"Bulletin Board" Material from Commanders Writer

[Jongb35]

I recently interviewed the Managing Editor of HogsHaven.com and he had some pretty interesting things to say about the Commanders and Cowboys. I appreciate his time, but I thought you guys might have some thoughts on some of the things he told me:

Q: What will be the biggest changes under new coach Mike Shanahan?

First and foremost, Shanahan did what the Commanders failed to do the last 10 years: address the offensive line. From 2000-2009, the Commanders drafted a measly total of eight offensive linemen. Two of those picks never played a snap for the Commanders and five of them, including Samuels, are no longer in the league today. Shanahan drafted three offensive linemen in this draft alone, and he was missing 2nd, 3rd, and 6th round picks to boot.
The other major change is the negotiations. The Commanders were always a team to jump the gun in trade talks. They were always giving away high draft picks or more than they should. It’s clear those days are over. The Burgundy and Gold received Jammal Brown for a conditional 3rd/4th round pick next year AND the Commanders got back a late round pick from the Saints.
In their trade with the St. Louis Rams, the Commanders acquired former 1st round pick, Adam Carriker, for essentially swapping their 5th and 7th round picks. In short, Shanahan always makes sure he gets something back.
​

Q: What sort of impact do you expect from Donovan McNabb?

Huge. Jason Campbell was a nice guy, his teammates liked him, but he was not a leader. The Commanders players were instantly thrilled when the trade went down, and it’s clear in their interviews his experience shows in the huddle. Campbell wasn’t allowed to audible, so imagine the problems that brings.
With McNabb, the Commanders have a true veteran with an intimate knowledge of the NFC East division. The Commanders averaged 16.7 points last year. I haven’t found a way that average doesn’t go up at least three points a game next season.
​

Q: The ‘Skins drafted OT Trent Williams in the first round and traded for another tackle in Jammal Brown. Which player is going to play on the left side?

Trent Williams will play left tackle. He’s inked in to be the left tackle the next 10 years, so they might as well get him going on it. Jammal Brown hasn’t played right tackle since college, but he said he’s ready for it and will adjust. He’s coming off a sports hernia, but he is 100 percent and it appears the Commanders have book-end tackles for the next several years.
​

Q: Owner Daniel Snyder is always keen on bringing in veteran players, even if it means yielding future draft picks. Do you see a difference in how this task was performed this year under coach Shanahan? Who was more in charge of the trades and signings, Snyder or Shanahan?

Shanahan is 100 percent running this show. When Al Davis fired Mike in 1989, Shanahan vowed he’d never accept another head coaching job unless he had FULL control of his staff, personnel, and players. When Pat Bowlen announced Mike Shanahan as the new Broncos coach, he declared Mike had the full control. Twenty-one years and two Super Bowls later, you think Shanny would hand that power back over to the likes of anyone, much less Snyder? No chance. And the quality of roster moves prove it.
​

Q: The Commanders signed Willie Parker and Larry Johnson to help Clinton Portis carry the load at running back. Who is going to start and who will play 3rd downs? How do you see the touches being distributed? Will Parker even make the team?

Portis will be the 3rd down back. Larry Johnson has impressed so far. A friend of mine attended Willie Parker’s workouts this off-season at UNC and said he’s in the best shape of his life and running a sub 4.4.
I don’t know how many running backs the Commanders can carry that don’t play special teams, though. None of the three aforementioned do and that’s a problem. This problem (a good one to have) exemplifies what Shanahan has brought to the Commanders. Competition. No one’s job is safe, and Portis has been at EVERY single off-season practice. The Commanders are a team again.
​

Q: Do you envision Washington using safety Laron Landry differently this season? If so, how?

Towards the end of the year they finally moved Laron back to strong safety. It was agonizing to see how long they left him at free safety. Jim Haslett said he plans to use Laron close to the line of scrimmage, which is exactly where he belongs with his size and speed. He actually even bulked up more this year. He looks like a linebacker.
​

Q: Tight end Fred Davis showed a lot of talent last season after Chris Cooley went down. Is there any chance that Davis can beat out Cooley in camp? Will the Commanders use more two-tight end sets this season?

It’s unlikely Fred will beat out Cooley, but both will see a lot of action. Shanhan uses 2 TE sets 25 percent of the time, and both are too good not to have on the field. Mike is not happy with the wide receiver situation at all, which was evident when he had a whopping 12 receivers at the last minicamp.
Bruce Allen and Mike have also inquired to the Bolts about Vincent Jackson. Malcolm Kelly hasn’t proven anything, so the WR situation has a lot of Commanders fans concerned. McNabb, however, has had far worse talent than this in Philly, so I’m not too beat up about it.
​

Q: Albert Haynesworth has obviously caused a lot of drama this offseason. Will he be on the squad by opening day?

