Rich Tandler's Real Redskins

Garçon questionable for Bucs

Pierre Garçon is listed as questionable for Sunday’s game in Tampa, Coach Mike Shanahan said Friday afternoon. According to NFL injury designation guidelines, that means that there is a 50 percent chance that he will play. 

Garçon, the Redskins’ No. 1 wide receiver, suffered an injury near the big toe on his right foot while sprinting for a touchdown in New Orleans. He was sidelined against the Rams and Bengals.

Leonard Hankerson replaced Garçon in last week’s loss to Cincinnati and is expected to start there against the Buccaneers. Hankerson is probable with a back injury he sustained again the Bengals.

Garçon did not speak to reporters Friday.

Putting the class of '11 to work

The Redskins will be brining back all 12 members of the draft class of 2011 this year. Which players will have the same role as they did in 2011, which will have increased responsibilities and which will have diminished roles this year? After OTA’s and minicamp, here is how it shakes out:

Same workload

OLB Ryan Kerrigan (1056 snaps, 9 sacks in 2011)–You can’t do much more than he did last year. Kerrigan didn’t miss a snap and recorded nine sacks last year. He hit a rookie wall, getting only one sack in the last five games. If he can produce consistently 2012 should be the first of many double-digit sack seasons for Kerrigan.

RG Roy Helu Jr. (554 snaps, 151 carries, 640 yards, 2 TD’s)–Helu had a chance to put a stranglehold on the starting halfback job for this year but he could only get on the field for 11 plays in the past two games. Health issues derailed him during minicamp as well. Based on last year, it looks like he will have some great games in 2012 and he will be a spectator for some games as well.

LB Markus White (no defensive snaps in 2011, active and played special teams in two games)–Special teams are likely to White’s role again as it will be hard to get three-down players Kerrigan and Brian Orakpo off of the field.

NT Chris Neild (163 snaps, 2 sacks)–Neild should continue doing what he did last year, giving Barry Cofield an occasional breather. His roster spot is probably safe although Chris Baker could make a run at the job.

Increased workload

DE Jarvis Jenkins (on IR all of 2011)–He is still recovering from that knee injury but once he gets into football shape it will be hard to keep him out of the starting lineup.

WR Leonard Hankerson (126 snaps, 13 receptions, 163 yards)–He showed enough in his limited action last year for the organization to have some confidence in his ability but not enough to where they felt they could stand pat at the position. Hankerson should see plenty of playing time and will have a chance to make a big impact.

S DeJon Gomes (210 snaps, 19 tackles, 3 QB hurries)–We looked at Gomes in some depth in a recent article. The bottom line is that he has a chance to be a starter either this year or next. In any case, he should get more than 210 snaps.

TE Niles Paul (164 snaps, 2 receptions)–Paul’s storyline will be among the most interesting to follow this year as he transitions from wide receiver to being an undersized tight end. 

RB Evan Royster (158 snaps, 56 carries, 328 yards)–Royster came a long way last year. He looked lost in training camp but he finished out the year strong with two 100-yard efforts in the last three games. It is unlikely that he will become the primary back this year but he will get some opportunities as there is likely to be no primary back on the team.

WR Aldrick Robinson (did not play in 2011)–In minicamp, Robinson has had the look of someone who is ready to make the roster and contribute. He is someone to watch in training camp.

Decreased workload

CB Brandyn Thompson (4 snaps in 2011)–Thompson has some playmaking ability and that kept him around. But he didn’t flash much in the offseason practices and he could end up losing his roster spot to rookies Chase Minnifield and Richard Crawford.

OL Maurice Hurt (557 snaps, started 8 games)–The player who saw the most offensive snaps as a rookie last year could be in danger of not making the team in 2012. He has been playing tackle during the offseason workouts and he will have to beat out Willie Smith, Tyler Polumbus, and James Lee. Might not make it.

 

Shanahan the master of the smokescreen

Last week, we bemoaned the absence of Mike Shanahan smokescreens from this year’s pre-draft process due to the Redskins’ spot at second overall in the draft. We talked about how he had dozens of respected reporters believing that he was going to pull off a deal to move up in the draft to take Missouri quarterback Blaine Gabbert.

Of course, the Redskins not only didn’t deal up but they traded down from their original 10^th overall pick with Gabbert on the board. 

But that wasn’t the only smokescreen that Shanahan was throwing out there a year ago. Here is a clip from a 2011 Peter King article where he was discussing his mock draft and the 10 toughest decisions he had to make when putting it together:

3. The Redskins passing on Ryan Mallett. This one has Mike Shanahan/Jay Cutler written all over it. Remember how, five years ago, Shanahan didn't tell anyone, even in his own building, until draft morning he was taking Cutler? There's another shroud of silence around Shanahan this year. Look out.

