Bleacher Report - Articles by Rich Tandler

Must-Read For Redskins fans: The Off-Man Defense

Rich Tandler — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 11:00:44 -0400

During the Washington Redskins vs. New York Giants game on Sunday there were a lot of questions/complaints about the Redskins soft coverage on the Giants receivers. Nobody had a good answer as to why they play so far back.

Nobody, that is, until John Keim, the best X’s and O’s man covering the Redskins, asked some people and wrote up an article about it.

That article, which appears here, breaks it down in easy to understand terms. It should be required reading for anyone who wants to complain about the defensive scheme.

I don’t want to go into too much about it here because you really should read the article, but there are advantages and disadvantages to playing off-man coverage as there are to playing press coverage.

If you’re playing off man, you can read the quarterback and the flow of the play and react to that. If you’re not exactly in the right spot, however (7-9 yards off the line of scrimmage, depending on the specific defense called), or if you read the quarterback incorrectly, you’ll get beat.

It’s in the execution, not the defensive call.

In press coverage, you get a bead on the receiver but you have to focus mostly on him and it’s more difficult to read the quarterback. Press coverage also tips off that the defense is in man to man. It’s easier to disguise the coverage in off man.

So before asking "why", read Keim's article and learn.

Redskins Ticket Rage--Take a Deep Breath

Rich Tandler — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 21:27:34 -0400

The Washington Post obviously is very anxious to create a buzz about their multi-part series about issues within the Redskins ticket office.

When I awoke this morning I had an email giving the outline of the initial installment of the series and a link to the story.

In the first few paragraphs we were led to believe that the throng of Steeler fans that were in full throat at last year’s Monday night game were there because the Redskins sold general admission tickets directly to brokers. Later in the story, we find out that 443 tickets to that game were sold to brokers.

That’s not good, but it certainly doesn’t account for Steeler Nation disrupting the Redskins’ offensive play calling. Many, many more tickets than that were sold to Steeler fans. I think that there were 443 of them tailgating in the spaces immediately adjacent to mine in the Green Lot.

But, hey, good bit of investigation there, WaPo, for uncovering that broker deal. Oh, wait, you didn’t uncover it? The Redskins themselves did? And they stopped it? And they disciplined the employees involved? All by themselves?

Like I said, what happened clearly was wrong.

Apparently, anxious to sell some club seats, some in the ticket office packaged up some premium seats with some lower-bowl general admission seats. The former are available to anyone who calls up the ticket office and wants them, the latter are supposed to go to people on the season ticket waiting list (or to upper deck ticket holders as an upgrade with the vacated nosebleeds to people on the list).

The Redskins uncovered all of this last spring and disciplined the associates involved in an unspecified manner.

This is wrong on many levels but it also was a violation of team policy. Judging from Twitter and some message boards there is some inclination out there to go after Dan Snyder with torches and pitchforks. There is no reason to think that Snyder had anything to do with this.

Are you going to go after Snyder if the beer guy short changes you?

Tomorrow’s story in the Post will deal with something with which Snyder probably is more familiar. In order to get the premium seats you have to sign a contract. You can’t buy them for just a year. The contracts are for anywhere from six to 10 years.

Since 2005, according to the Post, the Redskins have filed 137 lawsuits in an attempt to prevent premium ticket holders (club seats and suites) from breaking their contracts.

The angle, of course, is that the mean old Redskins are picking on individuals and struggling companies by forcing them to honor contracts that they signed.

Certainly one would think that the Redskins could grant some leeway in these tough economic times.

And it’s possible that they do. According to a statement that they sent out this afternoon in anticipation of the Post’s coming story, they first attempt to negotiate a compromise with the party wanting to break the deal.

For every lawsuit filed they say “dozens” of successful negotiations have resulted in companies and individuals being able to get out of their agreements.

I hope that the Post story on Thursday offers up some key bits of information about these lawsuits. Among the things I would need to know before either condemning the Redskins or taking up for them are:

What do other NFL teams do in such situations? I’m sure that the Redskins aren’t the only team with such issues. What do Jerry Jones and Robert Kraft do when someone wants out of a premium seat deal?
This would require a legal opinion but I’d like to find out if what happens to future cases if you give someone a pass. In the story there is an account of one club ticket holder who wanted to get out a few years early and was sued by the team. If the team had just let this guy go, would that establish a precedent that would make it difficult for them to go after, say, a corporation with five years and a million dollars left on a deal for a suite?
Was that one club seat holder offered a compromise? What were the terms of the compromise offered?

I guess when someone wants to break a contract with the Washington Post corporation they are perfectly free to do so.

I also suppose that I’m going to be called a "Snyder apologist" by some. Sorry, but there is plenty to dislike about Snyder without piling on with stuff like this. I’d rather have all of the facts before I make a judgement.

Update: TV station USA 9 reports that on his radio show, LaVar Arrington has said that Snyder “had to know” about the ticket sales because he is a “tyrant." Now let’s see, Arrington is an unbiased source since he has no ax to grind with Snyder, right?

Rich Tandler is the author of The Redskins Chronicle, a journey through the history of the Redskins 1937-2008 and he blogs about the 'Skins at RealRedskins.com.

Brain Orakpo about to Become a Holdout

Rich Tandler — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 16:43:49 -0400

With less than 24 hours remaining until the first practice the Washington Redskins have yet to sign their top draft pick, Brian Orakpo.

There has been no public negotiating which generally is a good sign. Michael Crabtree, the Texas Tech receiver taken at No. 10 is demanding top-three money, and that’s not sitting well with the 49ers' management.

But no news isn’t necessarily good news. It would indicate that there is a waiting game going on involving the slotting system.

Rookie contracts generally are based on slots. Basically, a player get a little more money than the player drafted immediately after him and a bit less than the one take right before him. This “system”, such as it is, relies on slots getting filled so that there is a basis for comparison at a given spot.

As of right now, though, there isn’t a slot to determine Orakpo’s deal; in fact it’s not even close. He’s in the middle of a gulf. The Texas defensive end/linebacker was taken with the 13th selection of the first round.

On the higher side, the closest pick signed is Mark Sanchez, taken fifth overall. In addition to being eight picks away, Sanchez is a quarterback. They get the chicks and make more dough, so his deal is not a good basis for comparison.

On the low side is center Alex Mack, taken at No. 21 by Cleveland. So we’re looking at eight slots on that end. Orakpo is the man in the middle.

There is another way of getting this done. Mack got a deal that was 12 percent higher than that of the player taken 21st in 2008. The Redskins and Orakpo’s agents, Ben Dogra and Michael Lartigue of CAA, could look at the contract signed by Carolina running back Jonathan Stewart last year and add 12 percent to that.

The result would be a five-year contract worth about $15.6 million. Start there, build in a few incentives, call it a deal, and get Orakpo out on the practice field.

This would serve the team and the player well, but the agents will be hesitant of getting burned. God forbid the 12th pick and/or the 14th pick get deals 13 percent higher than last year.

The reputations of Dorga and Lartigue would suffer (from their point of view, anyway), they would stand to be accused of leaving money on the table, and they believe they will have trouble lining up first-rounders in the future.

So, the waiting game continues. If Orakpo misses Thursday and Friday it won’t damage his development to any great extent. But I’ll bet you that by Friday, Greg Blache or another defensive coach will be lamenting his absence and saying that each lost day is like missing two days. Sometimes that’s just coach speak but in this case, with Orakpo being counted on to man two positions, it’s not too far from the truth.

It could be worse. The Washington Redskins could be having trouble getting a sixth-round pick into camp as the San Diego Chargers are. And they hardly are alone, with only five of the 32 first-round picks having inked contracts as of Wednesday morning. Still, it would be good to get the guy they’re counting on so much into the fray as soon as possible.

Rich Tandler is the author of the new book The Redskins Chronicle, a Journey Through the History of the Redskins 1945-2008. You can find the details of this unique book at www.RedskinsChronicle.com. Tandler also has the longest-running Redskins blog on the internet at RealRedskins.com.

Jarmon Selection Was Succession Planning For Washington Redskins

Rich Tandler — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 10:16:09 -0400

The Redskins' selection of Jeremy Jarmon came as a surprise to many; to almost everyone, in fact, except for readers of this blog (sorry, on the rare occasions that I get one right I have to toot my horn). Few were even aware that the Supplemental Draft was going on, not surprising given that the Redskins never before had taken a player in that draft.

But even though Mel Kiper wasn't present and it was conducted via email instead of in Radio City Music Hall, there was instant analysis everywhere.

Message board posters who had not heard of Jarmon in the morning were panning the pick in the afternoon. The negative reviews were based mostly on the fact that the posters never had heard of Jarmon and the Redskins had a lot of nerve spending a third on a guy they'd never heard of.

Others compared it to the Jason Taylor trade of a year ago. Never mind that Taylor was well north of 30 and that Jarmon barely is old enough to drink legally. Apparently, expending a pick for a defensive end is expending a pick for a defensive end, no matter what the other facts are.

Then you have Ben at The Curly R saying that Jarmon has to get on the field in 2009 in order to justify the selection and agreeing with Greg at Hog Heaven saying that the third was a bit too high and that the pick was a sign of impatience.

The view here is that Jarmon doesn't have to play a single down in 2009 for the pick to be a good one and that the selection displayed some forward thinking for which the Redskins aren't known.

Actually, it would be disappointing if Jarmon did not see time on special teams. At 6-3, 278 with a 4.79 time in the forty, he would be a scary sight rolling down the field on kick coverage. But with Phillip Daniels starting at left defensive end and Renaldo Wynn backing him up there is no need to line up Jarmon at DE this year. He has the frame to pack on another 15 pounds or so and when he does that he will be the perfect size for a run-stuffing defensive end.

Unfortunately, Jarmon won't be able to accomplish that in the month of August. I see him getting a few snaps in the rotation but not much more than that (barring injury, of course).

And that's fine. Because in drafting Jarmon, the Redskins have done what they have failed to do so often in the past--succession planning. Daniels and Wynn are unlikely to be here in 2010 and certainly both will be gone in 2011. So the Redskins have replaced Daniels. They have their starting left DE of the future on the roster.

Was a third too high? Again, instant analysis of the value of a draft pick is an exercise in futility. It certain, however, that the Redskins would not have been able to get him had they bid a fourth-rounder for him. Lions GM Martin Mayhew has acknowledged that his team had bid a fourth and 0-16 Detroit would have had first priority.

But even if you don't buy Vinny Cerrato's assertion that with a full offseason workout and a combine appearance Jarmon would have been a second you can still make a case that he was worth a third. In the NFL, it's common practice to give up a pick in next year's draft that's a round better to acquire a pick in this year's draft. You pay a premium for getting the services of the player a year early. So, if you take the assessment that Jarmon was a fourth-round talent in the 2010 draft it's fair value to spend a third to get him a year early.

