Washington Redskins: An Outsider Look at How to Become Competitive in 2011
With the 2010 season pretty much done, and the New York Giants and Philadelphia Eagles fighting for the division, the Washington Redskins should begin to plan how they will spend their time, energy and money this coming offseason.
If the Redskins were mine to do with as I pleased, and there is no lockout next year, here are my ideas for how to turn the Redskins into a contender next year.
Quarterback
1 of 17
The Redskins have already signed their $78 million dollar man with Donovan McNabb.
Of course, there are the stipulations that he could be paid significantly less if he is cut at the end of the year.
The past two weeks, since his benching and forgiving the Eagles game, McNabb has shown that he is doing his best to learn the offense and doing a pretty good job at it. He is managing third downs well for the first time this season and is seeking his check down man more than trying to hit the hail mary.
Enter, Christian Ponder.
Ponder, of Florida State, is currently a second-round draft pick, according to CBSsports.com.
The Redskins can use a draft pick to pick up a potentially good quarterback if he can learn under Donovan McNabb and Mike Shanahan at the same time. Two future Hall of Famers as instructors cannot be a bad thing for an inexperienced rookie.
Is Ponder the answer?
No.
But he does have the mechanics and vision to make a Pro Bowl about two or three times in his career with the correct system.
Is he a Hall of Fame caliber quarterback?
I would draft him to find out because Jake Locker will not be around for the taking and no decent free agent quarterback will be available past Kevin Kolb.
Running Back
2 of 17
Ok, so the obvious choices would be to go after restricted free agent Jamaal Charles of Kansas City.
Key word being "restricted."
The Chiefs are not going to let Charles go without getting the franchise in return after the past two seasons he has had for them.
One restricted free agent who may be worth the risk of pawning up a draft pick or cash for him would be Tim Hightower. Hightower is quickly being downgraded in the Cardinals offense with the emergence of Beanie Wells, even though he is still listed as the No. 1 running back on their depth chart.
Hightower has good size and is a physical runner. He is also a hometown player, he went to high school in Alexandria, Virginia. He also played his college football at the University of Richmond in Virginia's capital.
He currently averages almost five yards per carry behind a bad Cardinals offensive line with no sure starting quarterback. Hightower also can break out for a big run, including his career-best eighty-yard-run for a touchdown earlier this season.
So why hype Hightower so much? Because he is that good if he had an offensive line in front of him. Since he is restricted the Cardinals will still request a lot for him and that's something I do not think the Redskins should give up.
Two upcoming free agent running backs have my attention.
Jerome Harrison has not gotten a contract extension from the Eagles since being traded from Cleveland and appears poised to be a top free agent back this coming offseason.
Redskins fans certainly caught a glimpse of what Harrison can do in the open field during Monday Night Football so the question of "Can he?" should not even be a question.
The part that scares me a bit about Harrison is that he has never played all sixteen games in a season. He is a dual threat that can run and catch. He also has sturdy hands and before the 2010 season had only lost two fumbles his entire career.
So my pick?
2011's Michael Turner is another Michael.
Michael Bush.
Bush has not been a favorite of Al Davis' since joining Oakland and you can see it since he has played backup to Justin Fargas and now Darren McFadden.
With the breakout season McFadden is having there is no doubt he is the Raiders back of the future, and with Bush's contract expiring at the end of the season the 6'1" 245lbs running back will be looking for a new home with a bigger role in an offense.
Bush is currently 26 and in the prime of his career. He averages about 4.4 yards per carry and has only lost three fumbles his entire career.
He may not be the long-term answer for the Redskins backfield, but a deteriorating Clinton Portis, a hurt Ryan Torain and two unproductive backups in Keiland Williams and James Davis will not lead the Redskins to the playoffs any time soon.
Fullback
3 of 17
One of the few positions the Redskins are set on.
Mike Sellers is an underrated fullback by most and deserves a spot on this team. He is a skilled pass blocker, a decent run blocker, excellent on special teams and can handle the ball well.
He is good in goal-line situations either pounding the ball in or jumping out for a quick screen.
Sellers is one of the best position players the Redskins have and I would use him more in the offense than the current scheme calls.
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
Wide Receiver
4 of 17
Ok, so first thing's first. Let's re-sign our current No. 1 receiver Santana Moss to about a three-year contract. That would put him at age 34 when the contract is done and right about that time to see if his production and speed are dropping. An option for a fourth year would be possible.
Ok, now that the No. 2 hole is filled and the slot is taken care of, here is how that shakes out.
Santana Moss is the No. 2 receiver who plays a role similar to Wes Welker in New England. Anthony Armstrong is our speed receiver and he can also be used for quick out passes.
