The Washington Redskins under Daniel M. Snyder began this off-season roughly $20 million over the salary cap and, judging by the recent silence on their waiver wire, they are having a devil of a time figuring out how to trim the remaining fat.

Already, Snyder and Vinny Cerrato have plucked the low hanging fruit of cap management, re-working big base numbers for guys like Chris Cooley and Randy Thomas for 2008.

But since then, not a single notable player has been cut.

All of this, while other teams -- like the Dolphins (Zach Thomas), the Bears (Mushin Muhammed), and the Falcons (Algae Crumpler) - already have started cleaning house.

I have no doubt that some dead wood will be taken out back. They simply can't re-work everybody. But how much dead wood will be cleared? It will be fascinating to watch.

Logically, it's time to get off the train on certain players. Not just easy targets, like Mark Brunell ($3 million in base salary last year) and Brandon Lloyd (the two-catch, $7 million bonus man). But guys like Shawn Springs and Jon Jansen have essentially outlived their usefulness here.

And it hurts me to say that, because Springs is, and has been, absolutely one of my FAVORITE Redskins since Snyder took over the team. He's been a stud on the field, a totally honest, standup guy in the locker room and keenly aware of what is hype, and what is reality.

Beyond 2008, he just won't be viable as a starting corner in this league.

Of course, a guy like Greg Blache isn't even thinking past 2008. He just wants to win this year, which could be his last in coaching depending on how things work out. So naturally, he's lobbying hard to keep Springs, even if it means at a very expensive rate (perhaps as much as $8 million on the cap).

Which brings us back to the need for a sober eyed, general manager; a guy who understands when to dump certain players based on age and salary cap number.

Danny and Vinny obviously have no clue about this.

Jansen also is a stand up guy, has been a fixture here since even before Snyder, and can still play. But, he's awfully expensive. And he's not getting any younger or healthier.

The bottom line: Snyder's spending and cap manipulation through the years has allowed him to always have something to spend every winter on toys. He has avoided a single year of total cap purgatory, where half the showroom had to be sold for pennies on the dollar, and you couldn't afford to bring in anybody over the league minimum.

(Note: It also helped Snyder that in Marty Schottenheimer's ONE year here, he let a LOT of air out of the "Dead Cap" balloon, which gave Snyder more room to maneuver once he was ousted.)

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