It's a good sign that the Redskins actually are thinking ahead. This doesn't mean that this will become a pattern or that Jarmon won't be a bust. But it is one small step away from the Cycle of Futility in which the team has been mired for much of this decade.

Rich Tandler is the author of The Redskins Chronicle, a Journey Through the History of the Redskins 1937-2008. You can get details at RedskinsChronicle.com. Tandler blogs about the Redskins at RealRedskins.com.

Washington Redskins Forgotten Classic: Williams Nails Down the Job

Rich Tandler — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 08:29:58 -0400

This game, the 1987 regular season finale, had no significance in and of itself for Washington. The Redskins already had wrapped up the division title, and their playoff seeding was set.

The significance of this contest was that Jay Schroeder started the game and Doug Williams finished it. Based on the fact that Schroeder was ineffective and that Williams rallied the team to an overtime win, Joe Gibbs gave Williams the nod to be the starter for the playoffs.

The rest, as they say, is history, such as the 35 points the Redskins racked up in the second quarter of Super Bowl XXII with Williams pulling the trigger.

You have to wonder what might have happened if Schroeder had played well, or even just OK. I don't think that the Redskins win it all with Schroeder behind center, but you never know.

From the pages of my upcoming book The Redskins Chronicle:

The Metrodome—Doug Williams replaced an ineffective Jay Schroeder at quarterback and, along with Barry Wilburn and Ricky Sanders, sparked a 27-24 overtime win over the Vikings.

Williams entered the game midway through the third quarter with the contest tied at seven. Washington's only score had come courtesy of Wilburn. The Vikings, already leading 7-0, were driving, perched at the Redskin seven.

Quarterback Wade Wilson tried to sneak a pass through double coverage, but he found the belly of Wilburn at the goal line. Wilburn headed upfield, broke through the pack, and got into the clear.

The final obstacle to his team-record 100-yard interception return was removed when Todd Bowles dispatched receiver Anthony Carter with a block around the Minnesota 40.

Williams had an instant impact, throwing a 46-yard touchdown pass to Sanders on his fourth play to put his team up 14-7. After that things cooled for the Redskins and heated up considerably for Minnesota.

Starting with the first play of the fourth quarter, the Vikings ran off 17 points in five and a half minutes of play, and the Metrodome was rocking as the home team led 24-14.

The Redskins responded quickly, driving to a field goal by Ali Haji-Shiekh to cut the lead to seven. Then, with 2:21 to play, they regained possession at their own 40. On third and one at the 49, Sanders ran a hitch-and-go and was wide open to catch Williams' pass for 51 yards, tying the game at 24.

Haji-Shiekh missed a potential game-winning 33-yard field goal attempt in the final minute and the game went into overtime.

The Vikings never saw the ball in the OT. Washington won the toss and Sanders returned the kickoff 36 yards. Sanders then caught two passes for 32 yards to key a foray down inside the Minnesota 10.

Joe Gibbs immediately called for Haji-Shiekh, who displayed the kicker's best friend—a short memory—as he ended it by drilling it through from 26 yards.

Rich Tandler's upcoming book The Redskins Chronicle is the complete history of the team. To get notified when the book goes on sale go to http://RedskinsChronicle.com.

James Thrash Contemplates Retirement

Rich Tandler — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 07:30:56 -0400

It appears that James Thrash has a decision to make.

According to Dave Elfin of the Washington Times, Thrash has been struggling with a neck injury all offseason. Medication took care of the pain during the offseason down time but once workouts started in March the bulging disc flared up again. He has yet to participate in any of the team’s OTA’s.

It appears increasingly likely that Thrash will need surgery if he is to play for the Washington Redskins this year. That has the 34-year-old receiver/special teams demon contemplating retirement.

Although the coaches love him because of his work ethic and his eagerness to do whatever they ask of him, Thrash may be very much on the bubble this year when it comes to making the roster. As the third wide receiver last year, he caught nine passes, the same number that he caught the year before.

Four receiver spots are set in stone—Santana Moss, Antwaan Randle El, Malcolm Kelly, and Devin Thomas. A fully healthy James Thrash would have a tough time holding off speedy rookie Marko Mitchell for the fifth and probably final WR roster spot. A wounded Thrash, who has spent 12 seasons in the NFL, certainly would be facing an uphill battle.

His choices seem to be fairly clear cut. He could try to rehab his neck without surgery and give it a go in training camp. Or he could have the surgery and hope that he’s ready to return to fight for his job.

I’m not sure how long the recovery from his surgery would be—the doctors themselves don’t know until they go in and do the procedure—but one would have to think that being ready for the July 30 start of camp would be very difficult.

Or Thrash could retire. He appears to be fighting that but it may be inevitable. He has seen seven specialists about the injury, perhaps hoping that he can find an optimistic prognosis.

For now, the Redskins are not pressuring him to make a decision. However, when they start signing their draft picks they will need to release players in order to stay at the 80-man limit. They will need Thrash to make a commitment by then.

I’m not about to make any recommendations here. Regardless of whether he retires this year or a few years down the road I certainly hope that Thrash will be able to walk away from the game with a decent quality of life rather than needing a cane.

Washington Redskins Contiue To Shuffle Cap Money

Rich Tandler — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 11:00:36 -0400

When I wrote about Jon Jansen’s release a week ago, I was imprecise in communicating a number that is important when evaluating the move and I’d like to take this opportunity to clarify.

I said that by releasing Jansen “the Redskins took a cap hit of some $6 million.” That’s true. The Redskins will take a dead cap charge of $6.1 million.

However, unless you are the one writing out the checks that’s not the relevant number to look at when judging the move. Jansen would have counted $4.5 million against the cap had he stayed on the roster. So, the net cap hit was $1.6 million. That is the more important number.

This is not to say that the $6.1 million in dead cap that will be on the 2009 books doesn’t matter. The Redskins will be tying up 4.7 percent of their available cap space in one player who no longer is on the roster.

Add to that the $5.3 million (4.1 percent) they’re carrying on the books as a result of the Brandon Lloyd fiasco and the $2.7 (2.1 percent) million of prorated bonus left on Shawn Springs’ deal and you’ll see that the Redskins have over a tenth of their entire salary cap tied up in players who will be playing for other teams.

Certainly, all NFL teams carry some dead cap on their books but the Redskins are annually among the league leaders.

The Redskins “paid” for the Jansen move by restructuring Santana Moss’ deal. They converted most of Moss’ 2009 and 2010 salaries into signing bonus. So he got a check for $6.2 million to help him celebrate his 30^th birthday last weekend and to help the Redskins neutralize the effects of Jansen’s release. The move lowered his 2009 cap charge by $1.7 million.

In order to make this work, the Redskins added a year to Moss’ deal but that 2011 season voids automatically. All of this means that the Redskins will be facing a 2011 dead cap charge of $5.2 million.

If there is a salary cap in 2011—that is likely but far from certain—the Redskins will redo another player’s deal in order to squeeze that dead cap in under the limit.

As long as the cap continues to go up this approach has its advantages. The total cap charge for Moss over the next three years does not go up. You do have to pay the piper but you are repaying him in dollars that are worth less than they were when you spent them.

Just two years ago when the cap was $107 million, a $5.2 million dead cap charge would have represented almost five percent of the cap. Should the cap grow at the same rate the next two years as it has in the past two, it will be at $153 million. That same $5.2 million would be just 3.4 percent of the cap.

Certainly there are drawbacks as well. The Redskins’ way of doing things hasn’t worked. They have been unable to get out of the NFL’s muddled middle.

Redskins' Release of Jon Jansen a Matter of Timing

Rich Tandler — Fri, 29 May 2009 18:47:12 -0400

Redskins-cut-Jansen-46472752.html">Jon Jansen’s release, a move that the Washington Redskins announced earlier today, came as a surprise. Dan Snyder flew the team's aircraft, Redskins One, to Michigan to pick up Jansen so that Jim Zorn could deliver to news to him in person.

By releasing Jansen, the Redskins took a cap hit of some $6 million. On the surface, the timing is somewhat puzzling, but once you dig a little deeper it makes more sense.

Apparently this is a move that Zorn has wanted to make since the end of last year. However, had the move been made at the start of free agency, it would have been very difficult to fit the contracts of Albert Haynesworth, Derrick Dockery, and DeAngelo Hall in under the cap.

Also, at that time, Jansen was the only experienced depth the Redskins had at the tackle spot. Even though, in the view of Zorn and just about anybody who watched more than five minutes of the 2008 Redskins’ offense with Jansen in the lineup, his skills had slipped considerably from his prime seasons, it would have been foolhardy to release him and leave nothing in reserve. The fact that the penciled-in starter is Stephon Heyer, who still is a work in progress, make it even more important for the Redskins to have a solid reserve at right tackle.

Then, just before the draft, one shoe dropped for Jansen. The Redskins signed Mike Williams. The fourth overall pick in the 2002 draft was about 70 pounds overweight and hasn’t played since 2006. He’s a veteran project but a warm body (actually, Zorn said that he was as big as two bodies) nonetheless.

The other shoe fell when the team signed Jeremy Bridges. The Southern Mississippi product has started 39 games in six seasons with the Eagles, Cardinals, and Panthers. At his low end, he represents quality depth and at the high end, he could beat out Heyer for the starting job.

So the Redskins had two potential replacements for Jansen. During minicamp and OTAs, they tried him at backup center but he failed to impress there.

They may have given him a shot in training camp, but he was due a $1.5 million roster bonus in July. If they had him participate in the second round of OTA’s starting on Monday to give him a last shot, they would have been gambling. If he were to sustain a serious injury during the OTAs, the team would have been on the hook for the roster bonus and his 2009 salary.

Some have asked why they didn’t wait until after June 1 to spread the cap hit out. Since 2010 currently is an uncapped year, June 1 doesn’t exist. Well, it’s on your calendar, but there is no cap hit break for releasing a player after June 1. They don’t want teams prematurely dumping dead cap in next year.

Jansen, of course, is the longest-tenured Redskin. He never quite got his play up to a Pro Bowl level but he was as solid a tackle as there was in the game from about 2000 through 2003. Although he repeatedly expressed frustration with Steve Spurrier’s blocking schemes, he resigned with the Redskins prior to becoming a free agent in 2002.

That contract made sense. The one that didn’t make sense was the one that Joe Gibbs signed him to in 2007. The $23 million deal carried $10 million in guarantees and it is the leftover money on that deal that created the nasty cap hit the Redskins sustained today.

Washington Redskins Should Continue .500 Ways in 2009

Rich Tandler — Wed, 27 May 2009 05:49:35 -0400

The 2009 Washington Redskins will be about a .500 team.

