Cam Newton Rises, Redskins Fans Rejoice

Yes! Yes! Maybe.....

Mel Kiper's mock draft 2.0 has some finally amazing news, Cam Newton has remarkably shot up to his projected #3 overall pick. Which, if close to accurate means something amazing: the Redskins won't even have the chance to draft the bust-in-waiting. I never rule out anything with this team, like trading up, but realistically if Cam Newton goes in the top 9 picks, he will not be a Redskin next year. Buffalo taking another bust is also hysterical.

Here is Kiper's new Redskins pick:

Record: 6-10

* Blaine Gabbert, QB, Missouri

Gabbert might be more ready than Newton to read defenses at the NFL level, and as a quarterback with very good accuracy, instincts and size, he could come into a franchise in Washington that might need him early. Gabbert is a guy whose stock rose a lot this year and will be under the microscope during the workout process. But what he doesn't give you is a quarterback who elicits a wide range of opinions or the boom-or-bust concerns many have with Newton and Ryan Mallett.

I'm still not happy, but this is progress. The key metrics on QB prospects are games started and completion percentage. His career completion percentage is 60.9% and he has started 26 games in college. These are solid numbers, but not spectacular, and not worthy of the #10 pick. If he played 1 more year at Missouri and continued his upward trend in completion %, Gabbert would be worth that #10 pick. I know this sounds ridiculous to non-stat people, but it's a law or something. As a comparison, he has pretty similar numbers to Ryan Mallett right now. In short, Gabbert is an NFL QB, but not a star, and definitely not worth the money he would get at the #10 pick. In other news, Andrew Luck is going to be an absurdly good prospect next year.

Who do I prefer? Of the choices available in Kiper's mock, I like Robert Quinn and Julio Jones as possibilities, but my preference is still for this team to trade down. Not only could we use the extra picks, but the biggest needs for this team are on the interior of the o-line. Once workouts start, hopefully the Redskins will tip their hand, showing they are not interested in a QB. Tipping their hand may be bad for business with other teams, but the anxiety reduction for us fans is more than worth it.

(Image courtesy of isportsweb.com)

Redskins 2011 Starting QB Options Are Horrifying (Courtesy of Football Outsiders)

There may be something awesome going on with the Redskins this offseason. There has been plenty of bad news with Brandon Banks getting stabbed, Cam Newton lined up as our projected pick (twice), and Fat Albert Haynesworth becoming completely untradeable.

But letting Santana Moss's contract void, allowing him to become an unrestricted free agent, sends a clear signal that this team may finally be ready to fully commit to rebuilding. I'm not holding my breathe, but Tana is still a good player and letting him walk will hurt the team next year, so this move can only be seen one way. As much as the Redskins have done their best to destroy every ounce of rational hope in me, I still have my optimism.

This brings us to the QB position. Football Outsiders (FO) has been writing a 'Plugging the Holes' piece on espn.com covering each teams' offseason, and yesterday the article covered the NFC East (Insider only alert). As they point out, Sex Cannon was not impressive, posting a -19.4 DVOA, whereas Donovan McNabb managed a 0.1 DVOA. 0.0 is average, so yeah.....

They also note that Shanahan has never started a rookie QB, so even if we take Cam Newton (I feel like my kidney is being twisted), he will almost certainly not start next year. McNabb looks like he is on the way out, particularly if the team is rebuilding, so who are the options out there? FO presents three options:

"One is Kolb, but it's hard to imagine the Redskins trading more draft picks for yet another Eagles quarterback after the McNabb failure.

The second is Matt Hasselbeck. His contract with the Seattle Seahawks is up, and Seattle will likely choose to go with Charlie Whitehurst or a drafted quarterback of its own. Hasselbeck had a -9.8 percent DVOA last year while struggling with injuries, but the Redskins would provide him with the best offensive line he's played behind since the halcyon days of Walter Jones and Steve Hutchinson.

The other candidate with significant experience in the West Coast offense? We hesitate to say his name for fear that he'll appear again. Let's just say he holds a lot of records, is really fond of one particular brand of jeans and recently retired again. Few organizations would be willing to take on the sort of circus that he brings to the table, and even fewer teams would actually get an upgrade from his likely level of play. The Redskins are perhaps the only organization that would fit in both categories, and with Brett Favre, retirement is just a state of mind. Oops."

So to recap, we have awful Sex Cannon, never going to be good Newton, overpaid mediocre McNabb, reasonably paid mediocre Jason Campbell, costly to obtain Kolb, washed-up Hasselbeck, and, well......'ooops'

(Image courtesy of www.examiner.com)

DCLS Favorite Brandon Banks Stabbed in DC

News is out this afternoon that Redskins KR/PR Brandon Banks was stabbed last night outside of the club The Park. Doing a little investigative reporting with his Twitter account, it appears Banks started the night at Bar 7 with Vontae Davis and Darnell Docket, then was goaded into attending The Park by a very good looking woman if not others as well. A fight then occurred and Banks and a friend were stabbed.

