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Gosselin: Washington Redskins might be too old to compete with Cowboys
Column by RICK GOSSELIN / The Dallas Morning News | rgosselin@dallasnews.com
Rick Gosselin
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11:29 PM CDT on Friday, July 30, 2010
First of a three-part series on the NFC East
ASHBURN, Va. – The new general manager is from Tampa Bay. The new coach is from Denver . The new quarterback is from Philadelphia . But the philosophy of the 2010 Washington Redskins has a very old and familiar local flavor.
The Redskins staged a franchise revival in 1971 under Hall of Fame coach George Allen with his Over-The-Hill Gang. Bruce Allen and Mike Shanahan hope to stage a similar revival of the Redskins in 2010 with their own Over-The-Hill gang.
Allen, the son of George, is the new general manager. He wears a Super Bowl ring from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Mike Shanahan is the new coach. He wears a Super Bowl ring from the San Francisco 49ers and two more from the Denver Broncos.
George Allen coveted age and experience as coach of the Redskins, trading away premium draft picks for veteran players. He never used a first- or third-round pick during his seven-year stint.
But Allen brought in Bill Kilmer, Deacon Jones, Jake Scott , Dave Robinson, Jim Tyrer, Maxie Baughan, Jack Pardee, Diron Talbert, Boyd Dowler, Ron McDole and Walt Sweeney – all accomplished veterans at the back end of their careers.
Allen inherited a team that had not gone to the playoffs in 25 years – but steered the Redskins into the postseason five times, including a Super Bowl appearance in 1973.
Bruce Allen and Shanahan also prefer older players. Allen's Tampa Bay team that won a Super Bowl fielded the third-oldest lineup in the NFL in 2002. Shanahan's Denver teams that won back-to-back championships in 1997-98 also were among the NFL's oldest squads.
Mesh the philosophies of Bruce and George Allen and Shanahan, and the Redskins will field an old football team in 2010.
Allen and Shanahan added 10 veteran players in their 30s to the Washington roster, including 33-year-old quarterback Donovan McNabb , whom they acquired from Philadelphia. They added six more players who are 29. Three of them – quarterback Rex Grossman , running back Willie Parker and cornerback Phillip Buchanan – will turn 30 before the end of the season.
McNabb, Pro Bowl middle linebacker London Fletcher (35), leading sacker Andre Carter (31), leading receiver Santana Moss (31) and offensive line hub Casey Rabach (32) are expected to play key roles for the Redskins.
But this is not 1971. This is 2010.
Back then you could have older players because the NFL calendar allowed their bodies time to rest and recuperate. There was an off-season. Players could disappear from February through June, except to pop in for the occasional minicamp.
But there is no off-season in today's NFL.
Training camps open in July and the Super Bowl is played in February. The off-season program begins in March, and there are minicamps into June. Players aren't off the field and out of the weight room long enough to get out of shape, which means bodies don't have the time to recuperate and regenerate. Especially older bodies.
So old teams tend to fade late in a season.
The Redskins were the oldest team in the NFL in 2007 under Jim Zorn . They were sitting on a playoff berth with a 7-4 record at Thanksgiving. But old legs faded late – the Redskins closed out the season 1-4 to finish 8-8.
Shanahan fielded the oldest team in the NFL at Denver in 2006. The Broncos also were sitting on a playoff berth with a 7-4 record at Thanksgiving. But Denver lost three of its final five games to miss out on the postseason.
Shanahan's Broncos were among the NFL's oldest teams from 2000-08. Five times the average age exceeded 28 years. Those Denver teams won 61.8 percent of their games (60-37) before Thanksgiving – but they were barely over .500 (25-22) after Thanksgiving when the winning seasons and playoff berths are determined. Shanahan was 6-11 after Thanksgiving in his final three seasons – all playoff-less.
The New England Patriots won back-to-back Super Bowls in 2003-04 with old teams. But Bill Belichick did a superb job of maximizing his 53-man roster.
Every player had a role. Belichick would ask this player to play 10 downs per game, that player to play 12 downs and another player to play 16. He didn't rely strictly on his 22 starters – he spread the play time among 53 players.
"You have to make sure you don't overwork anybody," Shanahan said.
That will be the key for the Redskins in 2010. On paper, Shanahan has talent to compete in the NFC East.
But he's going to have to maximize his 53-man roster to ensure older players can stay on the field and keep their legs fresh as the season winds down in December.
Cowboys vs. Redskins
Date Host Time
S 12 Wash. 7:20 p.m.
D19 Dallas Noon
Over-The-Hill Gang II
Active Washington Redskins who will be 30 or older on opening day:
Player Pos. Age
Josh Bidwell P 34
Andre Carter LB 31
Phillip Daniels DE 37
Derrick Dockery G 30
Chris Draft LB 34
London Fletcher LB 35
Mike Furrey WR 33
Joey Galloway WR 38
Howard Green NT 31
Rex Grossman QB 30
Artis Hicks G/T 31
Vonnie Holliday DL 34
Larry Johnson RB 30
Maake Kemoeatu NT 31
Donovan McNabb QB 33
Santana Moss WR 31
Casey Rabach C 32
Mike Sellers FB 35
WashingtonRedskins.com
Column by RICK GOSSELIN / The Dallas Morning News | rgosselin@dallasnews.com
Rick Gosselin
Archive | Bio | E-mail
11:29 PM CDT on Friday, July 30, 2010
First of a three-part series on the NFC East
ASHBURN, Va. – The new general manager is from Tampa Bay. The new coach is from Denver . The new quarterback is from Philadelphia . But the philosophy of the 2010 Washington Redskins has a very old and familiar local flavor.
