<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>Randle El, Lloyd: Good News For Moss, TooMarch 13, 2006Earlier this year, Santana Moss made his first Pro Bowl. By acquiring Antwaan Randle El and Brandon Lloyd on Sunday, the Redskins may have taken great strides toward helping Moss earn his second such trip.In his first year as a Redskin, Moss turned in an exceptional year with 84 regular-season catches for nine touchdowns and a franchise record 1,483 yards. Even though he was outstanding in 2005, Moss frequently faced coverage by two and sometimes three defenders.So when the team added Randle El and Lloyd, Moss was perhaps the one to benefit most. That's the first impression from the Redskins' initial free agent signings of 2006.Opposing secondaries will have serious concerns other than Moss in 2006, which may free up the speedy wide receiver for an even bigger 2006.Said Vinny Cerrato, vice president of football operations: "Santana's ecstatic because he's not going to get doubled and tripled all the time."Randle El and Lloyd are similar to Moss in that they are smallish, but fast. It is hoped that their presence forces defenses to spread out while also putting cornerbacks and safeties on their heels.Said wide receivers coach Stan Hixon: "At the end of last season, Santana was really forced to get open and it was a big strain on him. I think he's really excited about these two new additions. He knows it's going to make it even better for him."It's no secret that the Redskins have liked Randle El's skills dating back to his days at Indiana University. He's been a big-time, multi-dimensional player with the Steelers for four NFL seasons. As everyone recalls, he threw a 43-yard touchdown pass to Hines Ward to help the Steelers win Super Bowl XL over the Seahawks.Really, it's not a stretch to say that Randle El's capabilities remind you of Brian Mitchell and the things he used to do for the Redskins in numerous ways.A young player who may be right on the cusp of a breakthrough in his NFL career is Lloyd. Known for his spectacular catches, Lloyd is coming off a season in which he totaled 48 catches for 733 yards and five TDs for the 49ers.At FedExField in 2005, Lloyd had a memorable 43-yard catch for the 49ers in the 52-17 Redskins romp on Oct. 23. He adjusted to an underthrown ball thrown by rookie QB Alex Smith and beat Walt Harris for the catch.</div>http://www.redskins.com/news/newsDetail.jsp?id=15838
It's pretty scary too imagine that he was the lone receiving threat besides Cooley in the passing game this past season, and he still was head to head with Steve Smith for the receiving title until the very end.Now what what can he do in an Al Saunders offense with 2 legit pass catching threats opposite of him?
Man he can do a lot with his speed and his hands. They gonna be focused on the other Wideouts and he's gonna toast someone on his side of the feild.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>Randle El's True Position: PlaymakerMarch 14, 2006Two of the NFL's hardest-hitting teams met at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh back on Nov. 28 of the 2004 season. The Redskins managed to stay with one of the league's elite teams for most of the way before falling 16-7.Rookie quarterback Ben Roethlisberger did just enough for his team's offense, Jerome Bettis finished with 100 yards and Jeff Reed made good on three field goal tries.But what Redskins coaches remembered about that Week 12 matchup from two seasons ago was something else: the elusiveness of punt returner Antwaan Randle El.The Redskins have liked Randle El ever since the 2002 season, when he entered the league with the Steelers following an outstanding college career at Indiana.Earlier this week, Randle El made his first appearance as a new Redskin and one of the things head coach Joe Gibbs pointed out centered on that game two years ago in the Steel City."We could not tackle that guy," Gibbs said.Randle El returned six punts for 111 yards, with a long of 60 yards, in Pittsburgh's win two seasons ago. Basically, he left Redskins punt cover teams bewildered with an assortment of crisp moves. He added two catches for 37 yards, putting additional skills on display.Based on that game alone, Redskins officials knew that they would do as much as possible to add Randle El with the next opportunity.As far as 2006, Randle El is excited about being involved in the Redskins' offense and returning punts for special teams coach Danny Smith.Said Gibbs: "We have a player here who can do a lot of things. He can run, he can throw and he can run back punts and kickoffs. He's kind of an unusual person. We spent some time showing him offensively what we think he'll be doing for us. We're all excited about that.""The Redskins know what it takes to win," said Randle El, explaining why he chose Washington over other suitors, such as Pittsburgh and Chicago. "They know about putting the right coaches and players together in the right situations.When Al Saunders joined the Redskins last month as associate head coach-offense, he said something interesting and maybe illuminating when he was asked about his offensive philosophy.Saunders seemed to say that the role of a quarterback should be not so much as the focal point of an offense. Rather, the quarterback needs to facilitate an offense by getting the ball into the hands of playmakers.On Monday, the Redskins introduced one of the league's most dynamic playmakers in Randle El. That's something they came to understand from that November game in 2004.Of course, if you want to extend the idea to preseason games, there's more.In just his second week in the NFL, Randle El stunned the Redskins at FedExField. That was in August of 2002 in a game the Redskins won 35-34 despite the fact that Randle El took a handoff from the Bus and cruised 32 yards to the end zone on a reverse and later caught a 17-yard TD pass from Tee Martin.Actually, if you want to list Antwaan Randle El by position, here is what you should put: playmaker.</div>http://www.redskins.com/news/newsDetail.jsp?id=15895<span style="font-size:36pt;line-height:100%">EL YEAH!</span>
