Hogs Haven

1. In approximately nine months from now, the city of Denver will give birth to a little bundle of joy. I know what you're thinking--and no, Travis Henry was not even in town this past weekend. I think we all can rest assured that Tim Tebow will do the honorable thing and make an official long-term commitment to his relationship with the city. He is absolutely in charge there right now in a way nobody ever thought imaginable after John Elway hung up his cleats. I can honestly say I was not actively rooting against the Pittsburgh Steelers, but I could not help but be very obviously pro-Denver. I predicted Champ Bailey would get a touchdown in the game, but the play he made at the end, drifting up the sidelines to bat away a ball intended for Hines Ward was undeniably huge. As for Tebow, I could have used one or two more signature runs by him, but I was just happy watching some of the absolute worst looking throws of all time land harmlessly out of bounds or just beyond the outstretched arms of the Steeler defenders. He did throw some great balls, but...wow...a couple of his throws were simply unbelievably horrible. I think I am still trying to convince myself that the first play of overtime never happened. It could not have possibly happened. That never happens against Pittsburgh, right?

2. I wrote last week that I thought the Broncos would win and that this game would signal the end of the line for this current iteration of the Pittsburgh Steelers. I have no doubt that the Steelers will continue to make playoff runs, but I have serious doubts that this group can get to January healthy enough to contend for a Super Bowl. They have young talent to be sure, but I question whether the AFC stalwarts have what it takes to stay on top of that conference given the rise of some of the other young teams. As a Redskins fan, I would kill for a team that played well enough year in and year out to make the playoffs no matter what. But I fear that Steelers fans are in for what could be a string of very disappointing playoff losses in the first round.

3. Speaking of being a Redskins fan, watching Shaun Suisham make meaningful field goals for an extremely sound football team in January made me just a little bit sick. We will never know if Suisham could have made that 60+ yarder to win the game, but I'd like to think that the closer the field goal attempt was, the more likely it would have been that it was wide left or right. I am willing to bet that if Suisham had attempted a 60+ yarder, it would have gone through the uprights--just to make me vomit.

4. I watched the Steelers/Broncos game with a buddy who is a native of Pittsburgh. At one point, he asked me if I thought Mike Shanahan was working out for us. As I was explaining to him how easy it is to look good and even be good when your frame of reference includes Steve Spurrier and Jim Zorn, it occurred to me that Shanahan's ego would have a real hard time existing in a place like Pittsburgh. In Washington, it is part of what we have to accept. Shanahan is, after all, an accomplished coach with an honest-to-goodness understanding of what it takes to win in the NFL. Here is my question: would Mike Shanahan employ the same ego if he was on the Steeler sidelines?

5. I really have no idea who in their right mind would advise Robert Griffin III to return to Baylor for another year. I am not sure his stock could get much higher, given that waiting another year would have him competing with Matt Barkley and Landry Jones. If there is any actual chance that he stays in college for another year it could only be because of one person: Robert Griffin III. Some guys dig being a god on a college campus. Most of you reading this would too. Just for a second, imagine what it must be like to be a returning Heisman Trophy winner. Imagine what you would do if you owned a college campus the way Griffin does. Frankly, just thinking about what Kevin would do scares the crap out of me.

6. It is fitting that in the #6 slot today, I reiterate my complete disagreement with trading up in the draft to get RG3 if he comes out. I know this is a debate we will beat into the ground in the weeks ahead, but since it is what everyone is talking about already, I will keep up my argument. This Washington team simply can't afford to hand over any future first round picks. If we are able to add a future first rounder in addition to another pick or two to move back, we could pick up a Ryan Tannehill and some offensive line help in the first couple rounds and then have some ammo next year to either build around them or make a move to grab a Matt Barkley if Tannehill bombs out. We do need to draft a quarterback in this draft, and he will most likely have to play at some point next season just to see what we drafted. But we have other holes that can't be ignored, and we can't hamstring the development of this team to go and get one player at this point. With extra picks in next year's draft, we could maybe get a little more aggressive--especially if we hit on our top picks in this draft. As good as RG3 is, he is not worth three or four young starters--especially ones that could potentially start for Washington for the next decade.