The Chopping Block: The Axe Will Fall Tomorrow

Here are the 10 Things We Know Now after the Pre-season:

1.) Albert Fincher played his way onto the squad last night. He was one of the few guys who came to play last night and he did so because he knew his job was on the line. Too bad about Sinclair's injury taking him out of the running but that is football my friend.

2.) Marcus Mason will not survive a cut to the PS. I rarely care about cutting a player and having them go to another team and not our PS. But Mason is the exception to this rule. We need to keep him if onyl as ijury protection against Betts and Portis who tend tio get dinged up.

3.) Jason Goode will not be back. I thought he might be a good candidate for a ps spot, but teams dont let iplayers go in the first round of cuts and bring them back to the PS. Another young TE could get put there from another roster cut.

4.) Colt Brennan can play. Once again he throws all wrong but seems to make good decisions. I am nto a memebr of the Cult of Colt but I can understand why some are.

5.) The Pre-season sucks. The pre season is easily 2 games too long. And when your team plays 5 games it is really killing me to get back to real football. Next Thursday Can Not get here soon enough.

More Things we Know Now and a Final Roster Guess after the jump:



6.) So does our offense. I don'tm care if we are playing scrubs. 6 points in two games does not amek a good feeling going into the season opener in a week. Maybe I can wait.

7.) The defensive depth is not great either. I truly believe our defense is very good when healthy and we have missed alot of great players this preeason. However our scrubs, even when playing against other people's scrubs. Missed tackling and poor coverage are never a good combination.

8.) Durant Brooks should be our Punter in 2008. I full admit that Derrick Frost on a whole was a tad better then Brooks, but Brooks has upside that Frost does not. We are probably not winning the superbowl this year and grooming a nice young punter to pair with suisham is the right way to go.

9.) Ryan Boschetti should not make the roster. Look I have made of bioschetti alot through the years, but seriously, with the injury to Taylor and the need for a pass rush Chris Wilson and Erasmus James need roster spots. evans can play DT in a pinch.

10.) Catch the damn Ball. Seriously I have not seen so many drops by supposed receivers in my life. Someone get out the sticky glue.

Final Roster Guess:

Tomorrow we will get our final roster for our 2008 Washignton redskins. 24 hours later 8 men will win a reprieve from the execution of their football careers and go onto the Practice squad. So here is my guess at what the ropster and PS will look like:

QB (3) Jason Campbell, Todd Collins, Colt Brennan
RB (4) Clinton Portis, Ladell betts, Rock Cartwright, Marcus Mason
FB (1) Mike Sellers
TE (3) Chris Cooley, Fred Davis, Todd Yoder
WR (6) Santana Moss, Antwaan Randle-El, James Thrash, Devin Thomas, Billy McMullen, Malcolm Kelly
OL (9) Chris Samuels, Pete Kendall, Casey Rabach, Randy thomas, Jon Jansen, Stephon Heyer, Jason Fabini, Chad Rinehart, Justin geisinger
DL (9) Jason taylor, Cornellius Griffin, Kedric Golston, Andre Carter, Anthony Montgomery, Erasmus james, Demetric Evans, Chris Wilson, Lorenzo Alexander,
LB (6) Rocky McIntosh, London Baker, Marcus Washington, Khary Campbell, HB Blades, Albert Fincher
CB (5) Sean Springs, Carlos Rogers, Fred Smoot, Leigh Torrence, Justin Tryon
S (4) Laron Landry, Reed Doughty, Kareem Moore, Chris Horton
P (1) Durant Brooks
K (1) Sean Suisham
LS (1) ethan Albright

PS (8): Rob Holloway (LB), Maurice Mann (WR), Tavares Washington (OL), Andrew Crumney (OL), Curtis Gatewood (LB), Matteral Richardson (CB), Rob Jackson (DE), justin Hamilton (S)

That's it have a good Labor Day weekend and Hail to the Redskins.!!!!!

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The Final 53: Final Guess

For so many the dream of professional football will end tomorrow. The final cut down will come and most will be polishiong their resume. A lucky feew will be asked back to the Practice squad, and I am sure some will end up going to the great white North or the Arena League. But some will never play a down of organized football again.

And some have already fallen, the Redskins released S Vernan Fox, TE Jason Goode, LB Matt Sinclair, WR Burl Toler, & DT Babatunde Oshinowo. No real surprises here. I thought Goodewas a candidate for the PS and Sinclair had a shot at a roster spot, but they both got injured and thus the Redskins moved on. I doubt highly any of them will be back for the opening day roster, even on PS. You don't get cut ion the first day of roster cuts and go back to your original team, it just does not happen.

So here is my final guess at a roster



Quarterback

Projected Roster Spots: 3

Projected Starter: Jason Campbell

Projected Bench: Todd Collins, Colt Brennan

Outside looking in:Derek Devine

The top three spots are cemented. Campbell will open the season as the starter. Collins will be there as a backup in case of injury, and Brennan will be the project QB inactive on game days. Devine did not even get to throw in yesterday's game, so I doubt he will even get a shot at the PS

Running Back

Projected Roster Spots: 4

Projected Starter:Clinton Portis

Projected Bench:Ladell Betts, Rock Cartwright, Marcus Mason

Another position that is pretty much set. Portis is your starter and Betts will come in to spell him on occasion. No kick returner emerged so rock will be the third RB/KR on game days. Mason will make the squad but will be the 4Th Rb, inactive on most game days, only activated if an injury happens to the top 3.

Tight End/Fullback

Projected Roster Spots: 4

Projected Starter: Chris Cooley & Mike Sellers

Projected Bench:Fred Davis, Todd Yoder

Outside Looking In:Nehemiah Broughton

Cooley will be the main TE and Sellers the main fullback. but in some sets you will see Fred Davis come in and pair with Cooley, especially in the end zone. Todd Yoderhas the versatility to back up both FB and TE and will do just that in case of injury.

Wide Receiver

Projected Roster Spots: 6

Projected Starter:Santana Moss, Antwaan Randle-El

Projected Bench:Devin Thomas, Malcolm Kelly, James Thrash, Billy McMullen

On the Bubble: Maurice Mann, Anthony Mix,

Outside Looking In:Horace Gant,

Santana Moss will start at Split End, Randle El will also at Flanker and thrash will be the thir wide revceiver. Thomas will also get some looks in 4 WR packages. The team may decide to IR Kelly but I think they will keep him around for a bit and let McMullen assume the 5th WR role. MAnn has a chance at a PS spot. MIx did nothing this pre-season to warrant roster consideration. Horace Gant could also get some PS looks.

Offensive Line

Projected Roster Spots: 9

Projected Starter:Chris Samuels, Pete Kendall, Casey Rabach, Randy Thomas, Jon Jansen

Projected Bench:Justin Geisinger, Chad Rinehart, Jason Fabini, Stephon Heyer

Outside Looking In: Devin Clark, Andrew Crumney, Todd Wade, Taveres Washington, Fred Matua

The starting five is set and with Heyer healthy he may see some snaps for Jansen who is not playing all that well and is also injured, again. Fabini, Rinehart, and Geisinger will round out the bench. I doubt Wade will be kept. He is expensive and can not stay healthy. Devin Clark and Andrew Crumney have great shots at PS spots.

Defensive Line

Projected Roster Spots: 9

Projected Starter:Jason Taylor, Kedric Golston, Cornelius Griffen, Andre Carter

Projected Bench:Anthony Montgomery, Lorenzo Alexander, Demetric Evans, Erasmus James, Chris Wilson

On the Bubble: Rob Jackson

Outside Looking In:Matthias Askew, Ryan Boschetti,

Injured reserve/PUP:Phillip Daniels, Alex Buzbee

The starting front four is set with Golston winning over Montgomery and Taylor, Carter, and Griffin rounding it out ...when healthy. and that is the key. With Jason Taylor's injury Speed rushers like James and Wilson now get a leg up over DT guys like Boschetti and Askew for that last roster spot. I still don't see either Rob Jackson or Ryan Boschetti getting final roster spots. Jackson will go on the PS and Boschetti will probably not make the squad. Then again I have been saying that for 4 years.

Projected Roster Spots: 6

Projected Starter: Rocky McIntosh, London Fletcher-Baker, Marcus Washington

Projected Bench:Khary Campbell, HB Blades, Alfred Fincher

Outside Looking In:Curtis Gatewood, Danny Vernun-WHeedler, David Holloway

The starrtersare set with Rocky, Marcus, and London. Blades and Campbell will be the main backups. With Sinclair's injury and the monster game Fincher had, he played himself onto the squad last night. Gatewood, Wheeler, and Holloway have shots at 2 ps spots as well.

Cornerbacks

Projected Roster Spots: 5

Projected Starter:Shawn Springs, Fred Smoot

Projected Bench:Carlos Rogers, Justin Tryon, Leigh Torrence

On the Bubble:Matteral Richardson, Byron Westbrook

Outside Looking In:Cedrick Holt

Join me in prayer that our top 3 CBs stay healthy because we are lost outside of them at this position. Torrence is just OPK and Tryon is horrible. Tryon should not make an NFL roster but a team needs 5 cbs and there is no one underneath him that is worthit. Possibility of a vet getting signed that is cut from another team exists highly. Westbrook and Richardson could go on the PS, mainly for numbers for practice.

Safety

Projected Roster Spots: 4

Projected Starter: Reed Doughty, Laron Landry,

Projected Bench: Kareem Moore, Chris Horton

On the Bubble: Justin Hamilton,

Outside looking In: Patrick Ghee,

Doughty had a nice game and probably will start the season opener but I find it interesting that Moore did not play last week. Usually it is starters that are given the week off and I wonder if the team is looking at Moore in to be paired with Landry at some point. Horton is raw but he is athletic as well. Hamilton has a great shot at the PS as the 5th Safety in case of injury.

Special Teams

Projected Roster Spots: 3

Projected Starter:Sean Suisham (k), Durant Brooks (p), Ethan Albright (ls)

On the Bubble: Derrick Frost

Frost had the better pre-season but Brooks has more potential. And you don waste a draft pick on a punter to put him on the ps (and you don't put punters or kickers on the ps).

I think Brooks gets the edge as frost has shown he really chokes in the clutch.

Projected Practice Squad:

Rob Holloway (LB), Maurice Mann (WR), Tavares Washington (OL), Andrew Crumney (OL), Curtis Gatewood (LB), Matteral Richardson (CB), Rob Jackson (DE), justin Hamilton (S)

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Vision Quest: The Final 53 Post Jets

The second (third in the case for the Redskins) preseason game is where we normally see the rookies and UFAs who are going to make the squad separate themselves from the scrubs who are going North to Canada or to the Arena league to play football. Many of those bubble players will get their last chance to make an impression as the next pre-season game is used to give the first team extended time and first cut down looming right after. Many guys were quite literally playing football for the last time in their lives last game.

So with all that in mind, here is The Final 53 projections with the jets game in the record books.



Quarterback

Projected Roster Spots: 3

Projected Starter: Jason Campbell

Projected Bench: Todd Collins, Colt Brennan

Outside looking in:Derek Devine

The only thing new here is that Derek Devine could have played himself out of even a PS spot last game. He just looked horrible throwing a goal line interception and never recovered. The top 3 are set here.

Running Back

Projected Roster Spots: 4

Projected Starter:Clinton Portis

Projected Bench:Ladell Betts, Rock Cartwright, Marcus Mason

Rock Cartwright is a bad mother (shut your mouth). rock haters look to that 73 yard run and get used to seeing him in a Redskin uniform this year. Mason is doing well also and if you want to know why I keep saying we will keep 4 RBs, Betts going down with a knee sprain is exhibit A. We need 4 RBS to keep continuity in case of injury.

Tight End/Fullback

Projected Roster Spots: 4

Projected Starter: Chris Cooley & Mike Sellers

Projected Bench:Fred Davis, Todd Yoder

On the Bubble:Jason Goode

Outside Looking In:Nehemiah Broughton

Jason Goode just about sealed his place on the PS this last game. That catch was the result of blown coverage but the run after was all Goode.

Wide Receiver

Projected Roster Spots: 5

Projected Starter:Santana Moss, Antwaan Randle-El

Projected Bench: Devin Thomas, Malcolm Kelly, James Thrash,

On the Bubble: Billy McMullen, Maurice Mann, Anthony Mix,

Outside Looking In:Horace Gant, Burl Toller

With two rookies demanding roster spots and 3 accomplished vets ahead of you, you can't take a game off. Mix did because of injury and McMullen though solid was not spectacular. Chris Cooley and even Portis can be split out in a pinch so I see us going back to 5 WRs.

Offensive Line

Projected Roster Spots: 9

Projected Starter:Chris Samuels, Pete Kendall, Casey Rabach, Randy Thomas, Jon Jansen

Projected Bench:Andrew Crumney, Chad Rinehart, Jason Fabini, Stephon Heyer

Outside Looking In:Kerry Brown, Devin Clark, Justin Geisinger, Todd Wade, Taveres Washington

Geisigner's injury is goign to put him on the PS. Wade's injury may put him on the unemployment line. He won't be back until the final pre-season game and if Rinehart and Heyer shine (or even Clark) then we may have to Wade good bye. (that last joke brought to you by Fozzy Bear).

Defensive Line

Projected Roster Spots: 9

Projected Starter:Jason Taylor, Kedric Golston, Cornelius Griffen, Andre Carter

Projected Bench:Anthony Montgomery, Lorenzo Alexander, Demetric Evans, Erasmus James, Chris Wilson

On the Bubble: Rob Jackson

Outside Looking In: Matthias Askew, Ryan Boschetti,

Injured reserve/PUP:Phillip Daniels, Alex Buzbee

back to 9 for this unit and it has to help Chris Wilson who showed some great push last night and the same pass rushing skills that got him 5 sacks last year. Jackson is on his heels but his low draft status and PS eligibility may work against him getting a roster spot. And I don't care what Ryan Boschetti did playing against guys collecting garbage next year. This is his 5th year in the league, I want more then a beast vs. nobodies. the guy brings nothing to the table but a hard to spell last name.

Projected Roster Spots: 7

Projected Starter: Rocky McIntosh, London Fletcher-Baker, Marcus Washington

Projected Bench:Khary Campbell, HB Blades, Matt Sinclair, Alfred Fincher

Outside Looking In:Curtis Gatewood,

Not much change here. The only thing that could change is if a vet weak side LBer comes available Alfred Fincher could be in trouble, but this uni looks pretty tight.

Cornerbacks

Projected Roster Spots: 5

Projected Starter:Shawn Springs, Fred Smoot

Projected Bench:Carlos Rogers, Justin Tryon, Leigh Torrence

On the Bubble:Matteral Richardson, Byron Westbrook

Outside Looking In:Cedrick Holt

Another week, another sign that Tyron may be a bust. Too bad 4th round picks should make the squad, and Tyron probably will, but if Matteral Richardson makes another move Tyron may be ps bound.

Safety

Projected Roster Spots: 4

Projected Starter: Reed Doughty, Laron Landry,

Projected Bench: Kareem Moore, Chris Horton

On the Bubble: Justin Hamilton, Vernon Fox

Outside looking In: Patrick Ghee,

Fox could have played his way right off the squad Saturday by missing not one but two tackles on the Jets final drive. They say he has the smarts to play both safeties...too bad he does not have the skills. Moore has easily supplanted him at the backup FS position and Horton at the backup ss position, Fox is trying to make the case to be a 5th S and not doing very well doing it. Speaking of Horton I really hope we let him come in early against Carolina so we can see what he looks like versus NFL talent. Archueletta is calling saying Doughty can't cover ...that is saying something. Justin Hamilton is making a strong case for a PS look.

Special Teams

Projected Roster Spots: 3

Projected Starter:Sean Suisham (k), Durant Brooks (p), Ethan Albright (ls)

On the Bubble: Derrick Frost

Brooks had another solid night and Frost is punting for his life next week. I would not be putting a down payment on a house anytime soon Derrick.

Projected Practice Squad:

Jason Goode (TE), Maurice Mann (WR), Tavares Washington (OL), Justin Geisinger (OL), Curtis Gatewood (LB), Matteral Richardson (CB), Rob Jackson (DE), justin Hamilton (S)

We will see what this week's practices and this weekend's game shapes the roster.

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Chopping Block: 10 Things We Know Now After NY Jets

Ok boys and girls here we go with another incredible edition of the 10 Things we know now.

10) Brett Favre is still pretty good. Well why not start off the column with a little love for the media Darling. Still under tremendous pressure and less than two weeks of pressure Favre steps in and wings it around like he did late last season. Nice to see the old timer land on his feet….and not in the NFC.

9) Vernon Fox can’t tackle. Coaches like this guy because he can understands the mental aspect of both Safety positions, too bad he can’t play either of them. He missed three tackles on that closing drive that put the Jets in position to try and tie it. (On a side note WTH was Mangini thinking? I thought at least he tries the fake FG). Fox is clearly in trouble of not making the squad with Moore and Horton showing that at the very least they are not afraid to knock someone down and Landry returning from injury.

8 ) Carlos Rogers & Rocky McIntosh needs more time to get in game shape. On the opening drive Rogers was burned badly on one play and never anywhere on a few others. This is to be expected as he has missed so much live game time and practice will not make up for that. Rocky is also recovering from a long layoff & looked slow in pass coverage. Both should get up to game speed by opening day, but if a surprise weak side linebacker comes up on the waiver wire they are going to look long and hard at him.

7) You too Devin Thomas. No excuse here. The rookie is plain out of shape and not concentrating at times. I am not going to pound on him too much yet. He is learning this is the NFL, no more excuses. At least he is on the field (ahem ahem Mr. Kelly).

6) Durant Brooks can flat out punt. So this is what it is like having a professional punter. The kicks are long and deep and under control. Brooks may have just sealed the deal and if Frost makes it past the first cut then someone has pictures on someone.

5) Rock Cartwright can run the ball. All of Rock’s detractors can now shut up. Rock showed why he has been able to stick with the Redskins since 2001. And guess what, he will be here this year as well. Never count Rock out, the moment you do he will run a 73 yard counter on you.

4) Marcus Mason is going to keep pushing him. I have long been an activist for keeping 4 running backs and Mason is showing us why we need to do just that. He is tough and gives us added insurance, especially with Betts getting dinged up. Keeping 4 RBs in today’s NFL is becoming the norm, not the exception.

3) Chris Horton needs time with the big boys. Can we please see whether the dreaded one can mean anything more than hair? Reed Doughty just plain looks awful in coverage out there. Time to see if Horton can step it up at Strong Safety. He looks great against other 2nd stringers; let’s see if he rises to the challenge.

2) Justin Tryon is terrible. Do I really need to say anything more? He was a reach in the 4th round and is in danger of losing his spot to a UFA. He better step it up next week or he could find out life in the NFL is fleeting at best.

1) This just in, Colt Brennan lives for game day. I am not going to wax poetic about the Hawaiian Kid, but he has yet to look horrible in an NFL game. Now some of those throws he makes against big boy defenses and he is in trouble, but the guy just keep[s digging in and finding a way to win. Twice he has lead come from behind drives. We can find room for guys like this on the squad.

Roster Guess

QB (3) Jason Campbell, Todd Collins, Colt Brennan

RB (4) Clinton Portis, Ladell Betts, Rock Cartwright, Marcus Mason

FB/TE (4) Chris Cooley, Mike Sellers, Fred Davis Todd Yoder

WR (5) Santana Moss, Antwaan Randle-El. James thrash, Malcom Kelly, Devin Thomas,

OL (9) Chris Samuels, Pete Kendall, Casey Rabach, Randy Thomas, Jon Jansen, Stephon Heyer, Chad Rinehart, Andrew Crumney, Jason Fabini

DL (9) Jason Taylor, Kedric Golston, Cornellius Griffen, Andre Carter, Erasmus James, Demetric Evans, Anthony Montgomery, Lorenzo Alexander, Chris Wilson

LB (7) Rocky McIntosh, London Fletcher, Marcus Washington, Khary Campbell, HB Blades, Matt Sinclair, Alfred Fincher

CB (5) Shawn Springs, Fred Smoot, Carlos Rogers, Leigh Torrence, JT Tryon

S (4) Laron Landry, Reed Doughty, Kareem Moore, Chris Horton

Spec (3): Ethan Albright (LS), Sean Suisham (K), Durant Brooks (P)

Practice Squad (8) Justin Hamilton (S), Jason Goode (TE), Maurice Mann (WR), Tavares Washington (OL), Justin Geisinger (OL), Curtis Gatewood (LB), Matteral Richardson (CB), Rob Jackson (DE)

What’s changed: Neither Mix or McMullen are making their case for a 6th WR. With Mann available at the PS and Cooley able to go wide, Chris Wilson, who finally had some nice pressures, gets back on the roster. Also Justin Hamilton joins the PS as Derek Devine just looks horrible and there is no reason to carry him on the PS with Brennan doing well enough to make the roster.

Next game is the last game before first cuts. Some vets like Todd Wade and Vernon Fox better be wary of that first cut date because if the team has decided to move on from these vets they may part ways early to give the young guys more reps to get ready for the regular season.

That is it for now. As always Hail to the Redskins!!!

The Final 53: Post Buffalo

Well we finally saw the first string offense all together and it looked impressive for the few series it was out there. And the defense made strides but it is still missing some important parts as 2 starters (Landry and McIntosh) and two main subs (Rogers and James) are still sidelined with injurioes. Injuries in the pre-season give rookies and bubble players a chance to shine.

So with all that in mind, here is The Final 53 projections with the Buffalo game in the record books.

Quarterback

Projected Roster Spots: 3

Projected Starter: Jason Campbell

Projected Bench: Todd Collins, Colt Brennan

Outside looking in:Derek Devine

Nothing new here. Collins looked better but but not great and Brennan came back to earth. Still it looks like Devine will not get a shot at replacing him just as Brennan will not get a shot at replacing Collins.

Running Back

Projected Roster Spots: 4

Projected Starter:Clinton Portis

Projected Bench:Ladell Betts, Rock Cartwright, Marcus Mason

Anybody still want to trade Betts? If you saw how the offense worked with pboth Portis and Betts on the field and still want to trade either you better be a Cowboy fan. Mason had a big hiccup but he still ran the ball hard. He should get a few more looks at kick off returns but at this point it is to back rock up, not to replace him.

Tight End/Fullback

Projected Roster Spots: 4

Projected Starter: Chris Cooley & Mike Sellers

Projected Bench:Fred Davis, Todd Yoder

On the Bubble:Jason Goode

Outside Looking In:Nehemiah Broughton

No change here. This is about as written in stone as can be. Goode should get a shot at the PS unless there are major injuries in another position we need to stack up there.

Wide Receiver

Projected Roster Spots: 6

Projected Starter:Santana Moss, Antwaan Randle-El

Projected Bench: Devin Thomas, Malcolm Kelly, Billy McMullen, James Thrash,

On the Bubble:Maurice Mann, Anthony Mix,

Outside Looking In:Horace Gant, Burl Toller

Mix's injury opens up the 6th WR spot for McMullen who is out there catching balls, and not sitting on the sideline. And Mix's injury will sideline him for another week. A strong performance by McMullen and he will be out of the ...uhm Mix. Mann and Toller are battling for the last PS spot

Offensive Line

Projected Roster Spots: 9

Projected Starter:Chris Samuels, Pete Kendall, Casey Rabach, Randy Thomas, Jon Jansen

Projected Bench:Andrew Crumney, Chad Rinehart, Jason Fabini, Stephon Heyer

Outside Looking In:Kerry Brown, Devin Clark, Justin Geisinger, Todd Wade, Taveres Washington

Chad Rinehart's emergence and the need for a backup center is combining to hurt Todd Wade's chances, and his injury and salary is not going to help him any. It looks as if Andrew Crumney can climb into that 9th spot. The rest are fighting for ps spots. but you got to like the upside of Washington & Geisinger.

Defensive Line

Projected Roster Spots: 8

Projected Starter:Jason Taylor, Kedric Golston, Cornelius Griffen, Andre Carter

Projected Bench: Anthony Montgomery, Lorenzo Alexander, Demetric Evans, Erasmus James

Outside Looking In: Rob Jackson, Chris Wilson, Matthias Askew, Ryan Boschetti,

Injured reserve/PUP: Phillip Daniels, Alex Buzbee

Ok 8 is a little light in the roster spots but here is my thinking. Montgomery and Golston are battling for the starting DT spot next to Griffen, and Carter and Taylor are safe. Demetric Efvanas can back up both dt and DE. Lorenzo Alesxander can be an emergency DT guy and Erasmus James will be the situational pass rusher. Rob Jackson can spend a year on PS getting ready. The odd guy out is Chris Wilson but he has done nothing all camp and pre-season to warrant his inclusion on the roster.