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>HAIL TO THE REDSKINSNo team is more aggressive, no team is more rash, no team is more intriguing than the Washington Redskins, who were more active in free agency the past three days than some teams have been the past three years.On Monday afternoon, the Redskins reached agreement with their final big-name free agent of this offseason, defensive end Andre Carter, whom the Broncos and Raiders coveted. Washington agreed to a six-year, $30 million deal that includes a $9 million signing bonus. With a Super Bowl ring, free agent WR Antwaan Randle El was even more attractive to the 'Skins. On Monday morning, the Redskins signed safety Adam Archuleta. On Sunday, the Redskins signed wide receiver Antwaan Randle El. On Saturday, they traded for wide receiver Brandon Lloyd. In between all their spending madness, the Redskins also added tight end Christian Fauria.Much of the NFL is wondering how the Redskins are doing it. The simple answer is with Daniel Snyder's cash. The Redskins are prorating the huge signing bonuses they're handing out over the life of the contract, usually seven years, softening the blow the team has to take this season.It can give Randle El $11.5 million of bonuses, as it did, and soften the blow by pro-rating it over seven years. It can give Carter a $9 million bonus and pro-rate it over six years. It's like a credit card -- putting off paying the full bill now, but knowing it's going to come due later.But for now, Snyder's money and the big bonuses enable Washington to be the New York Yankees of the NFL, buying whatever it wants to help the Redskins to return to the Super Bowl.At this point, they clearly are one of the NFC favorites.</div>http://nfl.com/nflnetwork/story/9305826...and that's coming from a perennial Redskins hater
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>For Patten, Signings Provide 'Motivation'Veteran Wideout Has New CompetitionBy Howard BryantWashington Post Staff WriterWednesday, March 15, 2006; E08As David Patten drove back to Virginia from his home in South Carolina last weekend, his cell phone began ringing repeatedly. One friend after another called with news that at first stung. The Redskins were bringing in another wide receiver. Antwaan Randle El, Pittsburgh's spectacular playmaker, was coming to the Washington Redskins.Soon after came word of another blockbuster: Brandon Lloyd, the highlight-reel wide receiver from San Francisco, had joined the Redskins in a trade. This couldn't be."All my friends were calling me asking me if I was all right," Patten said. "They were asking me if I was cool, how was I doing, if the Redskins were trying to get rid of me, if I was still with the team. I thought they'd be looking at one receiver, but two?"On Sunday, the day before the Redskins' new wide receivers were introduced, Patten received a phone call from Coach Joe Gibbs, who told him both signings were not a reflection on him, but merely on the team's underproduction at wide receiver last year. Patten said he listened attentively and asked Gibbs a question, one to which the right answer would provide some gasoline for Patten's tank."Coach, will you play the best guy?" he asked.Gibbs told Patten he would, and the result is a player who is not sulking, but rather one who is challenged by a receiving corps that will energize him and motivate him to compete with younger players.What has transpired over the past few days underscores the aggressive nature of the Redskins' front office, and in the wake of signing Randle El and acquiring Lloyd, Gibbs has had to diplomatically offer some reassurances.One year ago, it was Patten who stood where his rivals stood Monday, at the podium, introduced as the newest high-priced player on a team seeking a Super Bowl title. It was Patten, and not Randle El, who was fresh off of a Super Bowl win with the Patriots, joining the Redskins.But today, after a frustrating year in which he did not score a touchdown, caught just 22 passes and, he says, was prematurely placed on injured reserve, Patten now describes himself with a multitude of adjectives. He is the underdog, fighting against younger, possibly more talented players. He is the elder statesman at 31, willing to push this new core of young receivers."Who could question that?" Patten said of the acquisitions. "Randle El can do it all. Think of the mismatches we're going to create at the line of scrimmage. And Brandon? In the San Francisco game, he was the only one on their side making plays. He's got the potential to take over the league."I'll tell you, if I'm not the starter, then we'll have the strongest receiving corps in the league. Don't tell me what I can't do. I'll give it everything I've got, and if it's not good enough, I can hold up. I can live with that."Patten has attempted to process where he currently stands with the Redskins organization, and has turned to his faith for guidance. Faith, Patten says, is why he believes he will be able to compete without the anger that might be expected of a person dealing with two new, high-priced talents at his position."The intellectual me said, 'Why don't they just release you from your contract?' The emotional