Rich Tandler's Real Redskins

The Week That Was: Fact or fiction on stopping RG3?

Here is what you need to know on this Sunday, May 12, XX days before XX

That was the week that was

—Around midday on Friday, a series of tweets from Jets writers started to pop up in my timeline. The big event was Geno Smith taking the reigns in a seven on seven drill during rookie minicamp. And they were actually tracking his completions. Against undrafted free agents and tryout players. Without a pass rush. We’re QB crazy here and a year ago we were specifically RG3 crazy. But I don’t recall any Redskins writers tracking his rookie camp seven on seven completion percentage.

—Ryan Clark told ESPN that the Steelers were able to contain Griffin during Pittsburgh’s 27-12 win over the Redskins by hitting him hard. “Our goal was to be physical with him at any opportunity we had, and I think it affected his play,” Clark said. But did it really? As John Keim notes, the Steelers hit Griffin 11 times, only once when he carried on the zone read. That’s the same number of times RG3 was hit against the Saints in the season opener and the results there were considerably different. One could argue that the 11 or 12 Griffin passes the Redskins dropped during the game had more to do with the Steelers’ win than did anything they did to RG3.

—I think that Jordan Reed could prove to be a big steal in this draft but it will be surprising if the Redskins see much out of him in 2013. Playing a hybrid sort of position, Reed faces a steep learning curve. His development track could follow that of a wide receiver and they are generally slow to develop. The Redskins could get a few highlight reel plays out of Reed this year but it will take a year or two before he reaches his full potential.

—One thing needs to be kept in mind when trying to analyze the Redskins’ safety situation—Brandon Meriweather is not an interchangeable safety. He is a strong safety, period. You don’t want him back as your last line of defense. The others may be better at one than at the other but Meriweather ended up getting released by the Patriots and Bears because he struggled when they tried to make him something that he’s not. If his two-plus quarters of action against the Eagles in November are any indication, the Redskins do have a role that suits him and as long as that is where the use him they should be fine.

—Chip Kelly is on record saying that he wants his quarterback to get rid of the ball in 1.5 seconds. In 2012 Michael Vick took an average of 3.07 seconds from the snap to get the ball out of his hands. It will be interesting to see if Vick, who will be 33 next month, can make the adjustment.

In case you missed it

Here are links to all 26 Redskins posts from here over the past seven days.

Sunday 05.05

• Rookie safeties shine in minicamp
• Shanahan has praise for Rambo and Thomas
• The Week that Was: Everybody’s favorite long shots

Monday 05.06

• Draft review: TE Jordan Reed
• Redskins announce training camp schedule
• Is offense more important that defense
• Interchangeable safeties

Tuesday 05.07

• Why a new deal for Orakpo should wait
• Santana Moss has high hopes for 2013
• History suggests the Redskins will have a tough time repeating
• Center Kevin Matthews signs with the Redskins
• Redskins can move on from Tanard Jackson

Wednesday 05.08

• RG3 raises $33K for charity, talks about his knee
• Redskins draft review: David Amerson
• Nixon looking for a fresh start
• Redskins ranked seventh

Thursday 05.09

• Chris Thompson expects to be ready for training camp
• Tweetbag: Mt. Rushmore, Reed’s role, and more
• What is Kevin Matthews’ role?
• We’re halfway through the offseason

Friday 05.10

• Point-Counterpoint: Which rookie safety will shine?
• Point spreads so soon? You bet!
• Rambo: “I can be the best”

Saturday 05.11

• Enemy Intel: Cowboys
• Enemy Intel: Eagles
• No draft picks signed, no problem for Redskins

Need to Know: Why haven't the Redskins signed any draft picks?

Here is what you need to know on this Saturday, May 11, nine days before Redskins OTA’s start.

Signing draft picks

News is beginning to come in that teams are signing their draft picks. Scrolling down Pro Football Talk I see that on Friday the Bills signed four picks, the 49ers inked some late-rounders, the Texans signed four of their draftees, and the Lions have all of their draft class under contract, including Ziggy Ansah, the fifth overall pick in the draft.

So, why haven’t the Redskins signed any of their draft picks? Is it a problem that they have none of their seven new players under contract? Can they afford to sign them?

If you’re a regular reader here you know the answer to the last question. This post I wrote a month ago shows that because of the Rule of 51, the Redskins will need about $200,000 in cap space to sign their draft picks. As of Friday afternoon they had some $1.9 million available so they have plenty of cap space.

The other non-problem is the possibility of a holdout. Since the Redskins didn’t have a first-round pick the chances of prolonged negotiations were slim even under the old system as players picked after the first rarely held out. But the new CBA sets up what is essentially a slotted system.