The good news is that although his buddy is still in the hospital with 'Serious' injuries, Banks has been released. The 'stabber' has been arrested, and combining that Bank not being in custody, one can assume that he is not at fault other than being dumb enough to get into a big fight at a nightclub. We can only hope that this was a fluke isolated incident and not indicative of Banks as a person.

I personally am going to hold off on ordering my Brandon Banks T-Shirt until we learn more.

(Image courtesy of content.usatoday.com)

The Redskin Defense is Star-Studded, or So I'm Told

I can't stand it, but the Redskins seem to dominate the news with their absurdity, even in their slowest time of the year. Today's news is that Brian Orakpo and London Fletcher will be joining D******* Hall at the Pro Bowl. Usually I would say 'La dee frickin da!', but instead I am just confused, and not the only one to notice that this doesn't make a whole lot of sense.

 

For those of you who stomached the Skins this year (or maybe wised up and just read the stats), you know we had the #31 ranked defense in the league, and the #18 offense: that is a horrendous defense and a mediocre offense. Sure, there are no obvious big names on the offense who probably deserve to 'go to the Island', but 3 guys from an awful defense? Are we the most underachieving unit ever and Jim Haslett is the anti-christ? Are the selections on name recognition to blame? Remember, Laron Landry played like a stud too before getting hurt, so could be a 4th selection with a couple more games under his belt.

I actually have an explanation....

You already know my feelings on Hall and I shouldn't need to tell you that his Pro Bowl selection is absurd, so I will skip to Rak and Fletcher. Just look at the Pro Bowl rosters, I count 26 guys who have been selected but are not playing! LFB as a Pro Bowler sounds great, but he has actually only been designated as one of the top 6 middle linebackers in the game. There are maybe 40 starting MLBs in the league, and only maybe half (total guess) play close enough to a full season to be considered for 'the island.' So LFB in the top-6, sure, and really not that impressive, he is better than mediocre, but certainly not being judged as elite.

Along the same line, Rak is gaining recognition as one of the top 9 OLBs in the league, which is slightly more impressive given that there are 64 starting OLBs (not including however many missed significant time with injury).

So 3 players from the 31st ranked D is crazy, but don't look at the Rak and Fletcher selections as the source of the absurdity. You should look at the 3rd guy, who is completely undeserving, but overall, these selections are not as prestigious as they sound, and if you remove Hall, having 2 guys as late additions to the game from an abysmal D is not insane, even if you want to include Landry as being recognized for a fantastic season.

Though the recognition should be mooted, this is a direct reflection of the lack of a supporting cast and the greatest issue that has plagued the Skins for years - going after big names and players at the expense of depth. The Skins should take this to heart, but probably will just chase Carson Palmer and Herschel Walker(!). At least Herschel's comeback would entertain me for what is shaping up to be another rough season DC.

(Image courtesy of goslingphotographyblog.com)

Todd McShay's Mock Shows Redskins Fans No Mercy

Here we go again with Todd McShay's latest (first?) mock draft. This has been out a few days, but I just found it:

Cam Newton, QB, Auburn

This is another reach for a quarterback, but the Redskins have parted ways with Donovan McNabb, and Rex Grossman is clearly not the answer. There's no doubt Newton has the physical tools, and coach Mike Shanahan and his staff believe in their ability to develop quarterbacks, but he's still a long-term project as a pro-style passer.

Stop, it hurts.

When has a developmental QB actually developed? Tony Romo is the only guy I can think of.......At least Newton isn't Jake Locker. I made my thoughts on the Heisman winner at #10 clear already, so won't rant endlessly. To be clear, I support keeping Sexy Rexy for at least another year while we build the offensive line and other parts of the team.

The other train wreck we all can see coming stems from Carson Palmer demanding a trade. I guess the Skins constitute an upgrade over the Bengals at this point given we had a better record last year, but Carson is finished. If one good thing comes of the McNabb trade maybe it will be that we don't trade for Carson Palmer.Someone needs to step in and stop the madness, so consider this my application for the Redskins common sense/voice of the fan. Here's an opening letter:

Dear Bruce Allen and Dan Snyder,

I can give you extensive notes on an offseason plan, but here are some basics:

-Don't draft a QB at #10
-Don't trade for Carson Palmer.
-Try to trade down and draft one of the 3 best interior linemen available (Pouncey, Hudson, or Wisniewski)
-Also stop, just stop

Yours truly,

Disgruntled Redskins Fan

(Image courtesy of voice.regisjesuit.com)

Mel Kiper Thinks The Offseason Dynasty Will Continue

I first of all should say that the break in blogging was because I was swamped by a lot of personal 'stuff', but am back and refreshed or something like that.........