me said, 'Have they given up on me? Don't they want me anymore?' Ever since this began, I've been thinking about that," Patten said."I could go in the tank. I could say they wronged me. But the spirit overrides the intellectual me. The spirit overrides the emotional me. The spirit talks to me every day, tells me to believe in Him. He tells me every day to follow Him and to trust Him. He tells me that I wasn't even supposed to be here. I went undrafted and yet I'm a 10-year veteran, a six-year starter and three-time Super Bowl winner. That spirit got me here, and I have to keep believing in my abilities. This is a time where you find out what your true character is."In a flurry, the Redskins have been transformed at wide receiver. During Monday's news conference, the Redskins and their new acquisitions envisioned Santana Moss, Randle El and Lloyd lining up against the league's defenses. They did not mention Patten."This is motivation for me," Patten said. "On paper, it looks like I'm the weakest link of this group, but by the end of training camp, we'll see. Ten years ago, I would have been mad. I was so angry then. I would have been mad at the team, at my receivers coach, at everyone. I wouldn't have talked to anyone. I was so convinced that in New York [with the Giants], I deserved to be playing and I wasn't. Today, it's not like that. I have to use this as motivation for me. I'm a fighter. When training camp comes, I'm fighting for the starting job."Stan Hixon, Washington's wide receivers coach, did not believe the Redskins would be able to upgrade as they have. The Redskins expected to try to improve through the draft at wide receiver. But once it became clear that acquiring both Lloyd and Randle El could become a reality, Hixon began looking at five years' worth of film of the St. Louis Rams."Everyone is going to get theirs, and that's my challenge," Hixon said, adding that the Redskins likely will use more sets involving four wide receivers, sometimes without a tight end to get more players involved.Patten, too, not only is eager to compete but curious to see how this new bevy of talent will jell on the field."You have to have buy in. We've got three young dogs, and they'll all be hungry," he said. "I'm the old head of the group. As long as we don't worry about numbers, we should be all right. Everyone's got egos, and that's the challenge. If everyone buys in, why can't we win the championship?"? 2006 The Washington Post Company</div>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/conte...1401546_pf.htmlI really don't see him anywhere other than the #4 spot, these guys are just flat out more talented and younger than he is.
Yea, Brandon Lloyd is amazing with his hands, and Randle El is just a flat out playmaker, whether he's throwing it or on the recieving end. I wouldn't mind seeing Patten though. Hey if he is ok with this I got respect for him.
Damn right, he may not be the greatest at WR but like i said, he can return punts, play WR, have the QB hand it off to him so he does something tricky, hes amazing, he can do anything, your lucky to have this guy on your franchise because hes gonna do so many amazing things
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>Redskins spare no expense on field or sidelinesBy Chris Colston, USA TODAYWhile a handful of reporters hustled outside every time a limo pulled in front of Redskins Park on Sunday, inside the Washington coaches were hunkered down, oblivious to the springlike weather. These were the first few days of free agency, and coach Joe Gibbs' bolstered staff was immersed in the art of persuasion.Counter-clockwise from top right: Dan Snyder brought Joe Gibbs back and imported players like Clinton Portis and Antwaan Randle El. Counter-clockwise from top right: Dan Snyder brought Joe Gibbs back and imported players like Clinton Portis and Antwaan Randle El. AP photosWashington has the highest-paid staff in NFL history, and after landing offensive guru Al Saunders, Gibbs has his eye on the Super Bowl. But coaching alone won't get that done; the Redskins need players, and that's why the past weekend was so important."I'm not sure I've slept in three weeks," Gibbs said Monday. "Last night we were here until 3:30 a.m. ? again."The long hours are paying off, though. After trading for wide receiver Brandon Lloyd, 24, the Redskins signed free agents Antwaan Randle El, 26, tight end Christian Fauria, 34, and safety Adam Archuleta, 28, in two hectic days. Over the weekend, the team also met with quarterback Todd Collins, 34, defensive end John Abraham, 28, and linebacker Andre Carter, 26. Carter then agreed to terms with the team Monday. Collins came aboard Tuesday.The addition of Saunders probably had a lot to do with the Redskins' windfall. In the competitive world of the NFL, Gibbs can dangle a powerful asset in his pitch: Washington has the best staff money can buy.It's kind of silly, the coaching talent owner Daniel Snyder has collected here. He has Gibbs, the only Pro Football Hall of Famer actively coaching in the NFL, but that's not enough; the Redskins now have two assistant head coaches, an associate head coach, a defensive coordinator who isn't really the coordinator and an offensive coordinator who doesn't actually call any plays.Outsiders can laugh it up over this tangled assortment of titles. But now that the new collective bargaining agreement has ensured a salary cap until at least 2011, one of the most blatant ways an owner can exploit his cash advantage is with his coaching staff. Last year, Washington ranked first in the NFL in generated revenues.Snyder has thrown money at coaches before with little success. Four years