Last year, Jerel Worthy, the defensive tackle the Packers took with the 51^st overall pick, got a four-year contract worth a total of $3,948, 203 with a signing bonus of $1,311,420. Since the cap went up a couple of percent since then, David Amerson will get slightly more than that. That’s it, take it or go work someplace else.

So with the money to work with and wrangling over dollars and terms a thing of the past, why the delay? Could be a few things. For one thing, the rookies aren’t at Redskins Park. There are 26 teams having their rookie camps this weekend (the Redskins had theirs a week ago) so the draft picks are in town and able to sign the contracts. The Redskins rookies can’t go to the team facility until next week.

Perhaps the players’ agents are too busy dealing with the Lions, Bills, and the others to get to the Redskins just yet. Maybe the legal types on the team’s payroll have yet to look over the contracts.

It could be any number of things, none of which matter. Just as in the past, if a rookie has not signed a contract he can sign still participate in OTA’s and minicamp. It doesn’t make any difference until training camp starts, which is two and a half months from now. You can rest assured that all of the draft picks will have signed their contracts well in advance of July 25.

Also, while we are on the subject, the Redskins won’t have to release anybody when a draft pick signs his contract. Up until a couple of years ago there was an 80-player offseason roster limit and unsigned draft picks did not count towards the limit. If a team was at 80 when a draft pick signed his contract a player would have to be cut to make room for him.

Last year the league went to a 90-player limit and unsigned draft picks count towards the limit. So as of Friday the Redskins had 83 players under contract plus their seven draft picks for a total of 90. The status quo is maintained when a draft pick signs.

Orakpo getting back in shape after injury

(h/t @DCSkins21)

In case you missed it

• Point-Counterpoint: Which rookie safety will shine?
• Point spreads so soon? You bet!
• Rambo: “I can be the best”

Days until: OTA’s 9; Training camp 75; Redskins @ Cowboys 155

Point-Counterpoint: Which rookie DB will shine?

As you may have heard, the Redskins took two rookie safeties in last month’s draft and both of them are considered to be steals. Many figured that fourth-round pick Phillip Thomas would be a solid second-round selection and if Bacarri had been able to stay on the straight and narrow path, he would have gone much sooner than he did as well.

Both of these players could play key roles in 2013. But which one of the safeties is more ready for prime time? And which of them will become a regular in the lineup sooner and have a greater impact this season? Rich Tandler and Tarik El-Bashir debate the safeties in this week’s edition of Point-Counterpoint.

Go here to read the post on CSNwashington.com

Tweetbag: Mt. Rushmore, Reed's role, and more

Welcome to the Tweebag, where you send questions in 140 characters and I answer them in as many characters as it takes. We have a lot of good ones here so let's get rolling:

@rich_tandlercsn which veteran is most likely to lose his job in camp?

— Steven Gininger (@SGininger) May 8, 2013

I got a few variations of this so I'll take this one first. As far as the starters go, I don't see any of them losing their jobs in training camp. Perhaps at some point during the season Tom Compton could displace Tyler Polumbus at right tackle or Davis Amerson might send Josh Wilson or DeAngelo Hall to the bench. And maybe a Kedric Golston or Bryan Kehl is in jeopardy during camp. But check with me after OTA's, thinngs could change.

@rich_tandlercsn #Skins Mt Rushmore.I got Green,, Baugh, Gibbs, then Sonny.Who do you have?

— MJ_TWISI (@MJ_TWISI) May 8, 2013

You hit mine on the nose there. Sammy Baugh and Joe Gibbs are automatic and Green nearly is. A lot to choose from after that and there are strong cases to be made for John Riggins, Art Monk, and a few others. But Sonny was one of the best pure passers of all time and he was setting NFL passing record in the 60's with no running game and no defense to speak of. The fact that he's still around the team doing the radio broadcasts is a helpful tiebreaker in my view.

@rich_tandlercsn Why did Shanahan have C. Thompson rated above Kenjon Barner when most scouts would have it the other way?

— Micah Nile(@MicahNile) May 8, 2013

This type of question comes up frequently this time of year--just fill in "player Redskins drafted" for Thompson and "player I liked" for Barner. I don't know the specifics here but I do know that "most scouts" do not work for the Redskins and they are not looking for the specific traits, both on and off the field, that the Redskins' scouts are. In this particular case, I would add that since Barner was not drafted until the sixth round, the marketplace, as represented by the 32 teams drafting, has judged Thompson (a 5th-round pick) to be a better prospect than Barner. 

