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(photo by Brian Murphy)

Long after most everyone else had cleared out of the locker room following the Washington Redskins season-ending 27-24 loss to the San Francisco 49ers, we found ourselves sitting side-by-side with linebacker Marcus Washington.

In the interest of full disclosure, Washington happens to be one of our favorite players currently sporting the burgundy and gold. He’s always been very engaging and highly entertaining whenever we’ve had the chance to chat with him.

After catching him up on the results from the previous night’s UFC pay-per-view, we asked Washington if he’d heard the rumblings that major changes could be happening at Redskins Park this offseason and if/when he anticipates hearing from the organization regarding his future with the team.

“To be honest, I don’t really get into that stuff,” Washington said. “I try not to mess with it much. I have an agent and I pay him to deal with that stuff. Obviously I want to be here and we’ll see what happens.”

As we continued to chat, we asked Marcus about the importance of continuity and told him about our previous conversation with cornerback Fred Smoot, who said that it was the main reason teams like New England and Pittsburgh are routinely among the best in the NFL. That’s when Washington gave quite possibly the best metaphor ever, in a way that only Marcus could.

“I look at it like a typing class,” Washington started. “The first time you take a typing class you always have to look down at the keys and you can’t type very fast. But as time goes on and you get more familiar, things become easier and you can begin to type things without even looking down or whatever. Now imagine if every so often someone came in and changed where the keys were. Now you’ve got the space bar up here and you’re looking around saying, ‘Where the fuck is the semi-colon?’ That’s what it’s like on a defense when you’re constantly changing it up.”

It sounds so simple, but Washington’s perspective on constantly changing personnel forces casual fans to see things a bit differently. If a player has to constantly look over his shoulder to see who is lining up next to him and wonder if that person is going to be where they’re supposed to when the game is on the line, it’s a huge distraction.

Its common sense – teams with the same coaches, players and schemes week after week have a greater chance for success as opposed to teams who have a new defensive coordinator every other year or teams that bring in half a dozen new players into the rotation every season.

So here’s our message, once again, to the front office – resist the urge to make radical changes. If you must get rid of a Shawn Springs or a Jason Taylor, so be it. But try to keep stability on the defensive side of the ball as much as possible. This is a fourth-ranked defense that at times showed flashes of dominance. Just image what can happen once they truly get comfortable and find that fucking semi-colon.

(photo by Brian Murphy)

“He beat me, straight up. Pay him … pay that man his money,” – Teddy KGB, Rounders

Earlier, we focused our attention on the Washington Redskins’ lack of continuity from year to year, and how some of the current players suggested maybe the front office should take a page from the Pittsburgh Steelers and New England Patriots playbook if they’d like to become one of the NFL’s elite.

Cornerback Fred Smoot even went as far as to suggest that if it were up to him, all 53 men currently on the roster would be brought back next season. While that’s not completely feasible (the team does still have four draft picks burning in its pocket), the basic mentality of not blowing everything up and starting over from scratch every year or two is a wise one.

Along those lines, it has become readily apparent what the team’s number-one priority should be during this offseason. If management accomplishes nothing else, they should sign cornerback DeAngelo Hall, a free agent-to-be, to a long-term contract as soon as humanly possible, because with each passing week he continues to make himself more and more money.

At 24, Hall possesses all the athletic ability a talent evaluator could ever desire. The two-time Pro Bowler also has uncanny instincts and most importantly, can actually intercept a pass from time to time. That’s something the rest of the Redskins secondary can’t say. On a defense that struggles to create turnovers, Hall is the one playmaker who has a nose for the ball.

You didn’t have any interceptions tonight, but you had a strong showing. Would you say this was your best game as a member of the Washington Redskins?

“I think so,” Hall said. “Just to go out there and make a difference and make the plays when it counted in the clutch. It feels good to help a team win a game, especially this team. You know, we need wins bad. We need wins bad. I just wish we could have picked them up earlier.”

You were really physical with DeSean Jackson and the Philadelphia Eagles receivers. That’s an area of your game that we don’t hear a lot about. Do you think that made a difference and played a part in the Eagles dropping so many passes?

“I hope so,” Hall said. “Guys were just hitting. Period. It wasn’t so much we were trying to just hit him. We were just trying to hit everybody, make them feel us. They definitely dropped a couple balls out there. I don’t know if they were anticipating contact or what, but they definitely dropped a couple balls and we made a couple plays, breaking up passes. Any time you can do that as a defense and as a secondary, you’ll have success.”

Fred Smoot said you were in the zone against the Eagles and that even when you weren’t in the best position, you were still able to make a play.

“Yeah, like I said, when you’re in the zone, you’re in the zone,” he said. “Even when you make a mistake, when you’re in the zone, the ball still bounces your way sometimes. That’s what kind of happened for me. If I let somebody get behind me, he dropped the ball. Picture that. When you’re in the zone, you’re in the zone.”

The very next thing Smoot said was that if it were up to him, he’d bring back all 53 players on this roster. You’re one of them, man. What do we have to do to keep you in town?

“I hope they keep me,” Hall said. “I hope they keep me. That’s something for the front office and my agent to try and handle, but like I said, I do want to be here and at the end of the day, hopefully we’ll be able to work something out.”