So Shanahan had King convinced that he just might pull the trigger on the Arkansas quarterback in the first round, with the 10^th overall pick. 

As it turns out, there wasn’t anything to look out for. The Redskins passed on Mallett four times. They could have taken him with the 10^th pick and didn’t, trading back instead. With the 16^th pick, they took Ryan Kerrigan. They had two picks in the second round with Mallett still on the board but they used one on Jarvis Jenkins and traded back from the other one.

The Patriots took Mallett in the third round, with the 74^th pick.

The point here is not to pick out King for not knowing what he’s talking about. Mock drafts are difficult and even the most well informed observers usually end up looking dumb when looking back on them. But it is amazing how Shanahan, by saying and doing nothing, was able to get King to think that he could be dead set on taking a quarterback that in whom he apparently had no interest.

 

Rookie review: Royster saved the best for last

By Rich Tandler

During the course of the year, 11 of the Redskins’ 12 draft picks from 2011 were on the active roster. Here we take a look at each of them, how much they played, what they accomplished and what their future prospects are.

See the links below for the previous rookie reviews. Today, it’s running back Evan Royster.

Evan Royster
Drafted in 6^th round, 177 overall
On roster 6 games games, played 6, started 2, played 158 snaps

2011: Royster did not look ready in training camp as he struggled in pass protection and wasn’t very confident when making his cuts with the ball.  The coaches apparently agreed with that assessment as he was released at the end of camp and placed on the practice squad. I looked like he might spend the whole year when they claimed former Dallas running back Tashard Choice off of waivers in Week 9. But that only lasted a few weeks and Royster was moved up from the practice squad for the final six games. He saved the best for last, rushing for over 100 yards in each of the last two games.

Prospects: Royster will battle it out with fellow 2011 rookie Roy Helu and, if he re-signs, veteran Tim Hightower for playing time and carries. Early indications are the Helu and Hightower are not workhorse backs; both became banged up after seeing a few games worth of heavy workloads. We don’t know if Royster can carry the load as the season ended after his two big games. In any case, he will be a part of the mix at running back with Helu and Hightower.

Previous rookie reviews

• G Maurice Hurt 
• LB Markus White
• NT Chris Neild
• CB Brandyn Thompson 
• Aldrick Robinson

 

Rookie review: Chris Neild a perfect role player

By Rich Tandler

During the course of the year, 11 of the Redskins’ 12 draft picks from 2011 were on the active roster. Here we take a look at each of them, how much they played, what they accomplished and what their future prospects are.

We start with the Redskins’ last draft pick, Chris Neild.

Chris Neild, NT
Drafted in 7^th round, 253 overall
Played in 16 games, snaps 163 of 1056 (15.4%)
10 tackles, 2 sacks

2012: The fact that Neild made the roster to begin with was a mild surprise; the conventional wisdom was that he would spend a year on the practice squad before being ready to play. That thinking went out the window when he got 1.5 sacks of Eli Manning in the season opener. He only managed another half sack the rest of the year but sacks are not supposed to be the specialty of a nose tackle anyway. Neild did was he was supposed to do, hold down the fort while Barry Cofield got a rest.

Future prospects: The Redskins would be perfectly happy if Neild could continue to be Cofield’s relief for the next few years. At some point he might want to start but for right now Neild, who was one pick away from being Mr. Irrelevant, will be happy to take some snaps and play some special teams. 

 

Hankerson, Kerrigan starred in 2011 Senior Bowl

By Rich Tandler

The Redskins drafted six players who were on the 2011 Senior Bowl roster. According to game officials, that was the most of any team in the NFL.

Here are the players who were in the game and how they performed:

North

Roy Helu, Nebraska—Carried twice for four yards. That looks like a light workload but the North did not run very much. Maryland’s Da’Rel Scott got five carries for 15 yards, Kendall Hunter of Oklahoma State, Helu, and DeMarco Murray Oklahoma carried twice each. That was it for carries for the running backs. The North possessed the ball for only 24 minutes and there certainly is come cause and effect in play there.

Ryan Kerrigan, Purdue—Kerrigan started at right defensive end, his college position, in the 4-3 alignment. He got a sack (-7 yards) and three tackles for a loss (-17 yards).

Niles Paul, Nebraska—One reception for five yards

South

Leonard Hankerson, Miami (pictured)—He started at wide receiver and made a great case for MVP honors with 5 receptions for 100 yards. In the first quarter Hankerson caught an 18-yard touchdown pass from Christian Ponder. He also had a 49-yard reception.

Jarvis Jenkins, Clemson—Started at nose tackle but it was in a 4-3 alignment so it was a traditional defensive tackle spot. Recorded one tackle, it was for a four-yard loss.