Projected Roster Spots: 7

Projected Starter: Rocky McIntosh, London Fletcher-Baker, Marcus Washington

Projected Bench:KharyCampbell, HB Blades, Matt Sinclair, Alfred Fincher

Outside Looking In: Curtis Gatewood, Rian Wallace

I think Alfred Fincher has done enough to warrant looking at him for a roster spot. he is a former third round pick who always seems to be around the ball and can play special teams. You have to like a guy like that. He is going to make a case for keeping 7 lbers.

Cornerbacks

Projected Roster Spots: 5

Projected Starter:Shawn Springs, Fred Smoot

Projected Bench:Carlos Rogers, Justin Tryon, Leigh Torrence

On the Bubble:Matteral Richardson, Byron Westbrook

Outside Looking In:Cedrick Holt

Boy Tyron looks a little lost out there, but I doubt the Redskisn give up on a 4th round pick so early. Matteral Richardson will need to do more to get ahead of himn for the 5th CB spot. Byron Westbrook is trying to make a case as a kickoff returner, but it is not a very good one. Both matteral and Westbrook will fight it ourt for the PS.

Safety

Projected Roster Spots: 4

Projected Starter: Reed Doughty, Laron Landry,

Projected Bench: Kareem Moore, Chris Horton

On the Bubble: Vernon Fox

Outside looking In: Patrick Ghee, Justin Hamilton

Fox being excusesd from this last week's game did not help his case any. Horton and Moore are both draft picks and both have played well in the one game they were in. With Shawn Springs able to play Safety the Redskins can afford to go a little light here.

Special Teams

Projected Roster Spots: 3

Projected Starter:Sean Suisham (k), Durant Brooks (p), Ethan Albright (ls)

On the Bubble: Derrick Frost

Frost showed that he can still place the punts inside the 20 but you have to believe Brooks is still the odds on favorite to win the punting job and will need to implode before Frost can regain the top spot, Suisham hitting the long go ahead FG helped out his confidence...and ours.

Projected Practice Squad:

Derek Devine (QB), Jason Goode (TE), Maurice Mann (WR), Tavares Washington (OL), Justin Geisinger (OL), Curtis Gatewood (LB), Matteral Richardson (CB), Rob Jackson (DE)

We will see what this week's practices and this weekend's game shapes the roster.

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The Chopping Block: 10 Things We Know Now After Buffalo

Ok kids it is that time again. Time to discuss what we learned from the Redskins Pre-season game against Buffalo.

1.) Zorn is not your Father’s Head Coach. Whether it is going for it on 4^th and 1 on the goalline to get your first touchdown or calling a screen pass in the Red zone to get your second touchdown, Zorn showed he has some gamble in him. Will this continue in the regular season, only Zorn knows that. But You have to like seeing this after the last 4 years of Gibbs playing not to lose. Zorn plays to win.

2.) The First String offense is ready to go now. Right now the first string offense is crisper and more stable then at any pre season in the last 5 years. The only Caveat I give is that Spurrier looked good in the pre—season as well. However this group is much more talented than the Spurrier group and is running a real NFL offense. The line looks solid & the wide receivers look in shape and focused. Cooley looks to be on a terror and Jason Campbell is fulfilling his first round promise. And once Portis and Betts are given a At the very least I doubt we will be struggling to score over 18 points on a consistent basis.

3.) This defense needs Laron Landry to really hum. Coach Blache seems to understand his defensive players a lot better than Gregg Williams, but one thing they have in common is they need a dynamic over the top safety that can make the difference on third downs. Landry is that guy for Blache as Taylor was the guy for Williams. This defense needs him back on the field and ready to go.

4.) And McIntosh too. Same here, arguably two of the more dynamic cogs in the defense last year were McIntosh and Landry. McIntosh can play sideline to sideline and blitz on occasion. Khary Campbell is a suitable backup but he is just that, a backup. Luckily both Landry & McIntosh are expected back by start of the season.

5.) Marcus Mason is human. Well it had to happen. Mason had to have a bad play sometime, and unfortunately for him it came on the very first play of the game. Mason is going to have to prove he can contribute on special teams and fumbling an opening kickoff is not going to help. However he remained poised and continued to run very well in the second half. He hurt his shot at making the roster as Rock was out last night, but he is still in the running.

6.) And so is Colt Brennan. Colt looked every bit like the project he is on Saturday. He didn’t throw horribly but he was not a game killer. Still he has to be the odds on favorite for that 3^rd qb spot. I would like to see more of Derek Devine though, just in case.

7.) Forget Mix, Billy McMullen is the dark horse Wide Receiver candidate. With mix going down for a week with an injury, McMullen has got a great shot at the 6^th WR spot. All McMullen does is catch balls. He is getting open and with the rookie WRs still having trouble getting on the field he will continue to have chances to shine. I like his chances

8.) Sean Springs will be a safety soon. Just not this year. I am sure he will play it in certain situations, but not on a full time basis in 2008. But next year look for Landry to move to SS and Springs to FS as Rogers gets healthy and perhaps we go after a corner in the draft or free agency.

9.) So Derek Frost can punt. Besides the one that was returned for 45 yards, Frost put on a decent display of getting balls down inside the 20 last week. Brooks is still the guy to beat here, but Frost did not roll over.

10.) Sean Suisham can kick also. Suisham showed off why we like him at K with a nice go ahead 46 yard FG in the third quarter. He still needs to be more consistent, but more often then not in pressure kicks he has come through. His kickoffs continue to be excellent as well, high and deep. Still would like competition next camp if only to rest his leg, but for now the job is his and his alone.

And now a quick look at my roster predictions:

Qb (3) Jason Campbell, Todd Collins, Colt brennan

Rb (4) Clinton Portis, Ladell Betts, Rock Cartwright, Marcus Mason

FB/TE (4) Chris Cooley, Mike Sellers, Fred Davis Todd Yoder

WR (6) Santana Moss, Antwaan Randle-El. James thrash, Malcom Kelly, Devin Thomas, Billy McMullen

OL (9) Chris Samuels, Pete Kendall, Casey Rabach, Randy Thomas, Jon Jansen, Stephon Heyer, Chad Rinehart, Andrew Crumney, Jason Fabini

DL(8) Jason Taylor, Kedric Golston, Cornellius Griffen, Andre Carter, Erasmus James, Demetric Evans, Anthony Montgomery, Lorenzo Alexander

LB (7) Rocky McIntosh, London Fletcher, Marcus Washington, Khary Campbell, HB Blades, Matt Sinclair, Alfred Fincher

CB (5) Shawn Springs, Fred Smoot, Carlos Rogers, Leigh Torrence, JT Tryon

S (4) Laron Landry, Reed Doughty, Kareem Moore, Chris Horton

Spec (3): Ethan Albright (LS), Sean Suisham (K), Durant Brooks (P)

Practice Squad (8) Derek Devine (QB), Jason Goode (TE), Maurice Mann (WR), Tavares Washington (OL), Justin Geisinger (OL), Curtis Gatewood (LB), Materal Richardson (CB), Rob Jackson (DE)

That’s it for now. As always until next time, Hail to the Redskins

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the Chopping Block: Roster Battles for the Bills Game

Running a little late as I was hoping to get this up on Friday, but here are the Roster Battles i am going to be looking at in tonight's game against Buffalo.

Quarterback: Sure the starting spot is all but locked up. However wth Brennan getting the nod for the backup slot tonight and Collins looking absolutely awful in camp (and old) there could be a battle here. Espescially if Devine gets in the game and does well.

Running Back: This will all be about Marcus Mason in my opinion. With Betts and Portis taking a few snaps each the rest of the load will be on Marcus as rock is on the sideline. This is his chance to do well and give Zorn a reason to keep 4 running backs, or perhaps surplant rock all together.

Wide Receiver: If Anthony Mix or any other receiver has a shot at taking the 5th WR spot they better show something this game. Right now it doesn't look likely/

Tight End: The battle here is for third TE and Jason Goode against Todd Yoder, but I don't see much happening there. Yoder should easily win that battle and Goode is fighting for a PS spot.

Offensive Line: With Todd Wade and Stephon Heyer sidelined, there is a chance for some young offensive linement to make their case for the 9th OL spot or perhaps the PS. Justin Geisinger, Andrew Crumney, & Tavares Washington must step up their game to surplant either of these vets for a roster spot and fight each other off for PS spots.

Defensive Line: This is all about the second string. Really only 5 people have assured roster spots, Carter, Taylor, GRiggen, Golston, & Montgomery. 3 or 4 spots remain. Lorenzo Alexander, Demetric Evans, Martin Askew, Ryan Boschetti, Chris Wilson, & rookie Rob jackson all need to step up and show something or they may get shown the door.

Linebacker: This is as much a fight for the last roster spot an practice squad as any. The starters (McIntosh, Baker, Washington) are all set. Most likely Blades is also safe. The fight is for the last 2 roster spots and and the 1 spot on the practice squad. Khary Campbell and Matt Sinclair are in the driver's seat but Curtis Gatewood looked impressive and Rian Wallace has a strong case to make also.

Cornerback: Once again starterrs set (Springs and Smoot) and the nickle is set as well (Rogers) so the battle is for the last two roster spots and possibly a PS spot. Torence is looking surprisingly good and Tyron not so much. Matteral Richardson has a real shot at moving up.

Safety: Probably the only place where a starters spot might be up for grabs. Kareem Moore and Chris Horton are going to push Reed Doughty for his spot. Vernon Fox is looking to make case on special teams for the 5th spot or it may be given to another position as Springs can cover Safety in case of injury.

Special teams: Suisham has to have a lights out game or competition could be signed for him in camp. Frosty gets his shot at the punting battle this week but it may be his last one if he is not on the ball. Some of the fringe players like Mason, Tryon, and Toller could get a helping hand with Cartwright out of the game. They need to show some ability on kickoff returns to get a leg up on the competition.

That is it. Enjoy tonight's game and as always Hail to the Redskins!!!!!

Discuss it in the Redskins Forum

10 Things We Know Now-Hall of Fame Edition

Hello DC Pro Sports report. Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Dustin Czarny and I have been blogging about the redskins for over 4 years now with Mark and Tom. I am extremely honored that they have asked me to write a few things for their new site. I plan to be very Redskin focused in my writing as I have a passion for our football team.

So after each Redskin game, pre-season or regular, I am going to do the 10 Things We Know Now which will break down some things we learned about the team that we may not have known before. Also during the pre-season I will preview the roster battles on the Friday before each pre-season game.

So let's get right to it shall we:

10 Things We Know Now

10) Zorn knows how to manage a game. One of the biggest quesitons I have had going into this season is whether Zorn can handle going from a position coach to a head Coach. Not only a head coach, but one who is also the offensive coordinator. So with very few penalties and litle substitution issues we have to give him thumbs up on his first game. Oh yeah we won as well. Bonus!!!

9) Marcus Mason can run the rock. It is only pre-season and it was only against 3rd and 4th stringers, but Mason showed some brilliant decisions last night. His cut back vision was on display and definitely a big asset for him as he tries to make the squad.

8) Colt Brennan is not a total waste of a draft pick. And maybe, just maybe an NFL calibe QB. agian only 1 pre-season game but three very impressive drives and some decent throws. I doubt he is going to unseat Collins as #2, but he did a great job, better then what has been reported in practice. Sometimes soe players are just gamers and step it up. Maybe that is the case with Colt.

7) Chad Rinhart has a definite future in this league, and it may come soon. Rinehart was a monster against the 2nd and 3rd string defenses last night. he will be starting for Kendall by next year and will probably be the main backup at any position by the end of the year.

6) The West Coast hybrid offense is dynamic and fluid. Quick strikes and a fast pace. this is not the slow deliberate, time eating offense of the past four years. This is the offense that was promised under Saunders and failed to develop. No more watching the coaches frantically call timeout because the playclock is gettign down. Quick decisions and quick strikes. I like what I see.

5) Jason Campbell could be on the verge of a great season. If this offense is to be believed, it is tailor made for Jason Campbell. But Zorn has also worked on his delivery to shorten it up and get out from Center earlier. With mobile pockets and bootlegs Zorn is making this offense suited to Campbell's strengths.

4) Fred Davis can deliver an impact after a catch. I love the way Fred davis does not shy away from contract after he catches a reception. He will be able to be lined up at WR, FB, TE and be a very potent weapon in the Zorn offense.

3) Durant Brooks is the clear favorite in the punting competition. Frost did not take one snap in the hall of fame game and Brooks did very well. I would be surprised if Frost lasted past the first round of cuts.

2) We have great depth on the offensive side of the ball. Whether it be on the line or at the skills positions I like our depth on offense. We have talented and accomplished players in backup roles at eveyr position of the offense. For the first time there is real competition for every depth spot and the top few backups are pretty good. If one of our starters not named jason capbell were to go down, it would not mean the end of the season.

1) Not so much depth on the defensive side of the ball. Unfortunately on the defensive side we are in real shallow waters. The backup defensive line seems to get no push and the backup linebackers are not much better. The backup defensive backs are a little better. Tyron got burned but is young and has raw talent. Chris Horton is pretty good as well and Richardson and Torrence developing. But the front 7 is awful thin.

That is it for now. Hail to the Redskins.

The Final 53: Hall of Fame Edition

What can you take from a game where many starters did not even play and those that did were pulled after only two series? Well alot if you know what you are looking for. We got to see what the real depth chart was by the players who played and the ones who did not. We got to see not only how the offense is going to work, but what position players Zorn is going to need to make this offense work. We also got to see the players that may excel in the Blatche defense and whether we will have any depth on defense at all.

So with all that in mind, here is The Finakl 53 projections with the Canton game in the record books.

Quarterback

Projected Roster Spots: 3

Projected Starter: Jason Campbell

Projected Bench: Todd Collins, Colt Brennan

Outside looking in:Derek Devine

Jason Campbell makes this offense click, it is tailor made for his skills and athleticism. As one of Colt Brennan's biggest detractors i have to say he played well, very well. Todd Collins looks a little lost out there at times, but he should be able to hold off Colt at the #2. Still Devine will be kept on the Practice Squad for next year when Collins is shown the door.

Running Back

Projected Roster Spots: 4

Projected Starter:Clinton Portis

Projected Bench:Ladell Betts, Rock Cartwright, Marcus Mason

Let the Marcus Mason love fest begin. With Portis and Betts on the bench Cartwright and Mason had the RB load and both played very very well, however Mason showed some grit and great cut back speed. Cartwright though looks to stay on the team because of his KO return abilities. Until someone pushes him there he is safe. I still think because of Betts and Portis injury history we keep 4 RBs, and it may be a sign that Zorn likes the 4 he has since they are the only ones on the roster.

Tight End/Fullback

Projected Roster Spots: 4

Projected Starter: Chris Cooley & Mike Sellers

Projected Bench:Fred Davis, Todd Yoder

On the Bubble:Jason Goode

Outside Looking In:Nehemiah Broughton

This is shaping up to be one of the strongest units on the Skins. Fred Davis, once he buys an alarm clock, will be lined up at WR every so often, same with Cooley. Yoder and Sellers will be used in the backfield to help Springs Portis and Betts. In many ways we are seeing the return of the h-back in it's heyday. Goode will get a year to season on the PS and replace either Sellers or Yoder next year.

Wide Receiver

Projected Roster Spots: 6

Projected Starter:Santana Moss, Antwaan Randle-El

Projected Bench: Devin Thomas, Malcolm Kelly, Anthony Mix,James Thrash,

On the Bubble:Maurice Mann, Billy McMullen,

Outside Looking In:Horace Gant, Burl Toller

All that I am reading is this offense needs 6 WRs to run properly. However I do think they are discounting the flexibility we have with Cooley and Davis. For now I am upping the roster count here to six, but if One of our PUP candidates becomes healthy by the end of training camp then we could see this drop to 5. Then Mix and Thrash will be in the fight for the last spot. Toller and Mann could make the PS.

Offensive Line

Projected Roster Spots: 9

Projected Starter:Chris Samuels, Pete Kendall, Casey Rabach, Randy Thomas, Jon Jansen

Projected Bench:Todd Wade, Chad Rinehart, Jason Fabini, Stephon Heyer

Outside Looking In:Kerry Brown, Devin Clark, Justin Geisinger, Andrew Crumney, Taveres Washington

Not much change here, however it is obvious that Crumney is being used as the primary backup center. But for now I am still putting him on the PS. If something happens to Rabach in game Jansen can still backup center and Crumney can be activated the next week. However a 10th OL could be kept at a cost to another position (WR or RB).

Defensive Line

Projected Roster Spots: 9

Projected Starter:Jason Taylor, Anthony Montgomery, Cornelius Griffen, Andre Carter

Projected Bench:Kedric Golston, Lorenzo Alexander, Demetric Evans, Rob Jackson, Chris Wilson

Outside Looking In:Matthias Askew, Ryan Boschetti, Kevin Huntley,

Injured reserve/PUP:Erasmus James, Phillip Daniels, Alex Buzbee

Not much change here either. Erasmus James is still looking at starting the season on the PUP, and Rob Jackson could be the beneficiary of this. If james does get healthy Chris Wilson could find himself for a roster fight with Jackson. Demetric Evans versatility will allow him to backup both ends and DTS. Lorenzo Alexander's spot could be pushed for by Askew or Boschetti, but neither of them showed much last game.

Line Backers

Projected Roster Spots: 6

Projected Starter: Rocky McIntosh, London Fletcher-Baker, Marcus Washington

Projected Bench:KharyCampbell, HB Blades, Matt Sinclair

Outside Looking In:Danny Verdun-Wheeler, Curtis Gatewood, Rian Wallace

I don't like keeping only 6 here but I think the skins will keep one or two lbers on the practice squad. Sinclair stays ahead of Gatewood for now but this could change. This could be a position where we scan other's cuts to shore up our depth.

Cornerbacks

Projected Roster Spots: 5

Projected Starter:Shawn Springs, Fred Smoot

Projected Bench:Carlos Rogers, Justin Tryon, Leigh Torrence

On the Bubble:Matteral Richardson

Just Tryon looked horrible at times last night but his draft status keeps him ahead of Richardson, for now. Richardson will get several opportunities to show what he has after last night's interception for a TD. Westbrook may have played his way out of a roster spot last night in both defense and dropping a KO return.

Outside Looking In:Cedrick Holt, Byron Westbrook,

Safety

Projected Roster Spots: 4

Projected Starter:Reed Doughty, Laron Landry,

Projected Bench: Stuart Schweigert, Chris Horton

On the Bubble: Vernon Fox

Injured reserve/Pup: Kareem Moore

If Kareem Moore gets healthy he will take a roster spot here, but more then likely it will come from WR or RB. Chris Horton played an incredible game last night and he should get some reps with first team. At the very least the coaches should look at packaging him with Doughty. I want to see Horton vs. top flight talent.

Special Teams

Projected Roster Spots: 3

Projected Starter:Sean Suisham (k), Durant Brooks (p), Ethan Albright (ls)

On the Bubble: Derrick Frost

Frost did not punt once last night. This may eb a competition in name only. Suisham though has nice kickoffs but is still missing make-able fgs. We need another kicker in camp if only to save Suisham's leg.

Projected Practice Squad:

Matteral Richardson (CB), Curtis Gatewood (LB), Andrew Crumney (OL), Taveres Washington (OL), Burl Toller (WR), Maurice Mann (WR), Derek Devine (QB), Jason Goode (FB/TE)

We will see what this week's practices and this weekend's game shapes the roster.

The Final 53: Training Camp Edition

Well it is the start of camp so it is that time where we start to look at who will be on the redskins final roster. Usually when you get to training camp all of your picks are signed and you have the team you will go into the regular season with. Well leave it to Vinny Cerrato to say “not so fast” with a trade for Jason Taylor late in the weekend. So with that trade in place, here is a look at the final 53 as it stands today.

I think a main theme at camp will be Gibbs Guys vs. Young guys. At almost every position there are former “super smart” players that “fought their guts out” but maybe aren’t all that talented. There are young guys behind them pushing to make the squad. In the past Gibbs tended to lean towards the vets, but who knows what Zorn is going to do. Some of these guys will make the squadm, but I can guarantee you not all of them. Injuries, adaptability, and even contract issues will come into play when the final decisions are made.

Quarterback

Projected Roster Spots: 3

Projected Starter: Jason Campbell

Projected Bench: Todd Collins, Derek Devine

On the Bubble: Colt Brennan

Jason Campbell comes into camp as the undeniable starter, despite Collins heroics at the end of last season. Though Collins will be there and ready to take over for Campbell if he regresses or is injured, the real battle will be for 3rd string QB. This will be an interesting battle to watch in training camp as it is one where Jim Zorn and Vinny Cerrato’s vision for the team may be at odds. Devine was brought in by Zorn as he was 3rd QB in Seattle and knows the West Coast offense. Cerrato drafted Brennan late as a prospect. It will be interesting to see how much time each gets in the 2nd and 3rd pre season games.

Running Back

Projected Roster Spots: 4

Projected Starter: Clinton Portis

Projected Bench: Ladell Betts, Rock Cartwright, Marcus Mason

On the Bubble: Eric Shelton

Once again another battle where the top 2 spots are set but the 3rd spot is where the competition. Clinton Portis is the #1 back and Ladell Betts will spell him on occasion. At third RB it is Rock Cartwright vs. Marcus Mason. Here we have one of the Gibbs Guys vs Young Guys theme I talked about earlier. Rock Cartwright resigned with the Redskins in the off season after finding no real suitors around the NFL. But young and quick Marcus Mason had a year on the PS and now a whole Training Camp to impress some coaches. For now Rock’s kick return capabilities combined with Mason’s practice squad eligibility keeps him ahead but it will be interesting to see who actually returns kicks in the pre-season. However both will probably make the squad. Eric Shelton is really interesting as he is a bruising short yardage back and can do some damage. He may be Rock’s true competition.

Tight End/Fullback

Projected Roster Spots: 4

Projected Starter: Chris Cooley & Mike Sellers

Projected Bench: Fred Davis & Todd Yoder

On the Bubble: Tyler Ecker, Jason Goode

Outside Looking In: Nehemiah Broughton

It will be interesting to see how many TE/FB players Zorn keeps. I am guessing 4 with a 5th on the Practice squad. I think at the start of the season Chris Cooley and Mike Sellers will be the starters with Cooley being the traditional TE and Sellers being the swing FB/2nd TE/H-back position the west coast offense employs. However Fred Davis, in another Gibbs Guy vs. Young Guy matchup, is sniffing on Sellers heels and could overtake him in training camp. Yoder will look to spell Cooley and be around in case of injury. Tyler Ecker and Jason Goode are most likely looking for PS eligibility. NEMO’s long rid eon the opine will probably end without a massive injury to Sellers or Davis.

Wide Receiver

Projected Roster Spots: 5

Projected Starter: Santana Moss, Antwaan Randle-El

Projected Bench: Devin Thomas, Malcolm Kelly, James Thrash

On the Bubble: Anthony Mix,

Outside Looking In: Horace Gant, Maurice Mann, Billy McMullen, Burl Toller

A lot of flux in this position. About the only sure thing I see is Santana Moss will be starting at one end. Right now you have to give the edge to Randle El over the rookies lining up on Game 1 as a starter, but it is only a matter of time before he moves to his natural position as a slot receiver. Malcolm Kelly seems to have the edge here but Thomas could take it as well. Thomas looks more like an eventual replacement to Randle El and could steal kickoff return. And for the 5th spot we have another Gibbs vs. Young situation with James Thrash holding off Anthony Mix and Burl Toller. Right now edge goes to the vet until we see games, but Mix could easily take this from him, and with no practice squad eligibility the Redskins have a real decision here.

Offensive Line

Projected Roster Spots: 9

Projected Starter: Chris Samuels, Pete Kendall, Casey Rabach, Randy Thomas, Jon Jansen

Projected Bench: Todd Wade, Chad Rinehart, Jason Fabini, Stephon Heyer

Outside Looking In: Kerry Brown, Devin Clark, Justin Geisinger, Andrew Crumney, Taveres Washington

At first glance this looks like one of the more stable positions on the team. The starters are entrenched and the bench are veterans with 1 highly drafted rookie. The problem is that we have only one natural Center, Casey Rabach (who is actually a converted guard), I would look for a late camp signing here unless Rinehart can make an adjustment inside. If that happens Todd Wade could be in trouble as he is expensive and can only play one position, right tackle.

Defensive Line

Projected Roster Spots: 9

Projected Starter: Jason Taylor, Anthony Montgomery, Cornelius Griffen, Andre Carter

Projected Bench: Kedric Golston, Lorenzo Alexander, Demetric Evans, Rob Jackson, Chris Wilson

On the Bubble: Matthias Askew

Outside Looking In: Ryan Boschetti, Kevin Huntley,

Injured reserve/PUP: Erasmus James, Phillip Daniels, Alex Buzbee

Already this unit is looking thin with 3 players looking to not start the season with the rest of the team, but the addition of Jason Taylor pairing with the improved Andre Carter, young Montgomery, and healthy Griffin should finally give the Redskins a decent starting defensive Line. Golston and Evans look to be solid backups and sure bets to make the team. Matthias Askew will make a push for a spot and it looks as if Wilson and Alexander are the most in danger. Askew will be directly competing with Alexander but the powers that be may find they have no need for Wilson since they have 2 DEs in Taylor and Carter who are already pass rushing specialists. Rob Jackson will most likely start with the team and then move to PS once Erasmus James is healthy enough to play.