I say this with confidence and not because I possess a crystal ball that allows me to peer into the future and see events to come with clarity. It’s because I can see the past and recognize that a .500 team is what the Redskins are.

From 1995 through 2008, a span of 14 seasons, the Redskins have been within two games of the break even mark every year but two. Those two years, 2003 and 2006, they were just three games off the mark of mediocrity, finishing 5-11.

The Redskins are so average, in fact, that they are distinctively mediocre. Since 1995 every NFL team has either lost 12 or more games in a season or has won 12 or more at least once. Every team, that is, with the exception of the Redskins.

They are the NFL’s perpetually half-full, half-empty glass.

They have tried to break out and either fill or empty the glass but the fates work against them.

The ‘06 team could easily have dropped a dozen games but Troy Vincent blocked a late game-winning field goal attempt against Dallas and Sean Taylor’s brilliant scramble—and a face-mask penalty committed in the process—set up a Nick Novack game-winning field goal on an untimed down.

On the other side of the coin the 2005 team won ten and could easily have won two more but they suffered close, frustrating losses to Denver, Kansas City, Tampa Bay, Oakland, and San Diego.

It’s clear that the Football Gods have determined that the Redskins of the late 20^th and early 21^st centuries are a middling team. There is no compelling evidence to suggest that they will escape that fate this year.

Defensively they added strength to strength with the additions of Albert Haynesworth and Brian Orakpo. Those two could move the Redskins D from good to great.

But there is little chance that the offense will be even good. Jason Campbell is in his make or break year and even if he makes it he won’t be anything approaching an elite quarterback. Was Clinton Portis’ slump at the end of last year an indication that his career has hit the wall?

The receiving corps could be good if at least one of the two receivers drafted in the second round last year, Malcolm Kelly or Devin Thomas, has a breakout year. That could happen, but holding your breath waiting for it is not advised.

The offensive line has potential—the potential to be a train wreck. The ten that they keep on the roster mostly will be a combination of the old and injury prone and the young and untested.

If the Redskins are to finish on the upside of the fated limit and win 10 games the defense must provide the offense with short fields. Haynesworth needs to collapse the middle and allow the defense to increase significantly its sack total from the 24 it posted last year. The pressure needs to make the opposing quarterback throw the ball up for grabs to force turnovers.

Should Campbell and company get opportunities to make some 14-yard touchdown drives or, better yet, watch from the sidelines as the defense records a pick six, life will be a lot easier and the Redskins could record a double-digit win total.

But if the defense merely remains strong but is of limited help to the offense in terms of providing highly favorable field position, the Redskins are likely to trend towards the down side of their potential. They simply aren’t strong enough offensively to drive 80 yards to score every time they get the ball.

Where will the 2009 Redskins fall within the range of six to 10 wins? It says here that Haynesworth is enough of a difference maker on defense that the team will be able to overcome a leaky offensive line and score enough to post a 9-7 record.

Washington Redskins' Fate in Haynesworth Case in Goodell's Hands

Rich Tandler — Tue, 26 May 2009 06:40:23 -0400

The Washington Redskins are in line to take a slap on the wrist for possibly jumping the gun in signing free agent defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth. According to a Yahoo! Sports report, the NFL is investigating the Tennessee Titans' complaint that the Redskins tampered with Haynesworth prior to the start of the free-agency period.

From what we know, the evidence that negotiations started prior to the permitted hour is mostly circumstantial. Dan Snyder had dinner with Chad Speck, Haynesworth's agent, at the combine and some players made some comments indicating that they had knowledge of early contact that could constitute tampering.

The fact that Haynesworth signed about six hours after the start of the signing period, by the way, is meaningless. It's possible to get it done that quickly if both sides are motivated to do so. The team has the numbers loaded into a spread sheet and, as negotiations commence, all of the "what if" scenarios can be run immediately.

The Redskins came up with numbers that Haynesworth liked and, rather than risk the Redskins taking their money elsewhere, Haynesworth and Speck agreed to the deal. The actual paper contract gets drawn up as the player travels to Ashburn and he signs on the line in the afternoon.

Although the actual evidence may seem to be somewhat flimsy, there doesn't have to be a smoking gun for the Redskins to get nailed here. This isn't a trial where a jury has to find them guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. Roger Goddell can do whatever he wants. He can decide that there was enough smoke to deduce that there was a fire.

Goodell's discretionary power can work in the Redskins' favor, too. He could reasonably conclude that the Titans were not going to sign Haynesworth under any circumstances. Their final offer just wasn't close.

But if Goodell thinks there was tampering it's not likely that his call will be, "no harm, no foul". If the wide receiver lines up too close to the line and covers the tight end, they throw a flag and walk off five yards even though the infraction has no material impact on the result of the play. A fifth-round pick is about the equivalent of a five-yard penalty.

The guess here is that it's 50-50 that Goodell sees enough to bust the Redskins for tampering and if he does the Redskins will get hit for their fifth-round pick and Snyder will have to write out a check for about $100,000.

Pro Football Weekly Off-Base About Michael Vick, the Redskins

Rich Tandler — Mon, 25 May 2009 09:07:39 -0400

Last week in their "Whispers—NFC" section, Pro Football Weekly "reported" the following:

Would the Redskins take a chance on Michael Vick? Don't rule it out. Owner Daniel Snyder loves the big splash and might be willing to gamble on Vick, who grew up in nearby Newport News, Va. There's no question that the Redskins would like an upgrade at quarterback with Jason Campbell entering the final year of his deal, and they likely would be willing to gamble on players with questionable character, given the $54 million deal they gave to CB DeAngelo Hall.

Where to start with this nonsense? First of all, there is no source cited. The title "Whispers" implies that the content is some sort of inside information that was discreetly passed along to an investigative journalist. This is "Voices in My Head."

This is a writer sitting at his keyboard just dreaming stuff up. He is connecting dots that he drew.

Also the thought of jettisoning Jason Campbell in favor of a quarterback whose career rating is five points lower than Campbell's is questionable at best. Add in the fact that said quarterback will have accumulated at least two and possibly three years of rust and the notion that Vick would be an "upgrade" is just plain stupid.

Yes, Snyder likes the "big splash" but putting the quarterback position in the hands of Vick would not be a splash, it would be lunacy.

Even if Snyder was prone to engage in lunacy he isn't likely to make a move that would take cash out of his pocket. Vick is a lightning rod and Washington is the political correctness capital of the world.

It appears that the Redskins are having difficulty selling season tickets (I've received two phone calls offering me non-premium seats in the past month) and Snyder would be risking disaster from the backlash that would come from the convicted dog killer taking snaps for the home team at FedEx Field.

PFW isn't the first media outlet to talk about Vick going to the Redskins and they won't be the last. What makes this little entry so ridiculous, though, is the last part equating DeAngelo Hall's character to that of Vick.

Certainly Hall is not angel and a case can be made that the Redskins took a gamble in giving him some $23 million in guaranteed money. He whined and pouted his way out of two organizations and had some noteworthy clashes with coaches.

In 2007, he was fined $10,000 for showing support for Vick, his teammate both with the Atlanta Falcons and at Virginia Tech, by displaying "MV7" in the black shade under his eyes. The "MeAngelo" moniker is well earned.

Hall is not, however, has not been convicted of multiple felonies. He has not spent two years in the federal pen. He did not drown dogs. To compare his character to that of Vick, who has all of that on his character resume and much more, is an outrage.

Let's say I hired someone who had been convicted of picking pockets. By PFW's logic, I also would hire Bernie Madoff. Both the pickpocket and Madoff stole money, right?

PFW used to be a reliable source for NFL news and views. Made up hit pieces like this one have brought it down to the level of the National Enquirers of the world.

Washington Redskins Could Contend Despite Tough NFC East

Rich Tandler — Sun, 17 May 2009 15:48:36 -0400

There are some NFL myths that linger well beyond their truthfulness.

For example, it used to be true that a team could pick up valuable talent after players were released for salary cap purposes after June 1 each year. Long past the time that this pool dried up due to better salary cap management and to changes in the collective bargaining agreement fans still asked, “Who can we pick up in June to fill that hole?”

Another persistent myth is that a team has to play well in its division in order to make the playoffs. It used to be that a winning record in intradivisional play was a must if a team wanted to play in the postseason.

That no longer is the case.

OK, the concept isn’t as dead as Elvis or the June 1 talent surge or anything. Every win helps you get to the playoffs. Still, division games aren’t as significant as they used to be. We’ll look at why that is in a minute. First, let’s look at the NFC East

Last year the Dallas Cowboys were the biggest disappointment in the NFL, perhaps in all of professional sports. The Super Bowl favorites didn’t even get a chance to go one and done in the playoffs again.

Very few analysts had the Eagles pegged to reach the NFC title game when the season started.

Even fewer thought they would get that far when they fell to 5-5-1 with an ugly Week 12 loss in Baltimore that saw Donovan McNabb get benched. But they rallied and made it all the way to Arizona and held a fourth-quarter lead before giving up a late touchdown.

The Giants met expectations by winning the NFC East. Early in the season they were one of the top teams in the league but they couldn’t overcome the loss of Plaxico Burress, slumped late and were one and done in the playoffs.

You could say that the Redskins both surprised by starting 6-2 and disappointed with the 2-6 finish, missing the playoffs. But, on balance, most had the Skins pegged to be within a game or two of .500 so they met expectations.

So what’s going to happen in 2009? Right now the consensus expectations are for the Eagles to finish first followed by the Giants and Cowboys with the Redskins taking up the rear.

Recent history indicates that the Eagles could well falter. Since going to the Super Bowl in 2004 they have alternated seasons where they missed and made the playoffs. However, the Eagles have taken steps to prevent a continuation of that pattern.

They added some talented players such as tackle Jason Peters and wide receiver Jeremy Maclin. If Maclin can contribute as well his rookie year as well as DeSean Jackson did in his first year in Philly the Eagles could be a powerhouse.

The Giants drafted their replacement for Plax in Hakeem Nicks but it remains to be seen if he can provide Eli Manning much help as a rookie. Regardless, the Giants defense, bolstered by the return of Osi Umenyiora, and running game, featuring Brandon Jacobs, should bring them 10 wins even if the passing game isn’t at peak efficiency.

Is the Cowboys’ window closing? They have played to a level that is less than the sum of their parts for the past three years. Tony Romo may not be clutch in the playoffs but he generally keeps Dallas in virtually every regular-season game.

What all of this means that even one of the NFC East team disappoints in 2009 there is unlikely to be a team that is a soft touch for the Redskins. The tough division, however, does not put a huge damper on the Redskins’ playoff chances.

Why? Because there only are six division games.

