A Tale of Two Quarterback Cities

It seems amazing that the Redskins and Terps find themselves at quarterbacking crossroads so early in the season.  One team is poised to become one of the premier teams in their sport, and the other is one injury away from possibly having to start its' second linebacker at quarterback in five years.  It is the best of times for one team and the possible beginnings of the worst for another, but 15 years ago the current situation would seem ludicrous to Skins and Terps fans who were witnessing a reversal of fortune for either team at the quarterback position.  It is always good to look back on history to put the present into context, so before the Redskins and Terps embark on a season defining weekend lets take a trip down memory lane to the 2002 season for both teams to see just how far they have come in 15 years.

The 2002 season was being pegged as a renaissance year for both teams, even though there were major uncertainties surrounding the quarterback position. The Terps stunned everyone the previous year by winning their first ACC Championship since 1985 under newly hired head coach Ralph Friedgen.  Expectations were high for the Terps' 2002 season despite the fact that they would be starting Junior quarterback Scott McBrien.  McBrien was a Dematha alumnus who had transferred to Maryland from West Virginia and had yet to take a snap for the Terps, but he was being entrusted to continue the momentum from the previous year.  While the Terps built their momentum the Redskins manufactured it.

The 2001 season saw Marty Schottenheimer salvage an 8-8 season from an 0-5 start, and for his troubles he was let go along with starting quarterbacks Tony Banks and Jeff George.  Enter Steve Spurrier and cue the pandemonium.  Dan Snyder hired the Ole Ball Coach for the 2002 season and the sky was the limit.  Redskins fans were expecting it to be Florida Gators North and in a way it was.  Spurrier filled his quarterbacking void with two of his old pals from Gainesville in Shane Mattews and Danny Wuerffel. The Redskins also used the last pick in the first round of the Draft that year to select Patrick Ramsey.  It looked like Spurrier had all the firepower he needed to run his Fun and Gun offense and take the Redskins to new heights.

Despite the optimism being espoused within both fan bases for their quarterbacking situation, the outcome of the 2002 season was very different for both teams.  It was evident from the beginning of the season that Shane Matthews was not the answer at quarterback, and he was benched after only three games in favor of Wuerffel.  Wuerffel got hurt the next game, and then it was Patrick Ramsey's turn.  Spurrier would go through this full rotation one more time in the last ten games of the season, and it was evident that the Redskins had nothing close to a franchise quarterback or a competent NFL coach.  The Redskins ended the season 7-9, and the 2002 season would be a precursor for the Redskins quarterbacking situation over the next decade and a half that was rife with uncertainty, inconsistency, and lackluster performance.  The 2002 season for the Redskins was the beginning of an arduous time for Redskins fans, and The Terps' 2002 season started out just as bad.

McBrien and the Terps were shutout in the opening game of the season against Notre Dame on

national television, and things didn't improve two weeks later when Florida State came to Byrd Stadium and the Terps could only muster ten points.  A lowly 1-2 start after a Conference Championship season was leaving the natives a bit restless, but McBrien would prove his worth.  The Terps would reel off eight straight wins that included wins over a Phillip Rivers led NC State team on homecoming weekend and a 30-12 victory at Clemson.  McBrien would cap off the season with a brilliant 30-3 drubbing of Tennessee in the Peach Bowl, and he led Maryland to its second straight 10 win season.  McBrien would do the same his senior year, leading the Terps to a 10-3 record that culminated with the Terps embarrassing their hated rival West Virginia 41-7 in the Gator Bowl.  McBrien was named Gator Bowl MVP, and while he would graduate after the 2003 season things seemed to be looking up for the Terps.  The Terps had won 31 games in three years, and with McBrien's performance and Fridge's offense it seemed as if the Terps were poised to lure quarterbacks to College Park that could recreate McBrien's success.  It was anything but that, and now we see a reversal of fortune for both teams.

