Redskins' Tight-Knit Core May Face Breakup
Salary Increases Of 2004 Signings Threaten Cap

By Howard Bryant
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, December 17, 2006

Around the Washington Redskins, for whom skyrocketing expectations have spiraled bitterly into hard introspection, there exists an uncomfortable degree of truth in jokes. In the locker room, cornerback Shawn Springs has periodically approached a teammate in jest and said: "It's been good playing with you, bro. I might as well say it now, 'cause I probably won't be here next year."

With three games remaining, the prospect of the front office breaking up this team is on the minds of many players, especially the defensive free agents brought in for Joe Gibbs's first season, the group the coach often refers to as "True Redskins." Close-knit defensive linemen Cornelius Griffin, Phillip Daniels, Joe Salave'a and Renaldo Wynn, linebacker Marcus Washington and Springs are faced with the twin concerns of suffering from a collective bad year and having high 2007 salaries.

The 2004 signings -- quarterback Mark Brunell and running back Clinton Portis also are part of that group -- believed last season's playoff run would lead to greater accomplishments this season. But with the team 4-9, the Redskins will have to decide whether the Redskins' defense suffered from a fluke season in which nothing went right or is in irreparable decline.

Gibbs and owner Daniel Snyder have, over the past few weeks, discussed the defense and concluded that the answer is the former, according to a team source, who asked not to be identified because they are not authorized to speak publicly. Despite the fact that each of the 2004 contracts was structured for three years of cost containment and a steep escalation in the fourth year, Gibbs and Snyder believe the defense can still be playoff-caliber and both are, at least for now, committed to keeping its core intact, the salary cap notwithstanding.

"From what I understand, they're not going to let the cap get in the way of keeping this team together," the source said, a sentiment seconded Friday by Gibbs.

"I really do think that this was just one of those years," Gibbs said. "We've always said we like that group. I certainly don't think that I saw signs that told me we needed to blow this whole thing up. In the offseason we're going to study this thing from A to Z because when you have the year we've had you have to learn from it."

The team faces difficult decisions, according to sources with extensive knowledge of the Redskins' cap situation who asked not to be identified because they are not allowed to speak publicly. Gibbs and some of his players are headed toward an uneasy collision between the inclusive, emotional rhetoric he has traditionally affixed to his 2004 class and the cold edge of business, where both player and team must determine their financial worth with wavering degrees of sentimentality.

"I can tell you right now that I don't want to go anywhere," said Griffin, who will count $6.16 million against next year's salary cap. "Being here matters to me. Even when things didn't go the way you want them to go, I told myself to have the best last three games of the year. The fact is that you still have a Redskins logo on the side of your helmet. That means you go out and earn it. I need to look myself in the mirror."

Griffin's salary cap figure for 2007 jumps about 142 percent from 2006. Washington's rises 132 percent and Springs's cap number is 127 percent higher. Brunell, who lost his starting job to Jason Campbell a month ago, is scheduled to earn $5.2 million in base salary but his cap number is a hefty $6.63 million, including bonuses.

League salary cap experts analyzing the Redskins' situation said some players, perhaps Springs, Griffin and Washington, likely would be asked to restructure their contracts.

Coming off the travails of this season, however, there may be less willingness from some players to restructure or accept pay cuts. This is especially true when last season's restructuring was followed by the departure of some popular veterans and the signing of a well-paid free agent class that fell far short of expectations.

"Financially, they aren't in any cap trouble at all," one of the league sources said. "But they do have some big numbers coming up. If they decide not to keep some of their players, it won't be because their hand is being forced. It will be because they don't want them anymore.

"But I would say just from looking at it that it would be hard to envision these guys not being back next year. You'll probably see some restructuring, or a high-number guy like Wynn will probably be gone, but they could bring him back at a lower price because he means lot to them. You're talking about the entire core of their defense. You can't just get rid of everybody."

