Vision Quest: The Position Battles to look for against the Steelers

Cut day. It is coming. The first round of cuts are due by Tuesday August 30th, 2005. On that date teams have to cut down to the final 65 players. (On September 3rd they have to get down to their final 53.) . But don’t be fooled, the real cut day is Friday night. After the game the Redskin coaching staff will finalize the first round of who will stay and who will go. 20+ young football players will see their football careers end and 12 more will be on the fence for one more week.

The first round of cuts will be mostly training camp fodder. Long shots brought in to compete in camp and take part in drills, but just not skilled enough to warrant roster consideration. However in that round could be a few veterans who the coaches have already made up their mind on. Tony Dixon and Attrell Hawkins got cut in this vein earlier this week. So players will have to come to play this Friday to get a shot at making the final 53.

And we do need to address last week’s game. Although Ramsey and the offense improved, silly and untimely turnovers stalled several drives, including the last one where we were driving to tie the game. And yes, Ramsey did improve from game 1, but only by a bit. He needs to make a big jump against the Steelers to put out the calls for his ouster.

Turnovers are still the key to victory in the NFL. Preventing them on your side and causing them on the other. Any offensive player committing a turnover might as well just go straight into the locker room and clean out their locker. They may not get that far. I wouldn’t be surprised if Gibbs, a normally calm and collected guy, doesn’t go “woody” on a player and choke them on the sideline.

So with cut downs looming here are my top ten position battles ranked in order of intensity.

Top Ten Position Battles

1.) Running Back: This is shaping up to be the battle of Pre-season. Rock vs. Nemo. While this is not a straight up, make it or be cut battle as I believe all 4 top running backs will be kept on the active roster, it is a long way from sure that roster spots are not indeed in jeopardy. However what is clearly in jeopardy is the ability to play from scrimmage this year. Both running backs had outstanding games combined with one big mistake. Rock rushed well and showed competency in the passing game. But on a crucial short yardage 4th and 1, Rock failed to convert. With the third back expected to fill the role of short yardage guy, this is a BIG mistake for Rock. NEMO faired pretty well also. He even bulldozed his way for a great TD. However with the game on the line he fumbled dashing any hopes for a comeback by the Skins. Turnovers are never good, but especially when you are driving for the tieing score. Nemo is slightly ahead of Rock right now and Rock may have to rely on his special teams ability to make the team. I still say we keep both for the nickname value alone.

2.) Defensive Line: Ryan Boschetti has moved ahead of Nic Clemons for the eigth and final Defensive line spot. Oddly enough though it may be one of the other 7 that has the most to do with who gets the spot. Brandon Noble is going to take the field for the first time this weekend. If does not make the coaching staff comfortable it could mean Boschetti, who plays both end and tackle, and Clemons, who mostly plays end with only situational tackle experience, will be in a race for the third DT spot. This is undoubtedly in Boschetti’s favor.and Clemons can only hope for a healthy Noble to even give him a shot at winning a roster spot.

3.) Wide Receiver: Anyone else sick of hearing about toes? If it is not a rash of Lamisil AT commercials on TV, it is one of our Redskin players having a toe injury. This time it is reserve Taylor Jacobs who was supposed to battle for the #3 spot. The domino effect of this injury will effect several players. James Thrash and Antonio Brown will now battle for #3. but the Redskins may feel they need to keep a 6th WR. This is nothing but good news for Kevin Dyson and DMac. However Dyson has had the edge in the receiving contest. DMAC is one of my favorite receivers but his inability to focus in training camps and games is costing him his job. It may be time for the Skins and DMAC to part ways and let him catch on to another team. Why do I fear DMAC showing up in Fedex with an Eagle’s uniform in the future?

4.) Middle Linebacker: It looks like Lemar is wrapping up the job at MLB and Clifton Smith will be his main backup. Warrick Holdman can still compete here but most likely will hold down the outside until Lavar is 100%. However if Lemar gets injured or if the starting defense looks bad in either of the next two games, Clifton Smith can jump right in there. McCune will continue to do well and will make the active roster as a force on special teams. He is raw but could challenge for this spot next year. At the least he could challenge the opposing team’s linemen to weight lifting contests the night before.

5.) Tight End: Royal’s injury could not come at a worse time for him. He will be out of the game on Friday and Sellers will get to start at TE. If the ground game improves or pass protection, Royal may not get the starting job back. Also benefiting from Royal’s injuries are Billy Baber and Robert Johnson. Both of whom need to impress to convince the coaches to keep a 5th H-back/TE. Otherwise it is to the practice squad for both of them. Gibbs should really look at keeping Johnson, at least on the practice squad, the guy is huge and at least could provide for shade during the trips to Tampa and Arizona.