Fat Albert. What a waste. He’s getting KILLED in the media down here on a daily basis by ex-Commanders Hall of Famers, current players, the local priests, everyone you can imagine. He really is a pinata.
Shanahan is a hard-nosed guy and it would set a horrible example if he let Haynesworth get away with playing after skipping all of his camps. Since Albert has been this lazy so far, I don’t see how he shows up to training camp in shape. He has yet to even open Haslett’s playbook, so I don’t see how this works out well. London Fletcher, the heart and soul of the Commanders, called him ‘selfish.’ How can the team welcome him back after all this?
​

Q: Any final NFC East standings prediction?

Dallas: 10-6 (1st round exit in playoffs)
Commanders: 8-8 (Injuries hit again given our older roster)
Eagles: 8-8 (The two games Kolb started were against the Saints and Chiefs, and he threw 3 INTs vs the Saints. I’m not buying into his success.)
Giants: 7-9 (Nothing they did this off-season impressed me.)
I’m telling you now the Commanders will win Week One. Shanahan is a perfectionist and has been watching Cowboys game film since he took the job. Plus, of course, it’ll probably be the only week of the year every Commander is healthy.
​

 

[Derinyar]

So Shannahan can make the dog hunt regarless of the fact that the Cowboys just flat out have a better roster?

 

[Alexander]

Portis will be the 3rd down back.

And what Portis would that be? The one not good enough to do it the last four years? He's only in that role because the reserves can't do it, not because he's an especially great option there. He just happens to be a better blocker than the other two. I have never seen a collection of backs on any team that play so little off the skills of the other. It is almost like they think these three are all going to have career revivals and look like the versions of themselves from 2007. All three have fallen and fallen hard.

Larry Johnson has impressed so far.

Doing what? Looking good in shorts? He looked absolutely worthless as a Bengal. But he's impressing, I guess.

A friend of mine attended Willie Parker’s workouts this off-season at UNC and said he’s in the best shape of his life and running a sub 4.4.

Interesting. That flies directly in the face of reports not from "a friend of mine" that Parker has lost his burst and still can't play 3rd downs regardless. All you have to do is watch a few games from last year to see he hit that wall that backs do shortly before they are out of football. Johnson is in the same boat.

I will say it right now. The Commanders will end up cutting one or even both of these backups. I would not be surprised if Ryan Torian beats one of them out and he is coming off a bad knee.

 

[Hostile]

The best evidence they have for Shanahan "always getting something back" in trades is the continual theft he performed on the Commanders when he was with the Broncos.

 

[Alexander]

Q: Any final NFC East standings prediction?

Dallas: 10-6 (1st round exit in playoffs)​

Commanders: 8-8 (Injuries hit again given our older roster)​

Eagles: 8-8 (The two games Kolb started were against the Saints and Chiefs, and he threw 3 INTs vs the Saints. I’m not buying into his success.)​

Giants: 7-9 (Nothing they did this off-season impressed me.)​

I’m telling you now the Commanders will win Week One. Shanahan is a perfectionist and has been watching Cowboys game film since he took the job. Plus, of course, it’ll probably be the only week of the year every Commander is healthy.​

There is no fan more annoying than a Commanders fan. Everyone else has terrible offseasons (see his comment above) and the only way they aren't going to be successful is if luck intervenes. I mean, it is impossible that a Washington team could just be simply not very good.

 

[Chocolate Lab]

Q: Owner Daniel Snyder is always keen on bringing in veteran players, even if it means yielding future draft picks. Do you see a difference in how this task was performed this year under coach Shanahan? Who was more in charge of the trades and signings, Snyder or Shanahan?

Shanahan is 100 percent running this show. When Al Davis fired Mike in 1989, Shanahan vowed he’d never accept another head coaching job unless he had FULL control of his staff, personnel, and players. When Pat Bowlen announced Mike Shanahan as the new Broncos coach, he declared Mike had the full control. Twenty-one years and two Super Bowls later, you think Shanny would hand that power back over to the likes of anyone, much less Snyder? No chance. And the quality of roster moves prove it.

Ah, it's good to know that the Skins defense will soon be the same kind of wreck it was in Denver.

I’m telling you now the Commanders will win Week One. Shanahan is a perfectionist and has been watching Cowboys game film since he took the job.

I'm sure no other coach has been watching film of their Week One opponent. That Shanny is a genius!

And funny how being a perfectionist didn't stop a truly epic collapse for the Donks a couple of years ago.