Line Backers

Projected Roster Spots: 6

Projected Starter: Rocky McIntosh, London Fletcher-Baker, Marcus Washington

Projected Bench: Khary Campbell, HB Blades, Matt Sinclair

Outside Looking In: Danny Verdun-Wheeler, Curtis Gatewood, Rian Wallace

The Redskins made no moves to shore up the weak side in the case of Rocky not recovering from injury, and by all accounts this gamble paid off. Fletcher and Washington should combine with Rocky as a decent starting unit. HB Blades, Sinclair, And & Campbell provide decent short term backups and have great special teams purpose. Everyone else is hoping for A PS spot.

Cornerbacks

Projected Roster Spots: 5

Projected Starter: Shawn Springs, Fred Smoot

Projected Bench: Carlos Rogers, Justin Tryon, Leigh Torrence

On the Bubble: Byron Westbrook,

Outside Looking In: Cedrick Holt, Matteral Richardson

Shawn Springs and Fred Smoot will once again start on the corners. One can only hope Blatche will eliminate the 15 yard cushions on 2rd and 5, but we will see. Carlos Rogers is in Training Camp and I don’t think he will start PUP, but he most definitely will be inactive. Tryon will also show value by returning kicks and punts. So this may come down to a battle of Torrence and Westbrook for the 5th spot. Neither are great and Westbrook has PS eligibility so for now Torrence gets the nod. The rest are looking for injuries or PS.

Safety

Projected Roster Spots: 5

Projected Starter: Laron Landry, Stuart Schweigert

Projected Bench: Reed Doughty, Kareem Moore, Chris Horton

On the Bubble: Vernon Fox

Landry is the only certainty in this group. He will be starting and hopefully not lining up in the next zip code. Schweigert has the edge over Doughty for the other starting spot an Doughty was exposed at times in pass coverage and is more of a special teamer then NFL safety. This is another case of Gibbs guys vs. young guys and we have a two-fer with draft picks Moore and Horton challenging Gibbs guys Doughty and Fox. My odds are on the draft picks with Doughty and Fox fighting for the last spot on the roster.

Special Teams

Projected Roster Spots: 3

Projected Starter: Sean Suisham (k), Durant Brooks (p), Ethan Albright (ls)

On the Bubble: Derrick Frost

Welcome back Big red, one fo9 the best Long snappers in the game. Totally underrated because you only notice him when he does something wrong, and he never does something wrong. Sean Suisham came on last year to secure the kicking spot. However in the punting position we have the last of our Gibbs Guys vs. Young Guys competitions. The punting battle will be waged all camp long but there is a reason the Redskins selected Durant Brooks in the 5th Round. The boy can kick and he has to be the favorite over the erratic and often inaccurate Frost.

Projected Practice Squad:

Byron Westbrook (CB), Danny Verdun-Wheeler (LB), Curtis Gatewood (LB), Taveres Washington (OL), Kerry Brown (OL), Burl Toller (WR), Horace Gant (WR), Colt Brennan (QB)

That’s it. I will update this after the Hall of Fame game in the beginning of August.

Vision Quest: 2008 Redskin Cap Cuts & Free Agent Review

Now that the Redskins have a complete coaching staff, including brand new coach Jim Zorn, it is high time that we can turn our eyes towards the Redskin free agents. At the time of writing this article, the Redskins have an amazing 18 free agents. What is amazing is that none of them can really be described as anything more then role players at best.

This is a good thing. Our cap situation is still pretty bad. And although we have had a few restructures, some cuts will have to come as the Redskins are currently $13 million over the NFL Salary Cap of $116 million. However this is not a time to panic either. About 75% of the over cap amount is because of a large roster bonus due to Chris Cooley.

However before we address the Free Agents we need to look at cutting a few players. Here are my nominations (figures in parenthesis are post June 1 cut savings):

Salary Cap Savings

Cut List

Brandon Lloyd, WR Savings: -2.929 (2.405)

On the face of it Lloyd’s cut would actually be a salary cap hit, however under the new NFLPA labor agreement the team will be allowed to designate two cuts per year as post June 1 cuts yet do it at the beginning of the year. Mr. Lloyd, your time has come. A West Coast offense depends on precise routes and sure hands, two things Lloyd does not do well. A post June 1 like cut will give us salary cap space for our draft picks.

Phillip Daniels, DE Savings: 2.986 (3.100)

I know there are once again rumblings on the Defensive staff about keeping Daniels and moving him inside. I still think we are better off just cutting him period. He is ineffective, overpaid, and old. Three things that add up to Cap cut in my opinion.

Todd Wade, OT Savings: -.546 (1.686)

The second post June 1 cut should be Todd Wade. Stephon Heyer’s emergence as a reserve OT has made Wade expendable. Also Wade’s inability to stay healthy and effective will not help his cause.

Honorable Mention

These players will either need to restructure or could possibly be cuts.

Shawn Springs, CB Savings: 2.516 (5.000)

Shawn is always a tempting target because of his cap figure, and entering the last two years of his contract he becomes even more tempting. However circumstances (such as Carlos Roger’s injury) will most likely keep him in DC. I hope the Redskins offer him a true restructuring deal and not the pay cut they tried to force down his throat last year. Otherwise Shawn will most likely make them cut him and he can get paid somewhere else.

Marcus Washington, LB Savings: 2.404 (4.425)

Another tempting target, but once again will get saved because of injury to a young star. The injury to McIntosh means Washington is not as expendable as he once was thought to be. Unlike Springs though, Washington’s play has seriously declined.
Washington will not get a big contract somewhere else and is in less of a negotiating position.

Jon Jansen, OT Savings: -1.770 (4.980)

Jansen has a large $1.25 million roster bonus due this year and is in danger of not seeing it. 2 out of the last 4 years he spent most or all of the season on IR. Stephon Heyer’s emergence could put him in jeopardy as well, but most likely not yet. Jon gets one more year to prove he can be a viable consistent option on the right side of the line.

The Redskin Free Agents:

Once the cap cuts have been done here is how I would treat our free agents.

UFAs

Ethan Albright, LS

This is a must resign, and most likely will be redone soon. Usually big Red will go into Dan Snyder’s office and sign a 1 year contract for Vet minimum or a little above. However he deserves a decent raise since he was in the pro-bowl this year. He simply is one of the best at his position and underappreciated. Don’t break the bank but give him a 3 year contract with a $1 million bonus.

Ryan Boschetti, DT/De/Waterboy

How this guy keeps making the squad year in and year out makes my head hurt. 4 years on the team and not worth a dang. Let him go onto his next career.

Reche Caldwell, WR

I would love to see him in from training camp on. I think he will make plays and can be a decent NFL 3^rd or 4^th WR. But only at vet minimum would I bring him back.

Rock Cartwright, RB/KR

Rock Cartwright has no bigger defender on the web then yours truly. Each of the last 4 years some of the fan base fell in love with some flashy running back and I stuck with Rock. In 2004 it was Sultan McCullogh, 2005, Nemo Broguhton, 2006 Jesse Lumsden, and in 2007 Derrick Blaylock, none of whom could take the 3^rd RB spot from Rock. Rock also was a force on special teams and the last two years in kick returns. So it my come as a surprise for some of you to read that I do not think the Redskins should re-sign him. He simply will cost too much and wants to be involved in the offense. Neither of which the Redskins can offer. Also rock is roughly the same age as Betts and Portis, and the Redskins need youth to back them up. Rock has had 7 good years, more then most 7^th round draft picks could ever hope to have. It is time for him to find greener pastures elsewhere and time for the team to get a young RB to learn the new offense under Zorn.

Mark Brunell, QB

Brunell got 4 years at the end of his career here in DC. It has been a nice ride. We have an open QB coach position, maybe we could offer it to him. I wouldn’t be opposed to a vet minimum signing but Brunell is not a West Coast QB and really serves no purpose under the new regime.

Todd Collins, QB

Thank you for the playoff run Todd, but Papa Al awaits you in St. Louis. Perhaps you can teach the system to Bulger and then try and take his job there as well. Buh Bye.

Rick DeMulling, OL

Never could get on the field even with all the injuries we had on the line. Cya.

Jason Fabini, OL

Jason stepped in for Randy Thomas when he went down, and although he wasn’t horrible, he is not an NFL starter. If he wants to sign for vet minimum fine, but I rather get younger OL guys that can learn the new offensive system and have fresh legs out there.

Derrick Frost, P

Inconsistency, thy name is Derrick Frost. I have no problem with resigning him because he does show flashes of brilliance, but please bring in real competition for him this summer if for no reason other then to save his leg for the season.

Randall Godfrey, LB

Just too old to be of service anymore. We need youth on the defense, especially at LB. I don’t see him coming back.

Brian Kozlowski, TE/Lump on a Log

The best thing Zorn could do is lose this guy’s phone number. Let some youth get a chance at being the worst player on the team. Koz has held this title each of the last 4 years under Gibbs.

David Macklin, DB

We need depth at CB but Macklin never showed anything on the field. Vet minimum resign only.

Keenan McCardell, WR

The WR position needs to be made over and there is no room for an ancient Wide Receiver like Keenan on our squad right now.

Pierson Prioleau, S

If we did not lose Taylor I would risk letting Prioleau go. But we will need depth and though P-squared did not play well, the injury he was recovering from may not get better till this year. Vet minimum and let him compete for a spot in camp.

Mike Pucillo, OL

I like Pucillo but the emergence of Lorenzo Alexander took away his goal line TE role. Right now he is just a backup center and maybe guard. I say resign him, but only at vet minimum.

Omar Stoutmire, S

Omar is the red-headed step child of the Washington Safety corp. He was re-signed and cut so many times last year I think Charlie Brown feels sorry for him. Let’s not torture him anymore and let him go find work somewhere else.

RFAs

Nehemiah Broughton, FB

I wouldn’t mind tendering the absolute minimum one year deal to Broughton and letting him compete for a backup FB spot. Sellers is not getting any younger and Broughton was a draft pick and showed flashes of potential. But if someone else wants to sign him, let him go and get our 7^th round draft choice compensation.

Shaun Suisham, K

Suisham was undrafted so no compensation for him if he is signed by another team and we tender him at the lowest option. However that is exactly what we should do. If another team tries to sign him we could always match their offer. I am not totally sold on Shazaam though he did kick a few game winning kicks this year. I would still like training camp competition for him as well.

So that is it, as Free agency approaches I will take a look at some of the expected free agent targets of the Redskins. Until then may the Zorn be with you.

Hail to the Redskins!

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Vision Quest: Give Me Spags!

It’s been well over a month since my last Vision Quest article. I admit that I have been in a funk with all things Redskin related. It was a hard season with brief moments of optimism. But I have to admit even the most fervent optimist had to be down at the way the Redskin season ended. It was not just the loss once again to Seattle after riding a 4 game winning streak into the playoffs. It was the realization that 2 of our young stars on defense Rogers (injury), McIntosh (Injury), will not be back with the Redskins in top form and Sean taylor will never come back being the victim of a senseless crime. And lastly, iIt was the sudden and shocking retirement of our coach Joe Gibbs.

Say what you want about Joe Gibbs, and many of us did just that during his 4 year return, no one could argue that the loved the Redskins and wanted to bring glory back to this franchise. He brought our team to the playoffs in 2 out of the 4 years he returned. In the 13 years he was gone the Redskins managed to get into the playoffs just once. On that basis alone his return was a success, or as much a success as anyone could hope for with this flawed organization.

At the end though it was time for Joe to go, He just could not coach at the level he wanted to. The death of Sean Taylor and the obvious coaching mistakes, especially the two timeout debacle against Buffalo weighed on his heart. Age was also taking a toll and the constant threat of his health deteriorating from his Diabetes. And the cold hard fact is the NFL Head Coaching gig is a young man’s game. The pressures and the constant round the clock schedule is just not meant for a 67 year old grandfather of six.

Unfortunately we had to say goodbye to Joe and this was the day I was dreading for several years. Sure Joe’s coaching talents had waned in the final days, but his mere stature and legendary presence was all that was preventing the manipulative and incompetent hands of owner Daniel Snyder and lackey Vinny Cerrato from taking over the franchise in every way, shape, & form. Coach Gibbs was the thumb in the dyke of incompetence and not that water is flowing freely, and we are drowning in it.

Look at what has happened in the last month during this coaching search. First there was the press conference where Snyder all but ruled out ever getting a GM with his now infamous “If it ain’t broke don’t fix it” routine. Then there was the promotion of Vinny Cerrato to vice president and de-facto general manager. As if that was not bad enough a poorly worded press release revealed that Vinny would be given “roster” control. The Redskins quickly issued a clarification on the subject however it remains to be seen whether that clarification was only meant to detract from the immediate negative reaction that such a duty would be given to anyone other then the head coach.

Though Gregg Williams, the Assistant Head Coach Defense, was widely thought to be the front runner and heir apparent, he was eventually passed over. Though that made this blogger personally happy, as I do not hold Williams in as high esteem as some Redskin Fans, the way in which the matter was handled. Snyder had 3-4 interviews (depending on what you believe) to determine whether someone who has already been in the organization for the last 4 years. Finally after several “leaks” indicating possible reasons (Williams was arrogant, disrespected Gibbs) the redskins would not hire Gibbs they finally decided to release Williams from his contract and officially deny the leaks from earlier.

Then there was the Mora & Fassel mess that was in the middle of the Williams mess. That is right we are so incompetent that we can actually balance 3 head coaching messes at the same time. Widespread rumors were abound that the Redskins were going to offer Jim Mora Jr. the HC spot. So widespread were the rumors that Mora felt he had to officially withdraw his name from the process to avid confusion. And then it looked as if Jim Fassel was going to be hired, so much so we were talking to his 2 top choices for OC (Jim Zorn) and DC (Rex Ryan). But when the latter seemed to fall through, so did Fassel’s candidacy, apparently.

But hold the phone, because flash forward a week and Jim Zorn was hired anyways to offensive coordinator and Greg Blache was promoted to defensive coordinator. Al Saunders and Gregg Williams were dismissed and the only thing that could come next would be a head coach signing…yet the Redskins announced that they would wait until after the Super Bowl to decide, a full two weeks later. Then rumors went to Steve Mariucci who just happened to have a contract ending with the NFL network after the Super Bowl and wanted to return to coaching, and just interviewed last Sunday.

And thrown away in all of this is Jim Schwartz (DC Tennessee) and Ron Meeks (DC Indianapolis) who were also interviewed by the brain trust that is Snyderrato (not my term but an apt description of the amorphous 2-headed form that now runs the Redskins). Bill Cowher was wooed both publicly and privately. Pete Carroll was brought in for nine hours before he then declined to be interviewed.

So among all those names who do I want to be the next HC of my beloved but troubled football team?

None of them. Give me Spags.

Steve Spagnuolo, defensive coordinator of the Super Bowl XLII Champion NY Giants, is simply the best choice to launch a new era for the Washington Redskins. I admit this is largely in reaction to his Super Bowl performance, as I had reluctantly been for Mariucci before this column. Yet, the more I analyze this move, the more In hope that after his interview on Tuesday he will be announced as a member of the Burgundy and gold family. And here are just a few reasons why:

Spagnuolo is the hot assistant HC in the NFL. Just for once I would like to be ahead of the NFL then reacting from behind. No I know we have been burned here before, yes Norv I am looking at you. Yet this is different. Spags is a player’s coach but also a tough SOB. He knows what to expect from his players and pushes them to excel. We need that with the talented yet underproductive players we have on contract here.

His biggest asset is our biggest need. Spags understands that winning football games starts on the line, especially the defensive line. Sure he had talent, but Usi and Tuck were there last year and did nothing before Spags came on board. The Giants leapfrogged to the best sacking team in the NFL from one of the worst in just one year. Our defensive line needs a makeover and a HC who understands that.

He understands the importance of developing a young QB. Sure he is a defensive coach, but he saw the growing process of Eli Manning this year. The NY Fans were ready to kill him as late as 7 weeks ago. However he witnessed what can be done when you give a young QB the freedom to grow and learn; sometimes they rise to the challenge. Jason Campbell will benefit from that more then anything.

The game and season is not over until it’s over. Spags was the leader of the defense that not only won the Super Bowl for the Giants, but got them into the playoffs and through the playoffs as well. This is despite being on the road the entire time. This despite playing icons like Romo, Favre, and Brady. It was the defense that bottled up Dallas. It was the defense that got the interception to set up the game winning FG in Green Bay, and it was the defense that held the record setting Patriot offense to 14 points. I want the guy in charge of that defense to be in charge of our team.

Addition by subtraction. I admit it; I am scared of the looming problem that is the NY Giants. They are relatively young and Eli Manning is blossoming. Taking away one of their best assistants will not only give us insight to their organization but perhaps hurt them as well. And since Spags started his NFL coaching career as an intern to the Washington GM office in 1983, let’s bring him back home.

He has a history of not choosing assistants. Spags inherited the entire defensive staff and many veterans when he became DC of the Giants this year. He focused on making them better then on demanding wholesale changes. We need a HC who will do the same with the redskins if we hope to be competitive at all next year or beyond. Will changes be made eventually, probably, but with this late start this may be the best opportunity for Spags to step in and start picking up the pieces.

Danny and Vinny, I implore you not to let Spags leave Redskin Park without a contract offer tomorrow. The very future of our franchise depends on it.

Give us Spags!!!

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Vision Quest: Playing With House Money

When you walk down the street today there is pep in your step. The food tastes better. The air smells sweeter. The girls look prettier. The traffic lights on the way to work all seem to be green. Your wife and family are nicer to you. Your clothes fit better and you could swear you have grown an inch over night.

All this because your Washington Redskins are in the playoffs.

Normally just being in the playoffs would not excite me so much. Granted it is only the third time in 15 years, but this the Washington Redskins. We don’t play football just to be in the playoffs, we want that fourth Super Bowl trophy. However for this team to make the playoffs with the adversity and tragedy that they have faced is nothing short of amazing. Losing 6 starters to season ending injury and multiple games from the remaining starters and backups would easily take a team out of playoff contention. Throw into that the tragic loss of their best player and emotional leader Sean Taylor at the very apex of the season and no one, not even me, would have blamed the team for playing out the string and looking toward next year.

But this team quietly and definitively was on a mission. Even after the Buffalo loss and losing starting quarterback Jason Campbell the next game, they had decided to will their way into the playoffs. There were no t-shirts made, no big parades. No banners were unfurled and no press conferences and high profile player only meetings. Sometime after burying their friend and teammate the Redskins collectively and perhaps subconsciously decided that it was time to make good on the talent that God gave them. Not for themselves. Not for their families. Not for the Redskins. Nor for the Fans.

They did it for Sean.

So one opponent after another came up and the Redskins took care of business. Against Chicago they lost their starting quarterback and lost hope that Randy Thomas would be back on the offensive line. Yet they won 24-16. Against the NY Giants they not only had to the loss of their starting OLB Rocky McIntosh but Mother Nature who unleashed a virtual tempest on the field. Yet they won 22-10. Then the Vikings, one of the hottest teams in the league with a 5-game win streak. No one gave the Redskins a chance to win on the road and yet again they won 32-21.

Finally the Dallas Cowboys. Our hated rival came to Fed Ex on the last day of the season. With the playoffs hanging in the balance the Redskins took the field and immediately showed that they wanted this game more. There was an air of confidence all week long. And on the field the Redskins showed that it was deserved. They played like warrior poets and took it to the #1 seed in the playoffs.

Can we dispel the notion that the Cowboys were not going to play to win this game? They played their starters well into the third quarter and did not sit them until after the Redskins put up a 3 possession lead. And if there was any doubt the Cowboys were playing to win this game, the fracas caused by Wade Phillips at the end of the first half ends it. Instead of going into halftime content with getting the ball back, Phillips argued with the Refs to allow for 1 play with no time left. He put his star quarterback out there to attempt a desperation throw. Chris Wilson made them pay by hitting Romo like he was Nick Lachey.

Why would Phillips risk such a move if they were not trying to win? The Cowboys had the first round bye and the top seed in the playoffs. Why not play like Tampa & Seattle did on the final game of the season? The answer is simple; they don’t want to face the Redskins again. And with them playing with a purpose, who would? The Cowboys knew that it is likely if they didn’t beat us last Sunday we will see them again in two weeks.

But first up it is Seattle and as chance for revenge from 2005. It is easy to draw comparisons to the 2005 club and this one. Both followed up losing seasons to make a run on the playoffs. Both had their backs against the wall, needing improbable winning streaks at the end of the season. Both teams recommitted to the run to keep their streak alive. Both teams played inspired defense down the stretch to protect leads.

That is where the comparison ends. The adversity this club has endured has given them an incredible will to win. The 2005 club was playing to make the playoffs and achieve personal glory. They were talented and though had nagging injuries to some contributors, relatively healthy. The 2007 club is less talented & less healthy, but they have more heart and will then any team in the NFL right now. They are playing for something more then themselves right now.

And one other thing this group has is an identity. They are a team in every sense of the word. Sure there are individuals who are doing but this team is watching each other’s back. When one guy goes down, another is stepping into their place. No excuses are being given, though there are plenty of reasons. Bad plays happen and they get right back up and get on to the next one.

No one expects anything from this team. Just making the playoffs is a major accomplishment. If the season ended today, we in Redskin nation would be happy and look forward to next year. But I have a feeling this team is not quite done yet. I have a feeling that this team has a will in them that we are just scratching. Playing for a fallen teammate and a coach’s honor, they are going to take the field Saturday with a sense of pride and determination of will that few 9-7 teams ever possessed.

They are playing with house money right now and the sky’s the limit.

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Playoff Rooting Card: Week 17

Are you ready for it? I know I am. I have been waiting to write this line in the Playoff Rooting Card feature since I started writing these columns just before Thanksgiving. So get your reading glasses out and ready your mouse and scroll down for some truly wonderful words to read.

The Redskins control their own destiny!!!

Simply amazing that the Redskins, seemingly dead just over a month ago, are now in a position to actually make the post season. And I know the critics (myself being amongst that group at times) will point to the 8-7 record and say this is an indicator of a weak NFC. And of course, they would be right.

However that does not lessen the accomplishments that these Redskins have done. A 3 game winning streak, beating playoff contenders in each of them, twice on the road, is nothing to sneeze at. This team has saved their season when everyone, including most of us Redskin fans, had counted them out. And you can credit one man for that, Joe Gibbs.

After the Buffalo loss, even the most ardent supporter of Joe Gibbs had thought that he was in danger of losing the team. You saw the start of those anonymous quotes in the paper about the two timeout ending. Gibbs could have just decided right then and there that the game had passed him bye and just finished out the season and retired. And if he did that, could anyone have blamed him? But true leaders don’t quit, they endure.

And endure is what Gibbs and the redskins have done. In Week 1 we lost our starting Right Tackle Jon Jansen for the year. In week 2 we lost our starting right guard Randy Thomas for what was essentially the year. In week 8 Redskins starting corner Carlos Rogers went down for the season and possibly half of 2009. In week 10 Redskins Starting Safety Sean Taylor went down with a knee injury and was tragically shot in his home and killed a few weeks later. In week 14 Starting Quarterback Jason Campbell was lost for the rest of at least the regular season with a knee injury. In week 15 starting linebacker Rocky McIntosh went down for not only the remainder of this season but most if not all of next. And of course there were the normal missed games and injuries in an NFL franchise with key contributors like Santana Moss, Antwaan Randle-El, Casey Rabach, Todd Wade, Pierson Prioleau, Cornellius Griffen, and Marcus Washington all succumbing to injury at points during the season.

Now with one more week to go the Redskins host their hated rival, the Dallas Cowboys, for a regular season finale with much on the line. I for one do not buy that Dallas will roll over and play dead for the Redskins. Every down, every yard, will be hard fought. Even if some of the starters are ruled out of the game, the backups are all NFL Vets. Vets like Brad Johnson who would love to enact revenge on a franchise that spurned him. More importantly the Redskins don’t know who to game plan for and will not have tape on their opponents. Lastly Dallas will face the Redskins again in the playoffs if the Redskins survive round 1, and if I am Dallas I rather get rid of us now.

After all, they are still Dallas and we are still the Redskins, they will bring their best, and so should we.

So the only thing the Redskins can do on Sunday is come out and line up across the field and will their way to a win. Do whatever it takes and play perfect football, just like they have done the last three weeks. Defy expectations and once again do the fan base proud. To the winner of the game goes glory, and for the Redskins, a chance to continue fighting back the night.