Chris Neild, West Virginia—Recorded two tackles.

 

Nine of 12 draft picks have seen game action

By Rich Tandler

Now that Evan Royster has been elevated from the practice squad to the active roster, all but two of the 12 players the Redskins drafted last April have been a part of the 53-man roster at some point this season. If Royster plays that will mean that all 10 players who have seen time on the roster will have played in games. Six of the draft picks have started games.

Here is a look at how the rookie class has fared this season:

LB Ryan Kerrigan (Round 1)—He is the only defensive player who has played every snap this season.

DE Jarvis Jenkins (2)—Jenkins would at least have been a part of the defensive line rotation if not a starter by now had he not suffered a torn ACL in the third preseason game in Baltimore.

WR Leonard Hankerson (3)—He was inactive the first five games and played sparingly in the next two. After playing virtually the entire game against the 49ers, Hankerson had his breakout game against the Dolphins, gaining 106 yards on eight catches before going out for the season with a hip injury.

RB Roy Helu (4)—The running back has been active for all 10 games and has played in all of them with one start.

S DeJon Gomes (5)—When LaRon Landry was out last Sunday, Gomes got his first NFL start. He has played in every game but one; Gomes was inactive for the first Cowboys game.

WR Niles Paul (5)—Paul played in the first eight games of the season before an injured toe landed him on the inactive list for the past two games. He got credit for a start in Carolina when the Redskins opened on a three-receiver set.

RB Evan Royster (5)—Royster was released in the final roster cuts and was signed to the practice squad a few days later. He is expected to be active on Sunday against the Seahawks.

WR Aldrick Robinson (6)—Also released with the final cuts and brought back to the practice squad, where he remains.

CB Brandyn Thompson (7)—Thompson has been the team’s yo-yo this year. He made the initial roster and played in two of the first four games. After Phillip Buchanon returned from his four-game suspension, Thompson was waived and put on the practice squad. After two weeks there he was brought back up to the 53-man roster and was active but did not play against the Bills and 49ers. He then returned to the practice squad, where he remains—for now.

G Maurice Hurt (7)—He spent the first five games on the practice squad and then was moved up to the roster when Kory Lichtensteiger went out for the year. Hurt was active but a spectator the next two games before he saw his first NFL action when he started against the 49ers. After starting against the Dolphins, Hurt missed the Dallas game with a knee injury.

LB Markus White (7)—White has been on the roster but inactive for every game except Dolphins game, where he saw some special teams action.

NT Chris Neild (7)—Neild has played in every game as Barry Cofield’s substitute.

It’s also worth including undrafted rookie Willie Smith in this discussion. He has been on the 53-man roster all year. Smith has been active in three games but has yet to play.

Rich Tandler blogs about the Redskins at www.RealRedskins.com. You can reach him by email at RTandlerCSN@comcast.net and follow him on Twitter @Rich_Tandler. 

Should the Redskins have drafted a QB?

By Rich Tandler

There are many who are taking Mike Shanahan to task for going into the season with John Beck and Rex Grossman at quarterback. Neither has proven to be even an average NFL starting quarterback and the position remains a sore spot for the Redskins two years into Shanahan’s tenure.

But what were the alternatives after the team punted on Donovan McNabb? Who could they have brought in? With the benefit of a half a season of hindsight, let’s take a look at the quarterbacks who could be wearing burgundy and gold and how they might have affected the 2011 season and beyond.

Last week, we looked at the veterans who were available. Here, we’ll see who the Redskins could have drafted.

Before we look at who the Redskins might have drafted, let’s look at what they actually did last April. Draft picks are a zero sum game; if you pick one player, you forego the opportunity to draft another.

The Redskins came into the draft with their own picks in rounds one (10^th overall) and two (41). They had traded away their third-rounder for Jammal Brown and their fourth for Donovan McNabb.

By the time the Redskins’ pick came up two quarterbacks were off the board. Carolina had picked up Cam Newton with the first overall pick and the Titans had taken Jake Locker eighth. Mike Shanahan decided to trade back. The Jaguars moved up, taking Washington’s tenth pick in exchange for their first-round pick, the 16^th overall, and their second-rounder, No. 49.

Jacksonville took Missouri quarterback Blaine Gabbert at 10. With the 12^th pick, the Vikings drafted QB Christian Ponder out of Florida State. When the Redskins’ turn came up at 16, they tabbed defensive end Ryan Kerrigan with the notion of converting him to a linebacker.

In round two, the Redskins took defensive lineman Jarvis Jenkins with their own pick. With the Jaguars pick they traded back multiple times and recouped picks in the third (WR Leonard Hankerson) and fourth (RB Roy Helu).