I can't say I didn't see this coming, but Mel Kiper's first mock draft came out today and, well, I can't say I didn't warn you:

10. Washington Redskins
Cam Newton, QB, Auburn
A gifted athlete, Newton has good arm strength and size, has developing accuracy and continues to show that the more you ask him as a passer, the more he'll develop. This spot might be a bit high based on his current grade in the eyes of scouts, but Newton's skill-set is such that personnel people are going to become more enamored, if they already aren't. Newton has character questions that need to be answered, but the Redskins have a long-term need at this position and the prospect of developing Newton is a tantalizing one.

Pleaselordno.

I could give you the whole whole running QB thing being a bad idea, especially while our offensive line is a gaping hole of suck, but let's look at this more rationally and use some metrics. Football Outsiders has found a way to predict college quarterback performance in the pros with 2 simple stats: games started and completion percentage. I understand he put together the best individual season in recent memory, but for metrics, well he only started 1 full season. 66% completion  rate is great, but that figure is relative to others in the same school supposedly in a relatively similar system, and the immortal Chris Todd managed over 60% in 2009, so 66% is not that impressive. The overall metric indication on Cam Newton is: pleaselordno.

Soooo, what should the Skins do? Ryan Mallett actually has terrific metrics thanks to starting 2.5 years and would be a better QB pick. Even better though? Well, I have some bad news. I am a nut about the NFL draft, and Kiper's mock highlights the fact that there is a big dropoff after the first 9 players - and guess who picks #10!

Clearly, the Skins should trade back, take an o-lineman, Ryan Mallett, or just about anybody not named Cam Newton, even if we get to call him 'Killa Cam.' On the bright side, drafting the controversial Heisman trophy winner would continue the offseason dynasty that almost no team can take away from us.

(Image courtesty of mobilephoneunlimited.com)

Week 16: Redskins 20, Jaguars 17: Knee Jerk Reactions

The Redskin's season is almost mercifully over! Before I let rationality cloud my judgment, here are my knee-jerk reactions from the penultimate game of the season:

This seriously felt like a preseason game until the 4th quarter. The Skins were playing almost all backups, and the Jags were missing MJD and a few other guys. There just wasn't an intensity today, which is odd when you have so many guys playing for their future in the league.

I know this win hurts our draft position and thus may bad in the long term, but you can't help but think this group needed a W with all the drama going around.

• Sex Cannon's record as a starter in the state of Florida counting his college days has got to be something like 47-2.
• The gator chomp? Rex, seriously?
• Brandon Banks in the wildcat should be the focus of our offense next week. It would keep my interest and get the Banks Pro Bowl train back at full speed.
• Kevin Barnes at safety could merely be necessity, but also maybe a sign the teams doesn't think he will be a decent corner.
• The Jags look awful, how are they a potential division winner?
• Speaking of the opposition, maybe the Skins should take a page out of their book and spend our first 2 picks on o-linemen.
• Anthony Bryant may have played himself onto the roster for next season.
• Casey Rabach needs to go ASAP.
• Going for it on 4th and 1 from the 1 yard line with the game on the line is the right call. Not only is it statistically the right move, but we are 5-9, so who cares! 
• Joe Joseph? As in Joseph Joseph? Wow.
• The o-line was not awful today, but not great. Hicks and Dockery/Licht*&#$& all still need to be replaced.
• We are no 4-4 on the road, and 2-5 at home, hmmmm. Almost makes me feel guilty for never going to games...

(Image courtesy of 1800-sports.com)

Redskins - Jaguars Live Chat on TBD.com

If you are watching today's game alone, it will probably feel a little bit like drinking alone - but fear not! Come join the TBD.com live chat and drink, err chat, with fellow devoted fans. I will be there as a panelist along with a few other Redskins bloggers.

Check it out here: Redskins-Jaguars Live Chat

Week 15: Cowboys 33, Redskins 30: Knee Jerk Reactions

 Football's regular season is almost over! Before I let rationality cloud my judgment, here are my knee-jerk reactions from the fourteenth game of the season:

I watched this one in a bar in Manhattan, so was semi-distracted by all the other happenings and will thus keep this short. I was pretty disinterested coming into the game, 'Kitna! Grossman! It's the Redskins and the Cowboys on Fox!!' and want us to keep losing for sake of high draft picks, but was getting fired up when the comeback got going.

Sums Up my Feelings About the Season

• Sex Cannon.
• Sitting in a Manhattan bar as the Eagles came back from 21 points in 8 minutes to beat the Giants was special. I delight in other fans having to share my misery.
• Sex Cannon's numbers were about as good as any McNabb game, but I think he was slightly worse. The biggest thing I noted was a tendency to hold onto the ball too long.
• In short, yes, I think McNabb would have been the better player today for the Redskins, but the difference between McNabb and Sex Cannon really doesn't seem to be much. Also, this was Sex Cannon's first game, and one has to think that he would improve with more games under his belt.
• I might set a record for typing Sex Cannon in 1 post.
• McNabb is still a captain today? Come on man! NFL captains are fluid, and I thought the starting QB is always a captain.
• Not all of those sacks were the O-line's fault. One notable one by Ware was Grossman hanging onto the ball too long and then not stepping up enough in the pocket.
• D******* Hall still sucks. Coverage and tackling are things he does not do well.  
• The Brandon Banks Pro Bowl train has come to a complete halt.
• The Tana drop was not as bad as it looked. He was off balance and couldn't really get his arms out for that one. That said, it was still a horrific drop.
• Does anybody still think the McNabb trade and/or extension were correct decisions? 
• I completely forgot about John Beck's mullet, which allowed me to 'fall in lover all over again.'
• The good thing about being numb? A tough loss to Dallas doesn't hurt.

