Rich Tandler's Real Redskins

Davis an important piece in chess game

I wrote last week about why the Redskins should try to sign Fred Davis to a long-term contract (one with protections against injury and drug suspension). I got some pushback on the piece on Twitter with some saying that the Redskins win seven straight games with Logan Paulsen starting at tight end and that Paulsen, a draft pick, or a bargain-priced free agent could start there in 2013. In the Examiner, Rick Snider says that Davis is expendable and as good as gone.

And that may well be the case. The Redskins may have to move on from Davis due to the John Mara-imposed salary cap restraints. But if that should happen don’t think for a second that they won’t miss him. They will be missing a very versatile offensive weapon.

At the NFL Combine, Falcons coach Mike Smith was talking about his efforts to convince Tony Gonzalez, his tight end, to forego retirement and keep playing. He talked about the evolution of the tight end position with the athletic Gonzalez at the forefront.

"He was really the first one: the more athletic tight end who could extend from the formation, line up outside, line up in different places," he said. "In a chess game, the tight end position is becoming the queen. You can move it all around the board. It's not like the rook or the bishop."

To be sure, Fred Davis is no Tony Gonzalez. The latter is a sure-fire Hall of Famer while Davis is looking for his first Pro Bowl spot. And Davis generally lines up at the traditional tight end position.

But Davis is fast and athletic. He can run the traditional, shorter tight end routes and he can get open deeper down the field. When Davis is on the field, opposing defensive coordinators have to game plan for him and adjust. That is not true when Paulsen or a fifth-round draft pick is lined up at tight end.

You can win in chess if you don’t have your queen but there are a lot more ways to get the job done if you do. And the Redskins can move the football and win without Davis but they have many more options if they have him. 

Need to Know: Packers going back to school to stop option, RG3

Here is what you need to know on this Saturday, February 23, 61 days before the NFL Draft.

Packers back to school to stop read option

The Packers will be going back to school in an attempt to learn how to win a few of the games on their 2013 schedule, including their meeting with the Redskins and, if he’s healthy, Robert Griffin III.

Mike McCarthy watched his team give up 579 yards to Colin Kaepernick and the 49ers in a 45-31 loss in their divisional playoff game last month. Kaepernick set an NFL record for rushing yards by a quarterback in a single game with 181. Green Bay will play the 49ers in the regular season this year along with Griffin and the Redskins and the Eagles, who will be operating under new coach Chip Kelly’s wide-open offensive attack.

So McCarthy is sending his defensive coaches back to school. The will visit Texas A&M this offseason to get some pointers on stopping the read option and similar attacks with their roots in college ball.

“Five hundred seventy-nine, that’s a number that will stick in our focus as a defense throughout the offseason. We’re studying the read option, the teams that are doing it in the NFL,” McCarthy said. “We’re even going to the college ranks, we’ll have a couple college coaches come in, spend some time with our staff. Actually, our defensive staff is going to take a trip to Texas A&M, Kevin Sumlin is someone I have great respect for and with his ability to share from both the offensive side and the defensive side his experience in the read option. It’s something from an education, preparation standpoint that we will grow as a staff and be better prepared for in the future.”

Sumlin just finished his first year with the Aggies so he and his staff did not face Baylor with RG3. Because for some reason the NCAA counts yards lost when a quarterback is sacked against his rushing total, it’s hard to get much from a QB’s rushing stats. For what it’s worth, in three games against A&M, Griffin rushed 44 times for 163 yards and a touchdown.

Pending Griffin’s health, we will see if the Packers picked up anything useful when the Redskins travel to Green Bay in the fall.

Andrews optimistic

In case you missed it

• OT's Pugh, Aboushi on Skins' radar
• Do the Redskins need to upgrade at wide receiver?
• Playmaking TEs available in draft
• The Redskins will finally get something in exchange for Albert

Days until: Start of NFL league year 17; OTA’s start 81; Training camp 152

Need to Know: Redskins will finally get something for Albert

Here is what you need to know on this Friday, February 22, 62 days before the NFL Draft.

