The SkySpin On Sports: Why The Redksins Will Fail in 2010

A few weeks after The Washington Redskins ended their season with a woeful (4-12), Owner Daniel Synder awarded GM Bruce Allen and Mike Shanahan to lucrative contracts. It's the old adadge, if you don't understand your past history, you're going to repeat the same mistakes. It's my opinion that Synder will commit the same errors in 2010.

If you overpay for coaching, you are doomed to fail. Former Denver Head Coach Mike Shannahan may have earned two Super Bowl Rings, but what has he really accomplished since his retirement. His disappointing playoff record is well documented and he has spotty results. What has the man won since John Elway retired?? In terms of his coaching ability, Shanahan achieved only mixed results with Jake Plummer and Jay Cutler at quarterback. Congratulations, you have just a paid 10 million dollars for head coach with marginal talent evaluating experience (e.g. Maurice Clarett).

Daniel Snyder fails to understand that you must build through the draft-not overpay for acrimonious players with egos (you know who you are-Clinton Portis and Albert Haynesworth). If Shanahan and Bruce Allen are going to improve the Redskins, they are going to have to build through the NFL draft. Perhaps, The "Deadskins" will have to cut Portis and say goodbye to the much maligned Jason Campell. There offensive line has been decimated with injuries and are starting to get a bit long in the tooth. If they can draft a quarterback with a Colt McCoy type quarterback with the fourth pick in the nfl draft, sign Anquan Boldin away from Arizona and commit to Quinton Ganthers for one season as their starting tailback...they may have a chance.

It's time for Daniel Synder back away and commit to drafting talent and not trading picks for aging, overpriced players. In March, we will have a better barometer on the Redskins off-season plans. Until then, its time to stop evaluating players on statistics alone and start acquiring talent with heart and a commitment to team goals.

The SkySpin on Sports: NFL

The Swing Season: Who Will Slide in December: The Cowboys or Giants?
When the 6-5 NY Giants host the 8-3 Dallas Cowboys, both teams’ fortunes could change. Earlier this season, New York sported one of the leagues prolific offenses, featuring the battering-ram style running attack of Brandon Jacobs and up-and-coming athletic wide receivers (such as Mario Mannningham, Steve Smith and Hakeem Nicks). Their aggressive, blitz-happy 4-3 defense punished quarterbacks who attempted to drop back to pass. With a lethal combination of great defense and balanced offense, the “G-Men” were a dominant football team that rolled to a perfect 5-0 record.

But the “times are a-changin.” After careful inspection, it is conspicuously clear that their flawless start was nothing more than a mirage. In fact, the combined record of the teams that lost to the Giants are an unimpressive 23-39 (a meager winning percentage of nearly 59%). To compound New York’s problems, they are just 1-5 against those teams sporting a winning record. If you need clarification, the team’s only impressive win came against the Dallas Cowboys in week two of the season.

There are several reasons why the NY Giants are in significant jeopardy of not making the playoffs this year. You can cite New York’s multitude of injuries: including Eli Manning’s rough bout with plantar fasciitis and injuries to the secondary and the running back position. But the G-Men’s real woes can be attributed to a lack of big plays from their trio of receivers that include Manningham, Smith and Nicks during their recent losing skid. This year, in addition to their offensive miscues, the defense has sputtered without the coaching prowess of former defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo (now head coach of the St. Louis Rams).

The Cowboys have a chance to control their own destiny during the final month of the regular season and potentially knock the Giants out of the playoffs. With a now virtually healthy offensive backfield, an intact secondary and the emergence of Miles Austin, the Cowboy should now have the fortitude, momentum and talent to win on the road in a hostile environment against a very mediocre New York Giants team. It’s time for the Cowboys to continue their fortuitous season with a successful December, including challenging games against New York (6-5), San Diego (7-3) and New Orleans (10-0).

Will Tony Romo be the long-term answer as Quarterback?

Do the Cowboys have a legitimate number-one receiver?

Will the Cowboys evade the December Swoon?

After this rigorous three-game test, we will know a lot more about the Cowboys….and the Giants.

SkySpin on Sports

NFL
Injury-prone Dallas RB Felix Jones is one of the biggest disappointments of the Cowboys’ season. Without a healthy Jones, the Boys are without a homerun threat on offense, which is essential because the team has yet to indicate the capacity to employ a power running game … It has been well-documented that Tony Romo’s football idol is perennial all-pro Quarterback Brett Farve. Most of his “gun-slinging” mentality can be traced back to his intrinsic desire to mirror his game after the Minnesota Vikings Quarterback. While Romo lacks Farve’s spectacular arm strength, he also lack’s Farve’s awareness in the pocket when teams blitz and the offensive line’s protection schemes breakdown. A key fourth-quarter turnover by Romo practically sealed the Boys doom against Green Bay at Lambeau Field last weekend. Recognizing the blitz, the Cowboy QB should have quickly checked down, thrown the ball away or utilized his mobility to evade or slow down Green Bay’s relentless rush employed by Packers Defensive Coordinator Dom Capers.

NBA
The key ingredient to a banner-like season for the Dallas Mavericks will be quality depth on their Bench. After the first month and a half of the regular season, the Mavs have every reason to be optimistic that their bench will be more potent than it has been in recent memory. Guard Rodrigue Beaubois had flashed some of his athleticism from preseason by having turned a 14 points and three assists night in a tough defensive-oriented game against the Detroit Pistons last weekend. If Beaubois can overcome his rookie jitters and become more consistent, the Mavericks will be tougher to contend with this coming spring.


SkyRant of the Week
When I first read that former Tampa Bay Buccaneers Head Coach Jon Gruden signed a multi-year extension as an NFL commentator, I was a bit perplexed. While Gruden’s a very articulate and engaging personality on the network, I thought he was a bit too predictable and uninspiring as a head coach. Most of his offensive players never trusted him and he played constant “musical chairs” with his roster of quarterbacks. Perhaps, Gruden is finally cognizant of his limitations as a head coach and basks in the glory of a large contract from the “World Wide Leader In Sports.” Hmmm, it wouldn’t be surprising if “Gruden The Genius” has a clause in his contract that lets him exit if he were to attain an NFL coaching vacancy next year.