(Image courtesy of DC Sports Bog and Mr. Irrelevant) 

Proof the Redskins O-Line Should Be an Offseason Priority

How many of you know what the New York Life Protection Index is?

Nope, not part of the stock market.

A quality of life measure is close....

It is actually a metric that evaluates offensive line play in the NFL. I have no idea why New York Life chose to sponsor this and who exactly they are paying or if they developed the metric themselves as some sort of ambush marketing. Regardless, the metric's fundamentals are comprised of the length of a team’s pass attempts combined with penalties by offensive linemen, sacks allowed and quarterback hurries and knockdowns. Annnndddd...you already know where this is headed.....

The Skins slot in at #25 so far this season, which sounds about right. Football Outsiders has us at #22 by their Adjusted Sack Rate.I should be noted that both of these metrics are only looking at pass protection.

Moving past the team that doesn't deserve any more ink, even during Dallas week, and on to the differences between the 2 metrics. Except, the the rankings look almost identical. FO only takes into account sacks and intentional grounding calls, whereas NYLPI adds knockdowns, hurries, and the one I think is most interesting, the length of a team's pass attempts, but apparently the added variables do not change much.

To make sense of why 2 different metrics are so similar can be pretty simple. Both metrics take into account valid measurables of pass protection, so a good pass protecting line should show up as such in both rankings. The hurries and knockdowns are a nice addition, but a line giving up a lot of sacks is also likely giving up a lot of knockdowns and hurries. I could envision a tough QB who is particularly good at standing in the pocket and taking hits or being hurried but managing to avoid sacks, but it appears that such a person does not exist. The length of pass play is nice, and I hope is the length the ball is in the air, rather than the net gain on passing plays.

One big takeaway from these is that a good quarterback makes a good offensive line. You can say all you want about the Colts O-line, but they are good because Manning is fantastic at avoiding sacks, intentional grounding penalties, hits, etc., not to mention the fact that he is great at recognizing defenses and preparing the blocking. One can only wonder how good the Skins line would look with Peyton behind them.......

(Image courtesy of washingtonpost.com)

D******* Hall Gets A Little Too Friendly with Kobe

As I watched the Wizards get picked apart by the Lakers tonight, I couldn't help but notice a man with a bright turquoise Wizards hat sitting next to the Lakers bench. A couple closeups later I realized who the douchebag suspect was......none other than my least favorite Redskin, D******* Hall (yes, I hate him more than Fat Albert).

I can't fully explain why this makes me incredibly mad, but it does. Why can't he sit next to the Wizards bench? Why can't Hall sit with fellow Redskin Chris Samuels, who was also at the game?

Most of all, I can't stand that he felt the need to talk to Kobe Bryant! Kobe has no real friends as far as I can tell, and as much as I respect his game, dislike him as a person even though I've never met him.

Obviously, Kobe did not start the conversation with Hall because Bryant has no people skills. So that means Hall intentionally got a seat by the Lakers bench, probably with the hope of maybe striking up a conversation with Kobe when the Lakers had a sizeable lead. Just liking Kobe would be enough to make me angry, but I'm pretty sure that makes him a groupie. I bet Hall has some fantasy that Kobe and he have a lot in common and that he belongs in such celebrity company.

Dude, you think Kobe is going to come toe Redskin game to be your groupie?

I really didn't need another reason to hate the guy.

(Images courtesy of my sweet TV)

Week 14: Bucs 17, Redskins 16: Knee Jerk Reactions

 Football's regular season is almost over! Before I let rationality cloud my judgment, here are my knee-jerk reactions from the thirteenth game of the season:

Should we be surprised?