So with that in mind, here is how we stand:

NFC East: Dallas (13-2)
NFC North: Green Bay (12-3)
NFC West: Seattle (10-5)
NFC South: Tampa Bay (9-6)
Wildcard #1: NY Giants (10-5)
Wildcard #2: Washington (8-7)

The Pack:
Minnesota (8-7)
New Orleans (7-8)

Slots 1-5 are locked and set. Everyone else has been eliminated from playoff contention in the NFC. The Redskins can get in with a win (Dallas), or a loss by Minnesota (@ Denver) & New Orleans (@ Chicago). The Vikings need to win and the Redskins to lose to get in. The Saints need to win and the Vikings & Saints both to lose.

So here is your last rooting card for the 2007 season in order of kickoff:

New Orleans Saints (7-8) @ Chicago Bears (7-8). If we lose to Dallas, we need New Orleans to lose for us to make the playoffs. Go Bears!!!

Minnesota Vikings (8-7) @ Denver Broncos (6-9). This game wont matter at all to the Redskins if New Orleans wins, but if they lose and the Vikings lose, then we are in, regardless of the outcome of the Dallas game. Go Broncos!!

Dallas Cowboys (13-2) @ Washington Redskins (8-7). Regardless of the outcomes above, a win over Dallas is always sweet. Go Redskins!!!

So on to the game. One last week for playoff glory or an off-season of “what ifs”.

As Always HTTR!!

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Playoff Rooting Card: Week 16

And then there were five.

As the dust settles on this weekend’s contest the NFC playoff picture has come into focus. Sharp focus for the Washington Redskins. With the Minnesota win last night, Philadelphia, Arizona, & Detroit, all sheik pre-season playoff picks, have been eliminated from playoff contention. The five teams that remain alive are the NY Giants (9-5), Minnesota Vikings (8-6), New Orleans Saints (7-7), Washington Redskins (7-7), & Carolina Panthers (6-8).

By virtue of their win over the NY Giants the redskins have put themselves in decent position to make a playoff run. However these last two wins have not come without a heavy price in blood. Jason Campbell was lost for most likely the rest of the year in our win against Chicago and Rocky McIntosh was lost for this season, and perhaps next. Add this to Season ending injuries to starters Jon Jansen, Randy Thomas, Carlos Rogers and the untimely tragedy of Sean Taylor and that makes 6 starters down for the season. Currently the Redskins have more players on IR then wins, and that is never good. Add in the nagging injuries to other players and it is a miracle this team is currently at .500.

No one would blame this team if they had quit playing after Taylor’s death and subsequent heartbreaking loss to Buffalo the following Sunday. However this team continues to play hard each week. That is a credit to Coach Gibbs. I know a lot of us can get on him for some of the stupidest game management in modern sports history, but as a leader, Joe Gibbs is beyond compare. His players really want to win, not just for himself, but for him. And only coach Gibbs could keep this team together after the tragedy and injuries this team has suffered.

So remarkably the Redskins are still in the hunt for the last playoff spot; however they do not control their own destiny. Let’s take a look at the standings:

NFC East: Dallas Cowboys (12-2)
NFC North: Green Bay Packers (12-2)
NFC West: Seattle Seahawks (9-5)
NFC South: Tampa Bay Buccaneers (9-5)
Wildcard #1: NY Giants (9-5, 7-5)
Wildcard #2: Minnesota Vikings (8-6, 6-5)

The Pack
New Orleans Saints (7-7, 6-4)
Washington Redskins (7-7, 5-5)
Carolina Panthers (6-8, 6-4)

Though the Redskins do not control their own destiny, they aren’t total long shots either. Here are the scenarios that need to happen for the Redskins to make the playoffs.

If the Redskins win out and receive a 9-7:

New Orleans to lose one of their last two (PHI, @ CHI) OR NY Giants to lose both of their last remaining games (@ BUF, NE)

If The Redskins Beat Minnesota but lose to Dallas and finish 8-8:

New Orleans must lose both its last games (PHI, @CHI) AND
Minnesota must lose its last game of the season (DEN) AND
Carolina must lose one of its last two games (DAL, @TB)

If the Redskins lose to Minnesota, they will be mathematically eliminated from playoff contention.

Not the worst odds in the world, but not the best. If this was poker The NY Giants and Vikings would both have three of a kind, the Saints would be drawing to a flush draw, the Redskins to an open ended straight, and Panthers need one card to get a straight flush. The flop has been dealt and the turn and river are about to come. We have two chances to get what we need, but there are cards in the deck that would kill us there and then. It’s anybody’s hand, but some have better shots then others.

So with that in Mind, here is your rooting Card for this week:

Dallas Cowboys (12-2) at Carolina Panthers (6-8). Those pesky panthers have been hanging around, and their NFC record would be our undoing. I rather not have them face a Tampa team with nothing to win for in the last week of the season so as much as I hate it, I got to root for the Cowboys. Go Cowboys!!

Philadelphia Eagles (6-8) at New Orleans Saints (7-7). Probably the best hope we have for a Saints loss is this game. I hate to root for the Eagles, but if that means we get in, so be it. Go Eagles!!

NY Giants (9-5) at Buffalo Bills (7-7). I also hate to root for the mullet head, muscle shirted, flannel wearing, stubble faced, and toothless fans of Buffalo. And the male fans are worse. But I honestly think the Giants losing two straight is more of a probability then the Saints losing one. Go Bills!!

Washington Redskins (7-7) at Minnesota Vikings (8-6). After spending two days rooting for the three teams I hate the most, if the Redskins lose this game I may just have to go purge my body of all memories by banging my head into a rock. Go Redskins!!

That is it. 4 games this week. The time for excuses ends. We either win or start planning our winter plans and look forward to draft positioning. However I will leave you with this hopeful thought. It is quite possible that if things fall the right way (Redskins, Buffalo, Dallas, all win this week) that we could be playing the Dallas Cowboys next week, in Fed Ex, with a ton on the line. With one win we could eliminate the Giants and take away home-field advantage from the Cowboys. I can’t think of a better way to ring in the New Year.

But first things first, let’s hope the Redskins give us an early Christmas present and win against the Vikings.

As always. HTTR!!!!

http://www.hailredskins.com/vbforum/showthread.php?t=44289

Playoff Rooting Card: Week 15

It is nice to finally write one of these things after a Redskins win. The last 4 or so have been written after losses, and to make it worse I had to watch just about every other team lose as well. After this last week’s win the redskins are really in position to make a serious run at the playoffs over the next 3 weeks. Unfortunately that run will be on the strength of Todd Collins Arm. Jason Campbell went down with a dislocated knee cap and may be available in the playoffs.

That is if we make it. The redskins have three remaining games left, @ NY Giants, @ Minnesota Vikings, and then we host Dallas for the final game of the year. Despite winning and having a lot of match ups go our way, the Redskins do not quite control their own destiny. Even if we win out, we need help to get in. However the situation is not quite as bleak as it was last week.

So here is how it stands right now:

NFC East: Dallas Cowboys 12-1
NFC North: Green Bay Packers 11-2
NFC West: Seattle Seahawks 9-4
NFC South: Tampa Bay Buccaneers 8-5
Wildcard #1: NY Giants 9-4 (7-4)
Wildcard #2: Minnesota Vikings 7-6 (5-5)

The Pack

New Orleans Saints 6-7 (5-4)
Washington Redskins 6-7 (4-5)
Arizona Cardinals 6-7 (3-6)
Detroit Lions 6-7 (4-7)
Carolina Panthers 5-8 (5-4)
Philadelphia Eagles 5-8 (3-7)
Chicago Bears 5-8 (2-7)

Here are the likely scenarios for the redskins making the playoffs:

If the Redskins win out and have a final record of 9-7, the following must happen: Either the New Orleans Saints must lose 1 of their last 3 games (AZ, PHI, @ CHI) or the NY Giants must lose all of their last 3 games (WAS, @ BUF, NE). The Redskins own h2h tie breakers over Arizona & Detroit, and if they win out they will own one against Minnesota (who till also drop to at most 9-7). New Orleans has a better NFC Record and we need them to lose one more game. However if the Giants lose all of their last games (not out of the question since besides us they play a surging Buffalo team and unstoppable Patriots) then we own a tiebreaker over them in common games (GB, NYJ, MIA, DET, MN, CHI, BUF, NE) because we will have beaten Minnesota and they didn’t..

If the Redskins finish 8-8 then all of the following must happen: In addition to losing to the Redskins, Minnesota must lose one of its other two games (CHI, @ DEN). New Orleans (AZ, PHI, @ CHI) would need to lose 2 of their last 3 games. Arizona (@NO, ATL, STL), Detroit (@SD, KC, @GB), & Carolina (SEA, DAL, @TB) would each need to lose 1 more game. The Redskins will have h2h tiebreakers over Chicago and either Division Record or Common Game tiebreakers over Philadelphia.

The Redskins have the luxury of playing on Sunday Night the next two weeks and we will know some of our situation going into the games. So it is quite possible the Redskins will control their own destiny at the time they take the field on Sunday night. Here are the match ups to watch this week:

Arizona Cardinals (6-7) @ New Orleans Saints (6-7). This is the most important game on the schedule this week besides our game. In my opinion this is the hardest game on New Orleans remaining schedule and our best hope to control our own destiny. Go Cardinals!!

Seattle Seahawks (9-4) @ Carolina Panthers (5-8). I doubt Carolina can run the table but if we stumble I don’t want to have them to worry about. Go Seahawks!!

Detroit Lions (6-7) @ San Diego Chargers (8-5). If we go 8-8 I rather have Detroit out of the picture. Come on Norv; do us some good for a change. Go Chargers!!

Chicago Bears (6-7) @ Minnesota Vikings (7-6). This happens on Monday night and we will know the outcome of our game by then. Either way I want Minnesota to lose to give us some breathing room. Go Bears!!

Washington Redskins @ NY Giants A win by the giants assures them a playoff spot, a win by us gives us a great chance to get in. Go Redskins!!

I have figured out that each week I do this thread I am doing myself mental harm. The permutations are so taxing I end up losing stuff I learned long ago. Last week I lost the ability to conjugate Spanish verbs in the past tense. This week I strangely can’t remember the name of my first pet. This much is for certain, I will be doing another one of these next week.

As always HTTR!!

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Playoff Rooting Card: Week 14

Ok I admit it. After four straight losses and the death of Sean Taylor I was sick of doing this feature. Especially considering that when I started it the Redskins were 5-3 and in position to not only challenge for a wildcard, but possibly the NFC East. At 5-7 the team was going nowhere fast; they played with little life and little confidence. I seriously wondered whether the Redskins would win a game again this season. And my frustration grew when I saw that each week almost every other game went the way we needed it to break.

So I decided to cheat. I decided that if the Redskins won on Thursday against Chicago, only then would I continue this column. Its times like these I really hate being a Redskin fan. And especially one who likes to write about his team the following week. First the Redskins torture me be flirting with wins for four weeks and finding the most amazing ways to lose games. Now they finally win and most likely Jason Campbell goes down for the season. And of course the unspeakable tragedy of Sean Taylor being taken from us.

It is pure masochism being a Redskin fan.

And part of that torture is the false hope of a playoff run late in December. Because once again we are in position if a few breaks go our way to be in the hunt for the final playoff spot in the NFC. Here is how it stands right now (including last night’s results):

NFC East Champ: Dallas (11-1)
NFC North Champs: Green Bay (10-2)
NFC West Champs: Seattle (8-4)
NFC South Champs: Tampa Bay (8-4)
Wildcard #1: NY Giants (8-4)
Wildcard #2: Detroit (6-6, 4-6)

The Pack:

Minnesota (6-6, 4-5)
Arizona (6-6, 3-5)
Washington (6-7, 4-5)
New Orleans (5-7, 4-4)
Philadelphia (5-7, 3-6)
Carolina (5-7, 5-4)
Chicago (5-8, 2-7)

Washington has head to head tiebreakers over Arizona, Detroit, & Chicago. Washington has the opportunity to get a head to head victory over Minnesota in two weeks. The Redskins are in a good position if they can run the table, but still need losses from New Orleans and Carolina due to their better NFC record.

Now I know many of you will say that Washington does not deserve a playoff spot. But I defy you to point to a team fighting for the last spot that does. Detroit has lost 4 straight and look like they might now win another game all season. Minnesota is a one note team with a horrible defense and quarterback. Arizona is a constant disappointment and underachieving team. New Orleans is the Cybil of the NFL up one week, down the next. Philadelphia is a plain horrible football team. Carolina’s best QB is older then Methuselah. And of course Chicago, we saw them last night.

So here is the Rooting card for this weekend:

Dallas Cowboys (11-1) at Detroit Lions (6-6) Ok it is hard to root for the Cowboys, but Detroit is a streaky team. We need them to get a loss, and I rather it be sooner then later. And Cowboy fans were some of the best in the nation when Taylor passed. I will save my hate for them week 17. Go Cowboys!!

Carolina Panthers (5-7) at Jacksonville Jaguars (8-4) I get a little scared with Carolina’s good NFC record, so putting them at 8 losses helps Go Jacksonville!!

NY Giants (8-4) at Philadelphia Eagles (5-7). Only a total collapse will get the NY Giants out of the playoffs. So I am hoping that they win against the eagles so we can catch them sleeping next week. Go Giants!!

Arizona Cardinals (6-6) at Seattle Seahawks (8-4). Ok we need a Cardinals loss here and this is the most likely on their schedule. Go Seahawks!!

Minnesota Vikings (6-6) at SF 49ers (3-9). Though we have a game against them, I wouldn’t mind them getting another loss here. Go 49ers!!

New Orleans Saints (5-7) at Atlanta Falcons (3-9) We need a NO loss. Their schedule is easy and they have a better NFC record. Go Falcons!!

As always HTTR!!

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Playoff Rooting Card: Week 13

First off let me say, that in the first time as a fan of the Washington Redskins, I don’t mind if they lose this Sunday. Of course I will be rooting for them to win. Of course I want to see them win. But this tragedy that hit our team this week is beyond measure. In the span of 5 days the Redskins players and coaches will not only have to deal with the unthinkable loss of a friend and teammate and his funeral, but play 2 games with teams in the middle of a playoff run.

However there is not much I can do as a fan but be supportive of the team and it’s players. So I will continue to support them in every way possible. One of those ways is to root for them to make the playoffs. I have come to the conclusion over the last few days that I want the Redskins to finish the season strong. Not for me, but for them and the memory of Sean Taylor. In years to come the annals of Sports history will write about the murder of Sean Taylor and I would hate the post script for this saga to be the redskins failed to put together a strong playoff run because of the loss. Sean’s memory deserves better.

But our guys are going to need help to get in. That is why I am going to continue writing this rooting card feature. After losing three straight the Redskins still have a better then normal chance to get into the last playoff spot because just about everything else went their way last week. However winning out was an unlikely task even before the tragic events earlier this week. The Redskins are going to need help.

So with that in mind here are the standings for week 13:

NFC East Champion: Dallas Cowboys (10-1, 7-0 Conf, 4-0 Div)

NFC North Champions: Green Bay Packers (10-1, 7-1 Conf)

NFC West Champions: Seattle Seahawks (7-4, 6-2 Conf)

NFC South Champions: Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-4, 6-2 Conf)

Wild Card #1: NY Giants (7-4, 5-4 Conf, 2-2 Div)

Wild Card #2: Detroit Lions (6-5, 4-5 Conf)

The Pack
New Orleans Saints (5-6, 4-3 Conf)
Washington Redskins (5-6, 3-5 Conf, 1-3 Div)
Philadelphia Eagles (5-6, 3-5 Conf, 1-3 Div)
Arizona Cardinals (5-6, 3-5 Conf)
Minnesota Vikings (5-6, 3-5 Conf)
Chicago Bears (5-6, 2-5 Conf)
Carolina Panthers (4-7, 4-4 Conf)

The Washington Redskins have head to head tiebreakers over Detroit and
Arizona. Tampa Bay, NY Giants, & Dallas Cowboys all have head to head tiebreakers over the Redskins, though the Redskins can eliminate that fact against the Giants and Dallas with wins later in the year. The Redskins have the opportunity to get head to head tiebreakers over Minnesota and Chicago.

The team I am worried about the most is the surging New Orleans’ Saints. I am worried about them on a two fold basis. First we do not have the opportunity to play them and their conference record is currently better then ours. Also if they catch up to Tampa
Bay and get the South division, the Bucs have a head to head tiebreaker against us due to their victory last week. The NY Giants and Detroit Lions are both slumping and despite the Eagles close game against the Pats I am not worried about them either.

We are definitely going to see some separation in the pack this week as almost all of the Playoff contenders are playing another playoff contender. So with that in mind here is the rooting card for this week’s games:

San Francisco (3-8) at Carolina (4-7)

Carolina actually has a decent Conference Record and if they go on a run could get into the playoffs at 9-7. Rather have the 49ers take them out now and not have to worry about that. Go 49ers!!

Seattle (7-4) at Philadelphia (5-6)

I rather see Seattle win the west and beating the Eagles helps us out. Go Seahawks!!

Buffalo Bills (5-6) at Washington Redskins (5-6)

Of course I will root for our boys to win. But most importantly I want them to play with pride for Sean. Go Sean!!!

Detroit Lions (6-5) At Minnesota Vikings (5-6)

We get a chance to play the Vikings and get a head to head and we need to gain ground on the Lions. Go Vikings!!

NY Giants (7-4) at Chicago (5-6).

We get to play both of these guys but like above we need help to catch up to the NY Giants. Go Bears!!

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-4) at New Orleans Saints (5-6).

Probably the biggest non redskin Game of the weekend. A win by the Bucs goes a long way for us on so many levels. Go Bucs!!

Cleveland Browns (7-4) at Arizona Cardinals (5-6)

Arizona is doing it's best imitation of ...well Arizona. Every year they fall all over themselves to find a way out of the playoffs. Lets give them some more help. Go Browns!!

Ok that is the rooting card for this week. As always until next time, Hail to the Redskins!!!

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Vision Quest: In An Instant

We have all had those moments in our life. We have gotten laid off out of the blue. We have failed at a home improvement project. A child has been hurt and must go to the hospital. A divorce from someone you thought you would grow old with. These moments have been hard and life defining and become bookmarks in the chapters of our lives.

Not many of us have had to deal with the sad news that the Taylor family must deal with this morning.

Last night Sean Taylor, starting Free Safety of the Washington Redskins, but more importantly a loved father and son, passed away after a valiant fight for his life. A victim of a senseless crime just over hours before, his wounds proved to be too much for him to overcome. At the young age of 24, he is survived by his 18 month old daughter Jackie and his fiancé.

We don’t know much about the crime itself but this we do know. Sean Taylor was shot in his home, outside of his bedroom as he went to investigate an apparent robbery attempt. He died while doing the most instinctual of all human behavior, a father’s desire to protect his family and loved ones from harm. He was shot in the leg and it severed his femoral artery. He was airlifted to a nearby trauma center and endured 6 hours of surgery. The news throughout the day looked bleak as he remained unresponsive after surgery, however by the end of the day there was some hope for recovery.

That hope was dashed as he lost his grip on this world early this morning. Football seems so distant right now, so meaningless. But it is through football that we as fans got to meet this humble misunderstood kid. He was born on April fools day in 1983, but on the football field he was no one’s fool. His athletic talent was evident at a very young age. In high school he started at running back and defensive back and linebacker. In 2000 he rushed for over 1300 yards, and rushing twice for over 400 yards in his the state playoffs. He also racked up over 200 tackles in that same season. He was ranked the #1 skill athlete and an All American by SuperPrep.

In 2001 Taylor enrolled in the University of Miami at the Apex of that powerful schools football dominance. During his time there he changed the way a Safety played in college football. His 3 Interception returns for touchdowns in 2003 is a single season record for the University of
Miami. In addition he returned punts and blocked kicks, many times for scores there as well.

However we will remember him for his career in Burgundy and Gold. Taylor’s selection in the 2004 draft in the fifth spot was the subject of much debate amongst Redskin Nation. However shortly after his signing he proved all critics wrong as he displayed a combination of speed and size never before seen at the safety position. He had 89 tackles, four interceptions, two forced fumbles and a sack in his rookie season.

In 2005 despite a tumultuous off season Taylor turned in one of the best years of his now too short career. Stat wise he only recorded 70 tackles, 2 interceptions, 2 forced fumbles, and 1 sack, however he solidified his place as the hardest hitter in the NFL. Wide Receivers now feared crossing the middle of the field. Alligator arms was now a term that was commonly used during Redskin broadcasts as receivers routinely refused to lay out for balls across the middle for fear of a hit from Taylor. And in our only playoff win this millennium; Taylor had a key touchdown return that helped propel the Redskins to victory.

In 2006, Taylor was one of the lone bright spots in a struggling injury depleted Redskins defense. He recorded 129 tackles, 3 forced fumbles and 1 interception during this season. Despite the poor play of the Redskins Defensive unit, Sean was selected to his only Pro-Bowl. However he made it memorable as he leveled out punter Brian Moorman on an attempted trick play.

In 2007 Taylor was putting together his best season as a pro. In just 9 games he had already racked up 42 tackles, 5 interceptions, & 1 forced fumble. Playing a true free safety for the first time in his pro-career he had the ability to take away the deep ball single handedly. He was just starting to scratch the surface of his ability when a knee injury sat him down for the last two games. All signs though pointed to a triumphant return, perhaps as early as this Sunday.

However that will never come. We will never know how good Sean Taylor was going to be and the Redskins, in fact the entire NFL, are the lesser for it. Superstar athletes are increasingly becoming targets of crime because of their fame and wealth. We simply do not know at this point why this senseless tragedy happened. And in the weeks to come the investigation into this matter will no doubt answer many of our questions.

But for now we all must deal with the fact that this star athlete, this promising young man, this father, son, and soon to be husband is no longer with us. He was struck down in his home defending his family in the prime of his life. Now his family and friends must find a way to move on. And we as fans must find a way to say goodbye. We will never see the #21 and his bone-jarring hits, game changing speed, and pure athletic ability except in our memories.

And it is there I will remember Sean Taylor. I will remember Todd Pinkston absolutely refusing to catch a ball because Taylor was bearing down on him. I will remember him matching up against the opposing team’s best wide receiver and taking him out of the game. I will remember Brian Moorman digging his way out of the 6 foot hole Taylor planted him in. And I will remember him diving into the end zone in Tampa.

But mostly I will remember how I felt the day we drafted him. I felt proud to be a Redskin fan. I felt that we were drafting the Lawrence Taylor of the new century. I still feel that way, and always will. Sean will forever be in our memory and hearts, and in our collective consciousness he will gain immortality as he goes on to his next defensive assignment; to look down on his daughter from heaven and protect her.

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Vision Quest: Giving thanks

After the Redskins loss yesterday I contemplated many things, but the main was was this: How much has my life been shorted being a Redskin fan? The fact that we continually come up short in the 2^nd half of games this year is beyond frustrating. It would be one thing if this was the Spurrier or Norv Years. Sure we failed then, but I pretty much expected late game and season collapses. We could talk about the talent gap, or the coaching gap, or the Strahan’s tooth gap…there were plenty of gaps to blame.

What is so frustrating with this team is that we have the talent on both the coaching staff and the player side to not just compete in this league, but to win. Yet they are mired in mediocrity. First the offense was sputtering this season and the Defense was able to mask it’s inefficiencies. Now the offense is awakening but the league has figured out our schemes and the Defense is not adjusting. The only time we have put together a complete game was Detroit.

However I have decided that I can not do a blog full of vitriol and hate this week. Though we lost this last week, I truly expected a Patriot like blow out. We took the NFC’s best team, down to the wire and the outcome was in doubt until the last play of the game. Our offense has finally found a leader and identity and our defense, though horrible, will get better with Taylor back in a week or two.

So I have decided to take in the spirit of the Thanksgiving season and list the things that I, and the redskins, should be thankful for:

Jason Campbell. This kid has to be at the top of anyone’s list. He is growing each and every game. It is no longer a question of whether Jason Campbell is going to be a good quarterback in the NFL, it is now a question of how good. Sure he may fumble a little too often and has yet to give us the signature comeback win (though yesterday was close), but he is going to get a few in his time here in DC. Mark it down.

Clinton Portis. He may not be the CP of 2005 and had a bad game against
Dallas rushing wise, but he is still the heart and soul of this Redskin team. He makes hard runs and gives us consistency on offense. And when he is not running he is pound for pound the best blitz pick up in the league.

Chris Samuels. Easily the most reliable offensive linemen we have had during his tenure. He rarely misses a game to injury and is routinely asked to block the best defensive end on the other team without much help as all available help has been designated to the right side of the line. I for one appreciate one of the longest serving Redskins.