  Kirk Cousins is set to make his 36th straight start for the Redskins on Monday Night, and many are speculating that a win over the Chiefs could vault the Redskins into Super Bowl contending status for the first time in 25 years.  If Cousins can make it through this season unscathed, he will be the first Redskins quarterback to start every game in three consecutive seasons since Joe Theismann between 1981-1984, and it is possible he could see some of the same success that Theismann's teams had in that time period.  Compare that to the Terps, who have seen two of their starting quarterbacks end their season with ACL tears in the first three weeks, and their replacement looked less that adequate last week.  This is a far cry from 2002-2003 where Scott McBrien started all 27 games in that two year span.  Since that time, the Terps have had only one quarterback (Sam Hollenbach in 2006) start every game in a season without being injured or replaced.  The game against Minnesota will be a litmus test for the Terps as they will see if they can keep their aspirations high with either Max Bortenschlager or Caleb Henderson under center, or if they will need to temper their expectations in light of another injury riddled season at the quarterback position.  Both teams have come a long way in 15 years, and it seems that despite injuries and contract disputes, each team has found viable starting quarterbacks that can lead them to new heights for the future.  This weekend, however, will show Terps and Skins fans if they can start to get excited about the present.

Hernandez's CTE Should Change the NFL

The news about Aaron Hernandez's CTE diagnosis will not be the end of the NFL or American Football as we know it.  There is too much money invested in football for an illness that currently can only be diagnosed posthumously to eradicate it.  But the severity of Hernandez's condition will have lasting effects on the sport and the people who volunteer to play the sport. The severity of those effects will be determined by how the NFL reacts to the news about Hernandez in the steps they take to address this problem that has now become more palatable to those people playing football at all levels.  Before we go further, there must be three axioms that we all need to agree to before going further in this article.

Axiom #1: Hernandez's CTE does not absolve him of the crime he committed.  Fortunately for the NFL, most discussions that have occurred about this topic have devolved into vociferous outrage over Hernandez's family suing the NFL because people think the lawsuit mitigates Hernandez's accountability for murdering Odin Lloyd.  Even if the courts knew that Hernandez had CTE during the trial, that would not have been enough to overcome the two things needed to hold someone accountable for a crime which are actus reus (Hernandez killed someone) and mens rea (Hernandez knew what he was doing was wrong).  There was sufficient evidence to show that Hernandez tried to cover up his crime, which shows that he knew what he did was wrong.  CTE is not to blame for this murder, Aaron Hernandez is to blame for this murder.  Are we all OK with this?  Good. Because Hernandez's CTE is the focal point of this article.

Axiom #2: All speculation about players having CTE is SPECULATION.  I have no evidence of any player currently having CTE, and any suggestion of this is merely to evoke critical thought about player behavior and what the NFL should do about addressing the CTE issue.

Axiom #3:  All information presented about CTE in this article has been done through personal research, and is not intended to be presented as absolute fact.

If you cannot agree to these statements I suggest you stop reading immediately as you will only become more incensed.  For those of you who do agree, here we go.

The diagnosis of Aaron Hernandez's CTE is startling and it presents the NFL with a whole host of new problems, the most pertinent being the severity of Hernandez's CTE diagnosis relative to his age.  Some reports state that Hernandez had Stage 3 (out of 4) CTE, and that the progression of his brain deterioration was that of something doctors see in 60 year old patients.  This should make all current NFL players perk up and start doing some math.  Hernandez was 27 at the time of his suicide, but remember that the last down of football he played was in 2012 when he was 23 years old after only playing three years in the NFL.  This is not someone like Junior Seau, Ray Easterling, Dave Deurson, or Andre Waters who had long careers and committed suicide 10-20 years after they retired.  Hernandez was right around the average age for a current NFL player when he committed suicide, and well under the average age when he left football.  The details about CTE are still being learned, but what seems to be unanimous is that CTE is a degenerative condition that progresses as the person gets older.  If Aaron Hernandez was at Stage 3 by age 27, that means that he probably showed the beginning symptoms of CTE while he was playing in his early 20's.  This could mean (again PURE SPECULATION) that some current players in their early 20's are showing signs of this disease, and it could progress to Stage 3 before they are 30 years old. This is not to say that all players with CTE commit suicide or murder, but current players have to see that Hernandez was one step away from Stage 4 symptoms which include full blow dementia, parkinsons, trouble walking, paranoia, loss of executive dysfunction, and language difficulties.  The rate at which CTE progresses in unknown, and the question of how some players get it and others do not is still being researched, but Hernandez's case will put some doubt into younger players' minds about the nature of their health, and it raises the second problem that the NFL will now have to face.