Draft order released

The NFL released the full, official draft order for the first three rounds and the order of the regular picks for rounds four through seven.

The number of the overall selection for each of the picks in the first three rounds is set. After the third round, however, the league inserts compensatory draft picks in between rounds. Since those will not be announced until next month at the league meetings, the overall positions of the picks in the last four rounds are up in the air.

(The Redskins, by the way, are very unlikely to get a compensatory pick. The did lose LaRon Landry as a free agent but they signed free agent wide receivers Josh Morgan and Pierre Garçon so according to the NFL’s super-secret formula for distributing comp picks, the Redskins are likely out of luck.)

The Redskins traded away their first-round pick in the deal to get Robert Griffin III. Their first pick will come in the second round. Normally it would be the 21^st pick of the round, 53^rd overall. But the Browns used their second-round pick in the supplemental draft to get wide receiver Josh Gordon and the Saints forfeited theirs as part of the sanctions for the bounty scandal. Since both of those teams were slated to draft ahead of the Redskins their pick goes up to the 51^st overall.

They also have their own picks in rounds 3 (pick 21, 85 overall), 4 (22), 5 (21), 6 (23), and 7 (22). And, on top of that, the Redskins finally get something out of the $36 million and two years of aggravation they put into Albert Haynesworth—New England’s fifth-round pick, the 29^th in that round.

The draft starts on Thursday, April 25. That will be the first round only so the Redskins will have to wait for the next night to pick.

Tarik at the Combine

In case you missed it

• David Bakhtiari among combine's top OTs
• Steelers GM talks about Danny Smith
• The 51^st pick is hit or miss
• RG3 isn’t going to risk his career because he shot an ad
• Redskins leave for Indy without a wide receivers coach

Days until: Start of league year 18; NFL Draft 62; NFL Kickoff Sunday 198

Calm down, it's just a commercial

The reaction to the latest adidas ad featuring Robert Griffin III has Twitter, talk radio and message boards in a tizzy. Griffin narrates the ad, which is about “blowing up” last season and starting from scratch. At the end of the 30-second spot there is Griffin with the words “all in for week 1”.

The ending has caused a near panic among many Redskins fans who think that the ad will somehow place undue pressure on Griffin to rush his rehab in order to be available for season opener, possibly reinjuring himself in the process.

Apparently the concerns hit Twitter to the extent that Griffin sent out two tweets to assure the masses that he would not “compromise” his career by playing too soon. That did little to allay the fears that Griffin is rushing back.

Calm down. It’s a commercial, folks.

RG3 has set a goal of being ready for the season opener. He is going to work to be ready to start earning his paycheck. We know enough about him to know that he has put pressure on himself to achieve his goal. His drive is one reason why the Redskins picked him and one reason why the fans love him.

But the Redskins also traded away multiple first-round draft picks to get him because he is smart. Does anyone really think that he would get to early September with his knee still not feeling right and think to himself, “I should probably wait a few more weeks before putting the pads on. But I made that Week 1 commercial back in February, I’d better get out on the field.”

This and Adam Schefter’s tweet from last week saying that the Redskins think Griffin has “a legitimate chance to start on opening day” has brought out this theory that if Griffin does start opening day it will be because he was pushed to do so by himself or the organization or both. In the minds of some, if Griffin does start opening day, which falls almost exactly eight months after his Jan. 6 reconstructive surgery, it will by definition be too soon.

An eight-month rehab from his injury is highly ambitious but, as Adrian Peterson demonstrated, realistic. Yes, Peterson did not have issues with ligaments other than his ACL and it was his first ACL repair. Griffin tore the same ACL at Baylor in 2009 and he also suffered LCL damage. But that doesn’t necessarily preclude him being ready in eight months.

