FanHouse MikeWilliams

When talking about front-office futility, Matt Millen sets the pace. Mercifully for Lions fans, he's been relieved of his duties as the team's president and general manager, but his legacy lives on. His infatuation with using high-round draft picks on wide receivers might have been his biggest weakness, although that's certainly up for debate.

Charles Rogers and Mike Williams are on the list of first-round wide receiver busts, but a name that's often overlooked -- and one that we can't blame on Millen -- is Peter Warrick, who the Bengals selected with the fourth-overall pick in 2001.

Update (June 12): The Redskins decided not to wait any longer to determine Thrash's future -- the team announced today that it has released the veteran wide receiver after he failed to pass a physical. Both owner Dan Snyder and coach Jim Zorn expressed hope that Thrash would retain some sort of non-playing positive within the Washington organization.

ASHBURN, Va. -- There has been speculation throughout the Redskins' offseason workouts that wide receiver James Thrash may retire due to a lingering neck injury. If he opts to continue attempting to rehab instead, with designs on eventually returning to the field, Washington may be forced to place Thrash on the Physically Unable to Perform list (PUP).

It's a move that could come sooner rather than later. Thrash has, thus far, missed all of Washington's offseason workouts, and head coach Jim Zorn does not anticipate him returning for training camp in July. If that's the case, Zorn said, the Redskins will have to take action.

After 10 seasons and 123 NFL starts, right tackle Jon Jansen has been shown the door by the Washington Redskins. Jansen, a 6-foot-6 305-pound 33-year-old, was drafted in the second round of the 1999 draft by the Redskins out of Michigan. He became an immediate starter and put together a solid career in Washington.

Via press release from owner Dan Snyder Friday, the Redskins notified the media that they will move on. The full press release follows:

ASHBURN, Va. -- Washington's offensive line was arguably one of the biggest culprits responsible for the team's last-place, 8-8 finish in 2008. Yet, as the Redskins wrapped up their first OTA of the summer on Thursday, four months from the 2009 season opener, their starters up front appear set.

Almost.

The 'Skins are, for better or worse, basically settled at left tackle (Chris Samuels), both guard spots (Derrick Dockery and Randy Thomas) and center (Casey Rabach), but there's approximately an entire roster's worth of guys battling to start at right tackle. And, so far, it's hard to pick a favorite.

Although it's tough for some fans and media (looks in mirror) to turn the page on the Redskins' "Anybody But Jason" offseason tour, the guy caught in the middle, Jason Campbell, has done just that. Unlike Jay Cutler, who bellyached his way out of Denver, Campbell (save one moment of weakness) has said all the right things. He's moved on -- even if we haven't -- and is looking toward the 2009 season.

Detractors like to point out that Campbell isn't consistent (or smart) enough to be an NFL starter, but they often leave out an important little fact: he's played in three different offenses in five seasons.

The Redskins didn't address the offensive line on draft weekend, even though it might be their biggest need. But on Friday, they did sign Bills' 2002 first-round pick, tackle Mike Williams, who had been out of football since 2006.

There are more conventional ways to fill out the depth chart, and while Williams has gobs of potential -- he was the fourth overall pick seven years ago -- other than his will to return to football, there's no reason to think he'll magically play at a high level, much less make the team.

Twelve months ago, Devin Thomas was making his way up draft boards after an outstanding junior season at Michigan State and impressive combine and Pro Day performances. The previous fall, he had hauled in 79 passes for the Spartans, and then busted out a 4.40-40 in Indianapolis in February. By April, He would be the second wide receiver selected, going 34th overall to the Redskins.

In the weeks leading up to the draft, NFL Network's Mike Mayock admitted that Thomas had all the physical attributes teams look for in a wideout -- deep speed, the ability to get off the line of scrimmage and a knack for coming down with jump balls -- but he also cautioned that Thomas' junior season could be an anomaly.

Ole Miss offensive tackle Michael Oher might not be the best player available in next month's NFL draft, but he is the best story. After spending much of his young life on the streets and in foster homes, he began to blossom both as an athlete and a person when he was adopted as a teenager. That great story is the subject of the best-selling book The Blind Side.

But now it appears that Oher is also the subject of some of the most ridiculous over-thinking in this year's draft, with NFL teams somehow under the impression that his rough background is an indictment of his character.

On Sunday at the NFL Combine, we got our first glimpse of Matt Stafford and Mark Sanchez. And while it was difficult to divine much from, well, glimpses -- Stafford didn't take part in the passing drills and Sanchez didn't stand out in his handful of attempts -- it provides coaches, scouts and front-office types one more piece to the evaluation puzzle.

Although conventional mock-draft wisdom has Stafford going before Sanchez -- and probably to the Lions -- those sentiments aren't shared among all scouts. Via the Chicago Tribune's Dan Pompei:

When Mlive.com's Tom Kowalski writes that the Martin Mayhew -- the chap burdened with the impossible task of being less competent than Matt Millen -- is taking draft preparations seriously some five months before Roger Goodell starts reading names off a sheet of paper, pretty much tells you all you need to know about why the Lions are annually the worst team in football.

Millen had no business running a team (in case that wasn't obvious, the careers of Charles Rogers and Mike Williams confirm as much) and even though Mayhew is only the interim general manager, he has a chance to show he's capable of handling the full-time gig. (And when I say "handling" I mean in the conventional sense; not in the "Matt Millen shows up for work to catch up on his sleep" sense.)