What this boils down to is that if the Redskins had decided to use the tenth pick for a quarterback, they would not have been able to draft Kerrigan, Hankerson, or Helu. Any evaluation of a possible quarterback pick needs to take that into consideration.

The Redskins did not have what it would have taken to move up to the top spot to take Newton, even if the Panthers had been willing to deal away the pick. Newton has been starting all season and he looks like a future star.

Washington possibly could have moved ahead of Tennessee to take Locker but it probably would have taken their 2012 second-rounder to move up. So far, Locker’s season has been spent back a backup. He has appeared in two games and has attempted two passes.

The two that the Redskins obviously bypassed were Gabbert and Ponder. The Jaguars have gone 2-5 in Gabbert’s seven starts. He has completed 47.9 percent of his passes with six touchdowns and five interceptions. 

Ponder has appeared in fewer games and has looked a bit more polished than Gabbert. He has completed 50.5 of his passes with three touchdowns and three interceptions.

Of course, rookie quarterbacks have to be evaluated over the course of a few years, not a handful of games. While the 2011 Redskins may or may no not have been better off with Locker, Gabbert, or Ponder we won’t really know if Shanahan will end up regretting bypassing them this year until 2013 at the earliest.

By then we’ll see how they have matured as quarterbacks. We also will see what kind of players Kerrigan, Hankerson, and Helu are at that point and we will be able to make an evaluation of what the Redskins could have had compared to what they got for those picks.

One other quarterback we should take a look at is Andy Dalton of Cincinnati. The Redskins perhaps could have traded up in the second round, giving up the rights to Jenkins and possibly the pick that ended up netting Hankerson and Helu. Dalton is playing better than any rookie quarterback, completing 60.3 percent of his passes with 14 touchdowns and nine interceptions. 

Point-Counterpoint: The Redskins draft

We've had week to digest the results of the Washington Redskins' draft so Ryan O'Halloran and I look at what went right and what went wrong.

Should the Redskins have taken a quarterback? Rich Tandler: I think Shanahan may have been burned by trading back from the 10th selection. He probably went in with the intention of taking Jake Locker but the Titans nabbed him with the eighth pick. Plan B was to trade back and take Christian Ponder at 16. That backfired when Shanahan was no doubt as shocked as everyone else when the Vikings reached for Ponder at No. 12. Shanahan took the lemon he’d been handed and made some nice lemonade getting linebacker Ryan Kerrigan, wide receiver Leonard Hankerson and running back Roy Helu out of the picks acquired by moving back. Still, 2011 will be a year that is not spent developing a quarterback and that isn’t good for the long-term future. Ryan O’Halloran: Even though the Redskins likely found three immediate starters with their first three picks, once Locker and Ponder were off the board, Shanahan should have found a way to trade up into the top of the second round to get TCU’s Andy Dalton (to Cincinnati) or Nevada’s Colin Kaepernick (to San Francisco) because there was a steep drop-off.

Go here to read the article on CSN Washington.

 

Chart shows Redskins were aggressive in trading down

The Washington Redskins' five draft day deals netted out to being just about even in terms of the draft trade value chart. By looking at all of the trades after the first one, however, it seems apparent that Mike Shanahan and Bruce Allen were very anxious to trade down. In some of the deals they made, they left the equivalent of a mid-round draft choice on the table. The only trade that netted them a plus on the chart was the first one. The Jaguars sent the Redskins the 16th and 49th picks, worth 1410 points and Washington gave up the 10th pick, with 1300 points. That gave the deal a net advantage of 110 points in favor of the Redskins. That is about equal to an early fourth-round pick. In their other four trades, however, they lost value. Here are those deals (h/t to Mike Sando on ESPN.com) with the "winner" of the deal in terms of trade value points in bold:

Team trading up	Team trading down
Dolphins (79+145+217=233.6)	Redskins (62=284)	50.4
Bears (62+127=329)	Redskins (53=370)	41
Colts (53+152=401.8)	Redskins (49=410)	8.2
Redskins (127+144+152=110.8)	Texans (105+178=105.2)	5.6

If you take the 110 points that they gained in the first deal and subtract the net loss in the other four deals you end up with a net of plus-five points. In the deals with the Dolphins and Bears, the Redskins settled for less to the tune of a late fourth-round pick in each deal. Don't get me wrong. This is not to say that the Redskins should not have made the deals. I'm noting this because it appears that Shanahan and Allen were very intent on moving down. They made it clear that their picks were available at a discount. If they left yet another fifth-rounder on the table, they thought, so be it. The chart wasn't ignored but it was used just as a rough guideline. There really wasn't much of a point in having, say, half a dozen fifth-round picks. As long as they could get an extra pick or two in the process, the Redskins were content to leave the spare change in the tip jar.