Rich Tandler's Real Redskins

Need to Know: Why is Hall's case still up in the air?

Here is what you need to know on this Saturday, November 11, eight days before the Redskins take on the Eagles at FedEx Field.

Hall situation still up in the air

On Friday we got our usual wave of news about NFL players who were fined for various on-field infractions last week. But there was one notable omission from the list.

The NFL said that it still has not yet decided what punishment, if any, will be handed out to DeAngelo Hall for his late-game tirade aimed at a game official against the Steelers on Oct. 28. A league spokesman said that they are still investigating the matter.

Usually the league’s justice system works swiftly in such matters. We can only speculate as to why they won’t rule on the case yet.

It would seem that there is something to Hall’s claim that the game official who was the target of his ire was dishing out some verbal abuse as well. Otherwise, we have a cut and dried case and Hall’s paycheck is anywhere from $25,000 to $50,000 lighter.

It's possible that we will never get an explanation if the league does indeed determine that the official was culpable in the matter. In those cases, the discipline is handled behind closed doors and generally not announced.

Today’s schedule

Off for bye week

In case you missed it

By week breakdown: Offense

Who could be a cap casualty in 2013?  

Days until: Eagles @ Redskins 8; Thanksgiving Redskins @ Cowboys 12; Ravens @ Redskins 29

Griffin says multiple issues causing third-down problems

While the overriding topic during Robert Griffin III’s Wednesday press conference was the concussion that Griffin suffered on Sunday. But talk eventually turned to what transpired against the Falcons prior to the hit that knocked him out of the game, which came with about six minutes left in the third quarter.

Griffin zeroed in on third downs as the main issue that kept the Redskins off of the scoreboard on offense (at the time Griffin left the game the only points had come on Ryan Kerrigan’s interception return for a touchdowns).

“As an offense we moved the ball but it’s just like the coach said, we’ve just got to get better on third downs, whether it’s running the ball or throwing the ball, third and short or third and long,” he said. “We’ll get better at that, it’s not something we need to press about but it is something that is a glaring issue for us right now.”

While Griffin was in the game they Redskins were 0-5 on third downs. On the first two third-down situations Fred Davis and Santana Moss dropped passes. Twice Alfred Morris failed to gain enough on a running play. And on the other third down Griffin threw to Davis short of the sticks.

“There’s not one issue,” said Griffin. “There’s plays out there where I could have thrown a better ball. I look at the receivers, they look at me, we all know who has to make big plays for us and we’ll make them.

“You’ve got to get the balls to your playmakers and let them make plays whether that’s throwing the right ball, catching the passes that are thrown.”

Royster laments loss of PSU wins in tweet

The Redskins’ Evan Royster is the leading rusher in the history of Penn State, a program that has been the home to great running backs such as Franco Harris, Curt Warner, and Ki-Jana Carter.

However, most other Penn State backs will have a better win-loss record than Royster, at least officially. That is because as part of the sanctions in the wake of the Jerry Sandusky scandal the NCAA today vacated every win the program has had since 1998.

So, even though Royster and the rest of his Nittany Lion teammates walked off the field with a win on the scoreboard 47 times from 2006-2010, their record is now officially 0-65.

Royster recognized this as he tweeted out the following soon after the vacating of the wins was announced:

 

Evidently he received some pushback on this, perhaps for some thinking that he was being self-centered and not thinking about the victims or others at the university who will be more directly affected by the sanctions. To that he had the following response:

 

Rak on the refs lockout: 'Fans don't come to see referees'

By Tarik El-Bashir
CSNwashington.com 

If the NFL turns to replacement referees this fall, it’s possible Brian Orakpo will be affected more than most players on the Redskins’ roster.

The league locked out 121 officials on June 3 when negotiations on a new labor contract broke down. The league has since begun the process of hiring replacement officials to work preseason games and, if necessary, regular season contests.

“Obviously it’s a messed up situation that they can’t get something done,” Orakpo said this week at his second annual youth football camp in Fairfax. “Hopefully, they’ll get something done before the start of the season.”

“But if not,” the two time Pro Bowl selection continued, “we got to play ball.”

Orakpo is one of the league’s most feared pass rushers, having racked up 28.5 sacks in his first three seasons. He also draws more holding flags than most.

Replacement referees, according to an article in Wednesday’s Los Angeles Times, are more prone to missing infractions, such as holding, meaning it’s possible Orakpo could be subjected to more bear hugs, take downs and clotheslines than before. 

From The Times:

According to referee Ed Hochuli, when replacement officials worked games in 2001, they threw between one and five penalty flags per game. He said there were between 12 and 14 penalties called in a typical game last season. 

