Buchanon strong option to start

The Redskins signed free-agent cornerback Phillip Buchanon Monday, nabbing yet another former star from Miami.

If you're keeping track, that's now four former Hurricanes on the team: Clinton Portis, Santana Moss, Rocky McIntosh and Buchanon.

Taking a quick look at the Redskins' roster, you can probably pencil Buchanon in as a nickel back right now, but he has the potential to start opposite DeAngelo Hall. Carlos Rodgers has started many games for the Redskins, but he was benched multiple times last season and hasn't exactly stood out. Last year's third-round draft pick, Kevin Barnes, was a non-factor his rookie year.

Would not be surprised if Buchanon was starting by mid-season, if not sooner.

A new (hope?) thought: Tim Tebow

While Albert Haynesworth talked about switching to the 3-4 and Devin Thomas dismantled former coach Jim Zorn, a topic recently popped up on news sites, fan sites and message boards: Could the Redskins be thinking about drafting former Florida quarterback Tim Tebow?

Yeah, yeah. I know. Can't throw. Can't read defenses. Gator QB (EW!). But the guy is a college football living legend for a reason.

Let's say that offensive tackle Russell Okung falls to the Redskins in the first round. What's the Redskins' second biggest need? Another OL? Okay maybe. Also, the team might use another young running back. Maybe another linebacker or safety. But a young QB not named Colt Brennan (who, the way things are looking, won't survive training camp) would be a good idea, too.

Tebow has his problems, sure. But if there was one player in this draft I would want to take a gamble on, it's Tebow.

Here's a video, with some of his highlights.



One wild thought: If the Skins draft Tebow, get him used to the system slowly. Use him at fullback on some runs. Give him the ball on some running plays. Then have him throw from the FB position. He could have a dangerous weapon if used well. Just a thought.

Also, take a look at the stats of six college quarterbacks, and guess which is Tebow. You may be surprised.

Final note
If the Redskins draft Tebow, that will be the latest in a long line of GatorSkin QBs. Remember Danny Wuerffel? Shane Matthews? Rex Grossman was recently signed to be a system mentor/backup. All the Redskins are missing is Chris Leak, who is apparently playing in Canada for Montreal of the CFL. Go get em, Danny.

And your next Washington Redskins draftee will be ...

(March 18 edition)

All signs point to the Redskins either selecting a quarterback or a left tackle in the first round of this year's draft.

But which one will it be? Do the Redskins trust quarterback Jason Campbell? Can they protect him with their current offensive line?

The team has signed several offensive linemen this offseason, but none appear to be the standout left tackle. Wednesday, the team also signed quarterback Rex Grossman, who worked with new offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan and QB coach Matt LaFleur in Houston. Grossman doesn't figure to start ahead of Campbell.

That leaves us with little to go on for whom the Redskins may be targeting.

A lot will depend on what the teams ahead of Washington do in the draft. Up first are the Rams, who could use either a stud defensive lineman or a big-time QB. The general feeling right now is that St. Louis will pick Sam Bradford, a quarterback from Oklahoma.

The Lions are next, and they have a solid QB in Matthew Stafford. Look for the Lions to either go with Oklahoma State OT Russell Okung or defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh.

If the Lions take Suh, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will likely take Oklahoma defensive tackle Gerald McCoy. If the Lions take Okung, look for Tampa to pick Suh.

Now come the Redskins, who seem to like Bradford, Okung and Notre Dame quarterback Jimmy Clausen.

Here's how I see it: If Bradford is there, they'll pick him. If he's gone, they'll go after Okung. If both are off the board, they'll pick Clausen. The Redskins can't trade down too much or risk losing Clausen to a team like Seattle, which also needs a QB.

The third option is to stick with Campbell and trade down for more draft picks and a shot at lower tier offensive line talent like Rutgers' Anthony Davis.

Best bet for your newest Washington Redskin:
Jimmy Clausen.

Change has come, and that name is Shanahan

It's been a few months, but the Redskins -- and I along with them -- are getting back into action.

The team opened spring workouts on Monday, learning new offensive and defensive schemes, and meeting new coaches.

But before we go there, though, let's take a look back at this offseason so far.

If you'll kindly remember the last time we saw the 'Skins, they were finishing up yet another disappointing season, led by first-year coach Jim Zorn.

Well, Zorn was ousted. Another NFL legend took charge of the Redskins, this one named Mike Shanahan.

And Shanahan wanted change. Boy, did he bring it.

Goodbye to old favorites like Fred Smoot and Cornelius Griffin. Goodbye to running backs Ladell Betts and Rock Cartwright, as well as receiver Antwaan Randle El. Goodbye to many other old friends.

"A day of change," new Redskins personnel guru Bruce Allen called it. I'd call it as a house cleaning. And by God, it was sorely needed -- out with old, past-their-prime talent.