ago, he made Steve Spurrier the highest-paid head coach with a five-year, $25 million contract, then made defensive coordinator Marvin Lewis the first $1 million-a-year assistant coach. Spurrier went 12-20, and Lewis left to take the head coaching job in Cincinnati.After the Spurrier debacle, Snyder's next hire was crucial. Since he took ownership in 1999, the club had one postseason win. In the face of such pressure, he brought in Gibbs, who went 124-60 for the Redskins from 1981-92 and won three Super Bowls. And while Snyder gave Gibbs a five-year, $25 million deal, the public-relations jolt alone was worth it.The only downside: Gibbs had been out of the game for 11 years and was the owner of a NASCAR race team. Gibbs knew he needed help. In his first move, he hired former Buffalo coach Gregg Williams, gave him the title of assistant head coach and told him to run the defense. Gibbs would handle the offense.The first year they went 6-10. Oh, Williams did his part; the Washington defense ranked first in the NFC. But critics ripped Gibbs' offense, which ranked 30th. They said the game had passed him by.So in the offseason, he had his offensive staff study game video and interview coaches of other successful offenses around the league. He upgraded his personnel to more of what he called "Redskins players" (swapping wide receiver Laveranues Coles for Santana Moss, for instance). He stressed the importance of offseason workouts.After a shaky start in 2005, his offense finally began to click. The offense finished the year ranked No. 11 in total yards and 13th in scoring. The Redskins started 5-6 but finished 10-6 and beat the Bucs in the playoffs. Still, the offense scored only two touchdowns in two postseason games."As we got down towards the latter part of the season, I started thinking, 'What are the things we can do to improve ourselves?' " Gibbs says. " 'Is there a way?' "The offseason became a time of great upheaval in the NFL; 10 teams were looking for new head coaches, and in this ruckus Chiefs offensive coordinator Saunders became available. Gibbs remembered Saunders from their days at Southern California, where Saunders was the freshman coach and Gibbs coached the offensive line."We came out of the same tree," Gibbs says. "It goes all the way down through people like Bobby Jackson, Ernie Zampese and Don Coryell."And Saunders' recent body of work was impressive ? the Chiefs led the NFL in yardage the past two seasons. Gibbs was fine with the Redskins' current setup, but man, if he could get Saunders ? that would be a coup."We always talk about helping the team," Gibbs says, "and I said to myself, 'If I don't do this, then shame on me.' "Saunders might have landed a head coaching job, but when Snyder offered him a reported $2 million annually and the title of associate head coach, Saunders accepted.The news was mind-blowing in terms of assistant coaches' salaries. On most staffs, the assistants' salaries combined reach about $2 million. Now the Redskins had two assistants each making that much.Essentially, the Saunders hire meant Gibbs fired himself, because Saunders, 59, will call the plays."I had great enthusiasm for that, and I'll probably miss it," Gibbs says. "But at the very end of our first year, I had kind of turned some of that over to (offensive coordinator) Don (Breaux) and (offensive assistant) Jack (Burns) anyway."To be truthful, I've got so much going on, it would have really been tough. For instance, these last three weeks, the (offensive coaches) would have been sitting in the meeting room, waiting on me. Having Al, he's gone right on with the offensive part of things. I'll get caught up later, but I've been working three straight weeks on free agency."The new roles of Breaux and Burns are still to be determined. "We really haven't gotten to the point where we've determined the weekly responsibilities for everybody," Gibbs says. "But we know that roughly what they'll be doing is preparatory work and all that kind of stuff in a number of different areas for us."Assistant head coach Joe Bugel, a former NFL head coach himself, will continue to coach the offensive line.Gibbs opines on free agency Gibbs defended the Redskins' aggressive approach to free agency, dismissing any implication that the team is somehow circumventing the NFL's salary cap. ''The thing I want to emphasize is this: We haven't done one thing that anybody else can't do,'' Gibbs said following a news conference to introduce Carter. ''We have certain rules in the league. Here's the cap, here's the numbers, here's what you can spend, so everybody in the league can do what we're doing, it's just that they choose not to, many of them.'' Despite starting the month some $13 million over the $102 million cap that was set following negotiations for a new collective bargaining agreement, the Redskins have once again been one of March's busiest teams.Since Saturday, they have traded for Lloyd and signed five unrestricted free agents: Randle El, Archuleta, Fauria, Collins and Carter. Randle El and Archuleta alone were given contracts with a combined $21.5 million in guaranteed money. ''Each team's a little different, how they want to build a team. ... Certainly Pittsburgh is a scheme that works, they won a Super Bowl,'' Gibbs said. ''If you watch their team, there are a lot of draft choices, they're real conscious about that. It remains to be seen how we'll end up doing, but we've chosen to be more aggressive in free agency.'' The Redskins put themselves under the cap by cutting five expendable players on the eve of free agency, and they also saved $4.4 million in the deal that made linebacker LaVar Arrington a free