January 17-- Skins Promote K.O. to LB coach

Redskins name Kirk Olivadoti their new LB coach replacing Dale Lindsay who was fired yesterday..
Olivadoti has spent seven seasons with the Redskins, last year he was promoted to the position fo assistant D-line coach working with Greg Blatche.. Blatche spoke very rarely with the media openly deferring questions about his unit to Olivadoti...
Joe Gibbs called the move a deserved promotion.. Thus far, Lindsay is the only change to the Redskins coaching staff with no one else currently expected to be removed.. This also lowers the Skins coaching staff by one..

January 16-- LB coach Dale Lindsay is Fired

The Redskins have fired linebackers coach Dale Lindsay after 3 years with the team.. Lindsay had a very terse relationship with LaVar Arrington in the two seasons he was in Washington.. The two had to be separated during the regular season finale in the locker room at the end of the 2005 season.. Lindsay publicly hinted that Arrington didn't know the defense and ultimately was a freelancer, something the Gregg Williams group is no supposed to be...
Arrington never publicly talked about Lindsay other then to admit the two had a difficult relationship.. One of the people close to Arrington blamed Lindsay for much of the eventual falling out between he and the organization.. Arrington's main issues occurred before Lindsay came when he and the team got into a contract snafu over a 6.5 million dollar bonus that Arrington beleives the team ommitted from the final deal, a clause the team claims was never part of the deal.. His agent Carl Poston was suspended by the players union mainly over how he handled this situation..

This year, the Redskins spent their top pick, even moved up in the second round to select Rocky McIntosh out of the University of Miami.. He never started until Marcus Washington was injured and forced Warrick Holdman to move to the string side.. McIntosh indeed played spraingly until the final few weeks.. Lindsay told me mid season that "Roger" would play when he learns the defense..

Lindsay was staunch and unabashed.. He also was very honest.. he spoke rarely but when he did he never pulled punches.. There is no word on who will replace him on the defensive coaching staff.. As of now, he is the only coach who has left or been relieved of his duties following the 5-11 season..

January 9-- Brunell Injury was serious

QB Mark Brunell underwent successful surgery to repair a labrum injury in his throwing shoulder, an injury that occurred during the second Dallas meeting of the 2006 season.. he will need 4-5 months of recovery time meaning the Skins will have another decision to make in regard to his future, can he return healthy enough to warrant keeping him as the number 2 QB?
Brunell has a rising cap number with a base salary over 5 million for 2007.. Obviously he was either going to be forced to restructure, or more likely, accept a pay cut to return to the team, but now Washington has an interesting decision to make, do you attempt to bring him back due to this injury combined with his age.. The Skins already have Todd Collins under contract and could make him the number 2 and add a less proven 3rd quarterback via the draft or free agency. The Skins have yet to come forward and discuss the future of any of their impending salary cap decisions..
The Brunell injury also opens the door for questioning whether the team should have made the move to Jason Campbell earlier in the season, a plan Joe Gibbs had adamantly avoided from training camp on.
Brunell's value on the market is obviously diminihsed being that any new team he would go to if released would have to be without him through the off-season workout program. My guess here is Brunell will ultimately be released.

Other injury news: LB Marcus Washington says the knee injury that forced him out of the final two regular season games is improving and that he should be full strength there in a couple of weeks.. It was a PCL injury that required rest, no surgery.. He did have a procedure done on his elbow and soon will have an arthroscopic procedure done to repair a hip injury that was suffered during the pregame stretch in week 3 against Houston.. Washington admits he needed the assistance of drugs to play for the following weeks until the bye when he started to feel healthy again..
S Vernon Fox had a pectoral muscle repaired, he is a free agent..
DE Phillip Daniels had both his ankles cleaned out and will need surgery to repair a torn ligament in his wrist, he is another candidate for restructure or release this off-season..
DE Renaldo Wynn needs work on his elbow, he broke the arm late last season..
T Chris Samuels will wait until after the pro bowl to have surgery on his right knee..
LB Rocky McIntosh also had surgery on his knee, the same knee he injured his senior year of college and missed some of his rookie off-season with..

All is quiet otherwise at the Park, there has been no discussion yet of potential cap configuration and decisions on the future of Adam Archuletta..

1-1 Happy New Year, Gibbs is happy to say bye to '06

Joe Gibbs held his final news conference of the season and stated that this was the most dissapointing season of his career.. He apologized to the fans and said he still sees positives in the room that this team can build around..

Gibbs reiterated that he will do some work on learning about how other teams around the league run off-season and camp and will adjust their schedules to try to better accommodate what they need to get done and the players needs as well..
Gibbs said the season, started with a bad summer and never got on track.. A November 22nd meeting was something that players latched onto as when the offense turned a corner, he said he would have liked to have “held that meeting in week one,” but if wasn’t part of his thinking at that time..

Brandon Lloyd’s future appears certain to stay in Washington.. Gibbs said the team hopes to get the ball downfield more in general, he also said Lloyd is a “young guy” who figures to have a large role with the team in the future..

Adam Archuletta’s future appears more uncertain, when asked about the safety, Gibbs talked more about the opportunity and play of Vernon Fox and Pierson Prioleau.. Asked if Archuletta would be back, Gibbs said right now the answer is yes.. He said Archuletta did not ask for a trade or release..

Gibbs doesn’t figure to add a GM to his staff.. He said that everything is discussed with he and Dan Snyder but that this is not something that is in the works.. Gibbs also said he expects his staff to be in tact, but the group will have discussions in the coming weeks…

Gibbs revealed Quarterback Mark Brunell has an injury to his throwing shoulder and may need surgery.. As for his future, Gibbs would only say the two had a long talk with no determination of which way the team is leaning..