Get. Better. Players.

Sometimes, the simplest message is the most true.

Like Chick-fil-A's brilliantly minimalist marketing strategy, in the NFL there is no substitute for getting better players.

And despite all the problems with the Redskins right now - too many to truly list - the biggest problem remains as boring and old as the NFL hills: poor talent.

Griffin can improve. Shanahan can be fired. Those things will run their course.

Getting mo' better players, however, takes time and a persistent strategy.

Nothing sexy or quick about it.

Here's all that really matters about the Redskins right now. Going into the Vikings game 3 losses ago, the team was staggeringly healthy. All 22 of it's Week 1 starters on both sides of the ball, were suited and ready to go.

And they lost the next three.

If you were to rate each player as follows...

++ = NFL elite, All-Pro
+ = Very good, Pro Bowl Caliber
0 = A decent player, no more, no less.
- = Less than average player
-- = Liability, should not be on roster

I would say the Redskins current roster has more "minus", or double-minus players than "plus" players by a factor of 2-to-1.

And I won't go through calling them out, because I think followers of the team know exactly who they are.

So in other words, the Redskins' roster - full of "minus" players - doesn't even have young backups who are pushing and taking over starting jobs.

Which makes the bench "double-minus" caliber talent.

Shanahan is eager to get at that sweet, sweet, salary cap money which will be finally be available this spring. Hell, he talks about it more than a teenager talks about the upcoming One Direction release.

But you can't buy more than a few decent guys with cap space.

The Rams have our first rounder this year, as final payment for RG3. It's looking like it might be Top-5, perhaps (gulp!) #1/#1.

That's sobering enough if Griffin were good this year, and the team was still bad due to other reasons.

But in my nightmares........ I see Joe Webb.

In my nightmares, I see the great RG3 Experiment morphing into a guy who is not much more than a "run around guy", still trying to pull miracles out of his Superman socks.

I still have faith,  maybe stupidly, that this guy is smart enough, committed enough, and skilled enough to play the position at an elite level.

But he needs better coaching, a big dollop of humility (currently being installed by recent events and games) and... alas.... MORE. BETTER. PLAYERS.

>>>>>>>>>

Here are the notable screen shots from last night's game. None are comforting. Especially, the kick to the gonads!