Redskins trade for Jammal Brown; reinforce offensive line!!

In one offseason, the new Washington Redskins brain trust of Mike Shanahan and Bruce Allen have done more for the team's offensive line than former VP/Football Operations Vinny Cerrato did over several years. First, Washington selected Oklahoma tackle Trent Williams(notes) with the fourth overall pick, and now Shanahan and Allen have engineered a trade with the New Orleans Saints. The ‘Skins get tackle Jammal Brown(notes), and the Saints get ... well, the compensation is pretty interesting.

The Redskins already owe the Philadelphia Eagles a mid-round conditional pick for Donovan McNabb(notes) (either third- or fourth-round, depending on certain escalators), and they now owe the Saints another conditional mid-rounder (same deal) - basically, the compensation to the Saints is dependent on the compensation to the Eagles. One team will get Washington's third-round pick in 2011, and another will get the team's fourth-rounder. There are other late-round picks involved - a possible 2011 fifth-, sixth-, or seventh-rounder back to Washington from New Orleans, and a 2012 sixth-rounder in the same direction. Again, these are all based on 2010 playing incentives, so we'll have to wait and see how it shakes out. What we do know is that Cerrato probably would have skipped the complicated stuff and just given the Saints Washington's entire 2011 draft for Brown, which is yet another reason it's good that Shanahan and Allen are in charge now.

Why such low compensation for a left tackle who went to the Pro Bowl in 2008 - a player who the Saints slapped with a first- and third-round tender this past offseason? Brown is a talented player, but a pretty serious injury risk - he missed the entire 2009 season after hip surgery, and he's never played a full 16-game season in his NFL career. Still, if Brown comes back from injury as he was, the Redskins made a great trade that reinforces a line that was overwhelmed in 2009 after years of neglect. The question about Brown is how much he's been helped by Drew Brees'(notes) quick release. While the Saints' lines have been highly regarded in overall pass-blocking numbers over the last few seasons, aficionados of offensive line play also note that Brees is virtually unparalleled when it comes to getting rid of the ball in time. Will Brown regress back to the mean with a quarterback who's not quite as quick-twitch?

The next step for Brown, as it still is for McNabb, is to come to terms on a longer deal. Brown is a restricted free agent once he signs his tender, and McNabb is under contract through the end of the 2010 season, as well. For the first time since George Allen (Bruce's dad) created the "Over the Hill Gang" in the 1970s, the Redskins seem to have some real sense behind their trading of draft picks. Initial word has Williams playing left tackle though he played just one college season on the left side; this will be sorted out in a Redskins offseason that just gets more and more interesting every day.

Source: Yahoo

Redskins to Haynesworth: We'd like our money back, please!!!

Edit post

The Washington Redskins have just about it had it with Albert Haynesworth's(notes) unhappy dance, and now they're firing back. According to the AP, their plan of attack is to recover some or all of the $21 million they gave him in bonus money last year.

The Redskins are going to see if they can recoup all or part of a $21 million bonus from the disgruntled two-time All Pro defensive tackle, an official within the league with knowledge of the deliberations told The Associated Press on Wednesday. The team decided to take the action after Haynesworth failed to report for a mandatory two-day minicamp.

Haynesworth, as you know, is upset because the Redskins want him to play in a 3-4 defense, as opposed to the 4-3 Albert prefers.

Haynesworth's contention is that the Redskins promised him he'd be playing in a 4-3, and he never would've signed there if he knew his role would be as a 3-4 player. Unless he specifically got that written into his contract, though, I don't think it matters. The Redskins signed him to play football.

So play football, Big Al.

Whenever possible, I try to side with the player in NFL athlete vs. management controversies. I feel like the current collective bargaining agreement is slanted very much in favor of the owners, and players generally get the short end of the stick.

Haynesworth is making that stance difficult, though. He's not a young guy who's outperformed his contract, and he's not someone who isn't going to get the payday he deserves. He just signed with the Redskins a year ago for $100 million.

I don't care if they ask you to return punts on the scout team or clip Rex Grossman's(notes) toenails. You took the money. Now you do what they ask you to do, which, by the way, is not unreasonable.

Unless you're willing to give the money back, in which case I'm sure the Redskins would be happy to release you, and you can go see if someone else will give you $100 million. Heads-up, though: Only one Dan Snyder exists.

Yahoo