Part of my daily routine on my Metro ride to work is reading the free copies of the Washington Post Express and Washington Examiner. The Examiner has much better Skins coverage in the free edition, so reading John Keim and Rick Snider's take is quite enjoyable.
There was one section of Rick Snider's article today that no joke made my mind swirl so much I obliviously missed my stop. You'll know the part I'm referring to when you get to it:
Washington can't expect left tackle Chris Samuels to return. Not from stenosis that could paralyze him. Forget signing a free agent. Nobody lets a quality tackle loose.
Instead of spending the first-rounder on Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford, invest in Oklahoma State left tackle Russell Okung.
This dilemma illustrates the franchise's core problem -- owner Dan Snyder preferring glamour positions to linemen. A Redskins official told me the 2002 draft plan was to take a guard in the first round only to be vetoed by Snyder, who instead chose quarterback Patrick Ramsey.
AHHHHHHHH. Steve Spurrier, I owe you a watered down apology. How familiar do the Zorn and Spurrier situations resemble each other? Bring in an offensive mind and make him draft marquis players despite the obvious problem of offensive line woes.
Seriously, I love covering the Redskins and writing for Hogs Haven, but how many more years can I take of writing the same mistakes Snyderatto make year in and year out? It was not a Guard heavy draft in 2002, though the Cowboys did draft Gurode 5 picks after the Redskins selected Ramsey with the 32nd pick overall.
So let's see. Snyder was wrong with Ramsey (though we'll never know since he had zero protection). It's clear Cutler would have set this franchise back further given his attitude and lack of clutch productivity. Sanchez? Jury is still out but no rookie could produce with this type of protection.
Word of advice for all the young guns coming out of college, stay away from the Redskins if you want a long career. Given Snyder's eye for talent, whoever he likes, we can assume he'll be a bust.