Parcells: "Thanks For The Wool, Vinny"

If you ever needed a capsulized lesson on how to NOT win football games consistently in the NFL, just bundle up the 9 month saga of Jason Taylor and the Redskins.

On July 21st of last summer, on the first day of training camp, the Skins lost two DE's to injury. One was a nearly washed up veteran in Philip Daniels. He was entering his 13th season, and had only played a full 16 games in a year 6 times. He averaged 4.5 sacks for his career. The other DE was a project by the name of Alex Busbee.

A guy like Daniels should have been long gone in the first place. To think a 13 year vet was going to give you much as your starting DE, was wishful thinking at best, or more likely a tacit admission that a lack of draft picks, and a failure to reinforce the line over the years left them no option.

That said, the last thing any smart GM would have done that day, is panic.

Vinny is not a smart GM.

When I heard the trade of a 2nd and a 6th to the Dolphins for almost-as-washed-up dancing star Jason Taylor, I was initially excited. Taylor was/and is in incredible physical shape, and was not that far removed from racking up dominant pass rushing stats.

On the other hand, I worried, because the chances of Vinny fleecing Parcells seemed as remote as Oprah going to a strip club with Steadman.

I was right.

Now, the circle is complete.

Taylor once acquired, was never really THAT excited to be here. He was played out of his natural position by coordinator Greg Blache, got injured, tried to play through it, and then before you could say "8 and 8" the season was done.

Cooking up a fig leaf of an excuse to justify closing the book on this fiasco, the Redskins claimed Taylor would not agree to an off-season workout stipulation.

Whatever.

Now, this week, Taylor quietly re-signed with Miami, for a modest $1.1 million. He's happy. And the Dolphins - who MADE the playoffs last year - have the fruits of our picks, including WVU QB Pat White - slated to run the "WildPat" offense.

Now maybe Taylor won't do crap this year. Maybe White was a huge reach in the second round. But all told, the Redskins and Vinny got goat-roped and shaved in this one.

And it only took 8 months.

You might want to file and save this one for when someday you buy your own NFL franchise.