 

[HoleInTheRoof]

That interview was just dumb.

My brain cells were committing suicide with each word I read.

 

[Ren]

I can't wait for like mid October when the Skins are mathematically eliminated from the playoffs, again, to see what kind of excuses they come up with this time and who takes the blame

 

[pancakeman]

The best evidence they have for Shanahan "always getting something back" in trades is the continual theft he performed on the Commanders when he was with the Broncos.

 

[flashback]

Shanahan is 100 percent running this show. When Al Davis fired Mike in 1989, Shanahan vowed he’d never accept another head coaching job unless he had FULL control of his staff, personnel, and players.

So, Bruce Allen is 0% running the show? What a fascinating organization.

 

[theebs]

Ah, it's good to know that the Skins defense will soon be the same kind of wreck it was in Denver.

I'm sure no other coach has been watching film of their Week One opponent. That Shanny is a genius!

And funny how being a perfectionist didn't stop a truly epic collapse for the Donks a couple of years ago.

also What I find interesting, is that for a perfectionist he has had nearly every single kind of problem a coach can have in his career and in many cases he was unable to keep that from dragging his team down.

He has had players in trouble with the law, he has made some bad trades, For a former 49er coordinator who we are told are the best qb teachers he could never find a quarterback to replace elway.

He has taken the number 1 seed into the playoffs and lost at home to a division rival.

He has lost at home as a favorite in afc championship games.

He has flat missed on high draft picks.

Yet, he is now turned into a god.

I dont think he is a bad coach by any stretch and the main thing I applaud him for was keeping elway upright and running the ball so elway didnt get killed like most of his career.

I was watching the 95 cowboys broncos game the other day and there was a stat that in their careers Marino had been hit/sacked like 180 times....and elway had been hit over 450 to that point. that was the year shannahan took over.

he is credited with that.

But again, he has failed in the same critical moments and at the same critical junctures as every other coach. His hiring of defensive coordinators has been awful. Alot of the guys he directly hired cant find jobs in the league.

But he is in washington and A. Snyder for a Commanders fan all his life has some abnormal love for the niners organization of the 80s and 90s and B. The fans there will constantly pump him up.

The reality is the man can call a great offensive game, but the flip side to that is he hasnt really put a team together that can do anything in over a decade. Off the top of my head since the superbowl the only game I can remember him winning with any significance was the home 05 divisional game against the patriots. He then went onto lose the following week at home to pittsburgh.


and I still dont see what washington has done that is so different than in the past, they brought in another "offensive Genius" stop me if you have heard that before and have moved future picks and signed a bunch of veterans.

and most importantly to me, the trade for mcnabb means Win now. They are not rebuilding, that move doesnt allow it. they are going for it like they always are.

Just the perception has changed because of shannahan.

 

[SkinsHokieFan]

Most of the interview is overly optimistic in my opinion, although 8-8 is where I see us.

However, to discount the Commanders in week 1 is just silly. Its the first game of the season, in DC. The first game of the season is probably the most unpredictable the entire year. as its the first time a team plays all its starters 4 quarters going full tilt.

Its the one week of the year I don't place any bets

 

[Stash]

Q: What will be the biggest changes under new coach Mike Shanahan?

First and foremost, Shanahan did what the Commanders failed to do the last 10 years: address the offensive line. From 2000-2009, the Commanders drafted a measly total of eight offensive linemen. Two of those picks never played a snap for the Commanders and five of them, including Samuels, are no longer in the league today. Shanahan drafted three offensive linemen in this draft alone, and he was missing 2nd, 3rd, and 6th round picks to boot.​

The other major change is the negotiations. The Commanders were always a team to jump the gun in trade talks. They were always giving away high draft picks or more than they should. It’s clear those days are over. The Burgundy and Gold received Jammal Brown for a conditional 3rd/4th round pick next year AND the Commanders got back a late round pick from the Saints.​

In their trade with the St. Louis Rams, the Commanders acquired former 1st round pick, Adam Carriker, for essentially swapping their 5th and 7th round picks. In short, Shanahan always makes sure he gets something back.​

And now that the Commanders have them, they have to pay them or lose them - there's the key part of the equation all the Redsksins fans want to dismiss. Both Brown and McNabb will be looking for big-money contracts next year and there's no guarantee either will be back in 2011.
​

Q: What sort of impact do you expect from Donovan McNabb?