Avenues to Explore

The Redskins have three major options. The first is to ask the player to take a pay cut, a strong possibility in the case of Brunell, who at 36 is unlikely to sign elsewhere for what he is scheduled to earn in Washington. The strategy would be to appeal to Brunell's sense of place and comfort level with the Redskins -- weeks ago Brunell was one of two players to voluntarily restructure his contract to allow the team to sign Ladell Betts to a five-year contract -- and his relationship with Gibbs. Brunell, however, may believe he can start or have a better chance to play in another market.

The second option is to trade on the sense of family Gibbs has tried to create and ask players to rework their contracts. Last season, Griffin, Daniels and right tackle Jon Jansen were among the Redskins who restructured their contracts. But unlike 2005, when the Redskins were coming off a playoff appearance, there is little momentum pushing the players and the front office together. And it might be unwise for the Redskins to restructure contracts of players they do not want to keep beyond 2007.

"What he could say to a player like Washington, Daniels or Griffin, who have money coming up they don't want to pay, is this: You're a vital member of this team and we need you to rework your deal to lessen the cap hit," one league cap expert said. "But when you do that, it exacerbates the cap hit later."

The third option is to cut the player, either on March 1 or after June 1, whichever benefits the Redskins' cap position. The sources said Wynn, considered one of the team's leaders, is in danger of being in this category. His contract expires after 2007 and represents a $4 million cap hit next year.

Springs will count $7.35 million against the salary cap for next season with a base of $4.87 million. In a weak free agent market for cornerbacks -- Buffalo's Nate Clements and New England's Asante Samuel are the best -- Springs appears in a strong position. He is due $2 million should the team release him and he become a free agent March 1, and he could take his chances to earn the nearly $5 million he would have been paid by the Redskins on the open market.

Worse for the Redskins is that 2005 top 10 pick Carlos Rogers has not proven himself to be a shutdown cornerback, adding to Springs's value. Rogers has played in 12 games this season and does not have an interception. Springs has played in just seven games, has an interception and, in last Sunday's 21-19 loss to Philadelphia, held wide receiver Donte Stallworth to three catches for 31 yards, though Stallworth did beat Springs for a key first down that helped the Eagles run out the clock.

"I like it here. D.C. is my city. I'm home," Springs said. "I'd be willing to talk definitely, but everyone has to do what is best for their situation. You just have to play it out and see what happens."

Cold Reality

Gregg Williams, the assistant head coach-defense, said Thursday he believes the defense has been "a play away" from turning games around. The margin between winning and losing this season, he said, has been so thin that the statistics can be misleading. He said he does not believe his defense, which carries six of 11 starters over the age of 30, got old at once this season and requires an overhaul.

"I do think it's one of those crazy years where we've been in position to make a play, and the balls don't bounce our way," Williams said. "You fight and you try so hard that it magnifies. We haven't backed off one iota. We've played stronger in several areas, and we have to keep on fighting."

But in several instances, the Redskins have been overwhelmed. Atlanta rushed for 256 yards in a 24-14 Redskins loss on Dec. 3. For the first time in Washington, Williams's defense gave up 400 yards of offense against the Giants on Oct. 3, and again Oct. 22 in Indianapolis. Five times, the defense has given up 145 rushing yards and five opponents -- Tiki Barber, Travis Henry, Cadillac Williams, Brian Westbrook and Jerious Norwood -- have rushed for 100 yards this season.

"We see some technique and experience getting better. We have to do a better job of taking the ball away," Williams said. "Going down the stretch we did a very good job of knocking the ball out. Last week minus Velcro or putting stick'em on gloves, we didn't come up with two glaring opportunities that were right on our hands."

It would all be easier for the Class of 2004 if the season had gone as expected. But a nightmare season leaves Gibbs having to decide whether what he saw on the field was compelling enough to commit to this defense in 2007 and in some cases 2008.

Griffin is the Redskins' best run stopper, and has played most of the season with a torn left labrum. He has been critical of his play this season, though he has faced more double teams this season than last.

"If this is it, I say we go out with a bang. There are some people, when it's not going right, who just say 'forget it.' I'm the opposite. I want to work twice as hard," Griffin said. "The D-Line on this team is very, very close. If one of those players isn't here, I'm going to hurt for them. If I'm not here, I know they'll hurt for me. That's how close we are."