Rich Tandler's Real Redskins

Need to Know: The week that was--Allen talks, Burns hired, Shanny's hats

Here is what you need to know on this Sunday, February 17, four days before the NFL Combine.

That was the week that was

—A lot of fans are saying that the Redskins’ 2013 schedule is as tough as a five-dollar stead. But a look at the numbers reveals that it’s more middle of the pack in terms of difficulty.

—Barry Cofield doesn’t put up huge numbers but he is still a valuable member of the defense. I think he’s a good nose tackle for a passing league.  

—Darrel Young doesn’t play every snap on offense but in 2012 he was usually near the action when he was in there. He’ll be a restricted free agent and it’s likely that the Redskins will work out some sort of deal to get him back.

—The Redskins need to be careful about compensating for their 2013 salary cap penalty by pushing too much money into 2014. The cap is likely to be essentially flat next year so robbing Peter to pay Paul won’t work because Peter is broke, too.

—Leonard Hankerson lost his first offseason program to the NFL lockout and the lost his second one to injury. If he’s going to reach his full potential he needs to take full advantage of OTA’s and minicamp this year.

—Mike Shanahan wears two hats as head coach and the man with the final say on personnel matters. The arrangement has served the Redskins well in his first three years in town as they won the NFC East in 2012. But going forward, can he put aside the conflicts inherent in the dual roles and make the decisions that are best for the team?

—The Redskins hired Keith Burns to run the special teams. If you want a definition of “Shanahan guy”, here it is. As a player he left the Broncos twice only to return the following year.

—The pass defense went from awful in the first half of the season to just bad in the second half. It is an area that will need some major work in 2013, especially at safety.

—If the Redskins are going to look for a right tackle in free agency, the law of supply and demand should help them out. There should be plenty of them out there and therefore they should be able to fit a suitable player into their tight budget.

—The rapid development of Robert Griffin III was impressive, in many ways historic. Can he avoid taking a step backwards into a dreaded sophomore slump in 2013?

—Reed Doughty was the second-leading tackler on special teams last year and he ended up starting 10 games at strong safety. He may have been part of the problem in coverage but every NFL team needs someone like Doughty.

—We know that the Redskins are going to have to watch their free agent dollars. Safety Chris Clemons of the Dolphins could be the kind of smart acquisition they will have to make.

—What are the Redskins’ options regarding free agent tight end Fred Davis and what should the do? Here is an in-depth look at the situation.

—Imagine how good the Redskins’ offense could have been if it got the ball more often. If the defense can get off the field on third down a little more often in 2014 we could see the entire team take another step forward.

—It seems that the Redskins are still trying to fight their $18 million cap penalty but the chances they can do anything about it are remote.

—The Redskins let word get out that they are growing more confident that RG3’s knee will be well enough for him to start the season opener. I’m not sure how meaningful just five weeks after the surgery but that’s out there for you to make of what you will.

—The Redskins are going to give Ron Brace, a nose tackle who was a second-round pick of the Patriots in 2009, a shot on their defensive line.

—Bruce Allen spoke to reporters at the groundbreaking for the team’s new training camp site in Richmond. He reiterated that RG3 is doing well in his rehab (although he wouldn’t go so far as to confirm the ESPN report that he’s be ready for the opener). He also said that there would be no field turf at FedEx Field and that London Fletcher can play until he’s something like 100 years old or so.

—Percy Harvin sure jumped into the conversation in a big way this week with word that the Vikings may be willing to trade him. Tarik and Tandler argue over whether or not the Redskins should go after Harvin or any major upgrades a wide receiver.

—Eric Reid of LSU is one of the safeties that the Redskins will be looking at when the NFL Combine gets underway this week.

—Can the Redskins find a starting cornerback to plug into their lineup? They’ll start looking at the Combine this week.

—When RG3 or any other players are at Redskins Park, no football is allowed due to union rules.

—Will a mobile quarterback ever win the Super Bowl?