Parity in the NFC. Thank god because if it wasn’t for the mediocrity of this conference we could not be even thinking about a nplayoff run. But 9-7, maybe even 8-8 may get into the playoffs this year.

Sean Taylor’s Super Human Healing abilities. A man can hope can’t he? We need him back more then ever…soon. Without him the uncover-2 Williams likes to employ is more suspect then an email from the Bank of Nigeria.

Joe Gibbs: He may be slow to change. He may decide to kick Fgs with inches to go. He may not know how to call a TO properly. He may be too old and the game may have passed him by. But watching Gregg Williams arrogantly refuse to change his schemes makes me appreciate Joe Gibbs change in the offense as of late. Whether it was Saunders taking over, or Joe taking over, I am thankful for hope on the offensive side of the ball.

Mini Playoff Rooting Card

I usually reserve doing this until After Thanksgiving. But WTH, lets start it early on. To review here are the current standings for the Playoffs in the NFC:

NFC East: Dallas Cowboys 9-1

NFC North: Green Bay Packers 9-1

NFC South: Tampa Bay Buccaneers 6-4

NFC West: Seattle Seahawks 6-4

Wildcard #1: NY Giants 7-3

Wildcard #2: Detroit Lions 6-4

The Pack:
Washington Redskins 5-5
Philadelphia Eagles 5-5
Arizona Cardinals 5-5
Carolina Panthers 4-6
Minnesota Vikings 4-6
New Orleans Saints 4-6
Chicago Bears 4-6

The bad news is the Redskins are 1 game behind the last Wildcard spot. The good news is that currently they own head to head tiebreakers over Detroit & Arizona and none of the wildcard contenders have head to head tiebreakers on them, yet. The Redskins also get a chance at getting head to head tiebreakers on Tampa, Chicago, & Minnesota in upcoming games. All NFC games are must wins for the rest of the season because virtually all wildcard contenders have 3 or 4 wins in the NFC.

So here are the relevant games to scoreboard watch this weekend:

Green Bay (9-1) atDetroit (6-4)

Gotta go for Green bay here. Allows us to control our own Destiny. Go Packers!!

New Orleans Saints (4-6) at Carolina Panthers (4-6)

Interesting Matchup. Carolina has a better NFC record right now so I am going to root for New Orleans. Go Saints!!

Seattle (6-4) at St. Louis (2-8)

Seattle has a great conference record and I don’t want them in the mix for the playoffs, especially with us having a head to head tiebreaker against Arizona. Go Seattle!!

Washington (5-5) at Tampa Bay (6-4)

Though I want Tampa to win the South due to their better NFC record, they can do it next week. Go Redskins!!

Minnesota (4-6) at NY Giants (7-3)

We have a must wn game against the Giants coming up, might as well get them feeling bad before we go tho their house. Go Vikings!!

San Francisco (2-8) At Arizona Cardinals (5-5)

We may have a head to head onArizona but I want some cushion. Go 49ers!!

Denver (5-5) at Chicago (4-6)

Might as well knock Chicago down a peg or two as well. Go Broncos!!

Philadelphia (5-5) at New England (10-0)

Let New England be New England and put Philadelphia away. Go Patriots!!

If we win and Detroit loses we catapult into the top Wildcard spot. However with tough games at the Giants and with the Cowboys we need as much cushion as we can get. If we can get a handful of these to go the right way we can put ourselves in a good position to take the last wildcard spot.

As always HTTR!!!

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Vision Quest: A Tale of Two Halves

Only the Washington Redskins can inspire as much frustration from its fan base when they are winning. Perhaps the fan base is too picky, remembering former glory. I concede that we have high expectations for our team. We believe that our team is more talented then the team we watch each Sunday. We believe our coaches are better then they display each Sunday. And we believe our roster moves are more solid then they are.

I think the truly frustrating part is that we are most likely right. The proof of that is also on the field each Sunday, but more often then not it only sticks around until half time and decides to take the rest of the game off. Quite plainly the team seems to get out coached, out played, and out hustled in the second half by almost every opponent this year. No lead is safe and no hope for a comeback is reasonable.

Those who want to say a win is a win is a win I am with you. At the end of the day it is the scoreboard that matters. However with over a third of the season done the Redskins have provided a blueprint for any decent NFL team to beat them. One that works to perfection almost every time. Just hold on till the second half and the redskins will hand you opportunities to win the game.

The Redskins are playing not to lose on both sides of the ball this year and it shows.
Only the Miami game did the redskins actually trail at halftime this year. Ironically they cam back and won that game but only after a late collapse that allowed Miami to extend it into OT. Against Philadelphia they were an errant throw by McNabb and a bone jarring hit by Landry away from allowing Philadelphia to tie the game. Against the Giants they allowed 21 unanswered points while the offense failed to produce anything and lost a winnable game at home. Against Green Bay the offense imploded in the second half and gave the game to Favre and company. And last week against the cardinals the Redskins did everything they could to lose the game yet got lucky they were playing the most cursed franchise in the NFL and escaped with the closest of victories. Only the Detroit game was a blowout, with the Redskins winning 34-3.

But we don’t have to rely on subjective interpretations of the games to see just how futile we are as a team in the second half. The statistics in this case bear this out as well.

The offense bears the brunt of the blame in most fans minds, and rightfully so. Their play has been anemic overall. And in the second half of games they have been downright retarded. The Redskins have scored a mediocre 112 points this season. However their first half performance of 72 points have given them the lead going into half time in all but one of their games. However the redskins have only scored 40 points after halftime, a drop off of over 45%. Don’t think points are a good stat, what about yards gained. First half 1009 yards gained, second half 818 (almost 20% drop-off). How about first downs? 59 in the first half, 44 in the second (over 25% drop-off).

The Defense is having its problems as well. The Redskins have only allowed 88 points, not bad. But in the first half the Redskins have only surrendered 29 points. Compare that to 59 in the second half (that’s over 100% more). Yards allowed? 721 yards in the first half, 940 yards in the second half (almost 25% more). First downs? 39 first downs allowed in the first half, 59 in the second (over 30% more). Some of it can be attributed to the poor play of the defense keeping them on the field more, but it is a fact they are letting teams back into the game when they sit on a lead is apparent.

So in summation while the Redskins outscore their opponents 72-29 in the first half of games, they get beat 40-59 in the second half. While the Redskins out gain their opponents 1009-721 in the first half, the second half they are out gained 818-940. They gain 59 first downs to their opponents 39 in the first half, but only get 44 to their opponent’s 58 in the second half.
Looking at these numbers head to head surely shows the coaches are not making the adjustments they need to make at half time. This used to be Gibb’s forte in his first reign here but it has been a liability his entire second tenure. In game and at the half adjustments just seem to never be made. Sure we may have a good game plan going into the game but once there the opponent makes a change (unless you are Mike Martz and think max protect is your deodorant strength).

There is still time to right this hip. We have the talent and can play with just about every opponent we have on the schedule. So here are a few suggestions that I hope the redskins implement in the next few weeks:

Turn Jason Campbell loose. Sure the line is patchwork, but all three of our replacements have started for other teams. Maybe they do not have the nuances of the run game down, but pass blocking is easier. Especially with a healthy Rabach coming back to make the calls. Campbell has legs so roll him out a couple of times, let him win games for us, not just manage them. He has the talent, let him prove it.

Get Cooley in the game. Right now we resigned Cooley to a multi-year extension to use him like a blocking TE. As much as I see the need to help the offensive line out, we need him in space creating havoc more then anything else. I love seeing Sellers knocking over Defensive backs but I much rather have Cooley finding a seam and turning a 10 yard seam into a 40 yard score. Line up Seller at TE and split out Cooley as a third WR. Use more two TE sets and keep Yoder in to block. Get this boy into space and pass the ball to him.

Stop playing the uncover 2. Ok you can play it a little, just not exclusively. Against even an adequate offensive line our front four can not generate a pass rush. We need to blitz once in awhile just to keep the opponent honest. This defense is built on the blitz, you cannot abandon it. I rather die playing our brand of football then have our lead whittled down to nothing and die anyways.

Go for the kill. Whether on offense or defense. When you are up 14 points throw a bomb once in awhile. If the opponent is on his 5 bring the house and try and get a safety. At the end of 2005 Gibbs said he put the game in the hands of his players. It is time to do that again. Gamble once in awhile and play to win, stop playing not to lose.

If we start doing some of that I hope we will win more games then we lose and make a serious run at the playoffs. If not well that is why I am a hack writer and not a pro-football coach.

5 Things We Know Now

We won, barely. So here are the 5 Things We Know Now, maybe.

London Fletcher is the heart of this defense 10 tackles, 3 assists, an INT for a touchdown. Wow. Give credit where credit is due. The Front office and the defensive staff saw one of the major problems with last year’s team and decided to fix it. This may be the signing of the off season and big credit to new LB coach Olivadotti who has the entire corp. playing at a high level, even when Washington is out of the lineup.

Sean Taylor is the soul. I miss seeing Taylor on the line of scrimmage but he has become one of the biggest ball hawks in the NFL. He leads the league with 5 interceptions. Not only are opposing players now afraid to go over the middle, the QBs are afraid to overthrow it there. He is having the season of his career this year and is earning a big payday in the near future.

Carlos Rogers can’t catch but he can still beat up a kicker. It wouldn’t be a Redskin game without a possible interception for a TD misplayed by Rogers. He had one again but mistimed his jump and could not get over to get it. But don’t worry he beat up Neil Rackers and that is why he missed his 55 yard FG. Well that is what I am going with anyways.

You can’t run when the defensive line is 2 yards beyond the line of scrimmage. Pucillo and Fabini were in the backfield more then Sellers and Portis this last game. They got blown up more then a Michael Bay movie. These guys were once starters in this league. They better man up and play or if not the Redskins need to replace them with young raw offensive linemen next year. Never mind, they need to do that anyways.

Redskin games are not for the faint of heart. A few weeks ago I laughed at Buffalo and cursed their fans for their gift to Dallas. Now that comes back to haunt me. Thank god we pulled it out, but that leaves me thinking. How in hell am I going to survive this season? Throw out the Detroit game and our average win is less then one score, and even the Detroit game was in doubt until the middle of the 4th quarter. We find more ways to make it close, but give me a good old fashioned blow out win sometime.

Looking Ahead.

Now we know what it must have been like to be King Henry V on the field of Agincourt as the thundering horde of the French Army coming to bear on his rag tag group of English Soldiers. Alas I think his odds were greater then ours this next Sunday.

If this team wants a chance to win we need to throw caution to the wind and execute brilliantly on Sunday. They need to act like it is a pre-season game. And I am not talking about a Joe Gibbs pre-season game. I am talking about a Steve Spurrier drunk on Saki let-er rip pre-season game. Try things that they would never do in a regular game, like passing down the field.

After all someone has to beat the Patriots sooner or later or we all are playing for second place.

Vision Quest: Turning Point or Fluke

One of the more exciting things about being a Washington Redskins fan is also one of the most frustrating. And that is the anticipation of what team will show up on Sunday. From week to week and sometimes even from half to half we just don’t know what incarnation will take the field. Will the defense be effective like in the Miami and Philadelphia games? Or will they flounder hopelessly like the second half of the NY Giants game? Will the offense click and control the clock like the first half of the Giants game? Or will it stall out and barely produce, like every other time this season?

Rarely in the last 4 years have we seen a performance like what we got this last Sunday. All phases of the game seemed to click as one. The defense generated pass rush and shout down a decent offensive team. The offense had long drives that for the most part resulted in scores. The Special teams had long returns and decent coverage throughout the game. The coaching staff went for the jugular and never let the opponent off the floor. All of this resulted in a 34-3 drubbing of the Lions was the biggest win in two years.

With all the inconsistency over the last 5 years the question still remains, was this performance a turning point in our season, leading to a playoff run. Or was it a fluke performance and the Redskins will slide to a mediocre or losing season?

At 3-1 the Redskins are now 2nd in the NFC East (Dallas is 5-0 and the luckiest team in the western hemisphere. Jerry Jones must have sold his soul to the devil. And why do you need a soul if all your other body parts are replaced already?). The first quarter of the season is over and looking at this impartially, we are about where we expected our team to be. I know I figured to lose in Philly, but beat the Giants at home. We flipped the outcomes of those games.

The hardest part was the way we lost to the Giants after dominating them for an entire half of football. Many of us, including yours truly, took this as a sign this team would not take the necessary step forward to deliver on the promises made by the return of Joe Gibbs 3 years ago. This was not a reaction to one game but more of a series of decisions both on the field and off that have left us with sub-par football on Sundays.

That is until this last week. I don’t want to make too much of one win, because truly there are a lot of caveats to the win. Sure we got pressure from our front four but the offensive line for Detroit is pitiful. The Redskins scored the most points in a game in over two years, but this same Detroit team gave up 51 to the hapless Philadelphia Eagles (who are averaging just over 9 points in their other three games). The Redskins even had an interception return for a touchdown, but it came late and they also failed to fall on 5 previous fumbles by the Lion offense.

But at least there is hope this week. The coaching staff, for the first time since 2005, put together a complete game plan and executed it with precision. The defense totally dominated the Detroit high ranked offense while suffering through injuries to Marcus Washington and Phillip Daniels. The offense moved the ball with efficiency allowing Jason Campbell to have his best day as a pro. Even Mike Sellers got into the Act grabbing 2 TDS and a whole bunch of hits on hapless Lion defenders. He hit Kenoy Kennedy so hard he dislocated his soul.

But if this team is truly going to make the next step and become a true contender, then the next four games are important. The NFL season can be broken up into four quarters. If you win each quarter (3-1) you will win your division and get a home playoff game. If you want to get to the Super bowl, then you have to start there. The Redskins won their first quarter, so 1/4th of the job is done.

Unfortunately I think the next four games is our hardest quarter of football this season. First we travel to Green Bay who will be looking to avenge their first loss of the season last week. Then we host the Arizona Cardinals whose offense is starting to Gel now that the QB shuffle has stopped. We then travel to New England to face the best team I have seen play in my lifetime, and no, I am not kidding. Last we finish up against the Jets in the Meadowlands, where we have not won in Gibbs II.

If we are to go 3-1 this quarter that means a win in Title Town. Then hold serve againstArizona and the NY Jets. I doubt highly we can beat New England. But then again I doubt Jesus coaching the 11 disciples (Judas is on the Inactive list) can beat the Patriots. And if you have seen St. Peter you know he throws a hell of a Hail Mary.

But for right now, this second, there once again remains hope in Landover. Hope that we are headed in the right direction and that instead of the mediocrity of most of the last 16 years we can see the start of something special.

5 Things We Know Now

1.) That Jason Campbell Trade was pretty good. At the time of the trade in 2005, many including me, wondered why we were trading our future for a QB from Auburn when we had the future of our franchise, Patrick Ramsey, scheduled to start. My, how wrong we were. Jason Campbell is developing into not just a competent, but a very good professional quarterback. Each game he is getting better and he put up career numbers (23-29, 248 yards passing 2 TDs) against Detroit. This kid is a gamer and has a chance to be a Redskin for a long long time.

2.) That Brandon Lloyd Trade was not so good. A 3rd and a 4th, $10 million in guaranteed cash for what? 24 catches, 374 yards, and 0tds. And that includes his incredible 1 catch for 9 yards last week. If it was not for the Adam Archueletta he would already be gone. Now he is in the press admitting to loafing on the field getting him benched. Well Lloyd it is going to get you released next year. Brush up on the rap skills.

3.) Joe Gibbs coaches better when he is pissed. Mid week Coach Joe blew up at a reporter when asked about Detroit’s 0-20 (now 0-21) mark in DC against the Redskins. Is this the reason the redskins did so well? Probably not. But just in case Dan Snyder should hire a lackey to follow Gibbs around and taunt him every few seconds.

4.) Keenan McCardell can still play. 4 Days in the offense and he came in for an injured Moss and Randle-El to get 2 catches for 39 yards, both critical first downs. With Randle-El still hurt the old man may get the #2 job this upcoming weekend. In one game he has more then doubled some other high paid bench warmers.

5.) Hell has frozen over. The last time a Redskin has returned an interception for a touchdown was Iffy Ohalete in 2002. On Sunday Carlos “Stone hands” Rogers took one to the house late. Seriously, I saw Satan, he was wearing long johns.

Looking Ahead

Many saw the Detroit game as a make or break game. Not me. Quite simply if we had lost to Detroit then we are, to borrow a phrase, what most people thought we were, pathetic. By beating Detroit the Redskins have silenced some of their critics, even if their critics were many of their fans. But at the end of the day all they really did was beat up on a fatally flawed team in their house.

Nope the real make or break game for me is this one. If the Redskins are a legitimate playoff team and want to contend for the division, then we need to go on the road a few times this year, and win in a hostile environment and hold serve at home. We won inPhiladelphia, but since we lost at home to the Giants, we have to make it up on the road.

Green Bay is essentially a one-dimensional team, unable to run the ball relying on the pass. But that passer is future Hall of Famer Brett Favre who is still lighting up defenses around the league. Putting pressure on Favre will be key, but hard to do. Favre is still a mobile QB and the offensive line is one of the best in the league.

As Always until next time Hail to the Redskins!!!!

Vision Quest: Getting Hit On Both Sides

I admit it. And if you are honest with yourself you will admit it. And if you’re a member of the Redskin organization right now you better admit it, because you did it too.

We all believed the Redskins Press Clippings.

Leading up the Giants game we all felt this was a different team. We were led to believe this 2-0 start was just the beginning. We were told our defense rebounded and are now back on top. We believed the Saunders offense was just a few timing issues away from breaking out into a full fledged NFL offense. And we thought finally the promise that was made to us in 2004 with the re-hiring of Coach Gibbs.

So far, we are all wrong.

It is not often that one loss can put such a dour mood on the state of Redskins nation. But it is not the fact that we lost that is killing us. It’s not that every other tem in our division won. It is not even the fact that we lost at home for the second straight year to n inferior division opponent. We are used to that. That is life in the NFC East, there are no easy games.
No we could shrug all that off and look forward to Detroit. But like so many things it is not the fact that a devastating loss happened, it is the way in which it happened that is killing us.
Did you think we were good at defending on third downs? Well the Giants went 9-16 for 565. Many of those conversions were on long third downs, the kind the defense gave up in 2006 but we thought we had finally found a way to handle this year.

Did you think we were good at converting on third down? How is 5-16, 31%, feeling right now? Keep in mind that 2 of those third down conversions were late in the 4th quarter after we got desperate to come back. So you thought that if we won the turnover battle we could win any football game? Well we won that battle 3-1 on Sunday but still lost by a touchdown.

What is killing us most today is the feeling that our Franchise is never going to overcome the indecision that permeates everything in and around Redskins Park. This indecision is manifesting itself in everything from the draft, to off season contract negotiations, to play calling on game day.

We can’t decide between building for the now or trusting our rookies, so we spend three years with Mark Brunell at QB with brief glimpses of success. We can’t decide whether we are going to be an attacking defense or a bend but don’t break defense, so we draft players like Landry and McIntosh that are meant to attack the ball and drop them in zones. We can’t decide whether we are a running or passing team and so we have no offensive rhythm and we can not develop linemen suited to either style.

But in no other example is this indecision more detrimental Gibbs decision to distance himself from his own team.

In 2004 he anointed Gregg Williams as the Assistant head Coach Defense. Now we all know Joe Gibbs has never really cared about the defensive side of the ball. In the old days he just let Richard Pettibone do whatever he wanted. Gibbs was wearing a different hat this time around, and that is of Team President, a de-facto General Manager. Richard Pettibone was allowed to scheme as much as he wanted, but Bobby Beathard for the most part was making the decision on the talent he had to scheme with.

This time Gregg Williams has gone out and monopolized our first round picks for defensive backs and late rounds with linebackers who never make the team. Each year he assures us our defense will be more aggressive and we will simply not lay back and let the other team dictate to us. And each year without addressing the defensive line he expects them to actually generate a pass rush.

The Defense’s second half performance on Sunday made Brittany Spears call in and say “Are they even trying out there?” We laid back in a cover-2 zone while our front four for the most part failed to generate a substantial pass rush. 21 points in a half is pitiful, period. And for a healthy defense with upgrades around the ball should not let this happen.

However Gibbs most fatally flawed decision may be the decision to hire Al Saunders as Associate head Coach – Offense in 2006. Gibbs has always been an offensive coach, acting as his own offensive coordinator. With sub par offenses in 2004 and a mediocre at best offense in 2005, Gibbs brought in a guy who was supposed to ramp up the offense to unknown heights. Unfortunately that has not worked.

The Saunders offense has been nothing special and at times looked worse then even the 2004 offense. And much of it can be blamed on a lack of identity. At times we are a passing offense, at times a running offense. Gibbs has stated Saunders does the play calling but admits that he makes the call to go for it on 4th down and at times it has been reported he has taken over the offense and exerted his will. By not just deciding to either give Saunders total control or wrest it away and take back the offense the Redskins have been in limbo for 1 season and 3 games. We change quarterback and receivers but the play calling remains the same.

If Gibbs wants to succeed in his second go around he has to DECIDE. He needs to decide he really wants to be GM and fire Cerrato, realign the Scouting department and make the decisions himself on defensive draft picks based on the schemes Williams employed. And if he can’t or does not want to do that, he needs to hire a GM.

And on offense Gibbs needs to decide whether he wants to take control. I for open don’t care which way he goes. In the last half of 2005 with inferior talent at QB and WR we put together a decent offensive football team. I would not fault him one bit to go back to this. Let Saunders perch on the roof and give suggestions but if Gibbs wants to call the plays, call the damn plays. Or hang up the head set and be the cheerleader in chief he seemed to desire to be at the start of 2006.

Otherwise the Redskins are like a guy standing in the middle of the road, and getting hit from both sides.

5 Things We Don’t Know Now

Ok we lost….so here are the things we don’t know now.

1.) When will Gregg Williams understand the Cover-2 defense does not work in the modern NFL? Besides Andre carter we have not developed a pass rush from the front four at all. A Cover-2 scheme is murdered unless you make the QB throw the ball early or put him on his back. Combine this with our Line backing corp which is better at attacking and not covering and we got picked apart in the 2nd half Sunday. Burress and Shockey exploited the middle of our defense like Home Simpson going after a cream filled donut. Please dear God drop the Cover 2 and go man to man in crucial situations.

2.) Why does a hall of fame Coach and the highest paid coaching staff in the league continue to have play clock management issues? Every freaking game a timeout is being burned, or worse a delay of game penalty incurs, because the play call is not in. With over 15 million in coaches’ salaries on that sideline, this is just not right. Why does Campbell not have quick calls he can make after making a first down? Where are the audibles? If the Redskins want to work on something in the off week, the two minute offense is it. If they want to play the ball-less close game strategy, fine. But you better count on having to run this every game or most games.

3.) Will the Saunders offense ever emerge from the mediocre 10-20 point per game lethargic sloth it has become? Only four times has the Saunders offense scored over 23 points under Saunders, and 2 of those were losses where we were trying to catch up at the end. And so many games have been in the dreaded teens range. We need to continue attacking each and every play and save the play it safe strategy for the end of the 4th quarter.

4.) If we are a running team and Portis is our best runner how does he only get 14 attempts in a game we are up by two scores? Pathetic excuses are being given for Betts running the ball not once but twice in the closing seconds attempting to score the game tying touchdown. Betts has a role on this team, but goal line back when the game is on the line is not it. Betts should spell Portis in the early parts of the game, but come to the 4th quarter, barring injury; Portis is the back we need. And it is what he is paid for.

5.) Is this team going to respond properly to this loss and make some adjustments before it is too late? This is the biggest thing we don’t know. This is a devastating loss at home and can ruin the whole season. They have two weeks to stew in their disgrace. Will they get mad and go out there and make Matt Millen’s Lions wish they never came to DC? Or will they fold up and give the same half hearted effort they gave last week. The 2005 team, after the San Diego loss at home went on a 6 game winning streak to make the playoffs and give us our first playoff win since 1999. The 2006 team, after losing to Tennessee at home limped to a 3-7 finish and a disgraceful 5-11 record, the worst ever under Joe Gibbs.

The only thing to look ahead to is a long bye week. Full of more questions then answers. Hopefully we are a stronger team after it, but the hard part is definitely ahead of us, not behind.

Vision Quest: U….G….L…Y… this is how we live or die.

Sometimes I wonder what is going through the mind of my fellow Redskin fans. Over the last two weeks while our team fought to maintain leads and win games late against tough defensive squads. Yet some fans this is not enough. Personally I think it is a testament to our squad that we are 2-0 right now, and the goes especially for Monday night’s win in Philly.

