Rich Tandler's Real Redskins

Injury Report: Armstrong a game time decision, Jackson likely a go

By Rich Tandelr

Wide receiver Anthony Armstrong will be a game time decision for the Redskins when the travel to take on the Rams on Sunday.

Mike Shanahan said that Armstrong has not been ruled out. “It will be a pre-game [decision] and hopefully [his hamstring] will get a little bit better, so we’ll test it before the game,” he said.

Armstrong, starting fullback Darrel Young, and reserve safety DeJon Gomes are all listed as questionable for the game. Both Young and Gomes were inactive for the Dallas game last Monday.

It looks like Rams running back Steven Jackson is a go for Sunday’s game. He missed one game and played sparingly last week against the Ravens with a quad injury. Jackson was listed is probable although he was limited in practice for the third time this week. 

 

Redskins Rewind: Neild sees more action

Ryan's weekly must-read article on who played how much and his breakdown of the game were a little late this week due to some technical issues but better late than never. You have to read the whole thing but here are a few nuggets from it that I found interesting.

--Chris Neild played almost a fourth of the defensive snaps (15 of 63). I talked to him yesterday about what he's doing different, look for a post over the weekend.

--LaRon Landry missed just eight snaps. He came out of the locker room late after halftime; he told us he was getting an IV in the locker room. The coaches than pulled him out for a while later in the game because they thought he was getting tired. 

--Tim Hightower played the first 14 snaps and then Roy Helu played the next 11. It seems kind of odd that they don't mix it up more within series. It will be interesting to see how they handle this as the year goes on and if they start to mix in Ryan Torain, who has zero snaps this year although he has been active every game.

--Chris Cooley played a total of 41 snaps, 23 at tight end and and 18 at fullback.

I could go on, but go check out the article, it's great stuff. 

Redskins reset: Ready for the Rams?

Ryan O'Halloran and I give our last word on the Hall outburst and look ahead to the Rams game. 

 

 

Twitter question: What about Hank?

By Rich Tandler

All season long I been getting tweets asking about the status of wide receiver Leonard Hankerson, the team’s third-round draft pick who has been inactive for all three games this season.

The queries have escalated in recent days for a couple of reasons. Anthony Armstrong missed the second half of the Dallas game and he may or may not be ready to play on Sunday, opening the possibility that Hankerson could fill his spot on the active roster. And many fans believe that a big wide receiver such as Hankerson would help the Redskins with their problems scoring touchdowns in the end zone.

I am sorry to report to Hankerson’s fans that even if Armstrong is inactive on Sunday, Hankerson is likely to be a spectator once again. As Terrence Austin and Donte Stallworth have alternated being the active backup receivers so far this year, the most likely scenario is that they both would be active if Armstrong can’t go.

This is not based on any information from the coaches—they will not discuss who will be active and inactive during the week—so there is a chance of a surprise. However, the odds are that while Hankerson’s day will come, it might not come anytime soon.

While this is disappointing to those who are anxious to see Hankerson on the field, it should not be taken as a sign that Hankerson is a draft bust or anything like that. The Redskins knew that he would be a long-term project when they drafted him. He needs to learn how to hold on to the ball better and to polish his route running and his run blocking technique.

Hankerson is frequently one of the last players off of the practice field so it appears that he is working to improve. His efforts may bear fruit sometime in the next month or so or maybe not until next year. Hankerson’s time will come but it is not likely to come this Sunday.

 

Rams' run defense has faced tough competition

By Rich Tandler

There has been a lot of talk this week that the Redskins should have a good game running the ball against the Rams since St. Louis is dead last in the NFL against the run.

And they are truly dead last. They have allowed 523 yards on the ground, 113 yards more than the Jets, who are 31^st against the run. To put it in perspective, the gap in rushing yards allowed between the Jets and the Steelers, who are ranked 12^th, is 112 yards.

However, it is a mistake to put too much into numbers just three games into the season. One thing that you have to consider is the opposition.

In three games, the Rams have faced three top-notch running attacks. In the opener they faced the Eagles with LeSean McCoy, who has become an elite runner, and the best running quarterback in the business, Michael Vick. McCoy gained 122 yards on 15 carries while Vick scrambled 11 times for 97 yards.

