 when it comes to my “smoke” game with meats. Some days I win, some days I lose, but I refuse to leave Team Charcoal for Team Gas….no “join up” championships for me. I prefer my grilling accolades the old-fashioned way.
Honorable Mention “Whys”…
Why does Redskins training camp continue to be held in Richmond?
Why has nothing official come out yet about Derrius Guice’s alleged “character issues”?
Why do I LOVE that my QB is not on Twitter?
Peace!