Days until: NFL Combine 4; Start of NFL league year 23; NFL draft 67

At Redskins Park, RG3 can't talk football

If Robert Griffin III is not back at Redskins Park rehabbing his injured right knee yet, he should be soon. The coaches’ parking lot there is full as the staff evaluates the team’s current players and prepares for free agency and the draft.

Since it is not a huge building, it is likely that Griffin will run in to Mike and Kyle Shanahan or quarterbacks coach Matt LaFleur at some point. And when they do cross paths they might want to talk a little football. You know, things like possible changes in the playbook, what they can do to improve the team on third down, and other such topics.

The only thing is, they can’t.

The collective bargaining agreement signed in 2011 specifies that between the end of the season and the start of offseason conditioning program players can’t be involved in any “group or individual meetings with coaches”. A “meeting” could be interpreted as any conversation between a player and a coach. So, to steer clear of the fine that could result from such a “meeting” it would be best for Griffin or any other player in the building to avoid talk to coaches about anything beyond the weather and where they went on vacation.

That’s not all that’s odd. Let’s say Kirk Cousins drops by the facility and Aldrick Robinson is in Ashburn and they want to go out to the bubble and practice some pass routes. Well, they can do that as long as there is not a football involved. That’s right, no activities involving a football can take place at the team facility until the offseason workout program begins. Even then, it can only be quarterbacks throwing to uncovered receivers.

The union had these provisions put into the CBA because football was starting to become a year-round job. They didn’t want Quarterback A being afraid to return to school to get his degree because he knew that Quarterback B, his competition for the starting job, was showing up at the facility every day in February and March throwing to the receivers and getting in a little film study with the offensive coordinator. And they wanted players to be able to take a legitimate physical and mental break from the game.

That’s all well and good. But the one size fits all approach tends to work against players like RG3, who has his degree from Baylor and is the unquestioned starter as soon as his knee allows. Not being able to watch game film with Kyle slows his development. It also might drive Cousins and Robinson to go toss a football around at a local high school field where conditions might not be as safe as they are on the field turf at Redskins Park.

There has been talk that the rules will be tweaked after trying them out for a while. This is the second offseason operating under this CBA and so far there has been no talk of change. 

Need to Know: Can a mobile QB win a Super Bowl?

Here is what you need to know on this Saturday, February 16, 68 days before the NFL draft.

Edition 200

This is the 200th edition of Need to Know. It has been posted every morning since July 31. I hope you enjoy my early-morning thoughts and ramblings and getting your daily countdown to upcoming events. Thanks for reading and here's to many, many more mornings together. 

Allen hints that Redskins are still fighting cap penalty

The Redskins have until 4 p.m. on March 12 to get under their NFL salary cap just like every other team. But as everyone knows the cap the Redskins have to get under is $18 million less than that of most other teams due to the cap penalty that the NFL slapped on the team on the eve of free agency a year ago.

We addressed this on Thursday and reported that there is nothing new on the organization’s efforts to have the cap penalty restored. On Thursday Bruce Allen spoke to the media on a variety of topics and the cap hit was one of them. He didn’t have much to say except that the team is still making an effort to get relief from the penalty.

“We’re going to address more on that later. I’m not trying to hide behind anything,” said Allen of the penalty. “But we’re still having some conversations and we’ll see where that goes.”  

“I think the penalty was wrong. It’s unfair and we’ll deal with that.”

Allen said that he could not be specific about what the team is doing to fight the penalty although he realized that fans and the media would like some information on the situation. : “There’s plenty of things we can do,” he said. “But now is not the time. I know you guys are a little frustrated because we’ve been saying that for almost a year now. The time is coming up.”

Allen realizes that while the team can hope for the best in terms of getting all or part of the penalty nullified, the team must prepare for the worst. “We have to address, like every team, being under the salary cap by [March 12],” he said. “And we will.”

Can a mobile QB win the Super Bowl?

