another Gardner/Panthers blurb

Is this one of those deals where, if we wait till he is released then the teams with the worst record get first crack at him and then we have to exceed the offer?? If so, then we must be very serious about him since we are talking trade.

 

Collin said it was common, but it's really not, amongst talented teams, and most teams' third guys are more talented than ours. We've got two good receivers that could start, and no more; and for that matter, if they're moving for Gardner, you could make a point that they're not really looking to start Colbert if they don't have to.

I don't know if I'd go after a big, physical guy like Gardner, though, considering that we never actually used Moose as he'd been used in 99, 00 (which was when he was playing his best ball before the rules changed). It seems like a waste, considering Gardner won't have deep speed and to have a guy like that just to block seems to be mis-managed money.


But, if we get him, he's an asset. Obviously, this might push Proehl into retirement, and I don't particularly like that, but all the same, I don't think he's an irreplaceable asset, and we're better as Smith/Gardner/Colbert than we are with Smith/Colbert/Proehl.

 

Proehl is retiring next year regardless

I'd take Gardner...he's a damn good WR. I'm not saying he's Terrel Owens or Randy Moss, maybe not even a Keenen McCardell, but he could help the teams depth. As for who the starters are, I have no proplem with WR by commitee outside of SS. Plus if he's going to continue to PR, Colbert, Gardner, & Proehl could see some snaps together.

Plus we still have a wild card in Drew Carter.

With Gardner, there shouldn't even be an arguement that Jake would have more receiving targets than this team has seen...one could almost be made now.

You also have to remember Washington has sucked at the QB position these past years, so Gardner's numbers are handicapped

 

He was never a "great" receiver, but he was 90% of the time our best receiver. He had three Pro Bowl level seasons in 6 starting years, so let's stop the bullshit that Muhammad wasn't a huge part of our team.

 

He was a big part but not worth the money. He caught 578 passes in 9 years, or about 64 a season. He was a good blocker and a good locker room guy, but not a great player. He was the best we had by default because we ain't had much at that position ever.

 

3 pro-bowls in 6 years, that's pretty damn good. who else is in that club?
i can't blame gardner for his deal. how many oc's since he's been there? how many coaches? he probably can't wait to get the hell out of there.

 

Those 3 years were fine. It's the other years that made him mediocre.

 

You can trip over yourself and the semantics of how well you'd "rate" him, and all that other silly shit, but he was still a huge part of this team. You might not have liked him, but that doesn't change what an impact he made on this team.

Yeah, people have always bellyached over his money, too. And then, after one good season, a "contract" season, hand it over to Smith no questions asked.

 

why do you even bother? that was about the dumbest thing I've heard

 

Mediocre is a lofty charge, imo.

Those other years, he fought injuries. It wasn't that he just decided to suck in between seasons. Consistancy was a problem, but some of that was a result of turnover in the coaching ranks, and at quarterback.

I'm not a Moose apologist. Letting him go, in the grand scheme, was the right move. I do, however, think he takes a bit too much heat, especially now that he's gone.