6.) Offensive Line: This is a 3 way battle for 2 spots between Mark “See no Defender” Wilson, Lennie “Hear no Snap Count” Friedman and Cory “Speak nothing (because mouth is full of dirt)” Raymer. Cory Raymer missed last week’s game due to his wife’s pregnancy. Lennie did allright under center and there were not botched exchanges that we saw in the early games of last year. Lennie, Cory, and Mark Wilson are fighting for the last two spots. Freidman is also helped by the fact he can play TE on jumbo packages. With Wilson being hurt and Raymer possibly not playing, Freidman needs to have another good game to make the squad.

7.) Quarterback: As you can see I moved this up from 10 to 7. I am not panicking yet but Ramsey needs to have a decent game tonight from exploding a full bore QB controversy. Last week he threw another interception in the Red zone. If Brunell had driven the team for the final score, Ramsey could be under even more pressure. That being said Ramsey did improve from the scrimmage against the Ravens to the pre-season opener against the Panthers, to the Game last Friday against the Bengals. Deeper passes are connecting and the offense is more fluid. Not to mention that Ramsey has not had the benefit of Portis in the backfield for a great length of time and Brunell is going against guys who will not make the NFL. But Patrick, you are officially on the clock, time to deliver is against the Steelers.

8.) Defensive back: The redskins are going to keep 9 Defensive backs, and usually that means 4 safeties and 5 corners. However that would change if Omar Stoutmire has anything to say about it. Last week with Clark and Bowen out, he played well and is playing hard on special teams. Combine that with Ade Jimoh’s less then stellar coverage and a case could be made for 5 safeties and 4 corners. Pierson Prioleau started at the second safety spot and did well. Bowen is back this week and if he wants to wrest the starting spot from Clark, this is the time. Clark is still injured and will miss a 2nd straight game. Rogers also will get another opportunity to reclaim the starting CB spot because Walt Harris will also miss his second straight game.

9.) Outside Linebacker: Lavar comes back tonight, but will not start at OLB. He will mostly play defensive end. Holdman will continue to start at ROLB and cement his position as primary backup. Chris Clemons and Jared Newberry are fighting for the last LB spot. Newberry did well in Carolina but Clemons is a veteran and the Redskins may want to give Newberry a year on the practice squad.

10.) Punter: Make no mistake this is Tom Tupa’s job to lose. But he will also miss his second straight game due to back injury. This is starting to remind me of the Barker/Williams battle in 2000. In that contest Williams was the young strong but Barker was the accurate vet. We went with Barker and he was serviceable. However no one is questioning Tupa’s leg strength and if he is healthy he wins the job. However missing two straight games is worrisome. At the very least Groom should not go to Sweden anytime soon (hear that Ola Kimrin?).


Updated Projection

If the season ended today here are my projections on who would make the team. The Final 53 are the players who will make the final roster. The Practice Squad are rookies and/or one year vets who will initially be waived by the Redskins but then signed to the PS as additional depth. On the Bubble represents 5 veterans who can push their way onto the active roster. Players in italics and * are changes from my last prediction. Reasons for the changes are at the end.

QB’s (3) – Patrick Ramsey, Mark Brunell, Jason Campbell
RB’s (4) – Clinton Portis, Ladell Betts, Nehemiah Broughton, Rock Cartwright
WR’s (6) – Santana Moss, David Patten, Taylor Jacobs, James Thrash, Antonio Brown, Kevin Dyson*
TE’s/H-backs (4) – Robert Royal, Chris Cooley, Mike Sellers, Manuel White
OL (9) – Chris Samuels, Derrick Dockery, Casey Rabach, Randy Thomas, Jon Jansen, Ray Brown, Jim Molinaro, Cory Raymer, Mark Wilson
DL (8) – Renaldo Wynn, Brandon Noble, Cornelius Griffin, Phillip Daniels, Joe Savale’a, Demetric Evans, Ron Warner, Ryan Boschetti*
LB’s (7) – Lavar Arrington, Marcus Washington, Clifton Smith, Warrick Holdman, Lemar Marshall, Robert McCune, Chris Clemons
CB’s (4) – Shawn Springs, Walt Harris, Carlos Rodgers, Garnell Wilds
S’s (5) – Sean Taylor, Matt Bowen, Ryan Clark, Pierson Prioleau, Omar Stoutmire*
LS (1) – Ethan Albright
K (1) – John Hall
P (1) – Tom Tupa