That leaves a big target needed for red zone opportunities, right?
Mike Sims-Walker fits the bill.
At 6'2" tall, Sims-Walker can be counted on to go get the ball at its highest point. He is no Calvin Johnson, Andre Johnson or Miles Austin but he would be one of the better big targets the Redskins have been missing for years.
Sims-Walker's stats are very inconsistent due to the changes in gameplan down in Jacksonville. David Garrard will throw ten balls at him one game and zero the next.
With a healthy does of consistency, I believe Sims-Walker would be one of the best receivers the Redskins could ask for in the upcoming free agent class. The Jaguars will be attempting to re-sign the No. 1 receiver as well so he is going to command top dollar, which he should get for being as young (26) and talented as he is already.
Tight End
5 of 17
Out of the smoke and ashes arise!
Chris Cooley is already good. Has been good. Will be good.
Fred Davis on the other hand is finally showing everyone why he was drafted so high out of Southern California being known for his work ethic issues and questionable talent.
There is no question anymore.
Fred Davis has been lighting it up the past three weeks and finally taking some of the responsibility off of Chris Cooley which then requires them both to be covered and respected.
The Redskins are set in this position and need to sign both to long-term deals.
Offensive Tackle
6 of 17
Some people will scream about this one but I cannot help myself here.
I believe the tackles on the Washington Redskins offensive line are set for the next few years.
Jammal Brown was traded from the Saints for a draft pick to come here.
Trent Williams is a rookie this season and doing a pretty decent job holding off some of the league's best defensive linemen like Dwight Freeney.
Stephon Heyer is the backup and can play both sides in a pinch so I believe the burgundy and gold are good here.
Offensive Guard
7 of 17
Unlike the offensive tackle position, the offensive guard position can pretty much start packing their bags.
I will keep Kory Lichtensteiger as a backup.
Will Montgomery may also be kept as a backup.
Derrick Dockery and Artis Hicks can hit the road. I will bring in some consistent talent.
Daryn Colledge fits this bill nicely. A product of the blue turf at Boise State, Colledge has played very well during his time in Green Bay.
He has recently become expendable with the Packers taking Bryan Bulaga high in the draft and the Packers already having two good starting tackles, Bulaga is looking to squeeze in somewhere.
Colledge is a left guard through and through. He was pushed into playing left tackle in 2009 and struggled badly, but his 55 career starts at left guard treated him, and the Packers, very well. Colledge is flying under the radar as a potential steal.
For right guard I would look no further than the Atlanta Falcons.
Both of the guards for the Falcons can play either side and are known for being able to protect well.
Justin Blalock primarily plays left guard and Harvey Dahl usually plays right. Dahl is the older of the two lineman and had surgery on his foot before mini-camp this year.
Either of these two fine lineman would be able to play right guard for the Redskins in 2011 with no problems and it would sure up the offensive line very well.
If I had to pick one, the more likely one I could get would be Harvey Dahl. I know Michael Turner would be sad to see either of them leave.
Center
8 of 17
Jake Kirkpatrick is where I would spend one of my later draft picks during this offseason.
Kirkpatrick can learn a lot from Casey Rabach and could turn into a very solid offensive linemen.
He is currently part of a very senior TCU Horned Frogs team that was just invited to become a part of the Big East conference.
Tim Barnes of Missouri is another center that could be a great bargain in the later rounds of the draft.
Defensive End
9 of 17
The two gentlemen you see above, Brian Orakpo and Andre Carter, are all the Redskins need as defensive ends in my revamped 4-3 defense.
Yes, I would change the defense to 4-3.
To be clear, my defense of choice would be the 4-3.
In case you didn't catch that...
Ok I think you've got it.
Defensive Tackles
10 of 17
Since you've been beaten over the head with the knowledge of how I would change the defense to the 4-3, I figured I'd tell you one more time.
The Redskins already have one of the best defensive tackles in the NFL in a 4-3 system in Albert Haynesworth.
Ma'ake Kemoeatu or Kedric Golston could play beside Haynesworth for an effective defensive line and they already have these pieces to the puzzle.
A free agent piece to add if it is needed would be Robaire Smith of Cleveland. He is 33, but has had legal issues, most notably his trip to the airport with a gun.
Smith is a good player and would compliment Haynesworth very well with similar talents and would allow Kemoeatu and Golston to substitute in so Smith and Haynesworth could get a breather.
Linebackers
11 of 17
Believe it or not, I would not change the current linebackers.