@rich_tandlercsn with the addition of Amerson.. What does the future hold for Minnifield and Crawford?

— ⚡Rémy LeBeau⚡ (@Lil_Tem) May 8, 2013

Right now, I'd say it looks like Richard Crawford is the dime cornerback and possibly inactive most game days and Chase Minnifield is headed to the practice squad. That, of course, will be subject to change as they will compete during OTA's and in training camp. The deciding factor may be the fact that Minnifield has practice squad eligibility and Crawford does not.

@rich_tandlercsn What are the rules regarding poaching a player off another teams practice squad?

— Greg Barackman (@Flybear2Greg) May 8, 2013

It's pretty simple, really. A team can sign another team's practice squad player as long as it is at least six days prior to the next game of the team losing the player. And the signing team must keep the player for at least three weeks (alternately, they can remove the player from the roster but they must pay hiim for a minimum of three weeks).

@rich_tandlercsn Reed's (TE) flexibility might mean a lot of playing time.Odds he has the most TE receptions?

— Derek Childress (@Poker_Donkey) May 8, 2013

I would suggest tapping the brakes on Reed being a big factor in 2013. He has a lot to learn about the NFL and the Redskins have a lot to learn about what he can do. I'm looking at him as though he is a rookie wide receiver and they typically take time to develop due to the complexity of the job. This isn't to say that Reed will have no impact this year, just that I wold look at him contributing more later in the year. Fred Davis should be productive all year long and is likely to be the TE receptions leader for the year.

@rich_tandlercsn who needs to step up the most in the interior of the dline? Any fresh faces?

— Evan (@Redskins_FTW) May 8, 2013

I think Jarvis Jenkins needs to step up some this year. A defensive end in a 3-4 is not supposed to rack up a bunch of sacks but a 16-game starter should have more than zero. It remains to be seen what role Adam Carriker will play; we will not see him until training camp as he had a setback in his injury rehab.

@rich_tandlercsn Why havent Skins brought in Dominick Reyes for a look?

— WDH (@wdhart3) May 9, 2013

Perhaps, like the other 31 teams in the NFL, they have decided that he is not an NFL-caliber player. I'm not sure why Reyes has developed some sort of reputation as a hidden gem but no NFL team has deemed him worth of one of the 2880 roster spots available around the league. That's good enough for me.

@rich_tandlercsn Likely Opening Day depth chart, cuts at Right Tackle among Compton, Polumbus, Pashos, Trueblood, Nixon? #RedskinsTalk

— taradavi (@d_taradavi) May 9, 2013

I wrote posts about the depth charts last week (offense, defense). I think Pashos and Nixon are the long shots to make it at right tackle. I wrote about Nixon yesterday and I have him ticketed for the practice squad. I don't think Polumbus is going anywhere, we'll have to see if there are two roster spots for Compton and Trueblood or if they will compete for one job.

@rich_tandlercsn Is Bernstein eligible for practice squad?Injury prevented him from getting credit for a full season right?

— Rett Copple (@RettCopple) May 9, 2013

Yes, just like Minnifield, Bernstine qualifies for the practice squad since he has not been on an active roster for six or more games. His 2012 season ended after one game when he was injured against the Saints. 

@rich_tandlercsn Q: will chris thompson or someone else get chance to return punts and kos? not a te again i hope.coach have any favs ?

— Paul S (@theoxtalls) May 9, 2013

It will be interesting to see how things shake out in the return game. If healthy, you have to think that Thompson does have a shot at punts. Although you don't seem to like the prospect of Paul returning kickoffs again I wouldn't rule it out. They will do some special teams during OTA's and minicamp, we'll see who is back there on returns and let everyone know.

Point-Counterpoint: Battle of the backs

By  Rich Tandler and Tarik El-Bashir
CSNwashington.com

Even though running back was not considered to be a position of great need for the Redskins going into the draft, they ended up taking two of them. Chris Thompson of Florida State is a speedy, elusive back who can be gone with one move. Those are similar attributes to those of Roy Helu Jr.

Jawan Jamison of Rutgers, meantime, is more of a classic one-cut runner who likely would displace Evan Royster if he made the roster.

Royster vs. Jamison will get underway during OTA’s starting in a few weeks. Thompson, though, won’t be ready until training camp as he rehabs his knee so his battle with Helu will have to wait. But we don’t have to wait until then to discuss who will win each of the two competitions. Rich Tandler and Tarik El-Bashir debate the battle of the backs in this week’s edition of Point-Counterpoint.

Go here to read Point-Counterpoint on CSNwashington.com

Need to Know: Getting to the next level

Here is what you need to know on this Friday, May 3, 17 days before the start of OTA’s.