The NFC East was tough last year with no team posting a losing record. The difficulty of the division, however, is not what cost the Redskins a playoff spot. They went 3-3 in division, sweeping the Eagles, splitting with Dallas and getting swept by New York.

Losses to weaklings St. Louis and Cincinnati are what kept the team home at playoff time. If the Redskins win those two games they’re in. If they win one of those two they are in contention going into that last game in San Francisco and maybe as the more motivated team they win that one and, again, at 10-6 they’re in.

In short, while division games are important, they’re not as important as they used to be when they comprised half of your schedule.

If the Redskins can break even in the division again they could well be able to find the other six or seven wins they will need to make the playoffs from the 10 games that make up one of the softest non-division schedules in the NFL.

Robert Henson, Washington Redskins Rookie, Could Be a "Special" Player

Rich Tandler — Wed, 13 May 2009 08:42:31 -0400

As the Washington Redskins’ sixth-round draft choice, linebacker Robert Henson knows that he will have to wait his turn to play with the defense and contribute on special teams in the meantime. He has been down that path before.

For three seasons at TCU he got three starts on defense and played on virtually every special team unit. He performed so well that he received honorable mention All-Mountain West honors all three years.

Finally, in his senior year his chance to start came up, and he made the most of it. Henson recorded 73 tackles, nine of them for losses, and intercepted two passes. His performance earned him first-team all conference honors.

It also propelled TCU's defense to a No. 2 national ranking and the Horned Frogs to an 11-2 record and a final ranking as the No. 7 team in the country.

Robert went back home to Longview, Texas (getting some nice local TV coverage while he was there) after the Redskins’ minicamp to prepare for OTAs in June. He was good enough to answer a few questions about his minicamp experience and his adjustment to the NFL.

Rich Tandler: Which are you finding to be more challenging, the physical aspect of the NFL or the mental, playbook aspects of it?

Robert Henson: Honestly, the physical game was easy to adjust to; of course we have not put on pads just yet. I have struggled a bit with the mental aspect of the game; for example, getting everyone lined up with only seconds before the ball is snapped.

RT: Last year [head coach Jim] Zorn commented that some of the rookies came into training camp not physically or mentally ready to handle it. What will you be doing between now and the end of July to make sure that you’re not one of “those guys”?

RH: I really believe in the weight room and so far it has not failed me yet, so I am sure preparing my body for the rigors of the NFL is a must. Then second of all, I believe you have to be mentally tough in order to be successful; it’s a long season, and you have be prepared in every way possible.

RT: Is there a current Redskins player who you think has a game similar to yours? Or, if not, who in the NFL is your game modeled after?

RH: I have always tried to model my game after two current NFL linebackers. I have always tried to play with a high emotion and motor like Ray Lewis. He is always wired up and in attack mode.

I also love the way that Brian Urlacher prepares mentally. He is rarely caught out of position and studies the game so well, he always knows what is coming.

RT: What linebacker positions are you learning with the Redskins? You said in your Facebook update that you’re moving up the depth chart—any details you can share?

RH: Right now [linebackers coach Kirk] Olivadotti has me playing "Mike" Linebacker, which is the middle linebacker in the defense. It is a very good position; I feel very comfortable playing there.

Ultimately I will have to learn all three linebacker positions. I also know in order to make the team better I will have to contribute as well as focus on my play in the kicking game. So because of my effort on special teams, I have moved up a little on the depth charts for these teams.

RT: What is the main thing you need to work on as far as technique goes?

RH: The things I need to work on technique-wise are footwork and learning how to approach and take on blockers. Coach Olivadotti has done a great job tearing down my bad habits and rebuilding technique to make me more effective and productive.

I am constantly asking veteran London Fletcher how I can improve also, so between two great influences like them, I can do nothing but learn and reach full potential.

RT: What special teams units did you play at TCU? What do you enjoy about playing special teams?

RH: When I was at TCU I played on all special teams units, except extra point and field goal. I love the special teams phase of the game for two reasons. It can change the momentum as well as the outcome of the game very quickly.

Also it is man to man most of the time, and there is nothing like beating another person and making a play. It gets the whole team pumped and motivated.

Redskins' Coaching Staff Should Gel in 2009

Rich Tandler — Sun, 10 May 2009 21:06:38 -0400

The Washington Redskins’ coaching staff should become a more cohesive group this year after a tumultuous 2008.

With the coaching search going into overtime and Jim Zorn getting his quick promotion from offensive coordinator to head coach in February, he had to scramble to assemble a staff.

The NFL didn’t stop and wait for them to get their act together and all of a sudden free agency, the draft, minicamps and OTA’s were on top of them and they barely knew each other’s names.

They’re now on their second cycle through the league year and things are starting to gel for the core 13 coaches.

Fortunately, this was not a typical offseason of churn and upheaval at Redskins Park. The only new member of the staff is Scott Wachenheim, who came from Liberty University to coach the tight ends.

The two holdovers from Joe Gibbs’ most recent tenure as head coach on the offensive side are line coach Joe Bugel and wide receivers coach Stan Hixon.

Bugel, of course, is a legend, the man who molded and named the Hogs, the O-line that cleared the path to the Redskins’ glory days. He has considerable input into virtually all aspects, including personnel, play design, and game planning.

Hixon is well respected but he will be under a microscope this year. There were many reasons that the Redskins got little out of rookie receivers Devin Thomas and Malcolm Kelly last year.

This year it seems that both will be healthy and both of them seem to understand the game better. It will be on Hixon to make sure that they are prepared to contribute in 2009.

The titles of the three other coaches on the offensive side are somewhat misleading. Sherman Smith nominally is the Offensive Coordinator but, in reality, Zorn is the OC and Smith helps him out.

One would think that Assistant Head Coach Stump Mitchell would be able to pull rank on Smith but, in reality, Mitchell is just the running backs coach.

Smith played with Zorn in Seattle and Mitchell coached with him there so they both have his ear in all matters concerning the offense.

Another coach in whom Zorn seems to have a lot of faith carries the bland title of Offensive Assistant. Chris Meidt came to the Redskins from the football factory called St. Olaf College in Minnesota.

But don’t let the label and NCAA Division III background fool you—Meidt is a key member of the staff. He’s Zorn’s jack of all trades, the guy who makes it possible for Zorn to wear the three hats of head coach, offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach.

Zorn completely delegates the defense to coordinator Greg Blache and his group is composed mostly of Gregg Williams-era holdovers.

Blache is decidedly old school with the Marine-barracks language on the practice field and the gruff, one-sentence answers to media questions.

His style is less gambling than Williams’ was and this came out in the numbers. While the team was fourth in yardage allowed, they were near the bottom in takeaways and sacks.

The one post-Williams addition is defensive line coach John Palmero. His unit will be carrying great expectations with the additions of mega-free agent Albert Haynesworth and first-round draft selection Brian Orakpo.

In the secondary, cornerbacks coach Jerry Gray and safeties coach Steve Jackson both know what Blache wants and they give it to him.

The secondary has been the strength of the defense the last couple of years and Blache is smart enough not to mess with what’s working.

Linebackers coach Kirk Olivadotti has the longest continuous tenure with the team. He started in 2000 as a quality control coach and he has stayed on the staff through Norv Turner, Marty Schottenheimer, Steve Spurrier, Gibbs, and now Zorn.

Special teams coach Danny Smith had considerable juice in the personnel area under Gibbs and it’s presumed that he maintains that with Zorn.

Whenever Coach Joe was posed a question about which kicker or punter was winning a training camp competition, he’d always say, “You’ll have to ask Danny.”

It also was rumored that Smith would be allowed to protect a few special teams studs from the final roster cut.

Flashback Friday: The 1986 Washington Redskins

Rich Tandler — Fri, 08 May 2009 06:58:27 -0400

It’s one thing to climb the mountain and win the championship once. Many teams have done that.

The hard part is getting knocked down and then winning it all again.

In 1986, Joe Gibbs and the Redskins showed that they could get back to the top. No, they didn’t win the Super Bowl; they had a Giant obstacle in their way. But they set the table for their Super Bowl XXII championship the following season—and that’s why the 1986 squad is one of my favorite Redskins teams.

After winning it all in 1982, the Redskins started a slow roll downhill. They lost the Super Bowl the next year, lost in the first round of the playoffs in ’84, and missed the postseason in 1985.

The Redskins went into 1986 without two of the mainstays of their Super Bowl teams. John Riggins was released in March, and Joe Theismann, unable to recover from the horrific broken leg he suffered the previous season against the Giants, flunked his physical.

There was some incoming talent to compensate for the losses. The United States Football League folded, and the Redskins bolstered their receiving corps with USFL refugees Gary Clark and Ricky Sanders. Multitalented running back Kelvin Bryant also came on board, along with quarterback Doug Williams.

The acquisition of Williams would not become significant until 1987, when he finished the season as the Super Bowl MVP.

The starting quarterback was Jay Schroeder, and although he had led the team to a 5-1 finish after Theismann went down, the Redskins still weren’t quite sure what they had in him.

As it turns out, Schroeder was pretty good, at least in 1986. He passed for 4,109 yards, a team record that still stands, and earned a Pro Bowl invitation.

The job of filling Riggins’ shoes fell to George Rogers, who the Redskins had acquired from the Saints a year earlier. He turned in a solid season with 1,203 yards on the ground.

Most of the original Hogs were in place on the offensive line with Joe Jacoby, Russ Grimm, Jeff Bostic, and Mark May starting most of the games. The strength of the defense was the defensive line, with Dexter Manley and Charles Mann at end and Dave Butz clogging things up at tackle.

The Redskins started off 5-0, but kicker Mark Moseley was on shaky ground, hitting fewer than half of his field goals. Although his missed extra point in a 30-6 loss to Dallas didn’t have an effect on the outcome, Moseley was waived the next day.

Two weeks later they lost to the Giants, something that would become an all too familiar happening. The next week the Redskins rallied from 12 points down in the final seven minutes to send a thriller against the Vikings into overtime. A touchdown pass from Schroeder to Clark won it in OT.

That sparked another five-game winning streak that thudded to a halt at the hands of, you guessed it, the Giants.

Despite winding up with a 12-4 record, the Redskins were relegated to a Wild Card spot as New York won the division with a 14-2 mark.

A home playoff win against the Rams set up a trip to Soldier Field to face the defending champion Bears. Schroeder threw two touchdown passes to Art Monk, and the Redskins outscored Chicago 20-0 in the second half to shuffle out of the Windy City with a 27-13 win.

The dream season ended when the Redskins faced their worst nightmare in the NFC Championship Game. The Giants were much more dominant than the 17-0 final score would indicate.

