Considerations of Bruce Allen

Redskins could use some help

The Bruce Allen to the Redskins rumor might soon be dust in the wind like a majority of all rumors floating around.

At face value, whispers of Allen indicate that lil' Danny Snyder is getting all nostalgic on us.

Bruce's father, George, coached the Skins from '71-'77, guiding them to a Super Bowl in '73, and ultimately losing to the undefeated Dolphins. In Washington, Allen amassed a record of 67-30-1 and was the purported originator of the locker room 'Hip Hip Hooray!'

It was during George Allen's tenure that young Danny Snyder was being conditioned to bleed burgundy and gold. The crack reporting staff at Wikipedia indicates that the elder Allen had a, "need for full organizational control," "wild spending habits," and preferred veteran players over youth.

All things considered, it's easy to see a correlation in the early development of Snyder's present-day philosophy.

But about the son of George, would he be a good fit for the franchise?

It's a foregone conclusion that for sustained success, the Redskins need to build a foundation of making good decisions in the draft and retaining those picks. Bruce Allen doesn't exactly have a gleaming resumé in this regard. According to the St. Petersburg Times, only 23 out of Allen's 51 draft picks during his time as Tampa Bay Bucs GM (2004-08) still remain with the team.

A 45 percent success rate doesn't give you bragging rights.

In contrast, of the paltry 31 picks the Skins have had during the same span, only 18 remain with the team* -- nine of whom came from last year's draft.

The St. Pete Times piece does reflect Allen's ability to create something out of nothing (jettisoning blowhard Keyshawn Johnson for Joey Galloway), and not spending haphazardly on aging veterans.

But if Allen were to come aboard the Snyder express, what would he do? What would happen to Vinny Cerrato? Would he be of assistance, or just another "tell Danny what he wants to hear" guy in a Saddam Hussein-esque organizational hierarchy? Too many questions, not enough answers. But that's what rumors are all about.
*Sean Taylor would have made 19.

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