Practice Squad (8): Zak Keasay (LB), Charles Howard (DT), Robert Johnson (TE), Jared Newberry (LB), Billy Baber (TE), Rufus Brown (CB), Jon Alston (OT), Bryson Spinner (QB)

On the Bubble (5): Darnerian McCants (WR), Nic Clemons (DE)*, Ade Jimoh (CB)*, Lennie Freidman (C)*, Andy Groom (P)*

Reason for Changes:

Omar Stoutmire Replaces Ade Jimoh on the Final 53. Stoutmire had a hell of a game on Friday and starts on the Kickoff coverage and Kickoff return teams. The Redskins could keep 5 safeties, especially if Clark and Bowen remain injury prone. Jimoh is just horrible in coverage and his special team’s ability alone will not get him a roster spot.

Kevin Dyson replaces Jared Newberry on the Final 53. With Taylor Jacobs injury the Redskins will need to keep 6 wide receivers and Dyson has had an outstanding camp as well as showing up in the pre-season games. Jared Newberry takes Boschetti’s place on the practice squad.

Ryan Boschetti replaces Nic Clemons on the Final 53. Boschetti continues a great camp and the Redskins will reward his versatility with a final roster spot. Nic Clemons moves to On The Bubble as he is not eligible for the practice squad and could, with a strong performance, or if Noble can not go, get back on the roster. Brian Kozlowski drops off On The Bubble and is a long shot to make the squad.

Andy Groom and Lennie Freidman get back On The Bubble and Shideeg Shabazz dropped off. Andy Grooms punts were long and high and he performed well after Tupa’s late scratch. If Tupa cannot heal, Groom could handle the punting duties well. Lennie Freidman improved his stock with good play against 2nd and 3rd string defenses. Shideeg Shabazz is out of the running as long as Stoutmire plays as well as he has.

That is it. That is how things stand this week. Let’s go improve against the Steelers and see if we can start Big Ben’s sophomore slump. Hail Redskins!!!

Vision Quest: The Position Battles to look for against the Bengals

The Pre-season is upon us and Redskin fans are both excited and pensive. Excited because, finally, football is being played again. Pensive because major injuries are right around the corner that could reshape our team before even one snap that counts is played. Last year our entire offense was hurt by Jon Jansen’s season ending injury in the first pre-season game. Over the last couple of years around the NFL similar injuries, Vick in Atlanta comes to mind, have decimated other teams. So fans everywhere wonder why we need so many pre-season games.

However coaches and teams insist on the 4 game (5 if you go to Canton or Japan). Why? The simple reason is they need it to finalize their roster. It is no small exaggeration that the pre-season is all about 10 position battles. Any one can tell you the top 43 players on a football team who will make the squad. This is determined in the draft and during free agency. However those last ten spots are the toughest.

So to pay homage to this fact I have decided to focus the VQ articles onto the various position battles that will help shape our final roster. Before each pre-season game I will list, in order of intensity, the top 10 position battles to watch for in the upcoming game. I will also update my predictions on the final 53 roster spots with 8 practice squad projections and 5 on the bubble vets. So with 1 pre-season game down and 3 to go here is the VQ take on where things are.

Top Ten Position Battles

1.) Middle Linebacker: This position is far from set. Lemar Marshall is the front runner and playing well. Clifton Smith though has impressed all the coaches and was very active in the loss to Panthers. Warrick Holdman is still in the mix but may be hurt by the fact that Lavar has been injured and he has been filling in on the outside. Lemar has the leg up right now and Smith needs to capitalize on any mistakes Marshall may make tonight. McCune will be the strongest man on our special teams squad. Perhaps he can just catapult Jimoh down the field like a Javelin at kick returners.

2.) Tight End: Robert Royal, the starter from last year, and Mike Sellers continue to battle for the starting spot here. In my opinion Sellers has the leg up mainly due to blocking prowess. Royal seems to get pushed around a lot and at times has shown the blocking skills of a package of Kleenex. Both have to avoid mistakes and open blocking holes for whoever is in at RB. Billy Baber, Brian Kozlowski, Billy Palmer and Robert Johnson are also battling at a possible final TE spot. They will have to convince the squad to keep 5 TEs/Hbacks (they could keep just 4 and have NEMO serve as an emergency Hback and Cooley as the third TE in jumbo packages). This means two things, being mistake free and playing special teams. Both Palmer and Johnson could make the practice squad as well, however Baber and Kozlowski are fighting for their football lives.