The NFL will now have to face the question "is this player exhibiting signs of CTE" every time they become violent off the field or show erratic behavior.  Since CTE has become more of a mainstream topic this question has been asked of player conduct off the field, but it has been dismissed as being a ridiculous notion due to the players being too young.  "Players in their mid 20's do not have CTE, and their behavior is a manifestation of playing a violent game".  This has been the explanation for this kind of behavior, and it has been tacitly accepted by all areas of society.  The Jovan Belcher incident and the death of Chris Henry should have brought this argument into question, but now Hernandez's diagnosis makes it even harder to peddle that statement as an answer to the question "is this player exhibiting signs of CTE".  If Hernandez could have Stage 3 CTE at 27, then could it be (again PURE SPECULATION) that certain players' actions can be explained by symptoms of early CTE that include depression, minor losses of mental control and self regulation, impulsiveness, short term memory problems, and aggressiveness.  Examples of erractic/violent behavior of football players off the field can be seen in recent incidents involving Su'a Cravens, Lawrence Timmons, Randy Gregory, Greg Hardy, Adam Jones's numerous incidents, Ray Rice, and countless others.  And let's not forget all the incidents that are occurring with college players.  Are these incidents just the byproduct of these players playing a violent game, or could these be manifestations of early onset CTE?  We will never know for sure, but Hernandez's case opens up a new road of justification for the latter, and the NFL needs a plan to address this for the future if it is to head off lawsuits and a possible dwindling of its labor force.

The plan the NFL should adopt needs to address two issues.  The first is participation in the sport.  Depending on the source, youth football is either in decline or it is slightly increasing but high school football numbers are in decline.  There are probably truths on both sides, but the more cases of CTE showing up in players around age 25 start to accumulate, the more doubt begins to sink in to the minds of the "NFL farm system".  College Football.  If players in college right now are concerned that they could have advanced CTE symptoms before they end their rookie contract it may dissuade some of them from pursuing that goal.  The NFL should increase the amount rookies are allowed to be paid in order to add incentive for them to come to the sport, and soften the idea that some could have CTE by age 25.  The NFL also needs to think about those making the league minimum.  Right now the league minimum ranges from $465,000 to $1,000,000 dollars, but for the players making that much money is that worth it to risk their long term health?  The NFL and NFLPA need to realize that this CTE issue will not go away, and to keep players wanting to join the sport out of college and stay in the sport as long as they can they need to increase the league minimum.  Increasing these two areas of salary will give players short term peace of mind about making a decent living in the face of CTE, but it will only partially address the long term problem CTE will have on the NFL.

Lawsuits against the NFL regarding CTE have come, gone, and come again, and they will not stop if the NFL does not have a long term solution.  With CTE thrust into the public sphere because of the NFL, some health organizations have taken it upon themselves to try and develop tests that can screen for CTE while the player is alive, but none have been able to do it reliably.  If the NFL were smart they would put as much money into this research as possible.  Now, you are asking yourselves, isn't this, on some level, admitting that football causes CTE?  Maybe.  But admitting that CTE is an issue is less risky than pretending it is not, and if the NFL can sponsor research that comes up with a reliable test it will do two things.  First, it will be a good faith gesture that shows the NFL is not some money making ogre that does not care about the well being of its players.  The NFL would fund research that could develop a test that will help its players and other segments of the population like military veterans.  Second, let's assume the NFL's funding bears fruit and a reliable test is found that has the ability to test for CTE in living players.  The NFL would have the ability to ameliorate future lawsuits by giving the players a choice to get tested or not.  Those who choose not to get tested will have a tough time suing the NFL later if they continue to take risks when the NFL allowed them to know if they had CTE while they were players.  If a player decides to get tested, and CTE is found, then the NFL can have the players sign a waiver before testing saying that the NFL is not responsible for any previous CTE conditions that are found because it cannot be determined when those conditions were acquired.  This also mitigates culpability for any future symptoms after the test is administered because it may be hard to determine whether those symptoms were manifestation of symptoms that were discovered before or after the test.  This may open up more people to get tested, but the NFL needs to start proactively trying to get ahead of some of these future lawsuits by admitting on some level that this is a problem and that they are taking steps to increase player safety.

Whatever you think the merits of Hernandez's Family's lawsuit against the NFL are, the fact is that the NFL needs to begin to address this issue on many levels.  Hernandez is now at least the third confirmed case in the last ten years, along with Jovan Belcher and Chris Henry, of an NFL player in their mid 20's who suffered from CTE and whose life ended in a violent and tragic manner.  The longer the NFL waits to proactively address this problem, and the more cases of younger players having CTE start to pile up, the higher the risk the NFL runs of irreparably damaging the empire it has built.  But like D'Angelo Barksdale once said, "The king stay the king", and the NFL will continue to rule over all other American professional sports leagues even with this CTE issue.  It is just a matter of how big of a kingdom do they want to have.

