Up early this morning checking the state of Redskin Nation before my tee time and I find that there is a nice conversation going on about who is the greatest Redskin.

Matt at THE ORB reports that Darrell Green is the winner of ESPN Sports Nation “Franchise Player” poll. No doubt that Darrell to borrow from his HOF speech “belongs” there. Matt makes the case for Sonny Jurgensen as the greatest of all time. Matt makes his case on solid ground. After all Vince Lombardi had this to say about Sonny:

“Jurgensen is a great quarterback. He hangs in there under adverse conditions. He may be the best the league has ever seen. He is the best I have seen.”

Sam Huff told related to me that Lombardi once said, “If I had that red head in Green Bay we would have won 10 Super Bowls.”

Will at Hogs Haven takes the cold analytical approach and says it is Sammy Baugh. Another solid argument, one my grandmother would readily attest to, as she was an eyewitness to some of his feats. Will also reminds us that Baugh was a defensive back and a punter.

At the Curly R, Ben dismisses the notion of one single greatest player, and takes a decadal approach to selecting the greatest Redskins.

Ben, Will and Matt all make fine arguments for their case. However, I would like to add a name that has not gotten serious consideration: Robert Cornelius “Bobby” Mitchell.

Mitchell played running back and wide receiver. He switched to receiver from running back after his historic trade from Cleveland to Washington. You want stats, how about these:

14,078 combined net yards

91 touchdowns,

521 receptions,

8 kick return TDs

6 years with 50+ receptions

All-NFL three times

Played in four Pro Bowl games

HOF Class of 1983

Speaking of stats, it is well known to anyone with knowledge of league history that Paul Brown pulled Mitchell from a game where he was a few yards short of breaking Jim Brown’s single game rushing record.

At the University of Illinois, Mitchell was an Olympic quality track star. He was blazing fast. Watch any of his higlights, there was nobody better in open space.

Now let’s talk intangibles. Bobby Mitchell is a key figure in Redskins history. He was the first African-American to star for a team that was the last to integrate its roster. Redskins’ owner, George Preston Marshall was a staunch segregationist. Legendary Washington Post sports writer Shirley Povich, tirelessly antagonized Marshall for his all-white policy. After a game against the Brown’s Povich wrote “Jim Brown, born ineligible to play for the Redskins, integrated their end zone three times yesterday.”

Washington, DC native Darrell Hill, the first African-American to play ACC football (Maryland) rooted for Lenny Moore and the Baltimore Colts, because of Marshall. Bobby Mitchell changed all that. He brought an African-American fan base to the Redskins.

In his HOF induction speech, Darrell Green specifically mentioned that he was blessed to be mentored by Bobby Mitchell. Furthermore, those of us whose formative years coincided with Gibbs 1.0 need to remember that Mitchell was an assistant general manager and partly responsible for acquiring players like Green and Art Monk et al.

Topics: Bobby Mitchell

Feed

Comments

FedEx Field sogorama

Add a Comment

December 2, 10:42 AM

Pics from a,wet, soggy, game day at FedEx Field.Tailgating with buddies from the old neighborhood and the the family Tandler. Rich Tandler second from right. Me I'm in the back wearing the Curly R hat. Speaking of the Curly R, my buddy Ben Folsom... Read More
Topics: FedEx Cyclorama

Week 13: Giants 23, Redskins 7

2 comments

December 1, 2:11 PM

The NutshellNo offense, no pass rush, fumbles, penalties… same old Redskins. On a cold soggy day at FedEx Field the Giants win 23-7, the Redskins fall to 7-5, and out of the last Wild Card spot. OffenseThe Giants took away the run and... Read More
Topics: Playoffs , Giants

Redskins game day examination: Giants redux

Add a Comment

November 29, 9:49 PM

This week is a redux with New York Giants Examiner Zac Wassink. Zac answers my second round of questions over at his place. You can see our first Q&A from the season opener here.Mark Newgent: I have to admit that you nailed it during our first Q&A.... Read More
Topics: Redskins Game Day Examination

Sean, we hardly knew ye

Add a Comment

November 28, 8:06 AM

One year ago I wrote the following. It is still true today: I stopped writing post-game analysis of Redskins games because frankly, it was just too hard to rehash all the frustrating ways this team has found to lose games they should have... Read More
Topics: NFL , Sean Taylor

NBC flexes Redskins & Ravens, Cerrato flexes Shaun Alexander

Add a Comment

November 26, 12:31 PM

NBC has flexed the December 7th Redskins-Ravens game from 1 p.m. to 8:15 p.m. The Redskins are 0-3 this year in night games -- not a good trend. Then again, maybe this means they are due.The Redskins flexed Shaun Alexander into the ranks of the unemployed.... Read More
Topics: Flex Schedule , Ravens , Shaun Alexander

The brothers Cooley vs. The Landry Hat

10 comments

November 24, 11:35 PM

Readers may remember that the chief fedora at The Landry Hat found a novel way to claim that Dallas got jobbed by the referees in their earlier game against the Redskins as retribution against Jerry Jones. (H/T Matt Terl) I can overlook his bluster as... Read More
Topics: Chris Cooley

Week 12: Redskins 20, Seahawks 17

Add a Comment

November 24, 12:06 AM

The NutshellThis game initially had the feel of the last two playoff games against the Seahawks. However, the offense finally re-awakened in the second half to put up enough points, and the defense came up with two crucial interceptions. Redskins win... Read More
Topics: Jason Campbell , Clinton Portis

Redskins Game Day Examination: Into the great northwest

Add a Comment

November 23, 8:44 AM

This week the Redskins head west to the Emerald City to paly the 2-8 Seahawks. Jim Zorn returns to face the team for which he played and coached. Accordingly this week’s Redskins Game Day Examination is with Seahawks Examiner Ryan... Read More
Topics: Redskins Game Day Examination , Seattle Seahawks

Redskins defense is very good, but is it good enough?

Add a Comment

November 21, 2:27 PM

"We are who we are.”That’s Greg Blache talking about the identity of his fourth ranked defense. Blache continued, “We won’t be a great sack team. Accept it, like us for who we are. You can wish us to be different, but we’re... Read More
Topics: Greg Blache , sacks