And free agency brought its usual excitement for Redskins fans. Except this March was not like the recent others. There was no big Albert Haynesworth-like signing. No Julius Peppers. No LaDainian Tomlinson.

The Redskins wanted to focus on their offensive line. They took a look at Packers OT Chad Clifton, but he re-signed with Green Bay. They took a look at OT Tony Pashos, but he signed with Cleveland. They re-signed Mike Williams, the mammoth tackle-turned-guard.

Yet no free agent signings. No Willie Parker, who visited. No Larry Foote, who visited. No Casey Wiegmann, who visited.

What in the name of Dan Snyder is going on here? Usually, when Washington wants someone, they get him. And guys going in and out of Redskins Park without a deal is not the norm.

But the Redskins eventually signed Artis Hicks, the former Minnesota guard/tackle who cleared holes for Adrian Peterson. The team also signed Larry Johnson, a 30-year-old past-his-prime running back.

Personnel changes aren't the only changes in Ashburn. The team will be switching from a 4-3 defensive scheme to a 3-4 scheme, meaning instead of four defensive linemen and three linebackers, there will be three defensive linemen and four linebackers.

Offensively, the addition of Johnson creates questions at running back. Mainly, how are Clinton Portis and Johnson going to interact? Both have been known to have explosive personalities. Can they make it through an entire season together, sharing carries?

Despite heavy criticism, Jason Campbell continues to look like the starting quarterback of next year's team. Shanahan's system is usually very QB-friendly. If Campbell is going to have success, he'll have it under Shanahan. And the team seems committed to rebuilding an offensive line that was dreadful last season.

Up next for the Redskins is the draft. Something I'll write about later this week.

End of an error

Well, the Jim Zorn Error -- I mean Era -- is officially over.

And the least-guarded secret in Washington is that former Denver coach Mike Shanahan will be the next head coach of the Redskins.

The only thing I can say right here is that Shanahan's tenure in D.C. will undoubtedly be more effective than Zorn's.

Zorn's 6-2 start was a blatent mirage. He had six wins in his first eight games and then six wins over his last 24 games.

Above all, though, the Zorn era will be remembered, I think, a lot like the Spurrier era was in D.C. A supposedly offensive coach comes to D.C. and the Redskins start well -- remember Osaka? -- but ultimately, there was fighting in the locker room and there systemic lack of discipline.

I admit I didn't pay a lot of attention to Shanahan's Denver teams, but the guy has won a Super Bowl before, and his teams were almost always competitive. Both of Zorn's teams ...well, weren't.

Truthfully, I am fairly sure that Shanahan's time in D.C. could not possibly be any worse than Zorn's.

Why bother?

There really isn't much to say about the Redskins loss to the Giants Monday night.

From the opening drive, it was quite clear the Giants were an experienced, sound playoff team. The Redskins are about as far from that as you can get.

When it was over, it was 45-12, certainly the most embarrassing Redskins loss of the year and rivaling the 52-7 walloping the Patriots put on the them back in 2007.

The talk going into the game, about Redskins players with the arrival of new GM Bruce Allen, was "These guys are playing for their jobs."

If so, a lot of guys lost their job today. There's not one player who had a good game. Marcus Mason -- who should not be playing for the Redskins next year -- had a decent game running the ball.

Also, I should mention that Fred Davis had a heck of a game as well. He continues to impress replacing Cooley.

The Redskins defense, especially, was eaten alive. The Giants completely owned the first quarter. They had a 10-minute drive. Most of the first half was controlled by N.Y. The second half wasn't much better.

The Redskins were better off not even stepping on the field. All there was Monday night was a giant embarrassment on national TV.

The witch is dead

Sing it now, friends.

Vinny Cerrato, the universally despised president of football operations for the Washington Redskins, resigned early Thursday morning.

Ding Dong! The Witch is dead. Which old Witch? The Wicked Witch!
Ding Dong! The Wicked Witch is dead.
Wake up - sleepy head, rub your eyes, get out of bed.
Wake up, the Wicked Witch is dead. He's gone where the goblins go,
Below - below - below. Yo-ho, let's open up and sing and ring the bells out.
Ding Dong' the merry-oh, sing it high, sing it low.
Let them know
The Wicked Witch is dead!

By the way, I'm giggling like a schoolgirl that the best way to describe Cerrato is "universally despised." God.

But, the rumor is that the Redskins have hired for Tampa Bay general manager Bruce Allen to run the show. Allen is the son of former Redskins coach George Allen.

To me, it's pretty clear that Dan Snyder really wanted a big change. If he didn't want a change, he wouldn't have fired Cerrato (which is what happened, regardless of whether Cerrato "resigned.")

So, goodbye Jim Zorn. Goodbye Jason Campbell (probably).

Allen was the GM in Tampa for a long time. His former head coach in Tampa was Jon Gruden, who, coincidentally, is calling the Redskins-Giants Monday Night Football game this Monday night in D.C. Do you guys really believe in coincidence?

Look for Gruden in D.C. next year.