Notably, on Feb. 26, 2009, KevinE posted an interview with Ted Leonsis and a subsequent Redskins 10 Point Plan.  As a refresher, the link and plan follow:

http://www.hogshaven.com/2009/2/26/772915/ted-leonsis-shares-his-ten

How this applies to the REDSKINS:

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Revisiting the list, the Redskins front office has continually violated ALL ten of Ted's lessons.  Let's run through them real quick:

1.) "Have confidence in the plan and don't deviate from it."
The Skins definitely do not have a plan. The owner buys free agents as he sees, and coaches come and go.

2.) "Articulate the plan to the media, fans, partners..."
Dan Snyder is as secretive as it gets. Vinny Cerrato started doing the radio show, but let's be real, that does not give us any insight as to the plan. Simply, because there isn't one.

3.) "Seek a pick and prospect for every trade."
Well, we're the ones trading the picks, so in this sense, we're going backwards.

4.) "Commit to building around the draft."
The Skins only have 4 draft picks this year.

5.) "Show the players you are loyal to them."
I can't help but think of how Gregg Williams let Antonio Pierce walk when he had proven his value. At the time, Pierce embodied the hard-working, professional attitude that the coaches publicly praised, yet we let him walk. Players notice this kind of treatment where hard work is not rewarded. Pierce of course signed with the Giants where he became the defensive captain and anchor for their Super Bowl win.

6.) "Make sure the GM, coach, owner, and business folks are on the EXACT same page."
Well, Snyder and Vinny are on the same page. A blank page.

7.) "No jerks allowed."
I agree 100% with this rule. Unfortunately, it's much more difficult to follow in the NFL. Jerry Jones did not follow this at all and it BURIED him last year. (TO, Tank Johnson, and Pacman Jones). Same with Cincy. There is a reason Bill Parcells is so successful -- he shares a lot of the same ideologies as Ted.

8.) "Add veterans to short-term contracts."
This as we all know is our front-office's worst quality. Over-extending the length of contracts to aged vets. I can't help but think of the 7-year deal we signed Mark Brunell to as he was turning 34 years old.

9.) "Measure and improve - shared metrics."
I'm pretty confident the only metrics the Redskins front office measures to are dollar signs and number of wins.

10.) "Never settle - keep on improving."
This I have mixed emotions on. We have a large field of scouts, however, every year we take the shortcut with free agents. I would think we could add some low-price free agents or trade for value to build our team, but that just doesn't seem to be the case.

The most important thing I learned from Ted's model is hoarding draft picks. It is inevitable that some of the drafted players will turn out to be busts. So the key is not trading the picks away to leave yourself in a situation where you have to get every pick exactly right. It will be exciting to see the Redskins "build" their team in eight hours when Free Agency starts.

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