•  DC Sports Bog said on Twitter that a scalper offered him a ticket for 20 bucks. That about sums up my feelings about this team right now.
• Steinz's experience echoes this video.
• 2 missed short FGs, a botched extra point, 2 dropped INTs, no-call on Orakpo getting held on the Bucs TD, etc. 
• Not sure if 'sums up the season' is the right way to put this, more like sums up the decade.
• Graham Gano could have been cut at halftime. Even the extra point was close. 
• I still don't understand why the Skins have gone about 20 years without a consistent kicker. Other teams have probably had bad stretches, but 20 years?!? Use a high draft pick, or give a crazy contract, I don 't care, but do something to fix a problem that has plagued this team for 20 years!
• I think the LeGarrette Blount fumble sums up D******* Hall. He gets run over by Blount while trying to strip the ball instead of actually tackling the guy, then succesfully punches it out on attempt #2 and picks up the fumble Phil Buchanon couldn't. You get the bad with the playmaking. Now that ended up being a good play, but he should have made the tackle and not had the opportunity for strip #2. Hall also was burned badly by DC's own Arrelious Benn in the 2nd quarter and gave up about 12 extra yards going for another strip. 
• Then, early in the 3rd quarter, he has a chance to just destroy Cadillac Williams on a hospital pass, and does pretty much nothing at all. He almost looked scared to make that hit. That was a benchably bad.
• All the credit for the running game should go to the Skins offensive line. Ryan Torain wasn't doing anything spectacular, he just ran through giant 'parking spaces.'
• What does the Bucs defensive line do in all their other games? The Skins offensive line has not been anything special in other games, and I find it hard to believe they were just in the zone today. 
• The end of the first half clock management was something special. Basically tip your hand that you're passing, then somehow get a delay of game off of a timeout. In the words of Keyshawn Johnson - 'Come on man!'
• Chris Wilson not picking up the 2nd half kickoff made me laugh. 
• Tony Siragusa gets paid like maybe 100k for this gig. How many people watch this game because of his contribution? Maybe for some people he makes the viewing experience better, but that really keeps and draws more eyeballs for ad revenue than his 100k salary? There is no way his value added is that much. 
• Anyone else crushed Logan Paulsen didn't attempt the Dougie? 
• What I want to know is why Ochocinco's name change gets so much attention while 'Stylez G White' is overlooked. He went from Greg to 'Stylez G', sounds like he should be on season 3 of VH1's the Pickup Artist.
• Torain ran 18 times for 158 yards in the first half, and then had his number called twice in the 3rd quarter (for 1 yard), and then 4 more times in the 4th quarter (for 13 yards). All this was while the Skins were protecting a lead. Unacceptable and astounding. 
• McNabb's numbers looked good, but he was not. Meanwhile, Jason Campbell was damn good today again.

(Image courtesy of washingtonpost.com)

Redskins Season Tickets Offer - Fan Response

DC Sports Bog was all over this, but the video pretty much sums up how everyone feels about the team.

Dan Snyder, if you are reading, just to be clear, this is not just a 1 or 2 year thing, this disinterest and anger has been building ever since you took over this team. For the record, this is the first year since childhood that I will not attend a Redskins game.

Maybe the Skins will always make boatloads of money and always sell almost all of their tickets, but maybe, just maybe, the little protests will add up and affect your bottom-line. You are truly testing our passion.

Week 13: Giants 31, Redskins 7: Knee Jerk Reactions

Football's regular season is heading down the home stretch! Before I let rationality cloud my judgment, here are my knee-jerk reactions from the twelfth game of the season:

The Skins looked like they knew they were walking to their own funeral. I think we can be mercifully mathematically eliminated next week.

Remember This? That is What Today Felt Like

•  Fumbles
• My highlight of the day was Drew Stanton doing the Dougie in the Detroit-Chicago game.
• The Giants had 140 yards rushing in the 1st half.
• We missed you Fat Albert.
• I was actually dissapointed the Giants didn't hit 200 yards rushing for the game.
• I was laughing at the Redskin ineptitude, just like last year.
• Corey Webster owns Santana Moss. Webster was an elite CB 2 years ago when he completely took Tana out of the game, had injuries last year, but today looked like that elite player (not sure about the rest of his season). That INT at the end of the game was well-deserved.
• Rocky McIntosh looked hurt and played an abysmal game.
• Devin Thomas blocking a punt, making a special teams tackle, and downing a ball at the 5 was kicking us in the balls when we were down. 
• Just inexplicable that Galloway held a starting job for so long while we had to get rid of Thomas.
• The, "Eli Manning....is....UNSTOPPABLE" commercial right after his endzone interception was perfect.
• At least we didn't furiously celebrate our TD.
• McNabb was throwing it all over the yard in a bad way. There was pressure, but he was more erratic than usual it seemed.
• I want to like Jammal Brown, but he was particularly awful today.
• We really do need to draft a center.
• D-line should be another focus in the offseason.
• I am very curious as to whether Shanahan will play some more young guys and backups down the stretch to see what we have. Sexy Rexy, Terrance Austin, Kevin Barnes, Brandon Banks on offense, etc.
• Shanahan was 6th place in a Sports Illustrated poll of NFL players on 'Coach You'd Most Like to Play For.' He seems like a pain in the ass, so I'm surprised, you?
• Does Brandon Banks have a shot at the Pro Bowl? Given that Dez Bryant and Devin Hester only really return punts, his only competition should be Stefan Logan and Danny Amendola. 
• You have no idea how happy the thought of Brandon Banks in the Pro Bowl just made me.

