Now that the NFL football offseason is officially here!

I COMPLETELY forgot the Pro Bowl was on last night. I was watching Kobe Bryant and the Lakers take down the Miami Heat and then I started watching Man in the Iron Mask and Mr.&Mrs. Smith and I forgot to watch the Pro Bowl. But I guess I took the game as seriously as Tom Brady did.
So there we go......
Now that the NFL season is on shutdown until April's draft, I thought I would throw a few thoughts at you on my Washington Redskins finally hiring a coach and the hometown Atlanta Falcons considering drafting Andre Woodson.

First on the Redskins....First Snyder ALREADY fired Marty a few years back, so he couldn't exactly go crawling back to him and Pete Carroll (Thankfully) turned the Skins down. Snyder decided Al Saunders and Gregg Williams were NOT WORTHY, so off they went. It came down to Steve Spagnuolo, Jim Bates and Jim Fassell....so who does Snyder go with? The guy he hired as offensive coordinator a few WEEKS ago Jim Zorn. Didn't see that one coming for the Skins. They hired the guy as an OC, even though he's only EVER been a QB coach, and then because the fans don't like Fassell, Snyder goes with Zorn.

Because Zorn impressed him in an interview.

hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm this has Jim Mora Jr written ALL OVER IT!
Here is what The Body, Paul Mac said about this hiring: "Fassell has a much better track record but he is a retread and fans are silly like that......Yipes.
Still, Mora wasn't awful other than the public ridiculousness... kind of like... I'm happy to be here with the Maroon and Black....

Yeah, Snyder couldn't have handled this more poorly.I hope for your sake he's awesome from the jump. You guys have had almost as many bad hires as Atlanta."

I have yet to get my stepdad Daddio's opinion on the matter, but when I told him of Zorn's hiring as OC, his response was, "Who?" That can't be good for the Skins' number one fan-that is Daddio. Let's hope this guy can finish what Gibbs restarted.

