Rich Tandler's Real Redskins

Redskins-Cowboys Minute by Minute blog

Endless hours in the weight room and studying film, weeks of OTA’s and minicamps, days in the hot sun during training camp, almost 50 practices and 15 regular season games lead up to this. One game, the winner gets to continue practicing, studying film, and playing game; the loser likely goes home.

The Redskins and Cowboys will play in that one game Sunday night at 8:20. Until then, we’ll help you count down the hours and minutes until kickoff with this blog. We’ll update with the latest new, notes, nuggets, thoughts, and analysis right up until the start of the game. Check by frequently throughout the day and refresh the page for the latest.

Time is in hours and minutes until kickoff.

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Inactives

DeJon Gomes is out with a knee injury. It looks like Tyler Polumbus will start. The full list of inactives:

DB Gomes, KR Banks, WR Briscoe, LB Muckelroy, LBSo'oto, OT Compton and OL Gettis

Potential opponent update

-1:40—If the Redskins win, they will face either the Seahawks or the 49ers. As of right now, Seattle is losing while San Francisco is winning. If eitheir of those results hold, the Redskins would host the Seahawks if they win. 

Tough guy

Here is Alfred Morris out of the field in shorts and a T-shirt. And it's flippin' cooold out there. (photo credit @TarikCSN)

Looks like Polumbus might play

-2:20—The word is that the Redskins expect Tyler Polumbus to be able to start at right tackle. We won’t know for sure until the inactives are announced about an hour from now, but it looks like the Redskins will start the offensive line alignment that they did for their first 14 games.

No word on safety DeJon Gomes, who suffered a sprained MCL last week. We will find out about him when the inactives go out. 

At FedEx Field

-3:20—OK, I’m here, a couple of quick updates:

--As of now, three and a half hours before kickoff, it’s pretty windy down on the field. Some TV light stands have blown over and the streamers on top of the goal posts are very active, especially on the far end of the field (the right side when you’re watching on TV).

--The parking lots are rather lively. I came in at about 4:30 and there was plenty of tailgating going on. They open the gates in about 30 minutes and it will be interesting to see how quickly the place gets filled up and how loud it will be when it does.

--As you’ve probably heard, the Bears won, taking away the Redskins’ safety net. Their only route to the playoffs now is to beat Dallas and take the NFC East crown.

On the way to FedEx

-5:50—I’m heading out to go to the stadium. We’ll pick this back up when I get there. You can still hit me with questions on Twitter @Rich_TandlerCSN or here in the comments section.

One note on the way out, we do have a ballgame in Detroit. The Lions scored a touchdown just before halftime to pull to within 20-10 of the Bears. If the Bears do hold on, they only way they will be able to play next weekend is by winning tonight.

Walt Anderson is the referee

-6:20--The referee for tonight’s game will the Walt Anderson, who has been officiating games since 2000 and has been a referee since 2003. His crew officiated last years season ending, winner take all game between the Cowboys and Giants.

The last Redskins game Anderson worked was their 2010 win in Chicago, DeAngelo Hall’s four-interception game.

It seems like his crew lets them play. They have called double digit penalties on one team three times in 12 games this year. They have called five or fewer infractions on a team 13 times (some doubling up there with games where five or fewer called against both teams.

3 and out: RG3's knee, Morris' hands, defensive adjustments

We had so much to talk about in 3 and Out this week that it wouldn't fit into one video. Enjoy Part 1 and then scroll down for Part 2. Videos are after the jump.

2-0 teams usually make the playoffs

By Rich Tandler

Being 2-0 does not guarantee you anything in the NFL but it does appear to be a good start towards qualifying for the postseason.

Since the NFL expanded the playoff to 12 teams in 1990, 175 teams have started out 2-0. Of those teams 112, or 64 percent, made the postseason.

The Redskins have started out 2-0 15 times, including seasons when there were fewer playoff teams. They have made the playoffs in 10 of those seasons, or 67 percent.

 

If NFLPA votes for CBA, things will happen fast

I'm not going to post another calendar of dates of how things might progress over the next few weeks if--and that is if--the NFLPA executive committee and player reps vote to approve proposed CBA on Monday. But suffice it to say that things at Redskins Park will begin to happen in a hurry.

In about a week, Mike Shanahan and company will attempt to sign some of the team's own free agents, waive any players they no longer longer want on their roster, sign undrafted college players, sign the players they drafted, sign other teams' free agents, see what kind of shape the players are in, and get training camp started.

While their plan for free agency has been set for a while, they need to keep a constant eye on the waiver wire as other teams will be releasing players and a player who fits their needs may unexpectedly appear on the market.

The team currently has 60 players under contract, 12 draft picks and 11 unrestricted free agents. The roster limit for training camp is 90 players and the team will want to be up to that limit as soon as possible. Although the Redskins may  release some players, unlike some other teams that will not be required to release any to get under the salary cap.

