This is your Morning Commute. Make the jump for links.
The Green Bay Packers and Pittsburgh Steelers will play in the Super Bowl in two weeks, and it's tempting for Redskins fans to look for lessons that explain their success. The obvious one is that both teams play 3-4 defenses, which should give Mike Shanahan, Jim Haslett and company hope that their massive transition last season will pay off down the road.
But to me, the lesson here is much more fundamental. It's one we've harped on before, but it's worth noting again and again and again until the Redskins get it. That lesson? Don't trade your draft picks.
Both of these teams are stocked with players that were drafted by their team, which makes it look like their scouting departments are just better than the Redskins'. But really, they're giving themselves many more chances by not trading away the picks they get. Just look at how many actual draft selections the two Super Bowl teams have made since 2005, compared to the Redskins over that same period:
- Green Bay: 57 (six first-rounders, eight second-rounders, six third-rounders, eight fourth-rounders, 10 fifth-rounders, nine sixth-rounders, 10 seventh-rounders)
- Pittsburgh: 51 (six, four, eight, seven, 11, 7, eight)
- Washington: 39 (five, four, two, three, four, nine, 12)
Today's must-reads from around the SB Nation network:
- Bullets Forever recaps the Wizards' week in its regular Keys to the Palace feature.
- Hogs Haven scouts some of the players who might be available with later picks in this year's NFL Draft.
- SBNation.com's Andrew Sharp says Steelers-Packers is a "dream" Super Bowl.
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