Goodbye to the Best Redskin of the Decade: Chris Samuels

Tomorrow at noon, the most consistent Redskin of the decade will retire. Chris Samuels, a perennial pro-bowler, will announce his retirement, and as a fan, I wish this was not so much a premature goodbye. Chris Samuels has always been one of the best LTs. He would give it all he had, every play, every game, every season. There was really anything to say bad about Samuels. He had his good plays, and bad plays, but what set him apart was that when he made a bad play, he worked to improve it.

Not just a player, Samuels was one great person. I didn't know him, and can't pretend to know him, but I remember when him, Randy Thomas, and Stephon Heyer were having fun with a bunch of little kids at the Redskins Beach Blitz. They would line up in front of the kids and look as intimidating as ever, and when one of them hiked the ball, they'd let the kids knock them right over. And Samuels always had a smile; he loved that these kids were having so much fun.

As a fan, I don't think any of us realized how much of an asset he was to the team. This year, we all got to see the pain of not having them here. Jason Campbell was on the ground as much as a running back this year, and while he matured because of it, the loss of Chris Samuels clearly costed us many wins.

A great player, a great character, and in my opinion, a great Redskin. I wished his career had not been cut short, but he should and will serve as a role model to younger players who have aspirations of being a pro. He never got any trouble, never bad-mouthed anybody, he just did work. Goodbye Chris Samuels, once a great player, always a great player.