Shopping for the Groceries is Important, But It’s the Cook that Counts
By Richard Rogers
Bill Parcells famously once said, “If I’m going to be asked to cook the meal, I’d like to be able to pick the groceries”. The Redskins are fourteen days away from the draft, the “Whole Foods” of the NFL. Teams pluck, poke, and sample aspiring NFL players in hopes they can help them reach the ultimate goal of winning a Super Bowl. It’s fair to argue that for years, the grocery shopper for the Redskins has gotten much of it wrong. Vinny Cerrato shopped for groceries for nearly a decade, only to yield mostly rotten or outdated items, in the form of players who couldn’t play, or players who could play once upon a time. I’m not sure where Vinny shopped during the 2008 draft, but that was a historically bad haul, as all 10 players are now out of the league.
But after Cerrato, the shopping improved. Despite only having six draft picks when he arrived in 2010, “shopper” Shanahan was able to snag our cornerstone, perennial All-Pro left tackle, Trent Williams. Perry Riley was also in the draft who was a solid starter for the Redskins through the 2015 season. Shanahan’s personnel record is debatable, as he will forever be linked with the Robert Griffin III pick, but he also found Kirk Cousins, Jordan Reed, Alfred Morris, Niles Paul, and Ryan Kerrigan. For the first time in Snyder’s tenure, we were beginning to acquire players, in the draft, who could play football. After Shanahan’s unceremonious departure, Bruce Allen was the honcho for the 2014 draft. This could, perhaps, be the best draft the Redskins have had in recent memory. Trent Murphy, Morgan Moses, Spencer Long, Bashaud Breeland, and Ryan Grant were drafted; that’s four starters and a contributor. Not bad, not bad at all.
In 2015, the Redskins hired one of the most respected and talented grocery shoppers in the NFL in Scot McCloughan. McCloughan was committed to shopping in the “football player” aisle. Finally, there was a commitment to building this team through the draft, but in traditional Redskins fashion, everything went awry when McCloughan was fired two years into his shopping tenure. There’s no need to relive the tawdry details of the breakup, but who’s the grocery shopper now? The Redskins have 10 picks in the upcoming draft and need a good haul. Most fans will cheer or jeer at names, but we won’t really know until the upcoming season or beyond. The point is, the Redskins were on the right track with personnel for this team, but will it continue?
The person shopping for the groceries is important, but so is the cook. For years, this organization has drafted young players and has not developed them. Most either could not play at this level or went onto other teams and excelled. Let’s start with the quarterback position. In my opinion, the Redskins ruined Jason Campbell. Multiple coaches, multiple systems and a coach in Joe Gibbs who stuck with veteran Mark Brunell way too long. By the time he went to Campbell, his leash was so short, there was no time for him to develop. Gibbs retired, Shanahan didn’t want him, and Campbell was officially a journeyman. Ryan Clark was drafted and jettisoned along with Antonio Pierce and Lorenzo Alexander.
But there seems to be something changing in the Redskins kitchen. Perhaps we have better cooks. Bill Callahan, to me, is the most valuable coach on Gruden’s staff. Brandon Scherff was drafted to replace Morgan Moses, but Bill Callahan got ahold of him and Moses has become a book-end right tackle. Spencer Long was just a guy in 2014, but he’s served well in his new role as center. Ty Nsehke was a CFL/AFL castoff, but Callahan has coached him to be probably the best backup left tackle in football. Callahan has some new groceries to slow cook in Vinston Painter and John Kling. As I stated, the cooks are better. Jay Gruden, Matt Cavanaugh, and Sean McVay have worked together to do something that no other coach has been able to do in over two decades and that’s develop a quarterback. Kirk Cousins seemed destined to be a career backup, but Gruden and his staff stuck with him. We’ll see if the Redskins brass value the hard work in the kitchen by rewarding Kirk with a long-term deal. There’s a much-needed new cook in the kitchen in Jim Tomsula, a well-respected “teacher” of defensive lineman of the same ilk as Bill Callahan.
I’ve always maintained that you need two to three difference makers on each side of the ball to become a serious contender. The offense is loaded, the defense has a piece or two, but we’re missing those players up front on defense. I assume the Redskins will address this in the upcoming draft. The grocery shopper is a question mark right now, but I feel more confident in the cooks.