The following Monday night they went up against the Giants two-pronged ground attack and Ahmad Bradshaw (59) and Brandon Jacobs (50) combined to go over 100 yards.

Last week the Ravens’ Ray Rice, the top pick in many fantasy drafts, picked up 79 yards against the Rams and Ricky Williams added 42.

This game may be a better indication of the quality of the St. Louis run defense as the Redskins’ stable of backs is about average by NFL standards. Tim Hightower is a solid back and rookie Roy Helu (pictured) has shown some flashes but it is safe to say that the Redskins’ duo will be the least dangerous the Rams have faced this year.

This doesn’t mean that the Redskins won’t be able to move the ball on the ground on Sunday but we should not expect to see them do the hot knife through butter thing all day long. 

 

Four Downs: Alexander wants to spring Banks

By Ryan O’Halloran
CSNwashington.com

First Down
Amongst the blockers, the Redskins have had very little turnover on the kickoff return squad and the four-man second wave of Kedric Golston, Lorenzo Alexander, Mike Sellers and Logan Paulsen remains largely unchanged. But the Redskins rank 15th in that category … not good enough according to Alexander.

Brandon Banks averaged 20 yards per attempt last week against Dallas.

“I wish we could get Banks going a little more,” Alexander said. “Some of that stuff is on the back end missing blocks.”

Second Down
My personal rubs about the DeAngelo Hall stuff this week:

1. Being two feet from him Monday night in Dallas and listening and hearing what he was saying – this is one passionate player. Hall is an acquired taste and there is no middle ground. But he was speaking for the locker room (and so was Chris Cooley) when he expressed his displeasure about the missed opportunity against the Cowboys.

2. He executed the call. This wasn’t some act of defiance against Jim Haslett. At the snap, Hall was in perfect position for a quick Dallas comeback throw (which Haslett said he was told what the Cowboys wanted to do). His only mistake was costly – he peeked back at Romo while Dez Bryant cut across on a deep post.

3. Usually in circumstances like this, everybody tries to take the temperature of the locker room to see if Hall offended anybody. Not a peep. He wasn’t critical of a teammate and that was the big thing.

Third Down
Rams coach Steve Spagnuolo can’t get away from the NFC East and it has put his team in a hole. St. Louis opened with losses to Philadelphia and the Giants and now face the Redskins.

This is the third time in as many years as Rams coach he has faced the Redskins coming after all of his years on the staffs in Philadelphia and the Giants.

But that knowledge is no longer applicable since the Redskins have a new staff and almost an entirely new roster since he last called the Giants’ defensive signals three years ago. 

Fourth Down
Safety LaRon Landry’s return performance last week has everybody confident on the Redskins’ defense confident this week. Simply put, Landry far exceeded my expectations against Dallas in terms of playing time and production. Now the real No. 30 is about to be unleashed.

“He was a monster [against Dallas],” safety O.J. Atogwe said. “That’s what we were expecting coming back for this game. We know the type of player he is, the physicality he brings, the intensity he brings and he showed that in his debut after a 10-month layoff. He’s going to continue to build on the beginning stage of this season.”

Injury report: Rams nearing full strength

By Rich Tandler

The St. Louis Rams had a couple of players get back to full practice today and they could nearly be at full strength when the play the Redskins on Sunday.

Running back Carnell Williams (hamstring) and defensive tackle Darell Scott (thumb) fully participated in practice today after being limited yesterday. And receiver Danny Amendola (elbow) was limited in practice today after not participating yesterday.

The key man on the Rams’ injury report is running back Steven Jackson. He was limited again today with a quad injury. St. Louis’ workhorse back has just six carries this year although one of them, his first of the year, went for 58 yards and a touchdown against the Eagles in the opener.

Last year in Week 3 Jackson bolted for 47 yards and a touchdown in the first quarter to get the Rams off to a good start in an upset win over the Redskins.

Tight end Michael Hoomanawauni (back) also was limited for the Rams.

The Redskins’ injury report was identical to yesterday’s with Anthony Armstrong, Darrel Young, and DeJon Gomes being limited in practice due to hamstring issues.