John Wall Needed to Win More Than Anyone

Monday's Game 7 loss was another hard pill to swallow for the DC area.  Another ray of hope to end the nearly two decade drought of not making a Conference Final was dashed by another improbable performance by a fringe player.  Kelly Olynyk's 26 point performance will go right up there with Jaroslav Halak in the dark annals of DC Sports playoff misery.  One positive to come out of this playoff series, though, was the rise of John Wall as a DC icon.  Wall's game winning shot in Game 6, and his plea to the crowd on the scorer's table at the end of the game, had some anointing him as the premier sportsman in the DC area.  Wall's emotional outburst on the scorer's table was the personification of his passion for the city of Washington DC, and it was the type of moment that endears a player to the fan base.  The problem for Wall was that he did not deliver in Game 7.  A DC superstar player losing in a Game 7 is nothing new, but Wall and the Wizards squandered an opportunity to become the toast of the town.  They could have been the ones to break the streak, and for Wall that missed opportunity goes beyond just not making the Eastern Conference Finals.  Wall needed to win that game to be the unquestioned top dog in the DC sports market, but instead there will still be doubts in this area created by the accomplishments of other players, fans of other DC sports, and the way the NBA markets it's product.

There is nothing inherently special about John Wall's presence here in the DC area. The Wizards winning the Draft Lottery in 2010 to have the opportunity to pick Wall was surprising, but Wall is one of four number one overall picks in this market who have made an impact in their respective sports.  Alex Ovechkin has become the greatest goal scorer of his generation and led the Capitals to unprecedented popularity.  Bryce Harper is one of the premier hitters in baseball, and he and Stephen Strasburg have led the Nationals to become one of the best teams in baseball.  So John Wall being a number one overall pick who has delivered on his prospective talents is nothing new for this area.  John Wall needed to be the one to end the Conference Finals streak in order to separate himself from this pack, and also to win over DC fans who maybe brainwashed by NBA marketing.

The NBA is a sport that glorifies the elite.  Think about it in the terms of other sports.  How many Redskins fans wearing Kirk Cousins jerseys would say, "You know I'm a Redskins fan, but when Tom Brady (or other superstar QB) comes to town I gotta root for him"?  Not many because the NFL markets the team and each local fan base buys into that notion.  There is no Capitals fan who would root for Connor McDavid when the Oilers come to DC because 98% of the fan base (myself included) does not have the capacity to appreciate the finer points of hockey, Caps fans have had time to generate an intense loyalty to Ovechkin, and 10% of the fan base doesn't even know what city the Oilers play in.  The Nats/Orioles hedging still goes on, but few Nats fans nowadays have both a Bryce Harper jersey and a Mark Trumbo jersey. The NBA is different.  The NBA markets the elite players to everyone around the country, and in a transient area like DC it is hard for someone like John Wall to overcome that.  How many John Wall fans wear Jordans?  How many kids wear Golden State gear when that team is 3000 miles away?  How many casual Wizards fans will root for LeBron when he comes to Verizon Center?  The fact that you have to seriously ponder these questions means that John Wall faces the hardest road of any DC sports figure in winning over the fans.  The NBA markets it's top players to everyone around the country, and the Wizards have been so bad for so long that there is a significant portion of the area that gloms onto Curry and LeBron because they are winners.  Wall could have erased that in Game 7, but alas the DC fan base is left hoping yet again.

Emotionally, John Wall has won over this city but that sentiment is fleeting.  Winning is what this city wants, and Wall could have stripped the title of top DC sports figure with one win on Monday Night.  In an event driven town such as DC, think about the run Wall would have gotten going head-to-head with LeBron and God forbid possibly winning a few games.  Had that happened there would be no question about which individual sports figure is the biggest in DC.  Now, questions still remain and the doubt is still there.  Wall is tied at the top with people like Cousins, Harper, and Ovechkin, but he has the hardest road ahead of him and the longest time to wait to get another shot at winning.