Redskins draft about getting to the next level

Mike Tanier is one of the best NFL analysts out there. He, like almost everyone else out there, graded each team’s draft. I thought his final take on the Redskins was particularly interesting and insightful.

Final Assessment: Proficient, bordering on Advanced. The Redskins are swinging for blue chippers, a sign that they realize that there is still building to do before they become true contenders. Past Redskins regimes would have flaked out after one divisional title.

As we have frequently noted, the Redskins bought back 21 of 22 starters from a team that won the NFC East title. The only depth player they lost that they wanted to keep was linebacker/special teams captain Lorenzo Alexander.

It’s not like they don’t have needs. After all, they were 3-6 at one point in the season and their pass defense was shaky in its better times. They have seven starters who will be free agents next year.

Still, Shanahan did not play it safe. He went for players who could be great. In David Amerson, they took the player who led the nation in interceptions in 2011. Phillip Thomas and Bacarri Rambo were 1-2 in the country in INT’s last year. Chris Thompson and Jordan Reed can take it to the house any time they get their hands on the ball. Brandon Jenkins has the stuff to post double-digit sacks in the NFL.

There is some potential downside to some of these players as well. Jenkins and Thompson are both coming off of major injuries. Amerson has a knack for allowing more big plays than he makes. And Rambo was twice suspended for drug issues. These issues made them available later in the draft than they otherwise would have been. But it also means that there is risk involved. If, say, Rambo strays off of the straight and narrow during the season it won’t matter if he is “only” a sixth-round pick, it would be a disruption.

When you are trying to get your team up to the level where it is competitive, you are less likely to take chances like that. But when a team reaches a certain level you have to get difference makers, players who can change a game in one play. They have one of those in Robert Griffin III and giving him more targets and weapons and defenders who can put the ball into his hands more frequently will help the team move into that next tier of NFL teams.  

RG3 talks about the Ravens game

Earlier this week I wrote about the Redskins’ need to balance their roster and get the right number of players at each position. The team announced 12 undrafted free agent signings yesterday. Let’s take a look at what positions the new players play and how that helps them get enough bodies at the right spots.

Here are the new signings:

OL (4): Jacolby Ashworth, Xavier Nixon, Tevita Stevens, Kyle Wilborn

LB (3): Marvin Burdette, William Compton, Jeremy Kimbrough

WR (4): Skye Dawson, Chip Reeves, Jason Thompson, Nick Williams

TE (1): Emmanuel Ogbuehi

On offense we figured that they would be looking for one more tight end, six more wide receivers, and four more offensive linemen. They are getting pretty close to being balanced on offense.

And we thought they would bring in two more linebackers so they are close to being good there as well.

The roster churn is not yet over. After this weekend a number of tryout players could be signed and others, perhaps including some of those who just came aboard, will be released.

OTA’s start May 20.

In case you missed it

• Redskins announce 12 signings
• Draft review: Brandon Jenkins
• In-depth chart: Defense
• RG3: “I can trust these guys”

Days until: OTA’s 17, Training camp 83, Preseason opener @ Titans 97

The week that was: A playmaker's draft for the Redskins

Here is what you need to know on this Sunday, April 28, 44 days before Redskins minicamp.

That was the week that was

—It was a playmaker’s draft. On the offense, Jordan Reed can create all sorts of matchup problems for a defense and if running back Chris Thompson is healthy he has the speed to take it to the house any time he touches the ball. On the other side of the ball, Phillip Thomas and David Amerson led the nation in interceptions during one of their collegiate seasons and Bacarri Rambo was second one year. Brandon Jenkins is a pass rushing linebacker who might be able to generate some sacks.

—The Redskins did roll the dice with some of the picks in the latter part of this draft. Rambo dealt with drug suspensions, Thompson, Jenkins, and Thomas have injury concerns. With the Redskins returning the bulk of the roster that won the NFC East title last year, they apparently felt they could afford to swing for the fences on a few picks at the risk of striking out.

—In most drafts there is a key player, one who is not taken early but whose performance can make a good draft into a great one or save what may have been a horrible draft. Last year’s key guy was Alfred Morris. Between him and RG3, there is almost no way the 2012 draft can be called a failure. I think “that guy” this year is also a sixth-round pick. If Rambo can develop into a starter and, along with Thomas, give the Redskins a long-term solution to a position that has been in flux for years, it would only take one of the other higher picks to come through for this to be a successful draft.