Still, the 1986 Redskins proved that they were in the class of teams that could retool rather than rebuild. They would make it all the way back in 1987.

Three-Way Battle Looms for Redskins Tackle Spot

Rich Tandler — Thu, 07 May 2009 20:39:57 -0400

The hay is in the barn for the Washington Redskins.

Free agency essentially is over, and the draft is done. They went into the process with holes at defensive tackle, defensive end, guard, linebacker, and right offensive tackle. The hole at offensive tackle remains.

They could have chosen Michael Oher of Mississippi with their first pick in the draft to plug that hole but instead they chose Brian Orakpo. He actually will be used to fill two of those needs, defensive end and linebacker, so it’s hard to argue against that selection.

However, that means that an aging veteran, a third-year player who hasn’t been able to hold on to the job, and a former top-five draft pick who hasn’t played a snap since 2005 will be battling it out for the starting job.

The aging vet is Jon Jansen, 33. The Redskins took him in the second round in 1999 and plugged him in at right tackle from day one. He didn’t miss a start for five years, gaining the nickname The Rock. Then an Achilles’ tear cost him the entire 2004 season, and in ‘06 a broken ankle knocked him for the season before halftime of the season opener.

Jansen lost the starting right tackle job before the season opener, gained it back due to an injury, and kept a tenuous hold on it the rest of the year. His blocking for the run was passable, but speed rushers went by him like cars through the EZ-Pass lane at rush hour.

There was talk of cutting him during the offseason but the $5 million cap hit for doing so was prohibitive. He lives to fight another year.

Stephon Heyer, 25, is in his third year after making the Redskins as an undrafted free agent out of Maryland. As a rookie, he found himself pressed into action much sooner than he, or anyone else, thought after Jansen went down early in the year.

His performance in 2006 was good enough to earn him a hard look last year, and Jim Zorn named him the starter over Jansen at right tackle just before the season opener. A shoulder injury sidelined Heyer, however, and he was in and out of the lineup the rest of the year.

If you tried to predict Mike Williams’ career path when he was drafted fourth overall out of Texas in 2002, you probably would have guessed that in 2009 he’d be a perennial Pro Bowl performer working on a lucrative contract.

Instead, he finds himself in a battle just to make a team and get a veteran minimum deal. After getting cut by Jacksonville early in the 2006 season, Williams, 29, was unable to latch on with another team.

His weight ballooned well north of 400 pounds.

Earlier this year he began to work out with fellow Longhorn alumnus Derrick Dockery. As Williams shed the pounds, he began to get the itch to play again. Dockery recommended him to the Redskins, and he signed just before the draft.

Williams has a shot at making the team as a reserve, but he won’t be the starter unless disaster strikes in the form of injuries or utter ineffectiveness on the part of Jansen and Heyer. The former is a matter of luck; it isn’t completely out of the question that the latter situation will happen.

Since the Redskins want to get younger on the offensive line, Heyer goes into camp as the favorite. But if Jansen is fully healthy, his pride will make him push Heyer hard.

The most likely scenario is that the two of them will end up splitting the starts. And if you have two—or three—starting right tackles, well, you don’t have a right tackle.

Minicamp Gives Clues to Washington Redskins Scheme Changes

Rich Tandler — Wed, 06 May 2009 21:40:00 -0400

Minicamp is conducted in helmets and shorts. The plays that are run in seven-on-seven drills and in scrimmages are at walk-through speed and they utilize just the basic elements of the offensive schemes.

So, in order to find out what changes there will be in the Washington Redskins’ schemes in 2009, we have to look for other clues.

One indication of a strategy shift came straight from the mouth of Albert Haynesworth, Washington’s $100 million man.

“I’m not a space eater,” he said.

That was the primary job description of the Redskins’ defense tackles under coordinator Greg Blache last year. The idea was for the tackles to engage blockers to let London Fletcher and the other linebackers make the plays.

But you don’t have to pay $42 million in guaranteed money to a space eater. You can get a stationary wide body for a fraction of that. You pay that kind of money for a playmaker and that’s what Haynesworth is going to be. He will shoot gaps, stunt occasionally, and be counted on to rack up a couple of tackles for loss each game and a half a dozen sacks on the season.

The announcement that Brian Orakpo, the Redskins’ first-round draft pick, split his practice time with the linebackers and the defensive line gave another indication of a defensive playbook shift. Coach Jim Zorn said that the current plan was to have Orakpo playing the strong side linebacker position on first and second downs and in a three-point stance at left defensive end in passing situations.

That will be fine except when the opposing offenses pass on running downs. Orakpo simply doesn’t have the experience to cover the likes of the tight ends the Redskins will face this year—Witten, Winslow, Gonzalez, and Gates, just to name those who have made Pro Bowls. The Redskins will have to shade their coverage to help out Orakpo and perhaps play more zone than they did in 2008.

On the other side of the ball, it doesn’t look like we’ll see much different. Zorn has emphasized how much the offense should improve just by the players having spent a full season in his system. He’s going to have a trick or two up his sleeve, but nothing we will see until they open the season Sept. 13 against the Giants in the Meadowlands.

Washington Redskins: Drafting the Draft That's in Front of You

Rich Tandler — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 09:26:56 -0400

Should the Washington Redskins have taken an offensive tackle in the draft?

Certainly, it would have been nice to come out of the weekend having secured the long-term replacement for the right offensive tackle position, preferably a replacement who could line up with the first team in minicamp. It's a problem area and important one.

The first chance they had to snag a tackle was with their first pick, the 13th overall. By all reports they were focused on Brian Orakpo, the pass-rushing defense end they've been without for about 20 years, and Michael Oher, the Mississippi offensive tackle. Orakpo was the pick.

Oher didn't go until 10 picks later. Not only did the Redskins think that Orakpo was the better player, the 10 teams who drafted after them didn't value Oher enough to make him a pick in the teens. Regardless, we will be able to compare the careers of Oher and Orakpo as the years go by and see if the Redskins erred in taking the end over the tackle.

But for right now the Orakpo pick is, at worst, defensible.

It is the third-round pick of Maryland cornerback Kevin Barnes that has some folks irate. A third-round pick generally isn't an instant starter but he could be and, certainly, one would expect that the 80th overall pick, a first-day selection under the old draft schedule, would be ready to start at some point in the next year or so.

So why not a tackle here? I don't have access to the Redskins' draft board but one would have to assume that Barnes was the higher-rated player and that no offensive tackle was close.

You can say that Vinny Cerrato and company and the rest of the gang in Ashburn wouldn't know a good prospect if he sat in their lap and called them mama (to quote the commercial played endlessly over the course of the draft). The rest of the league, however, backs up that judgment.

After Barnes was drafted with the 16th pick of the third round, no team took an offensive lineman for the rest of that round. Not one. The next offensive lineman to go was a center, Jonathan Lugis out of Arkansas, with the sixth pick of the fourth round (106 overall).

The next player listed as an offensive tackle to go was T. J. Land of Eastern Michigan, who went a few picks later to Green Bay with the 109th overall pick. A Google search reveals, however, that it appears that he is being thought of more as a guard than as a tackle.

You have to go to the 35th pick of the fourth round, all the way to pick No. 135, to find the next tackle taken. Troy Kropog of Tulane went to the Titans with a compensatory pick. Reaching by 50 picks, a round and a half, to fill a need is not the way to build through the draft.

If you want to argue that the Skins should have taken Jamon Meredith or Duke Robinson or Fenuki Tupou instead of Cody Glenn in the fifth, fine. I'll concede that one. The rest of the league, however, didn't seem to think as much of them as Kiper, Mayock, and the rest of the draft "experts" did.

We can compare over the years and see how they turn out just like we do with other players the Redskins could have had like LaRon Landry vs. Amobi Okoye or Fred Davis vs. Calais Campbell.

While you can get lucky every once in a while you aren't going to solve your problem areas for this year in the fifth round and later. If you want to debate Robert Henson vs. Tackle X or Eddie Williams vs. Tackle Y, be my guest. Again, time will tell.

The Redskins didn't lose their opportunity to take a tackle in this draft over the weekend. They lost it last August when they dealt their second-round pick for Jason Taylor and when their fourth-rounder went to the Jets for Pete Kendall two years ago.

That limited their options both in terms of sheer numbers and in the opportunity to move up and down. A second-round pick such as Phil Loadholt of Oklahoma would have made the whole draft look a lot better.

But you can't draft the draft you wish was there, you have to work with was actually is there. Time will tell how this one will turn out.

Sometimes NFL Teams Have To Use "Just a Guy"

Rich Tandler — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 07:32:21 -0400

The Washington Redskins go into the NFL draft next weekend and the popular perception is that they have at least three glaring needs.

It's considered unacceptable to have either Jon Jansen or Stephon Heyer starting at right tackle, relying on a tag team of Phillip Daniels and Renaldo Wynn at left defensive end is a shaky plan at best and there isn't a starting-quality strong-side linebacker on the roster.

The Redskins can expect to have the opportunity to get an immediate starter at one of those positions on Saturday when their first-round pick comes up at No. 13. If you're reading this, you know the names—Michael Oher and Andre Smith at tackle, Brian Orakpo and Robert Ayers at end and Rey Maualuga and Brian Cushing at linebacker.

Or they might elect not to take any of those players if they trade up to take USC quarterback Mark Sanchez. Dan Snyder, Vinny Cerrato and Jim Zorn spent Friday night wining and dining Sanchez at a trendy D. C. restaurant.

I don't think that they waste their time doing that unless they are serious about making a move. That doesn't mean that it will happen but it has to be considered to be a possibility.

So, two or three of the above needs will remain after the first day of the draft. You can't count on getting immediate help on the second day so come Sunday night when Mr. Irrelevant is named the Skins still will be unsettled in more than one position.

And many, if not most, NFL teams will be in the same boat. You can't fill every starting position with a high draft pick or with a premium free agent. Sometimes you have to go with someone who is just a guy.

Should the Redskins not land an offensive tackle that guy could be Jansen or Heyer or maybe Devin Clark, a rookie free agent who spent last year on the practice squad. Wynn, Daniels, and Chris Wilson could be the guys rotating at right DE.

H. B. Blades was a guy who filled in at linebacker last year and didn't embarrass himself. Or another guy who could end up starting at the Sam linebacker is the recently-signed Robert Thomas, who has started 50 NFL games in six years in the league.

If you're starting just a guy, it's likely that you have to design your schemes to compensate for the average to below-average skills that your guy possesses.

For this reason, the Redskins might be well advised to use their top pick on either the linebacker or the end. Since they usually are lined up on the same side of the field it makes it much more difficult to cover the weak spot.

And, again, the Redskins will not be alone if they start a couple of players who are just a guy. Virtually every NFL team has to pull a guy off the bench or sign a guy who is in low demand as a free agent and insert him into the starting lineup.