Huge. Jason Campbell was a nice guy, his teammates liked him, but he was not a leader. The Commanders players were instantly thrilled when the trade went down, and it’s clear in their interviews his experience shows in the huddle. Campbell wasn’t allowed to audible, so imagine the problems that brings.​

With McNabb, the Commanders have a true veteran with an intimate knowledge of the NFC East division. The Commanders averaged 16.7 points last year. I haven’t found a way that average doesn’t go up at least three points a game next season.​

So McNabb is a leader? Is that what I saw embarrassing himself dancing into Cowboys Stadium before getting his clock cleaned last season?
​

Q: The ‘Skins drafted OT Trent Williams in the first round and traded for another tackle in Jammal Brown. Which player is going to play on the left side?

Trent Williams will play left tackle. He’s inked in to be the left tackle the next 10 years, so they might as well get him going on it. Jammal Brown hasn’t played right tackle since college, but he said he’s ready for it and will adjust. He’s coming off a sports hernia, but he is 100 percent and it appears the Commanders have book-end tackles for the next several years.​

OK, did Jammal Brown sign a multi-year deal and nobody told me? Didn't think so.
​

Q: The Commanders signed Willie Parker and Larry Johnson to help Clinton Portis carry the load at running back. Who is going to start and who will play 3rd downs? How do you see the touches being distributed? Will Parker even make the team?

Portis will be the 3rd down back. Larry Johnson has impressed so far. A friend of mine attended Willie Parker’s workouts this off-season at UNC and said he’s in the best shape of his life and running a sub 4.4.​

I don’t know how many running backs the Commanders can carry that don’t play special teams, though. None of the three aforementioned do and that’s a problem. This problem (a good one to have) exemplifies what Shanahan has brought to the Commanders. Competition. No one’s job is safe, and Portis has been at EVERY single off-season practice. The Commanders are a team again.​

I'd be willing to bet that Willie Parker doesn't even make the team this year, much less contribute anything. And Portis is used up.
​

Q: Do you envision Washington using safety Laron Landry differently this season? If so, how?

Towards the end of the year they finally moved Laron back to strong safety. It was agonizing to see how long they left him at free safety. Jim Haslett said he plans to use Laron close to the line of scrimmage, which is exactly where he belongs with his size and speed. He actually even bulked up more this year. He looks like a linebacker.​

And I thought Roy Williams played for the Bengals...
​

Q: Tight end Fred Davis showed a lot of talent last season after Chris Cooley went down. Is there any chance that Davis can beat out Cooley in camp? Will the Commanders use more two-tight end sets this season?

It’s unlikely Fred will beat out Cooley, but both will see a lot of action. Shanhan uses 2 TE sets 25 percent of the time, and both are too good not to have on the field. Mike is not happy with the wide receiver situation at all, which was evident when he had a whopping 12 receivers at the last minicamp.​

Bruce Allen and Mike have also inquired to the Bolts about Vincent Jackson. Malcolm Kelly hasn’t proven anything, so the WR situation has a lot of Commanders fans concerned. McNabb, however, has had far worse talent than this in Philly, so I’m not too beat up about it.​

Yeah, look at all the championships McNabb won with even lesser talent! Oh, wait...
​

Q: Albert Haynesworth has obviously caused a lot of drama this offseason. Will he be on the squad by opening day?

Fat Albert. What a waste. He’s getting KILLED in the media down here on a daily basis by ex-Commanders Hall of Famers, current players, the local priests, everyone you can imagine. He really is a pinata.​

Shanahan is a hard-nosed guy and it would set a horrible example if he let Haynesworth get away with playing after skipping all of his camps. Since Albert has been this lazy so far, I don’t see how he shows up to training camp in shape. He has yet to even open Haslett’s playbook, so I don’t see how this works out well. London Fletcher, the heart and soul of the Commanders, called him ‘selfish.’ How can the team welcome him back after all this?​

One thing we can agree on.
​

Q: Any final NFC East standings prediction?

Dallas: 10-6 (1st round exit in playoffs)​

Commanders: 8-8 (Injuries hit again given our older roster)​

Eagles: 8-8 (The two games Kolb started were against the Saints and Chiefs, and he threw 3 INTs vs the Saints. I’m not buying into his success.)​

Giants: 7-9 (Nothing they did this off-season impressed me.)​

I’m telling you now the Commanders will win Week One. Shanahan is a perfectionist and has been watching Cowboys game film since he took the job. Plus, of course, it’ll probably be the only week of the year every Commander is healthy.​

​

What a novel concept! Studying your week one opponent before the season starts! Amazing that nobody thought of this before, that way everybody could start the season 1-0!

 

[SkinsHokieFan]

So Shannahan can make the dog hunt regarless of the fact that the Cowboys just flat out have a better roster?

Somehow Jim Zorn managed to in September 2008

That Cowboys roster was stacked. The Commanders came in with Jason Campbell at QB and controlled that entire game in Dallas.

