Washington Redskins: Why the Trade for No. 2 Pick Was Necessary

Mr. Obama, you run the United States, but as of April 26, 2012, Mr. Griffin III runs DC. Friday night, the Washington Redskins orchestrated quite possibly the biggest trade in the franchise's near 80-year history.

The Redskins have agreed to trade the No. 6 pick in the 2012 NFL draft, two future first-rounders, and additional picks for the Rams' No. 2 selection in April's draft, according to Jay Glazer and FoxSports.com. It is all but a guarantee that the Redskins will draft Heisman winner Robert Griffin III with that selection.

Pundits, critics, fans and abhorrent Cowboy fans will lambaste the trade, deriding the 'Skins for sacrificing too much. Yes, the 'Skins did surrender a lot. And the Rams brass looks very smart right now. Very, very smart. But if the 'Skins did not make the trade, they would have been sacrificing even more.

The Redskins have not had a franchise quarterback since the great?Joe Theismann. If the Redskins didn't pull the trigger now, they possibly risked next season, and the season after that, mired in mediocrity (or worse).

There is no guarantee the Redskins would finish with few enough wins to draft Matt Barkley in the 2013 draft. The time is now for this franchise. With RGIII, the team not only drafts talent and endless possibilities, but they draft hope. Honestly, when was the last time that Redskins fans really were filled with hope? (Keep thinking and get back to me tomorrow.)

In the world of finance, they characterize a trade of this proportion as "high risk, high reward." For my younger readers, the colloquialism of Meek Mill sums it up as "scared money don't make no money." The Redskins have gambled with their future because it was the right move at the right time.

If Bruce Allen and Mike Shanahan are serious about building a contender, then the need for a franchise quarterback was by far the greatest. Friday night, Allen and Shanahan not only recognized this as the foremost need, but addressed it with a resounding solution.

Losing the additional first-rounders will hurt, but the sting on missing out on a possible franchise quarterback for the next decade-and-a-half would have been a much greater hurt. As Redskins legend George Allen would say, "the future is now."

Source: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1098480-washington-redskins-why-the-trade-for-the-no2-pick-was-necessary

national enquirer whitney houston arizona republican debate arizona debate enquirer national inquirer knicks vs heat ash wednesday