In case you missed it

• Point-Counterpoint: Should the Redskins upgrade at WR?
• Previewing the combine safeties: Matt Elam, Eric Reed, Phillip Thomas

Days until: NFL Combine 5; Start of league year 24; NFL kickoff Sunday 204

Need to Know: RG3 drives the news

Here is what you need to know on this Friday, February 15, 25 days before the start of NFL free agency.

RG3 a driver of news

Even when RG3 isn’t making news, he’s driving the news.

At one point on Thursday morning, three of the five most recent stories on the top of our corporate cousins’ Pro Football Talk site were tangentially related to the Redskins’ QB and the offense that he is helping to popularize. And this was before we had stories about Griffin's knee rehab progress from an unnamed source and from GM Bruce Allen. 

--Tennessee Titans offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains says that he will look at installing some of the read option offense in order to take advantage of third-year quarterback Jake Locker’s mobility.

“We’re going to do just like every team in the league and look at clubs like Seattle and Washington. We’re still very early in the process of building this offense, but we’re definitely gonna look at all that stuff, just like every team in the NFL is gonna do,” Loggains said.

The word before the 2011 draft was that Mike Shanahan was very interested in drafting Locker. However, the Titans took him with the eighth pick before the Redskins had a chance to take him with the 10^th pick. Perhaps we would have seen the pistol and read option in Washington a year sooner than we did.

--Other teams aren’t just looking to clone RG3’s offense, they’re looking for clones of Griffin, or at least carbon copies. Mike Florio reports that at next week’s NFL Combine teams will be looking to see if quarterbacks have the athletic ability needed to operate out of the pistol and execute the read option.

The 40-yard dash, the 20-yard shuttle run, the 60-yard shuttle run, and the three-cone drill are the major indicators of speed and quickness and agility.  The vertical jump and the broad jump add to the total package of physical ability unrelated to the throwing of a football.

Even if all 32 teams aren’t necessarily looking to change to a read option offense, many of them might be looking for a quarterback who can do a reasonable imitation of RG3 or Colin Kaepernick in practice. Mobility could be the tiebreaker if a team is considering two developmental QB’s.

--The other item isn’t about RG3-type quarterbacks but it does contain some pertinent information regarding his knee. A personal trainer for Darrelle Revis, who had surgery to repair a torn ACL in his left knee on Oct. 16, says that the Jets cornerback will be ready to get back to work in April, when the Jets’ offseason conditioning program starts. That would be six months after the surgery.

“For me, I think I’m thumbs up in April, I’m going to get the green light [that Revis is ready for on-field work] in April,” on-field trainer Will Sullivan said. “The great thing is, there’s been no setbacks, it’s been a great surgery, he’s doing the right things — he hasn’t done too much, he hasn’t done too little.”

Now before we say that if Revis can get back on the field in six months there’s no reason that Griffin can’t, le’s look at a few key differences. This was Revis’ first ACL repair while Griffin underwent his second. Also Griffin had to have his LCL repaired while Revis suffered just the one injury. And being on the field seven months after surgery in April, when there is no contact allowed, is quite different from playing in a game.

Still, if a cornerback can be back on the football field doing drills and getting ready for the season six months after reconstructive knee surgery that has to be an encouraging sign for RG3 being ready on the earlier side of what is being predicted for his return rather than the latter end.

Tandler talks combine, possible roster moves

In case you missed it

• Tarik El-Bashir covered Bruce Allen’s appearance at the groundbreaking ceremony for the Redskins’ new training camp facility in Richmond. Here’s what Allen had to say about training camp, RG3’s recovery, and Fletcher, Davis, and more.
• Redskins sign Patriots NT Ron Brace
• Redskins growing confident RG3 will start the season opener
• Is the cap penalty a dead issue?

Days until: NFL Combine 6; Start of league year 25; OTA’s start 89

Redskins sign NT Ron Brace

The Redskins announced that they have signed nose tackle Ron Brace, a 2009 draft choice of the Patriots.

Brace, 26, played in 38 games in four seasons in New England, starting seven. He is listed at 6-3, 329 pounds.