On to the Falcons' QB situation. I have argued and continue to argue that the Falcons should NOT take a QB with their top 3 picks in this draft (their own 1st and 2nd and the Texans 2nd), and instead wait until next year's class of Stafford, McCoy, Tebow, Bradford, Carpenter, Parker-Wilson is up as I see ALL of those guys better than Matt Ryan, Brian Brohm, Andre Woodson, Chad Henne, JDBooty, etc. The Falcons can take a Lineman (Jake Long or Chris Long) or RB (Run DMc) and go with Byron Leftwich this season and sub in DJ Shockley. Just wait a bit. Just wait it out. The Falcons went down and got Leftwich. I imagine he can hold on for another year.
Anyways, I nearly spit water through my nose when I saw the AJC printing Rich Brooks' 5 reasons as to why the Falcons should draft Andre Woodson in the first round. HUH? with potentially the #3 overall pick? Here are my thoughts on Brooks' list.
From the AJC: Kentucky coach Rich Brooks gives us five reasons why former Wildcats star Andre Woodson would be a wise draft pick for an NFL team needing at quarterback. Like, say, the Falcons:
1. He has NFL size at 6 foot 5, 230 pounds.
(so was Ryan Leaf, Akili Smith, David Carr)
2. He has great arm strength and can make all the throws NFL teams require.
(so could Ryan Leaf)
3. He's a very good student of the game, with knowledge of defenses and coverages.
(oh, so he knew the coverage of South Carolina that intercepted him 99 yards for a TD. He knew the defense of UGA that sacked him 6 times this year in a loss?)
4. He has the leadership ability and character.
(nothing says leader like taking your team to a victory in the Music City Bowl)
5. He knows how to win. The last two years, he led Kentucky to its best back-to-back seasons in 30 years. Also the last two seasons, he directed six come-from-behind victories in the fourth quarter.
(except he never beat Florida or Tennessee. He lost to UGA his senior year, he lost to South Carolina his senior year. HE LOST TO MISSISSIPPI STATE his senior year. Coming from behind to beat Louisville this season DOESN'T COUNT!)
i can see a team WASTING a first round pick on this guy, like the Redskins did for Jason Campbell a few years back. HEY NFL GMs...THIS GUY IS A SECOND OR THIRD ROUNDER AT BEST! Don't waste an early pick on him. If the Falcons trade their two second rounders to move up into the first round to take this guy WHEN HE WILL STILL BE THERE in the second, Dimitrov should be fired IMMEDIATELY!
Paul Mac of course weighs in: The fact Rich Brooks has to go out and campaign for this flop says all I need to hear. Winners don't need advertisement that's free.
(to the AJC points) 1. Agreed but if size mattered the Battleship Lorenzen could be a starter
2.Dosen't matter if the accuracy sucks and it takes him a decade to deliver it.
3) Um, unequivocally no. The biggest games he played he failed in and his flaws were magnified not diminished. Is he a good student? probably he's a D1 QB... That qualifies him to hold a clipboard not to be a world changing QB.
4) So does every other QB worthy of being drafted... where are the key plays he made in the biggest games?
5) he knows how to beat average teams.
Good QB... no problem with that. Nothing wrong with that but in my best Colorado Buffs voice.... IT'S THE NFL BROTHER!!!!
Andre Woodson has not shown any amount of game skill under duress that would lead me to believe he'll be an NFL success. When I've watched him he's been awful under pressure. I know all QB's struggle with> this, but the best ones... the ones worthy of millions... those are the guys that are able to get the job done under duress. Woodson can be good like leftwich behind a very good line. He's going to be terrible if he has to move at all... That's simply a fact. All I need to do is watch his failure to deliver the pass vs. Tennessee on the final play to show that. It's pretty obvious Woodson's stock has slipped and his coach is standing up for him. It was all hype same as with Brennan. Seeing them in person at the senior bowl confirmed it. I don't care about numbers either.... Good QB's (Brady, Montana etc.) you don't think wow, that guy has a 78% completion percentage and 4K yards... they really kill Detroit.... You think... wow that guy has won multiple super bowls with game winning drives... Brady didn't do that at Michigan... thus the 6th round pick. Woodson didn't do that at Kentucky... I think he's worthy of a 3rd or a low 2."
Finally, my thoughts on taking a QB in the first round.
If you are going to take a QB in the first round, he had BETTER be a guy that you could see leading you to a Super Bowl. He had just better be a guy like that. Otherwise, take the best talent available (such as a WR or RB or LB) and grab a QB in the later rounds. I have NO problem with taking a Peyton Manning or Eli Manning at No. 1 overall. Both just led their teams to the title the last two years. But don't just take a QB with the number one overall pick because you are a bad team and need a QB. The SF 49ers took Alex Smith No.1 overall because they were terrible and needed a QB and people said,"you have the #1. take the QB!" No don't! Only take him if he will actually lead you to the Super Bowl. The 49ers should have gone with Braylon Edwards and taken Matt Leinart the following year. Patience is key, but too many coaches want to save their jobs and taking a QB high is a good way to do that. The Falcons shouldn't panic and take the next David Carr or Akili Smith or Ryan Leaf because it is pretty much an unwritten rule that you DO THAT. There isn't a "can't miss" in this year's bunch. This isn't a Billy Knight situation here where the team NEEDS a PG and you pass on Chris Paul. This is a draft where you PASS on Maurice Williams to take Brandon Roy (wait, the fool took Sheldon Williams. D'oh!). ONLY take the QB is he CAN lead you to the promised land. How do you do this? Look for a big game QB from college instead of the guy that impressed everyone at the NFL Combine. give me a big game QB, and I'll give you more NFL success stories than not. Oopposed to Big time combine freaks. look at the last few rookie year QB cases....
Last year2007-08
JaMarcus Russell (workout freak that completed 11 passes last year)
Brady Quinn (could NEVER win the big game at ND and couldn't beat out DEREK FREAKING ANDERSON with Cleveland)
Troy Smith (really came ON in Baltimore towards the end of the year. True he lost the BCS game, but he beat ND the year before and he took tOSU to an undefeated season last year. Big game college QB)

2006-07
Vince Young (won Rookie of the Year)
Matt Leinart (was pretty darn good at Arizona before getting hurt)
Jay Cutler(a combine freak that is stinking up the joint in the pros)

2005-06
Alex Smith (a workout warrior with "skills". He sucks as a pro)
Aaron Rodgers. (He keeps getting hurt, but this guy is going to be good when he DOES get a shot to replace Favre. Did you see the USC/Cal game that the Bears SHOULD have won 23-16? He was on fire. Big game QB right here.)
Jason Campbell (could be a great NFL QB with Zorn's help. Afterall he was a GREAT caregiver his senior year at Auburn.)
Kyle Orton (just WON at Purdue. that's all he did)
Andrew Walter (the scouts fell in love with his big arm at the combine. has been sacked more times than Coke at Kroger)
Dan Orlovsky (scouts had a wetdream when this guy worked out at UCONN. Ummm the guy WENT TO UCONN! First signal RIGHT THERE!)
Derek Anderson (he took Oregon State to a BCS bowl.Thanks!)
and that's all that needs to be said!

There are just so many options later in the draft to take a marginal QB in the first round. If Baltimore had take Derek Anderson with a first round pick instead of a 5th rounder, Anderson wouldn't have made this list, but because he was taken LATER, AFTER his team was able to pick BETTER talent to go all around him(except he was traded to Cleveland, but you get the idea).
Go with QBs later in the draft and develop them slowly without all of the pressure that comes with being a top round pick.
Unless you can get a Matthew Stafford with a No. 1 overall pick...then take MS and win a SuperBowl.