agent. Since then, they've been cutting cap dollars by renegotiating contracts with returning veterans, giving the players upfront bonuses that can be prorated for salary cap purposes. Snyder's overspending in 2000 caused then-coach Marty Schottenheimer to make drastic cuts in 2001, but Snyder's strategy since then has been to map out a cap strategy using what Gibbs said were ''three- to four-year spreadsheets.'' The goal is to shift cap money around in a coherent manner that keeps the team from being forced to part with players it wants to keep. It hasn't worked perfectly - coveted linebacker Antonio Pierce left for the New York Giants last year - but Gibbs' free agency upgrades helped get the Redskins into the playoffs last year, and the overhaul continues. Only five projected 2006 starters were with the team before Gibbs arrived in January 2004. The best free agent additions under Gibbs have been linebacker Marcus Washington, cornerback Shawn Springs, defensive tackle Cornelius Griffin and defensive end Phillip Daniels. ''People say, 'Why would you go get the free agents?''' Gibbs said. ''Well, look at the guys we wouldn't have on our football team.'' The Redskins are able to afford huge signing bonuses because Snyder's marketing savvy has helped make the team one of the most profitable in sports, but Gibbs downplayed the connection between Snyder's fortune and the team's free agency haul. ''The biggest misrepresentation there is that (it's because) Dan's got a lot of money. That's not it,'' Gibbs said. ''We've got a rule. Believe me, if we had no rules, Dan would spend some money.''-- Joseph White, The Associated Press"It's not about titles, it's about production," Saunders says. "Everybody on that offensive staff will have tremendous value."All of that leaves Gibbs, 65, to concentrate on his duties as team president. He'll still maintain his round-the-clock workdays, and he'll still chime in on late-game situations. He'll still pull the trigger on things like fourth-down decisions, referee challenges and deciding whether to go for two. But as far as being cooped up in a meeting room past midnight devising that week's game plan, he's now free to inspect a special-teams meeting or walk around Redskins Park and stretch his aching neck.It takes a pretty special coach to make a legend such as Gibbs step aside. But over the past four years, no NFL team scored more points than Kansas City. "(The Chiefs) have been pretty much a machine over these last four or five years," Gibbs says.Saunders called all the shots. Quarterback Trent Green wouldn't dream of calling an audible. That would mess with Saunders' overall strategy, which was simple: Be unpredictable. The opposing defensive coordinator had no clue what Saunders might do.He might run out of the shotgun, run on third-and-long, pass out of bunched formations, shift formations to the point of madness.Before going to Kansas City, Saunders helped Dick Vermeil win Super Bowl XXXIV in St. Louis. And, in what seems almost like a prerequisite for this staff, Saunders also had head coaching experience (San Diego 1986-88).Saunders considers Gibbs a role model and hero."Joe has given me the opportunity to do the same thing that I did for Dick Vermeil," Saunders said at his introductory news conference. "(I want to) work side by side in trying to orchestrate an offense that will bring a championship to Washington."Saunders will have more wideout talent to work with than he had in Kansas City. Lloyd and Randle El join Moss, who last year had a club-record 1,483 receiving yards. Randle El seems like a great fit for the unpredictable Saunders because he can also run and pass. He chose the Redskins over his hometown Bears, he says, because of Saunders."Without him in the mix, you have two run-oriented teams," Randle El says. "With Chicago being home, I probably would have gone with Chicago. Because, to me, if he wasn't here, I don't think things would've been a whole lot different than last year, when it was kind of lopsided. You had Santana with a lot of catches; I think the tight end was next. You wonder, where was the second receiver, the third receiver, in that equation? But seeing what coach Saunders did in Kansas City ... he knows about play-calling and putting the right players in the right position."Gibbs joked that between Moss, Randle El and Lloyd, he'd probably have two angry receivers every week. But when the team introduced Lloyd to the media Monday, Randle El stood in the back of the theatre, shook his fist and whooped, "Woo-hoo! Yeah, baby!"Lloyd isn't worried about getting squeezed out in a numbers game, because he remembers what Saunders did in St. Louis."I think it's going to be a pretty good rendition of the Greatest Show on Turf," Lloyd says. "I think we'll do a pretty good job of trying to bring that back to life."Saunders plans to use what Gibbs did last year and meld it with what the Chiefs have done, "maybe tweak some things and add some things that will make us more productive."Saunders' son, Bob, has joined Washington as an assistant coach for special projects and work with the offense. He spent the past two years in Kansas City, where he coordinated the club's offensive self-scouting duties and was responsible for computer analysis and statistical and video breakdowns of opponents, among other duties. Other staff changes include Bill Lazor, who had been an offensive assistant; he replaces former quarterbacks coach Bill Musgrave, who joined Atlanta's staff.It's a staff loaded with offensive experience, and while Saunders will feel the pressure to succeed in Washington, he'll have one advantage he didn't have in Kansas City.With Williams