The Patriots released Brace on Dec. 29, making him eligible to be signed prior to the March 12 start of the free agent signing period.

The team’s press release follows after the jump:

Need to Know: Cap penalty a dead issue?

Here is what you need to know on this Thursday, February 14, seven days before the start of the NFL Combine.

Cap penalty likely to stand

It’s like many things we all face in life. The Redskins don’t like being penalized $18 million of salary cap space, but there isn’t much they can do about it.

The penalty was long assumed to be a dead issue until Mike Shanahan held his season-ending press conference on January and was asked about the penalty and the subsequent appeal process. “Well, I can’t answer that at this time so that means we’re still involved in it,” he said. “Yes, we’re still involved in it. When I can speak about it, I will speak. But at this time, I can’t. I think that answers your question.”

Well, it answered the immediate question but it raised others. In what way are the Redskins still pursuing the appeal? When they lost their appeal to the special master last year, they announced that they were dropping the case. Is that statement no longer operative?

Shanahan and the Redskins aren’t saying.

Mike Florio had a post about it in Pro Football Talk yesterday and a league source confirmed to him that, yes, the Redskins are still mad that they will lose about 15 percent of their available salary cap space for supposedly violating rules that didn’t exist. The Redskins could still, in theory, sue the league but that would be a scorched-earth strategy that could do more harm that good even if they won. And even though it appears to be obvious that what the league did to the Redskins was wrong, the legal process doesn’t always produce fair outcomes; there is no guarantee that they would win.

Florio thinks that the Redskins’ only options could be to threaten a lawsuit and hope that the league will be concerned enough about the potential damage a suit could do and give in to the Redskins’ request to restore their cap dollars.

But if they are doing that, they are running out of time for the league to blink. We are less than four weeks from the start of free agency. As slowly as the wheels of the legal system turn, that doesn’t seem to be enough time to get anything done.

With the outlook so bleak, the best advice for Redskins fans is to expect that the penalty will stand and let it be a pleasant surprise if somehow the team can get full or at least partial justice from the NFL.

Three and out: Redskins’ success vs. champs

Today's schedule

2:00--Groundbreaking ceremony for the Redskins' training camp facility in Richmon. Bruce Allen will speak, Tarik El-Bashir will be there to cover it for CSNwashington.com.

In case you missed it

• Injuries contributed to defense’s third-down woes
• The Redskins need to re-sign Fred Davis
• Some smart free agent targets for the Redskins to examine

Days until: NFL Combine 7; Start of league year 26; OTA’s start 90

In depth: Why the Redskins need to sign Fred Davis

Redskins tight end Fred Davis will be an unrestricted free agent on March 12. He was designated the team’s franchise player in 2012, a move that guaranteed him a salary of $5.4 million.

He only lasted seven games. In the first quarter of the game against the Giants in the Meadowlands, Davis suffered a torn Achilles tendon, ending his season. At the time he was injured, he was leading the team in receiving with 24 catches for 325 yards. He had not scored a touchdown.

For the rest of the season, he was occasionally seen around Redskins Park as he worked on rehabbing what usually is about a six-month injury. Working on that timetable he should be ready for the start of offseason workouts in mid-April.

But where will he be taking part in those workouts? Will it be in Ashburn? Or in another NFL city? Both Davis and the Redskins have some decisions to make.

Here is my in-depth look at the options and what I think the Redskins should go.

Franchise tag again

If the Redskins franchise Davis again, he would have to make either the franchise tag amount for that season or 120 percent of last year’s salary. It seems unlikely that the salary that goes with the tag will to up much so we are looking at the tag making Davis’ tender worth about $6.5 million.

Go here to read the rest of the post on CSNwashington.com

Need to Know: Smart free agent targets for the Redskins

Here is what you need to know on this Wednesday, February 13, 27 days before the start of the league year.

Free agent targets

We’re getting close to the start of free agency and although the Redskins are pressed up against the salary cap they will still be able to make a few free agent moves. Pro Football Focus came up with a few smart free agent suggestions for the Redskins for us to ponder.