Since the Redskins would be changed to a 4-3 here is how the starting lineup would look:
OLB: Lorenzo Alexander
ILB: London Fletcher
OLB: Rocky McIntosh
All of these linebackers are great run stoppers and London Fletcher continues to defy his age and can still cover thirty yards downfield.
A draft pick could be used to pick up a student for London Fletcher to teach.
A pick could be used on a linebacker like Nate Irving of North Carolina State or Kelvin Sheppard of LSU. Both of these linebackers come from great programs, have great talent but would come into the NFL raw.
Allow London Fletcher to mentor them and watch what can happen.
Cornerback
12 of 17
Can he jump?
Yup.
Can he catch?
Yup.
Can he cover good wide receivers?
You bet.
Chris Houston has to cover Calvin Johnson every day during practice. Houston is young and can play very well. Houston would be one of the players I pick up this offseason, without question.
Carlos Rogers is on his way out the door and Mr. Stone Hands is going to need to be replaced.
Champ Bailey will also be a feature free agent in 2011 unless something drastically changes in Denver.
The draft class is also very deep on talented cornerbacks including ten being projected to go in the first three rounds.
By far the biggest free agent corner available that would fit the Redskins well would be Richard Marshall of the Carolina Panthers. Most sites I have checked, including Rotoworld.com, predict that the Panthers will not be issuing an offer to Marshall to stay.
Johnathan Joseph of the Cincinnati Bengals would also be another fine choice.
After all of that, Chris Houston is one guy I would pick up for the long run and Richard Marshall would be someone I'd pick up for an immediate contributor that does not mind getting involved in run coverage.
Safety
13 of 17
LaRon Landry is a cornerstone of the Redskins defense. He is not going anywhere anytime soon in my book.
The revolving door at the other safety position between Kareem Moore and Reed Doughty would stop.
My pickups at the cornerback position would leave Philip Buchanon available to take over the free safety role.
If one must be picked up I would struggle to pry away Bernard Pollard from the Houston Texans.
Kicker
14 of 17
Graham Gano is a solid kicker and young.
He is signed to a three-year contract currently and I feel that he should serve the entire contract as long as he kicks like he has this year over the term of his deal.
He currently is kicking for a 75% average, not too bad.
His kickoffs are very deep and he usually pins the opposing team back well when he gets the chance.
Punter
15 of 17
Hunter "The Punter" Smith enjoyed a good, long career with Indianapolis.
Since I would be running the Redskins, Hunter Smith would be signed to a three-year deal to stay in Washington until he was in his late thirties.
He gets the job done and still has the leg to boot it if he needs to and has the sure hands needed to be an adequate holder for Graham Gano.
Coaching
16 of 17
Jim Haslett has done enough in the current and the past to make me think that once I change the defense to a 4-3 that he will have great success.
Now to the offense.
I'm sorry, I know Mike Shanahan was trying to do the father-son thing this year but Kyle is not working.
I have not liked Kyle Shanahan's play-calling since the beginning of the season and think that an offensive coordinator change would be necessary.
A list of suitors?
Mike Tice: Former Vikings head coach and current offensive line coach for the Chicago Bears.
Joe Lombardi: Grandson of former Redskins and Packers coach Vince Lombardi. His first season as quarterbacks coach of the New Orleans Saints helped Drew Brees pass for 5,069 yards.
Earnest Byner: One of the 70 Greatest Redskins, Byner is now the running backs coach for the Jacksonville Jaguars. He is the former running backs coach for the Tennessee Titans from 2008-2010 and can be credited from some of Chris Johnson's success during his 2,008 yard sophomore season.
Brian Billick: Former Ravens head coach and current commentator, Billick knows offense and how to win. Ask the Super Bowl winning Ravens.
Jim Fassel: Another former Baltimore Ravens staff member, Fassel was the head coach of the New York Giants that played against Brian Billick's Ravens for the Super Bowl. Fassel is the current head coach and general manager of the UFL's Las Vegas Locomotives.
Results?
17 of 17
Ok, now to be a little bit more realistic.
A Super Bowl win is always the focus of every team at the beginning of the season.
If a team does not aspire to win the Lombardi Trophy then they are not headed in the right direction.
A more realistic look at the Redskins re-vamped style is that they would finish the season 11-5 and make a deep run into the playoffs.
The Redskins will have to contend with Philadelphia all season in 2011 to win the NFC East and it will be a toss up who wins it.
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
.png?w=480)
.jpg?w=600 "Post-June 1 Trade Candidates ☎️")
.JPG?w=600 "TO Talks Cowboys Relationship")
.jpg?w=600 "Taylor Heinicke Retiring")
.jpg?w=600 "49ers OC Hypes Mike Evans 🤩")