Redskins Roundtable: Skins Vs. Steelers NFL Preseason Week Two

The Redskins play their home opener tomorrow against the Steelers, and the 'Skins community is here to answer the burning questions concerning the game this week and the training camp battles.

Question 1: Which roster longshots are poised to have a big game that could lead to a spot on the team come Week 1 of the regular season? (Eric Holmberg)

Answer: Some of the most interesting battles of training camp are happening on defense, where the Redskins lack the necessary depth behind their first team.

Saturday’s game against the Pittsburgh Steelers will be important for everyone along the already-crowded defensive line trying to make the 53-man roster. 

Phillip Daniels, who missed all of the 2008 season with reconstructive knee surgery, is still having knee problems. He’s been having his knee drained during training camp, but will play on Saturday. Daniels, 36, may play limited minutes, giving the defensive ends vying for the last couple spots on the Redskins roster extra time on the field.

Jeremy Jarmon is one guy who could be able to contribute this year, especially if Daniels or Reynaldo Wynn, 34, get injured. In last week’s game against the Ravens, Jarmon made a couple noteworthy plays. 

With 11:10 left in the third quarter, Jarmon showed great speed by beating the right tackle up the field and almost getting a sack, but he forced Troy Smith to scramble out of the pocket and make a difficult play on the run.

With 11:55 left in the fourth quarter, it was Jarmon again getting pressure on the quarterback, this time it was John Beck. 

Since the Redskins used a 2010 third round pick on Jarmon, via the supplemental draft, it would seem like he already has a spot on the team—which could make Alex Buzbee the odd man out.

Question 2: What should we expect from the offense this week against Pittsburgh? Will they open up the playbook and play more aggressively? (JW Nix)

Answer: If I were Zorn, I'd work on the running game a lot versus Pittsburgh with the first unit. At least three series' worth.

One reason is that it's a good barometer to gauge effectiveness versus a good defense. The other is that it saves Campbell from exposure to extra hits, as well as tipping the teams hand to plays they may run in the regular season to the scouts watching.

Run Betts often to see if he is still the guy to be Portis' backup, and ask Clinton to play at least one series...carry the ball at least twice.

After the first team sits, it's time to work the rest of the squad to see who is worth keeping. That will require a mixed assortment on the offensive attack. One battle I want to see resolved is if Brennan or Daniels is worth carrying on the roster this year.

Then, there's the offensive line. It must be sorted out.

Defensively, they need to just keep it basic and see who has what it takes.

Question 3: Saturday marks the debut of Albert Haynesworth as a Redskin. What does he bring to the Redskins' defense in 2009? Will his impact be great enough to make the Redskins a top three defense? (Travis Evans)

Answer: Well first off, Haynesworth makes both starting defensive ends better by just stepping on the field. He will command double teams and make the QB pocket smaller. I think the Redskins defense can be top dog if the linebackers step up and help make plays. Look for Carter and Orakpo to have great years. All hail!

The defense will be in the top two; I know it's bold, but it's realistic. If we had a pass rush last year, it would have completed the puzzle. The defense kept us in every game, and in '09 they will be better than ever.

I think Haynesworth plays well and should get at least eight sacks. My final prediction: number two defense only behind the Steelers.

Question 4: The special teams are a big concern right now. With all the speed and playmaking ability on the team, should the 'Skins really just hand the punt returning duties to Antwaan Randle El? Which players should be getting consideration for the job? (Mark Steven)

Answer: Not a chance.

The Redskins have a chance to field the most dynamic punt return team in the NFL.

Randle El has made noises this summer about rededicating himself to the craft and "getting upfield" again instead of the tapdancing and moonwalking he's done throughout most of his three years in Washington. If true, he remains a dangerous returner even at 30. And if not, at the very least he provides a safety net.

He's a known quantity with solid hands and solid judgment who won't hurt you with muffs or brain farts (fair catches at his own five-yard-line). That kind of veteran reliability is something many only really appreciate when it's gone. Redskins coaches won't make that mistake—you shouldn't, either.

In Santana Moss, they have as dangerous an open-field runner as there is in football. No one has a quicker first step or zero-to-sixty explosion, and no one moves better in space once he's past the first wave of tacklers.

You don't want to task him with being your regular punt returner; he's too valuable as the lead WR. He's not worth risking injury to in games that are out of hand (winning or losing), or in game situations that don't call for a home-run hitter but just a steady hand (hello, ARE).

You absolutely want to use him in certain situations with games on the line and the right circumstances. In a one-score game, with the opponent punting from his own goal line, nothing is going to put a lump in the opposing team's collective throat than seeing Santana Moss standing at midfield, pacing, hungry and ready to do his thing.
 
Except, of course, seeing DeAngelo Hall back there.

Hall hasn't really made his mark as a punt returner in the NFL yet (13 career returns, 123 yds., 9.5 avg.), but as anyone who had the priviledge of watching his act at Virginia Tech knows, the man is pure electricity on punt returns. In his four years at VT, Hall returned 56 punts for 839 yards (15 avg.) and five touchdowns. Like Moss, he's able to make the first man miss, accelerate, and get into the open field with the best of them. Once there, he's got the shiftiness and top-end speed to take it to the house every time he touches the ball.

The Redskins will be missing a big opportunity if they don't take full advantage of this unprecedented bounty, and force opposing teams to spend time each week preparing to face all three. Head Coach Jim Zorn should give Special Teams Coach Danny Smith the green light to send out any of the three, at any given time, given the game situation and Smith's gut feeling.

Few plays can turn a game around or put it away faster than a punt return for a touchdown. It electrifies the fans and players alike, and is as big a momentum swing as there is in football.

Redskins fans can appreciate big punt returns and dangerous return men. There haven't been that many in Redskins lore—Speedy Duncan, Eddie Brown, Mike Nelms, Darrell Green, and Brian Mitchell—but those that have graced the colors have left an indelible impression one at a time. Never have the Redskins had the means to turn every punt return opportunity over the course of an entire season into edge-of-your-seat, must-see-TV, however, like they do in 2009.

Santana Moss, DeAngelo Hall, Antwaan Randle El. Don't blink.