Safety Chris Clemons (Dolphins): Free safety is the no-brainer top need for the Redskins this year and Clemons comes highly recommended by the folks at PFF. He will be 28 early next season, and he had two interceptions, a fumble recovery and 69 tackles while starting all 16 games for the Dolphins. One issue in the Redskins landing him could be that the Dolphins have $35 million in cap space and if they want him back they could easily top any offer the Redskins could make. Still, a three-year deal in the $2.5-$3 million per year range is reasonable for Clemons. That could be very affordable for the Redskins.

Offensive tackle Ryan Harris (Texans): There have been a few times since Mike Shanahan has been in Washington that Harris, who Shanahan drafted in Denver in the third round in 2007, has been available when it looked like the Redskins had a need at tackle. But there hasn’t seemed to be any mutual interest. Harris has struggled with injuries; he missed the 2011 season with a herniated disc. But he played well in a part-time role in Houston’s zone-blocking scheme last year and now might be the time for a Harris-Shanahan reunion. The minimum salary for his experience is $715,000; it probably wouldn’t take much more than that to get Harris, who turns 28 next month, into the fold.

Cornerback Leodis McKelvin (Bills): When the Bills drafted McKelvin 11^th overall in 2008, they certainly didn’t envision him as a part-time player but that is what he has been. An assortment of injuries hasn’t helped as McKelvin has missed time with rib and groin injuries in recent seasons. But PFF likes what he has done when he’s been in there and sometimes a change of scenery is what a 27-year-old needs. Nickel back Cedric Griffin cost the Redskins $2 million last year and McKelvin could be had for about the same.

Star QB play at a reduced rate

I’ve been looking at some salary cap numbers for the Redskins and the other teams around the NFC East as we get ready for free agency, which is less than a month away now. And one thing that struck me is that the Redskins have a huge financial advantage over their division foes, one that will last at least two more years.

Look at the salary cap numbers for the quarterbacks in the division:

Tony Romo: $16.82 million
Eli Manning: $20.85 million
Michael Vick: $6.879 million
Robert Griffin III: $4.79 million

The Eagles had to cut Vick’s pay and move some money around to reduce his cap number from $16.9 million. But they are getting questionable quality for their quarterback dollars.

Romo’s contract eats up 14.4 percent of the cap for the Cowboys, who are working with a $5 million cap penalty this year. The Giants have their full cap available but Manning’s number is consuming 17.2 percent of their cap dollars.

Washington is dealing with an $18 million cap penalty but Griffin still accounts for only 4.6 percent of the cap. Next year, assuming the cap stays flat and John Mara doesn’t dream up another penalty for breaking rules that didn’t exist, Griffin’s cap number goes up to $5.76 million and his percentage of the cap will stay at the same 4.6 percent. Griffin’s rookie deal goes through 2015.

That gives the Redskins a window where they are paying a relatively small amount at the quarterback position that will give them more money to spend at other positions.

In the latter part of this decade, Griffin’s salary is likely to rise to the level of those of Romo and Manning. In the meantime, the Redskins will have an opportunity.  

In case you missed it

• Can RG3 avoid a sophomore slump?
• Doughty stellar on kick coverage

Days until: Start of league year 27; OTA’s start 91; NFL Kickoff Sunday 207 

Need to Know: Glut of tackles in free agency could help Redskins

Here is what you need to know on this Tuesday, February 12, 29 days before the start of the NFL's new league year. 

Glut of tackles on market will help Redskins

The laws of supply and demand will help the Redskins if they decide to go into the free agent market in search of a right tackle.

There will be what Pro Football Talk described as “a glut” of tackles hitting the free agent market when it opens on March 12.

Among the Pro Bowlers and longtime starters who are slated to be free agents are Jake Long, Branden Albert, Sebastian Vollmer, Ryan Clady, Sam Baker Gosder Cherilus, Winston Justice, Phil Loadholt, Brian McKinnie, Jermon Bushrod, and Andre Smith.

