redskin fans

[smazza]

This isn't the first offseason title the Redskins have won under the stewardship of Daniel Snyder, who bought the club for $800 million in 1999 and in that time lured to town enough famous names and faces to fill a wall at the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. But names, faces and big-money contracts don't always add up to victories and despite Snyder's willingness to spend money, the Redskins have had only one winning season in his five years.

 

This information was available to Joe Gibbs before he signed on last January to again coach and run the Redskins for Snyder at $5 million per season, or slightly more than the Maryland football and men's basketball coaches each make at the institution of higher education in College Park.

So when Gibbs gathered his gang of new players, veterans, coaches and front-office staff on Friday at Redskins Park for the first of what could be called three days of "orientation," what we had was the most expensive collection of football personnel in the history of what one recent former Redskins coach would call ball.

The way I calculate, Snyder has assembled about $110 million in football players (salary cap, what salary cap?) working for the highest-paid coach, who has two assistant head coaches making more than some NFL head coaches and 14 other assistants, three strength and conditioning coaches, two trainers and several assistant trainers. Then there's my old friend Bubba Tyer, shedding retirement to become director of sports medicine when he should be playing gin rummy with me on South Beach. Throw in personnel VP Vinny Cerrato and his scouting staff of about a dozen, add the marketing and sales team, media staff, helicopter pilot, security toughs and limo drivers, and we understand why Snyder needs 100,000 seats at FedEx Field and sets the price of a luxury executive suite to cost nearly as much as a house in Potomac.

That said, Gibbs needs to find out who can play, who can't and who is worth keeping and teaching. It's obvious this is his show: He made the final call on drafting safety Sean Taylor over fellow Miami Hurricanes tight end Kellen Winslow Jr., trading for running back Clinton Portis and giving defensive boss Gregg Williams and Cerrato the green light to bring in cornerback Shawn Springs, linebackers Mike Barrow from the Giants and Marcus Washington from the Colts, plus defensive linemen Cornelius Griffin from the Giants and Phillip Daniels from the Bears.

He also gave thumbs-up to drafting tight end Chris Cooley from Utah State and linemen Mark Wilson from California and Jim Molinaro from Notre Dame.

"The Redskins helped themselves," said Gil Brandt, the former Cowboys personnel chief who now analyzes players for NFL.com. "Taylor was one of the two safest bets in the draft with [tackle] Robert Gallery of Iowa," who was taken by Oakland with the second pick in the draft.

Another member of the NFL intelligentsia, who asked not to be named, agreed with Brandt's assessment of Taylor, but had major reservations with the other draftees and said their buildup may not be completely justified.

"Sean has a lot to learn," Williams said. "He has talent, but the NFL is overwhelming. We're trying to put together a defense and we don't have much time. Right now, everyone looks good in shorts."

Just a Kid

Some fans and pundits wonder why D.C. United Coach Peter Nowak had been playing 14-year-old phenom Freddy Adu less than a half a game before giving him the start yesterday in San Jose.

Adu has had one goal in United's first five games, as the team has gone 1-2-2. "For someone who is not yet 15, he's doing very well," U.S. men's national soccer coach Bruce Arena said in a telephone interview last week. "I think he's been used too much.

"MLS and United are a little at fault for the ballyhoo. He needs to be brought along slowly. You can't compare him to LeBron James [Cleveland's 19-year-old NBA rookie of the year]. . . . James has nearly four years on him. I've watched his [Adu] games and he seems a little over his head. If he doesn't lose his confidence, he'll be fine. He's learning and he'll get better."

Still, the excitement surrounding Adu's debut gave the league and United a much-needed shot in the arm.

Touching Bases

Spoke to MLB Commissioner Bud Selig, who promised no move of the Montreal Expos to Washington, or anywhere else, before I return in two weeks from London where I'll be looking to recruit members for the Baseball Gang in Churchill's War Room Museum and seeing if St. Andrews will accept my Virginia Golfer's Association membership card for a free round.

[smazza]

MLB's Relocation Committee will brief the 29 owners later this month in New York, at a regularly scheduled league meeting, on the status of relocating the slow-starting Expos for 2005. "The Expos will be moved somewhere for 2005," a MLB official told me this week.

 

I now believe there's a reasonably decent chance they'll come to Washington, although with baseball, the situation can turn on a dime, or a legal brief out of Baltimore. D.C. Mayor Anthony Williams has the ball in his hand; now he has to close.

And if the Expos do come here, Selig asked, "what will you write about?" . . .

Sick of endless stories of how the Athens Olympic Committee needs to quicken its tortoise-like pace to complete venues, roads, park benches and hotels for the Games in August. Trust me, at the end of the day, the track stadium , swimming pool and all the arenas will be complete, even if NBC executives have to sweep the dust before the flame is lit.. . .

New York sports fans are supposed to be among the most knowledgeable and sophisticated in the country. Is that why they booed Derek Jeter, the shortstop and captain of the Yankees, who led his team into six World Series, winning four? Jeter was in an 0-for-32 slump before hitting a home run Thursday night against Oakland; still, you've got to be pretty classless to boo a guy who has accomplished so much for his team and city -- and with such grace. He can play for the Senators anytime he wants. . . .

Finally, the NHL ought to ride its exciting postseason into a new labor agreement with its players and bag the work stoppage that some cap-seeking owners and narrow-minded stars seem to want. Both sides need to make concessions, aware that a delay or cancellation of the 2004-05 season would be devastating.