The multitasking ability of Shanahan, who has final say in personnel matters, will be severely tested. If they start training camp on Saturday, they will have 13 days to prepare for their preseason opener, which will be against the Pittsburgh Steelers at FedEx Field on Friday, August 12.

McNabb wants athletes off of Twitter

Although I don't believe that any athletes asked him for his advice, Donovan McNabb has advised athletes to stay off of Twitter. Appearing on ESPN 1000 in Chicago, McNabb was asked about what happened during this year's NFC title game, when many players knocked Bears QB Jay Cutler via Twitter for not returning to the game after injuring his knee, McNabb said (as transcribed by Dan Steinberg on the Bog):

First of all, I’m not a fan of tweeting, I’m not a fan of Twitter. Nothing against their program or what they have, but as an athlete I think you need to get off of Twitter. All these social networks of you tweeting about you watching the game when you want to be playing in it but you’re mad you’re not playing in it so you’re gonna criticize someone who’s playing in it. I don’t believe that that’s the right deal. That’s not professional by any means. And we’re all in a fraternity, so if you see a guy who’s struggling, this isn’t the time to try to jump on him or kick him while he’s down, because that same guy will come against you and kind of blast your team out of the water. So I think for an athlete to be twittering is the wrong move. It’s one that leads to the fans and let them comment on certain things, but athletes need to get off twitter.

Certainly, McNabb is entitled to his opinion, but this is like saying that athletes should not drive cars because they can get into accidents. Intelligent use of Twitter by athletes to engage fans and to have fun can enhance an athlete's off-field image and opportunities. If you use it to pound out dumb stuff without thinking before hitting "send" it might have the opposite effect. If McNabb chooses not to be on Twitter, that's fine. But that's his decision and other athletes should make their decisions.

McNabb practicing with Eagles

Yesterday we had an ad for Donovan McNabb's birthday party featuring a picture of him in an Eagles uniform. Today, we have him rejoining the team. OK, it was just for one of those lockout-created, players-only workouts. The report comes via Twitter from Mark Meany, an executive sports producer with WPVI-TV in Philadelphia. Here are his tweets (h/t to @RedskinsBlog):

Donovan McNabb joins #Eagles workouts today. Hear from McNabb tonight on #Action News on @6ABC http://yfrog.com/kenxoudj Just interviewed McNabb. In town for charity event, decided to come by to workout. Would not comment about Skins.http://yfrog.com/kl9rwgvj

To be sure, players are joining other teams' workouts all over the country. Some players who live in the Nashville area are joining the Titans' workouts. Some multi-team workouts have taken place in the Atlanta area and in Florida. There are no keep dark secrets being revealed. But there is something about this particular player working out with this particular team that is sure the raise the hackles of Redskins fans. Update: CSN Philly has this article with more details on what happened. It appears that he initial reports were misinterpreted to some extent. The "Eagles workouts" in Meany's tweets were not workouts in the sense that we had the Redskins conducting last week. This was more conditioning workouts. According to the CSN Philly article "they did agility drills with cones and weight training with medicine balls on the artificial turf field for about 45 minutes." Some have pointed out that, as far as we know, McNabb has not worked out with any current Redskins so perhaps working out with former Philly teammates indicates that his heart never really was in Washington. That is all well and good. It is hard to find much fault with being in town for a charity event and meeting up to work out with some buddies while you're there. The lesson that we all need to learn here is that the lockout can't end soon enough. What do you think? Is this a big deal?

Malcolm Kelly is the forgotten man

 

[caption id="attachment_6081" align="aligncenter" width="250" caption="Malcolm Kelly has some ability"][/caption] Yesterday, I started outlining a CSN article about the depth chart at the wide receiver position for next week (and you thought that I just made this stuff up and slap it together as I go along). And I went through and made up a depth chart and started to work on the article. Then I saw something that made me remember who I had forgotten to include. Malcolm Kelly. One of the team's second-round picks in 2008, Kelly was out of sight and out of mind last year, spending the first season of the the Mike Shanahan regime on injured reserve with a pulled hamstring just before training camp. The injury was slow to heal and Shanahan frequently appeared to be irritated when discussing the subject of his return. What reminded me of my error of omission was this article by John Keim of the Examiner. He caught up with Kelly after one of the team's workouts and found Kelly to be hopeful but realistic about his chances of making the Redskins in 2011. "Everybody has to prove something," said Kelly. "For me to say I have to go the extra mile, yeah I do. Everyone knows that. But to harp on that? I just have to go play. If I can play while I'm healthy, I think that speaks for itself." Kelly did take notice that the Redskins drafted three wide receivers in April. "You always have to bring in guys," he said. This year will make or break Kelly's chances with the Redskins and, possibly, with the NFL. He has just 28 catches in 21 NFL games with 10 starts. Despite the fact that the 6-4 receiver was supposed to be a red zone threat he has yet to catch a touchdown pass. Kelly's chances of making the team would be bolstered considerably if Santana Moss left as a free agent. Athough Kelly said that Moss is "a heck of a player" and that he did not want him to leave, the numbers are what they are. The team will keep five wide receivers, maybe six. If Moss is there he will be one of them along with Anthony Armstrong and third-round pick Leonard Hankerson. You have to think that returner Brandon Banks is close to a lock, although the team did draft some players with return ability. That leaves Kelly battling with draft picks Niles Paul and Aldrick Robinson, 2010 draft pick Terrence Austin, and any veteran receiver the Redskins might bring in for one or two roster spots. The absence of Moss would help clear the way for Kelly. But making the Redskins, or making it anywhere in the NFL, is largely up to Kelly. He did not make a particularly good impression on Shanahan prior to the hamstring injury and the slow healing further damaged his reputation in the eyes of the coaches. Kelly will have a second chance at making a first impression when the lockout ends, but he will have to do it quickly. The odds seem to be against Kelly--it is hard to imagine why the Redskins would draft three wide receivers is they expected anything out of Kelly this year--but if he could come through and be productive it would be a great boost to a team that has been struggling in the passing game for quite some time.