3.) Wide Receiver: All of a sudden the #3 wide receiver position is wide open. Coles and Patten are locked down as our #1 and #2 receiver. However with Jacob Taylor’s recent toe injury Thrash and even Brown could make a case as the rightful heir. Dyson and DMAC are still in the hunt for a roster spot and Taylor’s injury could make Gibbs decide to keep 6 receivers. Dyson has the leg up with his impressive performance in Carolina and according to several sources is picking up the pace at practice. DMAC will have to play lights out or he is going to have plenty of time to update his web site and record more R&B tracks. Seriously DMAC dropped more balls last week then the losers at the World’s Strongest Man Competition. He needs to step it up or he could be among the first wave of cuts.

4.) Running Back: The battle to be #3. Portis and Betts are enshrined as our #1 and #2 backs and will receive most of the carries this year. However there is a role for a goal line/short yardage runner on the roster. Nehemiah “Nemo” Broughton and Roderick “Rock” Cartwright are battling for that spot as well as coolest nickname for a benchwarmer. Rock is a more complete tailback, able to catch as well as run, but at 5’7 ¾“ is about as tall as Papa Smurf…without the red hat. Nemo is a beast has over 4” and 40 lbs. on Rock and has been lighting up practice. There is an outside chance that both will be kept (especially if only 4 TE/Hbacks are kept and they need Nemo to spend time over there) and even further outside chance that Nemo could go to the practice squad (most likely a team short on RBs will pick him up). However more then likely the loser gets cut and the winner stays. This is what Pre-Season is for.

5.) Cornerback: Carlos Rogers is finally ready to take the field. And it could not come at a worse time for Walt Harris. Harris is out of the game with a quad sprain. This will be Roger’s chance to try and show he should be starting on 9-11-05. There is an important battle at the #5 CB spot (Springs, Rogers, Wilds, and Rogers are easy roster spots in my mind) between Ade “Sure Thing” Jimoh, Antrell Hawkins, and Rufus Brown. Hawkins has been out and continues to be out with a hamstring issue otherwise he would probably get this spot. Rufus Brown and Jimoh looked horrible last week and in Jimoh’s case he has looked horrible for awhile. However Jimoh is a straight up beast on special teams. Even though Jimoh gave up a TD to Gardner last week, he is still ahead in the race.

6.) Outside Linebacker: Jared Newberry and Chris Clemons are battling for the final Outside Linebacker spot. Chris has a pretty good lead on Jared though. Barring any major injury or screw up, both will make the squad though. Jared is a strong special teams player and should contribute for he skins. There is an outside chance Newberry will get caught in the numbers game and may end up on the practice squad so a strong performance could help him retain a spot.

7.) Offensive Line: The starters are set as well as 2 backups. That leaves 3 men vying for 2 final Roster spots. Those men are Mark “still a project” Wilson, Cory “Grass Stains” Raymer, and Lennie “Benched for Raymer” Freidman. Unfortunately Cory will not be at the game due to complications with his wife’s pregnancy. This is an opportunity for Friedman to win the backup center job, as callous as that might sound. There is speculation that Mark Wilson may be playing his way out of a roster spot in practice. He is showing poor technique and may be on the outs with Bugel. I doubt though the Redskins keep two expensive vets with little promise over an inexpensive young guy with poor technique.

8.) Defensive Line: Ryan Boschetti came out strong last week and made a statement last week about his role on the team. Boschetti’s, a defensive tackle, main opponent is Nic Clemons, a Defensive end. Boschetti is trying to become the fourth Defensive tackle to make the team, Nic Clemons is trying to convince coaches to keep 5 ends and use him as a reserve tackle on passing downs. Clemons is a gifted pass Rusher while Boschetti is a better all around player, being able to play end and tackle in any situation. Boschetti is still eligible for the Practice Squad while Clemons is not and that may be a real detriment to Boschetti in the end. Helping Boschetti is the unknown status of Noble who will miss the second straight pre-season game. Right now the edge is with Clemons but it is really neck and neck.