coaching the defense, he won't have to score as many points to win.To every Redskins defensive player, Williams is the de facto head coach. With his new $2.6 million-a-year deal, he earns almost as much as Minnesota's entire assistant coaching staff made in 2004 ($2.85 million).His annual salary is believed to be more than what a quarter of all NFL coaches earn, and he's the league's highest-paid assistant.Williams went 17-31 as Buffalo's coach from 2001-03 ? and perhaps he could have great success as the head man in the right situation. Nobody questions his brilliance as a defensive coordinator; last year the Redskins ranked ninth in total defense despite a rash of injuries.The presence of Williams affected Archuleta's decision in much the same way Saunders affected Randle El's."It was going to take a lot for me not to sign with Chicago," says Archuleta, who had played in St. Louis since 2001. "It was important for me to go someplace where defense was important and they did things the right way. (Williams) was a guy I could play for who could make me better as a player, and this team is going places in this league."Archuleta studied Washington's defense when he was breaking down video because the Rams and Redskins had several common opponents. "I got jealous," he says. "They were flying around, and guys were rarely out of position. It looked like they were comfortable what they were doing, and they were having a lot of fun. I heard great things about Gregg Williams and what he's been able to do as a coordinator, his reputation."The Redskins have strengthened this side of the staff, too. They retained defensive coordinator Greg Blache, considered Williams' eventual successor; he coaches the defensive line. He was a candidate for the San Francisco job last year and was the defensive coordinator in Chicago from 1999-2004. And they brought in Jerry Gray, 43, who was Williams' defensive coordinator in Buffalo. Gray reportedly interviewed for the Houston head coaching job. He replaces DeWayne Walker, who was named defensive coordinator at UCLA.Since Washington bascially has three head coaches, Snyder has lessened the risk of burnout to his top asset, Gibbs. In Kansas City, Saunders enabled Vermeil to coach until he was 69. If Saunders can do the same here, that means Gibbs could coach at least four more years.Gibbs wouldn't put a timetable on his future, but he says: "I feel good energywise. I'll still be in here late at night; that won't change. It's just a different way for us to be organized, and I hope a better way. We'll see."Because he has concentrated on the free agent market, Gibbs hasn't been in Saunders' offensive meetings yet. But he looks forward to that day and the inevitable give-and-take that will ensue."Al is so organized it would be hard for me to argue with him about anything," Gibbs says. "But I'm sure there are going to be some knock-down drag-outs down the road."The Redskins prospects look good for 2006. A ramped-up offense combined with Williams' attacking defense could be a lethal combination. And Gibbs loves to rave about the work of special teams coach Danny Smith."As a special teams coach, he's the one guy other than me who talks to the whole team," Gibbs says. "He does a phenomenal job, and he's thrilled to have Randle El running back kicks."The biggest question mark is probably the health of starting quarterback Mark Brunell, but the possible addition of Collins and the development of second-year man Jason Campbell, the team's first-round pick last year, could provide a cushion.Gibbs likes his team's offseason moves, but he's still wary. After Monday's news conference he stayed to talk to a couple of reporters individually ? right beside the set of three shining Lombardi trophies he won here in his first go-round."That Hall of Fame thing was a long time ago," he says. "I'm afraid today I'm running uphill trying to get something done. But personally, my motivation to return here was to get the Redskins back to winning."That's our goal. But it's still in question."</div>http://www.usatoday.com/sports/football/nf...-sw-cover_x.htmYes it's long but a good read for any skins fan
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>ExtremeSkins Fan View: Cap Hell Rocks!By Arthur MillsExtremeSkins.comMarch 16, 2006Don't hate us because we're beautiful.No more blank, wondering stares, confused head scratching, frothing emotional outbursts, conspiracy theories or embarrassing, dismissive references to 2000. The Washington Redskins are the central theme of every NFL team message board out there. Here's a message to you all from all ExtremeSkins fans everywhere.It's time to embrace the reality of it all. Simply, we're better than you.That's it. Look no further. We are better than you. We're more fun. It feels better to be us. We've got flair. We're audacious, capricious, bodacious, supercalifragilisticxpalidocious.Are you finally getting it?Yes, yes, I know cap hell was supposed to be upon us. I know that's what you've been told. I feel for you, I really do. As you come to realize we're better than you, a second bit of stark reality must also penetrate. We're smarter than them.Repeat after me.The Washington Redskins are managed, coached and owned by highly professional people who know more about running a football franchise than ALL the unnamed, anonymous sources any reporter has yanked from the broom closet and quoted.Don't take my word for it. Take the following words for it.Brandon Lloyd, Antwaan Randle El, Adam Archuleta, Andre Carter, Todd Collins, Christian Fauria.The question you all should be asking isn't, "How is all this possible?" No. The question should be, "How didn't