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NFL Hall of Famer – Sammy Baugh
As expected, Baugh was drafted in the first round (sixth overall) of the 1937 NFL Draft by the Washington Redskins, the same year the team moved from Boston. He signed a one-year contract with the Redskins and received $8,000, making him the highest paid player on the team. He is credited for making the forward pass as an integral part of the offensive play in the NFL.
During his rookie season in 1937, Baugh played quarterback, defensive back, and punter, set an NFL record for completions with 91 in 218 attempts and threw for a league-high 1,127 yards. He led the Redskins to the NFL Championship game against the Chicago Bears, where he finished 17 of 33 for 335 yards and his second-half touchdown passes of 55, 78 and 33 yards gave Washington a 28–21 victory. The Redskins and Bears would meet three times in championship games between 1940 and 1943. In the 1940 Championship game, the Bears recorded the most one-sided victory in NFL history, beating Washington 73–0.
In 1942, Baugh and the Redskins won the East Conference with a 10–1 record. During the same season the Bears went 11–0 and outscored their opponents 376–84. In the 1942 Championship game, Baugh threw a touchdown pass and kept the Bears in their own territory with some strong punts, including an 85-yard quick kick, and Washington won 14–6.
NFL Hall of Famer – George Allen
Allen was considered one of the hardest working coaches in football. He is credited by some with popularizing the coaching trend of 16-hour (or longer) work-days. He sometimes slept at the Redskin Park complex he designed. Allen’s need for full organizational control and his wild spending habits would create friction between him and the team owners he worked for.
Famously, Edward Bennett Williams, the Redskins’ president, once said, “George was given an unlimited budget and he exceeded it.” In ending Allen’s second stint as the Rams’ head coach after only two preseason games in 1978, Carroll Rosenbloom said, “I made a serious error of judgment in believing George could work within our framework.” Allen was also notorious for his paranoia, regularly believing that his practices were being spied upon and that his offices were bugged. He even went as far as being the first coach in the NFL to employ a full-time security man, Ed Boynton, to keep potential spies away and patrol the woods outside Redskin Park. As documented by NFL Films, Allen was known to eat ice cream or peanut butter for many meals because it was easy to eat, and saved time so Allen could get back to preparing for the next game.
Allen kept in shape as a coach, and would run several miles at the start of each day. He did not swear or smoke, and he was a teetotaler known for preferring to drink milk (some suspected that this beverage of choice arose from ulcers they suspected the always-high strung coach to suffer from). Coach Allen would later be appointed by President Ronald Reagan to the President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports. It’s interesting to note President Richard Nixon once “recommended” the team run an end-around play by wide receiver Roy Jefferson. Allen agreed, but Jefferson was tackled for a loss on the play.
Redskins Boast Killer Defense in 2009
While the NFC East is brimming with talent on all fronts, the Redskins defense looks to be one of the best in 2009. In one of the most significant off-season moves, the Redskins added Albert Haynesworth to their defense, the defensive force that pushed the Titans into the playoffs in 2008, and one of the biggest reasons for their success (quite literally). Standing at 6 foot 6 inches, and weighing 320 lbs, Haynesworth is one of the biggest players in the NFL, and often it takes two or even three offensive linemen to stop him. He just eats up space, and frees up the other defenders on the team. The Redskins defense is already solidified with veterans Rocky Mcintosh and London Fletcher, two of the best defensive linemen in the league who both had over 100 tackles in 2008. The Redskins defense was ranked 4th in the league in 2008, a fact that isn’t apparent from the team’s record. With the addition of Haynesworth, as well as first round draft pick Brian Orakpo, the Redskins could become an unstoppable force on defense.
While the Redskins will be a formidable force on defense, it’s their offense that will need to be working much harder to make the playoffs. Redskins jerseys feature names of all the big defensive players, but without offensive equivalents, the team might stop the ball often only to be unable to move it forward.
Retired NFL Players Gathering to Make a Stand
With what is said to be the worst benefits of any professional sports league the NFL players are determined to make a difference by gathering to discuss a marketing initiative in a first time Independent Retired Players Summit.
“It’s not going to be a legal entity,” said Bob Grant, retired linebacker of the Baltimore Colts and Washington Redskins in the late 1960s and early ’70s. “It’s not going to be a situation where we’ve got somebody running around who’s president and trying to be a very important man. We want to keep it absolutely as democratic as we possibly can.
Coming on the same weekend as the NFLPA held Retired Players Convention ‘preventing’ NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith from being able to attend and participate in a chance for these retired players to ensure a better future for all NFL retirees.
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