I am not calling for every fan to be Kool-aid drinkers and swallow whatever comes out of Redskins Park. Far from it. I am one of the bigger critics of the front office and its structure. I also don’t think that fans should not question play calling and questionable defensive play during the game. I do it…often. Second guessing is what being a sports fan is all about. We all are living our lives with the realization we will never do the things we see on the TV in front of us and part of the fun is thinking you could maybe do better if given the chance.

But through all that I think we need to be realistic. This is not the Redskins of the early 90s who can throw the ball downfield with abandon. Nor are we the Redskins of the mid eighties where we can run the ball with consistency and play nasty defense all the time. We are the Redskins of 2007. One thing is very clear about these Redskins.

They are UGLY.

Now some of you may say that I am putting this team down. Let me reassure you right now that is not the case. I love this squad right now, warts and all. I liken our team to the Ugly Friend that everyone has. The loyal hardworking friend that means well, but doesn’t always succeed. He is not the squeaky clean guy at the bar with all the cool pick up lines that drives a Porsche. No he is wearing flannel and may have a stain on his shirt from the drink he spilled on himself when he tried to talk to a girl. He drives a 15 year old sedan that barely runs. And he always leaves his wallet at home.

As I said everyone has an Ugly Friend like that. And if you don’t know who that is, then you are someone else’s Ugly Friend.

Every now and then you have to wonder why do you keep hanging out with this guy? Why do you pay his light bill for him when he is facing disconnection? Why are you always buying the beers when you go out? Why do you listen to his endless excuses of why things aren’t going better for him?

And then it happens. You’re alone at night and your tire is flat and you forgot your jack. It is your Ugly Friend that is the one you call to help you change your tire and get you home safe. Or you need to take down a tree in your yard. It’s your Ugly Friend who gives up a Saturday to help you out.

The Redskins are that Ugly Friend for DC right now. Sure they sign a ton of Free Agents hoping to win the lottery of the NFL and it never comes true. Sure they waste draft picks and make questionable personnel decisions. And yes they bleed you dry making you pay top dollar for everything from beer to merchandise.

But they are the same group who gave us the 2005 playoff run and are right now 2-0. And they are the reason we are pretty damn happy at the office today as well.

So yes they run the ball inconsistently. And yes Jason Campbell is a young QB who makes a ton of mistakes. And yes the bend but don’t break defense is bending an awful lot late in the 4th quarter.

But what did you expect? We have a marginally talented team that is aging and past prime. And in the one area where experience often trumps youth, QB, we have a young guy with less then a full season of NFL game experience. We have a secondary which is inconsistent and Safeties who are athletic but raw.

This is Redskins football this year. We are going to be ugly, but we are also going to work hard. We may not win games by 20 points, but we will be in almost every game with a chance to win late. We have to improve in allot of areas to make the playoffs, but if last night is any indication we have just enough moxy to get us there.

Because sometimes, just sometimes, the Ugly Friend gets to go home with the girl. And Right now our Ugly Friend is on his way to just that.

5 Things We Know Now

Ok you know the drill. We won in Philly so it is time for the 5 things we know now:

We will have to hear about our Offensive Line Depth, or lack thereof, all season long. Ironically we heard about it all off season as well. At the time of this article it is believed that Thomas has a torn tri-cep. That is easily a season long injury. With Jansen done for the year our whole right side of the line is exposed. Wade filled in for Jansen and I have no real worries there. But I watched Fabini play guard all pre-season and he got blown up by the opposing team’s 2nd string defensive tackles, let alone their first string. I expect Pucillo to get some time there, but he and Heyer are now our only real depth on the line. If I am Brad Badger or Adam Timmerman’s agent I am calling Redskins Park right now and offering my client’s services.

Brandon Lloyd, the bell tolls for you on Sunday. Caldwell was inactive on Monday, but that won’t last. With a bye week coming after the Giants game on Sunday, Brandon Lloyd has exactly one more game to prove he is going to be an NFL receiver this year. He had a chance for another TD this week and could not make it happen. The ball was a little overthrown and Lloyd did try for it unlike last week. But we are beyond ‘try’ now. Lloyd either puts up or shuts up next week. Otherwise he will probably be inactive for the remainder of the Redskin games.

Jason Campbell is going to struggle, but also progress, all season long. It seems JC has a case of the nerves early on in the season. And who can blame him. Though he has been on our roster for three years he never started an opening day game and he has never started a Monday Night game. Now he has had to do those in successive order. So he has been inconsistent early in both games, but he has calmed down and been real sharp late in games. Coming back home will help him next week and the bye week will help him even more.

Only being on Monday Night Football once is a blessing in disguise. Not for the players mind you, but for the fans. There are less camera shots in the booth at an adult video store then on Monday Night. If I wanted to see three old guys sit around and talk instead of watching the game I would go watch a Neil Simon Play. And when Barkley joined the booth it got even worse. Never mind the fact they were blathering incoherently it was like the producers of MNDF wanted the audience to know that Barkley was really in the booth….every two seconds. SHOW THE DAMN GAME!!!!!! That is why I am watching TV and not listening to the radio. Bone heads.

This team has character and guts, and that is what the big difference from last year is. We can talk about the improvement at the skills positions. We can talk about the improvement in the game planning. We can talk about improvement in the defense. But the very fact is the last two games are games the Redskins would have found ways to lose last year. They are fighting their guts out, to borrow from our Coach. They are willing themselves to the win. We will see if it can last but right now I am proud of them.

Looking Ahead to the NY Giants. The team comes home on Sunday to face the NY Giants. This can be a big test to the character of our team. The NY Giants are 0-2 and reeling right now. We need to put our boot to their neck. More importantly going 3-0 right before the bye is a big win for our guys. Also NY is an inferior team coming into our house. Overconfidence is what has killed us in the past here, but we have pretty much owned the Giants when they play under our roof. A win here and we can send them on a tailspin they will never recover from.

That is it for now as Always HTTR!!!

Vision Quest: It’s A Good Start

As many of you know I do not have the good fortune of living in the DC area. I can only justify one trip to see my beloved Redskins live every season. And I am all too aware of how lucky I am to be able to do so. I know many out of town fans can go a whole lifetime without seeing their teams play live. So I have cherished each of the last 5 years trips, even when we lost.
This year was pretty special for me though as I was going on opening day. I had never been to an opening day game and the excitement in the air was amazing. Each of the last 5 years I have gone to a game where the Redskins were already having a mediocre or losing season. Even in 2005 when we made the playoffs I had the unfortunate experience of going to the Oakland game which brought our record to a paltry 5-5.

But this year the sense of hope in the air of the season opener was electric. Only in the NFL does every team have a reasonable hope of success in the upcoming year. The parity in the league is why it is so popular. On opening day you can actually have dreams of the Super Bowl if everything goes your way. Add to that the hR tailgate, the opening of the 75th Anniversary season, beautiful weather, and a thrilling overtime win and you have the recipe for a great day.
As the wave of euphoria over the win started to pass I could finally start to figure out what this game means in the big picture. And what I finally came to was simply this:

It was a good start.

I am not sure how much we can get out of the game yesterday that will let us spy into the future with this team. For every positive there was a hint of worry. For every negative there were silver linings.

In short we just don’t know what kind of team we have yet.

I do think we are on a whole a better team then at this point last year. The offense seems to have picked up where it left off at the end of last year. At least the rushing offense did. And with Clinton Portis back on the field it is even clearer then before we are going to be a very good running team.

However JC took a step back this game. He was not very accurate and also had two interceptions. He also failed to produce a passing TD in the first time in his career. His receivers did not help him with dropped passes either.

On defense we seem to actually stop the run for the first time in recent memory. Also for the first time someone other then a defensive back led the team in tackles. Rocky McIntosh and London Fletcher are huge upgrades on defense and they will make or break the run defense all season long.

However the pass defense was pitiful. If it wasn’t for a case of the dropsy’s by the Miami Dolphins it would have been even worse. Fred Smoot was abused more then Michael Vick’s dogs. Despite one Andre Carter sack the front four still could not create reasonable pressure on its own and the cover 2 broke down repeatedly.

The Coaches seem to understand their players better then they did last year. The decisions to lift Montgomery and Randle_El to the starting lineups at DT and WR respectively were very wise decisions. Randle El exploded for his best game as A Redskin and Montgomery clogged the middle on the run defense. And the two back rotation of Portis and Betts worked to perfection most of the day.

Yet for most of the third quarter Saunders abandoned the run in favor of the passing game. After promising a more aggressive defense with a variety of blitz packages, and showing that in the pre-season, Williams went conservative laying back in a cover 2 and hoping not to get beat.
And in what can only be described as a Lindseyesque move someone made the decision to relegate Sean Springs to the third cornerback position. Springs quite simply is the best defensive back on the Redskins and should be starting. No one is buying Williams explanation that he was in a rotation scheme since Fred “Toast” Smoot was playing 2 times the number of snaps Springs did.

One thing I will not fault Coach Gibbs for though is the decision to kick the FG on first down in overtime. At the time of the kick I thought it was odd, and I would have much preferred at least 2 runs up the middle. But the probability of a holding penalty or false start was just too high. Samuels was playing his first action in months, Kendall his first start as a Redskin, Heyer was playing out of position. Anything could have happened and Suisham definitely did not need the 5 yards. With Campbell having accuracy problems it was too risky to take a shot into the end zone or pass down the field.

Kicking the ball was the right choice and at the end of the day a successful choice. You can’t fault the coaching staff for that.

So at the end of one game in the regular season the Redskins showed moderate offensive ability against an aging but thought to be superior defense and showed moderate defensive ability against what is thought to be a horrible offense. Definitely an improvement over 2006, but is it enough for a playoff run in 2007? Only time will tell if this good start is good enough.
But we can always hope.

5 Things we know now

Well it is time now for the return of the “What We know or don’t know Now” feature. For those of you who don’t remember after each Redskin win I list 5 things we know now and after a loss 5 things we don’t know anymore. I much prefer writing the former and it did not happen enough last season. So here we go:

Antwaan Randle_El was not a mistake to sign. Many who questioned the Lloyd signing of two years ago did so because we already had Randle_el on the sideline. I thought at the time Randle_El was the perfect slot receiver and may not work as a #2. I was wrong and I learned that for certain on Sunday> Randle_el has great chemistry withCampbell and more performances like Sunday will open up Santana Moss downfield.

Sean Suisham has ice water in his veins. For those of us who wondered why the Redskins never brought in competition for Suisham in the off season, we just found out why. 3-3 on FGs is one thing. But he hit each one under pressure. The first one was to give us the first score of the game. The second to go ahead in the fourth quarter and then of course the last the game winner after two timeouts with the game on the line. Ladies and Gents we have a kicker in DC.

The Dynamic Duo of running backs is a force to reckon with. Many pundits and analysts surmised that there weren’t enough carries for both Portis and Betts. They said that it would never work. They said Portis took too much time off. They said Betts won’t be happy as a backup. They were wrong. These guys are everything they were billed to be so far.

Rocky McIntosh should have been playing all along. 9 tackles, 1 sack, 1 forced fumble. McIntosh did more in one game then Warrick Holdman could ever dream of doing. The fact that he was benched for so long last year should be a crime worthy of sterilization. He is quite simply a stud and for the first time in the Gibbs II era there are no question marks in the LBer unit.

The Real Derrick Frost has arrived. No one was more critical of Frost then this writer. But his punts all pre-season and yesterday have made me a believer. When punting with his back against the end zone in a crucial moment in the third quarter the old Derrick Frost would have shanked it out of bounds. This new improved Frost gave us a 63 yard punt and when you tack on the penalty it was a field changing event. If he remains consistent this kid has a real good leg and can be a big time player in this league.

Looking ahead

The Redskins take on the Eagles on Monday night. The Eagles will be chomping at the bit to avenge their opening day loss to Green Bay. However their secondary will be hurt with the recent news of Lito Shepard’s absence. Campbell will need to improve on his accuracy and the receivers need to hold onto the ball to take advantage of this.

Defensively this will be the first real test of the defense. McNabb may not be the pro-bowl McNabb of the past but he is still mobile with an accurate arm. Westbrook is the most underrated running back in the NFL this year as he continues to produce. Gregg Williams needs to bring his full playbook to Philadelphia next week and resist playing the Un-cover 2 that he played last week.

As Always Hail To The Redskins!!!!

Vision Quest: Roster Wars Final Guess on the Eve of Cut Day

Well I was going to let my last Roster prediction stand for the entire season. But then they put Blaylock and McAddley on IR and cut Salave’a and Butler in the opening round of cuts. Seriously we have more people on IR right now then the Bengals have non-felons on their team. And after last night’s game we have the real possibility of a few more people who might have made the roster on the IR like Eubanks. I swear someone on the team is doing their best Tonya Harding impression trying to get on the final roster.

I also don’t think the Redskins are done. They could add a few players to either their PS or final roster at positions they are short. Like Corner, Wide Receiver, Fullback, and Tight End. This could mean guys who get a spot on Saturday may lose it by Sunday. So with no real confidence in its accuracy here is my latest…and last…prediction for the final 53 and Practice Squad come the end of the weekend.

Quarterbacks
Projected Roster Petitions: 3
Projected Starter: Jason Campbell
Projected Depth: Mark Brunell, Todd Collins
On the Bubble: Jordan Palmer

Analysis: Unless Brunell gets traded, no way Jordan Palmer makes the top 53. He looks to be every bit the busted draft pick many of us feared. The one good thing that came out of his performance on Thursday was that we don’t have to worry about anyone trying to steal him to sign to their roster. Question is who is #2. I think it is Mark Brunell. I still maintain that Collins passes were not as crisp as Brunell’s and Brunell has the game day experience.

Running Backs
Projected Roster Petitions: 3
Projected Starter: Clinton Portis
Projected Depth: Ladell Betts, Rock Cartwright
On the Bubble: Marcus Mason
Camp Fodder: Dee Brown

Analysis: Wow Marcus Mason looked great. I am a believer in the hype now. This kid is going to be something special. But I think numbers will keep him on the PS still. The top 3 are safe and with Blaylock out of the mix Mason may be activated during the season if one of our backs gets injured.

Fullback
Projected Roster Petitions: 1
Projected Starter: Mike Sellers
On the Bubble: Brian Bell
Camp Fodder: Fred Beaseley

Analysis: Last year the Redskins only kept 1 FB on the roster and I think that is what they will do this year as well. Beaseley has done absolutely nothing to warrant a PS spot and Bell looks to be too raw and probably is looking at a PS spot. During games if needed Yoder and Cooley can both back up the FB spot

Tight Ends
Projected Roster Positions: 3
Projected Starter: Chris Cooley
Projected Depth: Todd Yoder, Eric Edwards
Camp Fodder: Jake Nordin,

Analysis: Cooley is a stud and if we do not resign him soon I may be visiting RedskinsPark with a 2x4 and dealing out justice old style. As noted above Yoder and Cooley in addition to the TE duties will backup the Fullback spot. Edwards got hurt but nothing serious and should be able to fill the third TE spot adequately.

Wide Receivers
Projected Roster Positions: 4
Projected Starters: Santana Moss, Antwaan Randle_el
Projected Depth: Brandon Lloyd, James Thrash
On the Bubble: Carl Berman, Ryan Hoag,
Camp Fodder: Burl Toller, Corey Bradford

Analysis: I just don’t think our 5th WR is on our squad right now. We could easily cut someone in favor of signing a legitimate 5th WR after the other teams make their cuts. Hoag is impressing me a lot and I look forward to his growth on the PS.

Offensive Line
Projected Roster Positions: 10
Projected Starters: Chris Samuels (LT), Pete Kendall (LG), Casey Rabach (C), Randy Thomas (RG), Jon Jansen (RT)
Projected Depth: Mike Pucillo, Stephon Heyer, Taylor Whitley, Todd Wade
On the Bubble: Calvin Armstrong, Kili Lefotu, Jason Fabini,

Analysis: Nothing changes here from before. I look forward to see our starting 5 on the field and healthy for the first time on the 9th. If we need our backups at some point I am not as panicked as other years with Wade, Pucillo and even Heyer on the bench. Lefotu makes the squad due to injuries and the need to keep an extra Oline guy around.

Defensive Line
Projected Roster Positions: 9
Projected Starters: Andre Carter (RE), Cornelius Griffin (DT), Kedric Golston (DT) Phillip Daniels (LE)
Projected Depth: Renaldo Wynn, Lorenzo Alexander, Anthony Montgomery, Demetic Evans, Chris Wilson
On the Bubble: Alex Buzbee
Camp Fodder: Ryan Boschetti, Martin Askew, Justin Hickman

Analysis: I think both of the young guys in Lorenzo Alexander and Chris Wilson make the squad. I see no reason for us to keep Boschetti or Askew at this point over them. Alex Buzbee may benefit from a year on the PS.

Linebacker
Projected Roster Positions: 7
Projected Starters: Rocky McIntosh (WLB), London Fletcher-Baker (MLB), Marcus Washington (SLB)
Projected Depth: Randall Godfrey, Khary Campbell, HB Blades, Anthony Trucks
On the Bubble: Dallas Sartz
Camp fodder: Matt Sinclair


Analysis: Ok I am officially on the Anthony trucks bandwagon. This reminds me of 2005 where McCune a 5th round draft pick went on the PS where a UFDA in Zach Kelsay went on to make the active roster. Sartz is in the dreaded McCune position this time around. He just has not done much and Trucks seems to be around the ball a lot.


Corner
Projected Roster Positions: 5
Projected Starters: Sean Springs, Carlos Rogers
Projected Depth: Fred Smoot, David Macklin, John Eubanks
On the Bubble: Ade Jimoh, Leigh Torrance
Camp Fodder: Byron Westbrook


Analysis: Say it ain’t so Jimoh, say it ain’t so. I know Eubanks got hurt; but I don’t think Jimoh is not here come tomorrow. If the medical staff thinks Eubank’s injury is grave enough perhaps they will put him on the final IR. Leigh Torrance played well enough to overtake Byron Westbrook for the PS spot.

Safety
Projected Roster Positions: 5
Projected Starters: Sean Taylor (FS), Laron Landry (SS)
Projected Depth: Omar Stoutmire, Pierson Prioleau, Reed Doughty
On the Bubble: Vernon Fox


Analysis: The Redskins have kept 5 safeties every year since Joe Gibbs came back. I think they do so again, especially with Eubanks going down. Prioleau may be called upon to play corner from time to time and they will need a backup. Doughty has not looked horrible and he does not have PS eligibility. So I think he sneaks on the team.

Special Teams
Projected Roster Petitions: 3
Projected Starters: Sean Suisham (K), Derrick Frost (P), Ethan Albright (LS)


Analysis: The three safest guys in DC are the Redskins special teamers. These guys aren’t going to make the pro-bowl anytime soon (though Albright should because he is the best at what he does) but they will be serviceable, which is more then I can say for just about any other year that I can remember.


Practice Squad Projections


1.) Marcus Mason (RB). Young kid, probably will be on the roster some time before the end of the season. He has quickness and a knack for finding openings and holes. You can’t teach that. Once he learns the system backward and forward he could be the Rock of the future.


2.) Brian Bell (FB/TE). A decent TE and FB who will be learning the system if he is needed for injury coverage.

3.) Jordan Palmer (QB) And the award for worst draft pick of the 2007 season goes to…..you guessed it. He looked horrible. Seriously, it made me wish for Danny Wuerfel, that bad.


4.) Dallas Sartz (LB) If for some reason Jordan Palmer can’t fulfill his duties as Worst draft pick of the year, Dallas Sartz will assume the title and crown. He got hurt early in camp and just never showed any reason to get excited about his wearing a Redskin uniform. And now he is hurt again.


5.) Calvin Armstrong (T) A lot of scouts seem to think he is a decent player and could really develop with one more year on PS.


6.) Leigh Torrance (CB) I guess it is possible they put Eubanks here but I think he is going to the IR or to the top 53. So I am bettingTorrance gets a shot at the PS for a year and will be immediately called upon in case of an injury.


7.) Alex Buzbee (DE) He is a nice young prospect and probably the guy that benefits most from Salavea’s cut. He needs to bulk up a bit and learn the nuances of playing on the DL but can be a good player


8.) Ryan Hoag (WR) No one made more of his chances on the filed, save Mason, then Ryan Hoag. His catch should have won us the Steeler game and his TD againstJacksonville should give him a shot at the PS.


We shall see what happens come 4pm tomorrow. I literally have no idea as the injuries and flurry of roster moves over the last two weeks are more information then this fan can process.

Vision Quest: Help & Hurt post Jacksonville 2007

Well the pre-season is over. Thank God. Now all that is left is the final roster cuts and the preparation for Miami. But before the coaches make their decisions, let’s take a look at who helped themselves tonight and who hurt themselves.

Players Who Helped Themselves

Anthony Trucks This guy was all over the place tonight. With Dallas Sartz not playing at all you have to think that he is making a serious play at the #7 LB spot. IN fact he might be playing as high as #6 and be the primary backup for Rocky.

Marcus Mason I still am not sure if he makes the roster but if anyone deserves a shot at it, he does. He is a nice shifty back and a real gem of a find. Blaylock’s injury may earn him a shot a roster spot, but at the very least he should be on the Practice Squad.

David Macklin He had several nice blitzes and several good plays on the ball. I doubt he was in danger of not making the final 53, but he solidified himself in the #4 CB role tonight. A good solid game and I am not so worried about depth at corner.

Reed Doughty He started the game and seemed to be around the ball. He had a couple of good blitzes and a couple of good hits. Didn’t see him do much in the way of pass coverage, but he definitely put himself in the #5 safety spot. The question is do we keep 5 safeties?

Mark Brunell I think he won the #2 job tonight. His passes were tight and accurate and he took shots downfield. Collins may have better stats over the pre-season but Brunell is my choice to backup JC. And I hope I never have to see either of them throw another pass ever ever again.

Players Who Hurt Themselves

Jordan Palmer Oh I feel a rant about 2nd day picks coming on. THIS is the guy who we hoped could take a roster spot from Brunell or Collins? Heck I don’t even want him on the practice squad. I really hope he is a slow learner otherwise we will be looking at QBs again next off season.

Brian Bell You don’t drop balls in the pre-season finale. You just don’t. Plus the dread dude…cut the dreads before someone pulls them out of your head.

Byron Westbrook Ok it is fourth down right before half, all you need to do is tackle your guy but you go for the interception instead and give up a long TD. Looks like it does take more then pedigree to play in the NFL.

Ryan Boschetti You had your chances Ryan. Too bad it does not look like you will be back for a third term of duty. Don’t worry we always have the memories of you fetching Gatorade for the guys who actually played in the games.

Corey Bradford He needed a big night for the Redskins to keep him as their 5th WR. He did not get it. 1 catch for 4 yards. I can’t see that doing him any good come Saturday.

Tomorrow I will try and post a final roster prediction once some of the injuries are known. It should be interesting and the Redskins have lot of tough decisions to make.

Vision Quest: Cuts and Battles Loom at Jacksonville Thursday

The first round of cuts are here and they contained some mild surprises as well as a bit of a shocker. The Redskins trimmed their roster to 75 yesterday and will have to trim their roster to 53 by 4pm Saturday, A lucky 8 young players can be signed by the team 24 hours later and those will be the Redskins that we will go to battle with come opening day.

Before I go into my thoughts on the initial round of cuts let me just remind you, these players are gone. Don’t hope for them to come back; don’t hope for them to be signed to the PS. If the Redskins released these players now they simply do not see a role for them at all on the team. History has proven this the case, and even I have to accept this as I predicted 2 of these people to be on the 53 man roster and 2 to go to the Practice Squad.

So here are my reactions to each of the cuts for what it is worth:

Jerametrius Butler, CB The Redskins signed him to an RFA tender just three years ago and now when they finally get him he is out the door with the trash. Though he has been injured most of camp and less then stellar in the one game he got to play in most of us thought the Redskins would give him at least one more game to get a spot. No player got hurt by the final rainout of the ravens more thenButler. But I take solace in the improved play of Eubanks who I think will take his spot on the roster.

Jamaal Green, DE Getting hurt late in the pre-season hurt him and the emergence of Chris Wilson, Lorenzo Alexander and the presence of healthy young ends like Hickman and Buzbee made his presence on the roster superfluous. See a pattern yet? Want to stay on a roster…stay healthy.

Kevin Jones, LB I am a little surprised by this cut as Gregg Williams had been praising his work ethic and he had a few good series against Tennessee. But when Godfrey was signed the team had too many weak side linebackers. Trucks and Sinclair will now battle for the PS spot

Jerel Myers, WR Camp Fodder. Back to the arena League

Todd Pinkston, WR Old Alligator arms never even made it into a pre-season game. Much to the collective relief of most Redskin Fans. The Redskins always sign some washed up receiver in the off season hoping for a miracle. Despite that there is no truth to the rumor Lynn Swan is signing with us next year. He has not been out of the NFL long enough.