we know this was all possible?"Six years of assurances cap hell was on the way and you still allowed yourself to believe the tripe. Perhaps busting the cap hell myth as it relates to the Washington Redskins is just too painful a thing for media and fans of other teams to do.Like a child coming to the harsh knowledge Santa doesn't exist, the media and opposing teams' fans are struggling desperately to hang on to the fiction that cap hell is on the way for the Redskins despite--literally--YEARS of demonstrated contrary evidence.Here's the best part.You don't have to hate us for what we're doing. You can do it, too."The thing I want to emphasize is this: We haven't done one thing that anybody else can't do," Joe Gibbs said after the introductory press conference for Andre Carter. "We have certain rules in the league. Here's the cap, here's the numbers, here's what you can spend, so everybody in the league can do what we're doing, it's just that they choose not to, many of them."Deep down, this is really the issue, isn't it? You can do it too and you know it, but, your team doesn't do it, so, you have a hard choice. Hate your team, or hate us.Say you're a fan of the Philadelphia Eagles. You always have all those many millions available, which somehow never seem to get spent. All week you're hearing how you have LeCharles Bentley locked up as your free agent masterstroke to solidify your offensive line.You are giddy. You're thrilled. You know this is the guy you need. He fills a need and makes it a strength. You're excited about the prospects of adding such a substantial piece. Then, the Cleveland Browns call, offer a few more bucks to Bentley and Bentley winds up in Cleveland leaving you with nothing more than whimpering excuses that Bentley is from Cleveland and always wanted to play there.Oh, hush.Antwaan Randle El is from Chicago. He's always wanted to play there. Yet he's playing in D.C. Adam Archuleta admits he adores Lovie Smith after years playing for him with St. Louis and wanted to play with him in Chicago. Yet he's playing in D.C. Andre Carter just had to meet the Broncos because his father played there 12 years and he envisioned being the second generation of his family with the team. Yet he's playing in D.C.And it's driving you crazy because you were so excited and thrilled about the prospects of adding a good player your management and owner can't figure out how to land while we get EVERY single player we shoot at.We get to actually live the thrill and giddiness you only get to brush up against. And it's killing you.Did we pay a premium for generally young players entering their prime with years left to play in the NFL? You bet we did. Kind of like when the Eagles lock up their own young players for a premium before they really emerge on the scene and everyone calls that genius. Think of it like that, only, with the component of actually being smart because an expensive 24-year-old promising receiver suddenly becomes a very cheap 26-year-old receiver when he grabs 80 balls.See, we already had good players under contract. Now we have more.As you struggle to find words to describe the coming cap doom heading our way, try to process one final thought. When you have that free agent you need all lined up and you don't get him, well, isn't that really what cap hell feels like?I wouldn't know, because I don't ever have to feel that way.</div>http://www.redskins.com/news/newsDetail.jsp?id=15982Word up, lol!
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>Skins coach goes extra mile for his players - and fansBy JIM DUCIBELLA, The Virginian-Pilot? January 21, 2006Last updated: 11:34 PMSkins coach Joe Gibbs signs autographs during training camp in August. He did it again early last Sunday, in freezing cold, after fans met the team upon its return from a season-ending loss in Seattle.ASHBURN, Va. ? In a callous world where fans are fleeced at the ticket window and players are tossed aside like pawns on a chess board, Washington Redskins coach Joe Gibbs treats everyone like a king.It?s a major reason Gibbs was able to effect a remarkable turnaround in Year 2 of his return to coaching, taking the Redskins from 6-10 to 10-6 and into the second round of the playoffs.Gibbs, 65, appears as indefatigable as when he ruled the team from 1981-92. He wasn?t joking when he said Monday that he couldn?t wait to start his offseason work of making the Redskins stronger. A few days later, he lured Kansas City?s highly regarded offensive coordinator Al Saunders from a possible head-coaching job with the Oakland Raiders to an assistant?s position with the Redskins.An annual salary of $2 million helped greatly, but even new Chiefs coach Herman Edwards, aware Saunders was the frontrunner in Oakland, admitted that Saunders? move to Washington was wise.When Saunders arrives at Redskin Park, he will discover that his parking space is near the back of the lot. That?s because, except for three spaces reserved for owner Daniel Snyder, Gibbs gave the prime spots normally reserved for coaches to the offensive, defensive and special-teams player voted Redskin of the game following each victory.Once the space is awarded, workmen spray-paint the player?s number in gold. A plaque is erected with the player?s name, and it remains his for the rest of the season.Corny? Yes. Meaningful? You bet. Safety and special-teams stalwart Pierson Prioleau valued his space so much that when he left Redskin Park on Monday he took his name plate as a keepsake.?It?s an honor for a guy of that caliber, a Hall-of-Fame coach who has seen a whole lot of athletes, to say something like that about you,? Prioleau said. ?I feel special, privileged, that