I was recently out of the US on business and am plugging back into local news now.
It's as if I never left. Everything is about what to do with Cousins and what direction the draft should take, whether we should take offense or defense.
Perhaps distance creates perspective
Here's my renewed take:
1. We need to resign Cousins and get off the franchise tag merry-go-round. In an ideal world we would have drafted Cousins, developed him for a year and then gotten 3 cheap years of increasing production before having to give him big dollars. But that didn't happen because of RGIII and the hard on ownership had for him. It's telling that as late as 2014 McCloughan still had to talk Snyder until he was blue in the face to put Cousins on the field as the undisputed starter.
Yes, it's going to cost $21-$22M a year average and lock us in for 3-4 years without an exit ramp.
But I have NO doubt that Joe Gibbs could have won a Super Bowl with Cousins when he was in his hey-day as a head coach in the NFL, with Beathard providing the OL, DL and secondary talent to help us get there.
Time for McCloughan, Allen and the rest of the front office to man-up and surround Cousins with the kind of young talent the Cowboys have put around Dak Prescott.
2. In regards to the draft, what the hell is CSN and other sources talking about?
The Redskins had the 30th or 31st ranked defense in a number of stats from the 2016 season. It's clear the team's record would have been better with a defense that was even marginally better.
Cousins, while faltering against the Panthers and Giants, did more than enough to win games against the Lions, Bengals and Cowboys (Thanksgiving) but the defense didn't do a damn thing to help with the 'W'.
So, based on that, why is there even any discussion about who to take in the draft?
Running back Dalvin Cook? You have to be joking.
No one takes the #30 defense and an offense based on the WC passing game and invests a top pick in a RB.
The Redskins need to draft defense EARLY and OFTEN.
All of this BPA crap aside, the truth of the matter is there is going to be a defensive lineman, linebacker or secondary player available at #17 that is going to go on to be a consistent pro bowler or all-pro.
Time for our all-star GM by reputation to go out and find him.
One has to wonder about the plan to develop our team here.
Forget Doctson for a moment.
It appears McCloughan was ready to take Ryan Kelly at OC with our #1 pick last year if the Colts had not made the move a couple of picks earlier.
So, a GM with an offensive line that already has Trent Williams (#1 in 2010), Brandon Scherff (#1 in 2015) and Morgan Moses (#3 in 2014) all capable and under 30 years of age is set to invest ANOTHER #1 pick in that unit, while on defense we are depending up street free agents and waiver wire pickups like Kendall Reyes and Cullen Jenkins at 36?
Again, forget BPA - you have to develop a balanced team to be elite and win at the highest levels.
New England has shown that 2 of the past 3 seasons.
They don't have the highest profile all-pros at every position but they are solid across the board.
IMO it's time for the Redskins to do the SANE things:
1. Sign Cousins, swallow some pride, and admit that helps the offense most.
2. Draft defense and forget trying to over-think the personnel side with visions of HOF running backs, centers and wide receivers dancing in your heads.