 

Haslett: Mistakes lead to big plays in run game

By Rich Tandler

While most of the focus of the media’s session with defensive coordinator Jim Haslett today focused on the third and 21 play, the Cowboys’ success running the football came up as well. After having rushed for just 69 yards in Dallas’ first two games, Jones had a big game against Washington as he gained 115 yards on 14 carries. Not bad for a guy who was limited in practice all week due to a shoulder injury.

The lion’s share of his yards came on two second-half carries. The Redskins contained Jones pretty well in the first half, limiting him to 20 yards on seven carries. But in the second half there were two big runs that hurt the Redskins.

The first one came on first down from the Dallas 20 on the Cowboys’ first play from scrimmage after the Redskins had scored a touchdown to take a 16-9 lead. Just when it looked like Washington had taken the momentum, Jones popped a 29-yard run right up the middle. Six plays later, a Dan Bailey field goal cut the Washington lead to 16-12.

Two possessions later with the score the same, Jones again went up the middle, this time for 40 yards. That set up Dallas at the Washington 35 and another field goal made it 16-15.

“We had three [defenders] on two [blockers] on the runs, we just missed the tackle one time, we misplayed it one time,” said Haslett . “We had a new linebacker in there one time, he misplayed it.”

It appears that the “new linebacker” Haslett was referring to is Rob Jackson, who came in while starter Brian Orakpo was out getting treated for cramps. He went past Jones on the 40-yard run, leaving wide open spaces and the speedy Jones took off.

“Those things will be corrected,” said Haslett. 

 

Shanahan's message: Redskins aren't there yet

By Rich Tandler

While discussing the third and 21 play call in the Cowboys game, Mike Shanahan took what seemed to be an odd detour back to the past. He related a story from when he was the offensive coordinator for the 49ers in 1994 as they prepared to play in Super Bowl XXIX:

[49ers tight end] Brent Jones said it best, we’re in the Super Bowl getting ready for San Diego and I sat down there with Steve Young and we’re going through all of the scenarios that exist – going through first down situations, second down situations and third downs. Brent Jones came over to me and says ‘it really doesn’t matter what you call. You couldn’t screw up this game. We’re ready to win.’ We went on to score 49 points. I think Brent was right. No matter what, I could not screw up calls in that game.

This seemed to be a random reference to something that happened over 17 years ago. However, Shanahan rarely saying anything without a purpose. So what reason could he have had for pulling out a scrapbook from the 1990’s?

What Shanahan was saying was that the players on really good teams, championship teams, will execute whatever the coaches call and will make it work. He also was saying that while the Redskins may be improved and that they may be on the right path towards becoming a championship team, they are not there yet.

The flip side of the coin here is that players on championship teams rarely are surprised by what the coaches call. They are in sync with thinking of their coordinators and with the head coach. The next time a third and 21 comes up in the fourth quarter, no player on the Redskins defense should be surprised by a call for an all-out blitz. They should know that it is coming and focus on executing it.

There has been a lot written about what DeAngelo Hall thought about the blitz call after the game. What is of greater importance is what he thought about it between the time it was called in the huddle and when the ball was snapped. Hall admitted he did not execute the play well. Was that because there was doubt in his mind that Jim Haslett made the right play call?

Shanahan and the Redskins have assembled some very good, high-character players. That is the easy part. Molding them into a team capable of lifting the Lombardi Trophy is another matter and, as Shanahan likes to say, it’s a process. It is one that is likely to take some time.

(h/t to @LaVar_Arrington, some on-air thoughts of his are borrowed here.)

 

Kerrigan is NFL Defensive Rookie of the Month

By Rich Tandler

The Washington Redskins' top draft pick is paying some early dividends.

The NFL has named linebacker Ryan Kerrigan as the league's defensive rookie of the month for September. The 16th overall pick in the 2011 draft has made a fairly smooth transition from college defensive end to NFL outside linebacker and he is making impact plays on a weekly basis.

In his debut against the New York Giants, he tipped an Eli Manning pass, made the interception, and returned it nine yards for a touchdown. He recorded his first NFL sack the following week against the Cardinals and he tallied another Monday night against Dallas. In the Arizona game he also tipped a pass that London Fletcher intercepted to kill a potential Cardinals scoring drive.

Kerrigan is the fourth Redskins rookie to receive the award and the first since safety Chris Horton was honored in 2008. Other winners were cornerbacks Fred Smoot in 2001 and Champ Bailey in 1999.