This isn't to say that this is the ideal situation. That would be to have a young player who you drafted a couple of years ago ready to step in and start. But with 22 starting positions to fill, so much player movement and the uncertainties of the draft it doesn't always work out that way.

And, since the Redskins trade away so many draft picks (last year being very much the exception) they have that ready-to-go player available less often than most teams.

But if it's not ideal that doesn't mean that it's a disaster. Nevertheless, Redskins Nation is likely to be fretting and wringing its collective hands on Monday morning, lamenting unfilled needs. Chances are, though, that a few guys will end up working out just fine.

The Biggest Deals the Washington Redskins Never Made

Rich Tandler — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 10:04:49 -0400

For every trade and other deal that NFL teams make, there are a dozen or so that are rumored or that fall apart for a variety of reasons. Here, in reverse chronological order, are some of the biggest Washington Redskins deals that never took place.

Jay Cutler from Denver to Washington, 2009—This is the most recent, of course. A direct trade with the Broncos didn't get traction because Broncos coach Josh McDaniels didn't want Jason Campbell and a three-way trade involving Cleveland fell apart at the last minute.
Lance Briggs from Chicago to Washington, 2007—This was a Dan Snyder creation. The trade came up over cocktails with Briggs' agent Drew Rosenhaus at the owners' meetings. Pro Bowl linebacker Briggs, the Bears' franchise player, would have gone to Washington and the Redskins and the teams would have swapped first-round picks (the Redskins had No. 6, the Bears No. 31). The Bears didn't seem to want any part of it and Joe Gibbs didn't seem to be very enthusiastic about it either. Rosenhaus managed to keep the talk going for a while it never happened.
Reggie White as a free agent to Washington, 1993—White was the biggest catch of the first truly free free agency class in 1993. It appeared certain that the Redskins would be able to outbid everyone for the defensive end's services. The Packers weren't considered to be a factor at all until the moment he signed a four year, $17 million deal with Green Bay.
John Elway from Denver to Washington, 1991—The two teams involved managed to keep a tight lid on this one and we heard nothing about it at the time. Mark Rypien, the Redskins starter in 1990, was balking at signing a new contract, so Joe Gibbs got on the phone to the Broncos to talk about dealing for Elway, who at the time was a star without a championship ring. The talks never got beyond preliminary discussions. Rypien eventually signed and went on to become the Super Bowl MVP.
Darrell Green from Washington to Denver, 1989—This one got way beyond the talking stage and almost became a reality. Here's the story from the pages of my upcoming book The Redskins Chronicle:

April 4—For how much longer will Darrell Green be a Washington Redskin?

Trade talks with the Denver Broncos have gone from discussion to real negotiation in the past days. The Redskins would take Denver's first-round pick (13th overall) and a player for the rights to Green. Just who that player would be is the sticking point.

The Redskins are willing to part with their 1983 first-round pick for a couple of reasons. One is the nagging injuries that have slowed the 5-9, 185-lb. cornerback to the extent that the team is concerned that he may be on the downside of his career.

The other reason is money. Green made $450,000 last year and is looking for a raise to $1 million a year. The Redskins are willing to give him a raise, but not to seven figures. The Broncos apparently are willing to pay Green his asking price.

The team has braced for Green's possible departure by signing cornerback Martin Mayhew as a free agent.

The Redskins eventually decided to hold on to Green and he signed a new contract in July.

Sonny Jurgensen from Philadelphia to Washington, 1960—Yes, this deal did occur—in 1964. In 1960, Jurgensen was a backup to Norm Van Brocklin and the Redskins had their eye on him. But the Eagles didn't want to give up their promising clipboard carrier. Four years later, after Jurgensen became the starter and tormented the Redskins on several occasions, the Skins finally got their man.

All of these trade rumors and the stories of the deals that did happen are detailed in my upcoming book The Redskins Chronicle. If you want to know when it comes out, just go to the book's Webs ite and sign up.

Did I miss any? Do you remember any that you want me to investigate? Discuss in the comments.

Jay Cutler: The Washington Redskins Need To Get it Done

Rich Tandler — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 17:02:12 -0400

The Washington Redskins gave up 21 points or fewer, 10 times last year. In fact, they gave up more than 24 points just once last year. Add Albert Haynesworth to the lineup and it could well be a rare Sunday that a Washington opponent gets past the upper teens in scoring.

Jay Cutler's Broncos have a record of 13-1 when they give up fewer than 21 points.

Do the math.

The Redskins need to get Jay Cutler.

Not at any price. Their 2009 and 2010 first-round picks are too much. But if Denver wants their 2010 No. 1, Jason Campbell, and maybe second-day selection this year?

Boom, just do it.

How about if Denver asks for this year's first and Campbell? I try to get back a second or third this year or next, but if that's what it takes, I would do it.

I like Campbell a lot. I've even been categorized as a Jason Campbell apologist. He still has a ways to go, but in the absence of a viable alternative—and I do not believe that Colt Brennan is anywhere near viable at this point in time—I'd rather give him one year too many to prove himself rather than one year too few.

Cutler isn't just a viable alternative; he is a major upgrade. Both have been their teams' starting quarterback for part of 2006 and all of 2007 and 2008. Campbell has attempted about 100 more passes.

Cutler has just over 9,000 yards (7.4 per attempt), Campbell about 7,200 (6.4). When it comes to getting it into the end zone, Cutler has done it 54 times, Campbell 34. Campbell is markedly better at holding on to the ball, throwing 23 interceptions to Cutler's 37.

I think that most teams would give up a dozen or so interceptions in return for an additional 20 TD's and an extra full yard per attempt.

This would not be a quick fix, an attempt to squeeze another year or two out of an aging veteran. Cutler will be 26 later this month, making him a year and a half younger than Campbell. The Redskins would be set at quarterback until at least 2020.

The cap-strapped Redskins certainly can afford Cutler. He's signed through 2011 at reasonable base salaries and the Broncos would have to eat all of the guaranteed money left on the deal.

If he's successful in the next year or two he'll want a new deal before that, but the cap may not be an issue by then. Even if it is, the Redskins will find a way to get it done.

What of Cutler's attitude? Do you really want to deal for a quarterback who pouted his way out of Denver, one of the NFL's model franchises?

You certainly have to conduct due diligence here. Vinny Cerrato needs to call Mike Shanahan and have a long talk about Cutler's character, work ethic, and leadership ability. They need to talk to former coaches and teammates on the same subject.

There were indications that Jeff George would be Jeff George, before he was Jeff George. Cerrato and company need to do a thorough search for such red flags.

Should these conversations indicate that Cutler is a reasonable risk, the Redskins need to jump into the bidding. The Redskins have an advantage over some other suitors in that they are in the NFC. That gives the Redskins an advantage over a team like the Jets.

The Broncos would much rather deal him out of the AFC. If two offers are roughly equal in terms of players and picks, Denver clearly is likely to go with the bid from the other conference.

Another advantage the Redskins have is that they have been talking to the Broncos for about a month about a possible deal. Oh, you actually believed the denials issued by Jim Zorn and Cerrato? What do you expect them to say? They have to work with Jason Campbell if it doesn't go through. They don't want to be in the same position as the Broncos are now, with a disgruntled quarterback on their hands.

One ESPN.com blogger puts the odds of the Redskins landing Cutler at 10-1. I think that's a bit low. Someone I trust put the odds at about 50-50 and that was before this announcement that Cutler is available.

The bottom line is that if the Redskins want to make something happen, they have a history of being able to do so. And it says here that chances are that the Redskins want to make this happen.

Washington Redskins Recycle Phillip Daniels

Rich Tandler — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 08:55:39 -0400

According to David Elfin at the Washington Times, Phillip Daniels is returning to the Washington Redskins.

The 36-year-old defensive end's season ended very early last year as he suffered a knee injury on the very first day of training camp. He returns after an absence of only about a month after his contract was voided in a cost-cutting move in February.

The signing furthers an "old guys rule" movement at defensive end. Renaldo Wynn, who will be 35 by the time the season starts, officially resigned with the team earlier this week.

Daniels was the team's full-time starter at left end for three seasons. In 2007, he recorded 37 tackles and 2.5 sacks.

This is not a bad move given that the Redskins had all of one experienced defensive end on the roster a week ago. Daniels is a solid run stopper, and with Albert Haynesworth collapsing the middle of the line he should be able to get a few mop-up sacks.

The issue with the signings of Daniels and Wynn is that the need to sign them existed. The need is a result of the cycle of futility that I wrote about earlier this month. They had no depth to replace Daniels when he went down last August so they traded for Jason Taylor.

That cost them their second-round pick in this year's draft and a fifth next year. Taylor is gone before the draft pick used to acquire him has been used.

So the Redskins have a need and they don't have the means to come up with a long-term solution to fill that need. That means a short term, stopgap solution is necessary.

And when Daniels and Wynn are gone in a year or two there won't be a solid young player ready to step in and fill those roles in the long term.

And another stopgap will get plugged in. And so it goes.

My new book The Redskins Chronicle will be coming out soon. Go to RedskinsChronicle.com to sign up for pre-publication specials.

Washington Redskins' Position Paper: Cornerback

Rich Tandler — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 08:06:21 -0500

The defensive backfield was the strong suit of the Washington Redskins defense in 2008. For that matter, it probably was the strongest unit on the team.

It would be great if the team could just carry that area of strength into the '09 season intact. However, some decisions must be made and some major change is possible.

The first piece of the puzzle is cornerback DeAngelo Hall. After being picked up in midseason following an unceremonious dumping by the Raiders, Hall worked his way into the starting lineup and played well.

There are signs that he may be growing up and that his "MeAngelo" days are behind him. He is an unrestricted free agent and if the Redskins can get it for something like the numbers being floated around—about $12 million guaranteed and $45 million over six years—it's a no-brainer to bring him back.

What I don't understand is why Hall and Carlos Rogers are being presented as an either/or proposition. Rogers was playing at a Pro Bowl level for the first half of the season, and he wasn't awful when he was demoted to nickelback when Hall moved in to the starting position.

He has a year left on his contract. If there is no collective bargaining agreement by next year Rogers will be a restricted free agent, meaning that the Redskins can make him a qualifying offer and get a first-round pick if he signs elsewhere. In any case, there is a good chance that the Redskins will control his rights for the next two seasons.

I can understand wanting to recoup the second-round pick that the Redskins gave up in the Jason Taylor trade, and it's likely that Rogers could fetch such a selection in a trade. But it's unlikely—possible, but unlikely—that whoever the Redskins might pick up in the second round would have the impact that Rogers will.