The Capitals Motto: I Will Remember Before I Forget

One resounding message from the Capitals locker room Wednesday Night was that the team was angry.  Angry that they let the best assembled team in the Ovechkin era go to waste yet again.  Angry that they had to exit the playoffs before even getting a chance to play for a championship yet again.  Angry that despite the resounding sentiment that the Capitals had all the momentum going into Game 7 they let their nemesis best them yet again.  And with all this anger, what better motto to adopt for the Capitals to explain that anger than a line from a Slipknot song.  The Capitals Game 7 collapse can be comprehended through the lens of this motto.  This motto also should be adopted by the fan base as well because this motto could define what we see out of the support for the Capitals from the fans in this area going forward.  Capitals fans and the organization stand at a crossroads, and it is this saying, "I will remember before I forget", that needs to be addressed at this point to see how this pivotal point in franchise history could shape the team going forward.

Game 7 proved that for all the talk from the team about how they had forgotten their playoff past, they remembered it more than they thought.  The Capitals dominated the Penguins in the first period in every facet except for the score, and a little tick in the back of their head started to creep in. They launched a fury of shots that did not go in, and Shattenkirk's PP shot that rang off the post started to weigh on them.  Then Bryan Rust scored in the second off of a poor clearing attempt and there was this looming sense of dread that filled the Capitals.  It was happening again.  They started to press more, pass too much, and not return the favor when the Penguins made horrendous exits out of their zone.  This dread grew to a crescendo when Patrick Hornqvist scored in the third period and there was this visceral reaction of defeat from the Capitals.  The fans could feel it through the TV.  The Capitals play in the last 15:00 of Game 7 showed that the memory of all the playoff collapses were still lurking in their subconscious waiting to be awoken again like some hibernating animal.  Everyone watching had the same reaction, "This cannot be happening again", and unfortunately the Capitals embodied that notion.  The weight of every playoff collapse in the Ovechkin era was on display Wednesday night in the last 15:00 of Game 7 and it shows that the Capitals have not forgotten anything about the past.  The problem is compounded by the fact that the fans have not forgotten as well.

Everyone knew it in the back of their mind.  Even before the game when fans said that the Capitals have this game in hand it came with a certain break in the voice.  A certain change of pitch.  A certain lowering of tone that would make someone think that if it was said too loud that it would conjure the devil.  For all the prognosticators saying this was a different team, there was the cynical fan that had an equivocation to go along with their optimism.  Some brought up Jaroslav Halak.  Some brought up all the stats about how the Penguins own the Caps in the playoffs.  Some brought up the Caps abysmal Game 7 record.  It was clear that the fans have not forgotten all the past playoff failures of this franchise and that is a problem.  It is a problem because this fan base is beginning to expect a return on their investment.  The "Rock the Red" era was built on fans who wanted to ride the hot ticket (myself included) and they sure got it from the Capitals.  But that regular season success has now translated into entitlement.  These Caps fans feel as if they built this team themselves and that their loyalty has been betrayed time and again by these playoff failures, the worst of which came in Game 7 on Wednesday Night.  They remember all the playoff failures and they are apt to bring them up when suggesting the Capitals trade Ovechkin and blow up the team because their fandom has not been rewarded.  These fans have forgotten a most dire period in Capitals history, and it is relevant at the current time where the fans and the franchise face an uncertain future.

The fan base needs to remember the dark times.  They need to remember what happened the last time the team sold off all of their superstars and finished next to last in the Easter Conference between 2003-2007.  The fans need to ask themselves if it is worth possibly giving up these playoff runs for three to five years to rebuild after trading someone like Ovechkin, Backstrom, or both.  And how loyal will some of these fans be if the Capitals are a shell of their former selves due to trading away their superstars?  Will they be willing to support a team that may not make the playoffs for a few years?  The fans need to ask themselves these questions before they start spouting off about how this team needs to be blown up. They also should consider it when this team will be losing some of the main pieces that have allowed them to the Presidents Trophy over the last two years.  The "Rock the Red" era is officially over, and we will now see how many fans are willing to remember the success this team has had before they forget it.  If not we may see the exodus of the portion of the fan base that was on board because for the experience and not true fandom.

As the fan base needs to remember the dark times, the team needs to forget them.  This team will stay relatively intact for next season, and it is obvious that they have internalized all these playoff defeats.  They need to forget them as best they can.  Trotz's comments may have rubbed the media the wrong way, and laughter may not have been the best choice of words, but his message needs to be adopted by the team.  The team needs to forget these defeats and remember that they are one of the most talented teams in the league, and they will still be even with the departure of some of these free agents this off season.  They need to release these internal demons if they expect to ever conquer them, and this Game 7 loss will probably take the entire of season to recover.  The team, tough, needs to ask themselves whether they will let this loss define who they are, or if they will forget all the losses and start a new narrative come next season.  The "Rock the Red" era is over, but if the remaining players carry the same baggage with them then all that will leave is the name.  The results will be the same if the Capitals remember before they forget all these playoff losses.