9.) Backup Safety: With Ryan Clark and Matt Bowen both being out to injury it would be a perfect opportunity for a young safety to come in and show that they should be fighting for a roster spot. Pierson Prioleau should start opposite Taylor; however Tony Dixon is also out due to injury. Enter recently signed Sideeg Shabazz. After the Redskins played musical signings for the second time this off season, signing DB Eric Brown and waiving him the next day, Shabazz could not possibly have come at a better time. He will need to impress heavily to make the squad and be an absolute beast on special teams. Because for him to survive he would need to try and convince Williams to cut Bowen. Only 4 safeties will be kept. So Shabazz will have to pull a rabbit out of his hat (and with a name like Shabazz he could). Omar Stoutmire could also compete here, but I just like the name Shabazz.

10.) Quarterback: Ok. I put this one on the list, but I didn’t want to. The last thing this team needs is a full blown QB controversy. And it does not have one….yet. Ramsey looked bad last week and the offense did not do much. Burnell showed that he still has something in his arm. But two throws does not erase a whole training camp and last season of horrible wounded ducks being chucked to defenders and in many cases open air. Ramsey is the starter still. But a really bad performance may put this on the maybe spot. A td pass or at least a sustained drive would be nice.

Updated Projection

If the season ended today here are my projections on who would make the team. The Final 53 are the players who will make the final roster. The Practice Squad are rookies and/or one year vets who will initially be waived by the Redskins but then signed to the PS as additional depth. On the Bubble represents 5 veterans who can push their way onto the active roster. Players in italics and * are changes from my last prediction. Reasons for the changes are at the end.


QB’s (3) – Patrick Ramsey, Mark Brunell, Jason Campbell
RB’s (4) – Clinton Portis, Ladell Betts, Nehemiah Broughton, Rock Cartwright
WR’s (5) – Santana Moss, David Patten, Taylor Jacobs, James Thrash, Antonio Brown
TE’s/H-backs (4) – Robert Royal, Chris Cooley, Mike Sellers, Manuel White
OL (9) – Chris Samuels, Derrick Dockery, Casey Rabach, Randy Thomas, Jon Jansen, Ray Brown, Jim Molinaro, Cory Raymer, Mark Wilson
DL (8) – Renaldo Wynn, Brandon Noble, Cornelius Griffin, Phillip Daniels, Joe Savale’a, Demetric Evans, Ron Warner, Nic Clemons
LB’s (8) – Lavar Arrington, Marcus Washington, Clifton Smith, Warrick Holdman, Lemar Marshall, Robert McCune, Chris Clemons, Jared Newberry,
CB’s (5) – Shawn Springs, Walt Harris, Carlos Rodgers, Garnell Wilds, Ade Jimoh
S’s (4) – Sean Taylor, Matt Bowen, Ryan Clark, Pierson Prioleau
LS (1) – Ethan Albright
K (1) – John Hall
P (1) – Tom Tupa

Practice Squad (8): Ryan Boschetti (DL), Zak Keasay (LB), Charles Howard (DT)*, Robert Johnson (TE), Bryson Spinner (QB), Billy Baber (TE)*, Rufus Brown (CB), Jon Alston (OT)

On the Bubble (5): Kevin Dyson (WR), Darnerian McCants (WR), Brian Kozlowski (TE/Hback), Omar Stoutmire (S)*, Sideeg Shabazz (S)*

Reason for Changes:

Charles Howard and Billy Baber replace Adrian Gonzalez(OT) and Johnathan Combs (RB) on the practice squad. Gonzalez was cut in the last week and Combs will be soon after fumbling in the end zone at Carolina.

Omar Stoutmire and Sideeg Shabazz replace Jeff Chandler (K) and Andy Groom (P) on the Bubble. Chandler missed a 42 yard field goal against Carolina, and more importantly both Hall and Tupa looked impressive enough to secure their job.

That is it. Not bad for the first week just a couple of changes so far. Let’s see how things go against the Bengals. Hail Redskins!!!

Vision Quest: Pre-Season prediction at final 53

Well it is that time of year. The first pre-season game is upon us. As training camp is wrapping up we look at our beloved team and see that 90 young men are trying to make our squad. A lot of them won’t. In fact there are not that many open roster spots on this redskin team. Most of our veteran players, despite what the coaches may say, will return for Salary cap reasons if nothing else. There are about 10 open spots where young guys can hope to break in, 15 if you count the practice squad, and about 50 guys vying for those spots.

This is why they say heart is a big factor in the NFL. There is no minor league to fall back on, NFL Europe aside. Training camp is the time to set yourself apart and the pre-season games the time to prove you are one of the guys a coach can depend on. In Coach Joe Gibbs system, that means playing special teams. Hey DMAC, I am talking to you!!!!!