I could impress a coach of his stature.?Such treatment by Gibbs isn?t reserved for players and coaches.The temperature had plunged below freezing as nearly 300 fans shivered behind restraining ropes at the entrance to Redskin Park around midnight last Sunday. Three frigid hours later, bus es carrying players and coaches rolled in from Dulles Airport, where the Redskins landed following their 20-10 playoff loss at Seattle.Gibbs planned to remain just long enough to drop off his briefcase before heading back to Dulles for a private flight to Charlotte, N.C., and a day with his family. But he hadn?t expected this kind of reception ? or any reception, really. Not after a season-ending loss, not in such bitter weather, not in the middle of the night.Removing his gloves, Gibbs told the driver to stop. For more than an hour, he chatted, posed for pictures and autographed everything placed before him. Witnesses said they didn?t know who appreciated the moment more, Gibbs or those inspired to greet the team after what they considered a speed bump in the road to restored glory.?I don?t know anybody in professional sports who?s done more in team-building skills than he has in two of the most popular team sports out there,? assistant head coach Gregg Williams said. ?People trust him because they know he truly cares about them.?Walking a few extra yards to work or signing autographs, no matter the time, isn?t what sets Gibbs apart. But it speaks to something larger: a value system that has paid great dividends.?If you?re in this profession, you look at people like Joe Gibbs and say, 'That?s the way to do things,? ? Seattle coach Mike Holmgren said.Seahawks quarterback Matt Hasselbeck was enraged when Gibbs released his brother Tim last offseason. One phone call changed his perspective.Four days before last year?s draft, Tim Hasselbeck re-signed with the Redskins after Gibbs agreed to give him a chance to compete with Mark Brunell and Patrick Ramsey. But about two weeks later, after the Skins had drafted Auburn prospect Jason Campbell, he told Hasselbeck that he could no longer honestly fulfill that promise. He was going to release him immediately so that he?d have a full chance to catch on elsewhere.?That?s a class move by coach Gibbs ...? Matt Hasselbeck said, ?to not suffocate someone?s career. Honesty and integrity aren?t something you always find in the NFL, unfortunately. If you ask my brother, he would say that Joe Gibbs stands for both of those things.?Gibbs has long maintained that the difference in success and failure in the NFL isn?t strategy or work ethic. Practically everyone in the league now adheres to Gibbs? once-unique regimen of sleep deprivation. Scouting staffs have never been more sophisticated, spent more money or been more adept at evaluating talent. The salary cap creates a more level playing field.Even Gibbs would concede that luck played a role in this year?s turnabout. In the season opener against Chicago, Ramsey?s touchdown pass to Chris Cooley was nullified by a penalty. One play later, Ramsey was sacked, fumbled and injured his neck.Off the bench came Brunell, 35, a disappointment as a starter last year because of injuries and Gibbs? surprising lack of a suitable offensive scheme. This time, however, he reacted better than expected. Against Dallas the following week, Brunell launched two long scoring passes in the final four minutes to beat the Cowboys 14-13 and spur an amazing reversal of fortune.Brunell finished with 3,050 passing yards, 23 touchdowns and a QB rating of 85.9. It wasn?t always pretty ? and Brunell slowed noticeably at the end of the season ? but when Washington won, he invariably contributed the key plays.But what if Cooley hadn?t been penalized and Ramsey?s TD pass had stood?Aware that such twists of fate can be common in sports, Gibbs preached that trust and character were the real keys to success.The contract extension recently signed by Williams and Saunders? arrival are testimony to the trust Gibbs places in his staff. That both have multi-million dollar contracts certainly helps, but Williams has said he values having as much autonomy as any head coach in leading the defense.And while Gibbs certainly will have a major role in the offense, there?s little doubt Saunders will be its guiding light. He will bring an aggressive style that Gibbs was unable or unwilling to embrace the last two years.Character is a more dicey issue. The Redskins no longer routinely sign players like defensive tackle Darrell Russell or tight end Byron Chamberlain, whose myriad off-field problems with other teams were well documented.At the same time, Gibbs did draft safety Sean Taylor, a guy with plenty of image problems and who goes to trial on March20 for felony assault charges incurred last offseason.What?s become clear over the years is Gibbs? dogged determination not to call out a player in public, which he admits makes him seem weak.The most Gibbs would say publicly about Taylor?s spitting incident against Tampa Bay is that ?if? it happened, he understood Taylor?s being ejected from the game.What?s said behind closed doors can be withering, however. As Williams hinted later, Taylor heard an earful.?He?s the father who allows his children to grow up,? Williams said. ?But if you cross the line, you don?t want to see the stern Joe Gibbs. There have been some people behind the scenes the last two years who have seen the stern Joe Gibbs. Not pretty.?But the results are.Reach Jim at (757) 446-2364 or at jim.ducibella@pilotonline.com? 2006 HamptonRoads.com/PilotOnline.com</div>An old article, but it's all about what kind of a person Joe Gibbs is, and that cannot be outdated.