Ovechkin's Possible Farewell Speech

In the immortal words of DMX, "Here we go again".  The Capitals find themselves on the brink of elimination in the second round of the playoffs and again the Penguins are on the opposing side.  This scenario has happened so many times over the past decade that you would think the team and the fan base's acquiescence to failure would numb them into a stupor of denial once again.  But this year is different.  This year could mark the end of an era with all the impending free agent signings/decisions the Capitals need to make this off season, and the Ovechkin trade rumors gaining more traction in the wake of another perceived playoff collapse.  Even if the Capitals somehow comeback against the Penguins and advance to the Eastern Conference Finals there will still be drastic changes to the Capitals' roster due to the fact that there are too many high profile free agents to sign and limited cap space.  The greatest iteration of the Capitals roster in the Ovechkin era will come to a crashing end whenever the Capitals decide to exit the Stanley Cup Playoffs this season, and it very well could be tonight, which is why Ovechkin needs to give a kick ass pregame speech tonight.

The Capitals have been built around the greatest goal scorer of his generation, and he needs to be the one to deliver the speech that could possibly bring the Capitals back from elimination.  The speech, though, needs to be more heartfelt and emotional rather than a rah rah type speech.  You would assume that over the past four games the Capitals have gotten in each others' faces, called out people's names, broken enough sticks on their lockers, and used the F-word like its going out of style that another speech like that would ring hollow at a time like this.  Ovechkin needs to be the one to address the whole team tonight in a way that gives the team a renewed sense of brotherhood, and in my opinion here is how it should go:

"Alight boys, listen.  Tonight could be our last game together so listen closely.  I've had some pretty good success in my career:  Heart Trophies, Rocket Richard Trophies, goal scoring milestones, but I have never been a team champion at the highest level.  For all my success, I have never been able to inspire the teams I have played on enough to win it all.  That is why I am skating with Lars and Willy tonight, because my play so far has not lived up to the "C" I wear on my sweater or the pedigree I have built.  I asked to switch lines [this is just an assumption on my part but just go with it] because Bura has been killing it and I have been dragging TJ and Nicky down so far this series.  I have to face reality that I am not the goal scorer I was 10 years ago.  Think about that Nick [Ovechkin looks at Nick Backstrom in a reminiscent way].  Ten Years together.  The Young Guns, remember?  Hmfh, Not so young now, I guess. Right John? Karl? Beags? Ten years.  Some players don't get half that time to play together in this league, but we have had the privilege to be on the same team for Ten Years.  And we have been able to bring up guys like you Schmidtty......Kuzy..... Bura.........Willy.....Orly.....Holts........[Ovechkin looks at each one of them in the eye] you guys haven't been here as long but this is the only NHL team you have ever known.  You guys have put on a red sweater for your entire NHL career and not thought twice about it.  And when TJ, Justin, Winnik, Nisky, Brooks, Shatty, Lars, when you guys came in it was like we never missed a beat.  We're a family, but we know what is coming.  Most of us will not be here next year. The family is getting broken up after this season whether we win or not.  Ten years, Nick.  Ten years could be over tonight.  It will be over no matter what after these playoffs.  Which is why I ask you to play for that.  Fuck the Stanley Cup.  I want those ten years to last a little longer.  I want to play with the best team I have ever played with a little bit longer.  I want to see TJ score from the slot as many times as I can, I want to see Karl shut down the other team's best line, I want to see Willy check people as hard as he can, I want to see Kuzy make some ridiculous move and put a wrister over the goalie's glove, I want to see Winnik forecheck the shit out of the other team's top line, or Shatty unload some ridiculous shot from the point.  That is what I want, boys.  I don't want Ten Years to end.  I want to keep the only team I have ever known together for a little bit longer.  I'm playing tonight because I want to see all of you wear that red sweater for as long as possible.  I'm not playing tonight for any trophy.  I'm playing for my brothers who I want to keep here as long as I can.  From now on we play for each other, and if that means we get out of this series alive, then we know we have already won, because we get to have those Ten Years last one more game.  Let's go boys."

That is the route I would take with this speech, but that is just me.  And Ovi, since I know you read this blog religiously, please feel free to use any part of this you would like.

