Addition by subtraction

[wxwax]

Everyone's excited by free agent signings. It's like Christmas.

But the Washington Redskins have made a huge improvement not by adding, but by subtracting, players.

A possible pair of 6th round picks for McNabb. And a 5th round pick for Haynesworth.

But the biggest return isn't the draft picks. By dumping these two malcontents, the team dynamic has taken a dramatic change. I expect to see a harder-fighting, more unified team. It may be shy of talent in critical areas, but I expect to see a Redskins team that has a singular purpose.

That's something that's been missing for, oh, about a decade or more.

Please lord that the little Danny doesn't get a man-crush on some head-case free agent and wreck everything again.

[Andy Freeland]

I will be very interested in the cap ramifications of the Haynesworth deal. I was convinced that the Redskins would cut or trade him last year since it was uncapped year and accelerating the huge signing bonus wouldn't hurt them. Their lack of vision may have cost them a fortune in dead money.

[wxwax]

If you figure it out, let us know. I've always wondered how the Redskins squeezed their big money signings under the cap every year.

[Andy Freeland]

Here's what I've found so far. I've just culled this from what I've read on the internets and extrapolated, so there's a 97% chance that it's not accurate.

Haynesworth signed a 7-year, $100M deal, but of course that's not real money. He was given a $16M signing bonus in '09 and a $21M bonus last year. But with some slick maneuvering they were able to accelerate all of the $21M into last year (http://voices.washingtonpost.com/red...million-1.html). So I believe they're only on the hook for remainder of the original $16M, an $11.4M cap hit this year ($16M / 7 * 5). Still dead money, but not devastating.

[wxwax]

Thanks. That's encouraging.

Boy, I sure am curious to see what kind of play they get at QB and offensive line this season.

[ReaderM]

Didn't the McNabb thing spilit the lock room with the players because they weren't exactly happy with the pulling of him.It will be interesting to see how they respond if Beck or Grossman doesn't live up to the faith the coaches are putting in them. As for Hanesworth, after how divisive he was last year and the players responded to him, that is definitive as you said addiction by subtraction.

[darvon]

Washington Redskins - They got rid of some of their past screw-ups and didn't add new screw-ups this week, so they are a clear winner.

The bar is low in DC.

[wxwax]

It's nice to see Peter King not say mean things about the 'Skins this camp.

I am intensely curious about John Beck. In many ways Kyle Shanahan's reputation and future depend on his performance, after the Donovan McNabb fiasco. Daddy won't fire him, of course. But this will affect how the rest of the league (and possibly lil' Danny) view him when jobs open up in the future.

I also like King's observation that Tim Hightower could be a good fit in the Redskins's Denver-style cut-back running offense. Average runners churned out a lot of yards in that offense in Denver. And King says Hightower's style is a good fit.

[KabaModernFan]

Hightower does fit the bill...he is very average.

[wxwax]

Nice piece in the Post about the no-name Redskins. Mike Wise sort of spins it as a negative. But to me, it's a huge positive. Other than MeAngelo Hall, it looks like a bunch of character guys.

They may just win enough games to screw themselves out of Andrew Luck.