(Image courtesy of www.nj.com)

TBD.com Redskins-Giants Live Chat

As usual, I will be a panelist in the TBD.com live chat for today's game. Get in your opinions, or just to have a support group:

TBD.com Redskins-Giants Live Chat

Week 12: Vikings 17, Redskins 13: Knee Jerk Reactions

Football's regular season is heading down the home stretch! Before I let rationality cloud my judgment, here are my knee-jerk reactions from the eleventh game of the season:

 Not From Today, but Might as Well Be

Game and season. We need to go 5-0 and pray for a wild card spot. Our first drive was a thing of beauty, but everything else on offense was sad. Then, not being able to stop Toby Gerhardt on defense and give our offense one last shot was excruciating.

If the Packers pass the Bears for 1st place, and the Saints take the #1 Wild Card spot, we will need to pass that Giants, Bears, and Bucs to get a playoff berth. If things go well later this afternoon, we could still only be 2 games back, with 2 cracks against the Giants, and 1 against the Bucs. So start putting your energy into supporting whoever plays those teams.

• Interim coaches in their first game seem to always win right? Unless it's Terry Robiske and the Redskins...we are always the exception....
• I keep forgetting to plug this, but I have been doing a weekly livechat on www.TBD.com. A few Skins bloggers on there and not too crowded, so you can definitely get your voice heard.
• So much for gold pants.
• How does Joey Galloway go from being our '#2' receiver to getting cut? Shouldn't there be a backup role in-between? 
• I can't get over the Galloway thing. Just an awful signing, reinforced by poor production, and then the stubbornness of keeping him in the starting lineup. He has been the 2nd worst receiver in the league, with the only bright side that we targeted him slightly less than other receivers in his ballpark of awful. Just about anyone would have been better, and we completely missed the opportunity to develop a young player or two wit hthe playing time/role.
• Devin Thomas
• Brandon Banks is still great, but was apparently limping during the week. I'm assuming he's taking his pain meds and toughing it out. I wonder if we will see him anywhere close to 100% before the end of the season. 
• Banks is our only chance of scoring. 
• Jeremy Jarmon doesn't exist. 
• Our d-line sans Fat Albert cannot stop the run. If we cut him, we need to find some better guys up front this offseason. 
• Not sure what else to say about the defense. Not a great game from 'Los, but he was hampered by a hammy. The faced a conservative game plan and stopped a Peterson-less offense, meh.
• Silverback had a phenomenal game controlling Jared Allen, who is a monster. He's made his share of mistakes this season, but I think a pro-bowl caliber season is in store as soon as next year.
• Santana Moss was awful. I see he was battling an injury or two, but dropping passes is not okay.
• Cooley was awesome on that first drive and then...? Silence.

A Little Something to Cheer You Up - Found This Looking for a Game Shot

• I don't even know how to get excited for the Giants game next week.

(McNabb image courtesy of VikingsPost.com, cheerleader image courtesy of nfl.fanhouse.com)

The Redskins Aren't Mathematically Eliminated.....Yet

My Redskins optimism died quickly after that Titans game when I realized that we are 2 games back of a wildcard spot, and have to pass 3 teams for that last spot. Dead, and maybe not quite buried if we beat Minnesota this weekend. But maybe I was being too optimistic. Here's a quote from Redskins Insider's Brian Burke (as also mentioned by Mister Irrelevant):

"The NFC wildcard teams are probably going to need to win at least 10 games this season, so the Redskins would need to finish 5-1 to have a reasonable chance at the playoffs. Based on measures of team strength and forthcoming schedules, the numbers give the Redskins a 6 percent chance of making the postseason."

I panned this guy a couple weeks ago for giving statistics a bad name, but this is great stuff using statistics to make a rational point. We all have thought 9-7 would be enough to squeak into the playoffs since the preseason in a parity-driven league, but there is almost no way at least 2 of the 4 teams ahead of the Skins do not win 10 games. And, as you quickly realize, 10 wins means an improbable 5-1 finish.

A win over the Vikings this weekend would dramatically increase that 6%, and keep hope alive in DC, but it really is time to start looking at the offseason. This tortured sports city has a lot to be thankful for: Alex Ovechkin, Ted Leonsis, John Wall, Matt Wieters, and Stephen Strasburg to name a few, but a playoff-bound Redskins team is not one of of them.

(Image courtesy of www.zimbio.com)

Looking Ahead to Redskins Offseason Plans

I have realized that with 6 games to play, 2 games to makeup in the wild card race, and 3 teams to pass, the Skins playoff hopes are all but non-existant. So, on to the offseason!

I already made my thoughts clear on the McNabb contract, but this post is inspired by Shutdown Corner's Midseason 'No Pro' Team, which is basically the worst and/or most under-performing players in the league. No, McNabb was handily beaten out Brett Favre, but the entire interior of the Redskins line was named, ouch.

An Oldy, but Pretty Much Sums it Up

How can we gauge this? Well, the article was written by Doug Farrar of Football Outsiders, so metrics are involved. Long story short, the Skins are the worst team in the NFL at running up the middle. Not surprisingly, the team is also 31st in power running and 29th in runs stopped at or behind the line of scrimmage - both of which are plays that are linked to blocking up the middle. The good news is the coaching staff appears to realize this and has the team running up the middle on only 33% of run plays, significantly less than the league average of 50% (for all you Silverback lovers, most of those carries have gone around left end).