Remember that he was coming off of major knee surgery and that nobody thought he would be able to play until October at the earliest. Rogers probably never will be an elite corner, but with an offseason devoted to conditioning and full participation in OTA's rather than to rehab he could be a very good one. The Redskins should be looking to extend his contract rather than trade him.

If a corner must go, it should be Shawn Springs. Yes, he's still a productive player but he carries an $8 million cap number this season. There would be a net savings of about $6 million if he is released. That money could go to good use in other places, like signing Hall and extending Rogers.

In this case, it would be better to let him go a year too early than keep him around a year too long. All of the calf problems last year suggest that he's becoming too slow to heal, a huge red flag.

I can take or leave Fred Smoot. He rarely gets smoked but he has trouble making plays on the ball when he's in position to do so. There would be a cap hit of, by my estimate, about $1.5 million to release him.

The mystery man is Justin Tryon. He got into 14 games last year, mostly on special teams. Still, he saw considerable action as a dime back and you didn't hear his name much.

Generally, that's good for a rookie defensive back. With all of the uncertainty surrounding the players ahead of him on the depth chart, Tryon just may get a chance to show what he can do in 2009.

Rich Tandler blogs about the Skins at RealRedskins.com and is the author of the upcoming book The Redskins Chronicle. You can reach him by email a rich.tandler+real@gmail.com.

Redskins vs. Eagles: After Further Review

Rich Tandler — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 22:39:56 -0500

Had the Washington Redskins managed to beat the Cincinnati Bengals last week or the St. Louis Rams in mid-October, yesterday's 10-3 win over the Eagles would have been a landmark game with a legendary finish. It would have propelled them into a position to snag a spot in the playoffs by beating the 49ers next Sunday.

In the real world, however, it was a somewhat entertaining game that featured a mix of good defense and bad offense on the part of both teams.

The Washington secondary swarmed over the Eagle receivers most of the game. Donovan McNabb frequently was unable to find open receivers and that gave Jason Taylor a chance to rack up two sacks, more than doubling his total for the season. One of those sacks was accompanied by a strip of the ball, and London Fletcher's subsequent recovery and return set up the Redskins' only touchdown.

When McNabb had time to throw—and he did frequently—his receivers were getting rocked. LaRon Landry, who had his best game in a long time, smacked the Eagles' receiver Desean Jackson on a couple of occasions, once sending the rookie into the locker room to have the medical staff take a look at his ribs.

In another, less spectacular but equally effective play in the fourth quarter, Shawn Springs executed a classic strip of the ball on a McNabb to Jackson pass over the middle.

That was the good defense part. The bad offense came when the Eagles got a severe case of the dropsies. First it was tight end L. J. Smith dropping a couple of short passes with a lot of green grass in front of him. Then Jackson couldn't get the handle on a couple of deep passes, including one in the end zone that would have tied the game in the late going.

Someone in the press box counted seven drops (presumably not counting Assante Samuel's drop of an interception that cost the Eagles some 40 yards of field position).

The Eagles had ample opportunity to drop passes since Andy Reid had McNabb drop back 48 times and hand off just 16 times. Even if you take out the 15 passes that McNabb attempted in that final drive you still have a pass to run ratio of two to one.

This in a game that the Redskins led by more than a touchdown for just over four minutes on a cold, windy evening and that Philly entered with two of its top receivers inactive. It appeared for a while the Reid was buying into the concept of offensive balance but it certainly eluded him in this game.

It's hard to say whether or not the Eagles played great defense since the Washington offense was its usual unproductive self. The one sustained scoring drive, a 16-play field goal march that consumed 8:31 of the second quarter, was nice but it ended with three points instead of seven.

About the best you can say about the Washington offense was that it did move the chains and thus was able to give the defense some rest. They didn't have any three and out series in the first three quarters.

The D needed the time on the sideline as the Redskins went three and out on three straight drives in the fourth quarter. Two of those started in Eagle territory but the Redskins, thanks primarily to some ultra-conservative play calling by Zorn, couldn't salt it away.

The defense got the job done, forcing four straight three-play Eagle possessions. They had enough left in the tank to stop their last drive a yard short of the end zone.

Again, if this game had playoff implications the high-low stop of Reggie Brown by Fred Smoot and Landry would have been wall poster material. I asked Landry if he'd ever heard of Ken Houston and, to my disappointment but not to my surprise, he said that he had not.

The stop wasn't exactly like the solo tackle of Walt Garrison that Houston made in 1973, but it was the closest thing we've seen since. There was no question that the ball never crossed the plane of the goal line but everyone had to wait another minute or so for that to be confirmed by replay.

Zorn and the locker room were appropriately "medium" after this one, certainly happy to get a win in a game that had meaning to the other team (and, technically, meaning for the Redskins as it unfolded as it was on at the same time as the Falcons game) but far from giddy over breaking their three-game losing streak.

Rich Tandler blogs about the Skins at RealRedskins.com and he is the author of the upcoming book The Redskins Chronicle. You can reach Rich by email at rich.tandler+real@gmail.com

Redskins' Instability Has a Number: 30

Rich Tandler — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 00:23:41 -0500

In yesterday's post about Jim Zorn, I asked the reader to consider how many changes the Redskins have had at four key areas of the team, the brains of the operation—head coach, offensive coordinator, defensive coordinator and quarterback. I decided to quantify that thought and list the men who have held those positions since the start of the 1998 season.

The list has five head coaches, six offensive coordinators (I listed the de facto OC's, so four of them were head coaches as well), seven defensive coordinators, and 12 starting quarterbacks.

In two games short of 11 seasons, the Redskins have had 30 different men in charge of planning and executing on-field strategy. That's an average of almost three changes per season.

In light of this, I'll say that it's nearly miraculous and a tribute to the players that the team has made three playoff appearances and has avoided a disastrous, 13-loss season in that time frame.

Consider that in a time frame one year shorter the Eagles have had the same men in the same jobs. Since 1999, it's been Andy Reid as head coach and offensive coordinator, Jim Johnson as defensive coordinator, and Donovan McNabb playing quarterback.

Reid and company went 5-11 in '99, and then made the playoffs at 11-5 the next year they've been in the playoffs six of the last eight years and they advanced to four straight NFC title games. A tiny bit of patience has paid big dividends. I wouldn't necessarily want the Redskins to do everything like the Eagles do, but there are some lessons to be learned here.

Head coaches

Norv Turner
Marty Schottenheimer
Steve Spurrier
Joe Gibbs
Jim Zorn
(Please note that it is an official policy of mine not to count interim coaches as head coaches, thus the omission of Terry Robiskie.)

Offensive coordinators

Turner
Jimmy Raye
Spurrier
Gibbs
Al Saunders
Zorn

Defensive coordinators

Mike Nolan
Ray Rhodes
Kurt Schottenheimer
Marvin Lewis
George Edwards
Gregg Williams
Greg Blache

Quarterbacks

Gus Frerotte
Trent Green
Brad Johnson
Jeff George
Tony Banks
Shane Matthews
Danny Wuerffel
Patrick Ramsey
Tim Hasselbeck
Mark Brunell
Jason Campbell
Todd Collins

Jim Zorn: Self-Proclaimed "Worst Coach in America" Still Needed in Washington

Rich Tandler — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 22:21:38 -0500

Here I go again.

After standing up for the status quo a couple of weeks ago in saying that Jason Campbell should stay behind center for the Washington Redskins, here I am calling for some more stability.

Jim Zorn needs to be given at least one more year, preferably more, to make the Redskins into a team that is capable of going deep into the playoffs.

I'm not saying this because I think that Zorn is without flaws that need to be corrected. He has made mistakes, and I'm not going to call them rookie mistakes. Rookies come into the league and enter an environment that is totally different from the one that they were used to in college. Zorn has spent virtually all of his adult life in the NFL.

Through observation he should know that you have to have your finger on the pulse of the team and know that a player like Clinton Portis isn't going to knock on his office door when he's ticked off about a coaching decision.

You can't let Carlos Rogers stand there in the tunnel waiting to get introduced as a starter when everyone in Washington who had Internet access could find out that he had been demoted to second string.

From watching Mike Holmgren over the past seven years, he should know that your sideline demeanor can set the tone for the rest of the team and that if you act frustrated that feeling can spread.

He appeared to be unprepared for other teams catching up with his offensive schemes. In this league, as soon as something starts working, you had better make plans to tweak it.

However, I will go on the assumption that he recognizes these mistakes, that he's not stuck on stupid, and that he wants to improve. In other words, I figure he meant what he said in his Monday presser, when he said he felt like "the worst coach in America" and basically took responsibility for everything that's gone wrong short of the problems that General Motors is having.

If you're reading this, I don't have to chronicle all of the upheaval that the team has undergone in the past 10 years. The number of changes at the key positions—head coach, offensive and defensive coordinators, and quarterback—has been staggering. You have to give Zorn some time to grow and learn and get the players to ingrain his system and philosophy into their brains and bodies.

I don't think that Dan Snyder will pull the trigger on firing Zorn this soon. If nothing else, to do so would be to admit that the long, drawn out coaching search of last January came to a disastrously wrong conclusion.

Had the Redskins reached their 7-7 record by winning one, dropping a couple, going on a mini-streak followed by a mild slump, there would be no talk of Jim Zorn being fired. They would be meeting the mildly optimistic preseason expectations of a .500 season. But the way they have gone from 6-2 to 7-7 has many people fired up.

But you are what your record says you are not matter how you get to that record. The Redskins are about where they've been for the past decade, not horrible but also not ready to contend for any kind of playoff run. Their best shot at changing that in the near future is to resist change and stay the course with Jim Zorn.

Redskins Play a Stinker in Cincy

Rich Tandler — Sun, 14 Dec 2008 11:50:31 -0500

Let's dispose of this stinker in a hurry.

When Cedric Benson throws 161 combined yards against you, you have no business winning.

When you let Ryan Fitzpatrick stand up at the line and bark out audibles like Peyton Manning, you have no business winning.

When the Bengals defense is giving your offensive line the jitters by walking up to the line and backing off, you have no business winning.

When you twice get flagged for an illegal formation, you have no business winning.

When your 280-pound fullback can't nudge for a quarter of a yard to get into the end zone, you have no business winning.

When your defense allows Benson, Fitzpatrick, and the rest of the Bengals to shove the ball down your throat for 16 plays in 7:13 to ice the game with a field goal, you have no business winning.

The Washington Redskins had no business winning against the Bengals.

They played like they were the 1-11-1 underdogs with nothing to play for. They were timid and tentative. The fumble on the third play of the game seemed to break their will right off the bat.

If that didn't, Sellers' fumble at the goal line did. Even though 20 minutes remained to be played, they seemed to be done.

