FanPost

Just Say NO to Santonio


When you begin to see tweets like the one below pop-up on Twitter…

…you better pay attention.  Jason LaConfora is very connected in the NFL and even more so in DC where he spent many years covering the Skins before jumping to NFL Network.  Not to mention, Evan Silva is no slouch, he knows his stuff.  Either way, the news that Redskins will be pursuing Santonio Holmes HARD is real and accurate, so we need to be begin asking ourselves,do we want Santonio Holmes?

 

I’d say:  NO THANK YOU!!!

I want to be clear before I jump into this: I think Holmes is an incredible talent.  I would love to have the level of talent he has lining up at wide receiver for the Washington Redskins, unfortunately, I just don’t think we should have his talent.  Here’s why:

First and foremost, it’s been pretty well documented that retaining Holmes is a huge priority for the Jets.  They’ve made it clear that they are willing to pay top-dollar to keep Holmes which means that the Redskins will have to pay ten cents on the dollar for his services.  Doesn’t this team have more holes than swiss cheese when you look at our roster?  Why overpay for one guy when we need so many more?  In addition, winning the highest-bidder award for the 10th year in a row is not what we should be focusing on winning if changing the culture and reputation in DC is something were looking to attain.

Secondly, IF Holmes signs in DC, then that tells you and I, he is NOT the type of player we want to bring on this team.  LaVar Arrington this afternoon on 106.7 TheFan spoke passionately how this team needs to bring in guys who’s heart, selflessness and passion rivals guys like London Fletcher, if the Redskins have any desire of changing the culture in and around Ashburn.  I couldn’t agree more, I wrote about it last week here. Why would Holmes leave the New York Jets who were one game away from making it to the Super Bowl, has a young talented QB, a fearless defense and a coach that players are lining up to play for.  To come to a team in DC that finished last in our division, doesn’t have a QB at the moment, has a coach that is willing to embarrass his stars in public, and doesn’t look like they are going to win more than 6-games this season, why come to that?  One word: MONEY!

Aren’t we done bringing in guys who are more focused on making money than winning championships?  Holmes already has his ring, he’s good…

 

Third, if Warren Buffett decided to sell all his shares of his most valuable stock for peanuts on the dollar, would you consider selling it too?  Of course you would (or at least you should).  Buffett has earned the respect when it comes to investing that when he’s backing out, then maybe you and I should think about backing out to.  That’s how I feel when I think about what the Steelers did after the 2009 season when they decided to “sell” Holmes who was entering his prime and  was fresh off a 79rec, 1248yds and Super Bowl MVP season, all for a 5th round pick.  A 5th round pick! The Steelers have earned the right to make you pay attention to them when they make the moves they make.  If the Steelers are willing to practically walk-away from Holmes at the peek of his career, I will most definitely proceed with caution. One may say, they got rid of him due to his legal troubles and they didn’t want that type of guy on the team, in the locker room, etc… which makes you ask the question, then why do we?

Lastly, speaking of his legal trouble, his rap-sheet is ridiculous.  You can read about it here, orhere, over here and how about right here.

I won’t pretend to tell you that I studied each and every legal situation Holmes has been in, who was at fault, how it ended, who instigated what situation, etc… I’m not going to do that because to me, it doesn’t matter.  The fact that his name is associated with not just 1,2,3, different incidents is enough for me.  I wish I didn’t have this perception of Holmes but unfortunately Holmes himself gave it to me.  Maybe it was his assault and battery charges, his domestic violence arrest, his disorderly conduct accusation, his marijuana possession, choosing to ignore the flight staff and cause a scene on a commuter plane, his “wake and bake” tweet, or his 4-game suspension for when he returned and was asked if the suspension was going to change his ways he answered, “not 1%.  I made it to a Super Bowl and won it, didn’t I?”   This is not the guy I want to be the veteran leader leading the young guys that fill this roster.

Let’s also not forget, one more dust-up with substance abuse and Holmes is out for a year.

I’ll say this again… NO THANK YOU!

 

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