Let's take a look at the draft history of the new Redskins Exec. VP of Blah Blah Blah and ::gasp:: GENERAL MANAGER.

I'm only looking at his stint in Tampa Bay and I didn't look into player injuries, so keep that in mind when I say a player only played so many games in a given season.  Draft results can be found here.

Allen was hired to GM the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2004.  In the draft that year he selected Michael Clayton, WR, 15th overall.  Clayton had an incredible rookie season and then faded into oblivion.

His 5th round pick in 2004 was Jeb Terry, OG.  Terry played 3 seasons in the NFL, but this pick kicks off a trend that should give Redskins fans something to be optimistic about.

2005 was TB's best draft under Allen.  They selected Cadillac Williams 5th overall and Barrett Ruud 36th.  Both had an immediate impact and led the team to an 11-5 record, an NFC South title, and a Wild Card matchup with your Washington Redskins.  I hope you can forgive us, Bruce, if we forgive you for that last-second win over us the same season.

In the 4th round of the 2005 draft, TB drafted another OG, Dan Buenning, who started all 16 games his rookie year, but he too faded into oblivion and is no longer in the league.

Brace yourself, because here's where things get foreign for Redskins fans.  

In the 1st round of the  2006 draft TB drafted ANOTHER OG, Davin Joseph, 23rd overall.  Wow, could it be? A GM in Washington who understands the value of OL? Joseph made the Pro Bowl once but has only played in 2 games in 2009.  

Jeremy Trueblood, OT, was selected in the 2nd round of the 2006 draft.  He started 45 games in his first 3 seasons in the league, but has only played 3 games in 2009.  This is a promising trend, right?

In the 2007 draft, TB took Gaines Adams 4th overall, and Arron Sears, OT, 35th.  Sears started 31 games in 2007-8, but there is no indication he has played any games in 2009.  Please correct me if that's wrong.  Tampa Bay would win the NFC South title in 2007.

In 2008, Allen's final draft as GM in Tampa Bay, Aqib Talib was taken in the 1st.  They drafted another OG, Jeremy Zuttah, in the 3rd round.  Zuttah started 5 games his rookie season and has played in 4 games in 2009 with no starts.

Could this be the change we're looking for?  A GM who understands the value of an OL?  Allen's track record drafting skill players, like Clayton and Bruce Gradkowski in the 6th round of the 2006 draft, is a bit shaky, but I'm cautiously optimistic given the attention he's paid to the OL in the early rounds of drafts.

After all, we know who really calls the shots at Redskins Park.

About 6 years ago I packed everything I owned into a 4' x 6' Uhaul and moved out to Southern CA. Of course my allegiance to the Redskins came with me. In my time out here I've met some great new friends, one of which is a die-hard 49ers fan. Up until last season, he suffered through exactly what we've been suffering through for much of the decade.

But then something up there changed, and his team is back to being competitive again. 

When Mike Nolan was relieved of his duties, the front office in SF had enough wherewithal to look within the organization and find their next great Head Coach. Enter Mike Singletary - the man, the myth, the legend. This guy is as spit-fire, in your face, won't take no shit from nobody as you could possibly ask for from your team's head coach, and his players have adopted that attitude. They are a team. They win together, and they lose together and when they lose, they are held as accountable as the coaching staff.

It's much more than him dropping his draws in the locker room to make a point. For Singletary, it's all about accountability, and that's exactly how it should be in a profession with salaries as high as those in the NFL. Take a look at this video and tell me that had the Redskins suffered as humiliating a defeat (yes, the Detroit loss was humiliating, but at least the Redskins had the opportunity to win it at the end) as the 49ers faithful endured this past Sunday that you wouldn't feel like your team was still in good hands.

49ers Humbled After Loss

Mike Singletary and the 49ers organization have built their team around football players, not bloated salary seeking me first individuals, which is what much of the Redskins roster consists of.  If an individual like Dre Bly appears to be losing sight of the common goal, he is held accountable, as you just saw in the video. Imagine if Zorn trotted DeAngelo Hall to the podium and made him apologize for not being able to tackle Jake Delhomme at the end of the game Sunday. Wouldn't you feel slightly more confident in the direction of this team?

I can only hope that someone at Redskins Park has taken notice of the transformations under way in cities like SF and ATL, and vows to do the same thing in DC. 

Link

Sad twist to the Nick Adenhart tragedy. Nick Shou at the OC Weekly claims to have gotten his hands on a toxicological report this morning showing that Courtney Stewart (the driver of the car that Nick was a passenger in) had a .16 Blood Alcohol Content at the time of the accident. That is twice the legal limit in the state of CA, but what's more bothersome is that Courtney Stewart was only 20 years old the day she died.

Gallo's attorneys must be salivating.

I already know most of your sentiment for the OCW, so save it.  Nick Shou broke the story and TMZ is the only other place to have picked it up at this point.

The alleged Toxocological Exam is below.  Damn.

via blogs.ocweekly.com

via blogs.ocweekly.com