Daniel "ATM" Snyder does it again!

The Washington Redskins is a team with troubles. There's the aging, porous offensive line that seems unable to stop pre-schoolers from getting to the quarterback, a defensive line that hasn't reached the opposing quarterback since man first walked upright, only four picks in this years darft due to prior wing-and-a-prayer trades, and a salary cap situation as close to desperate as one can get. Let's not mention that the economy is in the tank.

So what does The Danny do? He drops $170 million on two defensive players: free agent "Fat" Albert Haynesworth, formerly of the Tennessee Titans, and returning ex-Raider DeAngelo Hall. The upside of this is the fact that Haynesworth, when not injured or winded, is arguably the best defensive lineman in the league. He's a commanding presence in the middle who often gets double and triple-teamed thus opening holes for the linebackers and defensive ends to get to the other team's QB. The downside is that he comes laden with baggage. This is the Albert Haynesworth who was suspended for five games for stomping on the unprotected head of Dallas Cowboys center Andre Gurode during a game. He has been cited in a few off the field road rage incidents (he has apparently been getting anger management counseling) and has been accused of not having a very good work ethic and being difficult to coach. Which Albert Haynesworth shows up at game time is anyone's guess. Is he worth the $100 mil The Danny gave him? Not so sure.

DeAngelo Hall played well after being signed by the Skins last November after being let go from the Raiders. However, he also has a rep for being a "problem child". So far, he's been a model Redskin and should be happy with his new $55 million contract, but like Haynesworth, part of his baggage is the suspicion that he's a play-for-contract guy who slacks off once the money is pocketed. Again, time will tell whether or not things work out.

The bigger issue though is that, now, the Skins have no money to pursue other needs, of which the offensive line is most pressing. The Skins could have gone after Dallas defensive lineman Chris Canty, who has tremendous upside with none of the baggage, signed him for a third of the cost of Haynesworth, and still had money to go after some free agent offensive linemen. However, that's not how The Danny operates. It seems that if he can't make headlines by drowning a player in money, Danny doesn't want to do the deal. Other teams, most notably the Pittsburgh Steelers, have created winning franchises by eschewing the splashy (read expensive) free agent signings and building from within through quality draft picks and taking the time to forge great players out of untested rookies. Snyder has more money than God but lacks the patience and simple football sense required to build a winning team.

Once again, the Skins "won" the off-season. Let's hope it translates to something better than another 8-8 season.