And, of course, the fact that Peterson was back quickly does not mean that it’s assured that Griffin will be back to start the season. Different players, different injuries, different rates of rehab.

The bottom line is that he’ll be ready when he’s ready. And when he is ready and cleared to play by doctors he will get on the field and play. He won’t rest a few more weeks just to make some fans and members of the media happy. And he won’t play sooner than that because of pressure from himself, the organization, or, especially, because he did an “all in for week 1” ad for adidas in February.  

Need to Know: Still no wide receivers coach

Here is what you need to know on this Thursday, February 21, 19 days before the start of the new league year and free agency.

No WR coach hired

The Redskins coaches have left for Indianapolis a person short.

Over a month after they let wide receivers coach Ike Hilliard leave to take the same job in Buffalo, the Redskins still have not replaced him.

They should be able to handle things fine at the combine. Offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan, who spends a lot of time with the wide receivers in practice, is capable of interviewing and evaluating the wide receiver prospects in Indianapolis.

The Redskins could be looking for their WR coach in Indy. It’s an offseason convention with coaches, both employed and unemployed, and agents descending on the Indiana city. Perhaps Mike Shanahan can fit a wide receiver coach interview in between watching offensive linemen doing the shuttle run and interviewing tight end prospects.

The early favorite to get the job was Jeremy Bates, who coached wide receivers and quarterbacks under Shanahan at Denver from 2006-2008. But if anything was going to happen there it probably would have happened by now.

Another potential candidate was offensive quality control coach Richmond Flowers III. He has been with the team since 2010. Flowers could still be a candidate but, again, the time to move him up seems to have passed.

Fletcher still deciding on 2013

In case you missed it

• The 2012 Redskins learned how to put teams away.
• Fred Davis’ rehab is reported to be ahead of schedule, but can the Redskins wait for him?
• Tarik’s Combine preview
• No surgery for Garçon

Days until: Start of league year 19; NFL Draft 63; Training camp 154

Need to Know: No surgery for Garçon

Here is what you need to know on this Wednesday, February 22, one day before the start of the NFL Combine.

Garçon should avoid surgery

My friend John Keim of the Examiner was the first to report yesterday that Redskins wide receiver Pierre Garçon has probably dodged the bullet and should be able to avoid having surgery on the injured toe that kept him out of six games last year.

It was the second toe of his right foot that caused the problems, the plantar plate to be specific. It kept him from being able to run full speed and hindered his ability to cut. Garçon said that it hurt him some during training camp but that it popped while he was completing an 88-yard touchdown catch and run in the first quarter of the season opener in New Orleans.

He sat out the rest of that game and then the next two. After two ineffective performances Garçon then was out the next four games. A combination of the rest and the miracle of modern medicine got him back onto the field for the last seven games of the season. Not coincidentally, the Redskins won all of them as Garçon led the team with 633 receiving yards.

It still is not certain if Garçon will participate fully in the offseason program. The organization is generally cautious when it comes to handling players coming off of injuries so it would not be surprising for them to limit Garçon’s reps.

After the season Garçon said that even though he was able to play with the injury is still wasn’t certain that it would be able to fully heal without surgery.

“We'll get some experts' opinions,” he said. “We'll see it how it goes."

At least so far it’s going well.

Redskins may gain some cap room

The Redskins have yet to release a player or to renegotiate a contract but they may have more salary cap space than we thought.

Our friends at Pro Football Talk have learned that the 2013 cap will exceed $122 million. An increase to $122 million would only add about $1.4 million to the cap, an increase of about 1.1 percent

That’s not much but a cap of $122 million would leave the Redskins unofficially about $3.6 million over the cap. That leaves them in a slightly better position than needing to chop an estimated $4.1 million to get under the cap.

In case you missed it

• New RG3 adidas ad declares that he’s “all in for week 1”
• But Griffin tweets that he won’t jeopardize his career by rushing his return.
• Is Cyprien the pick for the Redskins?