First game of the year. Do yourself a favor and don't expect Dallas to win 35-7

 

[bayeslife]

So, Bruce Allen is 0% running the show? What a fascinating organization.

:laugh2:

Exactly what I thought.

 

[theebs]

Most of the interview is overly optimistic in my opinion, although 8-8 is where I see us.

However, to discount the Commanders in week 1 is just silly. Its the first game of the season, in DC. The first game of the season is probably the most unpredictable the entire year. as its the first time a team plays all its starters 4 quarters going full tilt.

Its the one week of the year I don't place any bets

I feel that way too.

I dont care who is playing who, week 1 and week 17 anyone can win for a number of reasons.

I know this you guys should have all the momentum leading into that game, 90,000 on your side and an element of the unkown as far as your offensive/defensive philoshopy goes.

on the other hand, your new defense could find some tough spots with the numerous offensive formations we employ and the unkown of bryant.

I also know this, if you lose that game in week 1 it will be an emotional thing right off the bat for the new regime, it will be like like deflating the balloon that is being blown up in DC. By the time kickoff comes on opening day it will be the goodyear blimp.

of your first 6 games I imagine you will only have the better team against the rams. The rivalry and emotion of week 1 and the cowboys game evens that out. So if you lose week 1, you could be in for a miserable first 6 weeks.

then knowing that you finish with the giants twice in the last 5 games.

that opener is huge in DC. If you guys lose it, things could get sketchy for a while.

 

[SkinsHokieFan]

I feel that way too.

I dont care who is playing who, week 1 and week 17 anyone can win for a number of reasons.

I know this you guys should have all the momentum leading into that game, 90,000 on your side and an element of the unkown as far as your offensive/defensive philoshopy goes.

on the other hand, your new defense could find some tough spots with the numerous offensive formations we employ and the unkown of bryant.

I also know this, if you lose that game in week 1 it will be an emotional thing right off the bat for the new regime, it will be like like deflating the balloon that is being blown up in DC. By the time kickoff comes on opening day it will be the goodyear blimp.

of your first 6 games I imagine you will only have the better team against the rams. The rivalry and emotion of week 1 and the cowboys game evens that out. So if you lose week 1, you could be in for a miserable first 6 weeks.

then knowing that you finish with the giants twice in the last 5 games.

that opener is huge in DC. If you guys lose it, things could get sketchy for a while.

But your roster is "flat out" better and you are a Superbowl contender. This is your year. Starting off 0-1 is a major blow.

This isn't the 1993 Cowboys that can bounce back from losing the opener in DC 35-16. There are teams just as good, and better coached then the Cowboys in the NFC

Again, trying to predict anything schedule wise at this juncture is foolish. You may get lucky and beat Vegas in week 1 and 2 though since they don't have a clue yet either.

Look at the 1999 Rams, from 4-12 to Superbowl winners with Kurt Warner, playing in a division with the 49ers who just came off a loss in the NFC title game to Green Bay at home.

Who would have thought the 49ers would fall apart and the Rams would win the Superbowl in 1999?

 

[zrinkill]

I cannot wait till week one.

 

[theebs]

But your roster is "flat out" better and you are a Superbowl contender. This is your year. Starting off 0-1 is a major blow.

This isn't the 1993 Cowboys that can bounce back from losing the opener in DC 35-16. There are teams just as good, and better coached then the Cowboys in the NFC

what?

I didnt predict a win or whatever.

I am pretty confident Dallas can bounce back from 0-1. My point was that this game will be very important to the Commanders. You get your major rival at home with a new regime and a fresh start. Everything is supposedly Different now in DC.

In washington you will be expected to win, the emotional toll if you were to lose could cause some Problems I think. Your first 6 games look pretty tough to me and if you dont get the first one like I said it could get sketchy.

I didnt say anything about this being the 93 team, I didnt call it our year and I didnt say dallas was the best in the nfc.

 

[SkinsHokieFan]

what?



I didnt say anything about this being the 93 team, I didnt call it our year and I didnt say dallas was the best in the nfc.

Thats the media's expectations, and if the Cowboys have serious expectations to win it all, thats the locker room expectation as well.

To lose to a division opponent that was 4-12 last year and that you shutout the last time you played does not bode well for the Cowboys season.

The Commanders aren't expected to do much, despite the changes. Most people, including the writer in the OP, clearly have a "wait and see" attitude and are expecting an 8-8, 9-7 type year. I am less optimistic and until further notice expect another losing season

The Cowboys are expected to be top dog in the NFC. Part of that is going into your rivals house and putting the W on the board, and not falling behind early in the division race.