With training camp set to open Thursday, and the Redskins’ first preseason game a mere three weeks away, Orakpo’s concern over the impasse is growing. But he also said he won’t allow the prospect of replacement referees alter the way he plays.

“It doesn’t change the way I will approach the game at all,” he said. “I’m going to treat them like they’re a regular ref. …Fans didn’t come to see referees, so we just got to go out there and play ball.”

The impasse between the league and referees is over pay and benefits.

Kerrigan was all in to try his hand at sportscasting

Ryan Kerrigan came into the Comcast SportsNet studios this week to prepare to do a stint as an anchor on the station's Geico SportsNet Central newscast. We talked to him after he had finished his first dress rehearsal:

How did the dress rehearsal go?
It went all right. I mean, I botched a few lines but that’s to be expected the first time. Overall I think I did all right. I just need to focus more on the prompter than on the notes in front of me.

What made you decide to come down to the studio and do this?
I’ve been a big fan of sports growing up and I thought it would be cool to be a sportscaster and work as an anchorman. [Redskins PR staffer] Daniel Sampson called me last week and said we’ve got a chance to do something with Comcast SportsNet. I was like, ‘I’m in’. It was a good chance to get some experience at something like this.

Did you major in communications at Purdue?
No, I was a math major. I was a communications major the first year and a half then I decided that math was more up my alley.

Was it what you expected?
Yes, I knew I was going to make some mistakes and I knew it was going to be hectic once the cameras came on. We were moving full speed so I knew it was going to be hectic so it was what I expected.

Is sportscasting something you might want to do later in life?
A little bit, yeah. I just want to get a barometer for where I’m at. That’s why this was such a great opportunity for me because I can put something out there and see how I do. I’m really thankful for Comcast SportsNet letting me do this. 

 

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Bullet points: CSN has Kerrakpo locked down

A few quick hits to get your Wednesday morning going:

--There has been a rash of arrests of NFL players over the past several days including high-profile players such as the Cowboys’ Dez Bryant (domestic violence) and Seattle’s Marshawn Lynch (DUI). But as a whole, NFL players are not men running wild out there, wreaking havoc on American society. This study shows that NFL players are arrested at about half the rate of the general population. It’s just that when the guy down the street gets in trouble it’s not news but with a pro football player any transgression is in the headlines.

--We had the Redskins’ pass rushing duo locked up yesterday as I talked to Ryan Kerrigan down at the Comcast SportsNet studios and Tarik El-Bashir chatted with Brian Orakpo at his football camp in Fairfax. Tarik’s articles on Orakpo are up (on the coming season here and on RG3’s contract situation here). My posts on Kerrigan will come tomorrow; this evening he will be appearing as a co-anchor at 6:00 on Geico SportsNet Central.

--There’s a good discussion going on about the offensive line in the comments section of the article I wrote the other day. Go take a look and let your opinion be known.

Days until: Training camp 8; preseason opener vs. Bills 22; RG3 vs. Luck at FedEx Field 38; final cuts 45; Redskins @ Saints 53; home opener vs. Bengals 

 

Forbes ranks Redskins 5th most valuable

Despite some hard times on the field in recent years, the Washington Redskins remain one of the most valuable franchises in sports.

According to the latest Forbes Magazines rankings the Redskins are the 5^th most valuable sports franchise in the world with an estimated value of $1.56 billion.

They are just behind the Dallas Cowboys and New York Yankees, who are tied as the most valuable U. S. based team at $1.85 billion. Soccer teams Manchester United ($2.23 billion) and Real Madrid ($1.88 billion) are the two most valuable sports franchises in the world.

The Redskins are high in the ranking in part because they have one of the largest stadiums in the league (even after replacing thousands of upper deck seats with standing areas), a number of lucrative sponsorship deals and a large and loyal fan base.

The Redskins get another boost merely by being a member of the National Football League. The NFL dominates the Forbes rankings, holding 32 of the 50 spots. That means, of course, that every team in the league, even smaller-market teams like the Jacksonville Jaguars and Buffalo Bills, is among the most valuable sports properties in the world. The new labor contract that ensures stable labor costs for the next nine years and the $5 billion per year TV contract that starts in 2014 are among the factors that make NFL franchises the most valuable in sports.

 

A tight race in the NFC East?

Will the NFC East be a lot tighter than most observers think this year? The number crunchers at Football Outsiders think that it will be.

