Leave the Redskins alone!

by EVAN BEVINS
managing editor

If I could address just one topic in this sports column, it would be Luxembourg's Olympic curling team.

But curling is a Winter Olympics event, not summer. Plus I don't know if Luxembourg has a curling team. I'm not even sure what "curling" is.

So instead I'll write about free agency in the NFL. This is a topic near and dear to my heart since my Washington Redskins used the system to its fullest in their quest to move from the NFL's basement to its penthouse.

But owner Daniel Snyder has replaced the Dallas Cowboys' Jerry Jones as the owner everyone loves to hate.

Snyder spent massive amounts of money to bring aboard defensive end Bruce Smith, running back Adrian Murrell and safety Mark Carrier.

Also on board are quarterback Jeff George and cornerback Deion Sanders. I questioned these moves, since the Redskins already have talented starters at both positions.

In its 2000 NFL preview, "ESPN: The Magazine" summed up the Redskins like so: "Hard to root for D. Snyder's team. Harder to beat 'em. Damn."

So it's hard to root for the Redskins because they im-proved themselves?

I'm not even going to get into the debate about athletes' salaries. Let's just talk about the general concept of improvement through free agency.

I like it just as much as the next guy when a player stays with one team for his whole career. It would have been strange to see Dan Marino in a Vikings uniform this season.

But if you're a team like the Redskins, who have consistently had one of the NFL's worst defensive lines, and suddenly a future Hall-of-Famer like Bruce Smith is available, are you going to pass on him?

Who would you rather have as a back up: an unproven rookie or a veteran with a superhuman arm like Jeff George?

Free agency does make it harder to know all the players on your team from season to season, and I really don't like that. But free agency is a reality, so why shouldn't the Redskins, or any team, take advantage of it?

If the 'Skins are going to be vilified for addressing their problems through free agency, then let's treat all the other teams that benefited from free agency the same.

Shame on the Detroit Lions for signing James Stewart to fill the void at running back left by superstar Barry Sanders. To heck with the quarterback-challenged New Orleans Saints for acquiring Jeff Blake. How dare the Tennessee Titans boost their wide receiver corps by signing Carl Pickens.

Or maybe I'm going overboard. Maybe I should just relax and watch some curling.

Evan Bevins is managing editor of the Parthenon. Comments may be sent to him at bevins6@marshall.edu.