—By the time this is posted the Redskins will have signed a number of undrafted free agents, a process that will continue over the next several days. They should sign about 10 or 15 and then bring them, the draft picks, and a bunch of tryout players to Redskins Park for a rookie minicamp next weekend. Also eligible to participate in the minicamp are first-year players who spent last year on injured reserve, the practice squad or on the game day inactive list.

—The week did not start with the draft. Earlier Josh Wilson joined the club of Redskins who accepted a cut in pay with an opportunity to make some of the money back with performance bonuses. The move saved nearly $2 million off of the cap. Considering the cornerback market it was unlikely that Wilson could make his scheduled $3.9 million salary as a free agent. In this case the team had the power and they utilized it. The Redskins do have a reputation for being fair to their players and players will work with them to get through this salary cap squeeze.

In case you missed it

To give you a chance to catch up, here are links to all 40 Redskins posts from here and CSNwashington.com this week.

Sunday 04.21

• Niles Paul looks to improve at tight end
• CSN draft board: Wide receivers
• Does character still count?

Monday 04.22

• CB Jammer visits the Redskins
• Supply and demand in the draft: Cornerback
• CSN Draft Board: Tight ends
• Bernstine looks to be ready for training camp
• The cost of moving up in the draft

Tuesday 04.23

• CSN draft board: Cornerback
• Redskins draft outlook: Offense
• The sound of silence from Redskins Park

Wednesday 04.24

• Breaking down the Redskins draft
• Redskins injury update
• Weighing risk vs. reward in the NFL draft
• RG3 won’t play at less than 100 percent
• CSN final mock draft
• CSN draft board: Safety
• Redskins draft outlook: Defense
• Could a QB on the board spur a trade down?

Thursday 04.25

• First round rewind
• Redskins don’t pick a player but have a good first round
• One year ago . . .
• Shanahan glad to have QB position solved
• Who will the Redskins pick at 51?
• A Redskins fan’s guide to the first round

Friday 04.26

• Shanahan likes Redskins' playmakers
• Redskins pick CB David Amerson in 2nd round
• Redskins pick Florida TE Reed 
• Supply & demand on Day 2
• Can the Redskins trade up for Cyprien?
• Wilson restructures contract
• Skins face age old draft day dilemma
• Need to Know: Trading for the sake of trading

Saturday 04.27

• Shanahan: “A great feeling about our draft”
• RG3 tells fans “I’ll be ready to go”
• Redskins draft pick capsules:
  • Phillip Thomas
  • Chris Thompson
  • Brandon Jenkins
  • Bacarri Rambo
  • Jawan Jamison

Redskins draft Chris Thompson

The first of the Redskins' two fifth-round picks is Chris Thompson, Florida State running back. Here is my quick take on him:

--Broken back one year, torn ACL the next. That's all you really have to know about Thompson's injury history. The ACL was last season, he said that he will be ready for training camp.

--When he was healthy he was running well. Thompson was injured in the eighth game of the season and at the time he had 687 yards rushing. That was the sixth best in the ACC despite the missed games.

--Thompson can roll when he's healthy; he said that his best 40 time before he got hurt was a 4.3. Even if the issues slow him down somewhat he should still have some speed to burn.

--The early interpretation is that running back Roy Helu, who missed most of last season with various injuries, will be the one pushed by Tompson's addition. 

Redskins take safety Phillip Thomas

The Redskins finally got their safety in the draft in the fourth round on Saturday when they took Phillip Thomas our of Fresno State. My quick, initial take:

--CBS Sports had him listed as their third best free safety in the draft and said that Thomas best compares to Michael Griffin of the Titans.

--He led the NCAA FBS in intereceptions in 2012 with eight. The Redskins now have the nation's leading interceptors for each of the last two year's. Second-round pick David Amerson led the FBS with 13 in 2011.

--During his career at Fresno State he had four return touchdowns. 

--Given that the Redskins don't have a starter at free safety this year Thomas should get heavy playing time initially and a chance to start at some point during the season. 

NFC East teams add QB's

The Eagles and Giants seem to be set a QB but, perhaps thinking like Mike Shanahan did a year ago, both of them drafted quarterbacks many thought would to much higher.

Philadelphia traded up to the top of the fourth round to get Matt Barkley, the USC QB once thought to be a top-10 pick. And later in the fourth New York moved up to take Ryan Nassib of Syracuse. 

Both of the quarterbacks could wind up to be starters somewhere. Barkley could get a shot in Philly, where Chip Kelly is not sold on Michael Vick or Nick Foles. Nassib is unlikely to outlast Eli Manning in New York but he could be trade bait at some point.

A year ago Shanahan took Kirk Cousins in the fourth and he wound up being a valuable backup to Robert Griffin III.