Joe Salave’a, DT Biggest surprise of the pre-season so far, even bigger then Lemar Marshall’s release. Like Marshall, Big Joe started the year as a starter and has been replaced in the off season. Unlike Marshall, Joe was having a great camp and looked to provide veteran depth. While I hope this means that some of our youth is finally developing, the DT spot after Griffen now becomes a bunch of young players who have not yet proven themselves. Surprising move to say the least.

Pete Schmitt FB I am mildly surprised at the release of Schmitt. He was second on the depth chart at FB. Hopefully Beaseley can prove that he belongs in the NFL this year otherwise we are getting rid of youth for an aging vet. That is fine sometimes, but when that Vet was out of football for a year and has not played a pre-season game yet, that is another thing all together.

Bryant Shaw, DE Blame it on Paris. At least he had a European Vacation before getting the Axe. Too bad the NFLE is no longer in existence.

To get down to 75 the Redskins also put WR Jason McAddley and OG Ross Tucker on the Injured Reserve List. Only time will tell whether these will become injury settlements. I would imagine Tucker may be, but the Redskins liked McAddley and if he did not get hurt he could have been a gunner on special teams and make the 53 man roster.

Roster Battles for Jacksonville

With the roster moves over the last two weeks it has become clear that there is no position on this team that is set going into the final game of the season. We may have starters in place but most of the backup positions are up for grabs. This of course will determine who has a job on Saturday and who is spending Labor Day filling out resumes.

Quarterback. The battle here is for the #2 spot. Collins is in the lead and Brunell will have to have a nothing less then stellar game against Jacksonville to keep the #2 spot. We may also see our first look at Jordan Palmer, however the smart money is he is playing for a Practice Squad spot. However if Brunell does drop to #3 you have to wonder if the Redskins will part with him and his salary.

Running Back While I have often said this is a set position, and I still think it is, you have to wonder if Derrick Blaylock will make the squad. He has not really shown anything in the pre-season that will justify keeping 4 running backs, but with Portis & Betts injury history and Cartwright being injured right now, it will be wise to open with 4 RBs. Mason still needs a strong camp to justify a practice squad spot for yet another running back.

Tight End/Full Back Normally Gibbs teams keeps 4 of these guys on the active roster and maybe one more on the PS. With Cooley, Yoder, & Sellers locks it seems Eric Edwards is the guy for the fourth spot. Beaseley has to convince the coach to keep an extra guy here and possibly cut a Running back. Bell has to hope for a PS spot.

Wide Receiver Two consecutive pre-season games has seen the leading candidate for the 5th WR spot end up on IR (Espy & McAddley). With Pinkston being cut it sure seems as if the table is set for Corey Bradford. However the Redskins may decide to keep 4 here and a PS guy or two. The next group of receivers (Berman, Hoag, & Toller) all have PS eligibility and that is what they are hoping for.

Defensive Line Salavea’s cut opens up a spot at DT. Lorenzo Alexander & Martin Askew are the contenders for it. At DE it sure looks as if Wilson has put himself in position to get a roster spot, The question is do the Redskins get rid of either Wynn or Evans (or both) for Justin Hickman or Alex Buzbee? At least one PS spot will be given to a young DL guy as well. Boschetti remains a long shot to stay on the roster.

Linebacker Looks like the only competition here is between Matt Sinclair and Anthony trucks for a PS spot. I can’t imagine the Redskins expose a draft choice by putting him on the PS while signing a UFDA. But then again in 2005 they did just that by putting McCune on the PS and keeping Zach Kelsay. Sartz better have a decent game to ensure his roster status.

Defensive back The 9th DB spot is wide open. Early favorite has to be John Eubanks who is also returning kicks and playing very well. However Ade Jimoh’s will have to show that his special team’s coverage is too good to go without. Reed Doughty and Vernon Fox are also in the mix, but most likely will have to convince the Redskins to keep 10 defensive backs. Leigh Torrance and Michael Westbrook are looking for PS spots.

Ok those are the final battles for the final pre-season game. See you after the cuts on Saturday.

Hail to the Redskins

Vision Quest: Help & Hurt, Roster Wars Post Ravens game 2007

Help & Hurt

First off I have a caveat. Because of the extreme wisdom of someone at the NFL Network I was not able to see the Ravens game this week. I got up early drove 30 miles to my parent’s house who just got a new 60” plasma TV with Dish Network in time for the 8 am replay scheduled for this morning. The picture was nice but unfortunately what I saw was the KC Saints game.
So my analysis is really a combination of some information I compiled from various media sources including the most unreliable of them all: Redskins.com. I did see the limited clips on Sports center and on the Web. So if I am wrong, as always, I will blame it on someone else. This time it won’t be Vinny Cerrato … maybe.

However disappointed I might be this morning, the coaching staff and some players have to be even more disappointed. This is a critical game for the Redskins as the first cut down day is Monday. The last impression many players were going to have to actually impress the coaches and avoid what could be the end of their NFL career Monday.So here are a few players who I think helped and got hurt by the shortened game last night.

Players who helped themselves:

Todd Collins: Did he light it up? No. But he did a manageable job and if Brunell can not play significantly better against Jacksonville, he could get the #2 job.

HB Blades: He isn’t fighting for a roster spot; he has that guaranteed to him. But he does want playing time as the 4th LB off the bench in the Regular season and he earned that last night showing he can play Sam as well as Mike.

Dallas Sartz: When you are on the bubble you need a signature play that the coaches can remember to keep you on the roster. Sartz got his last night. Was it lucky, yes, but it was a defensive TD anyways.

Anthony Trucks: What people are missing on the Prioleau hit and Sartz score is that Trucks got to the QB first. Trucks is battling Jones for the last PS spot IMO. More then likely they are even now.

Players who Hurt Themselves:

I really can’t say. All bubble players were hurt by not getting a chance to play in the second half. This could cost a few people their job come Monday.

Quarterbacks
Projected Roster Positions: 3
Projected Starter: Jason Campbell
Projected Depth: Mark Brunell, Todd Collins
On the Bubble: Jordan Palmer

Analysis: As I said above, Collins helped his cause but Brunell will get his chance againstJacksonville. IN Fact Gibbs has already said Collins will not play at all and Brunell will be #2 with Palmer getting some work at the end. If Brunell wants the #2 job, he needs to play lights out, 2005 style. Otherwise if Palmer shows he could be a decent #3 Brunell could find himself out of a job all together.

Running Backs
Projected Roster Positions: 4
Projected Starter: Clinton Portis
Projected Depth: Ladell Betts, Derrick Blaylock, Rock Cartwright
On the Bubble: Marcus Mason

Analysis: There is some speculation that Derrick Blaylock could be out of a job because of a poor pre-season. However every running back has had a poor pre-season. With Cartwright having a nagging hamstring injury I doubt he is going to get cut. Mason is still hoping he has a shot at a PS spot since he was not able to play much last night.

Fullback
Projected Roster Positions: 1
Projected Starter: Mike Sellers
On the Bubble: Pete Schmitt, Fred Beaseley
Camp Fodder: Brian Bell

Analysis: With the health issues at RB, WR, and OL I doubt the Redskins can afford to keep 2 FB. They didn’t last year and probably won’t this year. Pete Schmitt has shown enough in camp to warrant a PS spot, but Beasley has arrived now. If the Redskins keep 2 FBs it will be a battle between Schmitt and Beaseley against Jacksonville that will determine the backup.

Tight Ends
Projected Roster Positions: 3
Projected Starter: Chris Cooley
Projected Depth: Todd Yoder, Eric Edwards
Camp Fodder: Jake Nordin

Analysis: Back to 3 here. Cooley is the starter and Yoder and Edwards will back him up (as well as spot duty at FB if needed). We are pretty deep at this position and the release of Tyler Ecker should not hurt us at all.

Wide Receivers
Projected Roster Positions: 5
Projected Starters: Santana Moss, Antwaan Randle_el
Projected Depth: Brandon Lloyd, James Thrash, Jason McAddley
On the Bubble: Carl Berman, Todd Pinkston,
CampFodder: Burl Toller, Jarel Myers, Corey Bradford

Analysis: Still possible that the Redskins keep just 4 WRs and pump up another spot, maybe FB. But every year the Redskins under Gibbs have opened with 5 WRs. McAddley in my opinion has the edge because he plays special teams and the coaches seem to like him. Carl Berman likely gets a PS spot for return duties and because he is better then any other rookie WR we have on the roster.

Offensive Line
Projected Roster Positions: 9
Projected Starters: Chris Samuels (LT), Pete Kendall (LG), Casey Rabach (C), Randy Thomas (RG), Jon Jansen (RT)
Projected Depth: Todd Wade, Stephon Heyer, Taylor Whitley, Mike Pucillo
On the Bubble: Calvin Armstrong, Kili Lefotu, Jason Fabini, Ross Tucker

Analysis: The addition of Pete Kendall is a stabilizing move in the long run for the offensive line. However in the short term it is going to create some unavoidable chaos. With Samuels hurt and Kendall just learning it is very likely they will not play together until the opening game of the season. However that is still better then leaving JC’s blindside open with Pucillo and Heyer in there. Ross Tucker looks to be the odd man out since Pucillo is now back to backing up center and guard.

Defensive Line
Projected Roster Positions: 9
Projected Starters: Andre Carter (RE), Cornelius Griffin (DT), Kedric Golston (DT) Phillip Daniels (LE)
Projected Depth: Renaldo Wynn, Joe Salave’a, Anthony Montgomery, Demetic Evans, Chris Wilson
On the Bubble: Jamaal Green, Lorenzo Alexander, Alex Buzbee, Martin Askew, Justin Hickman
Camp Fodder: Bryant Shaw, Ryan Boschetti

Analysis: Chris Wilson played against the first stringers last night in Marcus Washington’s 3rd down pass rushing position. He seems to have gotten the attention of the coaching staff. The question now is can Alexander justify giving him a spot on the roster as well. Evans has had a bad an average pre-season and could lose his spot, but he is young and versatile. More likely they will PS Alexander and release and aging guy like Daniels or Salave’a next year.

Linebacker
Projected Roster Positions: 7
Projected Starters: Rocky McIntosh (WLB), London Fletcher-Baker (MLB), Marcus Washington (SLB)
Projected Depth: Randall Godfrey, Khary Campbell, HB Blades, Dallas Sartz
On the Bubble: Kevin Jones. Anthony Trucks
Camp fodder: Matt Sinclair

Analysis: The top 7 is set; the only question is who will get the final PS spot. Jones and Trucks have had great camps. Jones had a great game last week; Trucks had a decent few minutes of play this week. They are about as even as it can be. Edge right now flips to Trucks but it will all be about who can impress coaches on Thursday.

Corner
Projected Roster Positions: 5
Projected Starters: Sean Springs, Carlos Rogers
Projected Depth: Fred Smoot, David Macklin, Jerametrius Butler
On the Bubble: Ade Jimoh, Byron Westbrook, John Eubanks
Camp Fodder: Leigh Torrance

Analysis: Ok I am flopping on the 5th corner again. I still think Eubanks is going to PS, but Butler is a depth guy the Redskins like to have around in case our top three corners who are all injury prone. Eubanks can return punts and will be activated if ARE gets hurt (Moss and Thrash can do it during the game).

Safety
Projected Roster Positions: 4
Projected Starters: Sean Taylor (FS), Laron Landry (SS)
Projected Depth: Omar Stoutmire, Pierson Prioleau
On the Bubble: Reed Doughty, Vernon Fox

Analysis: Landry and Taylor are going to be downright scary this year; P squared is doing his job well also. Stoutmire rounds out the safety field and Doughty and Fox are more then likely looking for work a week from now.

Special Teams
Projected Roster Positions: 3
Projected Starters: Sean Suisham (K), Derrick Frost (P), Ethan Albright (LS)

Analysis: Suisham seems to have solved his Kick-off problem. Frost has been consistent. Albright is one of the ugliest guys on the team according to Smoot, but his snaps are always pretty so he stays again.

Practice Squad Projections

1.) Marcus Mason (RB). A nice young RB who can learn the offense and battle for a roster spot next year. Still needs to avoid any accidents next week to make the Coaching staff want to keep a 5th RB. With so many injuries on the line this could go either way.

2.) Keli Lefotu (G). With Wade, Heyer, Pucillo, and Whitley making the roster, The Redskins need a guard to run a full second line in practice. Lefotu looks at another year on the PS.

3.) Jordan Palmer (QB) If Brunell is cut or traded Palmer could find his way to the active roster, which would be good for Palmer. However without any pre-season snaps so far he needs to make good use of his time in Jacksonville.

4.) Anthony Trucks (LB) Jones could go here also. Trucks and Jones are going to battle it out on Thursday and the guy who wins will go here.

5.) Pete Schmidt (FB) If Sellers gets hurt Schmitt will be activated. He can also play TE and is a good young FB with nice hands. Still will the Redskins keep 7 RBs between the active roster and PS? Seems like a lot.

6.) John Eubanks (CB) Another year on PS but will battle for a roster spot next year. He has had a good camp and can return kicks. One more year on PS and he can battle some of the Vets for playing time next year.

7.) Lorenzo Alexander (DT) Look for the Redskins to take advantage in the CBA loophole to keep Alexander for one more year on PS. Next year Alexander will be rewarded for his patience.

8.) Carl Berman (WR) Need a guy who can come in and play if one of your WRs go down. Berman can do that. He also can return kicks and is very young, perfect PS guy.
That is it for now. Later this week I will be back with my reaction to the first round of cuts and the battles to look for against Jacksonville on Thursday.

Comment on this article here: http://hailredskins.com/vbforum/showthread.php?t=42404

Vision Quest: Roster Wars…Post Steelers game 2007

Ok ladies and Gentlemen. It is now crunch time. The last pre-season game before the first cut date looms. Nine unlucky players will have their dream of a Washington Redskin career end on August 28th, 2007. An Additional 22 players will be cut on September 1, 2007 to get down to our roster of 53. Eight of those last cuts will be asked to participate on the Practice squad a day later.

Before I get into my predictions for this week I have to inform you of a great contest being run at hR. Roster Wars…the game. If you think that my predictions are off, then it is time to put your money where your mouth is (figuratively speaking of course). Go to this thread http://hailredskins.com/vbforum/showthread.php?t=42278 . You can make your own predictions on not just the final roster but the 75 players who will survive the first cut and the 8 players who will get on the practice squad. This is a bracket-type tournament and all projections are due on noon on Sunday. Mad props to BurgundyNGold for thinking of this contest and organizing it and running it.

I will be making a prediction for the contest there as well. But I do plan on continuing to track and change the progress of the team here on the bog. Since I live out of the DC area I am not privy to live pre-season games like many of you so I have to wait until the next day to catch the Ravens game on the NFL Network. That is not bad since cut day is the Tuesday and I should be able to get an updated guess out before the official cut day. However the NFL Network won’t be re-showing the final pre-season game againstJacksonville until the morning of September 1st, so more then likely I will be guessing blind the next week.

Oh well enough complaining on my part. Here is where I think things stand as of today:

Quarterbacks
Projected Roster Positions: 3
Projected Starter: Jason Campbell
Projected Depth: Mark Brunell, Todd Collins
On the Bubble: Jordan Palmer

Analysis: Jason Campbell’s injury should highlight the battle of Brunell vs. Collins as the #2QB. The injury also solidifies the fact that neither Brunell nor Collins will be released this pre-season. Palmer is looking at a PS spot for sure. However we may get to see Palmer for a series or two Saturday if JC can’t go.

Running Backs
Projected Roster Positions: 4
Projected Starter: Clinton Portis
Projected Depth: Ladell Betts, Derrick Blaylock, Rock Cartwright
On the Bubble: Marcus Mason,
Camp Fodder: Dee Brown

Analysis: Mason is working hard and solidifying himself as a decent PS candidate. Dee Brown has done nothing to try and unseat either Rock or Blaylock. This group is set and Dee Brown should fear the reaper come Tuesday.

Fullback
Projected Roster Positions: 2
Projected Starter: Mike Sellers, Pete Schmitt
Camp Fodder: Brian Bell,

Analysis: Pete Schmitt was the only other fullback who played on Saturday and that tells me a couple of things. A.) Brian Bell is done. B.) The coaches like this kid. And so do I. He probably will make the roster as putting him on PS would be a waste.

Tight Ends
Projected Roster Positions: 2
Projected Starter: Chris Cooley
Projected Depth: Todd Yoder
On the Bubble: Eric Edwards
Camp Fodder: Jake Nordin, Tyler Ecker

Analysis: Eric Edwards is playing well for sure, but I think he is now destined for the PS. Mike Sellers and Mike Pucillo can play 3rd TE in goalline formations and the need to have Edwards active on game day is not there. Nordin got cut the moment he fumbled the ball on Saturday. Ecker may be destined to be this year’s Manny White award winner for draft pick put on IR. A groin injury is keeping him out of action for over a month…a MONTH!!!! He could easily be cut as well.

Wide Receivers
Projected Roster Positions: 5
Projected Starters: Santana Moss, Antwaan Randle_el
Projected Depth: Brandon Lloyd, James Thrash, Jason McAddley
On the Bubble: Carl Berman, Todd Pinkston,
Camp Fodder: Burl Toller, Jarel Myers, Corey Bradford,
Analysis: Mike Espy’s loss for the year opens up a spot on the roster for someone. Toller and Berman seemed like candidates to fill that spot but they both had horrible games on Saturday. Enter Jason McAddley. He is playing with the first team on punt and kickoff coverage units and was the 6th WR off the bench the last two pre-season games. Pinkston and Bradford have not taken the field all pre-season and if they don’t on Saturday, they should fear the reaper as well.

Offensive Line
Projected Roster Positions: 9
Projected Starters: Chris Samuels (LT), Mike Pucillo (LG), Casey Rabach (C), Randy Thomas (RG), Jon Jansen (RT)
Projected Depth: Todd Wade, Stephon Heyer, Taylor Whitley, Ross Tucker
On the Bubble: Calvin Armstrong, Kili Lefotu, Jason Fabini,

Analysis: Pucillo did not have a great game on Saturday, but he is starting again this Saturday. I think it is likely he will now start on the left side come opening day. This has a ripple effect on the line. Ross tucker now has an excellent chance to make the roster since he in essence becomes the backup center, and Todd Wade is pushed to the bench, hurting the chances of Fabini & Armstrong.

Defensive Line
Projected Roster Positions: 9
Projected Starters: Andre Carter (RE), Cornelius Griffin (DT), Kedric Golston (DT) Phillip Daniels (LE)
Projected Depth: Renaldo Wynn, Joe Salave’a, Anthony Montgomery, Demetic Evans, Chris Wilson
On the Bubble: Jamaal Green, Lorenzo Alexander, Alex Buzbee, Martin Askew, Justin Hickman
Camp Fodder: Bryant Shaw, Ryan Boschetti,
Analysis: Chris Wilson is back again on the roster and Alexander back as a PS candidate this week. These two keep flip flopping and it will likely keep flipping until the end of the pre-season. Both deserve to make the squad IMO. However will the Redskins sacrifice a vet to give them a roster spot when they can stash one on the PS? If I am Demetric Evans I need to start making major plays this week or else it will be tempting to let him go.

Linebacker
Projected Roster Positions: 7
Projected Starters: Rocky McIntosh (WLB), London Fletcher-Baker (MLB), Marcus Washington (SLB)
Projected Depth: Randall Godfrey, Khary Campbell, HB Blades,Dallas Sartz
On the Bubble: Kevin Jones
Camp fodder: Anthony Trucks, Matt Sinclair

Analysis: Lemar Marshall’s release in a way solidifies the LB group. Godfrey will not be in playing shape or know the defense enough to start or replace Washington on opening day. Campbell will need to stay on to be a backup just in case. Sartz as well. All the tuck on the message boards is on Anthony trucks and I can not figure out why. Kevin Jones is my dark horse LBer candidate and a guy GW and Olivadotti have constantly sung their praises about. He is also showing up on the field. Watch for him to be a PS candidate.

Corner
Projected Roster Positions: 5
Projected Starters: Sean Springs, Carlos Rogers
Projected Depth: Fred Smoot, David Macklin, John Eubanks
On the Bubble: Ade Jimoh, Byron Westbrook, Jerametrius Butler
Camp Fodder: Leigh Torrance

Analysis: John Eubanks turned in the best performance of his redskin career last Saturday filling in for the injured Ade Jimoh. Right now you have to put him as the 5th CB. But Butler is on his heels and could slip into that #5 spot. If he does it is another year on PS for Eubanks. Westbrook’s only hope of making the PS is ifButler is cut. So the choice may be Butler vs. Westbrook at the end of the day.

Safety
Projected Roster Positions: 4
Projected Starters: Sean Taylor (FS), Laron Landry (SS)
Projected Depth: Omar Stoutmire, Pierson Prioleau,
On the Bubble: Reed Doughty,Vernon Fox

Analysis: Neither Reed or Fox are doing anything to justify moving Omar Stoutmire out of the lineup. They are solidly with the third team and neither has come up with a game changing interception or fumble recovery to make the coaches re-think signing Omar. Once again it is not often the Redskins sign a FA to a multi-year contract and release them in their first year, no matter how small the contract. I like Reed’s story, but it may need to continue somewhere else.

Special Teams
Projected Roster Positions: 3
Projected Starters: Sean Suisham (K), Derrick Frost (P), Ethan Albright (LS)

Analysis: Suisham’s solid kicking kept the coaches from dial 1-900-get-A-leg. Then again that may have saved Coach Gibbs an uncomfortable conversation with Mrs. Gibbs when the phone bill came. Frost is having had a solid pre-season and I hope he continues to do so.

Practice Squad Projections

1.) Marcus Mason (RB). The Kid has moves. But this is not a lock. With injuries on the line and at WR piling up the Redskins could look to stash someone here like Calvin Armstrong. He needs to show he has enough talent to have the front office risk signing him.

2.) Keli Lefotu (G). He is having a nice pre-season but is in a numbers game. Still he gets the nod over Armstrong because he plays on the inside. If Wade regains the LG position then Armstrong could go here as well.

3.) Jordan Palmer (QB) This is why you don’t waste a draft pick on a QB unless you have a spot for him on the active roster. I am still hoping I am wrong on this because I think the PS should be filled with position players you need depth at. 4th string QB is not what I had in mind.

4.) Kevin Jones (LB) This kid is having a great off-season and if Godfrey washes out or was not signed he was making moves to get on the active roster. He still could overtake Sartz for an active roster spot with a good couple of games.

5.) Eric Edwards (TE) having a great camp and is getting caught in a numbers game. He will wait here in case there are any injuries and then can be called up in an instant. Pucillo, Sellers, and Schmitt can double as goal line TE in game situations.

6.) Byron Westbrook (CB) Needed to follow up his lucky TD last week with a great game to make the active roster, but did not. He is hanging by a thread here, ifButler overcomes Eubanks, Eubanks goes here.

7.) Lorenzo Alexander (DT) The Helmet less one may spend another year on PS. It will depend on whether any DT or Des get hurt in the next couple of games as to whether he or Chris Wilson get to have a roster spot.

8.) Carl Berman (WR) had a bad game and probably cost himself a roster spot. Still he can return kicks and had a decent camp until then, and probably needs a year on PS to mature. Has speed and decent hands, lacks concentration it seems to make the next step, much like Espy last year.

Battles to Watch For

As always here are some battles to watch for against the Ravens.

2nd FB or 3rd TE Pete Schmitt vs. Eric Edwards. Schmitt has the edge because he can backup FB and Sellers and Pucillo can play 3rd TE in goalline situations. Edwards needs to show up big to keep from going to the PS.

Starting LG Todd Wade vs. Mike Pucillo. This competition has not only implications in our starting offense but on the compliment of depth kept behind them. If Pucillo wins the LG spot Ross Tucker benefits as he is elevated to backup C and needed on game days in case of injury. If Wade gets it then Calvin Armstrong and Jason Fabini benefit as we will need more then Stephon Heyer on the bench who can play T.

5th WR. McAddley vs. the field. This is wide open with McAddley getting the edge because of his special teams play. The vets like Hoag, Pinkston, and Bradford have to make a play here to take this spot from him. McAddley needs to show he can be a benefit in the passing game as well. Berman, Berman, Toler, and Myers are eligible for PS and one of them should end up there.

5th CB. John Eubanks vs. Jerametrius Butler. Eubanks is in the lead here but Butler can surprise him. Butler has been hurt all camp and has been coveted by the coaching staff for the last couple of years. He is now healthy and the coaches may decide to keep both by putting Eubanks on the PS. Westbrook needs to be Eubanks biggest backer as I doubt there is room for 2 Cbs on the PS.

9Th DL Chris Wright vs. Lorenzo Alexander. I love both these guys and would not bat an eye if Evans or Montgomery are let go to make room for them. I doubt that will happen on either case though so they are likely fighting for one spot on the roster and the loser going on PS. Martin Askew could make a case here as well if he continues to have a good pre-season. The rest are hoping for either a 2nd PS spot or a vet to get let go so they can sneak on.