Days until: NFL Combine 1; NFL Draft 64; OTA’s start 84

Can the Redskins wait on Fred Davis?

In a Washington Post article that breaks the news that there is no news to report from Redskins Park (not taking a shot here, I’m putting up similar posts), the lede is buried down in the sixth paragraph:

Davis ruptured his left Achilles’ tendon and was lost for the final nine games of the season. He is ahead of schedule in his recovery, one source said, but Redskins General Manager Bruce Allen indicated last week that the team wouldn’t make a decision on Davis until later in the spring.

Most Redskins fans and analysts reflexively cringe at the words “ahead of schedule” since it has been used in reference to the progress of Robert Griffin III’s knee. But that surgery took place six weeks ago and we’re talking about a recovery that will take a minimum of about eight months. Davis had his surgery about four months ago and he is working on an estimated six-month recovery timetable. One can put more credence in evaluations of a rehab that is well over halfway to its scheduled completion over those concerned in process that is barely 20 percent over.

So, it is possible that Davis is really doing exceptionally well in his rehab. So what will that do to his free agent timetable?

Free agency opens on March 12, about five months after Davis’ injury. If he’s ahead of schedule, will he be close to 100 percent by then? Or at least close enough to it to be able to evaluate if it will hinder him when he hits the field in September?

As noted in the excerpt above, Bruce Allen said in Richmond last week that the Redskins would evaluate Davis later in the spring. But you have to ask if he will still be there if they want to wait until sometime in April to get around to serious contract talks with him. 

Need to Know: Mayock targets Cyprien for Redskins

Here is what you need to know on this Tuesday, February 19, 21 days before the start of the NFL league year and free agency.

Mayock talks draft

NFL Network draft analyst Mike Mayock held an epic pre-combine information dump with reporters yesterday. The session lasted about two and a half hours and the transcript runs 77 pages and has 22,753 words (you can go here to view the entire transcript).

The Redskins are second-class citizens in this draft because they don’t hold a first-round pick. But Mayock did manage to answer a couple of questions concerning their draft needs.

At safety, he honed right in on Florida International’s Jonathan Cyprien. “He had a great Senior Bowl week,” said Mayock. “I've got him as my number three safety.  I think he's a guy that's going to be around somewhere in that middle to end of the second round.  I think he could start immediately for the Washington Redskins, and he makes a ton of sense.”

But if Cyprien is gone, the Redskins might not want to reach for the next-best safety at that point in the draft. “After those three [Kenny Vaccaro of Texas, Matt Elam of Florida, and Cyprien], there is a little bit of a drop off, and it depends on what kind of player you like.  [Eric] Reid, Zeke Motta, Phillip Thomas, J.J. Wilcox – they're all kind of third‑round picks.”

How about LSU defensive back Tyrann Mathieu a.k.a. the Honey Badger? “Tyrann Mathieu is a really interesting wildcard this weekend,” said Mayock. “My gut tells me he's a better football player than he is an athlete.  He's small.  I'm not sure he's going to run real well.  So I think teams are going to look at him as kind of a nickel and a kick returner.”

Mathieu displayed his ability as a football player as a sophomore at LSU in 2011. He intercepted two passes, returned two fumble recoveries for touchdowns and returned two punts for TD’s.

Mayock alluded to Mathieu’s “off-the-field issues”, which consist of multiple failed drug tests that led to a premature conclusion to his LSU career. That situation would make him unlikely to be drafted by the Redskins even if they might be intrigued by his playmaking ability on the field. Since December of 2011 the Redskins have had six players suspended for violations of the NFL’s drug policy and it is difficult to see them bringing in a player with issues like Mathieu has.

Ravens country?

My man Rich Campbell (@Rich_Campbell), who covers the Redskins for the Washington Times, snapped the picture below at a store at Potomac Mills mall, which is in Woodbridge, Virginia.