While there will be a few roster spots reserved for special team only type of players, a minimum number of roster spots have to go to position players. So before going through and determining a final 53 roster, you have to determine what are the minimum number of players a roster needs at each position to allow for depth and proper rotations on the regular plays. In my mind that number for the Redskins is 47. This breaks down to 3 QBs, 3RBs, 4HBs/TEs, 5 WRs, 9OL, 8 DL, 6 LB, 5 CBs, and 4 S. That leaves 6 roster spots dedicated to special team contributors. However 1 Kicker, 1 Punter and 1 Long Snapper will take up almost half of those spots.

So really that leaves 3 spots for players to make the squad solely on their special team play. And while they may also contribute as additional depth at some positions, they will not normally see action unless the special teams unit is on the field.

With those assumptions in mind here are not only my roster predictions but my Depth Chart as I see it.

Quarter Backs Roster Spots: 3

Prediction: Starter: Patrick Ramsey
Reserve: Mark Brunell, Jason Campbell

Analysis: This is the easiest group to determine both the starters and the depth chart. We know this is Patrick Ramsey’s year. He is the starter barring a horrendous pre-season or injury he will be the guy lining up under center against the Bears September 11th. Mark Brunnell has lost a lot on his arm, but he is still a very expensive and very intelligent QB. His salary cap number is too large to let go and Gibbs likes having the Vet on the bench in case Ramsey stumbles. Jason Campbell has $25 million invested him, but he is a rookie. If the season is in the tank by week 12, he may get some action. Otherwise he is an expensive clipboard holder.

Running Backs Roster Spots: 3
Prediction: Starter: Clinton Portis
Reserve: Ladell Betts, Nehemiah Broughton

Analysis: Again not much challenge here either. Clinton Portis is the starter and will get the lion share of the carries. And after setting a goal of 2,000 yards he is going to need them. Betts proved last year he can be a quality NFL running back when subbing for Clinton during his injury. He should see more snaps this year as a changeup back to Portis and is a solid backup if Clinton gets injured again (after three straight years missing the final game of the season I have a little question of Clinton’s durability). Nemo is going to be the big back that we needed so desperately last year. Goal-line situations and 3rd and shorts could see Nemo come in with the jumbo package.

H-back and TE Roster Spots: 4

Prediction: H-Back Starter: Chris Cooley
TE Starter: Mike Sellers
Reserves: Robert Royal, Manuel White

Analysis: Readers of my articles during the draft know how I think about or TE crew. While I think Cooley is an outstanding player, and my personal hero if the two cheerleader rumor is true, and a great h-back, we have no outstanding TE. Last year’s starter Robert Royal never blocked the way that Gibbs likes his TE to block. Thus this year they are thinking about moving Mike Sellers into the position. I think Sellers is going to win out in the end with royal possibly coming in on passing situations and jumbo packages. Manuel White will sit behind Cooley and probably not see the field for most of the regular season if Cooley stays healthy. Nemo, who I counted as a running back, could also provide depth here in the case of injury or emergency.

Wide Receiver Roster Spots: 5

Prediction: Starters: Santana Moss, David Patten
Reserves: Taylor Jacobs, Antonio Brown, James Thrash

Analysis: This was thought to be one of the toughest races in camp, but in my mind it is pretty easy. Santana Moss and his blazing speed will start on one side and David Patten and his three Super Bowl rings will start on the other. Taylor Jacobs will have an opportunity to try and take Patten’s starting spot but more then likely will be a solid #3. James Thrash will be seen on third downs and 4 wide receiver sets, as well as being a flat out star on special teams. I originally would have put Antonio Brown in the special team only category but reports out of camp have him being used in the offense, and used often. You will see Brown spelling our burners and causing match-up problems during multiple receiver sets. This is a small group of receivers with no prototypical possession receiver. So H-backs like Cooley will have to pick up the slack to get tough first downs and goal line catches.

Offensive Linemen Roster Spots: 9

Prediction: Starters: Chris Samuels (LT), Derrick Dockery (LG),
Casey Rabach (C), Randy Thomas (RG),
Jon Jansen (RT)
Reserves: Mark Wilson (T), Jim Molinaro (T/G),
Ray Brown (G/T), Corey Raymer (C)

Analysis: Not much of a battle here either. The starters are set in stone for at least this year and probably the next one as well. With “The Rock” (Jansen) back to lead the Dirt bags and the new edition of Rabach should make this a very solid offensive line. Mark Wilson and Jim Molinaro, drafted last year as projects, will become main reserves this year. The old man, Ray Brown still will contribute, but hopefully sparingly. I hated putting Raymer on the roster. Last year he ate so much grass I thought he was a vegetarian on a strict Atkins diet. But you need a backup center and Raymer has to stay.