McNabb: ' 2011 ' s gonna be a special season '

Plenty has been written (including here) about Donovan McNabb's career being in decline and, possibly, over. Don't tell McNabb that. In a YouTube video, McNabb said that he is not finished. It's only 30 seconds, give it a look.

"For my Facetime: 2011 is different than 2010. For those who want to sit back and dwell on what happened last year, so be it. But 2011’s gonna be a special season. A season in which I feel that I’ve prepared myself well — not just conditioning and strengthwise, but most importantly getting back to the fundamentals. And I look to display that in the 2011 season. And for those who feel like it can’t be possible: I’ll prove you wrong."

Each day the NFL lockout drags on the more difficult it will be for McNabb to fulfill his promise. Assuming that he will be with another team, he will be working on a very compressed time schedule in order to learn a new offense. But there is no reason not to wish him the best.

Shanahan NFL ' s most pass-happy coach since ' 08

Mike Clay of Pro Football Focus, who breaks down NFL plays and trends as well as anyone out there, threw out the following question his morning on his Twitter account:       The answer was Mike Shanahan. Yes, the Mike Shahanan famous for his ability to pull 1,000-yard rushers out of thin air, the one who helped popularize the zone blocking scheme. That guy. A look at the raw stats for the 2010 Redskins and the 2008 Broncos shows 1225 passes thrown and 738 rush attempts. Doing the math, this comes to Shanahan's teams throwing the ball 62.4 percent of the time. But Clay also counts sacks and quarterback scrambles as passes for the purposes of figuring out what coach calls the highest percentage of passes. That is how Shanahan's number rises to 66 percent. The head coach whose teams have called the fewest passes in the past three years is Rex Ryan. His two Jets teams have passed just 47 percent of the time. The Redskins probably don't want to be living in that neighborhood but 66 percent probably is too high. Something around 60 percent would be a good balance especially given that John Beck or Rex Grossman is likely to be throwing those passes.

A possible destination for Santana Moss

Free agent wide receiver Santana Moss has said that he wants to return to the Washington Redskins in 2011 and beyond. "My first choice is to stay in Washington," Moss told Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk in February. He has repeated that sentiment to others since then. And there are many reasons to believe that the Redskins would like to retain Moss' services. Although they drafted three wide receivers in April, rookie wideouts are slow to develop. If Moss departs, the Redskins leading returning receiver would be Anthony Armstrong, who has 871 career receiving yards. But the Redskins knew that Moss would be a free agent when his contract voided in February and they did not make him an offer he couldn't refuse prior to the lockout. This makes me wonder how competitive an offer the Redskins will make when the time comes. It seems likely that Moss will have alternatives. On Rotoworld, Evan Silva predicts that Moss will end up with the Patriots. Another potential suitor is the Bears. In a mailba   g segment on the Bears' official website, senior writer Larry Mayer wrote the following in response to a question about Moss.

When you hear about receivers who are due to become free agents, his name is rarely among the first few mentioned. But he has been highly productive, averaging 81 receptions for 2,251 yards and three touchdowns the past three seasons for a Redskins team that has struggled at the quarterback position. Moss has said that he wants to re-sign with Washington, but I see no reason why the Bears wouldn’t at least consider taking a look at him unless they feel he’s too similar in size, stature and style to receivers such as Johnny Knox and Devin Hester who are already on their roster.

To be sure, this is speculation in response to a question on the writer's part and he is not reporting that anyone in the Bears organization has expressed any interest in signing Moss. The point here is that a lot of teams could use a good receiver like Moss. The return of Santana Moss is not entirely up to the Redskins. From what Moss says it appears that he will be willing to give the Redskins a hometown discount, perhaps a substantial one. But it appears that the Redskins are no longer going to engage in bidding wars, especially against themselves. While I would say that right now the odds favor a Moss return, Redskins fans should be prepared to see him in a different uniform in 2011.