Washington Redskins Sign Mike Furrey, Continue To Collect Receivers

As a fan of the Washington Redskins, you know that the best part of the year is the offseason. Regardless of how the team performed the previous year, the Redskins are always a winner in making offseason splashes and newspaper headlines. This offseason doesn’t necessarily feel any different, but there’s a little more sense of concern.

Since introducing Mike Shanahan as the new head coach and team president, the Redskins have flooded their roster with 12 wide receivers. Most recently, the Washington Redskins signed 33-year-old Mike Furrey on Thursday. Although it’s exciting to see some familiar names on the roster, the purpose of their signings has to raise some eyebrows. Why is Mike Shanahan collecting receivers like Jon Gruden collects quarterbacks?

• Unfortunately, one of our very own Redskin veterans, Santana Moss, is under the commissioner’s watchful eye. After being connected to Anthony Galea, a sketchball doctor who smuggled HGH over the Canadian border and apparently into Ashburn, Santana Moss does face the possibility of suspension. But with the potential suspensions and sanctions aside, Moss is still a 31-year-old receiver with bad knee issues. As an equation: athletes + bad knees = bad situations.
• Last season, it appeared as if Devin Thomas was set for a breakout in 2010. Perhaps that’s not the case? Reports and rumors have surfaced that coach Shanahan has not been impressed with the Redskins’ 2008 draft picks, Devin Thomas and Malcolm Kelly. With third-rate stats at best in 2009, Shanahan may be keeping these young kids on a short leash. However, in Thomas’ and Kelly’s defense, their past coaches were not the greatest. It’s been a while since the Redskins have had a coach that can evaluate and find the true value in a player. With that being said, we assume Thomas and Kelly will get their opportunity to show the fans that their legit and to prove to their new coaches that they want to be here for a while. If you can’t excited to play for Mike Shanahan – you can’t make it in the NFL.

So here we are with a dozen receivers on the current roster. Assuming that the team takes a more classic approach, only five receivers will make the squad come the start of the season. That leaves SEVEN receivers on the current roster that won’t be there in just a few months.

Current Receiving Corps.(age)

Santana Moss (31), Devin Thomas (24), Malcolm Kelly (24), Anthony Armstrong (27), Terrance Austin (22), Brandon Banks (23), Mike Furrey (33), Joey Galloway (38), Marques Hagans (28), Shay Hodge (23), Bobby Wade (29), and Roydell Williams (29).

Because of the horrific performances of past coaches and evaluators, we have no choice but to trust the brain of Mike Shanahan and Bruce Allen. If the coach wants to bring in seven guys, some out of the retirement home, to see if they can still run routes and catch footballs – so be it. Trust the moves until proven otherwise.