Defensive Line Roster Spots: 8

Prediction: Starters: DT Cornelius Griffin, Joe Salave’a
DE Renaldo Wynn, Phillip Daniels
Reserves: Ron Warner (DE), Demetric Evans (DE),
Nic Clemons (DE), Brandon Noble (DT),

Analysis: This could be a tight battle for the final roster spot. The starters are set. Griffin and Salave’a did very well in the middle for us last year. Wynn was solid as usual at one of the ends and can double as a reserve inside lineman as well. Daniels was injured a lot last year and hopefully will be strong. Warner and Evans were reliable backups and can also provide some fresh legs on passing downs. Clemons is a pass rushing specialist who will come in on third and long situations playing both tackle and end. Brandon Noble if he can get healthy will be the sole DT. He will spell both of the starters with Wynn being able to move inside incase of major injury.

Linebacker Roster Spots: 6

Prediction: Starters: Marcus Washington (LOLB), Clifton Smith (MLB),
Lavar Arrington (ROLB)
Reserves: Warrick Holdman (OLB/MLB),
Lemar Marshall (OLB/MLB), Chris Clemons (OLB)

Analysis: This group contains some of the hardest choices for the coaching staff. The outside starters are set with Washington being our lone pro-Bowler from last year/. Lavar will be unleashing a world of frustration this year as he pretends every QB is one of the two Poston brothers. MLB is the real competition here and it is a tight one. I am going out on a limb and predicting Clifton Smith will start in the base 4-3 defense. He is the surprise player Gibbs talked about in OTAs and is playing lights out in training camp. Lemar Marshall who started last year in place of Lavar will spell Smith in passing situations, being a converted safety. Warrick Holdman will push hard for the MLB spot as well but will ultimately be much needed depth. Chris Clemons will come in on passing situations and situational 3-4 blitz packages.

Corner Back Roster Spots: 5

Prediction: Starters: Shawn Springs, Walt Harris
Reserves: Carlos Rogers, Garnell Wilds, Ade Jimoh

Analysis: Another set of hard choices. Springs lived up to his promise to make us forget about the former #24 (or as I call him Iago). Wilds will assume the other starting spot, for now. Roger’s injury is costing him a shot at the starting spot at the beginning of then season and will have to work hard to be our nickel back on game day. Eventually though he will assume the starter’s role, this year or next. Wilds played well last year against the Vikings, even playing well against Randy Moss man-to-man, and is having a decent enough camp to make the squad. Jimoh is starting while Springs and Rogers are injured and his special team’s skills will probably keep him on the squad.

Safeties Roster Spots: 4

Prediction: Starters: Sean Taylor, Matt Bowen
Reserves: Ryan Clark, Pierson Prioleau

Analysis: Many times when analyzing this group the Safety position is broken up into Free Safety and Strong Safety. The Free Safety is a smaller faster safety that defends the pass and Strong Safety is a bigger slower player that helps on the run. So what are you to do when a fast, huge, safety, one who defends the run and pass equally well, a safety like Sean Taylor comes along. After you get done thanking God for your luck, you design a defense around him. That is what Williams has done. (Perhaps we should throw in there a few lessons on Florida’s gun laws as well.) Williams puts the best two athletes out on the field at once and switches up their responsibility. Matt Bowen is coming off injury and Ryan Clark played well in his absence. However Bowen is more versatile and the perfect compliment to Taylor. Pierson Prioleau, along with helping out on special teams, will see action in some sets and if there are any unforeseen injuries.

Special Teams Roster Spots: 6

Prediction: Kicking: John Hall (K), Tom Tupa (P), Ethan Albright (LS)
Specialists: Rock Cartwright (RB), Robert McCune (LB),
Jared Newberry (LB)

Analysis: barring Jon Hall re-injuring himself or showing bad accuracy problems in the pre-season he will hold of Jeff Chandler. But Vinny Cerrato will have him on speed dial. Tom Tupa will also hold off the young guy we have in camp and Ethan “Big Red” Albright will be snapping the ball to them. Robert McCune and Jared Newberry were both drafted to help on special teams, and it is a good thing because with the log jam at LB it is the only way they will make the squad. Rock is the last addition to the roster and it is by only a hair. Rock serves on every special team unit last year, not to mention Danny Smith and Joe Gibbs have gone out of their way to praise his effort.