To summarize, the team has been getting dominated in the middle of the offensive line, and the coaches realize there is a problem.

My eyeballs tell me Casey Rabach has had a bad season and is likely no longer an NFL-caliber starting center. Artis Hicks and Derrick Dockery/Korey Lic(*&#$%@ have all also been culprits. As the article notes, Hicks has 6(!) false starts.

Looking ahead, our 2nd round pick has 'FUTURE CENTER' written all over it. A stud center is a pretty safe pick, as even if center proves difficult, you can always try them at guard. Dropping the cash on a 1st round interior lineman would be rough, as our pick will be in the middle of the first round, and those positions usually aren't drafted until the end of the 1st. This draft also looks to be a bit weak on the offensive line, so grabbing an interior lineman in the 1st round would likely be a huuuge reach. The good news though is that there are 3 quality center prospects . Back in August, Scouts Inc. had FSU's Rodney Hudson as the top interior lineman, and florida's Mike Pouncey not too far behind him. Stefan Wisniewski of Penn State is the 3rd guy who looks like he will be a reasonably high pick. Mid-1st would be aggressive for these guys, but our 2nd round pick would be a great spot to fill a position of need with a player who may be best available at that point.

Or maybe, that would be too logical.

(Image courtesy of www.wtopnews.com)

Week 11: Redskins 19, Titans 16: Knee Jerk Reactions

Football's regular season is past the halfway point! The hair pulling, TV-screaming, remote control throwing and furious cigarette smoking have aged me about 10 years in these 10 games. Before I let rationality cloud my judgment, here are my knee-jerk reactions from the tenth game of the season:

Huuuge win. That would have been a season-ender if we were 4-6 and 3 games out of the last wild card. 

• So, I was really excited about this win and staying in the playoff race, but with 6 games to go, we are 2 games out of the last wild card spot. There are 4 teams ahead of us, with only 2 spots available, so we have to leapfrog 3 of the Giants/Eagles, Bears, Saints, and Bucs.
• As if you didn't already know, but Brandon Banks! 1 tough clutch catch in 1 opportunity. Can we just give him Joey Galloway's job immediately? I mean right now, seriously. 
• I have been thinking of some other nickname ideas for Banks and like "The Wire," because he's electric and maybe thin and wiry or something.
• I want to like Graham Gano, but he is still straddling the line of acceptability. Missing a 51 yarder is no biggy, but being that far off is concerning. The 47 yarder into the wind is a little tougher to swallow, but okay in and of itself. He still hit from 40, 42, and 48, and was providing great distance on kickoffs.
• McNabb had time to throw. Weird. 
• McNabb's stats may sound impressive, but he was once again mediocre, even with tons of time.
• Reed Doughty is an absolute disaster in coverage. I know Kareem Moore makes 1-2 big mistakes a game, and today was no different, but he is a much better option than Doughty. I was watching Doughty specifically as much as I could, and it seemed as thought he almost never successfully covered anyone. I think is fine as a backup strong safety, but free safety is not where I want to see him.
• Yeah, Vince Young is efficient, and his passer rating will look great, but there is a lot to be said for the low volume output. 
• The Buchanon, Hall, Doughty, Moore secondary provided an opportunity on a platter for VY and the Titans to exploit. I thought that pathetic unit would cost us the game, but VY could not take advantage, and that speaks volumes about how good he is. You are kidding if you don't think any great QB doesn't shred that group.
• Randy Moss looked lazy running routes. Glad we didn't get that guy.
• D******* Hall was okay today, but how about you don't beat your chest after Randy Moss runs by you in the endzone and VY throws it about 10 yards over everyone's heads. That was not a good play. 
• Who is Rusty Smith?
• Seems like we played a lot more 2 TE sets today to get Fred 'Sleepy' Davis involved. Niiiiice.
• The gold pants are money.
• Coming into this game, the Skins's offense had been historically bad on 3rd down, which is usually a fluky stat that will regress to the mean. In layman's terms, the Skins have likely been unlucky not to perform better on offense. 8-16 today on 3rd down, so there ya go.
• My friend works for UStream and alerted me to the fact that Skins have their own channel. I have no idea what they show on here, I think pregame and postgame type stuff, but here you go: http://www.ustream.tv/redskins.

(Image courtesy of www.tsn.ca)

The Opposite of Michael Vick Against the Redskins

While on the subject of us being right, here's an early DCLS post on why the Skins should have chased Vick 1.5 yrs ago.

Originally posted May 27th, 2009

***

As if Snyder Needs Convincing: The Case for Vick on the 'Skins

Listen, I'm no Redskins apologist. I hate Dan Snyder with all but two fibers in my being (the two that realize that he's better than this guy). I hope Vinny Cerrato chokes on a danish, or better yet, is fired. FedEx is Hell on Earth. Also, I love puppies, and the worst harm I'd ever inflict on one would be to boot a really tiny loud one off a bridge.