As always Hail to the Redskins!!

Discuss it here: http://hailredskins.com/vbforum/showthread.php?p=992092#post992092

Vision Quest: Help or Hurt Post Steelers 2007

Ok I finally got a chance to watch the replay of the Steelers game on NFL Network. Before I can get into who helped themselves with the game and who hurt themselves I have to address a few things.

First off the injuries. I know all of you like me had their heart stuck in their throat whenCampbell got hurt. Luckily it looks to be only a minor injury but missing time is crucial for young QBs so let’s hope he is back for the last pre-season game, even if it is only for a series or two. Marcus Washington’s injury is a little more serious, a dislocated elbow can easily happen again later on in a player’s career. Looks like he will miss as little as two weeks and may be ready for the season opener. Mike Espy unfortunately is out for the season. The young wide receiver was having a good camp and a decent pre-season and was the favorite for the #5 spot.

These injuries will affect the roster wars for sure. First at QB, the battle for #2 almost certainly will be the spotlight of the next pre-season game. The loser could face being inactive all season or perhaps even being cut (see later on in this article). Washington’s injury almost assures the Redskins will keep at least 7 linebackers and that will come from another position. And Espy was clearly becoming the favorite for the #5 WR spot. That spot is now wide open.

Second the defense. I am very excited that the Redskins are starting to play team defense again. They look very very good. No real turnovers yet, an\d little actual sacks, but there is pressure and a real attitude again. And the youngsters are leading the way. Rocky McIntosh is turning into a beast. He is flying to the ball, showing sure tackling skills and defending the pass. Laron Landry and Sean Taylor are providing punishing hits and sure coverage. Carlos Rogers seems to have regained his 2005 form. I am not sure this is the 2004 defense reborn yet, but it is definitely a step in the right direction.

Third Chris Cooley is a monster. Analysts are always saying we need a possession receiver opposite Santana Moss to be effective. Ladies and Gentlemen I give you Chris Cooley. The guy is a beast and becoming a favorite of all the quarterbacks, especially Campbell. On third downs he excels at moving the sticks and could have a breakout year. Message to the front office get his damn extension done now.

Fourth the offensive line. Depth is a huge issue. The very fact Stephon Heyer is in there protecting (or not protecting as the case may be) Jason Campbell’s blindside against first stringers was asking for trouble. We got lucky this time. Pucillo also did not look great at guard. In fact the times pressure came against the first unit, it was from the left side, and the Steelers took advantage of it. The Depth on this line is Achilles’ heel of the 2007 Redskins and a subject we will be discussing all year.

Ok rants and raves over. Now on to the main menu.

Guys who helped themselves:

Brandon Lloyd. As I have said before, just getting on the field in the pre-season is a big help for guys fighting for depth and roster spots. However scoring a sweet touchdown where he was dancing along the backline is cream on top. Lloyd may not regain the starting spot but he probably will be the #3 WR this year.

Chris Wilson. Two very good games in a row. He was in the backfield almost the entire time he was in and saw time during the goal line stand at the end of the first half. He is the favorite for that 9th DL spot and could push Evans for playing time all year long.

Sean Suisham. He made a very long FG, but most importantly his kickoffs were straight and deep, the way they should be. He has avoided the Redskins bringing in competition now and most likely will be the unchallenged starter for the duration of the season, something the Redskins have not had in a few years.

John Eubanks. He is currently playing in the #5 CB spot and making a serious run at a roster spot. He had a pretty good game and is showing decent coverage and tackling skills. Butler probably will win the final CB spot but Eubanks is going to push him and probably can pick up at least a spot on the Practice Squad.

Guys who hurt themselves:

Carl Berman. With the #5 spot wide open, Berman probably cost himself a shot at not only a roster spot but a practice squad spot as well. During the game ending drive he committed a false start and had a catch that would have set up a game winning field goal bounce off his head for a game ending interception. Bad day for Berman in the clutch.

Burt Toller. Much like Berman, blew a chance to not only win the game but get a roster spot. His costly Offensive Pass Interference penalty cost the Redskins valuable field position. He also dropped a pass as well. Too bad he has the type of body that could provide an interesting prospect at WR, but he can’t choke in big situations.

Jason Fabini. What a waste, two bad games in a row. I hate ex cowboys anyways, and he may not make it past first cut down at this rate. The only thing that will save him is Heyer is not looking good, and Samuels and Wade are hurt. We need some backup tackles that is true, but not ones made out of tissue paper.

Jake Nordin. Long shot to make the roster anyways, but a fumble in your opponent’s end of the field in a crucial situation will gain you a bus ticket out of town fast. Mr. Nordin, the end of August is coming soon, pack your bags.

Brunell vs. Collins

Round 1 goes to Collins, but it is not the blowout that one would have reading the paper or listening to the game. Did Collins look good coming in for Campbell? Yes he did. But Campbell set up the touchdown, not any work Collins did. In the first half Collins went against the Steeler starters and he did not have one completion for more then 10 yards. In fact all night long he only had one pass over 11 yards all night long and that was a 37 yard pass by Yoder who did most of the work on that. He kept the rhythm of the offense but all of his passes were short dump offs.

Brunell on the other hand showed a lot of zip on his passes and was working with inferior talent. Of course he was working against inferior talent as well. There were a few high passes and one inexcusable delay of game penalty but many of his balls were spot on and over 15 yards in the air.

The danger here is for Brunell. I think the backup position is now truly up for grabs and Brunell is not out of it. However if Brunell slips to #3 and Palmer gets in the game next week and does well you could see real talk of dumping Brunell. The cap savings this year and next could make room for extensions on Cooley and Taylor. I am still not comfortable with Collins as the backup, especially withCampbell now hurt, but this can go in so many directions right now it is hard to predict.

Until next time. Hail to the Redskins

Vision Quest: Brunell vs. Collins May the Least Horrible Win.

Well we are the Washington Redskins after all. We can’t go a whole pre-season without some kind of quarterback controversy. And this fan base sure loves its QB controversies. Jurgensen vs. Kilmer, Schroeder vs. Williams, Humphries vs. Rypien, Schuler vs. Ferrote, Johnson vs. George, Any of the Gator Qbs vs. a dead peanut vendor. And now we have another QB controversy brewing and it involves our old friend and Joe Gibbs’ favorite son Mark Brunell.
Brunell’s acquisition by the Redskins in 2004 has been waste deep in controversy his whole tenure here. First it was with Patrick Ramsey who he lost the starting job to in 2004, and then won it back in 2005. Then last year it was with Jason Campbell who eventually took the starting job from him in late 2006. Now just as it looked like Brunell would settle into the #2 role and look toward retiring in the next few years, a new controversy surrounds him regarding the #2 QB position.

Todd Collins, who last year split the #2 position with Jason Campbell before being relegated to the third string QB position is all of a sudden vying for the #2 job again this year. After leading the team to it’s only touchdown drive last week against Tennessee resulting in the go-ahead score, Collins is going to get more playing time against the Steelers as he prepares to assume the #2 role.

I am not a fan of Todd Collins. Ever since his arrival in camp last year I felt he was taking away valuable snaps from Jason Campbell as we went through the pointless exercise of splitting the #2 duties. While I will grant that Todd Collins knows the Al Saunder’s system better then anyone on the team not named Al Saunders (and after last year’s play calling maybe better then him too), that does not amount to much if you can’t make the throws.

Now before you start throwing around the stats from the Tennessee game let me remind you of who he was playing against. Tennessee had their third and fourth string players in the game. Collins SHOULD look good going against these players, many of whom will not be in the NFL this or any other year. Collins is an NFL veteran of 12 years; if he can’t whoop up on undrafted rookies then what good is he?

If further proof is needed all you have to do is look at last year’s pre-season. Collins and Campbell flipped flopped at the #2 spot each game. Collins was an all pro- when coming in at the #3QB when playing against 3rd or fourth stringers and incredibly pedestrian when coming in as the #2Qb when playing against players that will make an NFL roster. For example here are his stats in the games where he was #3QB (NY Jets & Ravens): 35/40 315 yards 2 TDS 1 INT. Impressive? Sure. But take a look at him against teams where he was the #2 QB and actually going against NFL talent: 7/14 79 yards 0 TDS 1 INT. Pretty underwhelming.

The question you have to ask is Mark Brunell any better? I am the first to admit that Brunell is not the player that he was in early 2005. He has lost more then a few steps, his arm is weaker and he looks unsettled on the football field. And sure Mark Brunell is old, but so is Todd Collins. In the NFL experience does count for something as well. Mark Brunell has appeared in more NFL games (35) in his tenure on the Redskins then Todd Collins has attempted passes in the NFL (27) since 1997.

So if Collins wants the support of this writer to be the #2 QB then he needs to prove it on the field. I have seen him mow down the opposition against the camp fodder of the league, if he is going to be one injury away from starting for our squad; I want to see proficiency against the second stringers and real NFL talent he will face Saturday night. Otherwise I have seen it all before and it sucked then too.

Cap Ramifications

If Collins somehow wins the #2 spot, I can’t see the team keeping Mark Brunell as the #3 QB. OF course I am of the opinion that the team should part ways with Todd Collins if he is the #3 QB as well. I see no reason to keep both aging vets as the likelihood BOTH are gone next year. Collins contract is up and he is too old to resign for long. Brunell’s cap charge of over $6.5 million in 2008 is too much for a reserve.

So if Brunell is going to be the #3 QB perhaps then the Redskins should think about cutting him and using the cap savings on extensions for Cooley and Taylor. Releasing Brunell this year would save an immediate $2 million on this year’s cap and though there will be $3 million in dead cap charge in 2008, which is still saving over $3.5 million from what he was scheduled to charge.

Collins is much cheaper and probably not going to be released if he was the #3 QB. If for some reason he was released the Redskins would receive an immediate savings of $1.25 million on this year’s cap. Since he is contract ends after this year there is no cap Ramifications for 2008. (cap figures courtesy of Scout.com)

This is all pie in the sky thinking though as I doubt the redskins will release either of them this year, even if they should. Unless Jordan Palmer is brought into the next 3 pre-season games and does remarkably well, I doubt they will risk giving a roster spot to the rookie over 2 Vets that have supporters on the coaching staff. Not what I would do, but then again I don’t get to see these guys in practice day in and day out.

Of course talk about who is backing up Jason Campbell is all well and good, but this very sobering fact remains: If any of our reserve Quarter backs sees significant time this year then the season is in the toilet or soon will be. I for one am praying for the health of JC every night.

And you should be too

Vision Quest: Help & Hurt Post Titans 2007

For 3 and a half quarters Sunday the Redskins and their fans had to be wondering the same thing: Where did our offense go? Sure the defense looks to have improved but that could easily be explained by the absence of Vince Young. Without Young the Titans are once again a 4-12 team. So though the defense looked great, I am about to anoint Gregg Williams with the genius label. And don’t forget, the only turnover we produced was off n errant snap with 2 minutes left to play.

But the offense for the most part was pathetic. This can be attributed to one thing, the horrid play of the offensive line. For once it seemed that Saunders and Gibbs broke out a bit of the playbook, but the line could not keep the pressure off of Campbell or Brunell all night long. Sure Samuels was out but four-fifths of our starting unit was in for a whole half and still could not produce any run lanes and were in the backfield more often then not on passing downs.
But a win is a win is a win. Sure by all accounts the Redskins should have lost that game, but a last minute drive and fumble recovery turned a 6-0 deficit to a 14-6 win. Not bad for a team desperate to put points on the board and a W on their record. Instead of finding ways to lose, for once the Redskins found a way to win. Made me go home happy, not bad for the first football game in almost 9 months.

But winning is not what the pre-season is about anyways. It’s about roster spots. The fans are looking at the starters, that is for sure. But the coaches are looking at the third and fourth stringers. And that is what I was looking at as well. So with game 1 of pre-season in the books I thought I would do a quick blog giving a list of players who helped and hurt themselves in the battle for roster spots.

Players who Helped Themselves

Todd Collins Look I am not going to go crazy here. Let’s be clear, Collins highest possibility on this team is 3rd string QB. A life of holding a clipboard and being inactive on game days. But this is better then being unemployed. If Collins had stumbled in this game, Jordan Palmer could have used it to get on the active roster. For now it looks as if Collins has sewn up the third spot.

Dallas Sartz Just by playing tonight Sartz helped himself out. He also played well, always seeming to be around the ball and flowing to the ball carrier. If he continues to play well he could make the roster instead of the practice squad which he seemed destined for.

Chris Wilson This defensive End was getting praise from coaches early in camp and then the focus switched to Alex Buzbee. Wilson was in the backfield and getting great push all night disrupting several plays and being very active.

Byron Westbrook It may be only a lucky fumble recovery for a TD, but that is the kind of play that will get you by the first cut-day. The longer Westbrook stays the better a shot he has at the Practice Squad. That is his goal, and with his potential he could get there.

Players who Hurt Themselves

Ade Jimoh For one series the Titans literally threw Jimoh’s way four straight times. For four straight completions. He may be a great special teamer, but his defensive liability may be too big to look over this year. IfButler gets healthy or Eubanks continues to play well, Jimoh is not going to be around much longer.

Sean Suisham The missed FG is one thing, but the kickoff out of bounds is another thing entirely. I have been worried about having only one kicker in camp for this very reason. Suisham looked very good at the end of last year, but his performance against the Titans was about as bad as you can get. I would not be surprised if the Redskins signed a kicker early this week to come in and give him competition.

Jason Fabini Every offensive lineman had his troubles, but Fabini is a former starter in this league and looked especially bad against the Titans second & third teamers. I hate signing former Cowboys anyways, and Fabini may be looking for work soon.

Injured players: Not all mind you, but two in particular: Jerametrius Butler & Tyler Ecker. The more they are sidelined the less likely they will make the squad. If they want a spot on the roster they better heal quickly, otherwise others are going to take their spot.

That’s it for now. Later in the week I will post my updated roster projections and you can bet some of these performances will factor in.

Discuss it here http://hailredskins.com/vbforum/showthread.php?p=987611#post987611

Vision Quest: Roster Wars 2007 Week 2

Ok here we are post-ravens scrimmage. The scrimmage did not unfortunately show the Redskins faithful much when it comes to hat we see in the regular season. Jason Campbell, Santana Moss, & Randle-El were held out of 11 on 11 drills. This is in addition to expected starters Chris Samuels, Clinton Portis, Randy Thomas, Brandon Lloyd all sitting out due to injury.

However the injuries to the starters do give us a glimpse into the depth chart that the Redskins seem to be working with. We saw more action from guys like Stephon Heyer, Marcus Mason, and Burt Toller and they helped themselves with bids to make the practice squad or in Heyer’s case perhaps a roster spot. On the flip side injuries to Mike Espy, Tyler Ecker, and Dallas Sartz could hamper their ability to compete for a roster spot and may end up spending a year on PS, if they are lucky.

So with all that said here is how I see the Roster Wars shaping up after the Ravens game.

Quarterbacks
Projected Roster Petitions: 3
Projected Starter: Jason Campbell
Projected Depth: Mark Brunell, Jason Palmer
On the Bubble: Todd Collins

Analysis: I am still going out on a limb here by predicting the departure of Todd Collins, especially considering reports of early struggles in camp. But he did connect for the Redskins only score against the Ravens and again logically this makes sense. Palmer is younger then Collins and has the better upside. Collins could be signed during the season any time during if needed. The Redskins don’t normally reserve a PS spot for a QB. So it makes sense. But little the Redskins do makes sense so I could easily be wrong.

Running Backs
Projected Roster Petitions: 4
Projected Starter: Clinton Portis
Projected Depth: Ladell Betts, Derrick Blaylock, Rock Cartwright
On the Bubble: Marcus Mason

Analysis: Marcus Mason showed promise in the scrimmage; however promise will only get him on the PS for now. I think this position is set in stone. We have kept four running backs on the roster in each of Gibbs years here; we will do so again this year barring injury.

Fullback
Projected Roster Petitions: 2
Projected Starter: Mike Sellers,
Projected Depth: Pete Schmitt

Analysis: Here is a surprise to some but Schmitt is getting some praise from beat writers in camp. He has been injured and can not show much, but having a young FB in case of Sellers getting injured makes sense. Still not sure the Redskins will keep 6 Rbs right now but perhaps Schmitt can get some time backing up Captain Caveman for a bit.

Tight Ends
Projected Roster Positions: 2
Projected Starter: Chris Cooley
Projected Depth: Todd Yoder
On the Bubble: Tyler Ecker, Brian Bell, Jake Nordin

Analysis: 2 Tes is a little low to keep on the active roster, but seriously look at the scrubs in this group. Cooley and Yoder are miles ahead of the rest of them. Ecker’s injury may reduce him to A PS guy if he can’t get on the field. Pucillo and Sellers can also play TE in goalline situations and in an emergency during a game as well.

Wide Receivers
Projected Roster Positions: 5
Projected Starters: Santana Moss, Antwaan Randle_el
Projected Depth: Brandon Lloyd, James Thrash, Corey Bradford
On the Bubble: Mike Espy, Jason McAddley
Camp Fodder: Ryan Hoag, Carl Berman, Jason Willis, Kyle Brown, Burl Toller

Analysis: Mike Espy’s injury is doing him no favors. Unless he can prove to the coaching staff he is ready for the NFL and deserves to be put in over vets like Bradford and Mcaddley he will be stashed on the PS again. He better get Mr. Miyagi in there to take care of that knee and quick.


Offensive Line
Projected Roster Positions: 9
Projected Starters: Chris Samuels (LT), Todd Wade (LG), Casey Rabach (C), Randy Thomas (RG), Jon Jansen (RT)
Projected Depth: Mike Pucillo, Ross Tucker, Stephon Heyer, Taylor Whitley
On the Bubble: Calvin Armstrong, Will Whiticker, Kili Lefotu, Jason Fabini,

Analysis: Stephon Heyer gets a roster spot here, obviously since he is working with the first team offense in Samuel’s absence. However this is not an absolute; remember last year there was big praise for Jasper Harvey who did not make the squad come opening day. However with Heyer’s rise comes the fall of a couple of veterans. Tucker, Whiticker, Whitley and Fabini may be fighting for the last two roster spots. All vets and all are having sub par camps. Again I pray for no major injury and for Samuels to heal in time, because our depth sucks.

Defensive Line
Projected Roster Positions: 9
Projected Starters: Andre Carter (RE), Cornelius Griffin (DT), Kedric Golston (DT) Phillip Daniels (LE)
Projected Depth: Renaldo Wynn, Joe Salave’a, Anthony Montgomery, Demetic Evans, Alex Buzbee,
On the Bubble: Jamaal Green, Chris Wilson, Ryan Boschetti
Camp Fodder: Bryant Shaw, Justin Hickman, Lorenzo Alexander, Vaki Manapuna

Analysis: The Buz is with Alex Buzbee as he is doing well in camp and could be a nice young depth guy at DE. So much for Montgomery’s ascension to savior of the defensive line, he is pretty much getting owned in camp and it looks as if the front 4 that could not generate a pass rush last year will be the same front 4 next year. God help us all.

Linebacker
Projected Roster Positions: 6
Projected Starters: Rocky McIntosh (WLB), London Fletcher-Baker (MLB), Marcus Washington (SLB)
Projected Depth: Lemar Marshall, Khary Campbell, HB Blades
On the Bubble: Dallas Sartz
Camp fodder: Kevin Jones, Anthony Trucks, Matt Sinclair

Analysis: Dallas Sartz injury is continuing to hurt his chance at making the roster. The Redskins have a history of wasting second day picks on young LBers who don’t make the opening day roster (Newberry, McCune, Simon) in recent years and Sartz better get healthy quick to avoid being another one here.

Corner
Projected Roster Positions: 5
Projected Starters: Sean Springs, Carlos Rogers
Projected Depth: Fred Smoot, David Macklin, Jerametrius Butler
On the Bubble: Ade Jimoh, John Eubanks, Byron Westbrook
Camp Fodder: Leigh Torrance

Analysis: Butler may be hurt but he is still better at covering WRs then Jimoh., Don’t get me long I will be very happy if somehow Jimoh makes the squad. I have a place in my heart for over achieving Special Teams guys like Thrash, Jimoh, and Cartwright. However the Redskins have to look at the future in the corner position. Springs is old and will cost a lot of money next year, they need corners that can actually play corner to be on the roster. Jimoh will need a miracle to make it this year IMO.

Safety
Projected Roster Positions: 5
Projected Starters: Sean Taylor (FS), Laron Landry (SS)
Projected Depth: Omar Stoutmire, Pierson Prioleau, Vernon Fox
On the Bubble: Reed Doughty

Analysis: The team was playing Landry with Taylor a lot during the scrimmage and that probably means he will be starting come the beginning of the season. Also the switch to the dedicated Free and Strong safeties almost ensures this as instead of competing against Pierson Prioleau he is competing against Omar Stoutmire for the start. Don’t worry about the Pman though, he will be around plenty being the first safety off the bench on passing downs. Stout and Fox will compete for the backup SS position and Fox will need to show he is a good Special teams player to stick.

Special Teams
Projected Roster Petitions: 3
Projected Starters: Sean Suisham (K), Derrick Frost (P), Ethan Albright (LS)

Analysis: No change here. What can I say. They all still have a pulse so they all still have roster spots. Enough said.

Practice Squad Projections

1.) Marcus Mason (RB). He is showing promise but not nearly enough to make the roster, this year. Mason is why God (otherwise known as the NFL Brain trust) created the PS in the first place, a young kid without a roster spot who could really develop into a solid NFL player in a couple of years.

2.) Keli Lefotu (G). 2nd day draft pick? Check. Overrated reach on offensive line? Check. Little hope for making the roster? Check. Another year on the PS? Checkamundo.

3.) Tyler Ecker (TE) An injury is hurting him, the need for a practice TE and his draft choice may keep him from being unemployed..

4.) Dallas Sartz (LB) Another 2nd day draft pick? Check. Tweener Line backer without a real position in the NFL? Check. Hurt early in training camp with a nagging injury? Check. To the PS again? Checkamundo, again.

5.) Reed Doughty (S) I could do the whole check thing again, but seriously you get my point…2nd Day Redskins Draft Pick thy role is the PS.

6.) Byron Westbrook (CB) I like the potential of this young guy and I am not ruling him out of the 5th CB spot. IF Butler remains hurt and Jimoh still can’t cover a cripple marsupial the young mane may get a shot at a roster spot.

7.) Jamaal Green (DE) As good a candidate as nay other to spend another year on PS. He is young and knows the defense and could be decent depth in case of injury this year.

8.) Mike Espy (WR) If Mike can’t get on the field, he can’t win a roster spot. His potential and good camp last year will get him another tour on the PS though.

Battles to Watch for in the next Pre- Season game.

The Redskins will play their first preseason game against the Titans this week. Not all battles for roster spots are straight up position battles. Sometimes you have to convince the coaches to keep an extra person at a position by taking away from another. So with that in mind here are some battles to take a look at:

3rd Te or 2nd FB. In many ways Pete Schmitt and Tyler Ecker are battling for the same roster spot though they play different positions. In all of Gibbs years he has kept 4 players between the FB (or H-back when used) and TE spot. With Sellers ability to play TE and Pucillo’s ability to line up at TE in goalline formations the coaching staff may be tempted to keep 2 FBs instead of 3 TEs. If Bell wants a shot here he needs to step it up some over the next week or so as well.

5th WR. This is pretty straight up. Moss, Randle-El, Lloyd, and Thrash are cemented in the top 4 spots. Espy, Bradford, & McAddley are making moves for the 5th spot. Better start making catches guys, this is your chance.

5th S or 7th LB. Another weird positional battle. In my mind Sartz and Fox are battling for the same roster spot. Hurting Sartz is his injury and his age which allows for placement on the PS. Helping Sartz is his draft choice and Fox is not all that good. IF Fox goes Doughty could get into the battle here as well.

3rd QB. As I was writing this article Bramlet was cut. This leaves Palmer as the main backup and competitor for the 3rd QB job with Todd Collins. If Collins has the better camp, he will be the third QB, if Palmer has the better camp he could get it. Palmer could catch on in PS but I doubt it as the redskins have not carried 4 QBs under Gibbs.

5th CB. With injuries abundant in all of the top 4 CBs, the Redskins will probably keep at least 5 CBs.

Special teams studs A few guys can make the grade with their special teams play. Don’t get me wrong we will not keep anyone solely because of their special teams play, they will have to contribute to a roster position. However special team standouts can help break ties or overcome slight deficiencies in their roster skills. Players who will be looking to benefit from this more then others: Khary Campbell, Dallas Sartz, Rock Cartwright, James Thrash, Ade Jimoh, Vernon Fox, & Mike Espy.

That’s it for now guys. Will check in next week and see how we are doing.