Practice Squad Fodder

Teams are allowed to keep 8 additional practice squad members to use in practice and often to promote depth. Here are my top 8 players I would like to see make the squad. (To be eligible for the practice squad a player must have less then 2 years NFL experience and can not be activated for more then nine games).

1.) Ryan Boschetti DT

Ryan spent most of last year on the Redskins practice squad and was active for the last 3 games. He still has a chance to make the squad if Noble can not come back from injury. Otherwise he will spend some time on the practice squad waiting for an injury to get signed to the 53 man roster.

2.) Zak Keasay LB

Zak is another very talented LB and will suffer from the tremendous depth we have at that position. However Zak has a good football mind (former Princeton grad) and will be one of the UFAs that make the squad.

3.) Johnathan Combs RB

A young guy who has been playing well. He can add additional depth if there are injuries to our running back corp. or Nemo is forced to move to H-back because of injuries there.

4.) Robert Johnson TE

Joe Gibbs can never have enough TEs and having Johnson on the practice squad can give additional depth in the case of injuries to Sellers or royal. Johnson is HUGE as well and if he can learn to block or catch he has a good shot at making the squad…next year.

5.) Bryson Spinner QB

Bryson did not make the squad last year but this is a different year. Next year Mark Brunnell will almost definitely be cut to save salary cap space, opening up a roster spot. And if Ramsey does not play well he is eligible for a cut as well. Spinner could use a year on the squad to learn the offense and become a decent emergency QB in 2006.

6.) Andre Gonzalez OL

Practice squad players are used mainly to run the scout team and a young lineman or two never hurts. This guy is 6-5 328 pounds and a project for Bugel. But could develop into a nice depth type OL. At the very least Gibbs and Bugel can stand under him for some shade.

7.) Rufus Brown CB

Looks like another year on the squad for Rufus. Spending all but one game last year there he still has some eligibility left. He could be signed immediately in the case of a DB injury and may be able to earn a roster spot next year.

8.) Jon Alston OT

Plays both G and T and can help with the scout team. Not sure if he will ever develop into a starter in the NFL but at the least he can take some reps in practice and provide depth in case of injuries.


On The Bubble

There are some Vets that can still make the squad with serious pre-season campaigns. However if the season started right now they would be sending the résumé’s around the league. Here are my top 5 contenders for roster spots.

1.) Darnerian McCants WR

Half hearted play, inconsistent practices, and really bad music on his website. Seriously have you heard it. If I was DMAC I would start reserving more studio time because it is looking like a long year for him. His only chance at making the squad is horrible play by Jacobs or Thrash at WR. DMAC does not contribute on special teams and that is going to hurt him. If Brown is for real, DMAC is done.

2.) Kevin Dyson WR

In the same camp as DMAC. He will need something bigger then the “Music City Miracle” to make the final 53. After spending a year out of football last year his rust is showing and the redskins may let Cooley play the role of possession WR.

3.) Jeff Chandler K

He subbed for Hall last year when he was injured and will do so again this year if Hall is not healthy. Chandler will be on Danny Smith’s speed dial during the season if Hall has trouble. His only hope is a poor performance by Hall in pre-season which could happen.

4.) Andy Groom P

He could be eligible for the practice squad but teams don’t usually keep a spot for a “kicker” when they can just call them up if something happens during the week to their punter. Andy Groom is young and has raw power, but in my mind Tupa was the best punter in the league last year. Andy should keep rested and ready as Tupa may be in his last season. His only hope is Tupa gets hurt. This could happen when you have 17 years in the league. Seriously 17 years….that is older then my daughter. My how times have changed in 17 years. George Bush was elected president and soon after we would be in a war in Iraq…..oh right…moving on.

5.) Brian Kozlowski Hback/TE

There is a reason the Redskins resigned him after all. If Sellers does not work well t TE or Manny White can not grasp the offense well enough by the time pre-season ends, Kozlowski may be kept on. Let’s just hope he is not around for the 2nd game against the Cowboys. I can not forgive him for giving up an interception leading to a TD against the Cowboys. I know that he is a 13 year vet and has a decent football mind, but I still can’t help but feel there are better options. Perhaps I just don’t want to type Kozlowski at all next season. My fingers actually cramp up.


So that is it…That’s the list. We will know soon enough, around Labor Day, who is staying and who will be free for the family BBQ. But that is my team, and I would be willing to go to war with them.