But the Redskins had better dig their star-horny claws into Michael Vick and never let go. And not just because the jersey sales will correlate to an illogical 45% rise in FedEx concession prices. It will work for the Redskins on the field and if you remember, that's the point. Several reasons:

1.) The Redskins' Offense needs an ATHLETE. 'Skins fans lament the lack of a #1 receiver and it's hard to disagree. And some think JC17 isn't the answer behind center. But what's really lacking is a guy who can simply make tacklers miss. Vick's presence alone means the other team has to account for him, game plan for him, think about him before the game. If you've made D-Coordinators think that much harder, you've improved your offense that much...harder. What position exactly? We'll get to that....

Imagine the Opposite of This

2.) We've yet to see the Zorn Star work magic with a Shiny New Wand. In 2008, Zorn adjusted his westcoast pass-happy offense to suit his personnel, which is the mark of an intelligent coach. The result was a bland running based game, due to bland running based personnel. Enter insane athlete. Now, Zorn has studied the Wildcat diligently this offseason and admitted the 'Skins don't have the personnel to make it happen. Yet. Why? "Cleveland, with [Josh] Cribbs....probably did the best, but he's got a real acceleration." So we need someone with real acceleration, preferably with QB experience? Hmmm....

I'm not saying Vick should become the new 'Skins QB. Far from it; I think his unique skills are best utilized in various roles at various times. Sometimes that might mean some QB snaps. Mostly though, he needs plays designed for him specifically in some quasi-hybrid tailback role, a la 1920s football. There has never been an athlete like Vick in the NFL - why not make up a position that's never existed?

3.) Vick will be cheap. I know I know, the Redskins are salary cap wizards and yes, there might not be a cap after this year...but the 'Skins are still paying Mark Carrier like $4.3 million per and contract terms will be critical. Vick's market value is going to be around Bear Sterns' right about now - which for those of you who don't read the Wall Avenue Journal means Vick will be getting dick for salary, and for one or two years tops. Low risk (cap room wise)/high reward is the idea here.

4.) Vick will be motivated. There are just plain ruthless murderous sociopaths, and there are ruthless murderous sociopaths with 10-figure debt and the whole world watching their every move. True: you have to be collossally stupid to squander what Vick had circa 2006, and I wouldn't be surprised if he, Portis, Haynesworth and Smoot were caught financing an underground squirrel-fighting ring or something. But he has to have learned from this. Maybe not in that moral, soul-saving way...but in a superficial my-job-and-life-is-on-the-line way, which is good enough for me. Maybe he'll still have the urge to strangle a labradoodle at first sight - but I get the feeling he'll resist this time. He's in survival mode at this point.

5.) Despite pleas from fans, the 'Skins are determined to win now and delay a rebuild. To most logical fans, 14 years of consistent mediocrity with an aging roster is a sure sign that the talent has been maxed out. To Vinny Cerrato and Dan Snyder, it's a never-ending indication that the 'Skins are one player away from winning it all. I'm not saying Vick is that guy. I'm saying given the right circumstances, a healthy year on the offensive line, and basic progress from JC17, a well-utilized Vick could help put up enough points to make the offense respectable again. The 'Skins D and running game remain their strong points, and if healthy could do some postseason damage. It's getting there that's the issue. So as long as we're stuck with a front office and owner playing this game, Vick is worth a look.

6.) The offense needs hope. If there was one thing that defined the Redskins offense in the second half of 2008 - other than three-and-outs - it was the look and feeling of hopelessness. Early in the year the group was unstoppable, and they had the swag. As passes starting slipping through hands, Jansen opened the Sack Gates, and Portis' injuries caught up to him finally, they lost it. And what have they done since the disastrous 2008 finale? Precisely dick. Unless you believe in UFOs, you realize that Devin Thomas is a joke and Malcolm Kelly's knees are made of peanut brittle and there's no such thing as an NFL offense with two tight end weapons. The cavalry isn't coming from those three.

But inject Vick into a locker room with stable vets and leaders and it's an instant spark. Suddenly you have a guy turning heads in practice, adding that 'wow' factor, that extra ingredient that Randel El was supposed to provide but can't, since he is 5' 2" in real life and was never that good. Sometimes that's all it takes for a football team to make it over the hump.

Now Vinny, get on the phone with the Falcons and send next year's 1st, 3rd, and 5th into oblivion and make this happen. Even if Gooddell doesn't reinstate, what do we have to lose? They're just draft picks.

***

 So maybe we had the position thing wrong, and maybe Vick couldn't survive in the Redskin player development wasteland, but he was definitely worth a shot. And apologies to dog lovers, but considering their pasts, I have a harder time rooting for McNabb than I do the Vick resurrection story.

(Image courtesy of www.sportsfanlive.com)