The put out their 2012 Football Outsiders Almanac earlier this month and among the many interesting nuggets contained in the book (PDF version available now, I’m waiting for the Kindle version) is a projection of the NFC East wins. It is safe to say that their prediction is quite unlike you’re going to find on ESPN or in Street and  Smith’s or whatever your newsstand preseason magazine of choice is.

Basically, FO projects a repeat of 2011 with the division champ again posting a single-digit win total. Here is what the project (via Blogging the Boys):

Team—wins
Eagles—8.6
Giants—8.3
Cowboys—7.5
Redskins—6.8

If you round those to the nearest whole numbers here are their projected standings

Eagles 9-7
Giants 8-8
Cowboys 8-8 (or 7-9)
Redskins 7-9

Under this scenario with just two games separating first place from last, the Redskins would have a shot at sneaking into the playoffs with some good fortune on their end and a bit of bad luck on the part of the Eagles and Giants.

Still, it would not be a good idea to catch the next flight to Vegas and put the mortgage money on the Redskins’ chances. They projected the Eagles at 11.7 wins last year and we all know that the Dream Team did not have a dream season as Philly went 8-8. They were in the ballpark with the other teams in the division, however, projecting 8.2 for the Giants (actual total 9 wins), 7.7 for Dallas (8 actual) and 5.6 for the Redskins (5 actual). 

 

Redskins, Davis have no incentive to do a long-term deal

The deadline for NFL franchise players to sign long-term deals with their respective teams is at 4 p.m. today. Redskins fans should not expect to hear any news on a new contract for Fred Davis.

The main reason is that the Redskins don’t want to give the big chunk of guaranteed money to a player who could be suspended for a year if he runs afoul of the NFL’s substance abuse policy at any time in the future. Under the CBA it is very difficult for teams to recover any guaranteed money for any reason, even if the player is suspended.

The Redskins do have to eat the entire amount of Davis' $5.446 million contract under this year's salary cap. But even with the $18 million cap penalty levied by the NFL they have almost $7 million in cap space remaining so they don't need to make a move to create more space.

There is little incentive to get a deal done on Davis’ end either. It just wouldn’t make any sense for him to negotiate a new deal now for the very reason that the Redskins are reluctant to give him one. After serving his four-game suspension at the end of last year his market value is at its lowest. If he steers clear of trouble and puts up good numbers he will be able to command a much better deal than he would be able to now.

The $5.446 million salary he will get this year is not bad for a player whose contract for his first four years in the league paid him a total of $3.505 million. He will be happy to take those weekly paychecks that will gross just over $320,000.

The Redskins could franchise him again in 2013 but they would have to pay him 120 percent of his salary this year (just north of $6.5 million) or the 2013 tight end franchise tag tender amount, whichever is greater. At that point both sides could be ready to cut a deal that will carry Davis, 26, through what should be his most productive years in the NFL.

 

Report: Offset language remains holdup in RG3 deal

With rookies schedule to report to camp on Monday, the Redskins’ top pick in the draft and their most important player remains unsigned.

According to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, the holdup on a deal for Robert Griffin III is the same as it has been for quite some time now—offset language.

In case you’ve one of those fully sane individuals who has been spending your summer focusing on other things besides NFL player contract minutia, here’s a quick explanation. The basic terms of Griffin’s contract—four years, a bit over $21 million in salary and signing bonus—are set by the CBA and the deal will be fully guaranteed. In the highly unlikely event that the Redskins release before the contract is up, they want any unpaid guaranteed money to be offset by any money he might get in a contract with another team. Ben Dogra, Griffin’s agent, wants the Redskins to have to pay in full regardless of how much money Griffin might get from another team.

If this disagreement strikes you as being similar to one of those old debates about how many angels can dance on the head of a pin, you have a point. There is absolutely zero chance that the Redskins will release RG3 in the next four years so there is absolutely zero chance that the offsets will come into play.

The Redskins know that and Dogra knows that. So why the holdup?

It’s about setting a precedent. Dogra wants to be able to tell future potential clients that he can get a deal done with no offset language. The Redskins want to establish that players they release won’t be able to double dip and get paid in full by both them and another team.

Up until now no harm has been done by the Redskins and Dogra having their debate over precedent and principle. But starting Monday morning Griffin, who in reality stands to gain or lose nothing in the offset debate, will start to miss time at Redskins Park.

The standoff will end at some point. Maybe Griffin will pick up the phone, call Dogra, and tell him to take the deal that’s on the table. Or the Redskins might blink, remove the offset language from the contract and deal with future issues down the road.

The sooner the end game plays out and a deal gets done the better it is for the Redskins’ 2012 prospects, the success of RG3 as a rookie, and the nerves of Redskins fans everywhere.