I hate Sellers in short yardage. Get him the ball out in the open and let him hurdle and bowl defensive backs over to his heart's content. On short yardage, though, you need someone who knows how to run, find a crack in the wall and slither through it.

All Sellers wants to do is power his way over guys who are bigger than he is. And you never, ever push the ball away from your body to get it to break the plane unless you are 100 percent certain that you can get over.

While normally like to amuse myself and others—mostly myself—with longshot playoff scenarios, I'm not even going to go there. Although the Redskins aren't officially eliminated, they'd have to win out and some other teams would have to lose out for them to get in.

Instead, it's time to look to next year. I think that Jim Zorn stays, but I'll be much less certain of that should the Redskins lose out from here.

Changes on the coaching staff are inevitable, no matter who is the head coach. I've got to think that receivers coach Stan Hixon has to bear a load of the responsibility for the slow development of the team's rookie pass catchers.

Joe Bugel, thanks for the memories and I know it's been a tough year for you personally, but it's time to pack it in.

I don't give Danny Smith a free pass for the performance of the special teams—the Giants' first extra point a couple of weeks ago tells me all I need to know—but I think he'll get one.

Player personnel changes will be the subject of a lot of space here over the coming few months (free agency is just two and a half months away!). I'll look at a few things over the next few days.

Clinton Portis vs. Jim Zorn: A Lose-Lose Situation

Rich Tandler — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 23:14:04 -0500

Clinton Portis needs to shut up.

Jim Zorn needed to speak up.

In choosing to blast Zorn on the John Thompson show (boy, Snyder owning that station really has stifled criticism of the team, hasn't it?), Portis created a distraction at exactly the time that the team did not need it.

After sitting out most of the second half of last Sunday's game against the Ravens, Portis had two full days to figure out what he was going to say about it on his weekly radio appearance on ESPN980 with the former Georgetown basketball coach.

He chose to be still angry about the fact that he sat out the last 30 minutes of the team's 24-10 loss and to express that anger in a mix of sarcastic comments and resignation.

In other words, he chose to show his spoiled, selfish, high-maintenance diva side.

Appearing on the same radio station later in the day, Zorn reiterated what he said on Sunday and Monday, that Portis sat out the half because he hadn't been able to practice all week.

The Ravens were bringing a lot of different looks and blitzes ("exotic" blitzes as John Madden said about 1,000 times). Zorn felt it was important to have a back who actually had executed the protection schemes on the practice field in the game. That was Ladell Betts.

The problem is that Zorn had a few opportunities to talk to Portis about his line of reasoning, to explain his logic and to soothe the player's rather substantial ego. He thought that it was important enough to talk to the press about on Sunday night and Monday afternoon, but he didn't find the time to sit down with Portis and set things straight.

In other words, he chose to display his inexperience as a head coach.

Portis protested that he knew the schemes, that he had been at the meetings and had paid attention at practice. This seems to be the heart of his complaint.

"If I can run through the week, I'd practice. If I can't, then I ain't. And I'm not gonna force myself to go onto a field and do something crazy and then all of the sudden I'm out. What I need to be around for is Sundays, and that's what I try to be around for. So I mean, if you've got a problem with me not practicing and can't do it that way, maybe you feel like you need to sever ties, split ties with me? Split ties with me. But don't sit here and throw me out like I don't pay attention, like I don't know what's going on, like I'm making mistakes, I'm the problem."

If Zorn had explained to Portis that he understood why he couldn't practice during the week and that he simply had to do what he thought was best for the team, this whole issue could have been avoided.

Portis could have spoken his mind behind closed doors and, while it's unlikely that he would have been happy about it, he would have had the chance to get it off his chest. Since he wasn't given the chance to do so, he decided to go nuclear and speak his mind to the world.

That doesn't mean that Portis had to do it. The part where he talks about severing ties is particularly galling. He just got a bunch of guaranteed money in the offseason and in doing so he made it virtually impossible for the Redskins to sever ties. Portis has had plenty of opportunity to shine under Zorn this year but when the road gets a little bumpy he starts to talk about bailing out.

It remains to be seen how much effect Portis' comments will have on the locker room. He's not exactly a leader on the team. His comments earlier in the year about his offensive line and about how the team didn't seem to be focused going into the game against the Rams have created a "Clinton is Clinton" mentality among his teammates.

Some may grate privately at what he says but to a man they admire his attitude and production between the lines.

In other words, the ripple effects are likely to be minimal.

This time.

If Zorn continues to speak to his players though the press rather than taking his issues up with them in private, things could begin to get sticky.

Youth Movement Underway on Washington Redskins' O-Line?

Rich Tandler — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 13:06:20 -0500

By necessity, a youth movement is underway on the Redskins' offensive line. With Chris Samuels going onto injured reserve, the Redskins signed Devin Clark from the practice squad. The former New Mexico Lobo, who signed as an undrafted free agent last spring, is 22 years old, 6 foot 4, 302 pounds. He will practice at both tackle spots as Jon Jansen's status is uncertain. Jansen will undergo an MRI to examine his sprained knee.

In addition, it appears that Chad Reinhart will be active on game day for the first time this Sunday. The team's third-round draft pick is a more natural guard, but he did play tackle some during the preseason.

This all comes as the team's offensive line is undergoing a firestorm of criticism. The unit was whipped soundly from tackle to tackle and all three spots in between on a regular basis on Sunday night in Baltimore. The poor performance was the continuation of a pattern of bad play against strong defensive units over the past several weeks.

It has become clear that the team will have to rebuild the unit starting soon. The five starters are all well over 31 years of age and they are transforming from being wily veterans to being old guys right before our eyes.

The performances of Clark and Reinhardt over the next few weeks will go a long way towards determining the path the Redskins must take this offseason. If they can perform well, whether it's as starters or in reserve roles, the team may not have to invest draft picks and/or free agent dollars in offensive linemen, or at least not a lot of either.

If they show that they are projects a few years away from contributing, if they ever do at all, the first-round pick will almost have to go for an O-lineman and some cap room will have to be cleared out for a free agent starter or two.

The mystery man here is Stephon Heyer. It appears that he will start on the left side. He did well at right tackle last year, moving into Jansen's slot later in the season. This year he won the starting job on the right side, got injured and hasn't been able to move back ahead of Jansen, who hasn't played well in two months. It appears that he will start at left tackle but he no longer appears to be the bright prospect he once was.

Whatever Zorn and Bugel do, they should not put Jason Fabini in as a stopgap. Yes, I know that the playoffs are on the line (and three in a row will get them in) but sometimes you have to look to the future. Giving Fabini meaningful action in these last three games would take such action away from players who need to develop and who need to be evaluated. Starting Fabini appears to be the course they are going to take and it’s a mistake.

And speaking of old guys among a group of old guys, Pete Kendall has to go after this season. He hasn't played horribly but he'll be 36 by the time training camp rolls around next year. Never will he be the dominant force with a mean streak that the team needs at the position. Here is what I'd like to see the Redskins' starting OL to be on opening day 2009:

LT Samuels—At 32 he still has a few good years left in him.
LG Reinhart—After a year of learning, he should be ready to go.
C Rabach—This position could be upgraded if the team had a second-round pick; they still could trade back for one. Geisinger could take the spot here as well.
RG Thomas—I'm not 100 percent sure that Thomas still has it in him, so I wouldn't be shocked if a first-round guard wound up here.
RT Clark—Or Heyer if he can get his act together.

That would be at least a 40 percent turnover from old to young and probably 60% as I don't think we'll see both Rabach and Thomas back as starters.

Rich Tandler blogs about the Skins at RealRedskins.com and he is the author of the upcoming book The Redskins Chronicle. You can reach Rich by email at rich.tandler+real@gmail.com

Will 10 Wins Get the Washington Redskins In?

Rich Tandler — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 03:25:57 -0500

In 2005 and again in 2007, the Washington Redskins faced strings of must-win games in December. They lost to San Diego in the last game of November of '05 to fall to 5-6. They then reeled off five straight wins to grab a wild card spot. Last year they were 5-7 after a Dec. 2 loss to the Bills and it took four wins in a row to pull out another postseason berth.

This year, the Redskins sit at 7-5 going into the final month of the season. While they are third in their division and fourth among the four teams with realistic wild card aspirations, their situation for making the playoffs is difficult, but not as desperate as it was three years ago or last year.

A repeat of last year's four-game run would almost certainly lead to a trip to the playoffs. Here are the four teams currently in contention plus Tampa Bay, with the same record as Carolina and leading the NFC South on tiebreakers:

TB 9-3: @CAR @ATL SD OAK
CAR 9-3: TB DEN @NYG @NO
ATL 8-4: @NO TB @MIN STL
DAL 8-4: @PIT NYG BAL @PHI
WAS 7-5: @BAL @CIN PHI @SF

At first glance, this looks rather bleak as the Redskins will have to pass two teams in order to make it in. That's difficult, but not as daunting as it may seem.

To set this up, let's say that the Redskins are able to get to 10 wins, with victories over Philly and San Francisco as part of the mix. That would give them a division record of 3-3 and a conference record of 8-4.

Look at Dallas' remaining schedule. It's the hardest of any NFL team. The Cowboys will do well to go 2-2 against that gauntlet. Should one of those losses come against the Eagles or Giants, they would be at 10-6 but with five conference losses. The Redskins would win the tiebreaker based on conference record.

The Bucs, Panthers, and Falcons have something of a round robin going on in the next couple of weeks, as Tampa Bay plays at Carolina this Sunday and Atlanta hosts the Bucs the following week.

There are way too many possible outcomes of those three games to go into all of them, but the best thing for the Skins is for the Bucs to sweep the two games and take command of the NFC South. Then Carolina would have four conference losses and would have to win two of their last three to get to 11 wins and stay out of a tiebreaker with a 10-win Redskins team. The Redskins would win that tiebreaker since Carolina would have five NFC losses if it finished 1-2 at that point.

The Falcons are 5-3 and all of their remaining games are against NFC teams. That means that if they finish 10-6 they will automatically have five conference losses and would finish behind the Skins in a tiebreaker.

The Redskins want to stay out of a tiebreaker with the Bucs, who have only two conference losses with two NFC games left.

But all the Redskins need to have a good shot at making it a 10-6 is to have no more than one non-division winner to finish at 11-5.

What it boils down to here is that while this Sunday night's game against the Ravens is important in a lot of ways, it's not vital to the team's playoff chances. If they lose, it's a non-conference game and they would be facing three games (I hate to label those last three as "very winnable" as everything has been a struggle lately but they are games the Skins should be able to win without playing at their absolute peak) that they would have to sweep to get to 10.

The picture will become clearer after this week's games and we'll have solid must-win and must-lose games after Week 15. But for now, 10 seems to be the number that will have the Redskins playing into January.