Remember that Master Card commercial where Brett Favre is walking around correcting people's mistakes. I'd have double bagged it being the famous phrase he utters to a ripped brown grocery(?) bag. Knowing self-conciously that the commercial was supposed to poke fun at precisely that kind of hindsight, arm-chair quarterbacking, here's what I might say to this Redskins organization after-the-fact.
I would've lost Denver's phone number -- In an historic undervaluation of a draft pick, the Washington Redskins traded their 3rd rounder (or equivalent in "draft points", an ingenuous way for intelligent teams to protect their trade-value from dumb teams) to the Broncos who sent a WR to Atlanta who sent us TJ Duckett. I do not question Duckett's effort or talent whatsoever in this trade, as he's likely a very good player who wants to win and participate as much as anyone. What I question is the value of trading away any draft pick -- a day 1 pick for instance -- to get a player you have no intention of using. 35 carries. 136 yards. Six points. Nothing to show for it.
As TJ Duckett is a free agent this coming year, and we've just extended Ladell Betts contract (and he rewarded us for that), I just don't see TJ Duckett in a Redskins uniform next year. So we have to view his inconsequential contribution this year as evidence of how strongly the Redskins value draft picks. I'll repeat: one touchdown. Chris Cooley (who, incidentally, was a 3rd round pick) had three of them in one game last year. Yargh.
I would've handed Brunell a clipboard, sooner -- Of course only hindsight could possibly make this evaluation but what the hell. We could finish this season with 5 wins and I really don't see us finishing that much worse with 16 games of Jason Campbell. The immediate future of this franchise depends on his development and, though I've been encouraged by his play in 2006, we all would have been in a better position to evaluate the future of this team had we seen more than half a season with him under center.
Speaking of clipboards -- Rocky McIntosh finally started though it wasn't because Warrick Holdman was benched. Marcus Washington is out for the season and Holdman moved over to strong side to cover. In McIntosh's first start ever he produced 10 solo tackles or, put differently, three more tackles than Warrick Holdman did this week which also was his best as a Redskin. Maybe McIntosh needs to be the one starting for Marcus Washington. In any event, Holdman should have been done as a starter weeks ago and this opinion was vindicated against St. Louis. The McIntosh era has begun.
I would've negotiated a contract without a gun to my head -- That's the only possible justification I can find for Adam Archuleta's contract, which made him the richest safety in NFL history. It made even less sense when informed of the insanely one sided wording of his contract, which inexplicably (from a Redskins standpoint at least) guarantees him three years of salary if we don't excercise his 5 million dollar option (huh???). So we either owe him 4.3 million in guaranteed signing bonus + 5 million in an excercised option. Or we only owe him the 4.3 million + 5.6 million in now guaranteed salary. When signing this contract, did it ever occur to anyone on our team that, one way or another, we'd guaranteed Adam Archuleta 10 million? Was no one questioning the possibility that Adam Archuleta might not pan out? Or that he only match his career high one interception which would still make him a huge waste of money as the richest safety in NFL history?
By the way, before we shamelessly pity Adam Archuleta, despite the fact he's taking in at least eight figures from the Washington Redskins, let's remember that he also dated Jennifer Walcott:
Besides 10 million dollars and a Playmate, what does a benched Adam Archuleta really have to be thankful for?
Readers feel free to post your own arm-chair quarterback criticisms now that we're blessed with hindsight.