Kirk Cousins's Value Is Dropping

Do you believe anything Bruce Allen says?  Good.  This is a quasi rhetorical question but I had to ask it in order for you to be in the right frame of mind to buy into my premise, which is that the teams trading up to take rookie quarterbacks in the first round in the NFL Draft have harmed Kirk Cousins's market value.  It may sound crazy, but ask yourself that question again.  Do you believe anything Bruce Allen says?  Do you believe him when he told JP Finley almost a month ago that the trade rumors surrounding Cousins were false?  One look at that one minute interview gives you an uneasy feeling about Allen's stance on Cousins's contract situation.  So it is not far fetched to think that the rumors stating that the Redskins were talking to the Browns about trading Kirk Cousins held some shred of truth.  It is also likely that, despite Allen's vehement denials, the Redskins may have thrown some lines out to other teams before the Draft to see if they would bite on a trade for Cousins.  If you believe these statements then Cousins and his agent, at the very least, had to assume that the Redskins were looking for trades as well.  If that is the case then Mike McCartney may need to rethink how to approach the calculation Cousin's market value based on the trades that happened in the First Round of the Draft.

The trades the Bears and Texans made to move up in the draft to select rookie quarterbacks have indirectly harmed Kirk Cousins's market value.  Let's assume that the Redskins at least talked to the Texans and Bears about a possible trade for Kirk Cousins before the Draft (remember: Do you believe anything Bruce Allen says?).  The Bears and Texans had ample resources and equally crappy quarterback situations that the Redskins probably exploited in the form of trade talks for Kirk Cousins.  If that is the case then the Texans trade for Deshaun Watson states that Cousins is not worth the 2018 first round pick that they gave up to get Watson.  Maybe the Texans didn't think that the Redskins's 17th pick would be high enough to have Watson still on the board, but it can be reasoned that the Texans were willing to trade their 2018 first round pick for Watson but not for a guy who has had back to back 4500 yard passing season in the NFL.  The Bears trade puts even more of a damper on Cousins's value.

Let's assume that the Redskins reached out to the Bears about a trade for Cousins before the Bears signed Mike Glennon (remember: Do you believe anything Bruce Allen says?).  If that is the case then the Bears trade to get Mitch Trubisky devalues Cousins market value further.  If the Bears declined a trade for Cousins then subsequently gave up only a 3rd and 4th round pick this year, plus their 3rd round next year to the 49ers for another unproven quarterback then it reinforces the notion that Cousins may not be worth giving up high drat picks on the open market.  Now, the Bears gave up those picks knowing they had Glennon on the roster, but if the Redskins offered the Bears a trade for Cousins before the Mike Glennon deal then you would have to assume that the Redskins asked for something higher than what the Bears gave up for Trubisky.  This would show, again, that another team with a questionable quarterback situation was willing to give up draft picks for an unproven rookie rather than for Kirk Cousins.  Both of these situations, if true, could make it so that Cousins may be sobered by his market value a year from now.

The Texans could have traded their 2018 first round pick for Cousins and then see where that took them.  The Bears could have traded their 2018 first round pick to get Cousins AND possibly could have still drafted Trubisky at the third pick this year.  But both teams balked at that notion.  The Redskins could have had a higher asking price in these hypothetical trade scenarios that turned off the Texans and Bears trading for Cousins, but that supports the notion that teams are unwilling to give up a lot for Cousins and are not willing to wait and see if he hits the open market.  Why pay a soon-to-be 30 year old quarterback $24 million per year with $50-60 million plus guaranteed over the next five years when, according to Jason Belzer of Forbes Magazine, the Bears will only have to pay out $29 million total for the duration of Trubisky's rookie contract?  If this is true then this may be the first blemish on Kirk Cousins's master plan.