So here is our plea to management – sign Hall now. Even the Washington Nationals, who are allergic to spending money, were willing to break out the wallet and sign a playmaker with local ties. That’s what you’ve got now with DeAngelo Hall, and lord knows spending money has never been an issue at Redskins Park before. Lock this guy up before it’s too late. With young talent like LaRon Landry, Chris “The Predator” Horton and Hall in the secondary, there’s a lot for ‘Skins fans to be thankful for this holiday season. Don’t take that away from us.

[Update: Jason la Canfora of the Washington Post reports that the Redskins have engaged in preliminary contract discussions with potential free agent corner DeAngelo Hall in hopes of signing him to a long-term contract. This is good news.]

(photo by Brian Murphy)

“There’s a normal turnover of 13 to 15 players on every team every year,” said Vinny Cerrato, the Washington Redskins executive vice president of football operations, on his radio show this week.

That’s not exactly music to ‘Skins fans’ ears, not when they’ve become increasingly frustrated with what many perceive to be a lack of any sort of plan at Redskins Park. One year tons of money and draft picks are thrown around as free agents like Brandon Lloyd or Adam Archuleta are given the VIP treatment involving the owner’s jet, a fancy dinner and courtside seats for the Washington Wizards. The next, the draft is suddenly the focus and three pass catchers are selected in the second round.

Trying to figure out which direction Cerrato and friends are going from year to year (or even day to day) can be maddening. That’s why, with the Redskins officially eliminated from the playoffs, many have turned their attention to the upcoming offseason. And we’re not just talking about the fans.

“If you ask me, bring all 53 Redskins back and let us be like a Pittsburgh Steelers,” said cornerback Fred Smoot. “Let us get to know each other, let us know what each other can do so we can go to war together. The reason a team like Pittsburgh or New England never has a down season is because of continuity. They’ve got familiar faces who’ve gone to war together. You can’t replace that with no talent.”

When told of Smoot’s comments, his teammates immediately jumped on board.

“I say the same thing,” said safety LaRon Landry. “I’m not really looking for no new guys or anything. That’s something for the recruiting staff and all of that, but I think we’ll be a damn good team on defense next year if we keep the same guys.”

While Landry chose to focus solely on the defensive side of the ball, other players took a broader look at how this upcoming offseason could affect what is considered a very tight-knit locker room.

“I think there’s some truth to that,” said linebacker Marcus Washington when told of Smoot’s opinion. “Because, when you bring a bunch of new guys in, they’ve got to learn each other. They’ve got to get used to each other. They’ve got to trust each other. You know, that’s something that doesn’t just happen. Chemistry is a very delicate thing and we’ve got a group of guys that have played together, trust each other and know what each guy is going to bring to the table every Sunday. There’s something special about that.”

And while Smoot, Landry and Washington all make valid points, perhaps the best perspective came from Redskins defensive end Andre Carter.

“This business is just so tough and changes are always being made,” Carter said. “I really hope and pray that we’re able to keep some continuity for the team as a whole because we have so much potential. As a player, the only control you have is to go out there and play hard for 16 to 20 weeks. It’s kind of like the game tape is an interview, and I don’t know what they’re going to see upstairs or what changes are going to be made. But honestly, I wouldn’t change these guys for the world.”

If we were playing the role of general manager there would be some changes. Not a complete overhaul by any means, but there are a few areas of concern. Getting younger on the offensive line is a must, as well as replacing some of the older players who have trouble getting on the field (see: Springs, Shawn).

But as we see it, the best way to proceed is with Jim Zorn as head coach and much of this roster still intact. To completely blow this team up and start over or to bring in a half dozen free agents only adds credibility to the folks who are convinced management continues to make it up as they go along. Resist the urge to do something radical. If for no other reason than because stability throughout the organization is vital if the Redskins ever want to join the Steelers and Patriots among the league’s elite. At least that’s how we see it. Feel free to leave your thoughts on the subject below.

(photo by Brian Murphy)

Even though we were busy getting interviews in the Washington Redskins’ locker room following the game, we want to start out by addressing something that happened on the other side of the stadium after the game. During his post-game press conference, Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb was asked for his thoughts following the 10-3 loss.

“This is frustrating to come out here and play a team we knew we could beat,” McNabb said. “We made mistakes and mis-opportunities, its tough for us to swallow at this particular point.”

Some folks may remember that McNabb made similar comments about the “better team losing” when the Redskins beat the Eagles in Philadelphia earlier this year. Here’s our point – if your team is so much better than the ‘Skins, then why do you keep losing to them? How can you stand in front of the media and go on and on about how your team is superior when you fail to deliver? Last time we checked, your offense, led by you, has scored a grand total of one offensive touchdown this season against the Redskins. Eight quarters. One offensive touchdown.

So next time you’re asked to speak on the Redskins-Eagles rivalry, go ahead and remember which team has won three out of the last four matchups, big guy. And also feel free to keep in mind your team has now gone seven straight quarters without an offensive touchdown against that oh-so-beatable Redskins team you apparently need to re-evaluate your opinion of. Just don’t think about it while you’re on the field … it might make you throw up in the huddle. Again.