Rich Tandler’s five things possibly related to the Redskins and other matters.
5. There is a lot of talk that the Redskins will part ways with safety Oshiomogho Atogwe. I’m not buying it. True, they did not get a lot out of him last year as he was often injured and ineffective. However, they did give him a $7 million roster bonus last year and $8 million in total compensation. They did not give him that money with the intention of tossing him aside after one year of struggles.
4. While the Redskins could do worse than having Will Montgomery at center, they could do better, too. Chris Myers represented the Texans in the Pro Bowl and he is easily the best center who will be a free agent in March. On top of that, he is perfect in the zone-blocking scheme, he was drafted by Mike Shanahan in Denver and he played for Kyle Shanahan when he was Houston’s offensive coordinator. The only monkey wrench in this scenario is that Myers will be 31 before Week 2 next year. That may knock him off of the Redskins’ radar but he’s still a name to keep in mind as the March 13 start of free agency approaches.
3. We did a poll recently and we found that a solid majority of you think that Roy Helu should be the Redskins’ starting running back in 2012. That seems like a sound decision based on the fact that he was the team’s leading rusher last year with 640 yards and a 4.2 average. But there are legitimate durability concerns. He was inactive in the 15th game of the season against the Vikings and had only six touches in the season finale in Philadelphia due to knee and toe injuries. A look at his college scouting reports reveals that this was not an aberration. He either missed time or was limited in games due to injuries to his ankle, hamstring, and shoulder. The Redskins need to figure out how to limit his workload so that he will last the season.
2. I had a good Twitter discussion yesterday with a reader who favored signing Packers quarterback Matt Flynn over trading up for Robert Griffin III. While he liked Griffin’s ability, one of his concerns was his size and durability. I pointed out to him that both Flynn is listed at 6-2 and 228 pounds while Griffin is 6-2 and 220. While Griffin’s exact height and weight will be measured at the combine, it is safe to say that the two are in the same ballpark in physical stature. Griffin suffered a torn ACL in 2009 and Flynn has had some issues with his shoulder. While there are many legitimate reasons to argue for signing the veteran Flynn rather than drafting Griffin, concerns about size and injury should not be among them as the two are about equal there.
1. The Redskins’ second highest paid player is DeAngelo Hall and Josh Wilson will draw the fifth highest salary on the team in 2012. Given that, can the Redskins justify spending either major free agent dollars or a high draft pick on a cornerback? It is something that needs to be seriously considered given the presence in the division of such receivers as the Giants’ Hakeem Nicks and Victor Cruz, Dallas’ Dez Bryant and Miles Austin and the Eagles’ Jeremy Maclin and DeSean Jackson, if the latter re-signs with Philadelphia.
Days until: NFL free agency 42; NFL draft 86; start of NFL season 222
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.
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