Redskins get No. 2 pick.....

Keep in mind how little Griffin will cost for the next several years compared to a free agent QB. That's a big reason why these high picks carry more value than they did when you had to draft the guy and then give him $40 million guaranteed.

Based on how this was shaking out, it was becoming clear that it was going to take three No. 1s to get this done. The Redskins threw in the extra No. 2 to put some distance between themselves and the Browns. If he becomes a franchise QB it will be worth it.

In most years it would be insane, but I think Luck and RG3 are both going to be great, great players. And yeah, I think Griffin is that much better than the A&M kid.

 

Or it could be Manning and Leaf ca 1998, which is what makes the whole process fun to watch.

 

Except Leaf was known to be a bit of a head case when he was at Wazzu. Based on what I've heard from people and read, Griffin seems to be a complete class act.

 

From a pure football standpoint, I think this is a great deal for both teams. Obviously, it's just my opinion but I actually like RG3 better than Luck and think he'll be the better player long term. That remains to be seen, of course.

But Griffin is an excellent fit for Mike Shanahan. Shanahan's teams have always been at their best when he has a QB that he can use on bootlegs and throwing on the move. Obviously, Elway is one of the greatest of all time but even with Jake Plummer, Shanahan found ways to make him a legit NFL quarterback and get to the AFC title game. A guy like RG3 should allow Shanahan to get back to that style of offense and I wouldn't be at all surprised if he was successful from day one.

Now that they are lacking top draft picks the next couple years, I'd expect them to be involved with top free agents to help fill the void of premiere players they'll be getting via the draft (well, that and it's Dan Snyder plus cap room). If they go out and get, say, Vincent Jackson and Michael Bush or add a stud OL like Carl Nicks, you've put some nice weapons around Griffin to start winning right away.

For the Rams, it was certainly a case of right place at the right time but they still get credit for maximizing the value of that pick. The thing for them will obviously be connecting on those picks. Previous regimes have obviously failed miserably in that regard so I'm sure people in STL are still skeptical about this group doing better. Still, by most accounts this is a six-player draft and the Rams added a boat load of picks while still remaining in that top six.

 

On a side note, if the Rams are not a playoff team in five year, they need to give up competitive football.

 

Just thinking about the Rams, they should be fine. The big question mark is Bradford, but Jeff Fisher won with Vince Young and Kerry Collins ( league's best record in 2008), so if the team can keep the kid upright, the Rams should be competitive pretty soon.

 

Five years? Try two, if not this year.

Typical Snyder trade. I'm wondering how long it will take for the Shanahans to fall out of love with RG3. And Moddy, there was buzz when Haynesworth signed, too, but it was a horrible deal then and anyone who followed the league could have told you that.

 

The first words out of my mouth like a lot of people here were, "Wow, they gave up too much. What a deal for the Rams." You have to figure that at the very least, those first two picks by the Redskins will both be good ones.

But as others have brought up, if you think you have a chance to get a top-tier NFL QB, this league is tailored around them, so don't you go get one even if you have to pay 1.20 on the dollar? It's pretty obvious that RGIII will make or break this deal on its own, but I think what it will penultimately boil down to is that Washington has to hit on a high percentage of it's free agency moves now. You lack the draft picks to gather impact players, so whoever you grab off the market, they better not go Haynesworth on you.

 

If free-agency moves are the second-to-last factor, what is the last?

 

Forgot about Ferragamo - always considered him a Cal guy, and Aikman a UCLA guy. Still surprised that no Big 12 qb has won a Super Bowl. Sure the wishbone was a big part of it, but since they've started throwing the ball, their qbs haven't exactly shined (Young, McCoy, Gabbert, Daniels, Stewart..) also odd that no USC qb has played in a Super Bowl.
I really don't see it as much of a risk for Shanahan. If it works - he gets extended, if it doesn't he's fired and doesn't have to deal with the aftermath.

 

The left-liberal economics blogger Matt Yglesias on Slate had a post about how this was a horrible deal for the Redskins citing the research of those guys on draft picks done PRIOR to the new contract which made all their data irrelevant. But that's not even the worst part. It ignored the economic reality of the decision makers. NFL personnel decision makers don't live in a long-term universe. Maybe it's better over the long haul to always horde draft picks, but in the short haul, you're fired. It's like expecting hedge fund managers to buy index funds because that's the best long-range plan.
This is a hugely risky deal. But if Griffin can play, he's a bargain.

 

Yeah. I was being sarcastic when I called him a running qb. Used caps to signify the idiocy of those who refer to him as a running qb.

He's a smooth, smooth passer. I've been saying for months that he will be at least as good, if not better, than Luck for months. Just a hunch. Hope I'm right. Unless the Colts get jumpy and take RG3.

Again, it's a move the Skins had to do. No better option among college QBs. They need to get younger at QB, not older.