In other years, these players might be looking for contracts in the range of $8 to $12 million per year or more with $10-$20 million or so guaranteed. The supply, along with the fact that the salary cap will essentially remain flat this year and it isn’t likely to go up much in 2014, will force many of them to set their sights considerably lower.

The Redskins probably are not shopping for players of the caliber of Clady, Long, or Albert and others on the list are not all fits for the Redskins’ zone-blocking scheme. But that doesn’t really matter. If oversupply pushes down the price for the top talent, there will be ripple effects into the second and third tiers that will help the Redskins afford a decent tackle.

With Jammal Brown now off of the roster, the Redskins have a number of options at right tackle. They could bring back Tyler Polumbus, last year’s starter who is now a free agent, at a reduced rate. If they choose to go younger at the position they already have Maurice Hurt and Tom Compton.

What do you think the Redskins should do about the right tackle spot? Let us know in the comments.

Three and Out: What Smith’s departure means for Banks

In case you missed it

• Should Shanahan shop for the groceries?
• The Redskins’ secondary improved later in the season but issues remain.
• It’s going to be an important offseason for Leonard Hankerson.

Days until: Start of new league year 29; NFL Draft 73; Training camp starts 164

Need to Know: Big offseason for Hankerson

Here is what you need to know on this Monday, February 11, 73 days before the NFL draft.

Hankerson’s numbers solid

Now that it appears that Brandon Banks has played his last game for the Redskins, some fans need a new player to complain about. Leonard Hankerson has taken Banks’ place as the player that Redskins fans love to hate.

In Banks’ case I think the criticism was justified; with Hankerson, I don’t quite understand it.

The primary complaint that I get is that he drops the ball too much. He has had some memorable drops and at other times he looked like he was battling to hang on to fairly routine passes. But according to Pro Football Focus, Hankerson held on to the ball better than any other Redskins wideout.

Per PFF, Hankerson was targeted 55 times and he had 38 receptions and three drops. That gives him a drop rate of 7.32 percent. Of the 82 NFL wide receivers who played at least 25 percent of their teams’ snaps that is the 28^th-best drop rate.

That’s not great but it was the best on the team. Pierre Garçon caught 44 passes and dropped five, a drop rate of 10.2 percent (51^st in the NFL). Josh Morgan’s caught 48 and dropped seven for a rate of 12.73 percent (67^th). Santana Moss, with six drops and 41 receptions had a rate of 12.77 (68^th).

Certainly, Hankerson still needs to improve in other areas. He has had issues getting separation from defensive backs so it looks like his route running could use some improvement.

This will be a critical offseason for Hankerson. The NFL lockout wiped out OTA’s his rookie year and rehab from his hip injury kept him sidelined during the offseason program a year ago. We will see if a full cycle of team workouts will help Hankerson take the next step.

Widen the field?

This appears to be just in the speculation phase right now but the NFL could take a look into widening the field of play as a safety measure.

The thinking is that with more wide open spaces there will be fewer of the big, debilitating hits that the NFL fears is causing long-term injuries, particularly to the player’s head. The field in the Canadian Football League is 195 feet wide compared to 160 feet in the NFL.

"It's a radical idea, but I think it's worth thinking about," former Colts GM Bill Polian said. "You would have more space and perhaps a safer game. I say that based on my CFL experience. There are less collisions of that type in the Canadian game."

The offenses in the CFL are more wide-open thanks to the wider field. Defensive backs have 22 percent more field area from goal line to goal line to try to cover receivers. Backs running around the end of the line have more room to get to the edge.

There are considerations beyond competition. In most stadiums such a change would necessitate the removal of some prime seats along the sideline.

It would be surprising to see the NFL make such a change. But the thought of Robert Griffin III sprinting out with some extra field to work with might make a change that Redskins fans could believe in.

In case you missed it

• The salary cap is likely to be flat in 2014
• Darrel Young helped the Redskins’ stars shine
• Captain Barry Cofield leads by example

Days until: NFL Combine 10; OTA’s start 93; Training camp starts 164