The Redskins staged a franchise revival in 1971 under Hall of Fame coach George Allen with his Over-The-Hill Gang. Bruce Allen and Mike Shanahan hope to stage a similar revival of the Redskins in 2010 with their own Over-The-Hill gang.
Allen, the son of George, is the new general manager. He wears a Super Bowl ring from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Mike Shanahan is the new coach. He wears a Super Bowl ring from the San Francisco 49ers and two more from the Denver Broncos.
George Allen coveted age and experience as coach of the Redskins, trading away premium draft picks for veteran players. He never used a first- or third-round pick during his seven-year stint.
But Allen brought in Bill Kilmer, Deacon Jones, Jake Scott , Dave Robinson, Jim Tyrer, Maxie Baughan, Jack Pardee, Diron Talbert, Boyd Dowler, Ron McDole and Walt Sweeney – all accomplished veterans at the back end of their careers.
Allen inherited a team that had not gone to the playoffs in 25 years – but steered the Redskins into the postseason five times, including a Super Bowl appearance in 1973.
Bruce Allen and Shanahan also prefer older players. Allen's Tampa Bay team that won a Super Bowl fielded the third-oldest lineup in the NFL in 2002. Shanahan's Denver teams that won back-to-back championships in 1997-98 also were among the NFL's oldest squads.
Mesh the philosophies of Bruce and George Allen and Shanahan, and the Redskins will field an old football team in 2010.
Allen and Shanahan added 10 veteran players in their 30s to the Washington roster, including 33-year-old quarterback Donovan McNabb , whom they acquired from Philadelphia. They added six more players who are 29. Three of them – quarterback Rex Grossman , running back Willie Parker and cornerback Phillip Buchanan – will turn 30 before the end of the season.
McNabb, Pro Bowl middle linebacker London Fletcher (35), leading sacker Andre Carter (31), leading receiver Santana Moss (31) and offensive line hub Casey Rabach (32) are expected to play key roles for the Redskins.
But this is not 1971. This is 2010.
Back then you could have older players because the NFL calendar allowed their bodies time to rest and recuperate. There was an off-season. Players could disappear from February through June, except to pop in for the occasional minicamp.
But there is no off-season in today's NFL.
Training camps open in July and the Super Bowl is played in February. The off-season program begins in March, and there are minicamps into June. Players aren't off the field and out of the weight room long enough to get out of shape, which means bodies don't have the time to recuperate and regenerate. Especially older bodies.
So old teams tend to fade late in a season.
The Redskins were the oldest team in the NFL in 2007 under Jim Zorn . They were sitting on a playoff berth with a 7-4 record at Thanksgiving. But old legs faded late – the Redskins closed out the season 1-4 to finish 8-8.
Shanahan fielded the oldest team in the NFL at Denver in 2006. The Broncos also were sitting on a playoff berth with a 7-4 record at Thanksgiving. But Denver lost three of its final five games to miss out on the postseason.
Shanahan's Broncos were among the NFL's oldest teams from 2000-08. Five times the average age exceeded 28 years. Those Denver teams won 61.8 percent of their games (60-37) before Thanksgiving – but they were barely over .500 (25-22) after Thanksgiving when the winning seasons and playoff berths are determined. Shanahan was 6-11 after Thanksgiving in his final three seasons – all playoff-less.
The New England Patriots won back-to-back Super Bowls in 2003-04 with old teams. But Bill Belichick did a superb job of maximizing his 53-man roster.
Every player had a role. Belichick would ask this player to play 10 downs per game, that player to play 12 downs and another player to play 16. He didn't rely strictly on his 22 starters – he spread the play time among 53 players.
"You have to make sure you don't overwork anybody," Shanahan said.
That will be the key for the Redskins in 2010. On paper, Shanahan has talent to compete in the NFC East.
But he's going to have to maximize his 53-man roster to ensure older players can stay on the field and keep their legs fresh as the season winds down in December.
Cowboys vs. Redskins
Date Host Time
S 12 Wash. 7:20 p.m.
D19 Dallas Noon
Over-The-Hill Gang II
Active Washington Redskins who will be 30 or older on opening day:
Player Pos. Age
Josh Bidwell P 34
Andre Carter LB 31
Phillip Daniels DE 37
Derrick Dockery G 30
Chris Draft LB 34
London Fletcher LB 35
Mike Furrey WR 33
Joey Galloway WR 38
Howard Green NT 31
Rex Grossman QB 30
Artis Hicks G/T 31
Vonnie Holliday DL 34
Larry Johnson RB 30
Maake Kemoeatu NT 31
Donovan McNabb QB 33
Santana Moss WR 31
Casey Rabach C 32
Mike Sellers FB 35
WashingtonRedskins.com
