Repeating sins of the past

Reading the latest issue of ESPN the Magazine, I came across an article that talks about the rise of JaMarcus Russell and fall of Brady Quinn and I immediately thought of Peyton Manning and Ryan Leaf.

Manning was the quarterback with the pedigree and the experience while Leaf was the one with the impressive, single, season and great workouts and I can't help but think that the Oakland Raiders are getting ready to make a mistake - and I can't wait.

If there is one thing we have learned, it's that a quarterback that has the type of success like Manning or Quinn had, they will perform at the next level where one year wonders like Russell, Leaf, and Akili Smith - to name a few - are too much of an unknown to guarantee any success in the league. Obviously Vince Young proved this theory wrong last season with his success in Tennessee, but he was the exception and not the rule.

How does this apply to the Redskins? Well, while doing their "due diligence," Russell was brought in and if the Redskins think they're fooling anybody, then they really need some new brains in the front office. If Washington is planning on making any sort of move for Russell, which they adamantly deny, they need to follow what they are telling the media, that they are not going after him.

I wrote yesterday saying mind games and deception are the name of the game from here on in, but even the slightest hint of a trade at this point needs to be nipped in the bud. There is not enough left even in the future to mortgage for the present and if this team is going to turn things around, they need to start by keeping draft picks, not trading more away. The only type of trade that should be considered is one that allows the Skins to move down and acquire more picks.

The current approach the Skins are taking is not and has never worked, so before they go and do another stupid thing, they need to step back and learn not only from their recent history but the history of first round potential as well.