by Mark "Om" Steven

You can't swing a fluffy unicorn these days without hitting a training camp preview, so rather than subject you to yet another round of position breakdowns and statistics, over the next few days I will be taking a look some issues and questions I see smoldering just beneath the surface.

Hey, you never know from whence the Next Big Story might come.

The Shanahan Dynamic

Next to the addition of a perennial Pro Bowl QB Donovan McNabb, the change at the top—the hiring of GM Bruce Allen and Head Coach Mike Shanahan—is the single biggest story in the Redskins universe.

Plenty has been written about the impact the future first-ballot Hall of Fame Head Coach will have on the team, and rightly so. There are some angles we hear very little about, however. The kinds of things it is easy to brush off here in the warm fuzzy glow of the honeymoon between coach, team and fans, but should surprise no one in retrospect if and when they come up over the coming months when the Shanahan Era record no longer sports a shiny "0" in the loss column.

Looking for monsters behind every tree? Perhaps. A nod to the reality that even steely-eyed future Hall of Famers are, at the end of the day, human beings?

Definitely ...

Highlighted Member/Guest Blog

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It Is What It Is
By Walking Deadman

Here are 10 big questions about this team heading into camp:

1. What will be the final fate of Albert Haynesworth?
The Skins have three options when it comes to Albert Haynesworth. They can cut him, trade him or keep him. Each would make sense I suppose but I think cutting him would make the least bit of sense. If the Skins cut him they would have given Haynesworth $32 million dollars for 12 games. Plus, Haynesworth gets exactly what he wants and can go to any team. If the Skins trade Haynesworth, they at least could get some compensation for all of their costs and control where Haynesworth is going. The downside is that the Skins won't be able to get any of that bonus money back (teams can not give cash in lieu of a trade for a player per the current CBA) and that they won't much value in what they trade for him (think something slightly better than what they got for Jason Campbell). I think the best thing for the Skins is to keep Haynesworth. There will be no division in the locker room as it appears that everybody on the team is backing Mike Shanahan and the Skins. If Haynesworth is in shape and ready to go, then he'll be of value to the Skins somewhat as he can play DE and NT. If he's not in shape, the Skins bench him and have him run laps throughout the entire practice as far as I'm concerned. If Haynesworth becomes a headache, then the Skins do the same thing the Eagles did to T.O. Fine and suspend him for conduct detrimental to the team. If that happens, expect the Skins to go after that signing bonus. Remember, Mike Shanahan said they've got a plan and maybe this is all part of the plan they have for Haynesworth....

by John "Boone" Jeffries

It may have escaped your notice.

But this little baby, our burgundy and gold swathed pride and joy, was birthed one year ago today.

I love my little Nathan Junior!

And as with all anniversaries, we would be a little remiss if we didn't engage in just a little retrospection and sentimentality.

Today, I asked myself the question. It was the original question. Why build a Redskins fan site? Lord (and Daniel Snyder) knows, there are plenty of them out there. BGO was actually born from a casual conversation with a friend when I offered to help out on his blog site. Next thing I know, he'd fallen from a slick commode while changing a light bulb, hit his head on the sink, and woke up with his vision for the flux capacitor....err....a brand new Redskins messageboard! Truth is, I wasn't sure then why we were going down this path. Except that my best friend was asking me to take a plunge into the mysterious unknown with him. And when friends ask, the only answer a friend gives in return is 'Hell yes!'. We found a couple of other old dear friends to tumble into the abyss with us. An idea was born...

by "Aston Gambino" Lawrence

This time of year, as the shattered pieces of broken NFL dreams are pieced back together in hope of building (or rebuilding) a Super Bowl-bound franchise, front offices are forced to make some of the toughest decisions of their careers - who to hire, who to fire, who to acquire, and who to simply admire.

Decisions concerning free agency, renewing contracts, offering tenders, proposing trades, and of course, drafting players, can make or break an NFL team. Drafting Jamarcus Russell helped Oakland dig themselves even deeper into their own Black Hole of misery. Trading for Drew Brees got New Orleans their first Super Bowl trophy.

As a fan, you can’t expect the guys upstairs to get every decision right...

by Bob "Neophyte" Floyd

Since Easter I have spent a good bit of time reading more than my fair share of media and fan comment about everyone’s new best friend, Donovan McNabb. I have to say I have not heard this much hype about a guy in Burgundy and Gold taking snaps from center since . . . well . . . since Campbell took over the starting job from Brunell.

Before I elaborate further, I have to admit to you all that I am a Jason Campbell fan but I did not start out that way. I was against drafting him when...