That’s right. A retail establishment declaring itself to be in the territory of a team that plays 62 miles away when another NFL team plays its home games 37 miles away. And you have to drive past FedEx Field to get to M&T Bank Stadium.

There is nothing wrong with latching on to a winner but I would venture to say that this store would not have dared declare itself to be Colts territory had that franchise won a Super Bowl while in Baltimore when the Redskins were winning division titles and championships in the 70’s and early 80’s.

The lesson for Dan Snyder and the Redskins organization is that one winning season after three straight years of double-digit losses and a generally miserable two decades is not enough to turn even their natural geographic territory into Redskins country.

The Redskins have an opportunity to reclaim their territory. Robert Griffin III is one of the most exciting and marketable players in sports and he can bring the kind of success needed to bring the masses back to your side. It’s a pretty good bet that despite the banner, those burgundy No. 10 jerseys you can see hanging up are still among the best selling items in the store.

In case you missed it

• RG3 is back in town
• All is quiet at Redskins Park
• Will the Redskins put the franchise tag on Fred Davis again?
• A look at inside linebackers the Redskins might examine at the combine

Days until: NFL Combine 2; NFL Draft 65; start of training camp 156

Will the Redskins tag Davis?

Today is the day that NFL teams can start giving players the franchise tag but don’t look for any word of the tag being used by the Redskins.

Last year, they used the tag on tight end Fred Davis. For a while it looked like he might be a bargain at $5.4 million for the season as he was leading the team in receiving through six games. But in Week 7 he suffered a torn Achilles tendon from which he is still recovering. It would cost the Redskins about $6.5 million to reapply the tag to him and even if he was healthy it would be a tough call for the Redskins to make that move. The fact that they are about $4 million over their salary cap number makes not tagging Davis again a no-brainer.

The only other unrestricted free agent the Redskins might consider tagging is punter Sav Rocca. But they could move on from Rocca or if they do sign him they might bring in some competition for him. He’s 39 and recovering from knee surgery. The $2.9 million salary that comes with the tag would immediately become guaranteed as soon as Rocca signed the contract so they won’t franchise him.

There are some unrestricted free agents they would like to keep but it would be cost prohibitive to tag linebacker Lorenzo Alexander at $9.44 million or guard Kory Lichtensteiger at $9.66 million.

The Redskins will be paying attention to what happens around the league in regards to the franchise tag. Some players they might consider targeting in free agency such as tight end Jared Cook and safety Jairus Byrd could get tagged by their teams.

Teams can tag player through March 4.

Need to Know: RG3 is back in town

Here is what you need to know on this Monday, February 18, 22 days before the start of the new league year and free agency.

RG3 is back in town

I had heard that Robert Griffin III was back in town last week but I couldn’t confirm it. Over the weekend RG3 himself confirmed that he has now moved his rehab back to Ashburn and he did so in a very public way.

On Friday night he was at Constitution Hall to see comedian Mike Epps. Then on Saturday he went to the Verizon Center to see Disney on Ice. There, he drew the “RG3, RG3, RG3” chants that have become part of the scene whenever the quarterback appears at public events.

Some are taking this as evidence that Griffin is ahead of schedule in his knee rehab. It was originally thought that he would spend six to seven weeks at Dr. James Andrews’ facility in Pensacola. Since he is back early (on Wednesday it will be six weeks since the surgery) that must mean he’s doing better than expected, right?

Not necessarily. About the most positive interpretation would be that Griffin hasn’t had any setbacks to speak of. That’s certainly good but it doesn’t mean that he is significantly ahead of schedule.

Chick Hernandez talks to Hall of Famer Bobby Mitchell

In case you missed it

• If the Redskins aren’t going to bring back Fred Davis they can find a talented tight end in the draft.
• They also should be able to find a right tackle
• That was the week that was

Days until: NFL Combine 3; Start of NFL league year 22; Season kickoff Sunday 202