The pervasive narrative that has surrounded the Kirk Cousins contract negotiations is that Bruce Allen has botched it from the beginning in giving Cousins two consecutive franchise tags.  This weekend's Draft, however, may be hinting that Allen is playing a long game with these tags that may end up in the Redskins favor.  Whether you believe the Redskins offered Cousins in trade to the Texans or the Bears, the fact is now there are two less suitors to help drive up the price for Cousins's services come next off season.  Couple that with one early 2018 mock draft stating that there could be four quarterbacks taken in the first round next year (and that is not counting whether or not Lamar Jackson decides to leave Louisville early), and the cap situation next year for all NFL teams and Kirk Cousins and Mike McCartney may need to have a serious talk about what the actual market value will be come the 2018 off season.  Who is going to pay a 30 year old Kirk Cousins $50-60 million plus in guarantees over 5 years when they can just draft a quarterback for a fourth of that cost?  And if there are a limited amount of teams willing to bid on Cousins's services, then why not bid low and see what happens if the team is looking to spend money elsewhere?  All of this is dependent upon what transpires through this season, but two teams have already passed on Cousins for what seem to be statistically inferior alternatives.  What will happen next year when the rookie talent pool is bigger, better, and the free agent market is a little more flush with talent?  Cousins could be staring down the grim reality that Allen may have manipulated his contract situation through the use of the franchise tags in a way that made him less valuable on the open market when and if he is finally allowed to hit free agency.  The question then may not be whether you believe what Bruce Allen says, it may be "Was Bruce Allen right all along about the market value of Kirk Cousins?".

Redskins Draft Special Round 1 (Pick 17)

Everyone except for Myles Garrett has been linked to the Redskins at the 17th pick.  It is hard to determine what the Redskins will do, and the smart money is that they may trade down to acquire more picks for trade in the later rounds.  I think the Redskins trade up a lot in this draft to get players they want for the simple fact that it may be hard to carry 10 new players on their roster.  I do think that they need an elite pass rushing DE more than anything, and if they are to stay at 17 that would be Derek Barnett.

Note: All scouting information comes from CBS Sports, NFL Combine Results Page, and the NFL Draft Tracker.

Round 1 (17th Overall Selection):  Derek Barnett    DE    (Tennessee)
Height: 6'3"   Weight: 259 lbs   40 yd: 4.88   3 Cone Drill: 6.96 sec

Who would not want an elite level SEC pass rusher?  Derek Barnett is the cream of the crop when it comes to pass rushing ability and stat production. Barnett was a three year starter at Tennessee, the first defensive lineman ever to start as a true freshman for the Vols, where he accumulated 32 sacks over his three years.  Barnett was named First Team All-American by numerous outlets in 2016, and his stat production came against some of the SEC's best. Barnett is a violent pass rusher who uses superior hand fighting technique in unison with good footwork to rush the passer.  While his speed and athleticism are question marks for some, his 6.96 cone drill time was 5th at the combine for defensive linemen and only .01 seconds behind Solomon Thomas.  Barnett shows this quickness in his ability to get around lineman and close in on the quarterback in the pocket.  Barnett is a play maker who is not content with just setting the edge.  He uses great moves to get around the tackles and finishes his sacks.  Barnett also shows great spatial awareness in batting passes, defending screens, covering passes in the flat.  Barnett is described as a quiet player who lets his high level of hustle and intensity do his talking, and someone the coaches described as the heart and soul of the Volunteer defense.

Barnett's limitations come with his athletic acumen.  Scouts worry about his inferior athleticism compared to other DE's in this class, and that he relies too much on timing the snap to make up for his lack of burst off of the line. That timing has caused him to be on the wrong end of offsides penalties.  Barnett also has trouble changing direction once he gets going down field, and scouts note that he will have trouble with quarterbacks who elude the pocket.  There are also questions about his overall footwork, and his ability to sustain pressure when he does not win the initial confrontation with his hands.  Scouts also note that he needs to diversify his pass rush techniques and not rely solely on beating tackles of the edge with dip moves and hand fighting.  Finally, Barnett comes from a 4-3 scheme and may have trouble adapting to the 3-4.  Whatever.  The Redskins need a guy like this on the line.

Barnett's highlights are a thing of beauty.  He wins one-on-one battles at the line and can put major pressure on the quarterback.  Barnett's style maybe reminiscent of Brian Orakpo's straight line approach, but remember that that move worked for a few years.  The Redskins could develop his technique and possibly put muscle on him to be able to handle NFL level tackles, but those are things that can be easily done.  You cannot teach someone to do what Barnett does at the point of attack to win against lineman, and his dedicated level of play could prove to be infectious.  He would also provide yet another option at pass rusher that would give the Redskins front seven a scarier look in passing situations.  The Redskins have relatively good  outside pass rushers at the linebacker position, but they need people at the line who can strike the same fear into opposing offenses.  Barentt would do that the moment he puts on a Burgundy and Gold uniform, and if the is there at 17 (or wherever the Redskins end up in the first round) without any better alternative at D-line (i.e. Solomon Thomas) the Redskins would be fools to not pick him.